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March 16

Divorce Watch

On All My Children, how come Divorce Watch was cancelled? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 00:07, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

I've noticed that you've asked a lot of soap opera questions. We do have a specialized Entertainment Desk which is usually where these sorts of queries are asked/answered. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 04:19, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Split Trax vs. Twin Trax

On commercially produced cd's, can anyone explaint the difference between Split Trax and Twin Trax?? I,ve recently purchased a CD toting Split Trax(Vocal on right balance, Instruments on left balance)but voices are sporadic throughout disc, usually on chorus of songs only, not verses. Publisher (BrentwoodBenson)hasn't been much help answering this question. Previous CD's have had vocals on left side throughout all songs, so I'm wondering if disc is flawed ,or if I should have ordered Twin Trax instead of Split Trax.--Glekel (talk) 01:46, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Grape Soda...What the?

I drinking some Welchs Grape Soda. May I ask one question...why does the aftertaste taste like the grape flavored medicine that kids hate taking?71.143.3.182 (talk) 03:49, 16 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Probably because it's artificial flavoring. bibliomaniac15 03:53, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

There are a few varieties of "fake grape" flavoring used in both medicines and sodas. None of them take like any actual grapes that I have ever eaten. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 04:18, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Well now I know. Thank you. I won't drink Grape soda for a while. Cause that was gross grape soda. Ha, yeah it doesn't taste like real Grapes. Unless they found these grapes on some magical tree.71.143.3.182 (talk) 01:20, 17 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

The flavor of most "grape-flavor" stuff, including sodas and medicines, is called "foxiness" and is a very good approximation of what Concord grapes taste like. If you've never had them they're quite a revelation! --Sean 14:39, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Wow! If that's true, then there must be a banana that tastes exactly like that bizarre "banana" flavouring they use for candy. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:13, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Is that also why Welch's grape juice tastes weird and unlike French and British grape juice? Skittle (talk) 12:36, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I've never (to my knowledge) tasted French or British grape juice, but Welch's is made of concord grapes. I too was shocked when I ate concord grapes for the first time. I love them because they're just like eating grape candy. Mangostar (talk) 15:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I am agreeing with the bizarre banana flavor.71.143.3.182 (talk) 04:19, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I always wonder how in heaven they came up with the blue raspberry flavor. bibliomaniac15 Midway upon life's journey... 04:30, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I wonder how they get any flavor. Most of the flavors taste fake and are sickening.71.143.3.182 (talk) 05:00, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Internet Networks

If you have forgotten your password to a internet network is there a way to find it again? 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:22, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

This question would probably be better answered on the Computing ref desk. Since you've already posted it here though... What type of network specifically are you referring to? Do you mean the password to the router on your home network? Dismas|^(talk) 09:54, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Um... I mean the Wireless Network Connection at home. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.233.83.26 (talk) 10:08, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

You have two options: either reset the wireless router to its factory (default) settings, or try and access the router directly and find its password that way. The latter requires you to have a physical connection (ethernet) to the router, or to have a computer that already is authenticated with the router and can already sign in. Depending on what model of wireless router it is (Linksys? Netgear? etc.), the method for accessing its settings will vary. Note that if you have a password on the router settings itself, you won't be able to get into it at all (if you don't know that particular password), and will need to do the factory reset. If there is a password on the router settings screen (which is different than if there is a password needed to connect to the internet through the router) and you don't remember setting it, it might be the factory default password, and that can be looked up if we knew the make of the router.

Sound complicated? It is, unfortunately. I wish it were not the case. Even a technologically savvy person can find things like this a little time-consuming and confusing, as there are different passwords for different things and so much of it depends on knowing the specific defaults for any given router. And it's the sort of thing that's hard to explain to others because there is specific terminology (do you know the difference between your modem and your router? whether it is a WEP password or WPA?) that is easy to get confused about. It's the sort of problem you might consider finding someone you know who is very tech savvy and seeing if they can do it for you. (I've tried to explain this sort of thing over the phone to non-techie people before and it's verrry hard to walk them through it). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:11, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Pantyhose

How does Pantyhose keep legs warm if it doesn't hold air against the body and insulate it? Merely adding a layer against the skin does not seem like it would provide protection from the cold to me. Thank you. --24.183.39.245 (talk) 13:29, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

I suspect it acts (at least) as a windbreak, though I think you underestimate the warmth that they will bring. ny156uk (talk) 15:44, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Some people find them effective under other layers to cut the chill. Julia Rossi (talk) 02:02, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I was under the impression that pantyhose were meant not to keep legs, but rather for fashion or style purposes. Worn to hide veined legs for older women, avoid showing starkly white legs (as opposed to tanned ones), or simply to match (wearing black pantyhose with a short black dress, for example). EmilyELewis (talk) 23:45, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I haven't found that hose provides a significant warmth benefit over bare legs, but most of my thermal issues are due to wind. Kuronue | Talk 14:26, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

If you examine the hose close up (maybe using a microscope, but preferably when no one is inside them), you will see lots of little stitches all locked together but with air spaces between the threads. This air acts as an insulator. Its how most (all?) clothes keep us warm. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.144.62 (talk) 04:47, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Real virtual world

What is a virtual world that doesn't suck ass where there is some chance of making a living? Second Life, WoW and Entropia Universe are all out of the question. I want to experience like a simulated young USA. How can there not be something like this out there? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.48.193 (talk) 13:49, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

A Perfect World Ericthebrainiac (talk) 17:28, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

What do you mean by "making a living"? Making a living ingame, or being able to farm enough gold and resources to sell out of game to make a living in RL? SaundersW (talk) 17:55, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

You can do this?? HYENASTE 00:51, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Annie Oakley seemed to make something out of almost nothing so maybe that's your era. -- Julia Rossi (talk) 01:50, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Jonathan Lavery's health and well-being

I am worried for Jonathan Lavery's health and well-being because what if his brain tumor grows back? What would Greenlee Smythe and Amanda Dillon do when it happens? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 17:22, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

It's fiction, soap opera at that. Who knows. Maybe it'll have been his twin brother from outer space all along. I feel like this isn't really an appropriate question for this forum, though that may just be because I honestly can't conjure up a tiny bit of caring about the answer. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:16, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

First of all tumors don't just grow back - ok they do. and if it does he'll be fine - just like a child again - since everyone knows the tumour caused his strange behaviour previously - if he starts acting oddly he'll be straight back in for a brain scan I suppose. Just hope nothing can go wrong with a brain scanning machine.

Oh dear God no! Please don't even consider such a thing! I would just DIE!!! − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 18:36, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Can anything go wrong with a brain scanning machine

A brain scan is a non-invasive medical proceedure - with no risk to the suubject. Is that correct?87.102.124.155 (talk) 21:40, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

If you mean a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, it is non-invasive, but things can go wrong. They generate massive magnetic fields in order to work, and that carries with it some risk (of things getting sucked into the machine while someone is in it, or with an unknown piece of metal inside the subject being pulled out). It is a real threat, not just a theoretical possibility, and people have been injured and even died in such accidents. The problem isn't the scanning itself—it is totally non-invasive—but with the operation of the scanner. See Magnetic_resonance_imaging#Safety. Note that when properly handled, they are very safe; I'm not trying to be alarmist in any way, but since you asked about potential risks... --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:52, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

A brain scanning machine is a man-made object. So of course things can go wrong with the mechanics. Hopefully not affecting the treatment.86.200.5.86 (talk) 15:34, 17 March 2008 (UTC)DT

Pimpinela

Who are Pimpinela? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 17:26, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

It is an Hispanic operatic soap for those affected by pimples the cultivation of which has been optimised by obsessively witnessing moronic low caloric cerebral nutrients scripted by brain dead prepubescent televisionary dickheads. Bugger it, this won´t work, either... --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:01, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Have a look here for a start [1]. Richard Avery (talk) 08:43, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

They are a pretty famous Argentine melodic duet (at least, down here). A sister and and brother who have been singing together for like 20 or 25 years. They have an eswiki page. Geez, I even didn't know they have already sold over 20m albums worldwide. -- ReyBrujo (talk) 11:45, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Exceptions

What are the exceptions to the rule that "every rule has exceptions?" NeonMerlin 18:39, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Obviously it varies rule to rule. Have a look at the article Exception that proves the rule ny156uk (talk) 20:46, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

If you're asking about the ability to make a logical paradox with playful bits of language.. see Self-refuting idea. Or, if you're feeling ambitious, give Gödel, Escher, Bach a spin (the book, not the article on the book). Or jump to the grand-daddy of them all, Gödel's incompleteness theorems. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:04, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

To give an answer, every verb in the English language contains at least one vowel. HYENASTE 00:48, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Pwn? Warofdreams talk 17:59, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Try?--Jabberwalkee (talk) 02:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The letter Y can be either a consonant or a vowel. It's a semivowel. -- Kesh (talk) 00:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I've always treated "every rule has exceptions" as a rule, which therefore has exceptions, such that, umm, some rules don't have exceptions. Hence, the original statement and its apparent contradiction are both true. Gotta love it... 63.231.161.238 (talk) 22:57, 16 March 2008 (UTC) Dan

I just ignore all rules. Useight (talk) 00:16, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Home Made Spirit Level

I recall many yeras ago seeing a contractor using a home made spirit level that consisted of a long length of clear tubing with water inside to measue various levels when laying out footings over wide areas with a number of obstacles in the way that would prevent the use of a normal rigid level such as a Carpenter's level or Laser level. Can sommeone tell me how to make such a level and explain how it works? Colin1300 (talk) 22:23, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

I think you've already got the basic idea. Some transparent tubing, bought at your local home-goods store, some barbed couplers to join multiple lengths of tubing if you really need to go a long ways, and some water and you're in business. Try to avoid entraining bubbles in the line; bubbles in vertical sections will throw off the balance as that leg of your level would be "lighter" than the non-bubbly leg.

How it works is that within a single contiguous (connected) body of water, all points on the surface of the water will be at the same distance from the center of the Earth; this is the lowest "energy state" for the body of water. So the two or more mensici will all be at exactly the same level once the water has reached equilibrium. Yes, you can "tee off" as many different branches as you like and they'll all be "level".

Atlant (talk) 22:50, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

(EC) Clear hosepipe, mostly filled with water (add some food colouring so you can see it). Leave both ends open (And keep both ends up in the air so that you have a very wide sort of U shape with water in the upright parts of the U) . Water finds its own level ... so the level of the water at the one of the pipe is at the same level as the water in the other end of the pipe. You can use the water level as a datum from which to measure the level you want. (e.g. if you want a level floor, and the level of water is above the floor, you measure levels 2' above the floor, and know that the floor must be 2' lower than the marks. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:56, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Long cheap pipe is used for the body of the level, only the ends are transparent with stiff tubing with calibrations, or just clear vinyl.An identical stand at each end makes it even betterPolypipe Wrangler (talk) 23:42, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Ooh ooh! what about some handles at each end to hold it, and maybe some little lights so you can carry on levelling at night. Richard Avery (talk) 16:12, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

March 17

Ejaculating into condom?

In Western culture, is it customary for the man to ejaculate into the condom while the penis is still in the woman's vagina after he is done during casual intercourse? Or does the male extract the penis, take off the condom and ejaculate elsewhere? 99.240.177.206 (talk) 00:13, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I thought the whole point of the condom was not having to worry about pulling out. Is it different in other cultures?? —Keenan Pepper 00:37, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Is this in reference to a porno? Because porn is designed to excite the people watching, not the people performing. Like Keenan says, the point of a condom is to be able to ejaculate in the vagina without risk of pregnancy. In pornos, the directors want to make the money shot as visible as possible, so the man tends to pull out and then finish off somewhere more open. HYENASTE 00:45, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, my orignal question was a bit ambiguous. Does the man ejaculate into the condom? Personally such an action is slightly painful for me as the latex is stretching and forcing the semen back into the penis.99.240.177.206 (talk) 01:02, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, the usual thing to do, though I have no sources to cite, is to ejaculate into the condom. If it's causing you pain, then you may not be allowing enough space in the tip of the condom for the ejaculate to be caught up in. A condom should not be tight against the tip of the penis. There should be a little slack at the end. If I remember correctly, it says this in the instructions on the side of a box of condoms. Dismas|^(talk) 01:43, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

In fact a condom may break if space is not left at the tip. --S.dedalus (talk) 02:32, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

If a man doesn't ejaculate into a condom while wearing it, where could he ejaculate to? Ask yourself that, and you might find yourself an answer. Neal (talk) 21:51, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

What does it mean "in western culture"?87.102.13.144 (talk) 12:12, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Western culture, although I think condoms are designed to work the same way everywhere. FiggyBee (talk) 12:21, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Can't find the article condom use in western culture, please help. ok joke - why though? Is it expected to be different elsewhere?87.102.13.144 (talk) 12:58, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

It could be; it's a big wide wild world out there. Who knows how they do it in other countries. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:24, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

When putting on a condom DO NOT leave an air bubble at the top. Instead, pinch the end between thumb and forefinger, to leave room for the semen. [2]. Many condoms feature a reservoir tip, you might prefer those [3]. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 17:42, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

It is indeed true that sexual practices vary across cultures; see Dry sex for a life-threatening example (the article itself is not gruesome, no images). So the questioner is quite right to frame the OP that way. BrainyBabe (talk) 08:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

drinking laws in spain

moved from help desk Julia Rossi (talk) 00:33, 17 March 2008 (UTC) Phillstirland (talk) 09:10, 16 March 2008 (UTC)hello. i hope you can help. we are going on holiday in august this year, ( 2008 ), to lloret de mar, in spain, and my son will be 16 when we go. i am a careful and concerned parent that is seeking knowledgable advice. i have read your table of ages to purchase and to drink. however the drinking ages vary from each article or site you visit, and so it is not clear exactly what age you can actually drink in a bar in spain. can you please help me as some say you can drink at 16 in a bar but cannot purchase, which tells me that i can purchase alcohol for my son. yet some say the drinking age is 18. thankyou for your advice. phillstirland

Hi, could you call the Spanish embassy where you are, or one that has an info line? Even a travel agency could help until knowledgeable types come along here. Julia Rossi (talk) 01:57, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know what the actual laws are, but in any event I don't think they're really enforced. Neither I nor my 17-year-old-at-the-time (or 18? I'm not sure) sister got carded a single time during our ten or so days in Spain recently. Mangostar (talk) 15:57, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Sound Waves of Jet Fighters

Could the sound waves of Jet fighters such as the F 16 and what the Blue Angels fly break glass?71.143.3.182 (talk) 01:13, 17 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Yes, although the plane ("what the Blue Angels fly" is the F/A-18A, incidentally) would have to be flying fast and low:

Sonic booms may cause minor damage such as shattered glass but structurally sound buildings should not suffer damages from overpressures less than 16 psf. Sonic boom exposure to communities typically does not exceed two psf. Some public reaction could be expected between 1.5 and 2 pounds. Rare minor damage may occur with 2 to 5 pounds overpressure. The strongest sonic boom ever recorded was 144 pounds per square foot and it did not cause injury to the researchers who were exposed. The boom was produced by an F-4 flying just above the speed of sound, at an altitude of 100 feet.[4]

FiggyBee (talk) 07:04, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I just wanted to know. An airshow was happening, luckily nothing was broken, but when a Jet overshadowed my house it sounded like one of my windows exploded. It was kinda scary.Why do Jet's sound waves seem to be coming from the opposite direction from where they are flying?71.143.3.182 (talk) 07:10, 17 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

They don't, normally, although it may be hard to pinpoint a fast-moving aircraft as you'll hear where the plane was when it emitted the sound, rather than where it is now. If it sounds like it's in the opposite direction it may be a quirk of your local geography (you hear an echo off a hill or building rather than the aircraft directly). FiggyBee (talk) 07:31, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Things to see in Eastern and Central Ontario

Hello,

I will be traveling from Southwestern Ontario to Ottawa in a couple of weeks. I'm planning to take Highway 7 there and Highway 2 back, although those plans are not definite. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for interesting things to see or do between Toronto and Ottawa, such as scenic drives, oddball roadside attractions, good diners, or just normal things worth seeing. I've already been told that I cannot think of taking this trip without stopping at the Big Apple in Colborne. Any other suggestions? '

Or, to make this a proper Reference Desk question: What scenic drives, oddball roadside attractions, good eating places and things worth seeing are there between Toronto and Ottawa?

