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April 11

Is this a boil, a wart, a bite, something else?

I know there's a restriction against medical advice, but hopefully asking what this inflammation could be doesn't really count. If anyone could clarify it for me, it'd be great. http://imgur.com/B8683.png 202.10.95.178 (talk) 03:02, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

<Removed questionable diagnosis Nil Einne (talk)> See your doctor —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.248.227.64 (talk) 03:08, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

It could be anything. None of us here are dermatologists. See as noted above, go see a doctor. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:48, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Removed questionable diagnosis from 68 Nil Einne (talk) 08:09, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Most effective bike lock

What is the strongest type of bike lock? With these sorts of things they get better if you pay more but is there a design which is the strongest? Thanks. Chevymontecarlo. 10:09, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Good article here going through pros and cons of the different lock types.Dalliance (talk) 10:34, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

http://www.whycycle.co.uk/safety_and_security/bicycle_locks/

Great! Thanks! :) Chevymontecarlo. 10:44, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

One problem is that the wheels of a bike come off easily. So, you don't want to just chain the wheels. If possible, chain the frame to a heavy object. (You may also want to chain the wheels to that object, to prevent people from stealing them.) StuRat (talk) 13:48, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

You might recall Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) in All the President's Men, in which he had a bicycle tire next to his desk. This supposedly reflected Bernstein's real-life habit of detaching his front tire as a deterrent against theft. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:05, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

That wouldn't prevent someone from tossing the rest of the bike into a truck and adding a wheel later. I'd also think that unscrewing the wheel several times a day would result in stripping the threads, eventually. StuRat (talk) 14:12, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Quick release --Phil Holmes (talk) 16:59, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

So you think one really long lock or multiple locks would be more effective? Chevymontecarlo. 16:08, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

All the things I've ever seen have recommended a shackle/D-style lock as the most secure. Cable and chain locks can be removed "easily" with a bolt cutter applied to the cable/chain, whereas someone needs a metal saw and a bit of time to cut through a shackle lock. (The bike shop salesman where I purchased my bike referred to cable locks as "suburban locks" - that is, enough to keep a bored kid from riding off on it, but not enough to stop a determined thief.) The normal recommendation is to attach the bike to the rack through the frame and the back wheel (because the rear cogset and derailleur are valuable). Higher end shackle locks sometimes come with an additional cable, which is long enough to loop through the front wheel as well. I've also seen people detach the front wheel and pair it alongside the rear before locking with the shackle. Other things to possibly worry about are the handlebars and the seat, which often can be easily removed, along with bags, lights, expensive pedals, etc. - But practically, your best bet for security lies in social factors, not massive numbers of impenetrable locks. Parking your bike in a visible, well lit location, with a number of people around works better than spending $50 for an 'extra lock. (The first lock is a social factor too. Other people know that a person going at a lock with a bolt cutter or hacksaw is a thief, whereas a person just walking up and riding off could just be the owner.) Having a bike not worth stealing/you can afford to replace works well too. If you have a $2000+ race bike, you may want to rent a bike locker or bring the entire bike inside with you (if permitted). The benefit of an inexpensive bike is that you don't end up looking like Mr. Bean, taking parts of you vehicle with you, lest it get stolen. -- 174.24.193.122 (talk) 18:15, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

The advice I've heard is that the two major sorts are chain+lock and U-lock. Use whichever is least common on expensive bikes in your area. Theives can easily break a chain+lock with heavy bolt cutters; they can easily break a U-lock with an car jack. It is unlikely that any one criminal will carry both.

