Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

• Computing
• Entertainment
• Humanities
• Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• Miscellaneous
• Archives

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

• Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
• Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
• Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
• Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
• Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
• Note:
  • We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
  • We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
  • We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
  • We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

• The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

June 26

LGBT South Asian

Is there an organization that deals with South Asian gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender?

Al-Fatiha and Imaan both deal with Muslim LGBT folk, including Muslim South Asians. It's not much help, of course, if you're Hindu. The Vaishnava Association is for gay and lesbian Hindu Indians. There is also the Naz Foundation and The Queer Media Collective (QMC) mentioned in Homosexuality in India. Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil is a gay Prince of Gujarat, who runs the Lakshya Trust, an NGO promoting HIV/AIDS prevention. Steewi (talk) 01:56, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Additional: There are also references to the India Network For Sexual Minorities which might be useful. There is not yet a WP article for it. Steewi (talk) 01:57, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Foot marks in worn-out sandals/flip-flops

Why is it that after use for a while, you can see the marks of your toe prints and foot on it? What causes these markings (is it the sweat of your foot compared to the material of the flip-flops) etc., and why does it happen less with other shoes?

Is there a way to get rid of these marks so that the sandals look closer to what they were like when new (I mean reasonably, even just slightly so). or are they destined to stay like that?

I have no source for this but I would suspect that the wearing of socks has a lot to do with why you don't see this with other types of footwear. And also, the material of the sandal probably has a lot to do with it as far as the absorption of sweat and the rubbing of the feet keeping the dirt off. Dismas|^(talk) 00:55, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Heaven knows I know nothing of podiatry or the physiology of walking, but could the deep impressions have any relation the fact that almost all flip-flops (almost by onomatopoetic definition) and many sandals have no backs to help support the weight of the foot as it treads down and to allow the foot to move around within the shoe? One's foot is basically falling down on exactly the same point with every step, and not moving again until one lifts the whole calf. —— Shakescene (talk) 06:57, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm not convinced that shoe soles don't get marked. Sure you can't see the toes as clearly as you can with sandles, but that's because you don't have to realign your foot with every step, as you do with sandles, which most people seem to do with their toes. 124.154.253.146 (talk) 07:11, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

You can't see into the toe area of closed shoes, to see what's going on in there. With soft inner soles, such as sport shoes, you CAN often feel "toe-grooves", if you feel with your hand. But they are more likely to occur with open footwear, more so with the looser ones, because it's necessary to grip with the toes in order to keep the footwear on. This puts more body weight over the toes, while in closed shoes more weight would go on the ball of the foot. - KoolerStill (talk) 09:44, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Is there a way to get rid of the marks, then?

Weark socks, or walk flat-footed. 124.154.253.146 (talk) 05:39, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

van

what is the longest commercially available van?

Could you clarify what you're looking for? Are you looking for the van which has been available for sale for the longest period of time? Or are you looking for the longest van (length from bumper to bumper) which is currently available? Dismas|^(talk) 00:52, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Additionally, could you clarify what you're using as a definition for the word "van"? The van article lists a number of different types including full size vans, step vans, etc. Oh, and commercially available where? Are you limiting this to just the US? To Europe? The whole world? And I think this will be my final question, if it is the physical length that you are looking for, will the wheelbase do? Or do you need the full exterior length? Dismas|^(talk) 04:16, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

This one perhaps? But seriously, probably this. Mind you... does Chevrolet still make vans? 124.154.253.146 (talk) 07:08, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Van cat

75 feet high,149.9 meters long, or 160 meters long or for centuries in Turkey. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:33, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Where do you live? --Dweller (talk) 12:58, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Not sure if it is commercially available, but this Van is 74 miles long at the longest point

let me clarify. which full-size van that is commercially available anywhere in the world has the greatest length? wheelbase or full exterior length would both be fine.

The longest van I've seen was one rented by my father some years ago. It was a Mercedes and was about 7 metres long (possibly a LWB Sprinter or Vario) with a 7.5 tonne capacity. Apparently, it was the biggest thing he could drive without a UK truck driving license. Astronaut (talk) 16:35, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The longest commercial van I'm aware of is the escort Harriet van Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:59, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

What on Earth is there to do in Toronto on a Thursday night for an eighteen-year-old?

I'm eighteen; I can't drink yet. I'm bored. I want to go out and do something with a friend tonight but I'm absolutely shot on ideas. Does anyone have any suggestions? Nothing too expensive.... --✶♏‭ݣ 00:04, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Do the Degrassi Tour!142.132.4.26 (talk) 00:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Umm... I'm not much of the Degrassi type, and I don't even know what that is. Any other suggestions? --✶♏

Mostly it's just an excuse to get out and go for a stroll with a friend. Who knows what else might happen? Adventure awaits! 142.132.4.26 (talk) 02:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

‭ݣ 01:30, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

In and around Toronto? Depends where abouts you are, but I could list off: karaoke, center island, pacific mall (good food), umm?? 124.154.253.146 (talk) 01:59, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Great night for a stroll along Queen Street West. The sidewalks will be packed. // BL \\ (talk) 02:49, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

It's Pride Week, so there should be lots to see even if you aren't gay. Adam Bishop (talk) 12:08, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Ideas for things you can do in any city:

1. Parkour --Dweller (talk) 12:57, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
2. Fringe Theatre Festival DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:36, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
3. Jazz Festival DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:38, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
4. Cinema --Dweller (talk) 15:37, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
5. Walk in a park or open space that's not a crime hotspot --Dweller (talk) 15:37, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
6. Bingo (Do they have that in Toronto?) --Dweller (talk) 15:38, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
7. Snooker or Pool club (ditto) --Dweller (talk) 15:38, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
8. Bowling (ditto) --Dweller (talk) 15:38, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Anyone else reminded of Things to do in Denver when you're dead? "Buckwheats". --Dweller (talk) 17:06, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, it's no longer Thursday, but you may want to try coming downtown around Yonge-Dundas Square. There are usually some street entertainers about. Also, they do free outdoor movies at sunset (see http://www.ydsquare.ca/) on Tuesdays, and other events, too. It's a great civic space (despite some idiots on Facebook advocating dumping garbage there during the current strike. </rant>). Oh, the current strike also means there is no ferry service to the islands, so that's likely out. Another area, especially on weekends is Harbourfront. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 19:44, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

wow you have no imagination!!!!! i would suggest taking 5 mins out of your life to realize how to have fun...let me see last week end i was bored so went quad biking...but no let me think you could go horse riding/fishing/golfing/crazy golfing/cinema i even managed to blag my way into salsa dancing with a spurious lie so i didnt have to pay lol all of these are inexpensive things to do if not free if you can sort out your charm lol do i really need to type a list of nine million things to do in the world i would suggest getting off your lazy ass :)Chromagnum (talk) 06:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Gas fittings

Are gas bottle fittings in America different to Australia's. For example, if I was to buy a nitrogen gas regulator in USA, can I use the same regulator on Australian gas bottles? Thanks for any help.

The Australian Standards are not identical for medical nitrogen and that used in the beverage industry. No doubt there are similar differences in the USA as well (as there are pressure differences between the various applications, and varying requirements for mixing with air or oxygen). The end result is probably identical in the two countries, but the threading on Australian bottles is metric, while on US bottles it is SAE (and sometimes left-hand thread). Most Australian gas suppliers will rent you the appropriate regulator, as the bottles themselves are also often rented (ie you get a filled exchange bottle, not have your own bottled refilled).- KoolerStill (talk) 10:13, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

James Sanborn's sculpture in Japan

James Sanborn reportedly has a sculpture somewhere in Japan. Does anybody know where it is? I've a feeling it might be in Hiroshima, but none of the sites I check mentioned the actual sculpture; just that he was commissioned to make it in Japan. 124.154.253.146 (talk) 06:54, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

According to this site, there's a sculpture of "Two parallel lightning bolts of assembled stone" at Kawasaki International Peace Park in Kawasaki, Japan. Irvine Contemporary (warning: .pdf) says he was awarded a grant by Kawasaki International Peace Park in 1983. Some jerk on the Internet (talk) 19:48, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Ah, sorry about that. I think I actually looked at that list, but I seem to have missed it. Thanks for pointing it out! 124.154.253.146 (talk) 04:10, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Mark Sanford emails

In the case of Mark Sanford disappearance and extramarital affair, how did the State newspaper get hold of the emails between Sanford and his lover (published here)? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 08:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

They probably either bribed someone with access to his e-mail or broke into his account. Even celebrities can use bad passwords or obvious security questions. Prokhorovka (talk) 09:24, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Note that doing either of those things would violate widely recognized standards of media ethics, so it's doubtful the paper went that route. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:51, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Were they his own e-mail account, or was he so foolish as to write them using the state's e-mail system? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 12:00, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

They may have been sent on state computers, or even worse, using the state's own email system. There is no expectation to privacy using public computers and/or email systems. In most cases, unless covered under the narrow guise of "national security", people have the right to all official correspondance of their government. This usually extends to anything sent on government owned computers or using a government email account. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:26, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

There is a little bit more expectation to short-term confidentiality, though. Transparency in government does not necessarily mean that the inner dealings of every decision need to be aired as it is being made (doing so would obviously paralyze the ability to think freely). This is why there are multiple grades of classification—all the way down to "for official use only" which is hard to get in the short term but easy to get in the long term. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 17:10, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Precisely. So the question remains, from whose e-mail system did his e-mails emanate? If he actually used state or public computers, instead of a scarlet "A" he should have a big red "L" on his forehead. If it was a private account, someone's got some 'splainin' to do (besides him, obviously). Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 12:40, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Either way it is "L" quality hijinks. E-mail is insecure unless you are encrypting it. State or non-state (see Palin's Yahoo! mail problem not long ago). If I were an elected official I would not write anything down in an insecure form unless I wanted others to eventually read it (and even then, what you write at all depends on how much you trust the recipient not to leak it themselves or to accidentally let it fall in the wrong hands). (This is not a problem related to e-mail uniquely, of course.) --98.217.14.211 (talk) 17:09, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The news reporter said the paper got the emails from an anonymous source 5 months ago, which is why they didn't reveal them at first (i.e. they were unverified and not newsworthy until their contents actually led to tracking Sanford down). So, nobody who knows is telling where they came from. My own wild speculation is that Sanford wrote them on his home computer and his wife found them and leaked them to the paper. But there is no way to know, until more information comes out. 208.70.31.206 (talk) 03:37, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

5 months ago squares with when the wife supposedly found out about the affair. Ding-ding-ding! Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:57, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Um, but that could just mean that she was sent the e-mails as well by the anonymous source. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 16:50, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Argentine Man Is Said to Be Source of Sanford E-Mail, says New York Times. "Last December, the executive said, Ms. Chapur was dating a young Argentine a few months after her affair with Mr. Sanford began. The man happened to see the e-mail messages being exchanged between the governor and Ms. Chapur, said the executive — who said he had direct knowledge of the situation — and hacked into her e-mail account to see the rest." "Hacked" is of course the questionable verb here—could mean anything. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 16:50, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

That's possible too. So it seems like various folks knew about this 5 months ago yet nothing came of it. In fact, the guy is still the governor. So really nothing has changed. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 16:55, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, except for the fact that his dirty laundry is on every news channel, he lost his chairmanship of an important political organization, and basically everybody is calling on him to quit his job. But other than that, no changes at all. (rolls eyes) --98.217.14.211 (talk) 19:51, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

He's still the governor, though, for now. We'll see if he joins this year's drummed-out-of-office club, which is chaired by Hot Rod Blagojevich. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 21:38, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Washing clothes while camping

How can we wash our clothes while camping? Is the washboard the best alternative? What can we do with the rest water if we are ecologically minded?--Mr.K. (talk) 11:01, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, it depends on the facilities on offer at the campsite where you're staying (unless you're camping in the wild, so to speak, which I would strongly advise against). Some campsites have washers and dryers available. If not, they should certainly have sinks for people to wash their dishes and clothes in (note, I'm not talking about washbasins in the bathroom). Just bring some washing powder with you and wash your clothes by hand in the sink. You can hang them out to dry near your tent on a washing line – bring a length of line and some clothes pegs for this purpose, and rig up a makeshift line when you get there. Assuming the weather is fine (and you really shouldn't be camping if it isn't), they should be nice and dry in no time. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:21, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Depends on what sort of camping— front country or back country. If you are in a front country campground, you can use a washboard and a tub. You can also make a washer with a five gallon bucket and a (new) toilet plunger. Drill a hole in the bucket lid large enough for the lid, put the clothes, water and soap in the bucket; put the plunger through the hole and put the lid on; use the plunger as an agitator to do the wash, then rinse and agitate. Dispose of the water by pouring down a drain or by dispersing it away from a water source. Any modern soaps are going to be environmentally friendly, but use a minimum. If back country, then you need to be familiar with Leave No Trace. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 11:43, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Richardrj are you seriously telling the OP something like "Don't camp anywhere wild, camp only at camp sites equipped with sinks, washing machines and/or drying machines ? ". Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:00, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Pretty much, yes – albeit with tongue ever so slightly in cheek, and based on my original research of the vision of hell that is the under-amenitied campsite :) --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:13, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

One good thing about going camping is that it reminds you of why we invented houses and indoor plumbing. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 13:18, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

If you follow the "Leave No Trace" philosophy, doing laundry would be a questionable activity. Obviously, you can't literally "leave no trace", but you can minimize your impact. It's just that "minimize your impact" is not such a catchy slogan. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 13:08, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Maybe not a full, proper laundry with soap and bleach, but if you're backpacking out in the wild, there's no reason you couldn't rinse your clothes in some running water like a brook or something. You've probably brought a piece of rope with you, so it's easy enough to set up a small clothesline between two trees for drying. APL (talk) 14:53, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

It is probaly not environmentally friendly, but there are washing detergents which supposedly work in any water (including cold seawater). I say "supposedly" because I couldn't get it to lather even in clean drinking water. Either I was using it incorrectly, or it was totally useless. Just thought I'd mention it though :-) Astronaut (talk) 16:12, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I've washed clothes with a washboard and a washtub. A washboard makes the washing easier, and one would suffice for a number of campers, so the burden of packing it might be worthwhile. If only one or two are on the trip, and you don't want to lug a washboard, then heat some water, put detergent directly on stains, and rub the clothing against itself in the tub or bucket of warm sudsy water until stains fade and they seem clean. Swish them around a while in the hot suds, then wring out the water by hand, and rinse them in fresh water to get rid of the soap residue. Wring them dry as best you can, to reduce the chance of mildew. They can be hung on a line or on bushes to dry. Unless it is a sunny day, they may take a very long time to dry (more than a few hours). Start the washing at sunup for maximum drying time. Edison (talk) 17:20, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

All consumer soaps are now environmentally friendly, but you still don't dump them directly into a water source. I can't think of a backpacking trip where you would need to clean more than a pair of socks every now and then. Even Appalachian Trail thru-hikers get off the trail and get a motel and do some laundry. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 17:32, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I've seen truckstop cafes, 100 miles either way from other habitation, that have showers and a coin-operated washing machine.- KoolerStill (talk) 19:32, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Some of us are too cheap to put coins in the machines and not willing to sit by the machine 45 minutes for the wash cycle and another 45 minutes for the dryer. Edison (talk) 03:12, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

If you're camping in the woods for a few days, don't wash your clothes. Bring extra sets of inner layers. If you're going to be camping for a number of weeks, still don't wash your clothes. Rinse them in water and hang them to dry. You won't be able to smell each other that much, and the smell of the woods and fire will help to cover a lot of the BO. Seriously, don't take any soap with you; it's unnecessary and even "enviro-friendly" products might not be exactly what they advertise. If you're worried about your smell as you re-enter civilization, bring one set of clothes and save them for the last day. 124.154.253.146 (talk) 04:04, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Operation Snow White

I was reading the article Operation Snow White and I find it pretty amazing that they were able to penetrate agencies like the DoJ. But, all in all exactly which government agencies did they infiltrate altogether and did they manage to get into agencies like the Department of Defense or the CIA or would they have even been able to penetrate those agencies? And do you think they would be able to do it again today, even with the security the government has put in since then and 9/11? --Blue Heron 89 (talk) 17:17, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Did you read Wikipedia's article on it? It is surprisingly well referenced and detailed; if some specific information on the Operation is not in enough detail in the article, you could seek out some of the references and read those... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:22, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I am not sure why they would have attempted to break into either CIA or the DoD. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 20:05, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Information is power, and it is a commodity. Consider how many countries they are involved in, how useful it might be to know certain things about how the US agencies are planning to deal with said countries, etc. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 15:25, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Shirt sizing

This sizing chart uses what I guess is the circumference at the shirt's chest, while this chart uses simply the chest width. I want to buy a shirt of the brand of the first chart, but I want to compare the sizes to a shirt that I own, from the second website. How would these be compared? Thanks. —Akrabbim^talk 17:25, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, the obvious answer is that the shirt circumference is twice the width of the shirt in the second list (which uses an unusual method of sizing). However, I doubt it is that simple. I suggest you pay more attention to the "small", "medium", "large", "XL", etc sizing on both charts. Astronaut (talk) 17:35, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I usually wear a men's M, but from different suppliers that size often varies, so I was trying to see what I could tell from the numbers. —Akrabbim^talk 18:05, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Indeed. Even companies that use a numerical sizing system (ostensibly the chest circumference in inches, for example) often vary from one another. A 34 from one company may "run" differently than a 34 from another company; so you really need to look at the sizes as a general guide and get to know which companies have sizes that work for you. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:20, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

First question to ask, obviously, is whether the shops in your area measure in centimetres (metric system) or inches (Imperial or U.S. customary system). —— Shakescene (talk) 22:41, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Measuring the width of the shirt is very unusual, I've never seen that before. Given such an unusual measurement, I wouldn't be too trusting of it. It's probably best just to guess based on the S, M, L guidelines, even though they aren't very precise. --Tango (talk) 00:05, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

What's most usual in the U.S. is offering a choice of neck sizes (e.g. 15 1/2 inches) and (for long-sleeved shirts) sleeve lengths. —— Shakescene (talk) 07:13, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Likewise in the UK (although I think we call it "collar size"). A chest size in addition to the collar size isn't unheard of, though. It would certainly be measured if you went to a tailor for a made to measure or bespoke suit. --Tango (talk) 02:18, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