Thanks. -- 99.236.161.4 (talk) 03:29, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Asking for facts, not opinions, is what makes a "proper Reference Desk question." --LarryMac | Talk 13:42, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Kingston has ridiculously good restaurants. 207.148.157.228 (talk) 14:06, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

And plenty of prisoners, too, to spice up your road trip. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 18:31, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Might be a little detour, but how about Algonquin Provincial Park? You'll be getting in ahead of the blackflies. --Trovatore (talk) 18:36, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

The lift lock in Peterborough? JohnAspinall (talk) 18:54, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I recommend taking the scenic drive off the 401 through Prince Edward County, via Sandbanks Provinical park. The scenery is great, you get to see more of Lake Ontario than you would otherwise and you get a ferry ride at the end. Sandbanks is a fine Provincial park as they go, worth a stop if you like that sort of thing but nothing special. The 'Big Apple' is a a huge apple with apple-related displays and the opportunity to buy huge quantities of Apple-related products. Since you have to stop somewhere, there is as good as anywhere. DJ Clayworth (talk) 21:20, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for your tips. As for Kingston's "ridiculously good restaurants," any suggestions? -- 99.236.161.4 (talk) 23:11, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

The Hungry Goat, I think it's called. Good food and a community feeling -- announcements, books, a place to hang out. BrainyBabe (talk) 08:08, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Life Expectancy

What was the country that had the highest life expectancy in the world in 1900, at the beginning of the 20th Century? What was its life expectancy? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bowei Huang (talk • contribs) 04:22, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

This paper has figures for life expectancy at birth in selected developed countries circa 1900. The highest for males is Australia with 53.2 years and for females 56.8 years. I'll have a further look for any better source! SaundersW (talk) 14:59, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

BOMB DISPOSAL

HI, I WANT TO ASK YOU PEOPLE THAT IS THERE ANY WEB WHICH TEACHES BOMB/EXPLOSIVE DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES KINDLY GUIDE ME TO THAT LINK. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 221.132.115.187 (talk) 12:07, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Are you aware that shouting has been known to trigger unexploded bombs? Writing in all capitals is considered SHOUTING here. -- JackofOz (talk) 12:25, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps it was REALLY URGENT? We may never know the answer. Savvo (talk) 12:47, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Maybe his initial untutored efforts in this arena left him with hearing loss, and he doesn't know he's shouting. --Milkbreath (talk) 13:17, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

"...don't poke fun at a poorly-written question. The reference desk necessarily involves communication between questioners and respondents from different backgrounds and cultures."--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 13:24, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

If you're learning them for your personal use, a website is not going to be a good source. If you have unexploded ordnance you'd better contact local officials of some sort.

If you're interested just as a matter of interest, our article on bomb disposal techniques is not a bad place to start. As the article points out, current techniques are often not discussed publicly because knowing them would allow a bomb-maker to create ways to disable them.

If you'd like to see a tense British television show on the subject, I particularly have enjoyed Danger UXB. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:20, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing that series out, 98.217; it looks really interesting. *And* available on DVD - birthday present sorted!--Kateshortforbob 21:09, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

My (U.S.) library also had the book the UXB series was based on, "Unexploded Bomb" by Major A. B. Hartley, M.B.E, RE, and it was more explanatory than the movie and a real aid in understanding what was going on in the movie. The clockwork delay devices were there to further demoralize the population and to kill emergency workers and bomb disposal people. The clockwork was likely to stop near the end of its run, because activating the actual detonator placed extra mechanical demands on the clockwork. A battery or capacitor would eventually lose its charge, but the clockwork could still be there waiting for a very long time, until the bomb was moved or a heavy truck drove by and started it ticking the last few ticks before detonation. Edison (talk) 14:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Free pictures of Irak war

Hi. I'm looking for copyright free pictures of bombardments in Irak. Is there such a thing, i.e. a copyright status for pictures taken by the US army that would be close to the Nasa copyright? How do newspapers deal with the printing of pictures taken by US army or British army photographers? Do they pay to print or are these pictures given to the papers with restricted copyrights (no alterations for example)? Thank yous. Keria (talk) 13:42, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Photos taken by US Army photographers in their official capacity as members of the US Army are usually public domain. You can find a lot of Iraq pictures, free to use, at the US Department of Defense's image server website: http://www.defenselink.mil/multimedia/. But be aware they are official releases—they are often selected to make soldiers look especially heroic or the enemy look especially bad. About half of the Iraq photos are soldiers giving children hugs and things like that, which I'm not sure is actually quite representative of how they spend their time! But they're free photos. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:13, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm just wondering where this "Irak" place is. Malcolm XIV (talk) 19:42, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

The country's name is Arabic, so there isn't any official spelling with Roman letters. Please remember that there are people from other countries posting questions here. It is spelled "Irak" in the Turkish language, for example. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 20:30, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm talking about Aïreq of course :). I'm looking for good quality pictures of the bombing of Baghdad but I'm having a hard time finding any. I want to re-use the pictures for colages (in a non-partizan way just looking for a city under siege with big explosions) and I'm wondering about the copyright issue. Keria (talk) 21:18, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Irak is also how it is spelled in many other languages (German, Russian, etc.). Believe it or not, using a "Q" to designate a "K" sound is not entirely as common as one might think! Anyway, collages are tricky copyright-wise so you're right to be looking for public domain things! Unfortunately such images seem rare—unsurprisingly the Army/Air Force/etc. doesn't seem to have had a lot of people running around on the ground in Baghdad taking pictures at the time, so the only images we really have are those by foreign press services, for the most part. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 22:00, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm not an Arabic speaker, but I believe it's not exactly a "K" sound -- it's further back in the throat. It's still a stop, not a fricative, but it has a slightly "duller" or more "muffled" sound than the letter K in English. That's probably why a different letter was chosen. --Trovatore (talk) 02:29, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Sure, but in any case it's going to be an imperfect transliteration, and probably a very old one at that. In any case, far more languages seem to transliterate it as "Irak" than "Iraq", and from what I can tell it was even transliterated as "Irak" in English through most of the 20th century as well. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 04:41, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

That's interesting that it's spelled with a к in Russian. I never noticed that before. Russian has the letter х (usu. translit. kh), which I would have thought was a lot closer to the Arabic sound than к is. -- JackofOz (talk) 04:02, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Ahem

Been curious about something:
1. Why do most modern (western) women shave their vaginas as opposed to the sventies and before when the opposite was commonplace? Is this different for different cultures?
2. Is it common for wives to give their husbands blow-jobs? Or is this reserved for prostitutes and porno movies? Is this different for different cultures?
Anon

How do you know what most western women do? I bet those who are a little older (shall we say) don't do it. But how can I tell?86.200.5.86 (talk) 15:30, 17 March 2008 (UTC)DT

The word vagina does not mean what you apparently think it means. People trimming pubic hair may be more common now- I don't know a good way to tell. Oral sex is a very common practice. Friday (talk) 15:52, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

The shaving of pubic hair is certainly not a modern idea. The removal of pubic hair by both sexes was encouraged by the Prophet Muhammed, and nudes have traditionally lacked body hair in Western art, from classical times to the Rennaisance. More prosaically, removal of body hair was common in ancient, mediaeval and later times for the control of lice. As to why almost all pornographic models of the 1970s sport bushy growths, people were quite keen on hair in general at that time, so it could simply be a matter of fashion. Another possible explanation is that at the time the industry was completely unregulated, and having hirsute models was one way of "proving" the girls were of age. FiggyBee (talk) 16:41, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Most women don't shave their pubic hair. Some do. And yes, oral sex (both male and female) is relatively common (but also not nearly universal) in all kinds of relationships, including marriages. --Masamage ♫ 16:43, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

1.Asking a 'why' question is rather irrelevant. I would imagine it depends on the individual. I do assume, however, that women shaving any pubic hair is more feminine. 2.I don't think so. Neal (talk) 21:45, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

Because Cosmo says Brazilian is in this summer and that blowjobs enhance pleasure. Kuronue | Talk 14:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Songs in Pecados Ajenos

What songs are heard when Natalia Ruiz de Mercenario and Adrián Torres start to kiss each other in Pecados Ajenos? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 17:17, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Mexican Hat Dance! Recury (talk) 18:27, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

KISS ME, I'M IRISH (Corona Beer Ad)

About 8 or 9 years ago I went on a Surf trip down in Baja Mexico. I think the place was called La Fonda. There was a umbrella table outside of the apartment we sublet. Around this and the patio was a CORONA Beer advertisement decoration. Description is like a stereotypical 'Dirty Mexican' style dude. He's got a sombrero on. He's got some nasty teeth(some gold caps). A liken to 'Gold Hat'/Alfonso Bedoya in John Huston's 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)', you know"stinking badges"? Great stuff. The Ad has Shamrocks and the guy smiling with the words underneath 'KISS ME, I'M IRISH'. Can us Wiki's get together and find me a pic of that online? Much obliged. --i am the kwisatz haderach (talk) 17:27, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Black and White Push-Processing

Hi. I recently shot a roll of Ilford Delta 3200 Professional film (rated at ISO 1000). I developed it in D-76 (stock) for 13 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius. I shot the roll at EI 6400. My negatives are fairly thin, but definitely usable. Is it normal for negatives pushed this far to come out thinner than normal negs, or should I have developed longer? Thanks! Steevven1 ^{(Talk) (Contribs) (Gallery)} 19:44, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Sports on period

Generally speaking, when female athletes are participating in a sport during their period, does their performance decrease? For example, if an elite female 100m sprinter is running in the Olympic finals during her period, even a little decrease in speed will result in large difference in place standings. Is this often discussed in sports? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 21:18, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Since when do women ages 46-54 (50th percentile 51) run the 100 meter on Olympics? Hmm.. Neal (talk) 21:41, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

Menstruation can occur in girls as young as 12. Acceptable (talk) 21:51, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh, I interpreted as menopause. My bad. By 'period' I thought the older period, since I didn't think 12 year and 8 month old girls participated in the Olympics.. Neal (talk) 21:53, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

For Confusionists: see menarche / menstruation / menopause and ignore period. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:41, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Mmm. Your understanding of 'period' is rather confused. 219.90.204.132 (talk) 08:41, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

You may want to read about exercise amenorrhoea. Bovlb (talk) 21:57, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

It's my understanding that elite athletes don't tend to get periods (as noted by Bovlb, Amenorrhea), since their body-fat percentage tends to be so low. So it doesn't really come up. (Neal, period means menstruation, not menarche or menopause) I found this article about menstruation in athletes, which you may find useful. [5] Skittle (talk) 12:19, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Bee Mass

I came home today and discovered a rather alarming collection of bees on the side of my house. A picture is here: [6] . I'd rather not spray them as I've no reason to want them dead, as long as they dont plan on taking up permanant residence there. Is this collection of bees something I should be concerned about? 65.12.220.107 (talk) 21:56, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd call an exterminator. There's no way of knowing if they're planning on staying or not. They won't die off on their own until November or so, so I'd make a phone call as fast as possible. Especially if you have children. Useight (talk) 22:44, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

You need to call someone today. Bees can cause damage to property (wax seeping into plaster and gyprock, for instance) that can cost quite a bit of money to repair.