The other advice I've heard is use a cheap lock and ride an old bike. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 02:25, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

What happens if the reason you see the lock on expensive bikes in your area is because all the expensive bikes using the other kind of lock have already disappeared? Nil Einne (talk) 18:35, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

OP: Your first sentence asks a significantly different question than the section title, i.e. strongest vs. most effective. There's good discussion on strongest above; for the other, the most effective lock needs only to be better than the one on the bike next to yours. DaHorsesMouth (talk) 23:45, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Oh, and per DaHorsesMouth above, one of the best things you can do with bike car our house security is ensure yours is better secured, less attractive or less valuable than the one it's (parked) next to. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 02:29, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

"I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you." --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 03:56, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Property

Are any of the following houses real? By that I mean bit just sets on television shows, can you tell me who they are owned by and whether or not it would be possible to but them, Nile's house from Fasier, or Frasiers apartment, alternativley the beech house in Two and a half men. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 13:22, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

The way it normally works is that they use a real house for external establishing shots, while the interior is all shot on a set (some scenes "right outside the door" are also done on set). Thus, the real interior may not match the set. There have been movies shot inside real buildings, but they often need to rip out walls and such to make room for the cameras. In the movie Taxi Driver, they tore up a building for an interior shoot and it almost collapsed on them, due to loss of structural supports. StuRat (talk) 13:41, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Typically, for TV at least, you can tell that the interior shots are done on a stage, especially when filmed in front of a live audience. The stage sets are often much "roomier" than the real places. One example is Cheers. On the night of its last first-run episode, the show's players were in the real Cheers bar's interior, and it seemed very cramped. In short, it seemed like a real bar. With movies, there is more flexibility. In Field of Dreams, the interior of the house was used, although it took some remodeling to make it work. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:03, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Also, when using a set you only see 3 walls, since one wall is absent for the cameras. They could have a duplicate set with the missing wall or they could alter the existing set, if necessary, but time and money constraints rarely allow for this. StuRat (talk) 14:17, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

For films that actually contain a stage and an audience, they often film it twice: once from the audience viewpoint, and again from the stage viewpoint with the audience in the background. They are of course edited together to make it appear it's all happening at the same time. Another example of indoor and outdoor sets would be Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining. The exteriors were done at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon. That was the first fakery, as it was supposedly set in Colorado. Second, they had interiors of some huge establishment. Timberline Lodge is actually small and cozy inside. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:19, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

I believe the snow scenes in The Shining were done in a studio near London. Perhaps the interiors were as well, although they look very convincing. 78.147.232.11 (talk) 12:35, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

See this thread [1] for Frasier Crane's apartment. The view from the window implies a location on Queen Anne Hill that is apparently parkland (i.e., the place where the picture was taken to create the set's background), the theoretical address is on the other side of downtown. In other words, it is not a real place. Acroterion _(talk) 19:50, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

White after Labour day

Oft times in american shows one hears the frase uttered that one should not wear white after labour day, why not? Please explain. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 13:24, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Fashion. StuRat (talk) 13:36, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Or more helpfully meltBanana 16:17, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

In the film Serial Mom, Kathleen Turner's character kills Patricia Hearst's character for wearing white shoes after Labor Day. Woogee (talk) 21:45, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

That may be the best answer: you don't wear white shoes after Labor Day (note post-Webster spelling) because Serial Mom might kill you. —Tamfang (talk) 00:23, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

What I have always wondered is, when are you supposed to start wearing white again? New Year's? Spring? Adam Bishop (talk) 02:06, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Memorial Day. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 02:53, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Memorial day or After only. Never after Labor day. According to Richard Blackwell. 66.162.230.244 (talk) 23:19, 9 May 2022 (UTC)

Japanese knife/cleaver

Anyone know what this knife is? --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 18:57, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

We have an article Japanese knives. Bus stop (talk) 19:06, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Did I miss the picture of this one? I wouldn't have asked if I'd been able to find it easily. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 19:14, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

No, sorry. I was just pointing it out in case anyone else wanted to be made aware of it. "Mac" Japanese knives are great. I have this "Original Series" with rounded tip and hole for hanging. Very good for preparing vegetables. Bus stop (talk) 19:17, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

I couldn't find angled knives or cleavers with similarly shaped blades on any of the Japanese kitchen knife sites I scanned. Could it be a gardening hatchet? If you do a google image search for "Japanese hatchet" you get some similar tools (some of them on survival-kit sites). ---Sluzzelin talk 05:23, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Ah ha! Indeed, it seems to be one of these; the scabbard in this picture looks exactly like mine. The thing is wonderfully balanced; I think I may very well chop a branch or two with it. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 05:42, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

I think I have seen Japanese fishmongers at fishmarkets use it to chop off the heads of larger fish.--Saddhiyama (talk) 08:42, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

The name of the knife is 鉈/なた/nata in Japanese. Oda Mari (talk) 09:06, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Isn't that just generic for "hatchet"? --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 00:45, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Hotel electronic key cards.

