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January 21

Crepes

Where can I find a real French recipe for crepes? Also, what do the French put in crepes? --75.15.162.220 (talk) 00:38, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Here is a real French recipe for crepes. For information on fillings, see our article Crepes. Marco polo (talk) 02:00, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

How many crepes does that recipe make? I don't think it says anywhere on that page. --71.153.45.189 (talk) 02:07, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd say enough for 1-2 people to see if the cook's any good ;) since you're using a quarter kilo of flour, over half a litre of milk and three eggs... --Ouro (blah blah) 05:50, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

You don't need a recipe for crepes. Just do it naturally -- put as much flour in a mixing bowel as you like, then add the sugar and salt, an egg or two, then enough milk to get the right consistency. The first time will be so-so, but you'll quickly learn to proportion everything well. It beats measuring things out every time for the rest of your natural life. Vranak (talk) 17:29, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Also the French put all sorts of things in crepes. Two of the classics are lemon juice + white sugar, or roll them up with cottage cheese inside, microwave 15 seconds per crepe, and you've got a blintz. Vranak (talk) 17:31, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

The french put both sweet and savory things in them - they pretty much treat them like you might treat bread. What things can you put in a sandwich? Pretty much anything...same deal with crepes. My wife (who is French) does all sorts of interesting things with them - a slightly cheesy aparagus mousse is one of our favorites but lots of lighter foods - salmon - thinly sliced duck with fresh cherries - seafood alfredo - curried chicken. On the sweeter side, A couple of crepes with Lemon and sugar folded inside - with some Grande Marnier or similar poured over them and set light is a classic...mmmmm! SteveBaker (talk) 04:56, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

terrorist free oil

What U.S.companies do not buy oil from terriorist countries? What gas stations sell this oil and where does it come from? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.100.196.166 (talk) 04:45, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Technically, I don't think the USA buys any oil from countries with which we don't have diplomatic relations, be it for terrorism or other reasons: Iran, for example. I may be wrong, but I don't think American companies are allowed to buy products from enemy nations. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:52, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

But we may still have diplomatic relations with (and thus be allowed to buy oil from) countries that 74.100 considers to be "terrorist countries". If 74 is able to list the countries that he (she?) considers to be "terrorist countries", then it will probably be easier to find specific answers. Buddy431 (talk) 05:37, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

And by "we" I mean the U.S., of course. Buddy431 (talk) 05:38, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

As for your second question (where does the oil come from), This lists the top 15 countries from which the U.S. imports oil. I wouldn't consider Canada or Mexico to be terrorist countries, and if you agree then you can look for companies that use oil from them. Keep in mind that the U.S. still produces some of its own oil (about 8.5 million barrels a day, over 40% of what it consume), which you're presumably OK with. Buddy431 (talk) 06:16, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I know a lot of people in the US don't like buying gas from companies, such as CITGO, that get their oil from Venezuela. If that qualifies as "terrorist", I don't know. Dismas|^(talk) 06:05, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

It does get back to the question of who does the OP consider "terrorist", and that list of Buddy's should help clarify things. Interesting that Nigeria was number 5 at the time of that survey. But producing an individual terrorist doesn't make the country terrorist. We were unknowingly harboring terrorists ourselves, prior to 9/11. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:33, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

The US gets some oil from Canada. Of course we have that evil healthcare thing that you USians are fighting so hard to keep out of your country, so that may not be any better. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:49, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't think our healthcare counts as terrorism, but some may disagree. Thanks, gENIUS101 21:45, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

While the US may not buy directly from "terrorist countries", the problem is that oil is extremely fungible eg friendly country A may produce 100m barrels a year but sell 150m barrels, the deficit 50m barrels being bought from unfriendly nation B at a price just below the market value. This could be done via third party C, or many levels between A and B. At all stages it may be mixed with 'good' oil to hide any signature that exists for 'bad' oil (I'm using good/bad to refer to 'country of origin'). Bottom line - when the oil arrives at a US port there is no way to be sure of its origins. Trieste (talk) 20:02, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

See this Snopes.com page. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:18, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

During the Iraq war, the US actually paid Saudi Arabia for oil, and many of the people tied in connection with the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia. ~AH1^(TCU) 02:34, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Youngest grandma

Who is the youngest grandma ever? --124.254.77.148 (talk) 08:58, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

According to this, Mum-Zi, a member of Chief Akkire’s harem on the island of Calabar, Nigeria, at age 16 (some other sources say 17). Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:27, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Is there a more reliable source for this horrible story? That website doesn't exactly shout "reliable". Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:22, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I can find no reliable sources, but the fact that "Mum-Zi" is awfully close to "mumsy" makes me wonder how reliable this claim is. Woogee (talk) 21:32, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Page 114 of "The future of taboo in these islands" (1936) is the oldest ref I found; doesn't look especially reliable either. jnestorius^(talk) 21:58, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know about Mum-Zi, but in the source given by Ghmyrtle, the stories of the five-year-old mother and the family that walks on all fours are actually quite accurate, so I wouldn't dismiss the source out of hand. John M Baker (talk) 23:18, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Do you have a reliable source verifying your claim that "the stories...are actually quite accurate"? Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Check out the cited sources for Lina Medina (the five-year-old mother) and Ulas family (the family with a quadrupedal gait). John M Baker (talk) 02:53, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I've struggled to find a reliable source for the Mum-Zi story - it seems to be sourced from Ripley's Believe It Or Not. We do have articles on Precocious puberty and List of youngest birth mothers, but neither mentions this specific case. This British case of a 26-year old grandmother appears to be reliably sourced, but I would have thought it very highly unlikely that it would be the youngest ever anywhere. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:08, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Blue?

Why does a file or a folder name(font color) in a computer suddenly turns to blue? anyone —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk) 09:36, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

You might have been better asking at the Computing Ref Desk. Astronaut (talk) 10:02, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

You don't say when or where it turns blue, or which operating system you are using; but I'll guess you mean in Windows Explorer. Assuming you haven been messing with the colour settings in your PC, names of things change to blue when you: (a) select your file or folder, or (b) you are going to rename a file or folder. Astronaut (talk) 10:01, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Also, in Windows XP using NTFS, if a file or folder has file compression enabled - then it's label will appear in a blue font. To check, right click on it, select properties->advanced and see if the 'Compress contents to save disk space' checkbox is ticked. Nanonic (talk) 12:15, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, if you use the "Disk Cleanup" tool under Accessories -> System Tools, it will automatically compress some files and folders that you don't use very often. They will then show up as blue. — jwillbur 01:36, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Stained glass toy

I am trying to get hold of a UK toy which is made of gel and sticks to windows. Any ideas please? Kittybrewster ☎ 10:30, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you can find it here. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:36, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

...or here? Ghmyrtle (talk) 14:29, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

how the FCUK?

How did this word "FUCK" originate, which people can't live without,and its applicability on all tenses ,situations,emotions impeccabily matched, but where the fuck :) , i mean where did it originate and how. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk)

Have you read the article on the word? --Onorem♠Dil 17:42, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

and FCUK (at least in the uk) became popular/notable based on the clothing company French Connection which started selling t-shirts and clothing branded 'FCUK' (as in French Connection United Kingdom). In my opinion it started off reasonably 'clever' with things like "What the french connection?", but seems to have been flogged-to-death now. It's a pity as they made good clothes (particularly their 'great plains' stuff that seems to not exist these days). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:42, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

FLICK OFF carries a slightly similar idea. ~AH1^(TCU) 02:32, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Pi/e corporate sign

My friend told me that there is a corporation based in California with the symbols of Pi and the imaginary number 'E' on their corporate sign at their headquarters. Does anyone know which corporation this is? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.29.160.141 (talk) 19:00, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know but would like to point out that e (note lower case) is a very real number. Are you thinking of i? That's an imaginary "number". Aaadddaaammm (talk) 19:16, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

(ec)This list gives a lot of examples of logos for Californian corporations involving the symbol Pi, but none matching the description I think. Oh and E is not imaginary, it's just irrational. Mikenorton (talk) 19:21, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

There was a trucking line called Pacific Intermountain Express, which said PIE on its trucks, but that's probably not it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:35, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I can't find any record of a corporation using it for a logo, but maybe it was Euler's identity? Marnanel (talk) 00:56, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Appologies

Sorry to repost, but I asked a question a few days ago and feel that due to the way in which I expressed myself, I did not obtain the answer I was looking for so I wish to rephrase. A mugger in the area I live in has apparently been sent to prison. A number of people in the local comunity knew of him and his very violet ways. He was sent to prison for beating up his girlfriend because she left him, and he apparently was told this would make her realise she loves him. Crazy I know, but what we would like to know as a comunity, what are the chances of him spending the rest of his life in prison due to him being violent while in prison. We want him to stay there forever as he is blatently phsychotic. He was given 5 years apparently, will he come out and back into our neighbourhood to mug people again? UK —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.146.112 (talk) 19:54, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

There is absolutely no way we could tell you if a person who was sent to prison for a violent crime is going to commit further acts of violence while in prison. We do not know the future, and we do not know anywhere close to enough about this guy to give a meaningful answer. Googlemeister (talk) 20:06, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Of people sentenced to a few years in prison, the vast majority will go free at some point. --Tango (talk) 20:13, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

It can and does happen. May I suggest you contact your local police station, because they have the power to resettle him away from the community where his crimes were committed. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:18, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

They can certainly keep him away from his victims while he's on probation (it would just be made a condition of his license), but after his 5 years are up I don't see what they could do. You would need to convince a judge that there was a real risk and get a restraining order, or similar. --Tango (talk) 21:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

There are special laws for sex offenders in the US, which can restrict where a person lives even after probation or parole, one of the most controversial being Julia Tuttle Causeway sex offender colony. Clearly none of that applies here and I'm pretty sure you're right once the parole or probation is up it's unlikely he could be stopped from living anywhere he wants barring restraining or protection orders. Nil Einne (talk) 10:37, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

In my way of thinking, there's two options for dealing with an errant individual. You give them the freedom to improve themselves, or you remove them from the area. Executions are effective but you may as soon kill yourself. Relocation breeds resentment in the perpetrator. So all you can do is let the bad apples rot. Putting them in prison is inhumane by any reasonable standard -- and of course the vast majority of hard-working taxpayers have no interest whatsoever in reasonableness. They want the new Lexus and the mortgage to be paid off. Getting the perps out of sight and out of mind is acceptable to them, because they have no interest in other people's feelings, aside from a very select few! And why should they! Vranak (talk) 20:31, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Some people are sentenced to 5 years and are released after half the sentence is served (assuming good behaviour while inside). Others are sentenced to prison at Her Majesty's pleasure with a recommendation that they serve a minimum of 5 years - in which case they can be detained until it is felt that they no longer constitute a threat to society. Kittybrewster ☎ 22:47, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Indefinite imprisonment is pretty rare in the UK and is only used if the convicted criminal is deemed to pose an extremely serious risk to the public. (They are used for young offenders as an alternative to life imprisonment, though.) --Tango (talk) 01:37, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Such a sentence has just been imposed, but it doesn't mean "you will never be released". (Minors used to be sentenced to be detained At Her Majesty's Pleasure - the BBC report (just a "stub" at the moment) doesn't say if that was the actual sentence in this case.) AndrewWTaylor (talk) 12:20, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Future interstates 3 digits

Is any of those interstates i-570, I-370, I-326, I-169, I-364, I-730 going to happen sometimes in future or is these interstates just bunches of speculations. Do thye even go through SHC codes or is just peoples wanting those interstates. Because interstate-guide.com is known to be mostly Crystal ball and isn't a valid sources.--209.129.85.4 (talk) 20:51, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Those are very much "potential" future Interstates, and are mostly speculation and ideas tossed around by higher-ups, with a few concrete proposals thrown in for good measure. See our List of future auxiliary Interstate Highways for a list of Interstates that are either in serious proposal or planning, or are already under construction. (In addition to this list there is one primary Interstate highway, Interstate 22, which is under construction.) Of the Interstates you mention, none are found on our list, although two - I-130 (AR) and I-269 (MS-TN) - have the same "parent". Xenon54 / talk / 21:38, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure about Interstate 570 or Interstate 370, but Interstate 326 used to travel on the same roadway that Interstate 77 does on the eastern and southern sides of Columbia, SC. Interstate 169 and Interstate 730 are pretty much speculation. Interstate 364 may be even more remote of a possibility to be built.

What do you mean by saying that [www.interstate-guide.com Interstate-Guide] is "mostly Crystal ball" and "isn't a valid source"?