You may also be interested in the article Vanity sizing. Certainly I'm used to buying in the Small/Medium/Large range for t-shirts/polo-shirts but then for dress-shirts/suit-shirts I would always expect to buy it by neck-size. ny156uk (talk) 09:23, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Using a measuring tape and the chart by the company you intend to buy from is likely to yield better results than comparing charts by different companies. If you are shopping for a shirt, then any T-shirt measurements are close to irrelevant. Even polo shirts are cut significantly differently. There was a similar post on clothes sizes here a couple of weeks back (June 11 "Body proportions" in the Archives). US standard clothing size may help. Remember that the measurements of the shirt include certain allowances for fit and comfort as compared to the measurements of your body, you might end up doubling or reducing those if you compare actual clothing measurements vs. body measurement charts. Getting what is basically a more or less rectangular piece of cloth to fit the various curves and shapes of the human body is an art onto itself. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 05:36, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Trucker radio "code"

In a lot of films you see truckers who witness say, the main character doing some wild stunt, picking up radios and saying stuff like "we got an 815 on Interstate 95". I've never seen a trucker do anything like that in real life. Is there someplace I could read futehr about it, or could you explain it? --92.251.142.187 (talk) 17:42, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

You might start with Ten-code (and other codes linked therein) and CB slang. -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:47, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Ah right thanks that's very interesting92.251.142.187 (talk) 17:49, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Every trucker had a CB in the late 1970's and 1980's and many car drivers did as well, to get help in an emergency or to get spotting reports on cops with radar guns: "Comb your hair and smile, because there's a Bear taking pictures at the 219 marker." It was made popular by the song "Convoy" and the 1978 movie Convoy (film). It was a free call to let those at home know you would arrive shortly. Range was a few miles typically with legal equipment. 20 miles from hill to hill was achievable with 5 watts. Edison (talk) 19:36, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

My grandparents used CBs extensively With their farming operation and they did not have much trouble over a 25 mile range. They did have a windmill that was acting as a radio mast though, which trucks would not have so that probably improved range significantly. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 19:53, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

CB's are still used. It's just they don't get the kind of publicity they used to when the speed limit was made artificially too low and this dodge-the-bears game was all the rage. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:55, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

That's a big 10-4. Edison (talk) 20:12, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

I know that many car clubs still use them to keep in touch during rides, whether they be on or off road. Dismas|^(talk) 21:24, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Our car club (Mini Owners of Texas) - and most others I've driven with use FRS/GMRS radios. Theoretically, they have less range than CB - but the sound quality is much clearer and they not so fiddly to use - you don't have to mount it in the car or have a huge antenna. We find that, in practice, they are much better than CB for car-to-car use. However, you aren't supposed to use the GMRS channels without a license, which limits you to the half dozen FRS channels...yeah...right. Using the 'Ten code' is considered silly. It probably originated as a way to give messages clearly over the noisy old CB system...GMRS is clearer than a cellphone - you don't need codes and such. SteveBaker (talk) 02:40, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Iowa small claims court

What is the minimum $ amount that one can sue someone for in small claims court of Iowa?

The "Iowa Court Rules" has small claims forms to fill out in Chapter 3. The form on Chapter 3 page 9 lets you fill in the blank for the value of the property being demanded, which may not exceed US$5,000. It does not list a minimum. Tempshill (talk) 22:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) :This site [1] contains guidance for people wishing to take action in the Iowa Small Claims Court without using a legal representative, and may be a good place for you to find more information. It states that the maximum sum one can claim is $5000, but I cannot find a minimum claim listed there. Please note that we cannot give legal advice here. If you need information that you cannot find on third-party sites such as the one I've linked above, your best option is to seek advice from the court itself or from a qualified legal adviser. Karenjc 22:54, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

June 27

New York Times cover price

What is the history of the price of the NY Times? How much did it cost when first published? In 1960? In 1990?

Interesting. I assume you're interested in the weekday price and not the extra-large Sunday price; and also that you're less interested in price variations outside of New York, which at various times has been defined as being "within 50 miles of the city"[2], within 75 miles[3], and probably other definitions over time. I haven't found a nice graph of the price after Googling a bit. Our article The New York Times says it was 1 cent per copy at its debut in 1851, when it was called the "New-York Daily Times". I searched on the NY Times website for "new york times" newsstand price and on Google similarly and found the following; note there are plenty of gaps.

• 1851: Price was 1 cent
• 1883: Price was 2 cents
• 1970: Raised from ? to 15 cents
• 1974: changed from 15 cents to 20 cents

Interestingly, this abstract says this increase was "subject to favorable rulings by the Cost of Living Council."

• 1979: changed from ? to 25 cents
• 1982: changed from 25 cents to 30 cents
• 1991: changed from 30 cents to 35 cents
• 1994: changed from 50 cents to 60 cents
• 1999: changed from 60 cents to 75 cents
• 2002: changed from 75 cents to 1 dollar
• 2007: changed from $1.00 to $1.25
• 2008: changed from $1.25 to $1.50

A graph of this, were the data to be completed, would be a nice addition to the NYT article. (And would be even more interesting if graphed against its rivals. The Post dropped its price at least once in recent times.) If you had an hour at your local library with all the NY Times articles microfiched, you could rather quickly use sampling to find out the years that price changes occurred, or just look up the years you were interested in. Tempshill (talk) 01:15, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

I saw a book at the bookstore today that had all the New York Times front pages...now of course I can't find it again. But I assume the prices are on every front page. Adam Bishop (talk) 02:30, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Aha, here it is. Adam Bishop (talk) 03:33, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

A semilog plot woud be linear if the price increased exponentially. Edison (talk) 03:08, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

US laws regarding copyright status of current news

In US copyright law, what does it say about news article? In the PRC copyright law, 'current news' is not protectable, and 'current news' is defined as 'simple statement of the fact', which is still vague. I want to know how does the US deal with news.—Ben.MQ (talk) 03:12, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Interesting. Could you find sources for this and add a treatment of it to the copyright section of the Intellectual property in the People's Republic of China article? It would be an interesting improvement.

Anyway, see United States copyright law for a lot of information (not comprehensive). There are some types of writing that are not copyrightable in the US. The concept of "news" is not one of these types; it is treated no differently from other types of writing. One thing that is treated differently is an expression of an idea that can't reasonably be expressed in any other way. The short sentence "Michael Jackson has died" is therefore not protected. A news article on the death of Michael Jackson, though, is copyrighted. By the way, under the Berne Convention, countries are supposed to respect works that are copyrighted in other countries, so, assuming you're correct about the copyrightability of news in the PRC, I wonder how Berne is reconciled with ignoring the copyrighted status of news stories written by (and hence automatically copyrighted by) people in other countries. Tempshill (talk) 04:13, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Note that simple statements of fact are not copyrightable in general in the US. It doesn't matter whether they are news. "Water is constituted of oxygen and hydrogen." "Michael Jackson is dead." Both would be treated similarly (assuming they are true—if they are purely fictional, then creativity comes into it). (As an aside, simple statements of fact can be patentable. But not copyrightable.) --98.217.14.211 (talk) 12:10, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Facts are not copyrightable. Quoting the entirety of a speech reported in the news, for example, has been held not to be a breach of copyright. News reporting is a fair dealing in Australia, and if I remember correctly, is correspondingly a fair use in the United States.

Nonetheless, the particular expression of a news story (other than any factual quotations) is copyrightable. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 11:22, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Speeches are actually complicated, as they are often not "fixed in any tangible medium", which at least in the US is a requirement for be copyrightable at all. Being widely-reported has nothing to do with their copyright status in the US (see, e.g. I_Have_a_Dream#Copyright_dispute), at least for quoting the entire thing in verbatim (fair use applies, but it is a complicated determination). --98.217.14.211 (talk) 02:18, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Purpose of asking for credit card expiration date

When you buy something online with a credit card, what is the purpose of asking for the expiration date? Does it just purely serve as a security challenge question, like a PIN number? Does / can the business actually care about the date? Can they, for example, say that they won't accept credit cards that expire within 1 month? Or can they give preferential treatment to people with later expiration dates? --76.91.63.71 (talk) 04:32, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't think it answers the ultimate question, but when I've taken credit card charges in person or over the telephone at work, I've had to give the bank four things (presuming the bank already has the merchant account number and information): name on the card, amount of the transaction, account number, and expiration date. For the bank, I'm sure it serves several purposes, including telling them whether the account is current and verifying that a digit hasn't been missed somewhere (thus charging the wrong account). Sometimes they also ask for the 3-digit security code on the card that's separate from the account number. —— Shakescene (talk) 10:23, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

They don't want to take a card that has already expired. Although you may have a new card, it is possible that you have not, therefore don't have a current account. And/or the expired card may be in the hands of an unauthorised person, if you did not follow the directions and cut it in half when the new one arrived. The separate 3-digit check number is sometimes asked for as proof that you have the card in your hand; the other details you might have from finding someone's credit card bill (or transaction receipt) in the garbage. - KoolerStill (talk) 11:04, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps because when the card expires you get sent a new card with the same card number and a new expiry date. The expiry date is asked in case you have simply found an old card in the trash. Or perhaps it lets the credit card limit their liability if they close your account and you don't return the card. Astronaut (talk) 11:24, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

It is far simpler than all this. If the expiry date is not quoted how will the equipment know that the card is currently valid? All the other info identifies the user, not the card.86.209.157.37 (talk) 14:42, 27 June 2009 (UTC)DT

You know the card is valid when the card company tells you it is. Knowing the date doesn't tell you it is valid at all—one can easily lie about the date, or the card number, or any part of it. Only the fact that all of that information is checked against the credit card company tells you it is valid. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 15:21, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Which is why the expiry date is needed, as part of the chain of proof that the cardowner is holding the card. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 15:23, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

But why is that different than the card number itself? I don't see how that really changes anything. Even the CVC doesn't really prove you have the card itself in front of you. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 19:49, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

A little searching online brings up this (http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/executive_tech/article.php/3607996) is an interesting article about expiry-dates and relevant to this question. ny156uk (talk) 20:52, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

It is also a security measure. The more information they check, the less chance for fraud. It is easy to fake a seemingly valid credit card number. My credit cards have an additional security number on them also. I think they check the validity of the numbers online while speaking to you. 78.147.242.96 (talk) 11:45, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Again, this doesn't make much sense. The only way they know if it is real is if they check it against a database; if they do that, then it doesn't matter how many extra numbers there are. Having the card physically does not at all guarantee that the transaction is valid (could easily be stolen). I see no real security benefit to having expiration numbers. (CVC would provide security if it was never recorded. That's a big "if", of course, but expiration date is often recorded along with the number.) --98.217.14.211 (talk) 21:17, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Just think of it as four extra digits of the card number, and the CVC is another three digits. There are a million ways to get each of these bits of information, but the essence is that if you have them, you can charge to the card. One benefit of the expiry date is that it exists outside of the checksum digit and thus can't be calculated in advance. This just presents one more barrier to mass attacks to discover card numbers. Like you say though, in the end it comes down to whether or not the information matches a database. The goal is to make that as difficult as possible for people not actually holding the information. (Plus it forces the clerk to actually look at the card rather than just swiping it) Franamax (talk) 21:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

If I were trying to justify the expiration date, I would probably say, rather, that it was more than just adding four more digits (two of which are within a pretty guess-able range), but instead, the fact that card records expired in a few years would prevent long accumulation of still-valid transactions over a period of time. It puts a cap on how long credit card data in anyone's possession is actually useful. (For the same reason, it's kind of a pain in the neck when you need to change over a lot of recurring payments.) The idea that you'd use it to avoid bruteforcing credit card numbers seems unconvincing to me (you still need a matching name, no?). --98.217.14.211 (talk) 01:11, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, I've never tried to crack a CC system, so I dunno. The primary entity you wish to establish seems to be the person. Obtaining person names is pretty trivial, a rich target would probably be (www.here.com). You would need to also observe the (beans) returned from the requested transactions. Probably though it's a behaviourial thing - did some actual person ever look at the actual piece of plastic in their hand? Did any actual person ever wonder if they're being scammed? The entire credit system works on trust, the expiry date on CCs is just a tiny piece. Franamax (talk) 07:22, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Dunwoody Coffin

Does anyone know of a sheet metal toolbox called a Dunwoody (Dunnwoody) Coffin?

It was made as a graduation requirement for the sheet metal course at the Dunwoody Vocational School in Mpls, MN during the 60's and 70's I believe. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cullulloo (talk • contribs) 22:02, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

We have a page for the school Dunwoody College of Technology. Maybe you could contact someone there. You should state what specifically your question about that box is. Your term didn't get any ghits, so maybe it's a bit off. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 04:51, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

That's going to be tough to find anything out about - if they stopped doing it in the 1970's - that was a long time before the Internet was around - so there is unlikely to be much about it on the net. It's also a very narrow topic - so it's unlikely that books have been written on the subject - it's hardly newsworthy - so we're not going to find it in newspaper archives...that doesn't leave many places to search! Your best chance (as '71 says) is to contact the college and hope that someone who worked in the metal shop in the 1970's is still around to talk about it. Does the school perhaps maintain a list of alumni - or have an alumni association? If so, then perhaps you could find the email address of people who graduated from that course over those years and ask them directly? SteveBaker (talk) 13:32, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Swiping: Credit vs Debit

I live in Canada so I don't know if this is a common phenomenon in other countries, but when I make a purchase at a store with my credit card, say Visa, the cashier takes the card from me and swipes it him or herself. On the other hand, when purchasing with my debit card, he/she asks me to swipe the card myself. Why is that? Acceptable (talk) 22:02, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't see that phenomenon in the US - I swipe the card, and then about 25% of the time the cashier asks me whether it's a credit or debit card. Tempshill (talk) 22:14, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

I see it from time to time, and it seems to depend on the cashier personally. Mostly I swipe it myself, but some shop attendants get frustrated by customers putting the card in the wrong way round, so to forestall that they take the card off them, and do it themselves. I know one particular person who always does this with me, but other attendants at the same shop rarely or never do it. Whether it's a debit or credit card doesn't come into it, because these days it's often impossible to tell just from the card. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:24, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

I see it all the time, in a number of different stores (SW Ontario). I've even seen a cashier reach to give me my card, then withdraw it again until the electronic transaction was completed. I haven't asked, but I've always assumed it was something to do with the perceived greater chance of theft of credit cards (no PIN required, just a signature). The cashier might want to wait for confirmation before giving you back a potentially stolen card. Matt Deres (talk) 03:24, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It also depends on the particular store's swiping setup. If the swipe slot is on the till out of the customer's reach, the cashier will do it. But if it's on the pinpad, close to the customer and hard for the cashier to reach, the customer will do it. If it's easily accessible to either, I guess that's when you get variation.

Similarly, if credit and debit are swiped through different slots, as they are at the store where I work, that's why you might see a difference between when you pay with one or the other. At my store, I swipe credit cards on the till, but let the customer swipe their own debit cards on the pinpad.

(I used to do both, through the machine's "home base" instead of the pinpad, but we got a new system last week that split the credit and debit into different slots, and a new pinpad that I'm having the devil of a time with, so I've decided just to let the customers do their own debit swiping. It usually works better that way.) Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 03:30, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It might also depend on the amounts of money involved and the store's experience with stolen/expired cards. If they are holding the credit card, and it comes through as bad, they are supposed to retain and destroy it. If it just comes through as insufficient credit, they have the card as "hostage" while the customer finds another card or digs up cash. - KoolerStill (talk) 09:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I believe that with Chip and Pin in the UK the cashier is specifically supposed not to touch the card, and there are "extra security requirements" (no idea what) if they do. Of course, that doesn't necessarily happen in practice and plenty of customers still hand their cards over as we used to do before chip&pin. 93.97.184.230 (talk) 09:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I was never told about any "extra security requirements" when I used to work in a shop. Rather, I was told never to take the card at all - just point to the card machine and tell them to put it in. Of course, this is still UK so not entirely relevant to the OP's question. Vimescarrot (talk) 18:17, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Related to the thread just above, if you use a credit card, the clerk is supposed to check the hologram on the card to be sure it changes colour, check the expiration date, make sure the card is signed on the back, and check your signature on the slip to be sure it even remotely resembles the signature on the card. The merchant agreement with the card processor actually says that's supposed to happen and some clerks even do it. Debit cards are different, if you hold the "secret" PIN number, you're assumed to be the authorised user. Check for security cameras pointed at the debit terminal and raise hell if you see one. BC Liquor has just changed over to a new system where they don't touch the credit card, as part of the switch to Chip'n'PIN. It also means that if my magstripe doesn't scan, they won't accept the card, i.e. they will no longer punch in the transaction manually. This is a lesson that if you accidentally demagnetise the card, you can no longer get beer. :) Franamax (talk) 21:45, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Also, an anecdote: I was in airport duty-free once, used a Visa card. I'd "lost" the card, requested a new one, then found the old one and had it in my bag also, and inadvertently used it. The clerk swiped it and handed it back, then suddenly came up with a reason to ask for it back to "check something". She called another clerk over to "figure out the problem" and we all stood there for awhile while she carefully muttered to the other guy things about "it says hold the customer...shouldn't we call security..." I eventually figured it out, found my new card and asked for scissors to chop the old one. The lesson? At least some CC terminals are set up to deliver messages about "destroy card" and "fraud - hold for police". I've never actually handled card transactions, but that experience is pretty good evidence for the practice. Again, the difference with debit cards is that as long as the funds are in the account, go ahead and take the funds, gabba-gabba-hey, it's all good. Franamax (talk) 21:57, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

For credit card purchases, it used to be the case that the checkout person held on to your card until you'd signed the slip so that they could check that the signature matched...but I've never seen that done in the last 10 years at least. There's a web site out there somewhere where someone tried writing increasingly bizarre things on the credit slip and having it accepted...starting with signing "Mickey Mouse" - moving on to simplifying his signature to one long horizontal line - to drawing a picture of a flower, a house, a car, etc - eventually writing "I stole this card and I'm getting away with it!" in tiny letters where the signature should be. The checkout staff never queried it - and the credit card company paid out just the same. So why bother with the signature? It has absolutely no function anymore.