Not getting the exterminator out ASAP can also have insurance repercussions. About one in every 200 people is prone to severe, even life-threatening reactions to beestings. Treating a severe allergic reaction can climb into the five-figure range in the US even if the victim has an Epi-pen and takes all due steps. If you've had reasonable time to get rid of the nest and haven't done so, the victim might have grounds to win a lawsuit against you for negligence, and your insurance might not cover it because you didn't address the problem within a reasonable period of time. --NellieBly (talk) 23:06, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Oi, thanks for the info all. Guess I'd better put on a jacket and a paintball mask and grab some killer. 65.12.220.107 (talk) 23:09, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

If you do not want to kill them there may be a beekeeper in your area that will come out for free and attempt to trap them (he will want to keep the bees of course). Don't try and do it yourself, you will get stung 161.222.160.8 (talk) 02:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I still say don't do it yourself, call an expert. Useight (talk) 23:57, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Yep, call the bee keeper (apiarist) they take alll the sweat out of it and the bees get to live as well. (Insecticide could aggravate them anyway, then everyone's unhappy.)Julia Rossi (talk) 02:52, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm putting in another vote for calling a beekeeper. Bees are wonderful little flying cows and are having a rough time in many places right now. I googled for beekeeping raleigh and the first link said "We have several beekeepers who are willing to catch swarms in central North Carolina...". Perhaps you could search for a similar thing where you are? --Sean 13:26, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

We are having a major beekeeping crisis in the US, with hives dying all over the place. Bees are essential pollinators for important crops like apples, and are the main pollinators for many others. Here in Virginia, it is technically illegal to exterminate them: you must call a beekeeper instead. Moving a swarm in early spring is generally successful and the beekeeper actually makes some money on the deal when he moves the swarm "for free." Moving a swarm in the Fall is more problematic: The bees will not have time to stock the new hive before winter, and will need a lot of help from the beekeeper, so expect to be charged for the service. -Arch dude (talk) 04:41, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Childless

I've decided that I'm never going to have children. How can I avoid a feeling of emptiness and wasted opportunity? Vitriol (talk) 22:28, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Be like Bruce Wayne/Batman. Adopt some children. Neal (talk) 22:30, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

I like your first idea. Vitriol (talk) 22:34, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

The optimal method in life is: Allow for plan B (not to mention C and D and ...). --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:36, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Do volunteer work, perhaps with kids, perhaps not. Last summer I volunteered with a "life skills" class for teenagers who come from crappy family backgrounds, and it was awesome. There are also daycares, retirement homes, ESL schools for foreign exchange students (did that, too--got paid!), summer camps, food kitchens, sports teams to coach, pools to lifeguard, libraries to read stories at, and on and on. Being helpful for free is a lot more fun than it sounds like it should be--and it's less time-consuming than most of the other things we do. You also get a lot of warm fuzzies for it. --Masamage ♫ 22:41, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Most people who are childless by choice never have a feeling of emptiness and wasted opportunity. That's because they don't value their lives by whether someone in 300 years who doesn't even remember their name will carry 1/1,024th of their DNA. Unfortunately, a small minority of people who have children are, as far as I can figure out, deeply insecure, narrow-minded, and jealous. They can't stand that anyone can choose to be different from them; it puts their choice into question if everyone doesn't agree with them. So they call the childless "empty" and say they've "wasted opportunity". The same people often pop out with racism and homophobia, and again for the same reason: they can't stand anyone to choose differently than they did, because they see any dissent as criticism. --NellieBly (talk) 23:15, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

And on the contrary, not having kids will soon someday be the new fad. Especially if you take into consideration world overpopulation. Anyways, did it occur to anyone that not having kids still doesn't mean you're unmarried/without a spouse. Married couples can decide not to have kids. Heh. Neal (talk) 23:33, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

You could re-choose not to have kids, this time on the basis that it's for whatever your positive reasons are. That probably sounds pretty glib; it wasn't meant to be. I appreciate that one might make such a choice, freely, consciously, and for the very best of good reasons - and still experience feelings of regret and emptiness down the track; and nobody can guarantee those feelings won't arise at some time. It's how you deal with them when and if they do arise that matters, not trying to avoid them to begin with. If you already anticipate them, you might want to examine why you've made this decision. That's why I say re-choose, but after becoming really clear in your heart about exactly why you're making this choice; then write it down and keep it somewhere safe. It will serve you well to be reminded of this when and if such negative feelings arise. The more you consciously try to avoid some emotional issue, the more likely you are to actually bring it about, because your brain is focussing energy on it. What we resist, persists. -- JackofOz (talk) 09:21, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Instead of creating lives, how about saving them? It's ridiculously cheap and easy to do. Find a charity you trust (there's one linked on my user page if you're short of ideas) that you'd like to support and then either send them money, fundraise on their behalf (hey, that'll fill your spare time nicely - and you'll make great friends along the way) or lobby, donate gifts in kind, advocate on their behalf among your friends... There's so much needless death, illness and general misery in the developing world and it's astonishingly fixable, so long as the charity you're supporting is reputable, has its eyes wide open and doesn't throw money away on administration or into corrupt officials' pockets. --Dweller (talk) 11:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

STATES IN THE USA

HOW MANY STATES ARE THERE IN TH USA? I HAVE READ MANY DIFFEREN PASSAGES SAYING 52 54 I HAVE READ ON YOUR SITE THAT THERE IS 50 STATES BUT I WAS TOLD THAT YALL HAVE NOT UPDATED YALL INFO. THIS IS THE LINK OF YALL PAGE WHERE I GOT THE INFO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.96.159.184 (talk) 22:42, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

There are 50 states. Anyone who says otherwise is just plain wrong. Useight (talk) 22:45, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

So many trolls out there. Neal (talk) 22:50, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

Probably not a troll. I was in a room full of Canadians, and they had no idea how many states there were in the U.S. -- 50, 51 or 52. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:08, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

That's true, but I was referring moreso to the caps. ;/ Neal (talk) 23:23, 17 March 2008 (UTC).

Well, Americans don't know how many provinces Canada has either, much less name them. It doesn't really matter anyway. That's why maps were invented. I bet that most Canadians and Americans can't name a single Mexican state either. As long as you can locate a country on a map you'll do fine - but most people can't do that either. Chris16447 (talk) 23:27, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!Leamarie411x2 23:47, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Well said... :1 Boomshanka (talk) 23:52, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

True enough, but considering how often Canadians fret about turning into the 51st state, you'd think they'd be able to figure out how many states the U.S. has without Canada! -- Mwalcoff (talk) 07:52, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Same for Down Under. I've had arguments with folks who are convinced the USA has 52 states (that's not including Canada, Australia, NZ, etc; just the home-grown ones). When I've disagreed and said it's only 50, they've said that it used to be 50, before Alaska and Hawaii came on board. I say, no, it used to be 48 before then. Then it was 49 for a while, then it was 50. But they still disagree. This is usually in a situation where we're not near the internet or any reference books; a library, for example (no, only kidding - a social gathering, more likely). After half an hour of fruitless discussion, I just walk away. These are the people who laugh at Americans for not knowing the difference between Australia and Austria. Oh dear. -- JackofOz (talk) 09:00, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I think maybe it stems from misassociation. The number seems familiar, so they attribute it to the number of States. After all, there are 52 weeks in a year; 54 cards in a deck (including jokers); 76 trombones in the big parade... Malcolm XIV (talk) 09:20, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

99 Red Balloons. Useight (talk) 00:36, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Also keep in mind that American events with representatives from all the states, like the Miss America pageant, will often have 51 or 52 participants, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. There are actually 55 entities represented in the US House of Representatives -- DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa have nonvoting delegates. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 10:57, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

You could urge them to take the next opportunity to examine the (6×5+5×4) Stars & (13) Stripes. —Tamfang (talk) 07:06, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

What, you mean there are 63 states? Or are the stripes for the 13 provinces and territories of Canada? That's part of America, isn't it? :-) --Anonymous, 14:08 UTC, March 19, 2008.

Well there is a difference between not knowing the difference between a European country and a Oceanic country and not knowing how many states there are in a country. If they were laughing at American's not knowing how many states there are in Australia perhaps... Nil Einne (talk) 19:59, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

On our way to a College Bowl tournament in 1981, a couple of us passed some time by trying to name the fifteen SSRs (we missed two), the thirty-two counties of Ireland (we got about half), and the states of Mexico (I forget how we did). —Tamfang (talk) 07:06, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

(resetting indent) There are also many Americans who don't know the names of the states. There's a running joke up here in Vermont about non-Vermonters asking "What state is that in?" when we tell them that we're from Vermont. Just last week I had to explain to a guy, who was born and raised in Washington DC, where Vermont was. I was in DC at the time. Dismas|^(talk) 09:33, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

This is sounding a bit like the urban myth that a large percentage of US high school student are unable to shade in their own country on an outline map ofthe world. That said, almost all the americans I've ever met have been pretty knowledgeable people. Astronaut (talk) 09:43, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

This survey does show a grim picture, though. 1/3 of the respondents (Americans 18-24) think the US population is "1 to 2 billion", etc. --Sean 13:33, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Which might just mean people have a hard time getting a handle on large numbers, though. I doubt most people really appreciate the difference between 300 million and 1 billion people. I also imagine most city-dwellers fail to take into account, in an intuitive sense, how less dense (population wise) much of the central region of the country is relative to the urban regions. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 16:06, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

There is a continuing column in New Mexico magazine called "One of our 50 states is missing", in which people report real-life encounters with people who don't know that New Mexico is a US state. In most cases, Americans. Corvus cornix_talk 17:22, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

"Wait, are you telling me there's a New Mexico?" 206.252.74.48 (talk) 18:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

If I were in that position, I imagine I'd ask whether they think New York and New Hampshire are in England. (I've visited the Old ones more recently than the New, though i reside in California.) —Tamfang (talk) 07:02, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's especially funny when they ask if we take dollars, or only pesos. Or if they need a passport to get in. Sigh. seresin | wasn't he just...? 07:07, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It was right to link to Education in the United States. Nothing they teach you in American schools (up to college, that is) is of any use. They only teach you what is on the standardized tests, because that is all this country cares about. God forbid they teach you something that isn't on the test - like the names of the states. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 13:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

A resident of Ferndale, Michigan (less than 50 miles from the Canadian border) once asked me, "Do you guys have pizza in Canadia?" —Preceding unsigned comment added by Santegeezhe (talk • contribs) 17:30, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I highly recommend watching Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans." I don't know how to put a link in here, but it can be googled fairly easily. Of course it's not representative of the American population as a whole, but I must add that most Americans I've met (at a university-level Model United Nations conference, no less, where you would expect them to have a fairly high degree of world geography knowlege) were absolutely clueless about Canada. Of course, to be fair, the fact that Canadians usually know more about the US is probably mostly due simply to saturation of American culture in the media, and not much personal initiative to be informed about world geography. Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 01:49, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Is anyone else conerned the original IP asking the question is registered to Atlanta, Georgia? --Ybbor^Talk 01:55, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I've heard something similar in that there are only 46 actual states-the others are Commonwealths or Plantations.Rhode Island is one for sure and I think Virginia or West Virginia and maybe Kentucky. (I'm allowed to be ignorant.I'm in England :) ) Psst..especially for Tamfang...how many English counties can you name? They've jiggled them around a LOT lately Lemon martini (talk) 21:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

So much that it's hard to know what counts as a county anymore! Let's, see, Antimony, Arsenic, Aluminum, Selenium — wait, that's not it — Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Rutland ("twinned with Kuwait" in a cartoon awhile back), Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, Westmorland, Cumberland, Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire – that's all the old ones I can remember offhand without looking; then there's Avon, Gtr Manchester, Gtr London, West Midlands, Humberside, Tyne & Wear, Cumbria, Merseyside ... —Tamfang (talk) 07:47, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Largest French Prison?

Can anyone tell me what the largest prison (the one with the most prisoners) in France is? I know that the Fresnes Prison is the second largest, but I can not find what the largest is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. EmilyELewis (talk) 23:12, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

You might like to google the Saint-Martin-de-Ré correctional institution (or Ile de Ré prison) which we don't have an article about. Julia Rossi (talk) 03:02, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

According to the beeb, Europe's largest prison - the 3,800-strong Fleury-Merogis near Paris--Tagishsimon (talk) 12:06, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

legal

was just wondering..if a company or person is sued for like 10 million.They appeal.before the appeal ends does the guilty company or person pay.or does the appeal have to end.just for basic knowledge. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.220.113.117 (talk) 23:59, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

From what I can figure, in a civil case where one party is suing another, there can be a settlement between them when a contract is organised out of court. But when a case has gone through to a final outcome, a finding, the loser can appeal. Usually an appeal is heard in a court of appeal that's higher than the trial court and depending on their powers, may overturn the appeal if it's found the lower court didn't make the correct finding for example; rather than examining material and making their own finding. Mostly I guess the appeal has to end and the finding be accepted. Usually the party found against pays. If you're asking about out-of-court settlement take a look at Settlement (litigation). Julia Rossi (talk) 08:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It seems to me that the question is asking whether a party found liable in a lower court must pay while an appeal is pending, or whether they can wait to pay until after the appeal is over. The answer is that the liable party gets to wait while the appeal plays out. (Perhaps there is some obscure exception but I can't think of any.) In some cases this can be a very very long time. For example, in litigation relating to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the case has been in appeals for 14 years since the jury awarded $5 billion in punitive damages. If this happens, a judge will normally require the defendant to pay interest on the money that it has delayed paying, if the defendant is ultimately found liable after the appeal. Mangostar (talk) 16:21, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

March 18

When is It Acceptable

I have a few um...peculiar questions. This will probably be some odd questions.

When is it acceptable...

To pee in the shower?

To use the middle finger?

To pull down your pants in front of public?

To burp as loud as you can in public or in a restaurant?

To run around town screaming your heart out?

To do all of the questions above without looking insane?

Thank you, Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 06:04, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Always, sometimes, never, never, never, never. But that's just one opinion.HYENASTE 06:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Amen--88.109.88.16 (talk) 07:27, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

"When on television"? --Masamage ♫ 07:36, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Not on television. I'm talking real life. I should say where more then when. Cause I know some cultures find somethings more acceptable then we do.71.143.3.182 (talk) 07:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Rva

Shy John Safran ran naked through the streets of Jerusalem wearing only the scarf and beanie of his favourite football club, St Kilda. I think it was the second day he did it again to get his body on video and more people in the background that the police collared him. Otherwise, the loony bin. And you seem to be trying for something here CR, is this for your book? then Safran's a good study in breaking the fear barrier. (Ps, the middle finger is a must for driving in traffic in Australia. You wouldn't get by without it. ) Julia Rossi (talk) 08:13, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

See Saturnalia and Carnival. As to where, Berkely,California is my recommendation. Rhinoracer (talk) 10:27, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It depends on the circles you are in. When I was at University on a good night out all the above could happen. If I did it now I would be Send to Coventry by my neighbours and my wife. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Since you are a cardinal, assuming you're from the Vatican, I suggest asking the Pope. Neal (talk) 12:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

Yes, I am writing a book a book about freedom and society complexes of what is allowed and wasn't allowed.The naked thing I am exploring most because I see no real deal in nakedness. I'll check that guy out he seems to be of some good reference. Cardinal can mean red. I was going for Red Raven. But cardinal sounded much cooler. I'm not religious in any shape or form. I have my own views of how life had gotten started. Ha, Well I will have to do Middle Finger push ups before I go to Australia. 71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Mind you, and with all due respect to my highly esteemed countrywoman Julia Rossi, there are actually some Australian drivers who don't actually find it necessary to actually use the middle finger ... ever, actually. I'm sure she must be talking about other people. I have assessed her to be a gentlewoman of substance and integrity, she is as well-mannered as I am, and she would never allow herself to be provoked into such coarse behaviour. Then again, she may live in a metropolis, where God-knows-what goes on. I live in the real Australia. :) -- JackofOz (talk) 21:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I hope you know I was joking. I myself rarely use the middle finger. I find it highly rude. We are adults and we should be able to solve our problems with words. Not with violence or with fingers. Its a childish thing to do. That's my opinion on it as well. If you have nothing to say to me then sticking the finger in my face I will disregard you. Or that is my thinking.

How do you have a verbal discussion in different vehicles at 70 MPH? HYENASTE 01:15, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

My thoughts on nudity are that we see ourselves naked in the showers all the time and we see ourselves naked when we go to bed with our spouses. There should be no problem with being naked on television. Nudity shouldn't be censored. We have reduced the human body to something disgusting and something only used in a sexual manner. We have made the human body to be hidden behind our clothes. Yet, our ancestors when we were caveman or maybe even more primitive didn't wear clothes.