Allen (talk) 22:30, 27 September 2011 (UTC)

Public Domain images

This image is apparently in the public domain. So I can use it right? Is there somewhere I can go and search for similar images in the public domain? ie: Troops, Imphal, Kohima, Burma, Allied...91.109.194.143 (talk) 21:58, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

The picture is a work of the United Kingdom's government and indeed can be used anywhere, for any purpose. The picture is actually at Wikimedia Commons, which is a sister site of Wikipedia where all pictures must be freely licensed (i.e. not copyrighted), so I would go there to look for more pictures. You can go to the image's page on Commons (Commons:File:Imphalradio.jpg) and scroll down to the bottom to find a list of categories that the image is included in: "Imphal", "Burma campaign", "People in conversation", "History of Manipur", "Military people of India", and "Pacific War". Xenon54 / talk / 22:31, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Correction: "Freely licensed" does not mean "not copyrighted". Everything you type on Wikipedia, for example, is copyrighted by you, and you have freely licensed it to everyone, via the GFDL (and, now, via the CC-BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons license). Something that is in the public domain (such as works by the US government) are not "freely licensed" because you don't need a license from anyone to freely use public domain material. This sounds like a quibble but I think it is important to remain clear about who owns the copyright to things. One reason it is important is that if you own the copyright to something that you have freely licensed, and someone else copies your work but violates the license, it is only you (or a proxy) who can sue the violator. If the work were actually not copyrighted, nobody could sue them to enforce the free license. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:10, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

And freely licensed does not mean public domain. Public domain means there are zero restrictions on use. Copyleft licensed (e.g. GFDL, CC-SA, etc.) all have restrictions, they are just more specific (and in some ways less onerous) than traditionally copyrighted material. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:39, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The picture's license field indicates is in the public domain, and so you can use it for whatever you want. Many such pictures on Commons are in the public domain but check their pages—many are copyleft licensed, which does put restrictions on how they can be used. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:39, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

You should bear in mind laws can vary from country to country. We require images to be available under a free license or in the public domain in the country of origin and in the US on the commons (but not wikipedia which only requires the US). However while many countries follow the copyright terms of the country of origin, not all do. You appear to be from the UK, so presuming your only planning to publish locally this doesn't apply here but it's something to consider for the future. It's also possible someone was careless or confused or even someone who doesn't care about copyright has lied (it happens); so we are mistaken about the copyright status. Particularly if you are intending to use images for a professional or commercial usage, it's always wise to look into the details yourself and perhaps seeking the advice of a lawyer if necessary. Again, this image looks clear cut enough to me but something to bear in mind for the future. In other words, note that we don't take any responsibility if you get in trouble for reuse (although if we are mistaken in any way on the details, please tell us!) Nil Einne (talk) 16:39, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

January 22

further info re: weasels

I have read the articles on weasels, but have need of further info. My family has lost 2 cats in the past 2 wks. They were both taken at night and found in the lake the next morning, dead. Each time their body was chewed open and insides gone. Their sleeping place was on a second floor deck with the lattice work gate to the deck locked and a warmed "cat house" to protect them from cold and bad weather. The male, taken first, was about 15 yrs old and weighed about 10-12 lbs. The female was 14 yrs old and a smaller cat, about 6lbs. My father says he has seen some weasels in the vicinity at times, but not up close to the house. Considering the cats size and weight and years of survival, do you think a weasel could have got up on the deck, carried them off and left them in the lake? It has been very cold here in Alabama for the past few weeks and the cats certainly would not venture down to the water. They are always in their house when it is cold and/or windy. Please answer and let me know if a weasel is capable of this. Thank you4.153.89.93 (talk) 00:08, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It's hard to imagine an animal as small as a weasel overcoming a house cat, even an elderly one. I would be inclined to suspect a bobcat or a raccoon. Marco polo (talk) 00:27, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd have thought a wild weasel would come off tops against a house-cat, especially elderly cats as described. Weasels can be vicious little so-and-sos. I'm very sorry for your loss, cats are very special. DuncanHill (talk) 00:46, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Given the location you found them (in or near a lake), and your location (Alabama), I suspect it was a raccoon. Raccoons can hold their own against nearly any breed of dog, and would have no trouble overcoming a house cat. They're also quite comfortable in and around water, so dragging the carcass down to the shore to feed is reasonable. I'm sorry for your loss. I love cats (I've got 4). In the future, please consider keeping your pets indoors. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is only 2~3 years due to accidents & predators. You were very lucky to have both of yours survive longer than a decade! 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:25, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Please provide a reference for that 2-3 years. I think it is far higher than that... --Tango (talk) 01:33, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The reference was posted a few months ago. Look it up in the archives. Outdoor cats live a small fraction of the years of indoor cats. Edison (talk) 05:55, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It was a discussion in which you participated. See Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 August 7#New Kitten in House with Cats. Indoor cats live 14-20 years, while outdoor cats lie 3-5 years, per the references then cited. (Mileage may vary).Edison (talk) 05:55, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I kind of wish your citations had citations. Mileage must vary substantially depending on whether you live in a country with raccoons and bobcats, and whether "outdoor cat" means "medically neglected" cat or not, as you first reference seems to think it does. 81.131.59.147 (talk) 10:26, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I do not post what I think on the Reference Desk, I post what I know. The U.S. Humane Society's website has a PDF called Cat Care Basics. On page 12 you will find the following text - Keeping Your Cat Safe Don't be tempted by the idea of a wandering, free-spirited cat to let your cat roam freely outdoors. The HSUS estimates that the average life span of a cat who lives his or her life outdoors is less than three years. Even indoor-outdoor cats — those who roam outdoors occasionally but spend much of their time inside — face far shorter life spans on average than their safely confined counterparts. If you disagree with this assessment, you can take it up with them. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 02:49, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

My neighbors (I'm speaking the Alpine region of Slovenia) have plenty of completely free roaming cats, and even my family had some in the past, and saying they most likely wont live past 3 years seems like a ridiculously gross exaggeration considering my real-life observations - the second most common cause of death for cats in my neighborhood (second to death of old age) is getting hit by cars. Other than that, maybe the occasional fox or dog may kill one, but that's rare. Heck, even getting hit by a car is rare. I wonder if the US has a larger number of natural cat predators? TomorrowTime (talk) 09:53, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Seconded, from the UK. Keeping a cat permanently indoors would be regarded here as strange, eccentric, possibly even cruel. Our cats aren't all dying young. 93.97.184.230 (talk) 21:50, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

This type of thing probably varies wildly depending on the neighborhood. If a gazillion cats get run over in (for example) Manhattan, but a few cats survive to old age out in the country, you could expect the national average to be quite low even if all the cats in your immediate rural neighborhood have nice long lives. APL (talk) 17:06, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

High levels of kitten mortality would also dramatically lower life expectancies without shortening the lives of cats known to you personally. APL (talk) 17:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

What makes the weasel unlikely is that the cats were dragged from a tall structure across a yard to a lake. A cat weighs several times as much as a weasel. I can't see how the weasel could get the cat to the lake. On the other hand, raccoons are known to kill cats, drag them to a favored feeding spot, and then eat them: [1]. Marco polo (talk) 01:34, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The wolverine is a type of weasel. Are there any wolverines in the south? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:48, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

A wolverine is to a weasel what a tiger is to a housecat, and the only wolverine within 1,000 miles of Alabama would be in a zoo. Googlemeister (talk) 14:45, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

This is in response to TomorrowTime: there's a lot more predatory wildlife in and around North American cities then in Europe. I live in a well-settled suburban area, and have heard of raccoons, foxes, coyotes, black bears, and badgers roaming from time to time in the neighborhood. Bobcats, cougars and other beasts hazardous to housepets are present elsewhere near residential areas in North America. The fact the cats survived many years without problems is likely a sign that the predator moved to the Alabama neighborhood recently. Unusual weather patterns may indeed have led it to stray away from its usual habitat. --Xuxl (talk) 15:15, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I suspect cars, not predators, are the leading cause of death of outdoor cats in the US. Anecdotally, I don't know anyone who has had a cat get killed by a predator, though I know many, many who have had cats hit by cars. --Mr.98 (talk) 16:09, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I recall seeing more dead dogs and cats along 2 lane highways in the country than along city streets. A 60 mile per hour car in the country may be more deadly than a 30 mile per hour car in the city. An urban environment might be less deadly to a cat than a rural environment. Edison (talk) 17:35, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

In New England, the Fisher, known locally as a "Fishercat", was known to take out cats and small dogs; not often, but it is documented. A fisher is a mustelid just like a weasel is, and though fishers do not range as far south as Alabama, there are lots of other predators that do. I can't see a raccoon doing it, I'm sure raccoons can hunt, but any raccoon in an environment where it comes into regular contact with people will surely find it easier to scavange from trash rather than actively hunt cats. Raccoons are wily and intelligent and I can't see one prefering to take out your cat when your trash can is likely just sitting there waiting to be raided. Path of least resistance, and all. If we confine ourselves to mustelids, then I would think that your cats are likely falling victim to the American Badger. It is more common out west, but our article says that they range from Mexico to Canada, and Alabama certainly qualifies as vaguely between Mexico and Canada. If we expand to other predators, then something like a Cougar (mountain lion, puma, panther, whatever) could be possible. While most were driven out of the Eastern U.S. long ago, there have been sightings around places like Chicago and New Hampshire and places like that. Would not be out of the realm of possibility. Coyotes are much more likely, given their near endemic spread across the whole of North America. Bobcats are a possibility too. But the list could go on and on.--Jayron32 05:42, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

I know that coyotes and mountain lions have been moving east in recent years, but the Alabama part makes me wonder if wild boars/feral pigs would be a more likely culprit. Not sure they would break into a second-story fenced deck like that, though. One thing the OP might try is to look for tracks near where the bodies were found; especially as they were near water - there's probably mud nearby. Larger animals would leave tracks. AlexiusHoratius 06:30, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

UK road safety advert

Looking for one of the UK's road safety ads that I remember from when I was a kid. It was, I think, to do with looking before crossing (rather than speeding) - I remember it involved someone stepping into the road, with the tarmac deforming and morphing into a car that then hit them. Anyone know its name or a YouTube link? Thanks! 131.111.248.99 (talk) 01:25, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It'll likely be helpful if you give a rough time frame of when you saw this ad rather then 'when I was a kid' (since we don't know your age). From the description, I doubt it was in the 1950s for example (too fancy effects for the time for a road safety ad) but that's just a guess. And since there was ads on UK TV at the time (whether road safety ads, I don't know), it seems possible based on the only clues you've provided that the time frame could be in the 1950s until say 2005 which is very wide Nil Einne (talk) 10:59, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

And there were cinema advertisements before that. Warofdreams talk 11:22, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

See this article on the Green Cross Code which gives a history of the subject. In the mid-1960s we were taught the "Kerb Drill" which confused me as I was convinced a kerb drill was a tool used by road menders (well, I was only 6). Alansplodge (talk) 11:15, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

If you get no joy here, you could try asking over at TV Cream http://www.tvcream.co.uk/?page_id=81/longshots/ --Frumpo (talk) 14:23, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

D'oh, sorry! I think this would have been mid 90s (maybe 93-97 kind of time). 131.111.248.99 (talk) 15:16, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Public Information Films are here http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/FILMS/ --Frumpo (talk) 17:06, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Carrageenan

In reading up on this product, I find that it is seaweed. Seaweed contains Iodine, which many people are allergic to. There is no warning label on products that contain Carrageenan ie: "this product contains peanuts or milk or soy". This is very serious and should be addressed. Is there any way to add this information to this product, even in Wikipedia and have companies add this warning to their products? thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Leebrotherstx (talk • contribs) 04:55, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

An iodine allergy sounds unusual to me. It's a necessary nutrient, and I can't find anything about allergies in Iodine in biology. Note that iodine is added to most table salt to protect against goiter, and it's an important flavor component of the best Scotch whiskey. PhGustaf (talk) 05:30, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Google [iodine allergy] and you'll see plenty of references to it, a number of which claim that there is no actual allergy to iodine. Not being trained in this area, I couldn't say who's right. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:46, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Also, that was the first (and so far, only) edit by the named user. I wonder what's up with that. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:50, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Who cares? How does this affect us at all? Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:51, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It's a puzzlement. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:31, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

So the assumption is that everyone should have edited elsewhere before they ask a question, Nah, don't buy that. Richard Avery (talk) 08:24, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

When a supposed newbie's one and only edit is to raise a possibly controversial question, then it looks fishy. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

When he's made his 10,000th edit, this will still be his very first edit but it will no longer be his one and only edit. Will it still look fishy then? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:02, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Hard telling. I'm still waiting (though not at all anxiously) for his second edit. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:06, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"Iodine allergies" usually refer to something quite different to a dietary allergy. Some people react to radiology contrast dyes; others can have skin reactions to topical iodine solutions such as Povidone-iodine. This is not always due to the iodine itself. Gwinva (talk) 07:49, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It should be noted that iodine is an essential trace nutrient, and an absence of iodine in the diet – iodine deficiency – causes goiter and cretinism. Iodine compounds are frequently added to food supplies, especially salt. (Iodised salt is consumed in roughly two-thirds of all households worldwide.) As Gwinva notes, the reactive elemental iodine present in topical iodine antiseptics is quite different from the compounded iodine in foods and supplements. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:07, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

People confuse fish allergy with iodine allergy (which is uncommon). Here is what iodine points to. Hey bugs: AGF. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 19:28, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Song in commercial

There's a TV commercial that's been playing recently (I couldn't tell you what the product is). I recently realized I wanted to find that out so I could Google the commercial, mainly for the song that's playing.

The song consists of nonsense syllables with a catchy tune. It sounds a little like Vertigogo, by Combustible Edison, but I don't think it is.

The commercial is animated/CGI, and shows a stylized, blocky frisbee being thrown to a stylized, blocky dog. I think the background is purple.

Does this ring a bell with anyone? --Trovatore (talk) 11:27, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Any particular country? (not that I can help, probably). --ColinFine (talk) 18:05, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

US. Would probably have been on one of the following channels: SyFy, the CW, Fox, or the Comedy Channel. --Trovatore (talk) 20:19, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, don't know the comercial itself, but some ideas for songs with nonsense lyrics may be

• Mah Nà Mah Nà, which is quite famous in the U.S. for its use in The Muppet Show, and has shown up in advertising fairly recently.
• Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day by Stevie Wonder
• Strangers in the Night, especially Frank Sinatra's scat at the end of the song.
• De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police.
• Do Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann
• Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) by Barry Mann
• Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

Just some places to start looking, but my money would be on "Mah Na Mah Na". --Jayron32 05:27, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

It was definitely not Mah Na Mah Na. Thinking about it I think it was probably Vertigogo after all; maybe a slightly different arrangement than the one I have. But I just didn't quite get that recognition feeling when I went back and played Vertigogo so I'm still not sure.

Has anyone else recently heard Vertigogo on American TV commercials? --

Are you referring to the Honda Crosstour commercials? Specifically the "Boxes" ad [2]? From what I can tell, the song is called Pata Pata. (Google autocompletes "music" and "song" for "Honda Crosstour ad", so it seems to be a popular question.) By the way, "Pata Pata" is not nonsense syllables, but rather lyrics in the Xhosa language. -- 174.21.213.12 (talk) 23:24, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

That's it!! Thank you very much. --Trovatore (talk) 23:26, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

How is the membership of the DEC chosen?

Resolved

And also, why isn't World Jewish Relief in it? Christian Aid is, Islamic Relief is. I'm not suggesting an anti-Semitic conspiracy, but it seems odd.

Thanks, 130.88.171.213 (talk) 18:27, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Please make it clear what the "DEC" is. In the US, it's a defunct computer manufacturer, and a quick Google search doesn't dig up anything that sees relevant. PhGustaf (talk) 18:37, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

• DEC is the Disasters Emergency Committee, and includes 13 major British relief charities. I do not know why World Jewish Relief is not a member, maybe it would be worth the OP asking them? DuncanHill (talk) 18:40, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. I found the same thing and made the same suggestion before the edit conflict. PhGustaf (talk) 18:44, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The simple non-conspiracy explanation seems to be that World Jewish Relief is not quite large enough for DEC membership. One of the DEC membership criteria is "expenditure on emergency work overseas of £10 million a year averaged over three years". World Jewish Relief Fund annual report and accounts 2008/2009 says their charitable expenditure was £8.4m in 2008 and £6.6m in 2009.