I believe you are referring to [4] by John Hargrave, the same man who pranked the 2007(?) Super Bowl in Tampa. Freedomlinux (talk) 04:28, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Even more annoying: One of the best security features they ever added was the simplest - put the person's photo on the card. My VISA card has that - but the checkout staff never even look at it - even in stores like Home Depot where you swipe your card, enter your pin and the terminal says "HOLD CARD UP FOR CASHIER TO INSPECT" (or something like that) - it's all completely ignored! This is such a simple technique - and it would eliminate almost all fraud at almost zero cost. Grrrr! SteveBaker (talk) 13:25, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Bacnotan

How can I get more information about history of Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines from year 1850 and on. I am looking for gobernadorcillo Named Angel Lopez back in 1850 and on. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.41.252.48 (talk) 22:08, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Have you read our article Bacnotan, La Union? Also, have you Googled bacnotan "angel lopez"? The latter brings up nine hits, not many at all, but they seem relevant. Tempshill (talk) 22:17, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Should Shirts sleeves stick out?

When wearing a black Tuxedo, should the white shirt underneath stick out at the cuffs? Acceptable (talk) 23:49, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

If you're wearing a proper dress shirt, then yes, your doubled cuffs and cufflinks should be visible. AlexTiefling (talk) 23:52, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

For the benefit of American readers (and by the use of the word "Tuxedo", I'm guessing the OP is American, although the term is becoming quite common in the UK these days), "dress shirt" in this context doesn't mean any shirt with a collar and buttons, it means a specific type of formal shirt with doubled cuffs and a pleated front that is worn with Black Tie. (There is some variation, but that's the most common. In the UK, anyway.) --Tango (talk) 01:39, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Our Tuxedo article has pictures. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.41.110.200 (talk) 02:40, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Called a dinner jacket in Britain. 78.147.242.96 (talk) 11:39, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I was always taught that cufflinks should not be showing when wearing a suit-jacket. "You're not a pirate." was the phrase. ny156uk (talk) 11:44, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

We're not talking about a suit-jacket, we're talking about a dinner jacket. Algebraist 12:08, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Even so, you don't want the whole of the cuff showing - just a bit (perhaps a enough to let people glimpse your expensive cuff-links). See the images on the Black tie article for a guideline. Astronaut (talk) 12:12, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. The cuffs on my dress shirt go up several inches, I would only have about one inch showing beneath my jacket. --Tango (talk) 17:52, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It depends, of course, how you're standing. When your hands are by your sides, you should only be able to see a small amount (less than an inch) of cuff. When you reach out your hand, for example, to shake hands, more cuff, and your cufflinks should become visible, but not the whole cuff. Steewi (talk) 01:22, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

June 28

How long are school transcripts in the U.S. normally kept?

A recent news story about someone who altered high school grades got me to thinking. How long are transcripts kept for high school (10-12th or 9-12th grade) in the U.S.? What about lower? Would this person, if she just wanted to enhance her daughter's self esteem, have been able to change them 10 years later? Would it matter? Would grades from 25 years atgo (before computerization) still be kept for high school? For lower grades?

For high school, part of me says work history quickly surpasses those in improtance after 5-10 years, if a person is looking for work, but what about college? Would they want to know more than just that a person graduated if they go back to school after, say, 20 years? Would a school have a reason to even keep a person's transcripts from 10 years ago more more, for lower grades?

Thanks.209.244.30.221 (talk) 00:46, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

This doesn't answer your question, but as an aside, I'd opine that work history surpasses high school grade importance after < 1 year. Tempshill (talk) 02:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Permanent record (the article isn't very helpful either.) 75.41.110.200 (talk) 02:37, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

At my high school in Pennsylvania, USA, the guidance office had a closet full of boxes labeled with the year of graduation. Each box has one set of class records and there easily could have been 20 boxes, so 20 years of back records. Of course, they also could have kept older records archived elsewhere, but after 20 years, chances are that you either: 1.) Went to college, making your high school performance moot, 2.) Already have a job and no longer need to prove your academic record, or 3.) will never be asked about high school again, or just prove graduation or a GED. While computerized grades are kept at my school, they are purged after graduation and the paper documents are the only record. Freedomlinux (talk) 14:54, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I think they're kept for several decades, sometimes for 30 or 40 years. I think I was able to transmit a transcript from my New England prep school to a college 25 or 30 years after graduation, and the State of Rhode Island takes over and maintains the records of disbanded schools for 30 or 40 years. —— Shakescene (talk) 19:39, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I used to work for a company that computerized such information. In physical form I was told that they're kept, at least in Quebec, for 50 years. Rachmaninov Khan (talk) 02:32, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I saw one which was over 100 years old, but it was in someone's basement and no longer stored by the school. I expect that they are often kept for decades, since someone might have a late decision to start college and need a high school transcript. Edison (talk) 03:32, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Interesting, thanks. I wonder if grade school ones are seen as that important. they wouldn't be used for the same purposes, but they would still be part of the same person's. OTOH, that would be a *lot* more paperwork.209.244.187.155 (talk) 12:04, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Nudism South Asia

Is there an organization where it promotes nudism in India and Sri Lanka? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.64.54.119 (talk) 02:28, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Probably not what you're looking for, but you may be interested in Digambar. Matt Deres (talk) 03:26, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I live in India, and I've heard of no such thing. The culture here is such that even if anyone thinks about bringing such a club he would probably be beaten up by a mob... In Bangalore people have attacked women in discos and clubs saying it degrades Indian culture. There is still a lot of hot debate over Gay marriage. So judging by the current state of affairs, i am quite sure none will exist. Not for the near future. Sri Lanka is also pretty much the same, I expect, considering the large population of Tamils (from India) living there, and the small impact of the West in the island nation, though I've never been there.Rkr1991 (talk) 13:41, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

This site has some tips and links. The International Naturist Federation has a couple of contacts for Asia. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:38, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

masturbating

I heard on the internet, mainly message boards and forums, that if a guys holds off from masturbating for a week his orgasm will be greater when he finally does it. It the same true for females? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.91.128 (talk) 09:12, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I suggest our page on the subject might have the answers you seek.

It does not. That's like pointing someone at the Television article when they ask what actor played a robot in the 33 episode of doctor who

Of course that would be silly. If someone asked that question we would be obligated to tell them that "33" is a Battlestar Galactica episode, not a Doctor Who episode. APL (talk) 13:24, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Note to others, I'd be inclined to suggest this isn't asking for medical advice, thoughts? Prokhorovka (talk) 09:20, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Er, What's the medical condition being referred to??!! 86.4.190.83 (talk) 12:42, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

There's no media question, it's a simple query for factual information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.6 (talk) 13:10, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The article linked to does contain the information at the top of 'Techniques'. Prokhorovka (talk) 16:13, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Could you please quote for me, because I've looked and can't find it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.6 (talk) 18:01, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It is true that females can have heard the same as the OP heard on the Internet. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

huh? Could someone please just tell me? I've looked through the masturbation article but I can't find this information. I don't want to wait a whole week just to find waiting makes no difference, I want to know there's gonna be good at the end of waiting, otherwise I won't bother. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.6 (talk) 23:20, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It would, of course depend on the meaning of greater. If you're talking about volume of ejaculate, it's probably going to be more than if you've been masturbating multiple times in the last few days. The male turn-around for reproducing ejaculate varies, but is generally short. If you're talking about the feeling of orgasm, then it's kind of subjective. It's likely that you will feel more release, because you're getting the thing that you've been waiting a week for, but it isn't necessarily guaranteed to be better. Other factors need to be taken into account, such as appropriately good stimulation, your health, and your psychological health, among other things. There is something to be said for lessened sensitivity if you overdo masturbation over a long period - you might be let down by the actuality of sex itself. I can't comment on women - it's not my area. Steewi (talk) 01:30, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

See The Contest for one version of the possible result of the project, on Seinfeld. Can you be "Master of Your Own Domain?" Edison (talk) 03:30, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

ugh none of this is helpful. Directions to articles that don't contain the info, accusations of media advice, a joke thrown in and User:Steewis "can't comment on women - it's not my area." Did any of you even READ the question, dear god. I'm guessing this is summer time shit. The Ref Desk used to be good, used to give really well written helpful answers from people who knew what they were talking about. Now every question I ask the Desks seem only a shadow of their former selves.

To phrase the question as simply as possible; if I wait a week will my orgasm be better y/n. I am a girl. I'm not interested in why a guy might have a bigger orgasm if he waits for a week, I just want to know if waiting will have the same effect on me, ie a better, more powerful orgasm. Currently I don't even know if I'm having orgasms and I want to try everything, but I'm also don't want to / can't stop masturbating for a whole week if there's no point.

I'm sorry for the rant, I'm just a little frustrated right now. But thank you to everyone whos replied so far. I just want an answer ;_;

I'm sorry that I have no concrete answer for you. I do have a suggestion for you though. Why not try it? Things like orgasms and stimulation can vary from person to person. So, why not find out how your body/mind reacts? Afterall, this isn't something that you need for a deadline, so why not experiment on yourself? If you can't stop the activity for a week, then it might be time to look at your priorities. Dismas|^(talk) 05:29, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Remind me, how much did you pay for your subscription to the Wikipedia Reference Desk? --Tango (talk) 05:55, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Just cause it's free it shouldn't strive to provide the best quality possible? Well, better tell those admins to kick back and relax, let the page blankers and vandals take over, because hey, it's free no one has the right to complain. Damn, this is not what I wanted. Look, I'm sorry for being rude, and I apologize for that. I'm just used to getting brilliant answers from the Ref Desk, and lately I've noticed a slight drop in that quality. And I'm tired, lack of sleep etc etc and having to almost fight to get a good answer made me a little bad mood. You guys provide a fantastic service, and it's wrong of me to be angry. I am very sorry —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.91.128 (talk) 06:10, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

We do strive to be the best we can. I just get very annoyed at people making demands on us when we're trying to do them a favour. I appreciate and accept your apology. --Tango (talk) 00:17, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Orgasm control, Human sexual response cycle, Expanded orgasm and Orgasm#Female Orgasm may interest you. The longest period discussed is ard. 20 hrs. AFAIK.71.236.26.74 (talk) 08:47, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't know about other people, but it doesn't work for me. All of my orgasms have the same intensity, whether I do it after a week, a month, or 6 hours. 117.194.227.18 (talk) 08:02, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Ok you might want to not try the wait a whole week thing way to long; however being a little bit older and wiser the best method i have found for a greater sensation during Male orgasm is to take your self to the limit and stop repeat this as nessacary until in the end there will be no holding back as you will be like a raging lunatic; by the way my wife concurs with this methodChromagnum (talk) 08:22, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Ducks in Scotland

A neighbour has two male ducks in her garden, they are very decorative, apparently no trouble beyond having to be put into their 'house' each night. I too would like to keep ducks, has anyone experience of the beasts and what are the upsides and downsides of duck keeping please?--Artjo (talk) 10:18, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

A number of sources for you: [5][6][7] Rockpocket 19:30, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Technically, ducks are birds, not beasts (except for the ugly ones). OK, the original poster mentions a garden. Is there a pond in that garden also? Ducks are known to like water. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 05:56, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Rockpoket, great stuff.--Artjo (talk) 06:25, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I took a look at the articles Rockpocket linked to, and they were all quite good. They all mention that ducks can be messy. From personal experience, I would suggest that the potential for messiness cannot be overstated. My family rescued a clutch of mallard ducklings whose mother had been hit by a car one summer. They seem in capable of eating without tipping food trays into their drinking water, mixing it all up, and then tipping over the water bowl, too. If they can't tip it over, they just walk through it. Every day we had to clean up after the trails of trampled food and duck poop they'd tracked all over the yard. In the heat of the summer, the smell was, if you'll pardon the pun, foul.

That was a dozen and not a pair, though, so ymmv, and except for the mess, they were wonderful animals. Docile, friendly -- not quite affectionate or loyal, but close. As they got old enough to where they were starting to fly, we would pick them up and toss them a few feet in the air, and they'd circle around the yard and come right back to where we were standing, and they would wait wait at the end of the driveway for the school bus to come in the afternoons, once they figured out the pattern. No experience with domesticated ducks, but as long as you're prepared for the mess, there are a lot of animals you could do worse to keep Some jerk on the Internet (talk) 19:50, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I know where you can get some great accommodation for them, provided you're not on expenses ... Karenjc 20:35, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Some jerk, you got a raw deal, since the ducklings didn't have mummy around to train them up, but it sounds like a great experience anyway. If your family was keeping dry food and water in separate dishes, you were wrong though: ducks get their food from the water and there's nothing they like better than to dabble around where they float. We made the same mistakes on the farm, until we figured it out.

Did you ever have the experience when you know the ducks recognized you, when they "greeted" (another article we're missing!) as in stop and squat, puff out the wings a bit, lower the head and say "quaa-quaa-quaa"? They are quite nice creatures... Franamax (talk) 06:44, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Like any animal/fowl it depends on the breed. Khaki cambells have a much different temperment than Indian Runners, French Rouens or Peking Whites or Muscovy. Now Wood Duck or Mandarin Duck or even Smew and Hooded Merganser, are all unique in thier own right. As to thier need for water, again it depends on the breed. Thier messiness? Well, i don't find them nearly as messy as a goose but thier "manure" is very strong and can harm plants. 67.193.179.241 (talk) 10:28, 1 July 2009 (UTC)Rana sylvatica

Cutting your own hair with electric clippers

I'd prefer a style like what is called a High and tight, where the hair is longer on top than at the sides. Is it easy to do this on your own head, and still have it look neat? Or is just having it the same length all over the only feasible style for self-cutting? 78.147.242.96 (talk) 11:59, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I've sees some pretty silly looking clipper work on guys who cut their own hair. Where their visibility is poor, in the back, they may have angled the clipper such that there are streaks where they have unintentionally removed the hair down to the skin. Edison (talk) 12:55, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

If you don't want to pay for the cut, suggest you find someone else who also has a hairstyle that needs clippers and come to a mutually beneficial arrangement - you do their cut, they do yours. Exxolon (talk) 13:14, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I think it was Forrest Gump (in the book, not the movie) who advised never to cut your own hair. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 19:53, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The old saw was that if there are two barbers in a barbershop, you should pick the one with the worse haircut (who did a better job on the other barber). —— Shakescene (talk) 19:58, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I like that. It reminds me of the old Talmudic joke, which begins "two men fall down a chimney, one comes out clean, one comes out dirty, who washes his face?" The logic in the rest of the joke is fun to follow. --Dweller (talk) 13:22, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

the joke in its entirety... --Dweller (talk) 14:54, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Not a bad story - but what a pathetic ending!

Two Talmud philosophers fall down a chimney - one is dirty, the other clean - which one washes? The clean-faced philosopher looks at the dirty one and says to himself..."If he saw that I had a dirty face - wouldn't he assume that his face was also dirty and head off to the bathroom to wash? But he does not - so he must see that my face is clean and therefore assume that his is too - ergo, my face must be clean...I'm going nowhere." However, the dirty-faced one is a little smarter and says: "That's odd - his face is clean. If he saw that my face was dirty then he'd probably assume his was too and run off to wash it. But he does not - so either my face is also clean - or my face is dirty and he's smart enough to realise that I assume my face is clean because his is too. But he should realise this and understand that I truly don't know whether my face is clean or whether he's making a logical error. In that case, he cannot know whether his face is clean or dirty and neither can I."...meanwhile a Wikipedia ref-desk respondant falls down the same chimney - killing both philosphers stone dead because (ironically) they were too busy searching for a paradox that would reveal the meaning of life to consider moving out of the way. The ref desk respondant looks at his hands and decides whether he needs to wash or not. SteveBaker (talk) 17:58, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

This thread probably demands some kind of award for spiralling off-topic faster than any other! SteveBaker (talk) 17:59, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I concurr. 67.193.179.241 (talk) 10:35, 1 July 2009 (UTC) Rana sylvatica

How about: Two Ref Deskers fall down a chimney. They look at the ground and see soot everywhere and realise they must be dirty and go and wash up. But not before refreshing their watchlist. --Tango (talk) 03:08, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Sadly, it's not that simple: They do indeed see the soot - but one of them demands a cite for soot making you dirty and the other demands a reference proving that washing removes soot. The first one then points out an article claiming that soot is a carcinogen and explains that talking about washing off soot therefore constitutes medical advice. Fortunately, this is all just "homework" so they both leave {{dyoh}} tags and head off without washing only to die shortly after from soot-induced carcinoma. SteveBaker (talk) 13:12, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

How can this possibly help the café?

A café in Helsinki, near the Hietaniemi beach, sells coffee for 2 € per cup, and additional cups for -0.05 € per cup. Yes, that's right, less than zero. If the same customer wants to have more coffee, the café pays him/her 5 cents per cup. How can this possibly help the café? They're giving the customer their own time, and their own coffee, and paying him/her for it. If the customer drinks more than 41 cups then he/she will actually start to earn money by drinking coffee. What could be the reason for this, because surely the café wants to avoid loss? JIP | Talk 18:06, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

They are probably hoping that people will buy a slice of cake or something to go with their extra coffees. It's called a loss leader. --Tango (talk) 18:15, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I suspect that Tango is correct but what is the cost of coffee in other places. If the cost in another cafe is 1 € and no charge or .05 € for refills the the first cafe is hoping you won't figure out that there is a need to drink 20 cups before you have reduced your cost to equal the second cafe. Enter CambridgeBayWeather, waits for audience applause, not a sausage 18:35, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Good advertising as well - and they'll still make money per person, and get more persons. Good idea actually, because people think they'll benefit from it more than they will actually. - Jarry1250 ^{[ humourous – discuss ]} 19:14, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Starbucks likes having customers inside, for as long as they want to stay, even though 80% of their business is take-out. Their founder told Fortune magazine that they've found it's better for attracting that take-out business to have a place that looks full and lively, so they encourage their customers to stay, even if they spend half a day their using their laptop computers for schoolwork or job-seeking [despite the extra overhead for labour, cleaning, heat, floorspace, furniture, etc.] —— Shakescene (talk) 19:50, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The motivation for the negative pricing may be the same as at 24-hour filling stations here where for a small fixed subscription customers are encouraged to have unlimited cupfuls of coffee. The marketing aim is to encourage professional driver groups such as taxis, truckers, etc. to meet regularly at the station. I speculate that the Helsinki coffee shop is willing to pay for the advantage it sees in brewing a continual flow of coffee. At Coffee it says "Purists do not feel that ... repeated boiling is conducive to achieving the best-flavoured coffee.". Their way ensures that new customers will receive coffee that is freshly brewed. Disclaimer: I don't drink coffee, don't like the stuff, and therefore don't know what I am talking about. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:16, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Pay toilets? Clarityfiend (talk) 20:39, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Illegal in California for many years now, due to good work by March Fong Eu. PhGustaf (talk) 20:46, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Eh? What is illegal in California, loss leading or pay toilets? And how is that relevant anyway, since the cafe in question is in Finland? Rockpocket 21:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Since we're discussing irrelevancies, why don't Americans refer to "pay bathrooms" or "public bathrooms"? -- JackofOz (talk) 21:10, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

• In Europe if you have to pay, you often pay an attendant when you enter the room; perhaps Jack has that model in mind. But in North America when pay toilets were common, the usual system was a coin-operated lock on the stall door leading to the individual toilet. Hence "pay toilet" was correct, "toilet" having its usual North American meaning referring to the fixture. One public men's room (or men's "bathroom") might contain several pay toilets (and, typically, a similar number of free urinals: one of the little advantages of being male). --Anonymous, 04:34 UTC, June 29, 2009.