Peeing in the shower is just when I am lazy and I don't want to get out of the shower. Shoot it all goes down the same drain. In my view sometimes burping can be disrespectful, but most of the time its like saying "thanks I've been fed well." The only time you should have to pull down your pants in public is when you really need to go to the bathroom and can't find a toilet....then again you might get arrested. Sometimes you just need to run and let all the stress out. Running around and screaming isn't a big deal, but people might view you as crazy. Guess I'm just laid back. Thank you, Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 22:36, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Nice catch O Jackoz, how astute you are to assess me like that – I should have included that it is a gesture of the metropolitan culture and needs to be used selectively so as not to provoke road rage. Any visitor needs to be aware that it can't safely be used when stuck in traffic but only when making a clean getaway. If Cardinal Raven perfects the middle finger push-up and is ever dragged onto the bitumen in such a situation, merely demonstrating his pushup power would send the offender/s slinking away, using the respect gesture with the pinky and thumb oops, index of both hands. ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 23:07, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

One for CardinalRaven more re Safran is here[7] an interview on ABC television. I didn't know cardinal meant red and makes sense of the cardinals flocking in that colour at Vatican get togethers. Thank you, and best with your book, Julia Rossi (talk) 23:17, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for more information on Safran. We learn something new everyday. colors deep red: a deep strong red color, like that of the robes of a cardinal. This is in my dictionary. Thank you for the good luck on my book. So I'm just trying to accomplish more with a book now. Yes, I'm perfecting that middle finger push up right at this moment. Its like playing piano keys. One, two, one two.lol!

Thank you,

Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 23:22, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

You're welcome, congrats and lol : )) Julia Rossi (talk) 23:58, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Since its has been all ready spilled on this field. Could you help me with a title I am really bad at that?71.143.3.182 (talk) 03:52, 19 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Can you sum up your proposal/content for some background or would something from Safran's point of view be helpful? Julia Rossi (talk) 06:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

While you;re working on that how about things like these for working titles, Choose an empty street (crossing the line and other issues in sociobiology), Naked dinner (towards a personal ethic in socio...), T-shirt warnings (and other clues to staying eccentric and safe in public). this is fun Julia Rossi (talk) 06:26, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Ha, Naked Dinner.71.143.3.182 (talk) 03:32, 20 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I think it rather depends upon whether you intend to wear a mask whilst doing these things. 8-)

Never,Never,NEVER EVER!!(I'd call the police or sue) ,never,never,never. But that is only my opinion.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

I believe they are all considered as rude or crude behavoir and should not be acceptable at all if you had any self-respect.

Shaved heads

For some time now, I've considered shaving my head. The reasoning being, I'm a middle aged guy with prematurely grey hair which, judging by the amount left in the shower tray, has now started to receed. It's quite a big step to take, so I have a some questions before I get out the scissors and razor:

1. Can anyone convince me the "style" looks good on middle-aged white guys like me?
2. How often would I need to re-shave (blade or electric?) to keep it looking smooth-ish?
3. How much other weekly (or daily, or monthly) maintenence is required?
4. Would my dandruff stop?
5. Is sunburn a major hazard?

Many thanks. Astronaut (talk) 09:56, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

welcome to the rest of the planet! Most 'middle aged guys' and some a lot younger go for a short shaved haircut eg military style -with the buzzing clippers at a hairdresser or whatever why not try that first. eg try crew cut or buzz cut that should be a lot less hassle that keeping your head shaved and shiny. Take a look around on the street - you'll see lots of middle-aged white guys who have done just that.

Someone else can advise you on total baldness - but yes apparently sunburn can be an issue.87.102.74.53 (talk) 11:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

But don't forget that many guys look really good with shaved heads, and are often, though clearly not always, advertisng their "gay" sexuality. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.167 (talk) 14:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Sure they are. Neal (talk) 14:51, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

You should try a shaved head. Many middle aged men look better with shaved head then some weird comb over or trying to save what's left of your hair *cough cough* Donald Trump. I think that its a wonderful style. Don't worry about sunburn just put some sunscreen on your bald head. It will keep your head shiny and smooth there is a plus to sunscreen. I can't help you on the rest though. I've never shaved my head and I don't think I will have to for a while. Since I'm in the age group of 18-29.

As always, Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 22:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Yeah, convinced of that!--88.109.88.16 (talk) 14:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Ask the barber/hairdresser for a number-one comb – the closest. A number-two comb gives a fuzzy finish. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Just about anything looks better than a comb-over, IMHO. Preserve your dignity and keep it short. Steewi (talk) 00:38, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

TRADE FAIRS

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A TRADE FAIR, TRADE SHOW,TRADE EXHIBITION AND TRADE MISSION —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.113.72.74 (talk) 10:10, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

There's no need to shout (typing all in UPPERCASE is usually considered shouting).

Anyway, I think a "Trade Fair", "Trade Show" and "Trade Exhibition" are pretty much the same thing - an event where those employed in a certain type of industry get together to show off their new products to each other and to potential new customers. A "Trade Mission" is usually a group government and private sector employees sent to foreign country with the purpose of developing trade between the two countries; for example, here is the calendar of trade missions undertaken by the US dept of commerce. Astronaut (talk) 10:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

south east siberia

I wish to travel to Birobidzhan does it have an airport? how would I go about finding an english speaking person to show me around? are there hotels/b&b's and are there resteraunts? Thanks l'chiyem 193.115.175.247 (talk) 13:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Dough

This article is very lacking in vital info. eg airports, hotels and places of interest. please help —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

As far as I can find out, the nearest large airport with international service is at Khabarovsk some 200 km to the east. You can probably use the Trans-Siberian Railway to take you the last bit of the journey (2 hrs). You might find it easier or more interesting to get to Vladivostok instead and spend a night on the train. Once in Birobidzhan, I would be very surprised if a city of nearly 80,000 people did not have hotels and restaurants - Google Earth has a photo of a Hotel Vostoc. The city's official site has a list of tourist businesses and some info in English. As for English speakers, I suspect you will easily find several people who do speak English, but take a Russian phrase book. Astronaut (talk) 15:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Airborne Bugs in Planes - NOT A MEDICAL ADVICE QUESTION!!!

Yet again, my wife has caught a serious head cold and URTI (breathing problem that exacerbates her normally controlled asthma). Yet again, she had to be hospitalised and nebulised with oxygen and ventalin after yet again, returning from a continental holiday by air. We are not seeking medical advice - we have that in buckets already - but does anyone here know of an effective face mask she could wear during future flights to prevent her breathing in other people's exhaled and distributed bugs? I understand that airlines only refresh a proportion of the used oxygen exhaled by those on board due to the pohibitive cost of refreshing it all and heating it up. So yet again, any preventative advice would be most welcome and gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation. 81.145.241.167 (talk) 14:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Try not to fly, ever.--88.109.88.16 (talk) 14:53, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Remember those flu masks some people wore when everyone was panicking about SARS? Try to find one of those. However, one with a filter would work better, but those are more expensive, need replacement filters, and draw looks from the ignorant. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:02, 18 March 2008 (UTC)206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:00, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't believe that the cold bacteria can just fly around by themselves—they are usually attached to things like saliva, etc. So a simple mask ought to work pretty well if all we're talking about here is your standard cold. But remember that if someone sneezes and it makes its way to, say, food you put in your mouth, that undoes any effect the mask might have. Lately I've started to feel like Howard Hughes when I'm on an airplane—I view children as disease vectors more horrific, I refuse to touch anything with my bare hands, I start to suspect the people next to me as being sources for all of my future misery! It's not entirely rational but after you get sick a few times on a plane it makes one pretty miserable, and there are times when I do a lot of flying. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:59, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Can anyone tell me if there is something better than GagaLive for an embedded, minimal Flash chat client? Without ads, cost free and supporting IRC.

(moved to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing)

Trolls

Without Pwning me too bad, im not really sure what a troll is in internet terms. I readWP:troll, and i still dont get it. the sentence "Trolling refers to deliberate and intentional attempts to disrupt the usability of Wikipedia for its editors, administrators, developers, and other people who work to create content for and help run Wikipedia" just sounds like a vandal to me.the juggreserection ^IstKrieg! 14:51, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

So you basically believe that a troll and a vandal are not the same? Neal (talk) 14:53, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

well no, they just sound like the same thing.the juggreserection ^IstKrieg! 14:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Right, take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29. Vandals don't talk, they just vandalize. Trolling involves conversing. Neal (talk) 14:56, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

(ec) A troll, in internet terms, is someone who is disruptive for the sake of being disruptive; they get their kicks from upsetting people and they post things in order to see the reactions it causes. Wikipedia vandals are not necessarily trolling; they may be bored, showing off to their mates, trying to prove a point, or have any one of a number of motives. Wikipedia mainspace isn't a very attractive environment for trolls because, as Neal said, it doesn't involve conversation; the trolls message will just be removed rather than being responded to. FiggyBee (talk) 14:59, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

oh. I see. thanks for clearing that up.the juggreserection ^IstKrieg! 15:24, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I am a troll hence, I feel that it is the wikipedians who find problems with the thought patterns of others that have the problem not the trolls, if a wikipedian gets upset at what some one else has written, they call him a troll, this is not the said trolls fault, but the fault of the wikipedian. please expand. lol —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Not really. The purpose of a troll is to upset and disrupt, so it's their fault when they do so. If someone upsets and disrupts by accident, that's not trolling (though it may be mis-labelled as such). AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 15:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. A troll is defined by what their objective is. A troll isn't just someone in a minority view. Neal (talk) 15:47, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

A practiced troll doesn't even look like a troll at first—they throw out some sort of comment that looks genuine and then get people to pull their hair out trying to explain why it is wrong, stupid, whatever. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Of course stupidity, ignorance or naivety (see hanlon's razor yet again) is always an explanation. I believe the troll also gains benefit from wasting your time.87.102.47.176 (talk) 16:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

4 edits up starts I am a troll therefore... so all the answers under there, are VERY VERY FUNNY. people do tend to make arses of them selves on occasion. LMFAO! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 17:17, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh don't worry, I saw the "lol", but decided to inform anyway. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 00:23, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolling is essentially just the internet equivalent of prank calling. It can range from amusing for all involved to outright hate speech. --S.dedalus (talk) 03:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

And, hence the expression "don't feed the trolls" arose - which means that you shouldn't give the troll more food (don't respond) as he thrives off responses. Ignore him and hopefully he goes away. Sandman30s (talk) 10:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Saving a few seconds at a long red light via elaborate and questionably legal maneuvers...

The maneuver I am referring to is skipping a long red light (US driving system) by making a right turn on red, moving into the center lane, making a U turn, switching to the outermost lane, and then making a right turn. See a diagram here. I am looking for the name of this "turn." Thanks in advance, 152.3.44.183 (talk) 17:43, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd just call it "impatient", doubting that it has any particular well-recognized name (note that "well-recognized" is the key here). — Lomn 17:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I would have sworn there was a Wikipedia article on this at some point. I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. 152.3.44.183 (talk) 18:18, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Not quite the same, but you may be thinking of a Michigan left. Bovlb (talk) 19:17, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Any junction where you have to make that manoeuvre is called a Superstreet. Laïka 20:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It's called an xkcd, silly. Mac Davis (talk) 08:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Note that in some jurisdictions there are laws against "circumventing" traffic control devices. (The one I warned of when I learned to drive was skipping a red light by cutting through a parking lot.) Depending on where you are, it may be illegal to "skip" a red light by doing a Michigan left-type maneuver. -- 128.104.112.85 (talk) 14:56, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

You could plausibly claim you changed your mind about which direction you were going in. I've heard of this law before but it was always explained to me specifically with the example of cutting through a parking lot. If you stay on the street the whole time, would it still be illegal? Not sure how they're word a law like that. Friday (talk) 15:01, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I did this manoeuver some years ago when I was young and foolish. It was 2am, the London streets were deserted apart from me... and a police patrol car. They pulled me over and asked about my "interesting" manoeuver. I was rather embarrassed, but as I was clearly not drunk and had not done anything unsafe, (there were literally no other cars around and I'd not gone through any red lights) they let me go. As far as I recall, I didn't even turn the key in the ignition for about 10 more minutes, while I finished trembling, lol. --Dweller (talk) 15:35, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

presidents

i had asked a riddle he invented it and hated,and got a lot of un helpful answers.on my own research,i googled and found benjamin frankling invented bifocals because he hated wearing glasses.i was so clos i received a bonus clue..that the guys first name ryhmes with the current us presidents.so help... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.220.113.117 (talk) 20:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

could it be gorge washington carver the inventor of peanuts...he hated the stuff —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.220.113.117 (talk) 20:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

The inventor of peanuts? -- JackofOz (talk) 20:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Apparently George Washington Carver invented stuff using peanuts. :) As to the riddle, I sure don't know. The first name rhymes with the current President's? What the heck rhymes with 'George'? --Masamage ♫ 21:01, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It has often been said he invented peanut butter (and many other things), though he didn't actually. Alas. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 22:06, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It should be noted that the answers you consider "unhelpful" are due to (as has been noted numerous times) the utter lack of rigor to these riddles. There exists no one unique solution to such vague clues, and I suspect your friend is playing some version of this game every time you come back with an answer. I recommend instead challenging him to explain why your answers are wrong. — Lomn 21:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

You also need to be more precise if you're going to get anywhere. Last time the 'riddle' was he discovered it but he hates it. Discovery and invention are not the same thing. Algebraist 22:19, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Could it possibly be Ascanio Sobrero who invented nitroglycerine and kept it a secret for a year because he was so disgusted and frightened by his discovery. Yes, I realise Ascanio doesn't rhyme with George or Walker, Richard Avery (talk) 08:31, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Neodymium Hook Magnets

Are these type of magnets good to be used on bathroom wall tile?--logger (talk) 22:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

As long as the magnets are coated in nickel, and no body gets their skin pinched, they're fine. Mac Davis (talk) 08:31, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Does magnet stick to tile - no. Unless it's a metal tile.?83.100.183.180 (talk) 14:23, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Grad

Where could I get a red tuxudo suitable for grad?Jwking (talk) 22:47, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Dunno - maybe a donut shop?87.102.47.176 (talk) 23:10, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Costume hire, wedding hire, somewhere theatrical? sounds creative so even asking around design students if you know any. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:39, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

The Junction? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.144.62 (talk) 02:54, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

March 19

Names

Why do we call famous people by the names we do? I mean, why is it that we call some people by their full names (e.g. Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ralph Waldo Emerson), others by their initials (e.g. H. G. Wells, J. D. Salinger), some by just their first and last names (e.g. Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton), and still others by a combination (e. g. Dwight D. Eisenhower, F. Scott Fitzgerald)? – Psyche825 _(talk) 00:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