The answer to the original question (How is the membership of the DEC chosen?) is that membership is reviewed every 3 years and any organisation that thinks it meets the membership criteria can apply for membership. Next membership review is in 2011.Gandalf61 (talk) 20:17, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Cheers everyone, that pretty much clears it all up. 130.88.171.213 (talk) 08:59, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

My garage door opener

I think the motor is burned out, but I'm not sure. When I activate it the carriage travels a few inches with some clicks and hums, then stops and reverses itself. This is with no load on it (I've disengaged the door itself). Any tricks I can try to get it working again before I go out to buy a new unit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Agastordoff (talk • contribs) 20:43, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

When this has happened to me, it was because the light sensor at the bottom of the door was misaligned; the misalignment was misinterpreted as being a little kid wedged under the door's path, so the door reversed itself. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:34, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

If you can see a large capacitor with the motor, look to see if it is swollen and if it is replace it. I've done that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.220.46.124 (talk) 21:38, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The "move, click, reverse" pattern indicates that one of the safety mechanisms is triggering, because it thinks the door has run into an obstacle. Check the opener's track for obstructions, check any light sensors for dust, and if you're comfortable working with machinery, unplug the motor unit, open it, and check for obstructions or damage to the gears. --Carnildo (talk) 00:24, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Is there a light that turns on when it opens? Does the light blink when the lift doesn't work right? --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 19:24, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Hah! We just recently fixed the same problem on our garage door. We tried everything - adjusting the sensors, re-greasing the chain, re-greasing the tracks, cleaning out everything. What eventually fixed it, against all sense, was resetting the remote. Most remotes have a large button to open and close the door, and then one or more smaller buttons to reprogram the link between remote and motor. Resetting that link is what did it for us. Sounds completely bullshit, I know, but we'd been having trouble for months and this is what fixed it. Worth a try - and cheaper than hiring an outside handyman by a long shot. Matt Deres (talk) 15:36, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

commercial airline pilots

What is the ages of commercial airline pilots flying for major US air carriers?

Number below 25, 25-35, 35-45, 45-55, older? Googlemeister (talk) 20:47, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

14 CFR 121.383 mandates that airline pilots may not be age 65 older. 14 CFR 61.123 mandates that a commercial pilot must be at least 18 years of age. So, airline pilots flying for major US air carriers are between ages 18 and 65. anonymous6494 21:18, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The FAA has a page of aviation data statistics right here, for USA data. I didn't find exactly what you are looking for, but one of the Excel sheets says the average age of a commercial pilot in 2003 was 46.5, and the average "airline transport" category was 47.0. A different Excel sheet on that page has actual numbers of pilot certificate holders, sorted by age category just like you asked; but it's all pilots, not just commercial ones. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:42, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Note that a commercial rating and an airline rating are two separate things (with airline being much more intensive with the training). You must be 23 to be eligible to fly commercially for an airline, but 18 to charge somebody money to fly them to a destination 14 CFR 61.153a. Falconus^{p t c} 17:14, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Is there a distinction between cargo and passenger too? --Tango (talk) 20:51, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not 100% sure. I'm training to be a private pilot, which essentially means that I will not be allowed to charge passengers more than an equal share of the cost of the flight (if it costs $200 to fly three passengers somewhere, I cannot legally charge the three more than $50 each). I don't know where the exact regulations are specified for what qualifies as airline transport operations and what qualifies as commercial (and where cargo falls into the midst of it all). If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that if you were flying cargo for an airline (such as FedEx, perhaps), you would need an airline transport rating, but if you wanted to fly cargo in your own plane for a profit, all you'd need is a commercial rating. The place that I am fuzzy about is where exactly lies the difference between a company that hires pilots to fly airplanes and an airline. Falconus^{p t c} 05:20, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Airlines fly scheduled routes and are subject to more regulation than "a company that hires pilots to fly airplanes". The latter falls under the area of general aviation. FiggyBee (talk) 07:38, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

January 23

Visible ink, invisible when photocopied

I remember, many years ago, using a pen that enabled us to write openly on a master document (e.g. MASTER) and photocopy from it without that writing showing up on the copies. Googling for "invisible photocopy pen" and the like doesn't work: I get sites about ink that is invisible under normal circumstances but shows up in photocopies, which is the opposite of what I want. Any ideas what this sort of pen or ink is called, and where they are for sale? Thanks. BrainyBabe (talk) 09:14, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Many years ago, ordinary light blue ink often did not show up on photocopies, but the technology has been much improved since then. Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:37, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Non-photo blue? 80.219.8.3 (talk) 09:46, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

You can always write "Master if [colour x] " with a [colour x] pen, then black and white photocopies will not be confused for the master... Aaadddaaammm (talk) 10:59, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Standards Australia used to do something like that (I don't know if they still do). When you bought a printed copy of a standard from them, it was stamped with "Offical copy from Standards Australia. Red seal". Mitch Ames (talk) 03:49, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I spent many hours of my youth playing music that said If this writing is not in red, this is an illegal photocopy. It was always black. 86.179.150.105 (talk) 19:34, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Highlighter pens (the yellow colour) usually don't show up in photo-copies. Also this yahoo-answers suggests a 'non-repro' blue pens (http://www.shoplet.com/office/db/PIL16002.html) (source: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081205040756AAJ2yQ3). ny156uk (talk) 15:58, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

My office use Yellow Highlighters too - doesn't show when photocopied... Gazhiley (talk) 13:34, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

The older black and white only copiers usually had one colour they couldn't detect very well (often red, but sometimes blue). I occasionally found my hand-written notes would have disappeared. Like Mitch hints at above, you could also get a coloured ink-stamp that said "Original" in the colour the copier couldn't see; that way any copies were not marked original and could in theory have been altered without authorisation (very important in security-consious industries like defence). Astronaut (talk) 05:11, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Unless the person doing the altering had the same stamp... Nil Einne (talk) 10:57, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks all, appreciated. BrainyBabe (talk) 22:46, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Tivo To VHS

I'm trying to get something from a friend's Tivo--specifically, an episode of YRU-Up that I hosted--to a VHS tape. My friend says that we need something called an SV cable, but Google talks of many different kinds. So for those who are Tivo savvy: how can I get a program into a tape and what sort of SV cable would I need? Thank you. Tuesday42 (talk) 20:07, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Does your friend mean an S-Video cable? If you have a composite video cable lying around you can use that, as well. All you need is something to connect one of the secondary (i.e. not used for TV) outputs to a VCR recording on its input channel - usually 3 or 4. This is assuming the Tivo has two tuners - i.e. the capability to output a live program to the TV and the recorded program to the VCR. In a worst-case scenario, if the Tivo has a coaxial cable output and both your VCR and your TV have the same input, you can rig them together with two lengths of coaxial cable, play the recording as if you were watching it, and record. Xenon54 / talk / 20:49, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

So would a generic S-Video cable work or is there a specific kind I would need? Tuesday42 (talk) 23:55, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Any cable will provide an adequate recording - just make sure it's long enough. (I once had the misfortune of buying a $35 HDMI cable that was six inches too short! Fortunately, I think S-Video cables are only that expensive when you get to 20 feet or so.) Xenon54 / talk / 00:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

My Tivo (in the UK) uses SCART cables. To write to VHS, you connect a SCART to the Tivo's VHS out connector and connect the other end to the recorder. Then start the recorder and select "Save to VHS". --Phil Holmes (talk) 22:20, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the info, but I live in the U.S., so SCART cables are out. Tuesday42 (talk) 23:55, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Aparantly, SCART cables are called EIA Multiports in the US. 89.242.94.72 (talk) 23:42, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

If the back of your friend's Tivo looks like this image from the Tivo article, you would need either the above mentioned S-video cable (if your VCR has an S-video input) or a set of video copying cables with 3 RCA connectors at one end (red, white and yellow - just like in this image) and probably the same at the other end for your VCR. Once you have connected the Tivo output to the VCR input and got the VCR on the correct input source, it is a simple matter to hit record on the VCR when you hit play on the Tivo. Astronaut (talk) 04:57, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

School day start time

This article got me thinking about why school days start at the time they do. The article is about children suffering through lack of sleep, and mentions that, in the USA, children who start school later tend to perform better. It goes on to say that "obstacles against later start times are numerous", but doesn't say what these obstacles might be. So my question is, what debates are there around what time the school day should begin? I'm not interested in when the school day starts in any particular country, just in what the pros and cons are to starting earlier vs. starting later. I was surprised to read that 85% of public high schools in America start their day before 8.15am. That seems far too early to me, and I can't imagine why anyone would argue in favour of such an early start time. The only arguments I can think of in favour are (a) more daylight after school in the winter months and (b) more time to do after-school activities, but these seem heavily outweighed by the arguments put forward in the article in favour of a later start time. Thanks. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 20:16, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Early starts are convenient for working parents. I'm not in the least surprised that later starts appear to be associated with better performance. DuncanHill (talk) 20:25, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

A few years ago, there was some talk here locally about changing start times for schools. Roughly speaking, schools here start with a schedule something like this:

• High Schools run from 7:15-2:15
• Middle Schools run from 7:45-2:45
• Elementary Schools run from 8:15-3:15

I've made those numbers up, but they capture the general idea of the schedule here in Raleigh, North Carolina. From my memory of the discussion, the idea was to "flip-flop" the schedule, so that Elementary schools would run from 7:15-2:15 and High Schools would run from 8:15-3:15. The reasons cited in support of the move were pedagogical/psychological. Apparently several studies had been done that found that older children reached "peak performance" later in the day than younger children; that is from a pedeagogical perspective it made more sense to have younger kids in school earlier and older kids in school later, since it better matched their own diurnal schedules. The opposition to this plan was based around non-educational factors, such as 1) after school activities (for example, a sports team playing an "away" game would miss more class time, since they would still need to leave to travel) 2) families depend on having the older children home FIRST to watch after the younger children, and the proposed changes would have left lots of elementary-aged children home without supervision for some time. 3) High school students often have after-school jobs, and such a change in schedule would affect that. I distinctly remember #2 being the biggest factor in deciding NOT to enact a later start time for HS students. --Jayron32 21:28, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Hmm ... an interesting article. I was surprised to read about how early some schools start in the US. Around 8:45 a.m. would be the average starting time for UK schools. Of course, an earlier start doesn't have to mean less sleep, but late bedtimes are becoming a cultural norm everywhere. As the article says: Overscheduling of activities, homework, lax bedtimes, television sets and mobile phones in the bedroom all contribute [to lack of sleep]. So does guilt; home from work after dark, ­parents want time with the children and are ­reluctant to order them to bed. Dbfirs 21:34, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

(E/C, not a biggy) I don't think the Grauniad article mentioned the UK example. In short, they started school an hour later. given the average teaching in a day is about 5 hours, this cut teaching time by a fifth. There are plenty of reasons why they didn't extend the day, eg. abov. This lead many people to question whether the gain in "productivity" (undisputed in itself) was worth it. Also, people here are mindful of the continent, and French and German schools start earlier, in most cases. I believe German schools start at least an hour earlier, if not more. (An appeal to popularity, as it were.) - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 21:40, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

School in Germany, at least for younger children, begins between 7:30 and 8:15 (the majority are closer to the later end of that range) and can end as early as 12:00, though it's usually closer to 12:30 - 13:00 and definitely no later than 13:30. For higher grades, there are usually "afternoon lessons" that extend past 13:30, sometimes well in the afternoon. This depends on the school; if that is the case then an in-school lunch break, a foreign concept to German students who are used to going home for lunch, may be provided.Xenon54 / talk / 21:53, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

My high school (early-mid '90s) began at 7:30, with the middle school having a later start and the elementary school the latest start. The idea was to ensure the oldest kids got home first so they would already be there when the youngest kids got home. I had the misfortune of having math class first period one year and fell asleep in class just about every day. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:01, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Wow looking at all these times make me feel glad that in New Zealand schools (at least for me, but I'm not aware of much variation) start at around 8:30 for both primary and secondary schools. --antilived^{T | C | G} 23:46, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Many American students use school buses, so they have to stagger the start times unless it's a really tiny school district. If everyone came to school at the same time, they'd have to buy three times as many buses and hire three times as many drivers. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:35, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

A later start would be better in almost every way. Unfortunately you can't get it to happen, because of football. Schools start early to allow football practice after school — slightly oversimplified, maybe, but not much.

I would like to see competitive sport very much de-emphasized in secondary school. This is very different from the question of physical fitness, which if anything needs more emphasis. But physical fitness is best attained through individual activity, not team sport. --Trovatore (talk) 04:04, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Two comments. (1) Someone above mentioned convenience for the parents, but what's convenient for the parents will vary depending on typical working hours in the particular city (and perhaps on how far the parents typically have to commute). And (2) In the 5 different schools I attended in two different provinces of Canada, the start time was invariably 9 am or within 10 minutes of that. When I got to university, the earliest lectures were 8:30, but that time slot was relatively little used and it was often possible to start the day at 9:30 or later. --Anonymous, 05:02 UTC, January 24, 2010.

The school I attended typically started at 9am and finished around 3:30 or 4 pm. That still left me with a couple of hours after school with no parental supervision. It leaves me wondering how an 8am or earlier start is more convenient for parents if the kids are kicking around town most of the afternoon til their parents return from work at 5 or 6pm? Astronaut (talk) 04:38, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Well I guess it goes back to the typical start time of a working day. As the anon said above these will vary, but in general working days start between 8am and 9am. The later the school day starts, the harder it becomes for the parent to get to work on time. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 06:21, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

That's why they send the high-school kids home so early -- so there's more likely to be an older sibling at home when the younger kids get there. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:48, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

January 24

Scam Jobs

A friend of mine sent her resume to a bunch of Craigslist job opening. The result is that she’s gotten three scam job offers in three days. The scams usually ask her to fill out a standard looking application. However the “companies” don’t list any address or phone number, and they usually offer high paying administrative jobs sight unseen. Some even have mock websites: This for instance: [3]

My question: How do these companies scam their unwary victim? At what point do they ask for the credit card number? Do they deal in identity theft? Kidnapping? --S.dedalus (talk) 00:11, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Some want your friend to be a money mule; others just want your friend's details so they can, as you thought, steal her identity (in particular, so they can obtain credit in her name). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:14, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

As the money mule article isn't clear enough, many (most, perhaps) money mules are unwitting dupes, and they're the ones (not their internet gangster employers) who end up getting arrested. See http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs25a-JobSeekerPriv2.htm -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:16, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

More here and here. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:18, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Indeed I knew someone back in 2004 who got a 'job' offer via a reputable NZ job website which was as a money mule. I believe they claimed the job was to accept payments for their business. They called the police so obviously didn't get arrested. Nil Einne (talk) 05:46, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

A standard technique for scam jobs is to require payment for training. You are promised that you will more than get your money back afterwards and then don't (either they just run away or they claim your work is sub-standard and refuse to pay you). --Tango (talk) 03:11, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"Flash" in Australia?