In North American homes (with the odd exception), they're bathrooms; everywhere else, they're toilets. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:10, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

• Disagree. "Toilet" in North American English never means the room. --Anon, 04:35 UTC, June 29.

Merriam-Webster and our own article beg to differ. Clarityfiend (talk) 06:47, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Oops, never say never. Practically never, then. --Anon, 09:19 UTC, June 29 (minor edit later).

Jack seems to have a real problem with the NA term "bathroom" as a ridiculous euphemism. Jack, FYI, to an American ear, the word loo sounds like unbearable baby-talk, trying to be extremely precious and effeminate. Take that, Aussie! Tempshill (talk) 22:42, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The terms are pretty much all euphemisms. Technically, the bathroom is the room that has a bathtub in it. That's usually now referred to as a "three-piece bathroom", and a two-piece has just a sink and toilet. Personally, my goal is to produce a one-piece, but that's beside the point. :) Shithouse is a proper term to describe the use of the facility. Another good one is water closet (which inexplicably redirects to flush toilet without explaining about the footpads and the hole). In many parts of Europe, when you enter the "loo", you are confronted with two raised footpads, a hole in the floor, and a chain you pull to release water into the closet. It can be a bit of a culture shock, that's for sure. Lord knows how Japanese people used to talking toilets cope... Franamax (talk) 23:27, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

"Toilet" is also a euphemism, of course. Japanese people probably cope fine since squat toilets used to be the standard in Japan and I think there are a lot of them still around. -- BenRG (talk) 16:28, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I promise I'll never mention it again. -- JackofOz (talk) 08:04, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Then something has been lost, today. Tempshill (talk) 21:36, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Yeah Jack, laugh it off. :) We need all hands on board when it comes to discussing the subject of POOP! :) Franamax (talk) 06:27, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm with Tango on this one, it's a loss-leader, or at least a breakeven deal to get butts in the seats. There are many places to go in Helsinki (man I love that city!) and one of the decision points is where the other people are going. Doing a deal like this will tend to ensure that your cafe is full all the time, and sooner or later people will want a slice of pie. (And I never saw a pay-toilet in Finland) Franamax (talk) 22:17, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Minus 5 eurocents is definitely a loss, there is no way the cost of a cup is negative! They probably make a profit overall unless you drink an enormous amount of coffee, but they obviously make a loss on any but the first cup. I guess it isn't really a way to get butts in seats but to keep butts there. As long as people are in the café, there is a chance of them buying something else. --Tango (talk) 01:29, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Tango, just riffing on the subject now, but you're not necessarily correct. It depends on the commercial agreement with my bean supplier. If I hit my volume target, I might get a rebate that would render those repaid cups profitable. Admittedly, a 5-euro-cent target is a pretty stiff hurdle, but change the parameters a bit... You're making assumptions that won't hold for every business case. Franamax (talk) 06:27, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

There are always obscure corner cases. Perhaps the cost of taking all those 5 cent coins to the bank isn't worth it (I don't know if they actually give the refund in cash like that, I expect you pay when you leave so there is no need, but you get the idea). However, your example doesn't seem to work - if the rebate system works like that, just throw the coffee down the sink and you are 5 cents a cup better off. --Tango (talk) 17:02, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Hmm, good point. Maybe I should start a business in Helsinki to haul away unwanted coffee beans and charge only 2 cents a cup. ;) Franamax (talk) 20:16, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

In addition to the observations above that customers who stick around for a long time are more likely to buy a scone or biscuit, I'd assert this scheme is so unheard-of that lots of their customers must repeat the story to their friends, making this a brilliant marketing ploy. For example, all of us Reference Desk visitors are now going to look for this place next time we're in Helsinki. Tempshill (talk) 02:53, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Just my 5c - if someone drinks 41 cups of coffee, they will probably die from caffeine poisoning. I think it's a brilliant idea, given that a cup of coffee costs the restaurant a few cents anyway. Sandman30s (talk) 13:34, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

If it is a franchise, they might get some kind of bonus for the store that sells the most coffee too. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 14:48, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Paying people to take your coffee doesn't fit my definition of "selling". --Tango (talk) 17:02, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

It's a clever ploy to get worldwide attention and therby draw in lots of customers, by causing someone to ask a question on the Wikipedia reference desk. But nobody would do that, so it won't work. -Arch dude (talk) 02:22, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Despite what Clarityfiend claims, bathrooms are refered as "salle de bain" (lit. room of baths) in Quebec. Rachmaninov Khan (talk) 03:22, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Zut! I did mention the odd exception, didn't I? Clarityfiend (talk) 05:08, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, you did indeed note the exception quite specifically. However, I'd still say that the salle de bain will have une bain (sorry, I forget whether a bathtub is a man or a woman ;) In a restaurant though, where you're almost certainly not wanting to have a bath, isn't it generally referred to as "le toilette"? (Or "la", but I think the shitter is a man) Franamax (talk) 06:27, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

For those who don't know, in French, every onject is either mausculine or feminine. Thanks, gENIUS101 19:28, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Injecting mescaline? Not today, thanks.  :) JackofOz (talk) 20:48, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Does no one use the term "washroom" anymore? Or is it just us riverrats? 67.193.179.241 (talk) 10:57, 1 July 2009 (UTC) Rana sylvatica

I don't know what "riverrats" means, but... I use the term "washroom" (I'm Canadian), but whenever I ask an American where the "washroom" is, I get a blank look for a second before they realize I mean "bathroom." This has happened serveral times. I can't say about other countries, but (most) Canadians do say washroom, and (most) Americans don't. Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 23:02, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Keeping cool

Working in a big metal box with no openable windows, are there any ways to keep cool? Vimescarrot (talk) 19:04, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Can you get any fans? Leave the doors open? Wear baggy clothes. Drink plenty of water (get a fridge or cool box full or ice to keep the water cold). If you can't open the doors, you could get an air conditioner or a dehumidifier (if it is a humid heat and you can't find an aircon). --Tango (talk) 19:14, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Paint the roof white. Drill a hole in the wall and install an air conditioner. Put lots of earth around and on top of the box. Use software that allows you to operate your computer or whatever remotely. Work for someone who doesn't expect you to work in an old container. Dmcq (talk) 19:23, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the advice. Be aware that it's not my warehouse, so I can't do anything to the warehouse itself (like installing air con). Vimescarrot (talk) 19:38, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Then get whoever's warehouse it is to install it. --Tango (talk) 20:47, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Make a Fan (implement) or buy a Fan (mechanical), but not if you are a superstitious South Korean. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:26, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Wow, that is awesome, thanks for the link. Tempshill (talk) 22:44, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Some companies do the math on worker productivity and decide that installing A/C is the cheaper way to go. Motorised vents in the roof to let the hottest air out can also pay off. In the meantime, opening whatever doors there are to catch even a little bit of breeze will have to do, and put at least a small fan near the area where you fill out your paperwork. Also, check your local labour laws, there are usually temperature thresholds where the company is required to supply water, install fans, or in some cases send you home with pay. As a radical idea, you could consider contacting someone at an appropriate trade union to investigate the problem. Franamax (talk) 22:28, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Gives sweatshop a whole new meaning. DJ Clayworth (talk) 03:05, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

The problem with "doing the math on worker productivity" is that in countries where it is regularly hot the answer is pretty unambiguous. In a country like the UK where usually we have two or three very hot weeks a year (and last year didn't have any) then the maths can show that it is not cost-effective. I am now fortunate enough to work in an air-conditioned office, but I did have student jobs in a hot warehouse. I found that cold drinks and loose cotton clothes worked best. If I got really hot I would go to the toilets, fill a sink with cold water and submerge my forearms and hands until I couldn't bear the cold (ground temperatures mean that the cold water is really cold year round in the UK). A minute later my arms would wrm up and I would feel much cooler. -- Q Chris (talk) 08:26, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I used to work in a hot shed and by putting sprinklers on the roof I managed to cool the place down. Aprajona (talk) 07:07, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Is it in Calcutta? They reportedly had quite a hot black hole there. Edison (talk) 03:22, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, Calcutta is in the state of West Bengal, whose Communist Party of India (Marxist) government is noted for its willingness to oppose trade-unionisation. —— Shakescene (talk) 03:52, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

This may not do you any good in a warehouse, but might work in a sectioned off office. [8] If you don't live in a humid climate, evaporative cooling might work: dip your T-shirt in water, wring out, put back on. (OR: in a desert it can work so well that it will make your teeth chatter in searing heat)71.236.26.74 (talk) 06:25, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

If you purchase a surplus NASA space suit undergarment, you can take advantage of the cooling hose built in by connecting it to the cold water tap. You could also cool your torso by constructing a jacket which holds blue ice packs which you freeze while off duty. Edison (talk) 06:06, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Buy or build one of those cervical cold collar things. They work well. --Sean 14:44, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Gender roles

How might gender specific messages impact on gender roles? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.169.65.64 (talk) 22:50, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Seems like a homework (or summer essay since schools out) question. If your question is homework, show that you have attempted an answer first, and we will try to help you past the stuck point. If you don't show an effort, you probably won't get help. The reference desk will not do your homework for you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.6 (talk) 23:17, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Why do you think "school's out"? The world is, last I heard, spherical; it is winter in half of it. Gwinva (talk) 04:55, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

It does sound like homework, but here are a couple of suggestions in the form of questions. If you hear the same messages all the time about girls doing one thing and boys doing another, what effect might it have on the way you think about what boys and girls do? What would you feel if you are a boy who likes doing the things they say girls do all the time? How might gender-specific messages be used in advertising? Why would you use them? try reading gender role, the introduction to feminism and transsexual for some more ideas. Steewi (talk) 01:38, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

If you are looking for a specific example, take a look at some of the criticisms of Barbie (particularly the winning of the TOADY award earlier this year). Astronaut (talk) 02:16, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

The irony is that it's the liberals who criticize Barbie now. Originally it was the conservatives. Curiously, their arguments were somewhat the same but not exactly. Meanwhile, the public keeps buying them, because adults argue about what kids should like, but kids just know what they do like. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:15, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

June 29

Lopsided Smile

This question has been removed. Per the reference desk guidelines, the reference desk is not an appropriate place to request medical, legal or other professional advice, including any kind of medical diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment recommendations. For such advice, please see a qualified professional. If you don't believe this is such a request, please explain what you meant to ask, either here or on the Reference Desk's talk page.

This question has been removed. Per the reference desk guidelines, the reference desk is not an appropriate place to request medical, legal or other professional advice, including any kind of medical diagnosis or prognosis, or treatment recommendations. For such advice, please see a qualified professional. If you don't believe this is such a request, please explain what you meant to ask, either here or on the Reference Desk's talk page. --~~~~

Uggh!! That's so unhelpful!! I mean,if you don't wanna tell me how to fix my smile, at least tell me where I can go for help. I've got no idea about these things. I can't go to my dentist, and ask him for a refund, bcoz his braces fixed my teeth and ruined my smile. I can't go to a plastic-surgeon who'll insist on slicing me up before he even hears what's wrong with me. I can't go to a yoga-teacher who'll give me lectures on yin-yang. Come on! I wanted help, not some psycho-template stuck in place of my question!! 117.194.227.18 (talk) 07:59, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

It's unhelpful because wikipedia does not help with medical questions. GO SEE A DOCTOR. If you're not sure who to see, start with a general practitioner, who can probably recommend a specialist. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 08:05, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

We know your question is mainly cosmetic, but we're concerned enough about possible (if remote) medical indications that we're saying you should see a good regular physician or physician's assistant who does general practice. Either way, he or she could help.

1. Most importantly, if it is indeed serious (e.g. a stroke or some other urgent nervous condition), she or he can tell you that
2. If you need some specialist, (e.g. a neurologist or an oral or maxillo-facial surgeon), he or she can give you a referral and some idea of costs and procedures.
3. If it just needs some exercises or some simple kind of non-medical physical device, you should be able to get some pointers.
4. If it's just something that will pass or become less important with time, and thus calls for no intervention, the doctor can put your mind at ease.

But telling you to see a medical professional soon is really as far as we can go here in offering advice, which, for a whole lot of obvious reasons, we're just not equipped to do. We can't see you, we don't have the medical expertise, our contributions are mainly anonymous, and we can't subject ourselves or Wikipedia to the moral or legal liability incurred by offering specific medical advice not only to you but to any reader who might stumble across this section now or in the future. Good luck. —— Shakescene (talk) 09:02, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Not only that, but a professional will *care* about you; or is supposed to, at least. I know that if you have some sort of autism spectrum disorder it might be hard to sense that, or understand it. But, there is a much more personable world out there, filled with people who are interested in you in a much deeper sense, even if the one person did a bad job. Remember, a good bedside manner is a very important part of a doctor's practice. As much as we'd like to help you, and are interested in helping others, we can't. And, if you don't have insurance, there are often clinics that will see people for free and at least start the process. I know the world seems to have grown colder, but there are still humans who care, and human contact will help.209.244.187.155 (talk) 12:10, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

This was in-deed a question on medical advise; but well done Shakescene with a decent answer rather than a blatant go see a doctor it proberly actualy helped Chromagnum (talk) 05:49, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Travel iron

I live in an extremely small room and constantly move around and as a result must use items that are small. To press the clothes, I am considering purchasing a travel iron such as this one: http://eshop.webindia123.com/shop/product/electronics/irons/Shopping_Hub/106267 However, I have some doubts. I am wondering whether they work as well the normal sized irons. Or that may not get hot enough or that they may not produce enough steam. Anybody has had positive experiences with them and would recommend them?. 131.220.46.26 (talk) 10:05, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I have owned and used them in the past and they are just as good as "normal" irons. In fact I prefer them - they do not have the fancy sprayer built in, so there is less to go wrong. And the base plate is flat, rather than being often perforated in normal irons. They were just as hot as normal irons. Edit: Woa! I've never used a trvel iron as small as the one that appears in your link, so cannot speak for that. 89.242.110.252 (talk) 11:07, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

You can get full size non-steam irons. --Tango (talk) 00:15, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Presumably he also needs an itty-bitty ironing board. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:41, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

The iron you link does not seem to be a steam iron, but it is cheap. You could use a spray bottle to provide the dampness needed to smooth out wrinkles. I have some doubts that the cheapest of irons would have good temperature regulation to avoid damage to some fabrics. This one is not a big investment, so it might be worth a try. A better iron should not be that much bigger, and would allow steam. Irons seem to fail fairly often if they are used regularly, much like toasters. Edison (talk) 15:07, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I once bought one of those tiny travel irons because the hotel I was staying in had no iron or ironing board for guest use, and charged €35 to re-wash and "press" my clean shirt in their laundry. Paying €18 for the travel iron seemed like a good idea, though I could have bought a full size steam iron for €15. I only ever used it once. It took ages to get my shirts flat and was frankly useless - I wished I'd saved €3 and got the full size iron and ditched it when I left. Astronaut (talk) 19:54, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

If high quality ironing is important to you, something like the Delonghi Pro300 iron can be had for $200 US. It has an iron and a separate 1 liter boiler to make the steam, connected by a hose. It weighs just under 10 pounds and draws 1500 watts. Edison (talk) 05:59, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Cycle Inner Tube sizes - French system

I've read the Wikipedia articles, and I've read the links from the articles, but I'm still not sure what the significance of all the numbers and letters are on an inner tube size. For example "700x35C" or "700x32C". Is the "700" the external diameter of the inflated tyre in millimetres? Is the "35" or "32" the width of the tyre? What does the "C" mean?

If I have "32" tyre and cannot find a "32" inner tube for it, would it do any harm to use a "35" inner tube instead? I'm thinking that it may be better, as the rubber will be less stretched and thicker, and hence more robust and less likely to get a puncture. Thanks. 89.242.110.252 (talk) 11:46, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I haven't found a good source to explain the exact numbers, but from a quick reading of this forum thread, I would say the "700" refers to "the tire that will fit on your rim". Once you get one, you can use a tape measure to figure out what it means. It will be either the diameter of the rim, the outside diameter of the tire, or the diameter of the fattest part of the tire. Think of it as just a shorthand number for "this one fits". History ensures that numeric designators don't always reflect exact dimensions, they mean "this way works".

The second number seems to refer to the tread width. The thread I reference discusses various "second numbers" all using the 700mm/29" base diameter. Again, just think of this as a relative number rather than some number you can precisely measure somewhere.

Don't know about the "C". You may be better off to call your local friendly bike shop.