When it comes to the J.D. Salingers, H. G. Wellses and F. Scott Fitzgeralds of the world, we call them that because that's the authorial name that appears on the cover of their books, rather than "Jerome Salinger", "Herbert Wells" or "Francis Fitzgerald". As for the Shelleys, Emersons etc - it seems to be just that we've come to know them by their full names, and referring to "Percy Shelley" or "Ralph Emerson" would now sound odd, because nobody says that. Which doesn't really answer the question of how this habit started in the first place, I acknowledge. On the other hand, we do also refer to them by surname only - Shelley, Dickens, Shakespeare - exactly as we do for John Keats, Robert Frost, Henry Lawson etc, as Keats, Frost and Lawson. The other side of the coin is that composers are more often than not referred to by surname only (Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms), except for living composers. But some very well-known long-dead composers always get their full name, most notably César Franck. Why this is so is a mystery to me. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:05, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Famous people aren't always known by the names they prefer. Lee Harvey Oswald was just "Lee Oswald" to those who knew him, but he died before he could get the Dallas PD and the media to stop calling him that. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I've heard (perhaps it was speculation) that criminal suspects' names are often given in full to lessen the chance of embarrassing the hypothetical R. Lee Oswald, James Robert Ray, John Donne Gacy, and so on. —Tamfang (talk) 07:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that's why police and the media initially use full names of suspects. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

(afterthought) Dan White escaped the phenomenon because he was already a public figure, but what about Charles Manson? —Tamfang (talk) 21:07, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

The New York Times long referred to him as "Charles M. Manson." But once a defendant becomes well known, there's no need to keep using his full name if it's not how he was generally known before his arrest. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree entirely. That doesn't explain why John Gacy, James Ray, Lee Oswald et al still always get the full-name treatment, whereas Manson doesn't. The media are paragons of inconsistency on such things, though, so I guess they have a reputation to defend. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps the name on the cover has something to do with some of them. For example, neither Fitzgerald nor C. S. Lewis cared for their given names, so when they published their books, they didn't use their given names. Others may have just signed their names in some way for some other personal reason (like the other ones given). – Psyche825 _(talk) 20:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes it's the real world's equivalent of disambiguation. I've no idea how chuffed Pitt the Younger was about his epithet (probably less happy than Pliny the Younger was) but it's handy being able to differentiate the composers called Bach, the Bushes called George etc As such, the need for disambiguation sometimes will come after the person's time, in which case they'll have no say in the matter. Pliny the Elder died when his namesake was a nerdy stick-at-home scholar, as the latter makes clear in his own tale of the former's death. --Dweller (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about the others, although the posts above are educational, but it's pretty common for female writers to be required by their editors to use their initials rather than full names--or even to take a male pen name--because they don't think people will buy stuff by female writers, especially science fiction books. This is as modern as J. K. Rowling, whose friends know her as Joanne or Jo. Other examples are Andre Norton, James Tiptree Jr. and C. J. Cherryh (whose last name is actually Cherry). There's a website somewhere that lists a bunch more, and it's bizarre and freaky how many there are. I wish I could remember where it is... --Masamage ♫ 23:36, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh, hey, check it out: Category:Female authors who wrote under male or gender-neutral pseudonyms. --Masamage ♫ 23:44, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Phyllis Dorothy James remarked that in hindsight she was glad to have chosen that form because it made booksignings easier on the hands. —Tamfang (talk) 21:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I know I put mostly authors' names for examples (my mind went blank, and there's a bookshelf right next to my computer), but this question extends to other well-known people, as well. – Psyche825 _(talk) 20:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Depth parameter

How is this parameter calculated when determining the depth of a Wikipedia? Please be as detailed as possible. -- Leptictidium (mammal talk!) 01:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

According to m:List of Wikipedias it's ((Edits/Articles) × (Non-Articles/Articles) × (1 − Stub-ratio)). Algebraist 02:21, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Having a ton of stubs seems to result in great shallowness - the Polish WP has a depth of 8, barely above Volapük WP at 6. Following Jimbo Wales's comment here led me to meta:List of Wikipedias by sample of articles where Volapük comes in 93d, far behind Polish WP which receives the 10th highest score by that measurement ---Sluzzelin talk 15:46, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Scivias online?

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of Hildegard of Bingen's _Scivias_ as an e-book or webpage or something similar? 71.220.109.203 (talk) 01:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately it is a book which has only been translated fairly recently in the 20th century—the original is out of copyright, clearly, but any translation would be copyrighted, which reduces its chance of being online in anything other than Latin, and even that seems wanting. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 04:25, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

At least some of the book is on Google Books here. Astronaut (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you both. I'm just going to buy it - no need to stay online and be unable to see parts. 75.161.129.138 (talk) 19:56, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

US census -- basements

I'd like to get statistical data on where in the United States basements are more common. I know that generally that the West and South don't have them and the Midwest and Northeast do, but I'd like some hard data if possible. The basement article gives some interesting information about what types of soil are necessary, etc., but again, it'd be nice to have data.

(I'd also ideally like it for around 1980, but if that wasn't possible, I'd survive).

I found this list of census data available for 1980—amazingly out of all of those variables I couldn't find anything that would help me with this task. But maybe you are more clever than I am? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 02:02, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Can't help you with census results i'm afraid, but US basements are generally obligatory nowadays in areas most susceptible to deep ground frosts so that services like gas, water, electricity etc. can be located below the house at a level below the frost line. As a resident of Scotland, where we don't usually have basements, and where we have cold water storage tanks in the attic, it sounds like a good idea to me. So I would tend to concentrate on the northern states were I you. Good luck. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.243 (talk) 18:49, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Who is Louis C. Waldman?

I really want to know who Louis C. Waldman is. All I really know is that he was living circa 1902 and was an "certified architect in Riverside, California. He was an active architect around this time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123abd? (talk • contribs) 02:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Try this: go to the Wikipedia page on Riverside, California. Follow the external links at the bottom of the page to the municipal government's website and the local history societies. The city's website will give you the contact information for the local library, which is usually the best place to search for historical information on a local person. (826-5213). The historical societies also offer contact information, as well as links to old phone directories. Good luck! WikiJedits (talk) 13:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Alarm clock

For years, I have owned this alarm clock whose design I have always liked. However, it no longer works properly. It appears to be a copy of a regular alarm clock and it is made in China based on the sticker on the bottom. Does this particular design look familiar? Is there a replacement somewhere? It could be a brand name like Braun but my Google search leads me nowhere. What can you tell me about my alarm clock? --Blue387 (talk) 03:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Googling (hint hint) gray desk clock (images) gets you something close-ish but newer in Seiko. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:34, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

If it's the case you like you could 'easily' get a replacement mechanism - I assume it's quartz. Make friends with a proper jeweler and hopefully they should be able to just pop a new mechanism in?83.100.183.180 (talk) 14:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Blister

When a person has blister, such as from a burn, what is the liquid that forms it? The article on blisters simply calls it a "liquid". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.194.74.154 (talk) 08:40, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's serum — blood with red blood cells and clotting agents filtered out. [8][9][10]. Weregerbil (talk) 09:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

See Blood plasma --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Rush Plant

Can anyone get me a picture of the pith of a rush plant? 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:21, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

No, but in a couple of months, once they start growing again in my water garden, I could mail you some ;-). Seriously, there's nothing too unique about rushes (juncus) as compared to any of the fibrous grasses you may have seen.

Atlant (talk) 12:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Strange illnesses

What are some of the strangest human illnesses? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 11:34, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I do not think "strange" is aa good category for an encyclopedia. You might look at the existing article on rare disease. WikiJedits (talk) 13:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat describes a number of very unusual mental illnesses. --Sean 13:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps leprosy or ebola. Useight (talk) 15:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

What's the one that renders the sufferer insensible to pain? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 16:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis? Skittle (talk) 17:42, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I knew someone who had that condition, his girlfriend liked kicking him at random. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Exploding head syndrome definitely has the coolest name. I guess it's a little strange too. Recury (talk) 20:38, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

There was also a condition where every injured area of the body turned into bone until the person became a living statue. Unfortunately I have forgotten its name. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 20:46, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

You're referring to Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. I always thought Harlequin type ichthyosis is quite strange. Dismas|^(talk) 21:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

This is great, thank you very much. I'll add another two, but I don't know their names. The first is a neurological (?) condition that renders the sufferer inherently sociable and friendly but makes it very difficult for him/her to follow logical reasoning or perform practical tasks. (insert name). The other is also neurological and the sufferer feels as if he is being grasped and moved by invisible hands. This can happen in any part of the body even inside. I wish I knew the names. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 22:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

For the first, try Williams Syndrome Bunthorne (talk) 06:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

How about Foreign accent syndrome? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a pity that Oscar von Redwitz-Schmölz died in 1891 and isn't around to answer this question. He was a German dramatist and poet (composers such as Liszt and Pfitzner set his poems to music), and also an extreme hypochondriac. He visited a doctor every day for 28 years, during which time he complained of over 10,000 different ailments, most of which were completely unknown to medical science. (This information was contained in the Book of Lists #2, ed. Irving Wallace et al, and the author of the article was William A. De-Gregorio, but it isn't confirmed by any English-language Google hit.) -- JackofOz (talk) 03:41, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water urticaria, an allergy to water. (Okay, technically it’s not an illness.) Aquagenic pruritus is similar and is an illness however. --S.dedalus (talk) 06:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water urticaria is sometimes described as an allergy, but it is poorly described in the literature because of its extreme rarity. My friend who suffers from this - and once almost died from it - is a nurse, and his father is a doctor, and I think they'd both have a lot of trouble in accepting that it's not an illness in the ordinary understanding of the term. It's certainly a debilitating medical condition. -- JackofOz (talk) 07:18, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

What does a sufferer from this condition do when they get thirsty? --S.dedalus (talk) 22:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Afaik it only happens when water contacts the external skin, and even then it depends on the temperature. The Melbourne girl mentioned in the article seems to have an extreme case, where any water contact is bad. My friend is only affected by cold water; he loves long hot showers. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's some interesting psychotic ones that I like: Capgras delusion, Folie à deux, Fregoli delusion, Intermetamorphosis, Syndrome of subjective doubles, Cotard delusion, Mirrored self-misidentification, Somatoparaphrenia, Reduplicative paramnesia, Syndrome of delusional companions, Clonal pluralization of the self. These are all monothematic delusional misidentification syndromes. Mac Davis (talk) 21:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Also, progeria, and xeroderma pigmentosum. Mac Davis (talk) 00:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you all very much. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 21:30, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

vandalizing the vandals

I tried to fix some vadalism stating that this can make green hair grow out of ones arse. however, I sem to have made a bit of a mess, could someone with more knowlege plese fix this up for me as I feel quilty now thanks Phencyclidine

I took care of it. Just a couple missing }} at the end of the info-box template. --LarryMac | Talk 15:42, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Well done Captain Cheers and Beers and PCP —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:11, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Oven - What does "the war" and "the ovens" refer to?

Was talking to an old man recently and he kept talking about the war and the ovens what was he on about? wiki the ovens comes up with nothing as does google. thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:35, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably the old man was referring to World War Two and The Holocaust. The end of this section should answer your questions. --Dweller (talk) 16:52, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The Nazis burned the corpses of their concentration camp victims in ovens like these ones at Buchenwald concentration camp. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 16:56, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Consider the possibility that old men occasionally talk to fools. I do, even in soliloquy. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Most likely the second world war. But also depending on the age of the user it could refer to world war two, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Iraq: part two. Its basically assuming that you understand which war they served. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 20:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, but ovens didn't really play a major role in any of those wars. If it had been the war and Khe Sanh, or the war and the IEDs, that'd be something different. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Or maybe "the war" and the inconsistencies. Mac Davis (talk) 21:15, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I have started the article, buy boy does it need work. any help would be greatly appreciated.

lord of the trolls

I am of the opinion that some people enjoy or benefit from the actions of internet trolls, whilst not being trolls themselves. Such persons might exhibit an 'authorative' or 'holier than thou' attitude and seek out positions of responsibility - in short relying on trolls to justify their existence on the net.

Joking aside (ie Answer=administrators) has the internet or popular culture got a name for such people or such activity?83.100.183.180 (talk) 17:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know of a specific term, but here we tell people not to feed the trolls. You may hear people refer to such folks as "drama queens" but this is a more generic term. Friday (talk) 17:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I think his question was "is there a word for people that appreciate trolls/trolling." And such people are not trolls themselves. Good question. I don't think there is 1 (can't instantly think of 1). I'd have to think about it. Neal (talk) 19:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC).

Yes that's right - a bit like a witcherfinder general might appreciate the activities of witches - if you see what I mean.83.100.183.180 (talk) 20:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Maybe petty king? Vranak (talk) 20:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Mmh that's an interesting answer - and a good one. Thanks hadn't even thought of that.83.100.183.180 (talk) 20:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Ratcatcher Shirt

My granddaughter takes riding lessons...part of the show apparel is a "ratcather shirt". HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE SHIRT GET THAT NAME? Where did it come from? Help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.156.188.254 (talk) 20:19, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

That's like asking why things are the way things are. Take a look at cause and effect. Ask for the particular question, you may need to provide the company of the shirt, or ask them. Or your grand daughter. Neal (talk) 21:06, 19 March 2008 (UTC).

And we need to ask why things are the way they are. ;) Sometimes it's even fun. Take a look at etymology. --Kjoonlee 21:13, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The OED defines rat-catcher as "Unconventional hunting dress" (our article on fox hunting refers to it in the Attire section). I can't find any information on how it came to be used in hunting - maybe that style of shirt originated with actual rat-catchers, or maybe 'rat' was slang for fox (as they are considered by some to be vermin). Just a guess. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 21:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The two earliest citations for ratcatcher shirt in the OED are:

1910 KIPLING Diversity of Creatures (1917) 310 He came back to the bar, after he'd changed into those rat-catcher clothes. 1928 J. B. THOMAS Hounds & Hunting 254 Rat-catcher - referring to one informally dressed when hunting.