Flash Gordon says: In Australia, the character and strip were retitled "Speed Gordon" to avoid the negative connotation of the word "Flash". What does "flash" connote in Australia? Staecker (talk) 00:55, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm no Australian - but in British-English and New Zealand-English slang, "Flash" can mean "Flashy" - someone who shows off their wealth in an extravagant or inappropriate way. A "flasher" is someone who exposes themselves in public. Neither are particularly appropriate for that nice Mr Gordon...but he's well known as "Flash Gordon" in the UK - so that's not it. Maybe there is a worse connotation in Australia but there is no mention of that in Wiktionary. But I'm pretty sure Australians have already heard him called "Flash" from the 1936, 1954, 1979, 1980 and 2007 versions - not to mention comic books, etc, etc. SteveBaker (talk) 02:44, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I've certainly heard of Flash Gordon. But I can also attest to having heard him referred to as "Speed Gordon" here, by my father. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 03:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

[4] says it's because of the flashy connotation. You may be able to find some more useful stuff by searching for '"speed gordon" -Pfeufer', which I used to find this. The -Pfeufer is to try and exclude the ubiqitious wikipedia mirrors, including those GFDL er CC I mean, violators. Of course the book/source may also provide clues, you may want to consider asking whoever added that if they still have the source. Nil Einne (talk) 05:42, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I googled [flash slang australia negative] and one of the sites that came up had an explanation [5] that reinforces what others are saying here. Even though "flashy" in the U.S. means someone who's a bit of a show-off, "Flash" by itself in the U.S. refers more to "speed", as in "quick as a flash [of lightning or a flashbulb or whatever]". So it wouldn't have been seen as a negative in the U.S. (which also produced a Hall-of-Fame ballplayer, Joe Gordon, who was nicknamed "Flash", and there was also a comic book hero called "The Flash".) But it seems like Australia uses "flash" as an adjective, as in "flash as a rat with a gold tooth". That description is apparently not considered complimentary. In the U.S. it would have been "flashy" rather than "flash", if that were a well-known saying. In Australia "Flash Gordon" would imply, or would have implied in those days at least, someone who's a little bit full of himself, rather than being a selfless hero. It seems that "Speed Gordon" would capture the idea better for the Aussie audience. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:10, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Um, an australian here, "to flash" is to expose oneself. The stereotypical scene being a man in an overcoat and nothing else "flashing" an unsuspecting woman. In contrast when one runs naked across a sporting field (usually at a major sporting event) it's a "streak". --121.127.208.196 (talk) 11:10, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Steve Baker already covered that. Seems all the un-Australians know more about us than we do ourselves. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 11:27, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Staecker (talk) 13:33, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"To flash" means the same thing in the U.S. That's understood in the specific context of a "flasher". But the root term "flash" is not considered extraordinary in the U.S. For example, there's a "Flashlight", which Brits (at least) call a "torch". There's "Flashing (weatherproofing)" which is used in construction. The word is used in many diverse ways in the U.S. but is apparently largely a negative in Australia. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Now, that's where you assume wrong. I'd never have said that "flash" has a primarily negative meaning here. We have flashlights too; and all the other non-exhibitionistic varieties of flashing. I think there's more to this Speed Gordon thing than the answers so far elicited. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:52, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

You didn't say it, the Flash Gordon article did, or so the OP stated. Also, that was the 1930s. Maybe the term had a different connotation then. That can happen. Terms like "jerk" and "sucks" were considered fairly much obscene at that time, but they've become mainstream. Groucho Marx once told about a Broadway play in the early 1900s that was forced to close because it contained the line "You're a nice-looking broad." That term is now out of fashion because it's considered condescending, but it's no longer considered vulgar. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:00, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The article did not say that the word "flash" was "largely a negative in Australia". It said that the word was changed "to avoid the negative connotation", which is not the same thing at all. You're the one who assumed the word "largely", and Jack (who is not only Australian but a student of language, so I believe him) was correcting you in that assumption. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:32, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Presumably Speed Gordon predated amphetamines. O what a fickle thing is slang. DJ Clayworth (talk) 00:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

A lot of words have some degree of negative connotation. I don't see why they would change it unless it was primarily a negative connotation in Australia, vs. in the U.S. where its negative connotation was rather small. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:06, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Yeah well like I said that's your assumption – one which Jack, who ought to know, has debunked. They could have changed it for any number of reasons which neither you nor I can possibly be aware of. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 17:56, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, if you doubt the veracity of the article's theory on the matter, feel free to correct it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:27, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Interesting discussion. I wonder where Flash Jack from Gundagai fits in? The ballad describes him as a wanderer ("I've been whalin' up the Lachlan"), which I suppose has some negative connotations. He is also boasts he is a crack shearer ("I can do a respectable tally meself whenever I like to try"), so the "Flash" could mean quick. I'm an ex-pat Aussie and I use flash to mean quick, a show-off, to expose one's self and as the thingo on a camera that you use to take photos in the dark, depending on context. --80.195.117.33 (talk) 17:01, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Show-off? Hmm, I don't really get that. If an Australian appears dressed noticeably better than they normally do, they're likely to be told something like, "Wow, you're looking rather flash today". That's not any sort of criticism for showing off; rather, it's a compliment. Someone who is always sartorially resplendent, whose dress always stands out, might be said to be "a flashy dresser"; but again, it's not usually said as a pejorative. I suppose it could be in some contexts, but that wouldn't be its default interpretation. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 22:52, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

"Speed,Speed, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the earth!" doesn't quite cut it. DuncanHill (talk) 01:23, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Googling [flash gordon speed gordon] I get endless references, many of which parrot the wikipedia wording. It might be interesting to track down whoever noted that and find out what his source was. However, I did run across this Aussie site[6] that states that "Flash" had negative connotations in the 1930s and 1940s. I'd like for Jack to read that entry and see if it has the ring of truth to it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:36, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually, that page is already linked in the article, along with a reference to a hard-copy book. I'm not seeing where Jack has directly commented on it, though. But it's written by Australians, so it might have more veracity. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:40, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Let me give you the exact quote, as someone griped about my extrapolation that it was "largely" negative: "In the 1930s and 40s the predominant meaning of flash in Australian English was 'lairy', 'showy', and so Flash Gordon had to be renamed, otherwise it'd sound like he was a mug lair." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:42, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I can only assume that was the way it was back then. (It's certainly not the case anymore, but I guess that's irrelevant ....) Australia was rather and sometimes excessively prim and proper in those days, at least in public. Not that we were alone there. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 10:24, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Then it seems to me the article is misleading in that it implies that the term is still considered negative, when that's apparently not the case. That detail seems to have been the source of much of the debate in this section. In your opinion, is that site's explanation sufficient as a source, to revise the wording of the article? (And maybe have it flow to the countless wikipedia mirror sites eventually.) In fact, it's already given as a source, so maybe the article just needs to elaborate on that detail? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:55, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Combined Statistical Areas by County

Thank you for our work in describing individual Combined Statistical Areas. I am attempting to match counties to CSAs and need a complete single list of all counties matched to CSAs. Otherwise, I must open and examine each of the over 100 CSAs. Can you show me where such a list might exist?

Thank you.

You could try the U.S. Census Bureau's own website, www.census.gov. If you take some time to get to know the site, they have a wealth of information and if you get familiar with their database management on the site, you may be able to find what you are looking for. --Jayron32 04:34, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't remember how I found it (I downloaded it in 2008), but some time ago I discovered http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2008/b08-01.pdf, which provides a complete list of all Core Based Statistical Areas (metropolitan and micropolitan areas) and a complete list of all CSAs as well. Be aware that it's somewhat more than two years old, so it's quite possible that some CSAs may have had counties added or subtracted since then. Nyttend (talk) 02:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

computer chairs and butt skin conditons

File:Aeron chair JN.jpg

Aeron chair SteveBaker (talk) 05:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

In humid climates people who do sedentary jobs develop some sort of sore on their buttocks. What do you call it? Prickly heat? Chairs that allow aeration reduces the risk of having those sores. But the computer chairs with soft paddings don't allow aeration. What steps could reduce the risk of sores for those who sit on such chairs? Are these chairs suited to un-airconditioned office conditions in humid climates?--117.204.85.212 (talk) 08:28, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what the sore's called, but it could be prevented by showering every morning, use of medicated talcum powder on the nether regions and - if you've got a sore bit, nappy cream (in the UK it's called Sudocrem) clears it up. (which all sounds like medical advice which we're not allowed to give. Never mind eh.)Chairs with fabric covers are better at preventing sweaty bits in general. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:29, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I have a sedentary job, and my hind parts seem fine, apart from the fact that I sweat a bit more over there. And I love, love Sudocrem, because it oh-so-much reminds me of sudo (nerdy, I know). --Ouro (blah blah) 20:45, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd think it was a pressure sore of some kind,..hotclaws 03:57, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

An Aeron chair is strongly recommended. It has a very loose weave allowing air to flow through - they are also adjustable in every conceivable way which is good ergonomics. We have them where I work - and I wouldn't go back to the old kind. They aren't cheap though $650 versus less than $100 for a regular office chair. SteveBaker (talk) 05:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

So THOSE are the chairs I keep hearing about on NPR!! I keep forgetting to look them up and now I see what they are! Thanks, Steve. By the way, I hate those chairs! Dismas|^(talk) 09:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Who says that people in humid climates get this condition? Where is the evidence? Some sweaty discomfort maybe - but sores? come on guys (generic use). Richard Avery (talk) 08:43, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Even just a soft towel folded over a few times, as a cushion and moisture absorbant, might help. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:57, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

wet drywall

Had a new roof installed... Roof leaked........... Walls & ceiling in living room, bed room are wet Big driers were brought in to dry walls, ceiling & insulation. Most of walls, ceiling are now dry. Was told that sheetrock is now stronger because it was wet. Is this the truth??? I thought that the wet sheetrock should be taken down along with the insulation so no mold could form. After drying wood reinstall insulation and put up new sheetrock. Please I need to know what should be done. I am 76 yrs old. Do not know if they are running a scam on me.

Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.176.188.231 (talk) 08:53, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with the word 'Sheetrock', but if it has any wood content, even if impregnated with a resin, I would get rid of it. Anyway it's essential to get a second opinion from another contractor, and even a third contractor to confirm the facts and get competative quotations. Good luck.--85.210.90.232 (talk) 12:25, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"Sheetrock" is a commonly-used synonym for "Drywall". I wouldn't think that getting it wet is a good thing, but I'm not a house-builder. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:24, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

As is mentioned in the Drywall article, Sheetrock is a trademark of USG Corporation. --LarryMac | Talk 16:05, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I googled "replace wet drywall" and got a variety of hits. The consensus seems to be that drywall is damaged by water; minor staining can be repaired but seriously soaked drywall should be replaced because the plaster has been weakened and softened. I tried various search combinations to find confirmation that water strengthens drywall, but nothing came up. Like Bugs I am not a builder, but if it was my roof and walls, those search results would send me looking for more information. In the UK I might approach the local Trading Standards department, Citizens' Advice Bureau or, at the age of 76, I could probably get assistance from advisors at my local Age Concern branch. Depending on where you live, you may have a local equivalent of one of these that could help determine whether you are getting the right remedy for your problem. Karenjc 16:52, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I would be a bit concerned about mold if drywall or any insulation above it got wet. I cannot see any way that having been wet would make it stronger. Edison (talk) 02:34, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Somebody might have it confused with concrete, which supposedly strengthens as it absorbs water (and I could be totally wrong about that). But drywall is basically plaster between sheets of cardboard. Hard to figure how water could help it in any way. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:38, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm 100% certain that drywall/sheetrock (it's the same stuff) is virtually useless once it gets wet. Google for "wet drywall" and you'll find dozens and dozens of pages like this: www.ehow.com/how_5557299_fix-wet-drywall.html - it says to cut out all of the drywall from within 2' of the wet parts and replace it. Also make sure that whatever is behind the sheetrock is wiped down with a strong anti-fungal preparation before the new stuff is put up. Wet sheetrock certainly doesn't get stronger - it gets dramatically weaker. In some cases, the plaster layer balloons up and contaminates the grey paper on either side - which creates pressure that eventually cracks any plaster/skim layer on top. Mold starts growing on it very soon after it gets wet. I think the roof installers are trying very hard to avoid the horrific cost of replacing all of the sheetrock - but it needs to be done because it'll become a health hazard within just a few weeks. If it's their fault then you must stand up for your rights because it'll cost a fortune to get it done yourself and your health will most definitely suffer if it doesn't get fixed ASAP. Tell them that their explanation is B.S - they know it, you know it, who the heck do they think they are kidding? Demand that they make good by replacing every square inch of wet sheetrock (and for 2' around those wet areas) and making good afterwards - and 100% at their expense. Please don't stand for this kind of nonsense. SteveBaker (talk) 05:43, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Concur with Steve, wet will irreversibly ruin sheetrock (or 'plaster board' in the UK). The problems will be splitting and warping of the sheets and mould growth. Looks like some cowboys got on the patch! Richard Avery (talk) 15:39, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Methinks you need a professional advocate on your side ASAP - a civil engineer or chartered surveyor, or whatever the USian terms for those professions are. Clearly you cannot trust the company which stands to pick up the bill for the bodged work, since they will seek to minimise the requirements. Good luck. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

In the US, this is called a lawyer, and because the contractor has already tried to defraud you (by lying about the sheetrock getting stronger), you need a lawyer now, and the lawyer needs to send them a formal letter demanding that they repair all the damage as SteveBaker said, at their expense. Actually they need to pay some reputable contractor to repair all the damage. I'll stop now and say: Your lawyer is the one who will provide you with legal advice. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, indeed. Here on the Wikipedia ref desk, we can give you advice about sheetrock - but we're not allowed to dispense legal advice. If you don't get immediate satisfaction from the aforementioned cowboys - you should seek legal advice from a qualified professional. SteveBaker (talk) 02:30, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Comic strip