Your big risk using an oversized tube is that it will be underinflated. See the second post in that forum thread discussing soft spots, you don't want that to happen if you're planning to move at high speed. 3mm difference is not huge, but call a local shop and they will tell you right away. Franamax (talk) 05:43, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

This pdf [9] should help answer your questions. Page 34 and following explain the codes. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 09:54, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. Post number 7 in the forum thread link indicates that they are talking about putting a smaller inner tube in a larger tyre, not the other way around as I woyuld do. So I doubt that using a 35 instead of a 32 will be a problem. And as manufacturers like to skimp on materials to save money, 35 may be best. 89.242.157.137 (talk) 11:31, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

cash money

whats up? I ned to make me $1,000,000 iin one year. I got $2,000 now. I dont mind doin something illegal if I have a low chance of getting busted. I dont want to get killed either so no drug deals. Help plz. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.25.242.33 (talk) 21:12, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, but if we had the answer to that, we'd probably be off doing it rather than answering questions here. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:38, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

You really don't have a problem with something illegal or immoral? Then send me your $2000 and I will tell you a surefire way of making $1,000,000 in under a year. And I'll throw in a valuable life lesson while I'm at it. DJ Clayworth (talk) 22:02, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, now, to be fair, he didn't say anything about immoral. There are people who think that breaking the law is immoral per se, but those people are, well, wrong. --Trovatore (talk) 00:30, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Find someplace where you can convert $1 US into God knows how many Zimbabwean dollars. According to our article, as of Feb. 2009, the rate was 300 trillion to 1. Instant legal trillionaire! Clarityfiend (talk) 22:15, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Uuh, do it by tomorrow though. A new dollar is being issued that knocks off 12 zeroes. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:44, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

If you really want to make a lot of money quickly, rob a bank. You have a very high chance of being busted. Prokhorovka (talk) 22:22, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Write a best selling book, as for example the Harry Potter series. Or invent something. 92.27.159.22 (talk) 23:10, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Depending on where you live, $2,000 might be enough to get you by for a year or two while you pursue a higher degree (assuming your jursidiction has no tuition fees or a loan scheme), which might improve your academic qualifications enough that you will be pushed into a higher income bracket when you graduate. If you play your cards right and you have the right qualifications to start with, this could potentially improve your expected annual income from $0 to $100,000. It is very likely to improve your total expected future income by $100,000. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 23:13, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

I think your best chance is probably to play the lottery. --Tango (talk) 00:14, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Or maybe to invest in Razzbuckniks. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 01:06, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Assuming the casinos let you make the required bets, your odds would generally be better at Vegas. The house's take is often smaller in many games than in the lottery system. Of course a 500 fold return would still reflect a series of bets with worse than 1 in 500 odds of succeeding. For example getting an exact roulette bet twice would pay 1225 times the initial bet with 1 in 1369 chance of success. Dragons flight (talk) 02:26, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, the odds are always far better at a casino. I had been thinking it was too high a return to reasonably expect from a casino (there's a limit to how many times they'll let you roll over a bet) so you would have to accept worse odds in order to stand a chance of reaching your target, but actually you are right, it's just 500 fold (for some reason I never actually did the division!). Seven bets on red and you're there and with far better odds than buying 2000 lottery tickets. --Tango (talk) 15:31, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

To reiterate, if there was any easy way to do it, we'd do it ourselves, not tell you. Anyway, you're asking for 500X investment return in one year — that's quite a lot, even for illegal activities! Even with high-risk drug deals that would be tough (100X return would probably be more likely, with a high risk of total failure). --98.217.14.211 (talk) 02:13, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

If you don't mind being totally illegal and immoral, kidnap some rich person's child and demand a ransom. Should be easy to clear a $1M. With say 9 months of planning you might even be able to design a scenario with a relatively high probability of escape and a low probability of having to actually kill someone. Similarly, there is extortion and blackmail, etc. For the record, I'm not going to tell you how to commit such crimes, but I'm am just pointing out that some forms of criminal activity can be extremely lucrative (at least when they don't end in imprisonment or death). Dragons flight (talk) 02:38, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

The best option is to engage in nuclear espionage. Try to steal the technolgy of Teller–Ulam design and sell it to North Korea. I hope Kim Jong-il will pay you any sum to get it. FrogTod (talk) 02:50, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

You could defraud investors. Dismas|^(talk) 02:51, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Porn ? Rachmaninov Khan (talk) 03:13, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

That could work, provided he could pass the "physical". All this seemingly helpful advice reminds me of something Dogbert once said: "Beware the advice of successful people. They do not seek company." Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:39, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

High seas piracy might do it, but it might also get you shot, and on the most wanted list of one or more nations. Even so it'd be tough. If you want to be literal, counterfeiting might also do it.

But seriously, Depending on what you need the million for you might be able to get a business loan. APL (talk) 05:25, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Set up a business facade, find a wealthy mark, and run the scam from the first 30 minutes of the movie The Game. Tempshill (talk) 05:37, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Nuclear espionage takes access to the materials; defrauding investors takes more than $2000 to make the set-up look real enough. So does piracy or setting up an office. Of all the ideas above, porn looks like the best bet...good money and low chance of imprisonment as you can find a place where it is not illegal. "Passing the physical" may not even be an issue; the odd and unusual fetch higher prices because of smaller supply (not intending to cast any slurs on the OP's appearance or abilities). In the early stages, handle the production and distribution yourself, to cut out middlemen, reinvesting the early profits in better sets, equipment and hiring additional actors. To be totally legal, declare yourself as an entertainer and pay the taxes or at least enough not to create suspicion about your unsourced wealth., oops we don't give legal advice Take steps to ensure you have some visible means of income, to avoid arousing suspicions anywhere. - KoolerStill (talk) 08:11, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Use your $2 000 to publish a book titled How to make $1 000 000. The book contains 99 pages that describe the joys of spending the money i.e. beautiful women, fast cars, more beautiful women, lots more stuff like that. Page 100 reveals the Secret Method which is "Buy a book titled 'How to make $1 000 000' and do what it says." Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:51, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

How about insurance schemes? He might want to give that a try. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:19, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

On pages 126 to 128 of the book The Generation Game by David McWilliams, what someone did in 2005 is described. With the economy turning for the better meaning that its now the best time to buy real estate, you can do the same. Buy a prestige office block for $100 million, with a good tenant paying a rent of $5 million a year, ie a 5% yield. You do this by getting a 85% mortgage, leaving only $15 million cash to pay. You get the $15M cash by forming a syndicate of ten investors to raise $20 million. The extra $5 million is to cover the fee you charge them for brokerage (says the book). The rent pays the interest and purchase costs. Thus, not only do you put zero dollars of your own money in, but the investors pay you as broker a $1M+ fee.

You and the investors own shares in the company that you have set up to buy the office block. You own 85% of the shares. The investors own 15%. But as their 15% share is worth $20M rather than $15M, that means the whole building is therefore worth £133M (according to the book I'm summarising - does not make complete sense to me).

The investors do not put in $2 million cash each, but only $250000, and they borrow 90% from a bank (maybe the author meant $200000). So now you own 85% of the office block, and the investors own 1.5% each. You sell the office block in two or three years for $170 million (since recession now over). The investors get 1.5% of this each, which is $2.55M. After paying back the bank, they each get back nearly three times more than what they invested. The mortgage bank gets its $85M back. So you get the remaining $59M profit (the book says you get $70M).

So, you do not invest any money, but you get $59M profit, in addition to the brokerage fee of $1M+ or more that you charge the investors at the start. 78.146.98.182 (talk) 13:42, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

And may I ask how is the OP supposed to get the money to buy the office block in the first place ?? I mean, he's only looking for one million, and the method you above described suggests the person should somehow obtain 10 million for investing first.. Rather, I would go with burglary... Rkr1991 (talk) 14:44, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

You may ask, and the answer is to read the paragraphs above. You will see that he does not invest any money himself, and gets a $1M to $5M fee at the start of the project, hence fulfilling the gentleman's request for $1M within a year. In fact over two or three years he would make over $60M. Perhaps I should make it clearer to you that like other real-estate purchases, the mortgage and the cash from the investors are got ready before the purchase is completed. I suggest the $2000 is spent on a smart suit, an accommodation address near Wall Street, and in advertising for investors. 89.240.105.155 (talk) 18:47, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Start a Ponzi scheme. It worked for Bernie Madoff and many others, for years. Edison (talk) 14:56, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Become a freelance civil lawyer. Hire yourself out for lawsuits against big name companies like McDonald's or Starbucks or any place that sells hot coffee. After a few multi-million dollar cases, invest the fees in a sound savings plan.--WaltCip (talk) 15:57, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Hard to do all that in a year. I was thinking along similar lines. He could have gone to medical school, specializing, as with Tom Lehrer's friend, in "diseases of the rich." Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 16:46, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Invest your $2k in some form of advertising for a mail-order/online-order homeopathic cure for...oh...sunburn lets say. Be sure to say "all natural", "no harsh ingredients", "safe for children and even pets", "allow 21 days for delivery" - and "money back 100% satisfaction guarantee" - and "$19.95" and (in very small print) "plus $5.95 postage and handling" and in very, very small print indeed "This product has not been tested or approved by the FDA". When the money starts to roll in - for the next two weeks, spend it all on more advertising. And in the third week as yet more orders roll in, spend some of the money on the cheapest and (importantly) smallest bottles you can find. Fill them with water from a large bucket containing water plus one drop of...I dunno...lemon juice - and ship them to your customers. Typically - you can buy and fill the bottles for less than the amount you charge for shipping - so you can still make a small profit even if they return them...which they mostly won't. If sales don't bring in enough revenue to keep up with the advertising you need - then resort to email spam and messages to homeopathic forum systems and mailing lists. At $19.95 a bottle - you only have to sell a little over 50,000 bottles to earn your first million. If you feel the need to juice up the sales pitch - say "Free refills for life - just return the bottle and pay shipping and handling"...since the stuff costs a lot less than the shipping and handling charge - and you don't have to pay for more empty bottles - these "free" refills are still pretty profitable. Also, when you send out your product - be sure to include a flier offering cheap deals on your other homeopathic treatments - that's almost free advertising and it's reaching the gullible people who form your core market. SteveBaker (talk) 17:31, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I just remembered a supposedly true story; it should still work. They advertised super sized black dildoes, for a good price that attracted a lot of buyers. They banked the money they received. Then they wrote to the customers to say they'd run out, and sent refund cheques. The cheques had "super black dildo refund" stamped on them is very large lettering. Some 85% of customers were too embarrassed to put the cheques into their bank. - KoolerStill (talk) 05:00, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

You might not have to pay tax on that $ either since you could argue that you paid back 100%. Might be a bit of inconvenience though since you would need to leave a significant amount in the account just in case they later cashed a bunch of the checks. You wouldn't want to bounce a lot or you are talking serious cash and legal issues. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 16:43, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

If you got to the point where you were arguing about it with the taxman then you are probably in danger of being charged with fraud for entering a contract you didn't intend to fulfil. --Tango (talk) 18:50, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

An even more basic approach might be this one, which comic Jackie Vernon cited in the 1960s or so, and which was probably old even then: "I saw an ad in the paper. It said, 'Send me a dollar and I'll tell you how I make money.' So I sent him a dollar. I got a postcard back that said, 'Thanks for the dollar. This is how I make money.'" Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 06:33, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Since the conversation is heading that way, WP has a whole category on [Confidence tricks].APL (talk) 12:59, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I am sure there was a book about somebody doing the same thing as i will explain to become a million air; swop things that you own for better things; Example; you have a pencil find somebody that has a pen but needs a pencil a pen is worth more than a pencil so you now have gained something extra; take all your belongings that you own and do this with all of them; each time you repeat the process with all articles you own. thenrepeat again with the articles you aquired; In the book he managed to get a semi decent car sold it for a profit and bought another car worth more at a cut down price ECT ECT ECT...you will need the gift of the gab and some dam good look but anything is possible.Chromagnum (talk) 05:58, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Nobody's mentioned the million dollar webpage yet. 89.240.59.254 (talk) 14:31, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

June 30

Suicide

A lot of questions have been asked here about Suicide, but here goes another one. A few days ago, I read in ,y newspaper that a couple had hanged themselves to death. In another instance, a family had poisoned itself to death. Then, around once a month I read a story about someone who pours Kerosine on oneself, and then Self-Immolates. Then there are the usual reports of falling off a cliff, jumping into a well, shooting oneself, etc.,etc. All of these methods involve rather high amounts of pain and daring. Ok, given that the person has decided to commit suicide, why can't all these people choose a painless way of going away, say sleeping drugs? Doesn't it strike them that at least there are relatively other painless methods of death ? Or is it exceedingly difficult to obtain these drugs, or do method of quick and painless suicide ? Rkr1991 (talk) 05:24, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

You should read the rather depressing introduction to the controversial book, Final Exit by Derek Humphry, which discusses the advantages and drawbacks of various methods before advocating its own rather complicated approach. It's just not as easy as it appears, which is perhaps fortunate, because the vast majority of those who've survived jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge say they regretted their move in mid-air. They realized that whatever problems or conflicts drove them to attempt suicide were either soluble or not so important as to justify suicide. —— Shakescene (talk) 05:35, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

If you overdose, it's quite possible you'll be found and saved before you die. Violent, messy, painful deaths are often more difficult to recover from. Mind you, I'd still choose something else. Vimescarrot (talk) 09:36, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

It should be noted that because of the varying success rates of different forms of suicide, and the varying methods attempted by each gender, women actually attempt suicide more than men, but are successful less. Prokhorovka (talk) 10:08, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

If I remember correctly, a statistic that I read once was that women generally opt for overdoses and things of that nature which takes longer and increases the likelyhood that someone will discover them before they actually die. Whereas men statistically go for things like gunshots and such which are quicker and have less of a chance of recovery if/when discovered. Dismas|^(talk) 10:35, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Do we have an article which gives a list of Painless Suicide methods ? We can then analyze each method easier. Rkr1991 (talk) 11:13, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Don't say Suicide Is Painless unless you've done it. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:25, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't understand the point of giving that link here... What's the point ? Rkr1991 (talk) 13:01, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

The link is merely to a song but my point is that Rkr1991's suggestion is crass. What exactly would Rkr1991 like us to analyze "easier": how much fun someone's suicide was for them, their relatives and everyone else affected? Suicide is never painless. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:04, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

All the world's a stage and to commit suicide is to play one's final rôle of Pathos where an act that would be intolerable in mid-life is a means of touching the audience that will be left behind. While Hamlet hesitated with his dread of something after death and whether To be, or not to be, a poet calls Do not go gentle into that good night, and the suicider in the final drama demands from their stage that we all Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:25, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Anyone who thinks overdose is painless or might be good because they might be found, can be enlightened by chatting with a reasonably medic with experience of working in emergency medicine - lingering, unpleasant death from multiple organ failure is, sadly, often the fate of those who are 'rescued' from this 'painless' 'easy option'. On a similar theme to this question, Michael Portillo did a documentary a couple of years ago, looking for a humane method of execution, measuring each of a number of techniques against a number of criteria. After considerable research, he concluded there wasn't one. --Dweller (talk) 12:34, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Although his experiment with hypoxia was somewhat more humane than others, with feelings of euphoria and drunkenness IIRC. Fribbulus Xax (talk) 01:09, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I think there has been a misunderstanding. I'm not talking about being rescued at all, I'm talking about ways of doing suicide. Which means any slow method is either a)a Bad thing or b)We don't talk about rescuing, as the question is about suicide itself. And I'm sorry if I jumped to the conclusion that dying in your sleep would be painless, but I still stand by my statement thaat it would be better to go more painlessly than painfully. Rkr1991 (talk) 12:56, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

The point I'm making is that it's a fallacy to think that using an overdose of some medication or other is a 'painless' or 'easy' option. People are often rescued from this type of attempt; of those rescued, a good proportion will go on to die in a quite horrible manner. --Dweller (talk) 13:18, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

People often change their minds right after taking the plunge or as the rope jerks tight. Sometimes it is too late. The aftermath may be worse than before. A young may fired a rifle into his mouth, but lived. The doctor told him "And you though your life sucked BEFORE you blew out your jaw bone on one side?" 14:54, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't know about sleeping drugs, but I know overdosing on paracetamol is a very horrible way to die. Depending on how many you take it can take several days for you to die, all the time with agonising stomach cramps. And if you were hoping to use it as a cry for help, even if you are found before you die they may be nothing the doctors can do. If you are found soon enough they can pump your stomach and maybe give you an antidote, but once your liver has been destroyed your body will be inevitably poisoned from the inside out (and there's no way you would be eligible for a transplant even if a suitable donor can be found in time - too great a risk of you doing it again). Horrible way to go. Pretty much any suicide method is better than that. --Tango (talk) 15:11, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Several years ago I read a first-person account written by a man who had been involved in his terminally ill wife's assisted suicide attempt, which put paid to any idea I had that overdosing was a painless way to go. IIRC, he recounted how his wife had taken a fairly staggering amount of painkillers, and then over the course of 12 hours or so was horrifically ill, but did not die. Even if you're not found and treated, there's no guarantee that it won't be painful, or even that it will be successful. (Having had a quick search, the original article is here.--Kateshortforbob 16:35, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Overdose seems like a fairly undesirable suicide method anyway. There's an awfully long time span between the point of no return and the occurrence of death.--WaltCip (talk) 16:49, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

WHo is she?

Who is this Muslim woman? || this video —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.14.116.27 (talk) 19:44, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Based on the comments, she's certainly someone who has drawn a lot of anger. Tempshill (talk) 02:52, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

She seems to be in Egypt, but she looks a bit like the young lady, Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot in Iraq. Maybe it's the eye shadow that causes the resemblance. Edison (talk) 05:52, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I believe you mean Iran. Thanks, gENIUS101 20:18, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

The video and description texts, written in Arabic, seem to be promoting her book, something like "The first smile after taking off her hijab", which appears to be a memoir or novel about a woman who converts from Islam to Christianity. The video seems to be from the "Christian Voices Center of ... " Something ( مركز صوت المسيح والنحر ) Christian Voices Center of the Christ and the Sacrifice? Maybe somebody who is more literate than I can translate better. Nimur (talk) 03:45, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Karelian question (no, not the Karelian question)

Is there a specific, unambiguous name for the specific part of Karelia that used to belong to Finland between the declaration if independence and the Winter War/Continuation War, but was later ceded to the Soviet Union and still remains part of Russia? All articles I could find seem to either exclude this area, also contain part of present-day Finland, or also contain areas that have been part of Russia all along. JIP | Talk 20:26, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

There are some references to Ladoga Karelia, which seems to be defined as the part of Karelia which was Finnish until the Continuation War, but is now Russian? --Saalstin (talk) 01:38, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

July 1

Maps in southern hemisphere

Maps in the northern hemisphere typically have north at the top. If you live in Australia, for example, is north still shown at the top? Or is the map rotated 180 degrees with the nearest pole at the top? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:46, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Only as a gimmick in tourist souvenir shops. Ordinary maps still show the North Pole "on top". --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 03:48, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I see. I wonder if that is also true of South America and Africa? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 04:09, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Then there's Antarctica, for which technically "north" is on all sides. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 04:10, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Australia does look a bit like the U.S. upside down. Edison (talk) 05:48, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

That may not be a coincidence. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 06:29, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

So what would be the point of having the nearest pole at the top? Why would any southern hemisphere country bother to do that? The convention set by early cartographers was north at the top and everyone agrees. Easy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.4.190.83 (talk) 07:19, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

In theory, yes. I just wondered how it was actually done in practice. The orientation toward north is very strong. If you see photos from the Apollo flights, it looks like the spacecraft is positioned such that the earth's north pole is to the "top", even though there's no apparent reason for that other than convention. Either that, or they rotated the pictures. Somewhat related, when flying airplanes the cockpit sits atop the plane with the sky above and the ground below, even though being positioned "under" the plane could be advantageous. In defiance of that convention, though, the Shuttles generally fly "upside down", with the earth above, until they are ready to come in for the landing. I bet that takes some getting used-to. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 07:51, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually, at least in Europe, the convention set by early cartographers was that the map had east at the top -- that's why we call it orientation. See Map#orientation of maps. Maps with north at the top didn't become common until the Renaissance. --Anonymous, 08:32 UTC, July 1, 2009.