Remarkable that what in 1928 was thought of as informal is by now considered formal wear. It rather sounds like a slur which has made its way to being some sort of in-style dress code. See also Euphemism Treadmill --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:41, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

... what in 1928 was thought of as informal is by now considered formal wear: Yes, remarkable. In many cases, the opposite would be true. -- JackofOz (talk) 05:37, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

We have an article for such topics: semantic change has some info on amelioration. --Kjoonlee 11:53, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

If you went hunting,it was considered to be bad form to wear a pink coat(that is, the red jacket you see on hunting prints,they are called pink after the original maker not the colour)until the hunt invited you to.So you would wear a tweed jacket like the sort we now call a hacking jacket.This was everday countryside sporting wear for other activities such as shooting or ratcatching.Only when you had shown you knew how to behave were you invited to wear a red jacket with the hunt's button on it.

mm/dd/yy

Not sure if Wikipedia has a page on this, what is generally the more accepted format in formal writing when writing the date- mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy? Acceptable (talk) 22:07, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Calendar date is the nearest thing we have. mm/dd versus dd/mm seems to be country specific, with our USian cousins choosing to employ the less logical format, and most of us failing to employ the most logical, which is yyyy//mm/dd. Meanwhile in formal writing, I'd opine that 22 February 1977 or 22^nd February 1977 would be favoured. Your country / rules of etiquette may vary. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I think it's regional. The USA uses mm/dd/yy but just about everywhere else uses dd/mm/yy. See Date formats for more. APL (talk) 22:18, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

In formal writing, write out the name of the month, in one form or another. It is much more precise that way, and avoids the sort of ambiguity that "03/02/2008" leads to (is it March 2, or February 3?). Whether you do it as "3 February" or "February 3" hardly matters. Personally I avoid indicated the ^nds and ^ths because it looks a little informal (more like speech) but again, it's not all that important, certainly not wasting too much time fretting about. Above all else, pick a style, and stick with it—consistency does matter. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:52, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I notice on your user page that you are Canadian. I've checked the banners of a couple of respected Canadian publications and found that they follow the same standard that prevails in the United States: mm dd, yyyy (for example "March 19, 2008"). Note that in running text, a comma needs to follow the year as well. (For example, "On every day from March 19, 2008, through the end of the year, Jessica visited her mother in the nursing home.") Marco polo (talk) 01:07, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

(slightly OT) When dealing with automated alphabetisation, the Chinese format is most convenient: yyyy-mm-dd. The alphabetisation puts dates in chronological order. Steewi (talk) 01:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

See also ISO 8601— Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 01:51, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes, to reduce ambiguity, the month is given in Roman numerals, thus "20.III.2008". —Tamfang (talk) 20:11, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

However, the original question was about formal writing, and in formal writing the use of small numbers or abbreviations is avoided. "March 3" would generally be acceptable, but some documents use things like "the third day of March". 03/03 is right out. --Anonymous, 04:24 UTC, 2008-03-20.

March 20

Big Lake, TX

What is this big purple thing on the yahoo map at these Coordinates: 31.189466,-101.444438 ?

The same object is dark green on Google Maps. It's hard to say what it is, but I suspect that it is an irrigated field where sod or maybe vegetables or flowers are grown. There are other odd purple spots in the area on Yahoo Maps, and I suspect that they are the result of an error in the coloring of the photograph. Marco polo (talk) 00:59, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Your coordinates appear to me to point to a patch of ground to the west of Big Lake Country Club, in Big Lake (Texas). The purple thing to the north west is Reagan County Airport. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:00, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

The airport is on the other side of the town from the object the questioner asked about. Marco polo (talk) 15:44, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Earthquake (comedian)

I love the comedian Earthquake! I kind of want to go see him perform. Does he have a website, or at the very least is there an unofficial site listing his tour dates. I tried a Google search, to no avail.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 01:41, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.quakeshouse.net/loudbaby and http://www.myspace.com/quakeshouse2. Can't find any tour dates though. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 02:49, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you! I think he must not be touring at present.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 23:21, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Formula One gear ratios

What are some sample gear ratios a modern Formula One car, such as the one used by Scuderia Ferrari, might have? Thanks Acceptable (talk) 03:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't find a damn thing online talking about the gear ratios used by F1 teams, and I've tried about eight different permutations of search terms at this point. The F1 site itself has nothing, and every piece I've seen talking about the cars doesn't get to that level of detail. Sorry... anyone else? Tony Fox (arf!) 17:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't give you any example numbers - like Tony, I drew a blank. What I can tell you is that they change the ratios (that is, the physical cogs) for each race. So for Monaco, for example, they'll have a much smaller change between each gear and a "lower" top gear, for maximum acceleration. Whereas for the circuits with longer straights they'll need a higher top gear to let the car reach top speed. Even the weather will affect the choice of what gears they drop into the box before the race. FiggyBee (talk) 18:42, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Uhm, best I can tell you is to try rFactor's F1 mods available online - they do have numbers, though unsure how accurate they are. It seems that 1st gear does about 0-100, and then the remaining 100mph is divided more or less evenly between 2-7. -mattbuck (Talk) 19:31, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Basic gear ratios from F1 2007 MMG Rfactor mod, for comparison with whatever. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I figure that since the car have such ridiculously high acceleration and have extremely high-revving, but relatively low engine torque, engines, they must very aggressive gear ratios to achieve such accelerations. Acceptable (talk) 21:32, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I'll post a little more information on your talkpage, because the details qualify as WP:OR, technically, though the formula used is relatively simple and can be used on any car--what it boils down to is dividing the engine speed by the rotational speed of the tyres themselves. Of course, these vary greatly depending on the track, and which gear is being considered; rear differential gear ratios used by NASCAR teams, for example, range from approximately 3.90:1 at the superspeedways to as high as 7.0:1 or more at the short tracks, according to various broadcasters. Rdfox 76 (talk) 04:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Don

Why does the Mafia use the word DON to describe the boss? Where did it start, who was the first? I've looked in Wikipedia, and was unable to locate anything. Grazie.

There's some discussion of this in Don (honorific). Regards, -- Flyguy649 ^talk 04:16, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Logic Boldface Opinions

As humans beings we say a lot of things are based on logic. Even scientific study we base on logic, but wouldn't be cool if logic was just boldface opinions. Opinions with some data given to them to make them logical. What is your "logic" on this theory?71.143.3.182 (talk) 05:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

It's very illogical. There are lots of ways to define/describe logic, but one of the traits of logic is that if all your assumptions are correct, then logical conclusions derived from them cannot be wrong. --Kjoonlee 11:35, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Kindly note that Wikipedia is not a forum; we are not here to do your homework for you, or to answer about opinions. Thank you. --Kjoonlee 11:36, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

For one, you aren't very clear in distinguishing between Inductive reasoning, which is used in science, and Deductive reasoning, which is what "logical" traditionally refers to. Deductive reasoning isn't a matter of opinions. If something follows deductively, then the conclusion is guaranteed from the premises. Inductive reasoning involves taking data to confirm a given theory (and hopefully providing disconfirmation of rival theories).--droptone (talk) 11:56, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

This might be a long-shot but it sounds like what you want are something like Rudolf Carnap's contributions (in particular) to logical positivism -- a world full of simple, axiomatic statements from which to build up a strong logical and rational understanding. Check it out. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 12:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

past to present in fiction

Has any one ever made a correlation between the Elves and the Vulcans, as the Elves left earth. Also and likewise the Orks and the Klingons. Dragons and dinosaurs. ect

I assume you mean 'elves and orcs' in the sense Tolkien wrote about them - these are fictional works, as are 'flash gordon' and 'star trek'. I don't think there is much of a connection in terms of influences of the respective authors. They could be considered similar variations of archetypes which might be worth reading. eg archetypical 'bad guys' - I haven't heard of anyone talking this any further.

As for dragons and dinosaurs - yes numerous people have made this connection, and there are various theories of this - including legends of dragons being based on memories of human/dinosaur interactions.

For instance dinosaur bones were considered to be evidence of the flood destroying vile beasts such as dragons.

Searching for 'dragons dinosaurs' will turn up numerous links that explore this connection83.100.183.180 (talk) 16:45, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

eg try http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=dragon+dinosaur&meta= and take your pick - you can see that many have made the 'dinosaur=dragon' association83.100.183.180 (talk) 16:47, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a shame Isaac Asimov isn't around anymore; I think he'd get a kick out of the idea of elvin/Vulcan goblin/Klingon unification. IMNSHO, one of the coolest things ever done in fiction was when Asimov took several disjoint series of his novels and short stories (the original Robot short stories, the Foundation/Galactic Empire series, the Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw detective series see) and wove them all into one grand tapestry. He'd be just the guy who could have done what is proposed in the question.

Atlant (talk) 16:59, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Not everyone loved the result. It has been said that a thriller or a farce is allowed exactly one preposterous coincidence, and good scifi ought to have just one preposterous piece of technology, e.g. Laws of Robotics or FTL or psychohistory ... —Tamfang (talk) 20:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Star Trek put dinosaurs and aliens together in one bizarre Voyager episode. Who knew dinosaurs were capable of space flight? Adam Bishop (talk) 01:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The episode in question was Distant Origin, if you're interested - quite a good one, and easy to enjoy even if you're not a Star Trek fan :) -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:24, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

recycling

What countries buy recycled products?? or where can i find out this information?? MaryRom (talk) 20:38, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water is the oldest recycled product and is the main component of all agricultural produce. I suspect that all countries import some food stuffs.

Ignoring humus - presumable the second oldest recycled stuff - you would have ferrous metals, glass, paper and timber. Our article on recycling may be a good starting point, unless you have already checked it. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Fox News UFO

I have seen on Fox News (of all places) that someone took some really bizarre UFO pixes, and now two PIs are after the photog, who has since disappeared. Has anyone else seen this ? The UFO looks like - well you have to see it for yourselves. 65.173.105.141 (talk) 22:13, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

From what I've seen, this is a bizarre looking ship, and a HUGE one at that. Has anyone else seen this ? 65.173.105.141 (talk) 01:12, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Not wanting to be condescending but Fox News is a dodgy source, famous for irresponsible journalism and sensationalism. They are about two steps above Weekly World News when it comes to UFO stories—they don't claim Bat Boy is out there but they'll imply, wink, and smile that he is. Anyway, they have reported all sorts of silly UFO sightings over time (and of course never follow up on them to see how unidentified they stay over time), and there are a million non-conspiratorial reasons that someone might not be able to be found. Would you trust Fox News to report on if they end up finding him, and it turns out he just took a vacation? I wouldn't. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 01:58, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Distances on road-signs

How accurate are the distances given on road-signs (i'm primarily interested in the UK)? Are they 'as the crow flies' or are they the actual distance using that road? Also are they 'exact' - is the sign that says "York 22 miles" bound by rules on how far/close it can be to be 'legal'? If it were 22.7 miles away but said 22 who would know? Just wondered if anybody knows about this sort of thing. ny156uk (talk) 22:43, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's a recent discussion on the same topic, though more US-centric. As for being exact (again, US-centric) I can note that they're not. I've observed variation in distance remaining (for instance, signs 15 miles apart might show a 17-mile difference) and having multiple cities per sign strongly suggests that measurements are not exact to any fraction of a mile. — Lomn 23:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

More US-centric info: I've been told that the milages are to the main post office of the city. Otherwise the question would be "15 miles to where in the city?" Edison (talk) 00:16, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

For some Australian-centric info... The distance is by the shortest available route using that road in the direction the sign is facing, not as the crow flies. I just assume the distance given is rounded to the nearest whole number on the big main signs; however we also have very small signs replacing the old milestones that I assume are meant to be the exact distance. The distance given is usually taken as the distance to the post-office of the indicated town, as that is typically at the town centre. I can also vouch that they're not entirely accurate, at least the main signs. For example, I have seen instances where a sign will display distances to a number of towns on the one sign, while a similar sign say 10km down the same road will give different relative distances, i.e., they don't all decrease by 10km. I have seen other errors as well, but haven't made a practice of measuring exact distances very often. Personally, I just take them as an indicator of how far away the town is. --jjron (talk) 14:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

UK info, from personal observation: they don't show crow-flies distances, but they're not necessarily the shortest road distance either. They show the distance by the route the planners intend you to take from that point, which is not always the shortest. This is noticeable with the distances to the channel ports on the M2, IIRC. Algebraist 16:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

UK-centric, again: each town or city has a point from which the distances are measured. There used to be a small monument to mark this point in Exeter until the area was redeveloped. SaundersW (talk) 17:25, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

March 21

The Bolles-Brendamour Company

The Bolles-Brendamour Company I recently acquired a bicycle headtube badge with this company's name on it. It was a sporting goods business in the 1920's and '30's in Cincinati,Ohio. I am looking for more information on the company and the bicycles they sold. I would imagine the bikes were built by Schwinn or another company and rebadged when sold at the sporting goods store. Anyone know of or have ever seen a bike with the Bolles-Brendamour name on it?

• A Google search turns up very little. Hopefully someone from around that way has some more direct info. --jjron (talk) 14:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Mistake

In the East York Collegiate Institute article, you guys made a mistake. According to the TDSB site, there no such name as George A. Brown, but Gordon A Brown.

Thank you for your suggestion. When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the Edit this page link at the top. The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes — they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:27, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolling or just being an a##hole?

I was playing a nice good old game of Halo on my PC when this guy reads my name and starts making crude comments towards me. I ignored it for awhile until it started to bug the crap out of me and my clan.(please excuse the poor use of grammar)What was his motive? Was it to piss me off? or Was it to get under my clan's skin? In the end we ended up banning him so all is good.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he gets kicks out of making random strangers mad, maybe he was losing and was trying to make up for it by running his mouth. Perhaps you could have just muted him? Useight (talk) 05:12, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd got the impression that this was common. Quite probably just 'being friendly' in a spirit of 'heated competition' - some people love this sort of this and give back. Seriously. If you don't like it - yep - just ban him. Some people like 'trash talking' each other.. Don't ask me why.87.102.16.238 (talk) 12:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure the title question actually presents two opposing ideas. In my mind, trolling is being an ass. It sounds like you took the best course of action, ignoring and then banning. --LarryMac | Talk 14:36, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

As we aren't him, I would say it looks like an example of cyberbullying. Which I am against. So your ban was justified, in my opinion. Neal (talk) 20:11, 21 March 2008 (UTC).

I don't appreciate that kind play and I am glad you all agree I took the apropitiate course of action. The fact that trash talking is not allowed in the server what so ever is the fact that bothered me the most and I wish people could follow the rules accordingly.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

Dr. Detroit

Why is it Detroit became center of the auto industry? I'm aware Cleveland was a major car mfg center early in the 20h Century, & so was Indianapolis, with places like Racine, Wisconsin, & Springfield, Massachusetts, among pioneers. I'm also aware Detroit/area was fairly big in wagon manufacturing (in the 200K-plus/yr range). Was that the sole reason? Were there others? In a similar vein, why was the Model T so successful? Just price? Reliability? Something else? Thanx! Trekphiler (talk) 05:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Our article on the history of Detroit says Henry Ford chose Detroit due to the wagon industry and others followed him there. -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

One reason Detroit became a center for automobile manufacturing is its location. Almost all of the resources needed to make cars can come down Lake Huron or Lake Erie to the factories. The iron could come from the UP or Canada and wood could come from anywhere. One thing that wasn't so close was rubber which had to come from Central and South America. Henry Ford's good friend Thomas Edison tried to solve this problem with a plant called goldenrod which rubber can be made from. The plant wasn't productive enough to use on an industrial scale. The location of the other cities is also near the Great Lakes (Massachusetts by the ocean) so would have the same reasons for being a major automobile manufacturing center. The Model T was so successful mainly because of the price. The assembly lines were so fast that they made the car cheap enough for regular people to afford. I think the time it took to make a car was 90 minutes, but I'm not positive on that.