Hello. Do you know the author of this image (unreadable signature)? Thanks. Michael Laurent (talk) 11:51, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Note — assless-spandex-clad cartoon character. May not be suitable for all workplaces. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:51, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The user, 85.169.247.106 (talk · contribs), has already asked this question on the Humanities page[7] and they're not certain either. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:12, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was not sure of what was the good place to post (and I wrote it). No good answer for now. Michael Laurent (talk) 15:51, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I fed the image into tineye.com, and came up with a Polish fantasy art site. Apparently the author is a guy called Joseph Linsner. --TomorrowTime (talk) 16:00, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I didn't know this website: great! But it is not Linsner. Michael Laurent —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michael Laurent (talk) 16:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The website claims it is. Why do you think otherwise? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:25, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The circled part on the original post is not a signature. It's the copyright symbol ("c" in a circle) with a "19" under it and a "97" under that. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:28, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually, it's a good guess that the glyph beside the copyright notification is a signature. Just not one one can read without knowing what it is already. PhGustaf (talk) 17:02, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Which doesn't square with the artist's usual signature, which I suppose is why the OP is questioning it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:18, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I think that it is not Linsner because the signature of Linsner is "LINSNER" (see the others pictures of the website) and his favorite babe is redhead. Maybe the circled part on the original post is not a signature. Maybe it is. I think so. Michael Laurent (talk) 18:08, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Since Linsner has his own website, it might make sense to ask him directly. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Good idea. Thanks. Michael Laurent (talk) 18:31, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

And of course you'll report your findings here, right? 0:) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:36, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Of course. You can rely on me. I've posted a message on a specialized forum about comics and I was told that it is NOT Linsner (but nobody knows the author for now...). I also asked the french Wikipedia and there is several answers but not the good one. :( Michael Laurent (talk) 20:26, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The plot thickens. Things that make you go "HMMMM..." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:37, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The eye makeup marks her as Linsner's chacter Dawn, but the art is frankly not as good as his. Looks like fan art to me. PhGustaf (talk) 20:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Agreed... it is fairly sub-par by comparison. I don't go for this kind of stuff, but the real Linsner stuff (as made apparent by the gallery) is lightyears beyond in terms of coloring, anatomy (however ridiculous), staging, etc. The fan-fic one is amateur-hour (the pose itself is anatomically somewhat impossible). --Mr.98 (talk) 20:44, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Given that chest, her standing erect without falling on her face is physically somewhat impossible. PhGustaf (talk) 21:50, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Much less on one leg that somehow also manages to point its butt crack at the viewer. Somebody could use a little more time studying the basic human form... --Mr.98 (talk) 22:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Amazing! An answer of the comics forum is "it is very inspired of Linsner but less well". And I think I was right about the signature: look at this small last image from a CS Michael Laurent (talk) 20:50, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I just wonder how the artist himself feels about a website presenting that picture as his when apparently it is not? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Eh, such are the perils of fan fiction... --Mr.98 (talk) 22:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Or the perils of the electronic age in general. E-piracy is so rampant that it's almost like what W.C. Fields said about drunkenness in the Middle Ages: "So common, it's unnoticed." Not quite, but close. Still, it would be interesting to hear the painter's reaction, and maybe he even has a clue who did the painting. The concern I have (albeit a small one on the cosmic scale) is that that one website has that illustration posted as if it were the artist's. But being based in Germany or whatever, it's probably a little hard to make a legal claim against them. Or is it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:39, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

It's pretty hard to mistake that cartoon for a real Linsner. Never heard of him before, but I do like his work (NSFW) at [8] -- check out the symbols on the bookshelf. Cartoonists in general don't mind fan art. They figure the fan artists are good customers. How the fan art got mixed up with his own is anybody's guess. PhGustaf (talk) 01:01, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It's pretty well been established here that it's a knockoff. Unfortunately, the name of the actual artist, which was the OP's question, remains unknown. :( ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:35, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

No new answers from WP and no e-mail from Linsner. But I know now. The author is...

no idea?

really?

hmmm...

The author is Kevin J. Taylor (find by a member of a french comix forum). Thanks for your tries. Michael Laurent (talk) 19:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Once again, the ref desk zooms to the rescue and goads the questioner into doing most of the work. :) I googled [Kevin J. Taylor] and a number of sites and illustrations come up. The illustration in question looks like his style, and that unique signature with the elongated "J" is the same. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:54, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I have received an e-mail from Joe Linsner a few minuts ago: That is my character Dawn. The drawing is by my friend Kevin J. Taylor. Michael Lauren (talk) 19:25, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Causes of Error

Is the Opus Majus by Roger Bacon available translated anywhere online, specifically "Causes of Error"? 149.169.59.94 (talk) 18:55, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Its translation by Robert Belle Burke is available on Google Books. Although it is a "limited preview" the entirety of the "Causes of Error" section is there to read. The full Latin text is public domain and available elsewhere on the Internet. Xenon54 / talk / 19:05, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Question for dog/cat lovers who don't like to look like muppets

I have just one dog (and one cat). He's a border terrier and my clothing is just covered in fur. It's very difficult to get off. All my clothing is affected. It's driving me a bit nuts. I vacuum all the furniture and all the rugs, and I also groom the dog and brush out the cat but all my clothing is still covered mostly in dog fur, and a small amount of cat fur as well. I use the lint rollers and it's such a pain, and I swear it's like the dog fur migrates inside my clothing and comes out later. I leave for work, fur free, and then later in the day I notice some fur again. It's almost spooky. I though that it might be my car, but it's not, I've checked. Does anyone have any suggestions, any tips? Any better lint rollers? better methods of having the fur come out in the wash and in the dryer? Anything else you can think of. I will be monitoring for responses. Thank you.--70.23.81.136 (talk) 19:25, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Some people claim fabric conditioner helps loosen the fur from clothes, so more ends up in the dryer basket. For entrenched fur on clothing you might find that wrapping packing tape around your hand (sticky side outwards) and dabbing at the furred area may be more effective than the roller (but really still lots of work). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 19:30, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The tape on hand is exactly the same mechanism as the roller thing, I think. Anyway, about the fur everywhere - you've got furry animals, live with it. I have always, always had a pet at home, either a cat or a dog; right now my parents have two dogs and a kitten, so the issue of pet hair was and is always present. To top that, I mostly wear black, which is somehow more appealing to all kinds of hair and fur. Actually, about ten years ago, when their currently-older dog was our only dog we used to have so much of his hair everywhere that we actually needed to wash the carpet every week (wet rags and things) because the vacuum cleaner would just overload quickly (the dog is a crossover between a German Shepherd and a Caucasian Shepherd Dog). It's a question of wanting to have the little guys around on the one hand, and being patient enough to clean up and just get over it on the other hand. Something for something.

My neighbour (dog owner) once said: with time, you reach a point when you just don't bother to pick their hair out of your meals any more ;) cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 20:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The Border Terrier has a double coat consisting of a short, dense, soft undercoat and harsh, wiry weather and dirt resistant, close-lying outer coat with no curl or wave. This coat usually requires hand stripping twice a year to remove dead hair. It then takes about eight weeks for the top coat to come back in. For some dogs, weekly brushing will suffice. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

A month ago I went to the local pet superstore and found several ways to spend my money in the pursuit of dog hair removal. One device looked like a wide rubber squeegee or ice scraper, with a rubber blade, and it works great at getting the fur off the car's carpets — but it scrapes the hell out of the surface, so I don't think it's appropriate for couches or clothes. There were a couple of gloves you could put on with a couple of types of surfaces that purported to get the fur off. There was a device from 3M looking like a miniature iron with a "refillable" Velcro sheet that covers the flat part. You scrape it over your clothing or furniture, hair tends to stick to it, and it gets less useful, hence the need for the refills (to the joy of the marketing guys at 3M). It seemed to work OK. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:25, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh, and I don't know whether it is suitable for terriers, but the Furminator is a gourmet expensive dog brush with a single row of closely set metal spikes for the brush. It is supposed to get more fur out of the dog's hide than any other brush. It certainly seems to, based on my experience, but it's hard to discern whether the amount of hair around our house has actually decreased. I think it has. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:27, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

We have a heavy-shedding dog and regular use of the Furminator does help. There is of course still hair to clean up but it does not accumulate nearly as much as quickly. It is a very noticeable effect with our dog. (And she doesn't mind it, either.) --Mr.98 (talk) 01:28, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I've got 4 long-haired cats, all white. No matter how much my wife and I brush them, they still find ways to deposit hair all about the house. I can vacuum the entire house in the morning and we'll have cathair tumbleweeds hiding in corners in the evening. Having realized that we cannot eliminate the hair, we altered our own behavior: nice clothes that are to be kept hair-free are in a special closet which is always kept closed. When going out, one says goodbye to the kitties, then changes into the hair-free clothes and heads directly out (do not sit on or touch anything!). When coming home, one proceeds directly to that closet, returns the clothes, and changes into comfortable (and hairy) at-home clothing, then greets the 4 abominable snowkitties. It works for us. I'm wearing a very nice suit today without a hair on it. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:49, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Sphynx (cat)

Do we have an article on "The Remington Fuzzaway! Safely removes pils [? Always wondered what that was] and fuzz". Seen on my telly about every 10 minutes for much of the 70s, as I recall it. Although that might not be an exactly accurate recollection. --Dweller (talk) 16:24, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

My goodness. It still exists --Dweller (talk) 16:28, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

See Pill (textile) — Wikipedia has an article about everything. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

How are Hong Kong and Switzerland so good at not polluting?

List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions

Hong Kong and Switzerland stand out. They have 1/4 of the emissions per capita of the US. And 1/2 of even Japan and Germany.

Why are they the stand outs of the developed world?

Shoresand (talk) 23:43, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Energy in Switzerland indicates that there are virtually no combustion-based power generation in Switzerland. Its almost all Hydroelectric and Nuclear. That could be a huge reason. However, I am not sure what to say about Hong Kong, since the article Air pollution in Hong Kong would seem to disagree with the assessment in that list... --Jayron32 23:58, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

(ec) Energy in Switzerland says 56% of their electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants (and most of the rest is nuclear) - it helps to have lots of mountains. I can't find anything about Hong Kong, though... chances are they have some non-fossil fuel way of generating most of their electricity as well. --Tango (talk) 23:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

For Hong Kong, I imagine a big factor is their scarcity of cars[9] (and places to drive them). Clarityfiend (talk) 00:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Hong Kong has the advantage that it is very densely populated, which makes walking and public transport viable options for travel; that should lower the carbon emissions from travel quite a bit. Secondly a lot of the manufacturing capacity of Hong Kong has moved over the border to Guangdong, so the carbon emissions count on China's number. If you counted the per-capita emissions of the greater Hong Kong/Guangzhou area, I don't think you'd get a rosy number at all. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Also Hong Kong has only one power station, Lamma Power Station (well, plus windfarm). According to the CIA world factbook uses 44.6 billion kWh of power, of which it imports 11 billion kWh (again from Guangdong). So a quarter of HK's carbon emissions due to electricity generation goes onto China's totals, which again makes HK look much more efficient than it really is. This is a major problem in general when trying to compare carbon-emissions for different countries- onto whose total should such things go? There are many cases where carbon is emitted in one place to do work elsewhere. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:27, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh, but the power import thing is huge for Switzerland. It uses 58.77 billion kW of which a massive 48.4 billion kWh (82%) is imported (mostly from French nuclear production). Again that makes them look much more efficient than they really are. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:36, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

On looking at the numbers for Switzerland more closely, they're a bit more complicated. The country imports 48.4 billion kWh from France and exports 32 billion kWh to Italy (mostly they buy cheap French nuclear energy at night and use it to backfill pumped storage systems in alpine lakes; then they resell it at a nice premium to Italy during the day). So that's a net import of 16 billion kWh, which means about a quarter of their electricity is imported. This PDF has a lot about the swiss power market. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:56, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps the fact that both regions feature great natural beauty would inspire the people to keep things clean. Or perhaps they lack the raw materials for heavy manufacturing that so often creates significant pollution. Vranak (talk) 00:33, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. HK's emissions may be low, but their harbor is a cesspool so abysmally dirty that a planned scene in the Batman movie had to be scrapped because they didn't want their stuntman to even stick a toe in the water after they tested it. Also, the air quality (particulates, NOx, SOx) is so bad that many companies with HQs there are seriously considering moving elsewhere, and other companies are no longer so eager to setup shop. HK is an environmental disaster by any meaningful index. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

With only one power station (according to Hongkong Electric, the other three were closed in 1989), I suspect much of the electricity consumed by Hong Kong is not actually generated in Hong Kong. The emissions per capita would therfore be lower than you might expect. Astronaut (talk) 04:10, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

In Hong Kong, less than 3% of the economy is in manufacturing, which greatly reduces pollution. Mass transit is among the best in the world (and, petrol is the equivalent of US$8/gal.). Electric power (about 20% nuclear, the only part not produced in HK itself) and vehicles are the key polluters, including ships (but, all taxis and some buses are LPG-powered). What has become the key point of contention in recent years is pollution generated by (often, HK-owned) factories across the boundary, in the Pearl River Delta. Particularly in the winter, the smog comes rolling south and just sits on Hong Kong. While Finlay McWalter got many things right, above, the statement that Hong Kong only has one power station is not correct. Castle Peak, Black Point, Penny Bay and Tsing Yi are also in Hong Kong SAR. 218.25.32.210 also overstates the case, while ignoring the fact that Hong Kong is the cleanest city of any significant size in China. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:50, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I ignored nothing. The OP asked about the developed world. With such criteria, you cannot compare HK to Mainland China. I assure you, my rant would have been even longer. But let's stick to the question at hand. I was alarmed at the characterization of HK as being so good at not polluting when it clearly is a fantastic polluter! 218.25.32.210 (talk) 08:29, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Very good sir! I took the OPs question at face value and assumed HK was relatively clean, but I did not know. And I would say that in pictures it does look quite clean. But then the water is a different story of course. Vranak (talk) 12:35, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It looks to me then, that HK has a good emission rate because it externalized most of its emissions "costs" to mainland China. Googlemeister (talk) 15:15, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

That's a fair assessment. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 05:17, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

To Anyone who Knows about the French ship: Escorteur d'Escadre; ``DUPETIT THOUARS``

Found an seal or emblem of the French Navy Ship, Escorteur d' Escadre DUPETIT-THOUARS in San Diego California, USA don't know how to put a picture of the mentioned item. I'll describe it, the best I can.