Yep. The term "orientation" originally meant "pointing toward the orient", i.e. toward the east, as opposed to "occidental", which would be toward the west. However, the "orient" in this case was not China or India, it was Israel, "the Holy Land". It has since evolved into a general term meaning any kind of activity that gets you "pointing in the right direction", such as "new employee orientation". I would suspect that the religious aspect was superceded by the secular - specifically, for sailing the seas, where they relied on the sun during the day and the stars at night - and Polaris was what they would have "oriented" around. Orienting toward Israel would have been useless. However, Polaris is not visible in the southern hemisphere, which is part of why I wondered about this. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 09:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I really think it was religious to point them east. If you wanted a useful map for sailing, putting an astronomical constant - north - at the top of a map would make far more sense, besides, the actual shaping of the Earth means once mapping was secular, I can't really see them pointing maps east. Just my opinion, since people are not quite that rational. Besides, maps like this are clearly in a Christian time, but point north.- Jarry1250 ^{[ humourous – discuss ]} 09:56, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

According to our article on the famous photograph "The Blue Marble" taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts, "The photograph was originally taken 'upside down' in that the South Pole was at the top of the photograph. This is because of the orientation in which the astronauts were traveling at the time." — Michael J 21:03, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Former Canadian Blue Ensign

In the article re HMCS Kitchener, Corvette K-225, you show the flag the ship fought under as the older Canadian Blue Ensign. The ship fought under the standard British White Ensign. The Blue Ensign was flown on the jackstaff at the stern, but no RCN veteran of WW II would ever fly the Canadian Blue Ensign. They fought and died under the British White Ensign, which was the flag for all Canadian naval ships until 1965. Please correct this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.27.3.23 (talk) 09:04, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I assume you have a Reliable source which confirms what you have to say? If so, you are the best person to fix this. No one else at Wikipedia is a better editor than you, and the entire encyclopedia was built by people like you. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:58, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

First of all (as a non-Canadian outside Canada), let me wish you a happy Canada Day! See how other Royal Canadian Navy ships are treated. Perhaps the Canadian blue ensign is used in the information box to distinguish Canadian ships from (e.g.) British, Indian and Australian ships. Then you could start a discussion of the two competing considerations at (the currently-empty) Talk:HMCS Kitchener, which is really the proper place for this. See also WP:Manual of Style (icons)#Flags and its discussion page (reached by the "discussion" icon at the top of the page).

P.S., there seem to be similar problems with other flags in the Flower class corvette articles, e.g. the South African ensign is for the Republic of South Africa as she is today, and not the Union of South Africa as she was just after the war. Since the South African naval article only shows ensigns after 1952, when their Flower Class corvette had probably been decommissioned or retired, I'm not sure what to put instead, and I can't at the moment find my old flag books to consult. —— Shakescene (talk) 21:40, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

problem

I've been with my new boyfriend for only 6 weeks, but it was going really well and we were getting on well etc etc! We see each other most days and it felt like it was starting to get a little serious and it started to feel quite real for me, especially as it has been 4 years since i split up from a big ex in my life and have pretty much spent that time since we split, dipping in and out of silly little relationships that meant very little to me. I suppose what i'm trying to say is that this new bf means alot to me in a short space of time and i can see us having a future together. Im at that age now where i had made a promise to myself, not to get caught up in meaningless relationships and try to look for "the one" to settle down with. So that's how i feel (or felt) about him and me.....

Until yesterday, when he dropped a HUGE bombshell on me!! He told me that a girl had been in touch with him over the weekend and had told him that she is 9 weeks pregnant and that it could be his baby. He told me that they had had a one night stand back in the beginning of December (before he'd even met me). However, this girl is married and she doesnt yet know if she will keep the baby anyway!! He also told me that they had had a relationship (im not sure how serious it was) some time ago before she married and moved away. The weekend they had slept together, she had come back to our home town to visit friends, had bumped into him and one thing led to another. This girl had made the effort to travel 2 hours back to our home town to sit with him on sunday and tell him!!

When he told me, unfortunately, my reaction wasn't the best! I was quite harsh with him and i was in complete shock and didnt know what to say! If im honest, looking back, i was quite self-centred in my response and made out that it was all my problem, not stopping to think about how he might be feeling. Unfortunately our chat was cut short by an interruption and i left. He then did what blokes often do when things go wrong, and went out and got drunk with his mates. After he let me walk out, i had a couple of rather dismissive text messages throughout the night, but we agreed to meet today to have a chat. I spent the evening with a friend and we talked the whole thing through and she made me realise that if i honestly believed we have some kind of future together, then providing i can deal with the fact that another woman is having his baby etc etc, there's no reason why we couldnt make a go of it! Having said that.....it took hours and hours to come to that conclusion, discussing everything!! So after hours of discussing it with some friends, i went home feeling more positive and had worked out what i wanted to ask him and what i needed to say to him today. However, on my way home i happened to see him walking home! i couldnt just drive passed in the snow and blizzards, so i stopped and gave him a lift! He was very drunk and was trying to instigate the conversation, i kept saying that it wasn't a good idea and leave it til the morning. But he blabbed on and on and ruined all the good work my friends had put in. Basically he said that i should walk away and leave, even though he said that it's not what he wants to happen. He admitted that he's scared and doesn't know what to do. When he's had a few, he comes across aggressive, so when i left, i felt even more confused. He had spoken so openly and aggressively, albeit he was drunk and i shouldn't take too much notice, but what do i do???????? He has text me this morning and we will be meeting later to talk it through, but his text messages still sound dismissive and cut off from me, almost like he wants to push me away!

What should i do....should i stay with him or leave? I know it's only been 6 weeks, but none of this is my fault, and im willing to stand by him at the moment and see what develops over the next few weeks, but now i feel like he is pushing me away on purpose. I know i can't make a decision until we've spoken today, but i'm so scared that his reaction to what i have to say, won't be what i'm expecting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Salty Beef (talk • contribs) 10:25, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Okay, random people aren't all going to be Ann Landers, but here's my two cents' worth.

First, you say that he comes across as aggressive when he drinks. How aggressive? This is not a person you want to be with if he drinks a lot and is very aggressive. I know you probably feel like you can help him, but if he gets like this a lot and is really rough, for your own safety you should leave for your own safety.

Now, having said that, remember that alcohol is a depressant. It may make a person feel like they can't handle anything when in fact, if they look at the big picture (like your friend helped you do) they can. So, what's I'd suggest is that you try to draw out from him his true feelings. Why is he scared? Why is he pushing you away? See if you can talk about the person inside him. Show him that he can open up in front of you and not hide behind drinking. Because, that's what people in that situation are doing, in my opinion. They drink becasue they are hiding from their problems. Try to convince him that he should never turn to drink, but that he should always be willing to turn to you for companionship. Because, my friends and I are all abstainers - we choose to be that way, as most of us are Christian - and we feel much more open about things than some men. Those of us who are married do turn tot heir wives for stuff that bothers them.

That's what you should be seeking in a relationship. It's what you deserve. Ask yourself, is this person the kind you would be able to share everything with each other all the time, wthout him holding things back? If you're willing to show forgiveness for that fling, as long as you make sure he won't do it again, I see no reason why you can't remain in the relationship. Because, he might be pushing you away because he's worried you can't forgive him. At the same time, though, try to discuss with him why he felt the need to have this fling. You don't say how old you are, but he should be mature enough that "one thing leading to another" should not result in sex - and that might be something nagging at him. in which case, perhaps you can help him, too, by offering to provide him with accountability so he won't be tempted again.Somebody or his brother (talk) 11:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

(ec) Look at it from his POV. He's been going out with a great girl (that's you) for a few weeks, it's getting reasonably serious; then his ex says she's 9 weeks pregnant with his baby. What does he do? Well he tries to do the decent thing and tells his current girlfriend but she goes mad and storms off. So what next? Thinking he's messed up two relationships, he tries to pretend it's not happening, goes to a bar and gets drunk. So decide whether you could stand the idea that he fathered a baby with another woman (and all that entails... eg. child support payments, access, etc), give him a few days to come to his senses, and arrange to meet when neither of you are drunk and are prepared to sit down and talk like adults. Astronaut (talk) 11:28, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Also ask urself dat is he the kind of person who has let go of this sort of thing if dat has hapnd to u. If the ans is yes then its just a simple advise. Talk and let him know wat u think abt abt this and u are supportive, dat was something hapnd wen u were nt dere in his lyf so tell him this. If he undstnds u well n good, if he does nt den try once more if u still feel he is pushing u then keep urself away from him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 145.228.59.66 (talk) 11:48, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

He DID tell you right away about the "bombshell", didn't try to keep it quiet. That's a good start.

But there's something not right about the numbers. If he had an "old times' sake" fling with this former girlfriend in December, she'd be more like 6 months pregnant rather than 9 weeks. If it is 9 weeks, chances are the kid is her husband's, and I can't see what it has to do with him. Unless he met her again more recently, which you haven't mentioned. Perhaps what he's scared of is her being manipulative? you need to get a timeline on all this, and ask him how he feels about every step along the way. - KoolerStill (talk) 12:22, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Yeah - I agree. There is something that doesn't add up there. He needs to get a paternity test done - because even if the dates do add up - it could easily be someone else's kid. I think you need to cut the guy some slack. It's not like he cheated on you - and it's far from clear that this is his kid anyway. He's under a spectacular amount of stress right now - it's enough to make anyone want to go and get drunk. He needs help and support and not another source of stress. You're the one who's gotta be there for him...at least until the facts become clearer...you can walk away from this at any time, so you can afford to be patient and let events unfold. SteveBaker (talk) 13:01, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I have to agree with my colleagues, you need to get the numbers sorted out. December was much more than 9 weeks ago. What you do next really depends on what the actual situation is. Generally speaking, though, I think you need to sit down and talk with your boyfriend while he is sober and work all this out with him. Tell him exactly how you feel. He is probably worried that this news will scare you off and would be relieved to hear how serious you are about making this relationship work. He is also probably very scared at suddenly finding out that he might be going to be a father and probably isn't thinking straight. The only solution to both those problems is talking, and talking while drunk doesn't count for anything. --Tango (talk) 17:18, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Discussion about whether questions like this are appropriate for the reference desk here. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:07, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Why doesn't milk curdle inside cows?

Currently in the UK we've been experiencing rather hot weather and its lead me to think about milk.. (hmmm). Milk seems to curdle very fast in hot weather and i would assume cows are hotter than most weather, so why doesn't the milk in cows udders curdle? Is there something in there that stops the process, and if so, why doesn't it go into milk bottles? -Benbread (talk) 18:24, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Curdling of milk is usually a bacterial process. So, what "stops" the process in the absence of milk-curdling bacteria in the udder. One can also curdle milk by adding an acid to it. However, I don't even want to think what a cow on acid would do ;). --Dr Dima (talk) 18:44, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

That is a moot question. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:00, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Udderly reprehensible answer. Edison (talk) 03:13, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

(ec) You need acid to make milk curdle so it will only happen naturally if the milk goes sour. The real question, therefore, is what stops milk going sour in the udder? Dairy cows are milked every day, so there might just not be time for it to go off. I'm not sure what would happen if they were milked less often. --Tango (talk) 18:47, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

The milk just gets reabsorbed by the body if it stays in the udder long enough.--Lenticel ^(talk) 00:21, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Milk is nominally sterile unless the cow (or any other mammal) has an infection. Tuberculosis and other diseases can be transmitted by milk, but the lactobaccilli that curdle milk should not be present in the udder unless something's wrong with the cow. Milk has mild antibiotic properties of its own, which help. Once milk leaves the cow, bacteria can be introduced at any point after pasteurization, i.e., during bottling, after opening the bottle, etc as they're endemic in the environment (and pasteurization doesn't kill everything). Ultrapasteurizing extends the life, at the cost of cooking the milk somewhat. Dairy cattle get milked twice a day, so milk in the udder should never be more than 12 hours old. Un-milked cows will tell you that they need to be milked in no uncertain terms - it's very painful (ask any nursing mother who needs to express some milk) and can lead to mastitis in both cows and people. Acroterion _(talk) 04:15, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Curdling is the clumping together of casein, which happens in an acid environment. The acidity can be from yeasts, mold and other bacteria, which are generally introduced into milk once it leaves the cow (sometimes immediately, by unhygienic milking equipment). Other curdling agents (rennet, lemon juice) are not likely to ever exist inside the cow. The high heat needed to curdle milk is around boiling point, which not even the hottest summer day will produce in a cow. Lower temperatures on a hot day are just speeding the growth of bacteria which contribute to the curdling. - KoolerStill (talk) 09:57, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Rennet being made from cow stomaches is certain to be found in cows - just not in the right place. Rmhermen (talk) 16:22, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

The closest thing to this might be Mastitis. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 22:45, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Rescheduling a job interview

I've been invited to interviews for two jobs I applied for, but on the same day. They are in different cities and I can't make it to both. I've already confirmed my attendence at the first interview (before I heard about the second) and it would be unprofessional to go back and ask to change it. The second one is an assigned date which I wasn't told about beforehand. What are my chances of rescheduling the second interview, and what's the least bad way to do so? 86.154.105.253 (talk) 18:26, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I'd tell them as soon as possible that you have a prior engagement on that day that you can't get out of (probably best not to mention that it is another job interview). What your chances of getting it rescheduled are, I don't know - it probably depends mostly on their recruitment process/schedule. If they have multiple interview days and you were just randomly assigned that one, then you might stand a good chance, if they plan to interview everyone on one day, you have a much poorer chance. You may need to decide which interview you would rather go to - if the 2nd is your preferred one, you should word your request in a way that allows you to accept the interview on that day if that is the only option. --Tango (talk) 18:42, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

If you absolutely cannot change the second, changing the first may not be *that* bad, though it depends. If you scheduled it with some secretary or office assistant, then they can likely change their boss's schedule without the boss even knowing that you had to re-schedule. You could also tell a little white lie and say that you're significant other just told you of a commitment that cannot be broken, or some other thing that they would be clueless about the legitimacy of. Dismas|^(talk) 19:02, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I scheduled the first interview with a recruitment agency. It was this morning at 11.30, and I don't know if they've contacted the employer yet. Three hours later I got an email about the second interview. I could call back the agency tomorrow, but I'd rather not risk it if there's much risk involved. If these were offers, not interviews, I'd take the first job like a shot. 86.154.105.253 (talk) 22:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I would advise against trying to reschedule the first one - it implies that there is something more important in your life than attending the interview...not good. For the second one - you can make up any number of reasonable excuses, but a "pre-existing business engagement" should be vague enough - yet truthful. It's not really a bad thing if one company knows you're interviewing at another - they aren't trying to share out the available people - they want the best, and discovering that you are in high demand is no bad thing. It's in their interests to try to recruit the people their competitor wants. SteveBaker (talk) 19:58, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I agree with SteveBaker. I don't think it's at all bad for a prospective employer to know that you are highly-enough thought of to be interviewing elsewhere; and you should keep the appointments that you verify if possible. Tempshill (talk) 21:19, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Make personal contact now with both employers if you can. The aim is to make yourself known and find out who is running the interviews. Asking some questions that are easy to answer like "Did my CV arrive alright?" or "Can you give me driving directions?" can get you talking. Be very uptone and positive about the coming interview and bring up the idea of rescheduling as something that would make it "even better" for you. Think this way: there is a 50/50 chance that an interview can be rescheduled. If the 1st employer you contact says No, smile and say that you look forward to coming. There is only a 1 in 4 likelihood that BOTH employers say No to rescheduling, which is pretty good odds. Even in the worst case of both saying No, you still have 2 cards to play. They are to go back and state firmly what date(s) are acceptable to you. Good luck. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:22, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Where do you get that 50/50 from? Just because there are two possibilities does not mean they are equally likely. --Tango (talk) 21:56, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

In the absence of data for relative probabilities of alternative outcomes estimating equal probabilities is the best approximation. In this context 50/50% is Merely corroborative detail intended to give artistic verisimilitude. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:07, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I am reminded of Tom Hanks character in the movie The Terminal 65.121.141.34 (talk) 19:23, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Once I ask, I've let the cat out of the bag. If the answer is no, I would have assumed there's little point in even going to that interview, now that I've shown myself up as not making it my first priority. No? Thanks for all replies btw! 86.154.105.253 (talk) 22:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I wouldn't say so. It's not just a matter of priorities, it's a matter of keeping commitments. If you have already committed yourself to one engagement then keeping that engagement doesn't necessarily mean you think it is more important than something which came up later. --Tango (talk) 22:34, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I have no idea what the two prospective employers are like, but a little tact couldn't hurt. If one (or both) of them thinks that no intelligent person in his/her right frame of mind could even think of working for anyone but their exalted organization (purely for hypothetical example: Microsoft, General Electric, the U.N., the Vatican, the White House, the Royal Household, Balliol College, The New York Times), tell them that you needed a backup because you know how fierce and qualified the competition for such a dream job must be. —— Shakescene (talk) 22:05, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, good point :-) 86.154.105.253 (talk) 22:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

In light of you saying the first job is the better job, I suggest you leave that arrangement as has already been agreed. Take a look at the second email, does it state "your interview is on: <date>" or does it ask "would you be able to come for interview on: <date>?" The second case would be a lot easier to rearrange by simply saying you have another appointment that day, but stressing that it is the only day you are unable to attend. Astronaut (talk) 03:39, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Moderately smart dress

In the brochure for the Culham Plasma Physics Summer School i read the following:

On Thursday 16th July a banquet will be held at St Edmund Hall for all students and lecturers. The evening will commence with sherry at 19:00, followed by a four-course dinner. Moderately smart dress is appropriate for this occasion.