Incidentally, our article on the assembly line lends credence to the 90 minute thing. 93 man-minutes isn't really the same as 93 clock-minutes, but it's an impressive figure regardless. — Lomn 16:45, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The goldenrod research was to provide for rubber substitites in future wartime. Tires made from goldenrod were never very good or very cheap. Edison (talk) 22:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I understand New England was also strong in technicians/tech-skilled people, one reason Springfield nearly became "Detroit". Trekphiler (talk) 03:20, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

do NIOS passed persons face any difficulty??

The person passing from the National Institute of Open Schooling,Do they face any problems regarding jobs as compare to a CBSE or some other Board passed out?

Lilt

Does anyone know why Lilt is less fizzy than other carbonated drinks by Coca-Cola? Lanfear's Bane | t 14:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably they don't carbonate it as much. Preference by the drink's original manufacturer most likely. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Would they have done this to make it distinctive as well or was there a demand for less fizz? Julia Rossi (talk) 23:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Free Range Chickens

Do free range chickens run away often?

While free range chickens have more space than caged chickens, they aren't running wild as you seem to think. My chickens have a yard of appox. an eighth of an acre and can be considered free range. They do have a fence which confines them though. It also aids in keeping predators out. Also, last year we bought a few chickens from a local farm when we lost some of ours to a predator. The chickens that we bought can legally be called free range although they aren't kept outside. They were kept in a barn and the only sunlight that they saw was through a couple of windows in the wall. They had never seen grass before we bought them. Dismas|^(talk) 15:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Nice answer - I think this was a joke though (I hope) and probably funniest of the day. Best wishes.87.102.16.238 (talk) 15:24, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

This wasn't a joke....

While it's true that "free range" chicken are not really "free", I find the question of whether chicken tend to run quite interesting. (Yes, there were and still are some of those chicken held without any fences.) Apparently they don't run all too often, otherwise nobody would do it. But why do they stay close to the house/barn at all? Food? Fear of predators? Convenience? ... And how often do they go for a stroll? ... --Thanks for answering (talk) 17:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

When I first got chickens, we weren't as strict about keeping them in their yard and would let them roam. They did stay fairly close, though they did wander to the neighbor's houses. They would come back every night to roost and, although they could find food while scratching around on the ground, they would come back for food as well. Every so often though, we would lose one during the day and they wouldn't come back at night. We suspected that predators got them. When we moved to our new house, we started keeping them confined more often as we have more wilderness around us now than before. Dismas|^(talk) 17:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

There are "feral" chickens which roam all over Fair Oaks, California. The town has an annual Chicken Festival where ... chicken ... is served in a variety of ways. There have been suggestions to round up the chickens, but they've apparently been there for years, they don't belong to anybody, they just wander the streets. They've become sort of a town mascot. Corvus cornix_talk 18:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

In villages that I have visited in the Usambara Mountains, non-feral chickens roam the dirt "streets" scavenging for food. Though they wander, villagers know who owns which chickens, and the chickens do not stray any farther than the outskirts of the village. I suspect that they don't stray because the people and the activity of the village keep them safe from predators, and because they do not want to be too far from their roost. Marco polo (talk) 20:00, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

When I was growing up we had chickens in a fenced in chickenyard. A very few went feral, flew over the fence, and set up housekeeping in trees in the woods. Not sure how long they lasted there. Perhaps a whole summer. They might have come back in the winter. Edison (talk) 22:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

dooomeeessstttacccatiooon :) Perry-mankster (talk) 22:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

What is purpose of the notch in butter knives?

Pretty much my question. I was eating breakfast in a swank hotel this week and they had a full table service. I wondered what the purpose the little notch in butter knives is for? The entry on butter knife didn't mention it. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 16:47, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I guess the obvious is that it makes the utensil readily identifiable. It may be as simple as that. FiggyBee (talk) 17:18, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Personally I think the article has it wrong - the top knife in the image looks like a fish knife, anyway - what's the knotch for in a 'fish knife' - yes - i've often wondered that myself!87.102.16.238 (talk) 17:43, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

One possibility (ie I'm guessing) is that the notch can be used to pick up a knob of butter (inverting the knife) - in a polite way - rather than spearing it. See cheese knife87.102.16.238 (talk) 18:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I didn't see that there could be considered two notches in the butter knife entry. I was originally asking about the notch on the side. The butter knife I used had a smooth rounded end (like the last two "butter spreaders" in the entry photo), but also had the side notch that the top two "butter knives" have. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 19:31, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Agree with 87.102 they are fish knives esp after checking with google images. Maybe the rounded end with a notch is a butter knife image like this[11] and these butterknives[12][ should replace the two fish knives in the article. A cheese knife usually has two prongs at the tip[13] for picking up the cheese slice. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Whether a butter knife (or a fish knife, for that matter) has a notch on it has NOTHING to do with its type. The notch is solely a design feature and is only meant to look nice: it has no meaning whatsoever. You can take two similar cutlery patterns by the same manufacturer, and one will have a notch in the top of the butter knife but not the fish knife, and the other will have a notch in the top of the fish knife and not the butter knife.

The difference is that a fish knife is supposed to be sharp (to cut through the backbone of a fish steak). A butter knife is generally blunt so it doesn't tear the bread. --NellieBly (talk) 07:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

best time for foliage in New England?

When is the best time to see the foliage in the New England states, esp. in Vermont and Maine? Rather in the first half of October, middle of October or end of October? (Any even more specific times are even more welcome.) I know that some websites tell you about the foliage each year, but are there any sites with an overview/average to get an idea when it will be most likely in upcoming years? Thanks, thanks, Thanks for answering (talk) 17:37, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

It depends on the weather. Yes, October is the best time in general but getting any more precise would have to take into account weather patterns. I don't have any links for you but just wanted to make sure you realize that whatever date range is given is still just a guess. The color in the leaves also varies slightly due to altitude. So if when you come, you don't find the color you're looking for, check a mountain side. Whenever you come, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Dismas|^(talk) 17:46, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

P.S. http://www.foliage-vermont.com/ seems to have some helpful information about 2007, they may have some about 2008 as the year goes on. Dismas|^(talk) 17:50, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The time of peak foliage depends not only on the weather and altitude, but also on latitude. The farther north you go, the earlier the peak comes. The timing is actually fairly predictable without huge variation due to weather. Weather is more likely to affect the intensity of color. You can't control the weather, of course, but you can be fairly sure of seeing some color if you book a holiday vacation according to the normal peak for a given region. In northernmost Maine and the higher mountains of central Maine, the peak may be as early as mid-September. The last week of September is a good bet for the mountains of central and northwest Maine and northernmost New Hampshire. The week around October 1 and maybe the following weak is usually the best time for the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains running through the center of Vermont. During that week, you will still see some green mixed in with the yellows and reds. During the following week, you will mostly see yellow and red in those places, and the peak will have moved south to the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts and the rolling hills of the lower parts of New Hampshire and Maine. By the second or third week of October, northern New England and the higher-elevation parts of southern New England are past peak, but we are enjoying our own peak foliage in the low hills of eastern Massachusetts (likewise in Connecticut and Rhode Island). Marco polo (talk) 19:45, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

See our article on leaf peeping. There's a map and everything. --Milkbreath (talk) 19:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The map in our article suggests earlier dates than I am used to seeing. I think that it may be based on old data (before the onset of climate change in the 1980s and 1990s). You might also look at the narratives and maps in this archive. Marco polo (talk) 19:53, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Plumbing

What does term top out mean in the plumbing fieldGilligan01 (talk) 18:02, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

My ability to summarize seems to have deserted me, so I'm going to point to this page, specifically the first paragraph. --LarryMac | Talk 19:32, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Ways of meeting lots of people

How can I meet thousands of people in the shortest possible time? (meeting just on-line counts, too) --Taraborn (talk) 18:13, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I think "thousands" is overly ambitious, and I am unclear what "meeting" technically entails, but a few preliminary suggestions might include:

• WP:IRC and other chat rooms
• Church
• Speed dating
• Depending on where you live, you might find websites like Meetup.com useful

--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

You'll need to define "meeting" a little more rigorously here. Send them a message? Get one back? Become their "friend" on MySpace? What counts, what doesn't? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 18:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Who appointed you captain of the reference desk?--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:57, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The Commodore Ref Desk, I guess. --Masamage ♫ 19:21, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The job had been open for awhile, so I took it! ;-) Some might call it presumptive—I call it entrepreneurial. Anyway, I've been around here a lot longer than this account's creation date would let on (more years than is healthy to admit). Note that it is simply an honorific title, of course. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 20:04, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Taraborn, I can't really help you if you need to meet zillions of people urgently. But if you're prepared to wait a little longer, you could always go into politics. Then you'd have a perfect reason to knock on every single door in your city or electoral district, and who knows how many new friends you'd make. Even better, run for the Spanish Senate and you'd have a perfect reason to knock on every door in your entire province. Better yet, run for President, and you'd have the ... you can see where is leading, I hope. When people ask you why they should vote for you, tell them you're a Wikipedia Ref Desk volunteer, and they'll in most cases promise you their perpetual vote and those of their entire family, then invite you in and make you their life-long friend. A few poor benighted souls will ask the Spanish equivalent of "Wiki what? What's the hell's that!!" and then slam the door in your face before you've had a chance to tell them. But that's the swings and roundabouts of public life for you. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:57, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the useful and funny replies :) In this case having them as an instant messenger buddy with whom you can have a 5 to 10 minutes lasting conversation about twice a week would be enough. --Taraborn (talk) 09:39, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You could sign up to an MMOG, either a free one like Second Life, or a subscription one such as Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, etc, where there are many people online at any time, and start chatting to whoever you meet there. Some will then exchange messenger details with you, and others will not. SaundersW (talk) 10:31, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Harder to shift in lower gears

When driving a car outfitted with a traditional manual transmission, why is it harder to attain a smooth 1-2 shift compared to a 3-4 shift? When I'm driving in 1st gear and let go of the gas to shift to second, I can feel that the temporary decrease in speed when I let go of the gas to be much more drastic than when I let go of the gas in, for example, 4th gear. Why does this phenomenal exist? My guess is that since the lower gear has a larger reduction ratio, its engine braking effect is much more pronounced than the higher gears. Am I right? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 20:34, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, you're right. If you're feeling a big lurch due to engine braking, then you're not putting the clutch in soon enough. FiggyBee (talk) 20:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Automobile Terminologies

I have several questions about transmission terminologies in automobiles:

• The engine torque after being multiplied by the transmission is called the transmission output torque.
• The transmission output torque after being multiplied by the differential gears is called insert name.
• Is the differential gear also called the final drive ratio and the transaxle ratio?

Are these correct? Acceptable (talk) 21:16, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Purpose of differential gear reduction

What is the purpose of the reduction gear in the differential?

For example, suppose the following for a car:

• Differential gear- 2:1
• 1st gear- 4:1
• 2nd gear - 3:1

So the torque after being multiplied by the differential and transmission is 8:1 and 6:1 for first and second gears, respectively. But why not just have the following?:

• Differential gear- 1:1
• 1st gear- 8:1
• 2nd gear- 6:1

Would the car not perform similarly? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 21:19, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, you need a differential whether it changes the gear ratio or not. So, they might as well add a reduction gear there. This allows you to change your overall gearing just by swapping out the differential. That wouldn't be possible, under your idea. Friday (talk) 21:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

There are (at least) a couple of reasons, mostly relating to ease of manufacturing and engineering. Take a look at the picture of a cutaway differential at right—the drive shaft enters at the bottom right of the image, the power is transmitted to the rear axles at lower left and upper right. In order to have a 1:1 differential gear ratio, the incoming drive shaft (with its helical gear) would have to drive the bevel gear of the differential around once for each revolution of the drive shaft. Accomplishing this would require a larger helical gear (and consequently more weight, and more space to accommodate) or more aggressive pitch (requiring more costly materials or reducing the torque the gear can survive). In other words, it's just 'easier' to have a reduction at the differential.

Similar arguments apply at the transmission/gearbox. Material strength puts a lower limit on the size of the smallest gear in the set. If the highest gear ratio is 8:1 then the largest gear must be eight times larger (roughly) than the small gear with which it meshes. Dividing the gear reduction into two stages thus reduces the size and weight of the transmission/gearbox.

Per Friday, it is also possible to adjust the overall gearing of a vehicle by swapping the differential—a process that is almost always faster, easier, and less costly than replacing the entire gearbox. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Free or cheap music composition software.

Is there any free or cheap (cheap means $0-40, not $200-2000) software I can use to compose music? Please no MIDI stuff, it sounds too unnatural to me. MalwareSmarts (talk) 23:18, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

How about trackers? They usually sound a lot better than MIDI and there are a million of them available for free. FL Studio comes in a few different flavors with different prices—I used it once a long time ago and thought it was both very easy to use and produced very good sounding results. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:27, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Schools abroad

When I finish my undergraduate degree, for a change of pace I'm considering moving to the UK, specifically England. I want to get a Master's degree, what would in the US be a MFA in Graphic Design; I understand that MAs in the UK are still around 2 years of study, like MFAs here. Furthermore, I'll be moving with my boyfriend (we plan to get engaged by then), and he's graduating this summer with a degree in Biology so will need to get work. Does anyone have some advice as to resources I can use to conduct research as to schools offering Master's degrees in Graphic Design and areas with large companies where he could get work? Kuronue | Talk 23:59, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

For courses, Prospects might be useful. The Sunday Times University Guide is probably the best-known information source about how students feel about their university, as well as facilities, local area etc. For jobs, The Guardian Newspaper has a large number of job adverts, but mainly in arts areas. Most of the biology-related jobs seem to be for teaching posts. Milkround offers job ads and information for graduates, concentrating on graduate-training programmes (The Prospects site also does job ads). One of the British-based orgs in Category:Biology_organizations might be useful; I don't know much about them, but my own trade body does ads, and the British Society of Biologists (or whatever!) probably will too. --Kateshortforbob 00:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It may not be such an easy matter for your boyfriend to find work legally if he is neither an EU citizen nor possessed of rare skills as a biologist highly in demand in Britain. British employers are not allowed to hire non-EU citizens unless they can make a convincing case that no EU citizen was available and qualified to fill the position. Even if your boyfriend does have unique skills that might be needed, some employers will hesitate to go through the bureaucratic effort of sponsoring a non-EU citizen. Marco polo (talk) 00:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I need to correct myself. It seems that the situation has changed since I tried this. There is now a program called the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, for which your boyfriend might well qualify. According to the UK Border and Immigration Agency, most applications are decided within 3 months, so now would be a good time for him to apply. Marco polo (talk) 01:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

March 22

Why is Everything Sexual? Why do we view the body disgusting?

Why does everything go back to being something sexual? Such as nakedness. And why do we find the human body so disgusting? Such as someone saying we shouldn't be naked because its gross. It's you right therefore you are saying you are disgusting. Not everything is sexual. When you take a shower is that disgusting, is that sexual?

Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 02:36, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Regarding the first question, I believe it is the society that leads us to that conclusion. Advertisements show people getting what they want by eating the promoted chocolate to give the impression anyone can get what they want by simply eating a candy. Just as in the dark ages everything had to do with witchcraft, or when Dungeons & Dragons and metal music began to get recognized everything had to do with the devil, nowadays society thinks (or even wants) everything to have to do with sexuality. I would even quote 4chan "Rule 34": If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.

About the second question, again society is the one that leads us to believe the naked body is disgusting. Original tribes didn't cover their bodies because they thought they were disgusting, but because of feeling cold or warmth. -- ReyBrujo (talk) 03:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You can largely thank a man named Sigmund Freud for Western culture's belief that everything must have a hidden sexual undertone. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, though. And sometimes it's a penis. You win some, you lose some, with Freud. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 03:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

But really there is nothing sexual about being naked. Sometimes the naked body is used for sexual desires, but other times it doesn't. Our bodies are our temples. Do we really want to look at our temples as sexual and disgusting beings?71.143.3.182 (talk) 04:47, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

What leads you to think that most, or even many people do regard nudity as being sexual? What makes you think that most people even regard sexuality as being disgusting? As for the question of why everything is about sex, this can be easily explained by evolution. A species that does not propagate will die. Therefore sex is fundamental to the way we view the world. From a humanist point of view it is our purpose in life. --S.dedalus (talk) 05:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

The majority of our society is religious, therefore leading me to think most people do regard nudity as being sexual. Many religious friends when I ask why someone can't be naked in public and they reply "because its disgusting." The naked body just doesn't mean sex. Yes, evolution does control most of what we view as sexual and non sexual. I watched a show about how woman wanted breast feeding mothers to feed there child in a restroom and somewhere nonpublic because they thought that seeing another womans breast is gross. Breast feeding your child isn't gross. Our world has a problem with viewing the body. In English dubbed versions they cut out unnecessary things such as someone taking a shower. Nudity is nudity. Sex is sex. As long as it isn't being used in a sexual way it should be all right to be naked.71.143.3.182 (talk) 07:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I agree with you that nudity doesn't mean sex (incidentally, I'm an atheist). Perhaps when Christianism is almost completely wiped out in Europe (in a couple generation's time?) the equation nudity = sex will make no sense to most people, I guess. --Taraborn (talk) 09:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I think you are exaggerating Cardinal Raven - people don't see these things as disgusting at all - they just have boundarys and a sense of propietry.87.102.16.238 (talk) 12:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Do you really want to see everyone walking around naked? Imagine an old woman walking down the street naked. Disgusting, isn't it? Now try to get that image out of your head. You should be grateful people wear clothes now. It's just the way our minds are wired, it's got nothing to do with Christianity (one of God's earliest commands was to have sex, also a whole book about sex), so don't complain.

I don't mind. An old ladies body is an old ladies body. There is nothing different between and older persons and mine. Yeah, there are wrinkles. That's not disgusting. In our first years of life when we first evolved and stood up right. I think we were all naked. I don't see problem with that. If its a hot summer day and you need to cool down. I don't mind. Its only natural. Do we put clothes on animals? No, they walk around nude. Well, technically they have fur, but that's not really clothing. Its natures protection. I am not exaggerating were I live and who I talk to they view nakedness as disgusting. Shoot, I just have an example. Do you really want to see everyone walking around naked? Imagine an old woman walking down the street naked. Disgusting, isn't it? An old ladies body isn't disgusting. That's rude. You just viewed the human body as disgusting and traumatizing.71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Why is everything sexual? False question - everything isn't. Why do we view the body disgusting? Who's we - not all people view bodies as discusting. Not all bodies are equally discusting. Wondeful - more redundant questions. Sigh. Neal (talk) 18:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC).

Photo ID?

Can somebody clarify? I know baseball cards are sold in (for instance) gum packs, but are they ID for the gum maker or for the printer? I'm thinking specifically of the Star Player cards (which I've heard of but never seen), & I have trouble imagining "Star Player" gum (which I've never seen, either). Thanx. Trekphiler (talk) 03:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Black allegiance

Have any Whites who have befriended Blacks at work, on the bus, in stores or in their neighborhood begun to experience the phenomenon I am experiencing? To my surprise the Blacks I had come to think of as compatible friends seem now to be rejecting that friendship since Obama has started running for office, as if to say "I was friends with you because you were White but now we have Obama and we do not need White friends anymore." Mind you this is not the case with every Black I know but it is the case with a large majority. What I am wondering here is was I merely thought of as a means to an end and if so how would I be treated if Obama were actually elected? 71.100.0.235 (talk) 04:26, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

...but my friendships... at least the friendships I thought I had were based on the inside similarities despite the obvious exterior differences. If by "ignorant" you mean do not consider as many variables or have as many variables to consider then I could perhaps agree. But what I am asking is have Whites in the minds of Blacks now been replaced by Obama's White grandmother and if elected are we now to see a continued effort for mulattoes to displace Whites? 71.100.0.235 (talk) 05:35, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

...what on Earth are you two talking about??? Original questioner - you're suggesting your black friends were only friends with you for some sort of...political gain? Feeling that they needed white friends to move up the ladder, but Obama is making them rethink that? This seems absurdly unlikely and I think you're just a little paranoid or reading into things too deeply. And Raven, I think somewhere like Stormfront might be a better location for your opinions on black people's "ignorance" and the death of the white race...ugh. Wikipedia is not a soapbox, especially for racist nonsense. -Elmer Clark (talk) 10:40, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm trying to find out if this is in fact why Blacks have developed and maintained friendships with me up until now when Obama is running for office and appears to be doing so on their behalf and speaking out in support of them. As far as paranoia is concerned the truth is that I could care less no different than if a girlfriend found a guy with more money or a faster car. In fact I would now like to thank Obama for exposing these pretend friends. This phenomenon, however, has not effected my friendships with females of either race, whether platonic or otherwise. 71.100.0.235 (talk) 23:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Yup - exact same thing happened to me.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:56, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It is profoundly disturbing to read the statement "black people as you may call them are ignorant". It would be disturbing in a publication of white supremacists, it is unacceptable in a multi-cultural construct as the WP:RD is one.

I would like to express my strong disagreement with opinions of Cardinal Raven and other anonymous users. I hope to speak for the majority of contributors to the reference desk

--62.47.143.101 (talk) 12:56, 22 March 2008 (UTC) Oops, --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 13:15, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Well were not supposed to debate things, so the question wasn't really suitable for this page.87.102.16.238 (talk) 13:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Surely the point of a 'multicultural construct' is that everyone is allowed to express their viewpoint...(sigh).87.102.16.238 (talk) 13:51, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Nope. Sigh your heart out, but nobody is supposed to be expressing their viewpoint on the reference desk. This is not a discussion forum. This is a reference desk like you see in a library. This question is out of place here mostly because it has no answer but is at best a purported attempt to conduct a poll. --Milkbreath (talk) 14:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

hummm... I was not so much looking for yes and no as in a true pole as confirmation of my interpretation of a current event from my personal experience. If you see it as a pole then please refer me to a political forum that provides a mechanism for posting a pole (like Simple Machines Forum) so I can post it as a pole and see just how many people have been so effected. Thanks. 71.100.0.235 (talk) 22:51, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I already said that.87.102.16.238 (talk) 16:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I removed my comments. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Just saying something that was completely obvious.71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:28, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

DivX to MP4 Converter

Can somebody find me a program that converts DivX files to Mp4 format? Also I don't want silly trial versions that only let you convert 5 mins of the file and I don't want to be buying anything!! 220.233.83.26 (talk) 07:15, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Your best bet would be to ask at the Doom9 forums. http://www.doom9.org/ --Kjoonlee 09:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Or the WP:RD/C computer desk. ;) --Kjoonlee 12:52, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

RfC: UK versus England

Template:RFChist I keep finding people (Roomstep444 would seem to be the latest of several) going about changing each geographic reference they find from United Kingdom → England. Is there any guidance, or better still, a rule? I'm sure this must have been asked already somewhere else ...Zir (talk) 12:54, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I'd hate to see what would happen to wikipedia if someone tried to claim that Edinburgh was in England rather than the UK... I myself would personally go for UK, since I'm somewhat of a unionist, but I don't think there's a hard and fast rule. -mattbuck (Talk) 13:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a bit touchy. What Roomstep444 is doing is changing nationalities from "British" to "English" and changing descriptions of towns in England so they say they're in England and not the UK. You're right that the UK and England are different: England is one of the four countries that makes up the nation of the UK, along with Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. (It's the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, after all.) But many people in the UK strongly and vehemently protest the use of the term "British" to describe nationality. It can make them figuratively foam at the mouth. To them, someone from England is English, from Scotland is Scots, from Wales is Welsh, etc. All are citizens of the UK, but none are "British". I don't know why this is, but they will fight you almost until death about it. (Of course, much worse is what too many Americans do - call people from Scotland or Wales "English" or assume the entire country is England. It's a mess.) --NellieBly (talk) 13:14, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, but I was after something more along the lines of "house style" rather than starting a long discussion....Zir (talk) 13:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm afraid this is far too fraught an issue for Wikipedia to have managed to agree on a house style. Wikipedia:Nationality of people from the United Kingdom is an attempt, but it doesn't seem to say much. Algebraist 13:43, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

See the numerous discussions at Wikipedia talk:UK Wikipedians' notice board and its archives, including Wikipedia:Manual of Style (United Kingdom-related articles) and its talk page. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 13:47, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I shall wade thro' UK Wikipedians' notice board archives when I have time to spare. The others seem to favour UK, so I'll not feel toooo bad about reverting any England → UK when I come across 'em...Zir (talk) 14:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It's easy. All the above comments are absolutely correct - BUT - whilst most folk in the UK have no difficulty with constituent residents calling themselves Scottish or Welsh etc., it is, as an Englishman living in Scotland, my experience when filling out Passport Applications etc. that clearly have a wider world context, that we generally call ourselves British. Of course, there are vehement protesters to that rule, but hey, you can't satisfy all the people all the time, including those Scots who claim to detest the English, but who spend all their summer holidays in Blackpool. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 14:59, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I personally consider myself british first, then english. Generally, I think, Scots have more problem with being British than the English do, though there are exceptions on both sides of the border. Northern Ireland is a very touchy issue, and Wales... is generally just happy to be included in discussions. See also the West Lothian Question, Scottish Nationalist Party, etc etc etc. -mattbuck (Talk) 16:31, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Cost of electricity (UK)

What is the approximate cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour in the UK? I'm particularly interested in central Scotland, if the prices vary at that kind of regional level. Ta. Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 17:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Southern England. I pay 9.32pence per unit for my electricity. I have no idea how big is each unit. Richard Avery (talk) 18:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

And I am in Central Scotland where I am supplied with Electricity by .....Scottish Gas.......who have just this week told me to expect a 15% hike in both Gas and Electricity prices forthwith. But currently (no pun intended) I am paying 22.772 pence per kWh for the first 67 kWh and 9.962 pence thereafter - but that is subject to me getting a 5% reduction for buying both Gas and Electricity from the same supplier - and a preferential rate (so they tell me) for paying my bills by regular Direct Debits. And yes, utility prices here do vary significantly from street to street, depending on who your supplier is - we can have 5 or 6 different meter reader vans in our little street in the same day. Hope all that helps. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 18:41, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Interesting... In the US I only know of one community that has two different utility suppliers serving the area. One has a line on the road back of the property and the other has a line on the road in front of the property. Do your utility companies have different lines on the same pole or is the distribution service shared on only one line with the utilities charging the same for distribution but different for supply? How does your system work? 71.100.1.14 (talk) 22:40, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

In the Scottish Highlands, Scottish Hydro charge me 9.05p plus standing charge of £29.88, plus VAT (17.5%) less direct debit discount of £18.40.--Artjo (talk) 19:55, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure that you pay 17.5% VAT Artjo? I only pay 5% (response prior to your own).

Exercises to reduce flabby waistline girdle??

I don't want surgery, I don't want to take drugs, I am already doing regular and testing rowing exercises, and crunches, walking, and other gym work, and am willing to do more specialist exercises, and I have started using an abdominal pulse-belt, but I would like to reduce the circle of girdle flab that has developed since I embarked on a weight reduction programme that will continue for some months and another 50 pounds or so. I am middle-aged and reasonably active, so is there any chance it will just shrink and if not, any advice - not medical advice - would be most gratefully received. Thanks. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 18:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

If your energy usage is > than your calorie input then the difference is supplied by the reserves of your body.

In any case, if you take the high road and then take the low, or, on your travaux to Athens to accompany a moose in Greece with the bagpipes, fifes and drums you will lose on your roundabout what you have gained on your swings. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry - maybe I should explain - I do not speak German - and maybe you don't understand what I meant by flab - ie - it is not flesh, that has gone, what I am talking about is the loose skin remaining after the flesh went. Kaput? Danke.

It just takes time for your skin to catch up. It's possible that some sort of collagen cream would speed things up, since it's the reduction in collagen that makes skin less elastic as we get older. I know I've seen such creams around. — Laura Scudder ☎ 21:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for my infantile jokes, 81.145.

Maybe, if you are concerned about flabby skin, you should check with a dermatologist in your area. As you know, the RD is not a venue for medical advice. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Grozny

Can someone give me a link to some photos of grozny. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 21:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

grozny links at bottom

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=grozny&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=grozny&meta=

87.102.16.238 (talk) 21:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Learning a language

Okay, so I want to learn Arabic, right? I got this teach yourself course with cds, but the basic phonology is just so difficult to understand from their descriptions and audio. It's bothersome to the point where I've just about given up. If I can find some way to master the sounds of the language, I think I'll be good to go, but I need help with that part. Please help with both your own knowledge and outside resources. If someone knows a way to do this for any common language in general (for future use), that would be great--Abccbaqwerty (talk) 21:58, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Arabic is extremely difficult to learn on your own, especially if you only know English. You should take a class taught by a native speaker, who can teach you the sounds (it takes a lot of practise and repetition!). Just listening to the CDs is not enough, because they can't correct you, you can't see their mouths, and you can't ask them questions. I suppose this true for all languages - "teach yourself X language in 30 days" or whatever is a cash grab, no one will be ever become fluent using something like that. Adam Bishop (talk) 22:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Differences between flaming and baiting

I don't see the difference between flaming on the internet and baiting. Can someone please elaborate?--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

I'm not positive, but I think baiting is saying something with deliberate attempt to make them lash out back at you, while flaming is just ragging on someone without needing a reply. Useight (talk) 23:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Im pretty sure thats it useight. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 23:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Book source

I'm a book that talks about geodes. See me as Rocks and Minerals, written by Fredrick H. Pough, ISBN is 0-395-91096-X. Can I be used in the Geode article ? 65.173.105.141 (talk) 23:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)