is rounded made out of coper; weights about 2 pounds; 3 inches diameter; 1/4 of un inch wide. In the back says: Escorteur d'Escadra and DUPETIT THOUARS. On front has a a coat of arms and behind crossed by two "roman" hatches? and inside the coat of arms above left and below right two iron coats. Also below the left iron coat there is two swords (sarracene,[arab} kind) crossed each other.and top of the right iron coat, there is same two arab swords crossing each other. On top and bottom of the arab swords there is like a bunch of straws. I have read part of the story of this famous DUPETIT THOUARS Ship. Have no Idea on which part of the ship this emblem belongs to I don't Know how this item ended in San Diego California. I found it in a swapmeet.... an open market)! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vascodeama (talk • contribs) 23:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

It may be one of the emblems you can see here and here. — Xavier, 01:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It may well be a tampion - a plug that stops sea water going into the end of a gun barrel. They are often decorated with the ship's crest - the linked page shows some French Navy examples. The man the ship is named after; Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars died at the Battle of the Nile which may explain the Arab swords. Could the "Roman hatches" be Fasces? - if so, they are symbols of republicanism. Rather a gruesome story about him continuing the battle despite his arm and both legs being blown off, by being propped up in a bucket of grain. This may relate to the bundles of straw? Alternatively, this could be his family's Coat of Arms. As he was born in a castle, he probably came from the nobility. Alansplodge (talk) 18:49, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Well done! Here is a tampion of the Dupetit-Thouars. The wooden part was not mentioned by Vascodeama but the metal part matches his/her description. It is similar to this one found on one of the sites I had previously cited. The bundles of straw may very well be an allusion to the bran that was in the bucket, that makes sense to me. As for the hatches, those actually look more like the Tartar missiles which were added to this destroyer in 1963. — Xavier, 00:01, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

And 3 inches is about 75mm - a common anti-aircraft calibre in the French fleet I believe. Alansplodge (talk) 16:32, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

January 25

Don't understand ombudsman

Hello, I am confused what an ombudsman is or does. I am American, which may be part of the problem, but from the Wikipedia page it sounds like a lobbyist. Could someone explain in layman's terms what an ombudsman does, maybe with a hypothetical scenario? --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 01:04, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

An ombudsman is an official whose job is to resolve disputes; often that's disputes individuals have in dealings with large organisations like insurance companies or power suppliers. The UK is big on ombudsmen; if I think my insurer has ripped me off, I can complain to the ombudsman, who will investigate my complaint and talk to the insurer. He'll make a determination, and if he thinks the company didn't do what it was supposed to, he'll issue a ruling that says what they have to pay. They don't have to; they can always ask a court to overturn his ruling (and so can I). But mostly parties stick with the ombudsman's ruling, as the alternative is litigation, which is expensive for everyone. In this sense it's a form of non-judicial dispute resolution, akin to arbitration. Usually the ombudsman's services aren't available to the large organisation. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 01:12, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

The only place I've seen them regularly in the U.S. is newspapers. They often have an ombudsman who comes in whenever there is a dispute about reporting (e.g. a scandal over plagiarism or bias) and writes a little column that says "the Times could have done a better job" or "the critics are wrong" or whatever. This person works for the newspaper but has a position that implies some independence. --Mr.98 (talk) 01:24, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Someone I know was in the Cleveland Clinic for a while some time ago, and I remember seeing a sign for an ombudsman's office while visiting at the hospital; I'm guessing that you would go to the ombudsman's office if you believed that your rights as a patient (a statement of which is posted in many places throughout the Clinic) haven't been respected. Nyttend (talk) 02:04, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

One college I attended had an ombudsman. He was a tenured faculty member, who students could approach about problems when they encountered the stonewall of bureaucracy. It could be something as simple as a professor who faced the blackboard and mumbled unintelligibly in a lecture class with hundreds of students, and who refused to use the wireless microphone which was available. He also interceded when there were problems of racial discrimination or sexual harrassment of students by faculty or grad students. Edison (talk) 02:32, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Several years ago, my father was in the ER at a hospital (in the US). I was trying to get information about his condition, but the ER nurse refused to explain anything to me, even though I got my father to tell her specifically that I had his permission to get the information. The hospital had an ombudsman, whose services I *would* have used, except it was a Friday evening and they were not open till Monday morning. The ombusdman at a hospital is supposedly there to serve the patients, serving as the patient's representative when dealing with the hospital bureaucracy. Woogee (talk) 04:17, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Have a look at the UK Financial Ombudsman's site[10], which explains what he does; you can even complain in Welsh! Alansplodge (talk) 13:37, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

English monarch vs. Swedish monarch

I've always heard that the crowns of England and Sweden hold some political power: that is, they can influence policy somehow. I tried reading the Wikipedia pages, and every power they have seems to be nullified somehow. The British Monarch appoints the Prime Minister but they can only appoint whoever holds the support of the House of Commons. The Swedish King leads the Privy council in a session that establishes new government, but the Privy Council no longer exists. What I want to know is:

1) What powers does each monarch have, and 2) How are those powers actually effective in influencing politics?

169.231.8.128 (talk) 08:31, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I tweaked the formatting of the question. We don't use UBB code here for italics. You could use HTML if you liked but that too is not used in deference to Wiki style markup. Dismas|^(talk) 09:06, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It is possible the British (note British not English) monarch could withhold Royal Assent from a bill which has passed through the Parliamentary process. According to the linked article, there are such things called Reserve Powers which are used in emergencies. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:38, 25 January 2010 (UTC) (help I can't get the Reserve Power link to work...) --TammyMoet (talk) 09:40, 25 January 2010 (UTC)a

(e/c)The role of the British (not "English") monarch is set out at Monarchy of the United Kingdom. Parliament in the UK is effectively sovereign - the last time a monarch vetoed legislation passed by Parliament was in 1708 - but the fact that an unelected monarch holds any residual powers at all is the basis for Republicanism in the United Kingdom. Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:42, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

The Queen has the power to prorogue Parliament. In Australia in 1975, the Governor-General used this power to effectively dismiss the sitting government as it was a good bet that they would loose a General election. He didn't consult the Queen as perhaps he should have done, and it's quite probable that she would have told him not to do it. However, as I understand it, there's nothing to stop her from doing the same thing in the UK (except for the horrid example of Charles I). Alansplodge Alansplodge (talk) 13:02, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

After a little more research, in 1834, William IV dismissed the sitting Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne and replaced him with Sir Robert Peel even though Peel's party was a minority. Of course it didn't work and William had to swallow his pride and take Melbourne back again. Alansplodge (talk) 13:31, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Alan, a couple of points: Kerr, the Governor-General, dismissed Whitlam's Labor Government, period. (No need to qualify it with "effectively"; he handed him a letter saying "I hereby terminate your commission as Prime Minister ...".) Then, he swore in a new Prime Minister, Fraser (Liberal), after first obtaining an assurance he (Fraser) would recommend a dissolution of the parliament and the calling of a general election. Fraser's first act as PM was to make such recommendations, and, of course, Kerr agreed. The future electoral fate of the parties was not a matter of any great moment in Kerr's thinking, but - and not to defend him in any way - he is on record as saying he believed the government he had just sacked would be re-elected. However, it turned out to be the greatest electoral defeat in the Labor party's history. In constitutional matters, the Governor-General has powers in his own right, not merely as the representative of the sovereign. The Queen made it very clear shortly afterwards that the whole episode was a matter for Australians to sort out themselves, and she would not be intervening, so prior consultation with the Queen would not have been appropriate. Debate on the question of how Kerr should have acted, vs. what he did in fact do, has raged ever since. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 14:33, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

So in exchange for appointing Fraser, the GG extracted an assurance that Fraser would advise the GG to dissolve Parliament, an action for which the power resided in — the GG. I have to say that sounds a little convoluted. Why not just dissolve Parliament? What value is "advice" that you've directed someone else to give you? The Westminster system just seems a little too affectedly nuanced to me at times. --Trovatore (talk) 18:34, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it is a little convoluted. The Queen (or GG) is supposed to appoint the person they think most likely to have the support of parliament as PM. Apart from that one power (which is usually completely uncontroversial since they just have to appoint the leader of the majority party), the monarch doesn't really have any power at all. Certain powers legally rest with them, but they only act on the advice of ministers. The problem is, none of these rules are written down anywhere, so sometimes it is a little unclear how they apply in a special case. That leaves the Queen (or GG) in a bit of a difficult position and they have to just make things fit. In this case, the GG decided it was better to dismiss the PM and appoint a replacement without ministerial advice than to dissolve parliament without ministerial advice. Either way, it was going to be unpopular with a lot of people. Somewhere like the US there is a constitution and a Supreme Court that can sort out this kind of mess, in the Westminster system we improvise - it's more fun that way! --Tango (talk) 21:17, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

For some weeks, Whitlam's budget had been stalled in the Senate (where the Opposition had the numbers). Fraser, the Opposition Leader, said he would let the budget bills pass the moment Whitlam called an election. Kerr and Whitlam had also been in private discussions on the issue. But Whitlam refused to advise an election; on the grounds that he and he alone had the power to advise the GG to prorogue parliaments and decide the timing of elections, and he was not going to have his hand forced in that unprecedented way. Kerr was impartial, politically speaking; his overriding concern was to ensure the government had enough money to run the country properly. If the only way for that to happen was to have an early election called (and that was a condition of Fraser's making, not of Kerr's making; the previous election had been held only the previous year), so be it. The last time a monarch shut down a parliament on his own volition, he lost his head - so Kerr would never have done that. But he could still take action to achieve the same outcome.

Fraser and Kerr's accounts of the matter differ sharply at this point. Fraser maintains that Kerr asked him before the dismissal whether, if he were commissioned as PM, he would ensure supply and call an election. Kerr adamantly denied doing this; and it would have been grossly improper for him to have done so. Kerr said that, before sacking Whitlam, he had already approached Fraser for an assurance that, were he commissioned as PM, he would ensure supply and call an election, an assurance that Fraser gave. These conditions were restipulated by Kerr after Whitlam was sacked, and again accepted by Fraser. For his part, Fraser said that the first and only time he was ever asked for such an assurance was after Whitlam was sacked. Kerr's gone to his grave now, and Fraser is sticking to his story. It would have been fantastic to think that an Opposition Leader who'd for weeks been holding a government to ransom and publicly calling for an election, and who was suddenly offered the Prime Ministership on a silver platter even though his party did not control the House of Representatives, would himself refuse to call an election; but under Fraser's Kerr's version of events, that was a possible outcome. Fraser could have declined Kerr's offer, under the same principle as Whitlam was citing - a Prime Minister is not told by anyone, not even a Governor-General, when an election is to be held. Kerr's version of events has Kerr acting in a grossly improper way, something he would be unlikely to be acknowledging unless it actually happened that way. Who to believe? I still don't know. In the event, Fraser was more than happy to accept Kerr's conditions, the parliament was prorogued that afternoon, the election was held, Fraser was elected PM in his own right, and went on to be the second-longest serving Australian PM (a record since overtaken by Bob Hawke, then by John Howard). -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 22:35, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

OK, so here's an example of what I mean by excessive nuance. Both you, and the authors of the article on the '75 crisis, seem to consider it a question of great moment whether Kerr proposed these conditions to Fraser before or after Kerr dismissed Whitlam. I'm afraid I just can't work out why that makes any difference at all. --Trovatore (talk) 08:14, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Firstly, I got an important detail confused above; now corrected. It was Fraser who maintains that Kerr consulted him before sacking Whitlam, and it was Kerr who denied this to his dying breath.

You have to understand that these were extremely unusual circumstances. Normally, a new PM is commissioned after beating the incumbent at a general election; or, if the incumbent dies or resigns. In any of those scenarios, the question of a new election is not relevant. In the 1975 case, there was more at stake than just an orderly transition between prime ministers: the government was fast running out of money. The principal players, Whitlam and Fraser, refused to change their positions. Kerr felt it was up to him to act. But what could he do? He couldn't just unilaterally dissolve the parliament and call an election. If you don't understand why that was utterly out of the question, maybe do some reading around Westminster system. And even if he had somehow done that, the budget bills would still not have been passed, and the financial situation would have been prolonged till after the election and the calling of the new parliament, a minimum of 6-8 weeks away. The only thing he could was to commission a prime minister who could secure the passage of the budget bills and also advise an election to let the people have a say. The only person who fitted the bill was Fraser. The fact that he was the leader of the minority party in the House of Reps and could not possibly have survived the first no-confidence vote was constitutionally immaterial. He was in a position to resolve the impasse and get the money flowing again, before the parliament had a chance to vote against him. But Kerr could not risk the plan going wrong. Just imagine if he sacked Whitlam, only to discover that Fraser was not prepared to play it his way. Kerr would have had no option but to reinstall Whitlam, and then immediately resign himself. Unthinkable. Failure was not an option. So that is why, in Fraser's account, Kerr got Fraser on side before he sacked Whitlam. And it makes a lot of sense that Kerr would have taken such precautions. It also makes sense that he would have denied it, as such a discussion with the Leader of the Opposition was highly irregular and improper, even if extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary solutions. One thing Kerr didn't deny was his consulting with the Chief Justice of the High Court, Sir Garfield Barwick, about his constitutional powers, despite being specifically told by PM Whitlam that he was NOT to do that. So, these things all show how his thinking was developing in the days leading up to the dismissal. In the end, all that really matters is that Fraser did agree to Kerr's conditions and the stalemate was over. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 09:35, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

A fascinating story. I have to say, after looking through the various articles, despite being a staunch anti-monarchist, I have a lot of sympathy for John Kerr, perhaps mainly because I have almost none for Gough Whitlam. But not only because of that; also because Kerr seems to have acted as he thought proper under very difficult circumstances, and then suffered dearly for it. --Trovatore (talk) 11:06, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