How, would you say, should "moderately smart dress" be interpreted for males? A suit? Just shirt and trousers? Thankful for advice! —Bromskloss (talk) 21:51, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I'd take that to mean a jacket, but not a tux. An ordinary business suit, or a blazer and slacks would do fine. If you're a student then probably wear a tie. If you get there and find nobody else is wearing one, just nip into the bathroom and take it off. 86.154.105.253 (talk) 21:58, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

No way to know. I hate vague dress codes like that. You'll have to contact the organisers and clarify. They could mean anything from "don't wear trainers" to a suit and tie. They probably don't want Black tie or White tie, but how much less than that is acceptable is anyone's guess. I would guess you should wear a suit and tie - sherry followed by four courses sounds like a fairly formal meal. --Tango (talk) 22:02, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Also, remember that a jacket and tie can be removed if you are overdressed. But if you don't have them in the first place, you can't put them on if you are underdressed. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 22:43, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

When I was at university, we occasionally had formal dinners/banquets. Most guys turned up in a suit and tie. As the evening wore on, the ties and jackets would come off and the alcohol would flow pretty freely. Of course, if you have somewhere to keep a change of clothes (even if it's in the car), you could take several alternatives with you. Astronaut (talk) 03:20, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

In my personal experience, the community of Plasma Physicists is not prone to great formality. I attended a few Plasma Physics summer schools in my day in the United States, where dress was far from "formal." But, I have had only limited contact with U.K. researchers, so it's possible that there's a more ... "European" atmosphere over there. Nimur (talk) 04:04, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I have now contacted the secretary that administers the summer school (why didn't I do this in the first place?) and have gotten the reply that smart trousers or chinos and a shirt, with or without a tie, would be fine. She also wrote that some might bring suits, but that it is very hot at the moment and that suits are not necessary. Thank you all. —Bromskloss (talk) 08:14, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

¿Would it be all right now to mark this question

Resolved

 ? —— Shakescene (talk) 00:33, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Natural Gas

Why is it since there is such a push for natural gas and other alternative fuels that you can not find natural gas available at regular gas stations? Why are they available at just alternative fueling stations? I heard that natural gas doesn't work as effectively as regular gas, is this true? What are the negatives and positives of using natural gas in our cars? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.137.245.78 (talk) 22:22, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Do you mean liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)? That's not quite the same thing as natural gas. Note that "gas" in this context refers to the phase of matter (as in "air is mixture of gases") not the abbreviation of "gasoline". --Tango (talk) 22:32, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Which one is CNG, the one they use for cars and to heat homes? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.137.245.78 (talk) 22:51, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Compressed natural gas, that is natural gas. I wasn't aware it was used in cars, but I see it is starting to be. LPG is more commonly available, at least in the UK. --Tango (talk) 23:25, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

According to the Wikipedia articles (Natural gas vehicle,Propane#Vehicle_fuel), there are 7 million CNG vehicles and 13 million propane ones. A bit more than "starting" for CNG. Rmhermen (talk) 02:43, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Your average gas stations will, generally, sell products that sell in high volumes. If the gas form you want is something of a niche product at the moment then it may be that the Supply chain is not advanced enough to service the requirements of most gas-stations. One of the biggest issues faced with replacing 'petrol' powered cars is building (or entering and supplying to) the infrastructure that exists for petrol. ny156uk (talk) 22:57, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

LPG is available in the overwhelming majority of petrol stations in Australia. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 23:58, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

My father used to convert cars to run on LPG in the UK - so I know a bit about it. It's just propane - the same stuff you might use in your gas barbeque. The conversion he did involved putting a LARGE pressurised cylinder into the trunk of your car (or into the bed of a truck, etc). There was a switch on the dash that let you switch between propane and petrol (aka gasoline). The gas from the LPG cylinder tends to freeze everything up as it expands - that means that it has to be heated - and for that reason it was generally necessary to use petrol to start the car - then to switch over to propane once it was up to temperature. The modification was pretty simple - and it didn't affect the way the engine ran on gasoline at all. Because you still had your normal petrol tank in the car - if you couldn't find an LPG station to refill at, you could just run on petrol for a while. The cars generally got pretty similar mileage on LPG and petrol - but in the UK, LPG didn't get taxed as heavily - so it was a cheaper alternative. My father's LPG station was the only one within maybe 50 miles. But most of the people who converted were taxi's, ambulances, local delivery vehicles, post office vehicles and such - people who do a lot of miles within a small service area - and who don't suffer too badly from losing their trunk. That got around the infrastructure issues and the system worked to everyone's benefits for many years. What eventually killed the system was that 'Calor' - the company who sold the LPG got complaints from their usual retailers (people who filled gas cylinders for barbeques and other uses) because my father could dramatically under-cut them)...they eventually jacked up the 'automotive' LPG to the point where it was no longer economic.

LPG is fairly plentiful stuff - which makes it an attractive alternative to gasoline - but it produces just as much CO2 as gasoline - so going to a lot of expense to switch over to using it would be highly counter-productive from a global warming perspective.

SteveBaker (talk) 00:23, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

(reset indent) I can think of one disadvantage here in the Philippines. When an LPG powered taxi has/had a leak, then the cab smell likes hell.--Lenticel ^(talk) 00:37, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

That's because propane and natural gas, being odorless, are impregnated with methyl mercaptan or some other sulfur-containing compound. Unlike higher-molecular-weight hydrocarbons which have distinct odors, propane and methane have no odor, so it would be impossible to detect a leak until it went BOOM! The sulfur-based dopants are added because insignificant amounts of them can be used, and still smell strongly enough to be detected without altering the combustion properties of the fuel. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 02:57, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

A disadvantage to LPG users in the UK, is that you can't take the car to France via Eurotunnel. Astronaut (talk) 03:05, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

LPG is widespread in Australia because it was widely adopted initially by Sydney taxis (which did the conversion and mileage experiments in the late 1960s. WP:OR) . The aim was to reduce the then crippling fuel costs for gasoline. The first LPG plant was expected to produce solely for export, but a small local market having been established, the Federal Government kept the excise low on LPG and legislated it to be never more than 50% of gasoline prices (currently it is around 45%). This produced local sales for Australian gas fields, where 80% of the nation's LPG comes from in naturally occurring reserves. In a country with around 10 million vehicles, some 650,000 run on LPG, mostly for high-mileage applications, making it viable to have many outlets selling it. Conversion costs are around $4000, of which the Government has been paying half for the past 3 years, to reduce dependency on expensive gasoline. As LPG does not have great emission savings, it is chosen on economics grounds; it will only become widespread if the prices allow the recovery of the conversion cost in a reasonable time, ideally 3 or 4 years. It is not regarded as good value for owners of older vehicles, which may not survive long enough, although moving the equipment into another vehicle is only around $500.

I imagine they don't allow gas vehicles in the Chunnel for fear of exlosion? The two in-vehicle explosions I've seen were fireless, caused by distortion of the pressure cylinder in crashes, the force barely enough to dent the boot (trunk) lid with the shrapnel. Any sparking caused by the tearing metal won't light the gas, which at that stage is liquid or too rich a mixture to burn. I have seen a 20,000 litre bulk storage tank take off from its cradle like a rocket, but that originally blew a hole from the expansion of the gas inside, the tank having been "cooked" by a grass fire under it. This requires 238 C, from memory, a temperature at which the tunnel would already be in big big trouble. - KoolerStill (talk) 10:48, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

When my father was doing these conversions, the claim was that fracturing of the gas cylinder in a crash wasn't a great concern - the biggest worry was if the petrol tank caught fire (and it's generally mounted right under where the LPG tank is) - that the resulting gasoline fire might be enough to heat the LPG tank until it exploded. However, this was claimed to rarely be a problem since people generally stay well clear of a gasoline fire - and it takes quite a long time for the LPG tank to heat up to that degree, so the gasoline fire will typically be put out before there is a major problem. I'm not sure I believe much of that - but it was the claim at the time. (I should point out that my father was doing this in the early 1980's). The LPG they sold in the UK hardly smelled at all - just enough so you knew it was leaking. Much less noxious than an equivalent gasoline leak. LPG is still very popular for powering fork-lift trucks - at least in the UK and in the USA - because it produces no carbon monoxide and no nasty NOx or SOx by-products - so it's quite safe to drive an LPG vehicle indoors. SteveBaker (talk) 12:22, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I worked for a company that made several thousand propane tanks over the years and I don't recall even one report of a tank breaching in a crash (and we saw some pretty gnarly pictures of actual crash results). As I recall, the bigger worry was that the tank might shear its mounting bolts and find its way to something pointy. As I recall too, all our tanks (Canada) had safety valves set at 90% of the yield pressure of the material. This would give you a single jet of flame, which is not too bad. The same thing could happen if the fittings got knocked off the tank, which is a bigger risk than the tank itself being breached. Franamax (talk) 19:01, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

July 2

ASTER

How can I download ASTER GDEM? 128.12.77.34 (talk) 01:04, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

You can read the download instructions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Nimur (talk) 04:06, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

How sensitive is TV antenna to direction?

This is regarding the recent DTV conversion in the US. I receive my signal over-the-air with a bigass antenna up in the garage rafters.

I've got problems with some stations pixelating some of the time, "hiccuping" through a show with varying degrees of unwatchability. After some searching, found an old plastic protractor and a roadmap, located the tower farm, lined up the axis of the house from an overhead photograph, and am estimating that the antenna is about 20-22 degrees out-of-line to the tower farm.

SO: Is 22 degrees significant, or not? I'm hoping that Here There Be Engineers who can give factual answers, or at least high-quality speculation. Even though the antenna is indoors, it's still a major effort to access the thing, so if "Try it and see" is your best answer, please keep it to yourself :-). Hope that doesn't scare off anybody with serious advice...

Thanks, --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 01:53, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Yes, that's quite significant. The signal quality will vary from its best pointing directly towards (or away from) the transmitter to its worst when pointing 90 degrees away. It probably is worth pointing the antenna in the right direction. My grandfather had some problems with his TV signal after they changed transmitters and I managed to dramatically improve it by looking up the location of the new transmitter and pointing the aerial in the right direction. --Tango (talk) 02:06, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

TIP: If you aren't sure exactly what direction to point it in, move it around until you find the worst signal, and then turn it 90 degrees. It is far easier to spot the worst signal than the best. --Tango (talk) 02:07, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Those "bigass" antennas tend to be a lot more directional than the two rods on top of the set, so the sensitivity can fall off quickly when your are just a little way out-of-line. Can you get hold of a compass to get the direction correct (in my experience, those roadmaps you get from the gas station are not that accurate)? Alternatively, the professional installers sometimes use a signal strength meter which they just hook up to the antenna while adjusting the direction. Lastly, things like airports and skyscrapers can do kinds of weird things to your TV signal. Astronaut (talk) 02:53, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Appreciating that it is an effort to access your antenna, it is possible to try using a borrowed antenna and cable in the open. That will establish the true direction beyond doubt; that may not be what you estimated from the map. The larger the antenna the sharper is its directivity, and the more likely that 22 degrees off-axis makes a significant difference. (This answer is a variation on "Try it and see".) Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:46, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Regarding directional rooftop antennas; they used to make motorized varieties with a little control box you kept inside the house. You could adjust the direction of the antenna using a little dial that looked like a compass, it would turn the antenna on your roof to face the correct direction. This was very useful for people who lived on the margins of TV areas; as they could turn the antenna to face different stations. They even had little stickers to mark the point on the controls where a station's antenna was located. My aunt had one when she lived in extreme northwest Connecticut; she was able to pick up not only the Hartford and Springfield Mass stations, but ones from NY City and Albany and Boston by finely tuning her antenna; and the motorized bit made it quite easy to do. This was back in the 1980's, but I imagine one could find similar set-ups for sale today. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:54, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Well, good morning, and thanks to all who replied while it was overnight in my time zone. Hmmm, I remember those motorized rotators (from my grandparent's house -- seems to be the common thread.) Y'all have given me the enthusiasm to tackle the task sooner rather than later.

For the record, part of the access problem is that, in its current position, some of the antenna's arms are "interlaced" through the various rafter beams. I'm pretty sure that once I get up there, I'm going to have to remove one or two of them, and replace them after the rotation. Should be an interesting task. --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 13:38, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Update, one day later: So, this afternoon I climbed into the attic and wrestled with the beast, the primary goal being not to break any of the arms off whilst jockeying it into a new position around the rafters. In the end, I think I was forced to "overcompensate", e.g. I'm now at 8-10° left of ideal rather than 20° right. The improvement is unbelievable, except for the ONE station that broadcasts from another location and is now farther off of axis than it was before.

Many thanks for all the advice; this issue is

Resolved

. --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 23:04, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

DTV issues

Prior to the DTV transition, I was able to get WABC and, occassionally WNET if I was lucky. However, since the DTV transition, both channels have disappeared despite numerous scans of my box and adjustments of antennas. I have repeated this with my living room television and my father's television; he lives one floor above me. Furthermore, as I live in Brooklyn, I can only get ten or twelve channels while my aunt in Staten Island claims she could get over twice as many channels; she has a rooftop antenna and I have an indoor antenna. Is this a problem with my antenna or my location or is there something wrong with the station? --Blue387 (talk) 03:08, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

First of all, the rooftop antenna will DEFINATELY get you much better reception. Larger antennas are able to grab weaker signals than smaller ones; a four-foot rooftop antenna will be exponetially better than a little 12 inch settop antenna. Secondly, that's the way DTV works. Under analog signals, the signal strength drops off more-or-less directly with distance from the source; it just gets progressively worse and worse. With a digital signal, because of the way it is encoded, your TV essentially has to get the entire signal or its a garbled mess. Thus, DTV signals have a "reception cliff" of sorts; inside a certain radius from the tower, your signal will always be crystal clear and perfect. Outside of that radius, you get bupkis. That's the advantage and disadvantage of DTV; better reception for many, but NO reception for some others. That all being said, the distance from Staten Island to Brooklyn does not seem like enough to cause that big of a difference; I would say the effect is primarly caused by your inadequate antenna. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:59, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

But if my antenna was inadequate, why was I able to get WABC before the transition and not get it now? --Blue387 (talk) 05:57, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

As Jayron32 points out - with a digital signal, it's all or nothing. Either you have 0's and 1's or you don't. With an analog signal, you never COMPLETELY lose the signal - it just gets weaker and noisier. So your signal quality on WABC must have been marginal - and now it's gone. The trade-off with digital is that if you DO get a just barely good enough signal, you'll get a 100% perfect picture. With analog, even if your reception is only a little less than perfect, you have poor picture quality. Sadly, the price you pay for that is that you can't pull in a really weak digital signal and live with the poorer quality. Arguably, this is a net loss to society - but getting back a whole lot of valuable radio bandwidth is a worthwhile thing - it'll get us better wireless internet and a bunch of other good things. But getting a larger, outdoor or (preferably) rooftop antenna will allow you to pull in more channels...I think that's your only hope at this point. SteveBaker (talk) 12:08, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I'm sure it's got a simple reason but...How come my digital-tv signal gets boxy, cuts out and gives basically a modern-day version of analogue interferance? Additionally differing signal-strengths show on my digi-box menu and I get better/worse reception depending on which I choose. Anybody? 194.221.133.226 (talk) 15:21, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

High speed gas

Inspired by the natural gas question above. In the context of domestic gas supply to homes in the UK, I have vague recollections of the term "high speed gas" and domestic appliances being converted to use it. What was the conversion from and to in modern terms? And what was special about the gas to make it "high speed" - did it travel down the pipes quicker? Astronaut (talk) 03:10, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

"High speed gas" was just an advertising slogan, making the point that gas cookers were a lot quicker than electric ones (in those days). The whole of the UK was converted from coal gas to natural gas in the 1970s. See coal gas#Change over to natural gas--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:42, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

[Edit Conflict] Could this have been the conversion from "town gas" (made by heating coal) to "natural gas" (found under the North Sea)? I don't know why natural gas would be called "high speed", except that in programmes requiring mass public awareness it's common to pick a term which is technically nonsense but easy for people to remember (eg "broadband", "freeview", etc). 93.97.184.230 (talk) 07:46, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

No - the advertising of the time was clear that they were indicating that a gas stove could heat saucepans faster than an electric one. SteveBaker (talk) 12:00, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

If I remember correctly the key idea was that it was quick to stop heating. Didn't they have some milk bubbling up on a gas cooker and they turned it off and it settled down, then the same on an electric cooker and it boiled over. -- Q Chris (talk) 17:29, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Mac apps

What is the purpose of the "Time Machine" app on the Imac? How is it used? 128.12.77.75 (talk) 03:21, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

We have an article on that. Time Machine (Apple software) states:

"Time Machine is a backup utility developed by Apple. It is included with Mac OS X and was introduced with the 10.5 "Leopard" release of Mac OS X."

That article provides a good overview, and you can find official documentation directly from Apple or from the help feature in the program. Personally, I found Time Machine to be very confusing, and I prefer to manually archive my important data with subversion (software) or manually-created archive files. Nimur (talk) 04:13, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

A bribe

Is it illegal to bribe an employee who isn't a public servant? In the USA, I mean.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Peanut Butter Papers (talk • contribs) 04:37, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

That really depends on the favor being sought, the parties involved and the state. For example, bribing the employee of a corporation might in some cases be construed as defrauding the corporation's shareholders. On the other hand, tipping a waiter not only in gratitude for good service, but in hopes of its repetition in the future, is expected and recognized by state and federal income tax codes. Tipping a casino dealer to give you good cards, however, would violate the gaming statutes in almost every state that permits gaming with cards. —— Shakescene (talk) 04:56, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

In at least California and Nevada it's not only legal but expected to tip the dealer after winning a hand. PhGustaf (talk) 05:15, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:29, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

If someone is not a public official and not carrying out some function of government, then the question would turn on the "legal duty" of this "other person". And it can get very tricky to judge those duties. When is someone acting, for example, in a fiduciary capacity, with the obligation to treat someone else's interests as jealously as his or her own? If a company bribes the administrator of a trust to buy their products or stock (and thus perhaps put his or her own interests before those of the trust's beneficiary), is that bribery a crime? What about bribing a corporate board of directors, who should be acting on behalf of all the corporation's shareholders? Or a doctor being bribed to prescribe a medicine that she or he might not have prescribed otherwise? Or a lawyer being bribed to settle a client's case when the client might have done better to fight on? (Or vice-versa?) —— Shakescene (talk) 11:06, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Offering a bribe to a public official is often a criminal act, but I wonder, is it a crime to offer a bribe to other people? For example, is bribing a corporate officer to win a business contract a crime for the person offering the bribe (or only for the person who accepts it, or neither)? Or is it, as some might say, just another cost of doing business? Dragons flight (talk) 11:07, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

While bribery, kickbacks and facilitating payments may not be technically illegal in some cases, many companies have formal business ethics. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 11:49, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Having taken a number of ethics courses in my company, I can assure you that bribes of various kinds between companies are often illegal, particularly when they serve to stifle competition in the marketplace. If any doubt, speak to an attorney. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 22:40, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

That's misphrasing the quesiton. As has been pointed out above, a bribe is illegal, and a bribe is an incentive payment to influence a person in the exercise of his or her public duty in a way that is beyond what is allowed under that person's discretion.