You'll find a certain section of the Australian community in agreement with you. Whitlam was hated by the right, and anything was considered fair game to get rid of him. Fraser's ploy of using his majority in the Senate to deny a properly constituted government the werewithal to govern unless it did what the opposition wanted, was previously considered unthinkable. 1975 wasn't the first time a government did not have the numbers in the upper house, but there was an unwritten understanding that, no matter what else an opposition might have done, blocking a government's budget was just not on. All that precedent went by the board in 1975. Consequently, Fraser was hated by the left. But that hatred was mild compared with the passion caused by Kerr's action. Whitlam's party was in government, having been elected in December 1972 and re-elected in May 1974. He had an absolute majority in the House of Reps. By his reckoning, he had the right to implement government policy in accordance with his electoral platform, and should have had access to the funds to get on with the job he was elected to do. Every PM chooses an election at a time that is most advantageous to their own party; that is completely accepted across the board, being one of the perks of office, I guess. Why should Whitlam alone have been denied this? Why should he have been dictated to by a minority opposition? Fraser's answer to that was the "reprehensible circumstances" that Whitlam and his people created. (Politicians can be terribly hypocritical when it suits them, can't they.) Yes, Kerr was placed in an invidious position, nobody denies that. But was his solution the only one available? To reward the creator of the immediate problem (Fraser) with the prime ministership (albeit in a caretaker capacity), and to punish the innocent victim (Whitlam) with dismissal as if for crimes he did not commit - these have always been the source of immense rage among the left. But it was 35 years ago now. Time moves on, and a lot of younger people know only the bare bones of the story, if they know of it at all. But for those with longer memories, 11 November 1975 will go down as one of the most shocking days of their lives. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 12:09, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

If I'm understanding it correctly, it basically boils down to Whitlam losing a confidence vote and refusing to resign. It was complicated by the fact that it wasn't an explicit confidence vote, just a supply vote, which is usually considered a de facto confidence vote, and it took place in the Senate, not his own house, but those points don't really matter. He didn't have the confidence of parliament and should have either resigned or advised the GG to dissolve parliament. Unfortunately, it is only convention, and not law, that requires a PM to do that, so there is no way a judge could force him. That only leaves the GG, and he did what needed to be done. --Tango (talk) 12:17, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

You're quite right Jack; I was talking off the top of my head as usual.Alansplodge (talk) 18:15, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Was the Governor-General of Canada involved in any capacity in the current prorogation of the Parliament of Canada? Or did the Prime Minister do it on his own? 67.51.38.51 (talk) 16:22, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

The PM requested (by telephone!) that the GG prorogue parliament, which she did. The GG must generally follow the advice of the ministers; it would have been highly unusual for her not to grant the request. Indeed, there was much more concern for the prorogation last year. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 17:04, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Parliament is prorogued again? I hadn't heard about that. What happened this time? --Trovatore (talk) 21:47, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

The PM wants to avoid criticism over abuse of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, would like to stack the Senate with Conservatives while the other parties aren't able to do anything about it, and, for some reason, wants to start all over with various bills that his own government considered very very important. He also doesn't want to do any work while the Olympics are on. (There must be better, real, reasons, right? But are there really?) Adam Bishop (talk) 21:57, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

When Harper asked the GG to prorogue Parliament the first time, in December 2008, some people speculated she might refuse his request, but in the end she did what Harper wanted. Interestingly enough, today's featured article is about an Alberta bill to which the king's representative reserved assent until the Supreme Court ruled on its constitutionality. The Supreme Court rejected the legislation. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:10, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

As for Sweden, the monarch has absolutely no influence what-so-ever on anything in the political realm or regarding the governing of the country. All that power is vested in the elected government and parliament. He has some very symbolic positions (like heading the Council of Foreign Affairs) and he is the Head of State, but he has no actual constitutional power. No one needs his Royal Assent, he doesn't command the military, he couldn't prorouge a dinner party, etc. He doesn't even vote (well, if he really wanted to, I suppose he could, but the royal family doesn't vote by tradition), and he never speaks on political matters. The Swedish King is the definition of a powerless figure-head. It couldn't be any other way, because many Swedes are in general very uncomfortable with the idea of a monarch, and if there's even a hint that he tried to influence policy in any way, the Riksdag (i.e. the Swedish parliament) would immediately modify the constitution and kick his sorry ass out (well, not immediately, to change the constitution you two votes from the Riksdag with an election in between, but pretty quickly). For all intents and purposes, Sweden is a parlimentary democracy. Belisarius (talk) 21:27, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I believe I'm right in saying that the Swedish Instrument of Government contains a line which translate something like "All public power in Sweden arises from the people". I don't have a copy to hand, if anyone does they could check. DuncanHill (talk) 22:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, "All public power in Sweden proceeds from the people" is the opening sentence, according to Riksdagens website. [11]. DuncanHill (talk) 22:13, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Speaking of the prorogation of Parliament in Canada, there were protests in 64 different cities and towns in Canada against it on Saturday, and also in four other countries around the world. I'm currently trying to get this onto the main page, but a separate article may be needed. ~AH1^(TCU) 01:43, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Regarding Sweden: Couldn't it be that even though the Swedish monarch de facto has no power, he may still de jure have some according to the constitution? The reason for this question is that in Denmark following the 1849 constitution he king had the power to appoint ministers and if necessary overrule the parlamentary elections. This eventually resulted in him abusing this power by appointing a Conservative government despite the election results, which basically meant we had a dictatorial rule for a number of years. When the opposition finally came to power the constitution was changed in 1901 to prevent this from happening again, and thus effectively making the monarch a figure head. Could it be that these pre-1901 circumstances could be inherent in the Swedish constitution, but that they were never changed because they were never abused in the same way? --Saddhiyama (talk) 12:18, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

No. That was the case during the first three quarters of the last century, but since 1974 the Swedish monarchy no longer has any de jure power. Please see Monarchy of Sweden#Head of state and Instrument of Government_(1974). As noted in the latter article, this is quite unusual compared to other constitutional monarchies. /Coffeeshivers (talk) 19:49, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Anti terrorist and drug certificate

"Do I need an anti-terrorist and drug certificate to transfer a very large amount of my funds from Belgium overseas?", —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.183.140.2 (talk) 13:14, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia is unable to answer legal questions. If you have a "large amount of funds" then I strongly recommend spending a small fraction of them on getting good legal advice. You should probably also tell that legal advisor where you intend to transfer the funds to. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

minor league baseball salaries

I have a question on how payment for minor league baseball players is handled. Say that the KC Royals signs on a new prospect to a $200,000 2 year contract, and then sends him to their AAA club in Omaha. Who pays his salary, the KC club, or the Omaha club, because they probably do not have the same owners, and Omaha was not the organization that offered the contract? What about when halfway through his contract, he gets moved to the big leagues and start playing for KC? Googlemeister (talk) 15:28, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

From Minor league baseball#Affiliation_system: Major league Rule 56 governs the standard terms of a PDC. Generally, the parent major league club pays the salaries and benefits of uniformed personnel (players and coaches) and bats and balls, while the minor league club pays for in-season travel and other operational expenses. -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:12, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

So the answer is that the minor league teams do not have to pay salaries, but do have to pay travel. Not a bad deal for the MLT then as I was wondering how they could be profitable with their payroll. Thanks for the response. Googlemeister (talk) 17:21, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

name for style of woman's shirt

What do you call a woman's shirt that has a deep v in the front, so that there are two "bracups" formed in the fabric ? thanks, cinnamon colbert —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.115.3.195 (talk) 15:45, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

A v-neck? Gabbe (talk) 17:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Camisole? Useight (talk) 00:26, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Camisole is a garment (sleeveless undershirt that may be worn as outerwear), not a style. -- Deborahjay (talk) 10:15, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

A v-neck alone is only the shape of the neckline/opening and doesn't produce the bra-cup effect. That would require shaping of the fabric at or under the bust, possibly by gathering, pleats, darts, or seaming. See, for example: the "empire waist top" - though note that the empire waistline traditionally goes with classic neckline treatments (scoop, boat, etc.) other than the V-neck. Can you describe the other features of the shirt besides the "deep v"? -- Deborahjay (talk) 10:15, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Peripherally, is the word "blouse" no longer current for such female garments (if buttoned)? 87.81.230.195 (talk) 16:07, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Blouse is a more generic term, and I don't think they typically have built-in cups, in general. The description reminds me of that green thing that J-Lo wore on some awards show several years ago, although I'm not sure it had cups either (much to the chagrin of the network). ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:07, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Travelling to the US via Canada

I'm a British citizen and I'm going to stay in Toronto in summer with a friend at her relative's house. Because of the proximity of Toronto the US border, and New York, we were interested in going across for a week or less for the sake of tourism only. Ordinarily, if I was traveling to the US directly, I'd be eligible under the Visa Waiver program, thus not requiring to get a visa assuming I have a valid passport from the UK government. However, because I'm not traveling direct, and we want to go across the border, does this mean we'd have to apply for the B-2 tourism visa at additional cost? Regards, --—Cyclonenim | Chat  19:35, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I am from the US and was able to use the program to travel to New Zealand direct from Australia, so it appears to work in the reverse direction, as both NZ and Aus are part of the program. Googlemeister (talk) 19:46, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

No, providing you meet the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program. The prevailing document is an I94W (non-immigrant visa waiver) which is issued by the carrier (for air or land) or is available in the customs post (for land crossings) and is inspected at the crossing. For land crossings CBP says you'll have it inspected at "secondary" (ref) for a small fee. Make sure you meet all the requirements for it, and expect a nontrivial queue. Taking your return airline ticket (Toronto->LHR or whatever) should satisfy them that you have every intention of leaving the US. Note that Toronto has "proximity" to NYC in the same way London has proximity to Dundee. And Buffalo isn't worth visiting. If you fly you'll pass through US immigration at United States border preclearance at the Canadian airport. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 19:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, that pretty much solves my problem. Do I fill out the I94W at the preclearance area in the Canadian airport, or do I need to have it processed before I leave the UK? Regards, --—Cyclonenim | Chat  20:19, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Depending on the airport, you will be required to fill out your I94W either in the Canadian airport, or on landing in the US. You do not need to fill it before you leave the UK. Rockpocket 20:28, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

That's great. Thanks for your help. Regards, --—Cyclonenim | Chat  20:36, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Aw, poor Buffalo. Doesn't it still have outlet malls? And you can go to Detroit or Port Huron, about four hours to the west. Adam Bishop (talk) 21:48, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

"Buffalo isn't worth visiting"? Ouch. Reminds me of the old railroad line, the Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo, the TH&B, the "To Hell and Back" line. On the other hand, choosing Detroit over Buffalo is questionable. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:05, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Port Huron is quite nice, though. I spent a night there when I moved from Toronto. Not much to do there, maybe, but the lake is pretty. --Trovatore (talk) 22:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

You can also cross over the St. Lawrence a couple of hours east of Toronto. There are some nice towns in New York there (although I forget what they are called). Adam Bishop (talk) 22:23, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Be aware that although you don't need a visa there are additional security measures you will have to take as a non-US non-Canadian citizen. The main one is you will probably need to be fingerprinted. This will take a little longer, which won't make much difference if you fly, but if you decide to drive you'll need to stop the car and go into the building rather than just drive through. You'll also need six dollars in US currency (no Canadian, no Sterling, no credit cards). None of that applies if you fly. DJ Clayworth (talk) 22:38, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I'll definitely be flying, I'm not 21 so I can't get a rental car over there. Also, the prospect of a 6/7 hour drive doesn't really do it for me. Definitely flying. Thanks. Regards, --—Cyclonenim | Chat  23:27, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

For what it's worth, although it's true that only a few of the major American rental car companies rent to anyone under 25, and none of them rent to anyone under 21, some small rental car companies will rent to 18-year-olds and older; google rental car 18 years old. This article touches on the subject and mentions the possibility of renting a moving van (!) instead. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:44, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm sure there are companies that will rent to 18 year olds, but is it legal to? And would I still be covered by insurance? I doubt it! Regards, --—Cyclonenim | Chat  00:10, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Legal: Yes. Why would the rental companies do this openly if it were illegal? Insurance: Great question and you will have to read your insurance contract to find out. All the major car companies (and probably all the small ones too) also offer alternative insurance. It's pretty expensive (or may seem cheap to you depending on how much peace of mind it offers you). I'd call and find out first, though it sounds like you've ruled this path out already. The article I linked to above does mention you'll pay more as a person under 25, possibly substantially more. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:18, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

There are no fees travelling from Fort Erie to Buffalo, but the way back there is a small fee if I remember correctly. ~AH1^(TCU) 01:37, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd agree that Buffalo isn't worth visiting, but there are certainly places worth going in New York State that are closer to Canada than New York City. The Finger Lakes have some of the prettiest landscapes in the Northeastern U.S. and are less than 4 hours by car from Toronto. At the far end of the Finger Lakes, maybe 5 hours from Toronto including time at the border crossing, is the small city of Ithaca, New York, which is very pretty and is culturally rich for its size because it is a university town. Of course, the closest border crossing to Toronto is at Niagara Falls, which is well worth a look. The American side is a little less spoiled by tacky tourism than the Canadian side. Going around Lake Ontario the other way, you pass by the picturesque Thousand Islands. Continuing into New York State, you come to the rugged Adirondack Mountains, including the resort towns of Lake George, Lake Placid, and Saratoga Springs. There is also historic Fort Ticonderoga. Marco polo (talk) 02:24, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

• Don't you have to register online for the Visa Waiver Programme now? I'd advise Cyclonenim to check with the US Embassy in London before travelling. DuncanHill (talk) 02:33, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

It appears so. Sheesh. TomorrowTime (talk) 07:08, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm from Buffalo and must agree that there isn't a lot to do there. BUT, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery is quite nice, especially if you are into modern art. A couple hours farther is Letchworth State Park, which is quite scenic. Niagara Falls was mentioned above. It's sadly surrounded by tacky tourist traps but the falls itself is rather impressive. The Journey Behind the Falls and Cave of the Winds (New York) might be worth doing. Niagara Falls is quite close to Buffalo--part of the metro area. So people like me tend to consider it all part of the general region. Still, having grown up in Buffalo, the place to go to have fun and see cool stuff was Toronto. On the other hand, if you can manage a visit to New York City--quite a ways from Buffalo mind you--that would be worth doing. Pfly (talk) 10:07, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

There are other ideas near the Buffalo area, if one must avoid Buffalo. Remember that New York State is quite large and oddly shaped, such that Buffalo is really much closer to large cities in other states than New York. For example, Cleveland, Ohio is only 3 hours drive away, so you have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to visit there. If you are an American football fan, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is not far. Cooperstown, New York, also not far, houses the Baseball Hall of Fame. If you like wine, there are lots of little family vinyards that give tours in the area around Jamestown, New York. Likewise, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is only about 1.5 hours away. So even if Buffalo doesn't have enough to keep your attention for more than a day or so, you could use it as a base of operations to go see the sights in other area cities. --Jayron32 17:27, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

It's about 219 miles (350 km) from Buffalo to Pittsburgh, according to Google Maps. If you can do that in 1.5 hours, I'm impressed. -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:50, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

What, you don't ride around in a helicopter? Googlemeister (talk) 18:00, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

International mail fraud

Today I received a letter claiming to be from a barrister representing an unclaimed estate which suggests that I might be a long lost relative and hier. You know the drill – an obvious scam. Normally, I'd turn the letter over to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to add to their files for investigation and possible prosecution. However, this letter has a Lisbon metered postmark and Madrid contact information (including an apparent premium rate fax number +34 911 xxx xxx), so it appears to be of questionable jurisdiction. I'm looking for suggestions as to where to file a complaint that has any chance of triggering an investigation. (Of course the claimed estate is fairly sizable – maybe I should send them my bank account and credit card numbers, just in case. They say the transaction is 100% risk-free.) -- Tom N (tcncv) talk/contrib 00:35, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Don't forget to give them the deed to your house while you're at it. Oh, and I have a slightly used bridge to sell you. Some assembly required. If it were me, I would start with the post office and see if they have any recommendations. Another possibility could be the U.S. Department of Justice? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:55, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

As a general rule, people that direct things into another country, even if they are without it, are within the jurisdiction of that country. For the legal theory see personal jurisdiction and minimum contacts. Now, whether that means anything in your case I can't say. Shadowjams (talk) 05:58, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Interpol or Europol, depending where you reside? Or perhaps it should just be 'filed' away in the round 'filing cabinet' or if you prefer a square one. 220.101.28.25 (talk) 06:22, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

As long as it's fed through a shredder first. You can't be too careful about the risk of identity theft. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:29, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Absolutely, gold star for Bugs. Here however the 'barrister' already has the OPs address, hopefully nothing more! But yes, any identifying paperwork should be shredded ('crosscut' shredder preferred) before 'filing'. --220.101.28.25 (talk) 13:19, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Wow, I'm a hero of the Soviet Union. That's kind of like being a hero of the St. Louis Browns. d:) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:04, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Well the Browns still kinda exist. It would be more like being a hero of the Cleveland Spiders. --Jayron32 17:09, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Now I see what put you on to updating the Browns page. :) The scary part about the Cleveland Spiders is that League Park is in better shape than they are. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:20, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Magic in Wikipedia

I am sure that I edited someone's user talk page, then when I visited again to see if he had responded, my post wasn't there. I checked his history, and I had never posted. Then I checked my posting history, and it also indicated that I had never posted. Then I find out (via external means) that he magically deleted my post -- but it was as though I had never done it in the first place, rather than allowing it to appear as an unposted-post. How is that possible within the framework of Wikipedia? DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 03:25, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Were they an admin? Dismas|^(talk) 03:26, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

What is an "unposted-post"? If an edit is hard deleted, then there is no trace of it left in a page history nor in a user's contribution history. Think about all those Speedy tags you've left on pages ... none of them show up in your edit history because the entire article has been deleted. However it is possible, AFAIK, to delete a single edit from a history, if you have a mop, rather than deleting the whole page. Meanwhile http://xkcd.com/693/ refers. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:28, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Are you sure you didn't punch the "Show Preview" button rather than the "Save Page" button. 99 times out of 100, when someone reports the problem you are having, it generally comes from that problem. Actually, probably vanishingly close to 100 out of 100 times. --Jayron32 03:36, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes -- apparently, they are an admin. And at first I thought that I had merely previewed...until I found out externally that I had in fact posted and that it was deleted. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 03:42, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I can confirm that your talk page post was deleted by the editor in question. This may be because it contained personal information; the editor you mention would probably be far better placed to explain their reasoning than anyone here. Warofdreams talk 03:44, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

[after edit conflict] Exactly, if it shouldn't be a preview issue (I agree that that's often the reason), only admins have the necessary wand power for hard deletes. As far as I understand, though, they should not use it unless there's a good reason for doing so--usually a legally relevant post, such as copyright violations or disclosures of personal information, or very strong verbal offenses/vandalism (unless the last are relevant for police investigations). --Ibn Battuta (talk) 03:46, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Yeh, it seems like the admin could have at least said something to DRosenbach about why he clobbered it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:49, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

It should be visible with the admin tools unless the edits were oversighted. I do not see the deleted material, so perhaps oversight was used to remove them. (Oversight is like double secret probation in Animal House). I've always felt it is better to explain why something was deleted rather than trying to do it stealthily, which can result in unwanted discussion. Edison (talk) 05:01, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

The edit in question has in fact not only been deleted, but also oversighted. This means that the contents of the edit met one or more of the criteria in the Oversight policy, such as libel, non-public personal information or gross vandalism. As such, is it not visible even to administrators. decltype (talk) 11:37, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

This matter should probably be discussed at WP:ANI. It certainly shouldn't be discussed here. --Tango (talk) 12:20, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Tango -- I bemoan your comment; not only did I not know ANI exists, but it would certainly not be at the top of my mind, as I'm not an admin and don't have familiarity with admin powers. Miscellaneous ref desk is certainly a place to discuss miscellaneous topics. I'm not seeking a resolution to an incident -- I'm merely trying to understand how Wikipedia works and certainly think your words are too harsh for my query. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 13:40, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

DRosenbach, if I were you, I'd rather use Special:EmailUser/Oversight or contact the user whose talk page you edited privately. Since this does not require immediate administrative action (in fact, administrators can't help you with this), I do not think it is appropriate for WP:ANI. decltype (talk) 13:47, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Indeed. This desk is for general knowledge questions, not questions about how Wikipedia works. The right place to start with a query of this nature is the help desk. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:49, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually I think the Village Pump might be a better location. 67.51.38.51 (talk) 16:52, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm, not sure about that – the Pump is kind of a pointy-headed hangout for discussing policies, proposals, technical issues and whatnot. This kind of query might have ended up there, but I would always recommend going to the help desk first. It's staffed by knowledgeable people and you normally get a quick response. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:58, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

ANI is a good place to start, as it is frequented by admins and they could advise him where to go - although the Oversite page is probably where they would send him. But as WarofDreams said, the best bet is to go directly to the one who deleted it and ask why. Because for others it could be guesswork, but there's a good chance the deleting admin will know why he deleted it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:34, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Powers model

What is a "Powers model"? Mary Sue Miller has been described in the NYTimes as "an early Powers model". Hiram Powers (1805-1873) and Preston Powers (1842-1904) are too early. Given that she died before her husband, who died in 1982 at age 76, I have my doubts if Ed Powers (* 1954) is what's meant (plus I'd expect her to be called an "actress", not a "model" then). Or did she model to advertise something called "Powers"? Powers Accounting Machine Company again seems rather early (unless she was much older than her husband) and I don't see how it would be shortened to just "Powers". There's also Powers (whiskey), but why would she be an "early" model for them if the Whiskey has existed since 1791?

So... what's a "Powers model"?? Thanks, Ibn Battuta (talk) 03:46, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm guessing the John Robert Powers Agency. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:50, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I actually just found them! We even have an article: John Robert Powers! I'm adding it on the Powers page... --Ibn Battuta (talk) 04:43, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Bad Credit and Car Dealerships

I live in the US east coast. Are there any car dealerships that would finance someone with horrible credit if they put down 50%? --Reticuli88 (talk) 17:08, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Almost certainly. Some make a point of advertising the fact. But I'm afraid I don't know which ones. And they'll make you pay for it. May I suggest instead taking your 50% down payment and using it to pay cash for a car worth half as much? DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:25, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

If you can get the seller to allow you to have the car inspected by an independent mechanic before purchase (and you check the VIN online to make sure the car is not a lemon), in my opinion you virtually always get better value for money buying a used car for cash. A new car loses something like 20% of its value the minute you drive it out of the dealer's lot, but you are still stuck paying for that 20% with interest if you need a loan to buy it. Not so with a used car you can pay for with cash. However, if you are determined to buy from a dealer on credit, you can try this locator. Tips on how to go about it are offered at www dot ehow dot com /creditcenter/wizard.jsp. Marco polo (talk) 18:33, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I was also interested in improving my credit score by taking on some payments for a used car at a dealership. I figured this will be a good way to do that. I thought about buying a better car through a private seller but that won't help improve my atrocious credit score. --Reticuli88 (talk) 18:34, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I would think that making payments on your existing debt on time, and gradually paying off that debt, would be a better way to improve a credit score than to take on more debt. That's assuming that you have not just gone through bankruptcy and no longer have debt. In the latter case (but I think only in that case), your idea might make sense. Even in that case, though, I would think the best thing would be to buy a car you can afford to buy with cash, take out a loan for the car, and then pay off the loan in a few big payments, ahead of schedule. That way you can improve your credit score while minimizing your expense in interest and principal. Marco polo (talk) 18:39, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

(after e/c) I agree with Marco polo that current debt, if you still have any, takes priority. If you are now debt-free, and if you are employed and have a good employment history, I would recommend talking to a bank, and starting with small, easily repaid amounts. That's if the quality of the car is not as important as fixing your credit rating. (To the dealership, whether some or all of the money comes from a bank, this would be the same as offering cash, so your purchase price would still benefit.) I am in Canada, where banking and credit rules are materially different from the US, so YMMV. Bielle (talk) 18:46, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

If you are looking to improve your credit score you are better off getting a very small loan - such as a credit card with a very low limit - and paying that off regularly. However far better than listening to my advice is getting a professional to advise you. You can get free independent advice on this, but make sure you are getting it from someone truly independent, not someone looking to replace your current loans with one of theirs. DJ Clayworth (talk) 19:46, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I still owe over 5 grand to a loan that I haven't paid back in over 3 years. So, you are saying that it would be better that I pay back that instead of getting another loan? (sorry if that question sounds stupid) but I want to make sure that if I start paying back that old loan, does that institution have to, by law, report this to the credit agencies immediately? If so, does that prove favorable on my score or do I have to wait until it's completely paid off before I see any improvement? --Reticuli88 (talk) 18:50, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

We cannot offer legal advice on the Reference Desk, for which you would need to consult an attorney. However, you are entitled to one free credit report per year from each major credit reporting agency, and I believe that those agencies are legally required to correct your report if you can provide evidence that it is in error. So you can ensure that your credit report is corrected even if your creditor fails to report your resumption of payment. Now, if you have defaulted on your $5,000 debt, it may be that, because you have violated the terms of the loan, you cannot restore your credit simply by resuming monthly payments. Instead, the legal position of the creditor may be that you have to pay off the loan in order to be in "good standing". That said, creditors will often negotiate repayment plans on delinquent loans, and part of your negotiation could be to ask that the loan be reported as in "good standing" after a certain amount of payments if you stick to your schedule. Of course, the best thing would be to pay off the entire $5,000 if you can. If this would wipe out your car downpayment, figure out how much you would actually need for a car downpayment on the cheapest car that would meet your needs, set that aside (plus a couple thousand dollars as a cushion for yourself so that you won't need to go further into debt if an unforeseen expense came on), and then arrange a repayment plan on your old debt that you will be able to afford along with car payments. You will do much more to restore your credit by paying off your defaulted loan than you will by just taking on another loan and making payments on it. Incidentally, figure out which of the two loans will have the higher interest rate. If the car loan will have the higher interest rate, prioritize paying it off by planning the largest monthly payments you can afford, and try to minimize the monthly payments you negotiate on the defaulted debt, using car payments as your justification. (They don't have to know if you haven't yet arranged the car loan.) If the defaulted loan will have the higher interest rate, try to pay it off faster by getting low monthly payments on the car loan. The principle is to throw as much as possible at the higher interest rate loan, which actually minimizes your interest payments by reducing the principal at the fastest possible rate. (I am speaking, by the way, as someone who once had $23,000 in debt, including a defaulted loan, and paid it off in 5 years without a big income.) Marco polo (talk) 19:43, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

If you are in default on a loan then your first priority should be to get back into good standing with that loan. What that requires will depend on the details. You should probably contact whoever that loan is with and find out what they require from you - if you haven't made any payments in three years, you probably will need to pay off the whole loan if you can. You may want to consult a financial advisor - they may be able to advise you of ways to get the lender to let you off with paying less. You certainly should not take on more debt before you have dealt with the debt you already have. I suggest you buy a small, second-hand car for a few hundred dollars - they exist if you look for them. They aren't very good, but they'll get you from A to B while you are getting your finances in order. --Tango (talk) 19:59, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Need Direction

I am interested in contributing content to Wikipedia, mainly with business and other financial references. However, I am programming illiterate and can not find a good resource to learn the fundamentals of the MediaWiki software Wikipedia is based on. Could you point me to a source? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Erik Le Mesurier (talk • contribs) 18:48, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

You should start with Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers, Wikipedia:Help and Wikipedia:Editing. If you have questions go to Wikipedia:Help desk You don't need to be programming literate to contribute. In fact you just did so. DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:50, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

transsexual lesbian

I'm a lesbian, and I've been seeing this transsexual girl (who used to be a man and still a penis, but has taken hormones so has breasts etc and she is so hot) and it's sort of getting to the point where, em, things would progress further than just kissing and cuddling. The thing is, I'm deathly scared to the point of being phobic about penetration, especially by a penis. I've never been in this situation before and I have no idea how a transsexual girl has sex with another girl. I don't know what to do. I'm sort of okay with giving hand jobs if that's what she wanted. What should I do? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.56.141.252 (talk • contribs)

I'm afraid we can't really give advice on personal matters. We find references for people and there aren't likely to be any of help to you. I suggest you find a local LGBT association, they will probably be able to tell you where to go to get this kind of advice. If you tell us where you live, we should be able to help you find such an association. --Tango (talk) 20:02, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

The IP address seems to be in Germany. Your English is outstanding, 84. Hopefully one of our contributors will help with some advice, along the lines Tango suggested. --Dweller (talk) 20:13, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

18th century British division vs 21st century Marine Corps rifle platoon

Lets say there are 8000 British redcoats with the trusty brown bess plus 10 9 pounder guns

The Marines have

• 21 riflemen
• 9 riflemen/underslung grenadiers
• 9 SAW gunners,
• 2 machine gunners, 4 machine gun crew with carbines
• 2 SRAW gunners, 2 SRAW crew with carbines
• 1 60 mm mortar with 3 carbine armed crew members
• CO, XO, RATELO with carbines and a designated marksman with M21

there's a perfectly symetrical valley and each side starts out at the top of one side. There are plenty of bushes, rocks and walls to use for cover. The British aren't terrified of the machne guns. The marines have unlimited ammunition. Which side would win a battle?