The first question is "whether this payment amounts to a bribe". The next question, after concluding that it is not a bribe (if that be so), is whether the payment is illegal because of some other specific law.

For example, the seller of a financial product might make a side payment/commission to a financial advisor in order to increase the incentive for that advisor to advise his or her clients to put their money into this product. This is not a bribe: the financial advisor is not a public official and (without more) is not a fiduciary, and is just performing his or her private, contractual duties.

However, specific laws regulating financial markets may require that the financial advisor disclose the side payment/commission to the client. Then, if the payment is not disclosed to the client, it is illegal. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 00:17, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Cars - 2-door and 5-door

I don't drive.

Why are cars described as having "5 doors"? Two in the front, two in the back, and...? I was told one for the boot (UK English, the Americans call that something different, I think). If that's so, why is a car with no doors for the back seats referred to as "2-door"? Wouldn't it be 3-door? Or have I missed something vital? Vimescarrot (talk) 11:09, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Cars are described as 5- 4- 3- or 2-door because that is the number of hinged entranceways they have. An odd-number of doors means there is a part that opens at the back. The rear entranceway can be a door but is more often a top-hinged liftback or hatchback. These names are used interchangeably with 5-door annd 3-door. Americans call a car's boot an elephant's nose.Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:29, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

See Trunk (automobile) for the etymology of trunk and boot. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 11:45, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually, Americans call the storage box at the back of the car the same word as other storage boxes (see Trunk (luggage)). The use of a term for footwear to describe a storage compartment seems more farfetched than using a term for a storage box for, well, a storage box! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 20:59, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Possible etymology is boot = boîte, French for box. 81.131.69.59 (talk) 23:01, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I have always thought it silly, but a hatchback or estate car is refers to the rear opening as a "door", whereas a car with a normal boot doesn't. This is despite the fact that you would never normally enter or exit the car through a hatchback. -- Q Chris (talk) 11:51, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

It's definitely a european thing - calling a car with four passenger doors and a hatchback a "5 door" is a little odd...but that's what people do. It's particularly confusing when you find cars like my wife's new "MINI Clubman" which has two proper/conventional passenger doors plus one suicide door on the right-hand side to make it easier to get into the back seats - and two hinged 'barn doors' at the back. You could arguably call this:

• "two door" - because the little "suicide-door" on the right side of the car is about 8" wide and is really just a slight extension of the main door on that side of the car.
• "three door" - because it really does have three passenger doors - even if one of them is tiny.
• "four door" - three passenger doors and a big opening at the back.
• "five door - three passenger doors plus two barn-doors at that back.

The "trunk lid" ("boot lid") of a "three-boxes" style of car isn't ever included into the door count - so there is (I suppose) some benefit and brevity of description to talk about 4-door and 5-door cars - in that by changing a single digit, you have explained that "this car doesn't have a boot/trunk lid but instead a hatchback". SteveBaker (talk) 11:55, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

My understanding is that saying 3 or 5 makes it instantly clear the car is a hatchback/estate and not a saloon car. If you say 2 or 4 I know it is a saloon. As a result it makes it clearer to say that thn 2 door hatchback or 4 door saloon. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 12:11, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually, many older minivans were considered "3-door" minivans, as the entrance to the rear seating area only opened on one side of the van; this is despite the fact that the hatchback on the minivan would technically make it a "4-door" car, since one could access the passenger compartment that way. Contrast this with a "5-door" car, which has 4 standard doors and a hatchback... In that case, the hatchback "counts" but for minivans, it doesn't, perhaps not to confuse the customer, who if they heard they were getting a 4 door minivan, would expect 4 standard doors, and not 3 standard doors and a hatchback. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:42, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Heh. Replacing one type of confusion with another: I've never really understood the differences between basic types of car (hatchback, saloon etc). That's my problem though, not yours. Thanks. Vimescarrot (talk) 14:37, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Let's not forget the 1-door style. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 02:28, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

True story: A friend once had a three-door Volvo 122 sedan. It seems there was a four-door that got in a wreck, a two-door that did too, and a guy who was real handy with a welding torch... PhGustaf (talk) 02:40, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Beautiful. A true "hybrid". Reminds me a little bit of the Johnny Cash song, "One Piece at a Time". Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 05:52, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Qualifications to start a career with the European Union

My question is about working for the European Union itself, or another international institution, not about immigration to Europe from somewhere else. I'd like to know what university degree subject(s) would be most useful, what sort of extra-curricular experience would help, if I should plan for postgrad study, and how/where I can learn more about working for the different institutions.

I don't expect the refdesk to plan my whole life for me, but other constructive comments are very welcome. I'm a British high school leaver with (office based) work experience, thinking of returning to study part-time (by distance learning) aged 27 with the University of London External System. I have good A-Level grades, obtained by part-time study after I started work (after leaving school in unfortunate circumstances with no exam passes). I hope to get a BA degree in 3-5 years, while working. I can speak French fairly well and have much more basic Dutch, German and Russian.

Suggestions also welcome about other international organisations, but (some part of) the EU would be my first choice. I have family connections to Belgium and I strongly support European integration. The general British attitude to the EU really depresses me, to be honest, and I'd like to be involved in trying to change it. The UK is not really that important to the United States, and splendid isolation only worked back when we had all the gunboats.

I realise I have wasted quite a bit of time already, but I don't want to abandon this plan for a safe but nondescript career at home in England unless my age makes it a spectacularly bad idea. My age has nothing to do with my abilities, so if I did that I know I'd regret it for the rest of my life. Thanks in advance for all replies! 86.154.106.137 (talk) 11:23, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

You could look for a degree in any of the Social Science areas, with a focus on Political Science, or do a degree in International Studies. I would also add that given the nature of working at the EU it would be likely beneficial to speak another language. The Open University do distance-learning degrees that combine Political Science with a language, or (seeing as you state you are already reasonable in other languages) perhaps do something to get those skills 'professionalised'. I would suggest approaching local political groups and offer your services, either volunteering or (ideally for you) paid. Getting some experience in the industry through that sort of work can really help.

Oh and there's nothing about your age that prevents you doing this. It would make it harder to be the highest ranking EU official, but it shouldn't prevent you entering a career working in the political arena and helping to push forward the cause you believe in. 12:07, 2 July 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk)

Jobs for the EU seem to be like government jobs anywhere. The only extra thing that I've noticed in EU jobs is languages - usually mother-tongue fluency in one offical language and "a satisfactory knowledge" of another official language (I think "satisfactory" is defined somewhere but I can't find it). Age shouldn't be a problem because there is a specific council directive about equality in employment which prohibits age discrimination. Astronaut (talk) 15:44, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I think you're going about this backwards. Decide what you want to do, rather than who for. The EU employs lots of people in all kinds of roles. Some, like security staff or drivers, would need no degree at all. Economists would need specific degrees and so would statisticians. Generally speaking, it would seem likely that having strong language skills to back up some kind of specialist degree would give you the best chance. Good luck. --Dweller (talk) 16:08, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

(response by OP) Sorry I wasn't clear, but what I'm looking at is the competitions for senior administrators (AD7 and up) shown in TammyMoet's link :-) I assume I'd need to pass that and get hired as a generalist before I have the option to specialise - no? 217.42.255.221 (talk) 19:30, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

A word of caution here: it used to be the case that the EU only recruited those under-35. This might have changed since the mid-1990s when I was interested in working for them, though. This site will help: [10] --TammyMoet (talk) 19:06, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

In the worst case I'd be 34 when I apply, so I'd squeak through even if this rule still exists. Hopefully it has been scrapped by now though! 217.42.255.221 (talk) 19:34, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

WHO IS THIS GUY

Hello, Wikipedians I`am a practicing Jehavoah`s Witness, I wanted to ask you all If you have any idea about who is this guy, we learned about at Kingdom Hall. We were told His name, only that He was a German Soldier In The First World War. And that after the end of the war, He immigrated to the united states. Where He proselytized to Americans. Door To Door. Including to the father of an American solider killed in World War I. And that He convinced The Father to become a Jehovah`s Witness after He tried to close the door on them. By informing Him, He fought on the German side. And crying when He said, He might have killed His son. I really would like to know, who this guy might be. Not only because I`m a Jehaovah`s Witness. But because I`m an aspiring screenwriter as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.56.149.242 (talk) 19:32, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

You'd probably have to speak to someone who told you the story directly; the story may be entirely true, but it does not sound like the sort of story one could research unless you know the exact source of the story. It is at once interesting and unremarkable, and I am not certain that the person whom the story is about has gained much notability beyond being the subject of the story. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 20:55, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

The theme of reconciliation between former enemies is a good one. It has worked well in screenplays and will continue to do so provided the writer properly characterises both sides as people a viewer can identify with. Drama often comprises a catharsis that leads to a resolution, hopefully a triumphal one that does not depend on polarising viewers. Just my $0.10. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:35, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

An aspiring screenwriter might want to learn the conventional spelling of "Jehovah", among other things. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 22:35, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

So might a Jehovah's Witness; and some screenwriters don't spell it that way. :-) AlexTiefling (talk) 22:41, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

It's been a long time since I've seen that movie, so I'm not sure what you're getting at. But I'm fairly sure the term "Jehovah" was coined quite awhile after the Crusades had run their course. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 22:51, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Alex is referring to the scene near the end of the film where Indy has to spell the name of Jehovah by stepping on lettered tiles, which in the Latin text actually begins with an "I". Of course, Indy didn't know that until it was almost too late.--WaltCip (talk) 04:37, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Aha. Well, as I said, it's been awhile, and I only saw it once. And again, Jehovah or Iehovah, as far as I know, was a later invention. But I could be wrong. Maybe someone can answer that question? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 05:50, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The article Yahweh attempts to answer that question (pick your way through the overwritten history section and the answer is in there - complete with fact tag) Fouracross (talk) 11:29, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Another question, Baseball Bugs, is why you've twice used the adverb "awhile" instead of the expression "a while", which consists of the indefinite article followed by a noun. See this for an explanation of the difference. -- JackofOz (talk) 11:34, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

I've always written it as one word. The reasons are lost in the mysts of tyme. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 13:57, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The Jehovah's Witnesses didn't exist until 1931, when they split off from an earlier group. I don't know when they started doing the Fuller Brush thing, but the thirteen-year gap gives some pause. It's quite possible that this is a parable rather than a true story. Not that there's anything wrong with parables. PhGustaf (talk) 15:50, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

July 3

What kind of hat is this (person in front of picture) and who's that person in the picture behind him ?

Pretty much self-explanatory. He's the lead singer of Laibach, which is Slovenian (the person in front of picture), if that helps.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1328/1430229060_e7a28a7e6a.jpg —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rachmaninov Khan (talk • contribs) 01:12, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Is the person in the picture Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow? The headgear appears to be identical. Not sure what the headgear is called (neither the Patriarch's nor the singer's). Tempshill (talk) 04:46, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The religious person is wearing a "patriarchal white koukoulion" according to Religious_habit. Rmhermen (talk) 05:03, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The singer seems to wear a headgear modeled somewhat after this one [11] 71.236.26.74 (talk) 06:18, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The man in the picture would be Kirill's predecessor, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow. 198.161.238.18 (talk) 20:10, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Hairband

Is the thing in the girl's hair (a rubber band with two beads) as shown in this http://animea.net/images/db/41/card-captor-sakura-wallpaper-02.jpg picture, what they call a Love-In_Tokyo?? What is it called anyway?? 117.194.232.129 (talk) 07:22, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

When I grew up they were called "cherry hair ties" or "hair tie cherries". These day "pony tail ties" or "bobble hair ties" seems to be used, at least by some Chinese manufacturers (ghits). 71.236.26.74 (talk) 07:46, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Is there such a thing as "mephitoline" or "oil of scallatine"

In the Pratchett novel The Truth Angua von Überwald is stopped with a Mephitic substance called "oil of scallatine". Googling revealed some sources using an alternative description "Mephitoline" equally unknown to wikipedia's chemistry. Is there a substance that was identified somewhere (maybe by Pratchett himself?) as the origin for these smelly materials?71.236.26.74 (talk) 07:35, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

L-space, which as we all know is infinite, must doubtless contain the answer - as indeed it does. Maybe. They identify possible real-world equivalents, which would lead me to believe it's not a real substance, but make no mention of any real-world inspiration. Vimescarrot (talk) 08:12, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Many thanks for that link. I hope I won't get lost like some visitors to the Unseen University library. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 09:07, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Numbered cards higher than 10

Are there any French-suited card games which use numbered cards higher than 10? --88.78.12.81 (talk) 12:20, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The French tarot uses the standard French suits plus a numbered trump suit which goes from 1 to 21 , but I can't think of any that use just the standard suits. Most games that require higher numbers combine packs and/or assign higher values to specific cards. Fouracross (talk) 12:52, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Intrigued by the question, I went for a quick search and uncovered this image of the 11 of hearts on Commons (from the description it appears that this one is a "proof of concept" rather than currently used in any games). Fouracross (talk) 13:14, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

What's about the Australian six-player card game of 500? --88.78.12.81 (talk) 12:56, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Indeed: [12], though I think that was originally played with additional cards from another pack with a trumping system (so the latter player had the advantage when two identical cards were played). Fouracross (talk) 13:14, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Are there any French-suited card games which use black 13's or numbered cards higher than 13? --88.78.12.81 (talk) 13:31, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

I can find 11's, but no 12's or red 13's on Wikimedia Commons. Please upload the missing cards to Wikimedia Commons. --88.78.12.81 (talk) 14:09, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Morphing

I was looking for a software something like they would use at a plastic surgeon's office when they take a nose or eyes from one picture and add it to another, or combine the two pictures to make one with new features. I am not sure what that is called or if it is ossible to do this? I tried using morpheus morph and a couple other morphing programs but they just play a movie of one picture after another, they don't actually combine the two photos. Does anybody have any idea what kind of tecnology or sftware this is and if it is available?

Identikit? Not software. I think you could use Photoshop or GIMP. 89.240.59.254 (talk) 14:36, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Starting a new article

I would like to start a new article on the Three Dimensional Black Board. I was concerned that it might be a COI and was referred to Requested Article. I'm not sure what category to put the request in, as it is both an educational tool and a sophisticated scientific instrument. I have been ponderinng this for quite some time, and seem to have reached an impasse. I am sure that this would be a notable topic, and a valuable addition to the encyclopedia. If I can get someone to start the article, I am sure I can provide the necessary references and details without using Original Research. Any ideas?Phineas J. Whoopee (talk) 13:07, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

You might want to put the bones of the article together at Wikipedia:Articles for creation. Alternatively, list the subject at plural categories. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:36, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

If you have a business relationship to a company that makes or sells such things - then you should probably just drop a brief note at Wikipedia:Articles for creation - indicating any possible web pages where further information might be found and explaining why you think the subject matter is notable...you can refer to our WP:NOTE guidelines to help you with defending that position. The people at 'articles for creation' there are pretty good at understanding what makes a notable subject and they'll get the article started if the subject turns out to be notable - and to have adequate reference material to get a 'stub' article written. If you have a conflict of interest then you need to be super-careful about what you write. In fact, you should probably hold off from editing the article at all and confine yourself to providing information and references on the article's associated Talk: page. SteveBaker (talk) 14:49, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

90.1 in Austin TX

There is a radio station in Austin, Texas on 90.1 FM that is end-to-end rabid ultra-conservative talk-radio stuff - interspersed with adverts for all kinds of survivalist gear and alternative healthcare junk like silver colloids. I don't ever hear a station ID's from them (which I think is illegal) - and they don't seem to match with any of the Texas stations listed in our 90.1 list. I pick them up when driving from San Antonio, San Angelo or Arlington, TX - all of which have NPR stations on 90.1...as their signals fade out, this weird station fades in...although it's quite low power. Is this some kind of pirate station? SteveBaker (talk) 15:20, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Could it be "American Freedom Radio" [13]? I found it linked from "vote rescue" in Austin, who mentioned that they broadcast on 90.1 FM. Seems to be conspiracy theories/libertarianism/alternative medicine woo. Fribbler (talk) 16:54, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Ah! Thanks - that must be it. It makes hilarious listening if you don't take it seriously. They pick up on the tiniest thing and blow it up to amazing conspiracy theories. I'll add them to the 90.1 article. SteveBaker (talk) 17:33, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Is it a licensed broadcast station, and if so what are the call letters? I do not want to explore their website, due to the possibility of malware. Edison (talk) 17:36, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

This is interesting, although it's two years old, so probably doesn't apply any longer. This doesn't show any stations in Austin at 90.1. And this doesn't show any stations at 90.1. This talks about "VoteRescue Radio can be heard on the radio in the Austin area at 90.1 FM" but the link to http://www.wtprn.com/ shows that they are off the air. Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 19:17, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The "American Freedom Radio" site mourns the loss of WTPRN, and seems to suggest it has inherited the same looney causes and shows. Fribbler (talk) 19:45, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

So you parallel libertarianism with alternative medicine and conspiracy theories. Not POV by any standards, right?--WaltCip (talk) 19:56, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Identify this old marine toilet

I've sailed on various boats over the years, and between all of them there's only about four kinds of toilet in common use. However, looking through some adverts for boats for sale, I've come across a model that's radically different from anything I've ever seen before. It's a long shot, but can anyone shed any light on [this strange old marine toilet]? 93.97.184.230 (talk) 19:40, 3 July 2009 (UTC)