Is it true that these cards have embedded into their magnetic strip enough information about the client such as his/her name, address, room number, arrival and departure dates, bank account details etc., so as to allow an unscrupulous staff member to scan those details and use them for identity theft or fraudulent purposes? And if so, it would therefore be unwise to deposit the keycard at Reception upon departure? Thanks. 92.30.55.2 (talk) 19:35, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

No, they don't. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 19:41, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

"Yarmouth Roads" on board ship?

I sail occasionally on a square-rigged sailing ship. On my last trip, I did some painting work for the first time. The locker in the fo'c'sle that held the paint brushes and sundry related items was known as "Yarmouth Roads"; this was written above the door. I was told that this was the traditional name for such a locker on board ships.

I'm curious, and trying to find some reference or information about this, but a few minutes' googling hasn't turned up much. Most results are for the geographical location (which as it happens I live near, and can see no obvious link to a locker for paintbrushes), although I did find the term used to describe a large bunk in the stern of a fishing smack which provides a kind of precedent. Can anyone find anything more? 93.97.184.230 (talk) 21:53, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

This provides an explanation, albeit based on supposition: Yarmouth Roads is a mooring ground, and one will find the odds and ends of shipping moored there, especially during downturns in trade. The locker is named after the geographical feature because all odds and ends in the ship end up in it. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:15, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Excellent - thankyou. 93.97.184.230 (talk) 11:22, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Prying an iPod out of its case

Resolved

I bought a 1G iPod touch from someone, but it's been crammed into a 2G case. The ill fit has been getting on my nerves, and I'm determined to get it out. However, "a little elbow grease" just can't seem to cut it this time. How can I get this case off? The bottom can be taken off, but the top shows no signs of moving. I'm not averse to breaking the case, but I don't want to damage the iPod.--The Ninth Bright Shiner 23:12, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Try a hair dryer -- it won't hurt anything, but acrylic has a high expansion coefficient. Might be the equivalent of running a jar under hot water to loosen the top. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 02:52, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Doesnt pointing a hair dryer to something damage its electronics due to the ionisation of the air? That's what I thought. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:45, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Due to ionization ? No. The heat could be a problem, though, if the electronics get too hot, especially if the device is on at the time. I'd also remove the batteries, first, so they don't expand and leak. StuRat (talk) 14:07, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Though, given the original question, is unlikely for two reasons, only one of which is unique to the OP's situation. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 14:31, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, the hair dryer didn't work. I tried to expand on the idea by leaving the iPod (facedown) in my car, where it could soak up a large amount of heat; but then, it was too hot to handle. I tried injecting milliliters of water into the space between, to act as a lubricant, to no avail. I was trying some hare-brained scheme with knives when my mom took it from me. She then proceeded to hammer the sides of the case with the knife...and it worked. I have no idea how she always does it. Regardless, thank you for your advice!--The Ninth Bright Shiner 00:59, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I'm amazed you didn't destroy it. StuRat (talk) 04:07, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

April 12

ayers rock

There used to be a book at the top of ayers rock how do I find it and is it possiable to veiw it???

Yes, there was such a book. Apparently it's no longer there, mainly because climbing Uluru is considered culturally insensitive and is officially discouraged, and so having any sort of incentive to climb would run counter to that.

As for the whereabouts of the book, assuming it still exists, maybe you could contact someone at the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:39, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

There was such a book, and I've got a picture to prove it. (Well it's a picture of the page with my name in it, just after I signed it in 1987.) Mitch Ames (talk) 09:32, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Country of van

Resolved

Hi, I'm trying to add a description to This photo. I know it's a Ford Transit ambulance, but I think the writing on the side is in Italian. Can anyone help? What country is this van from? Chevymontecarlo. 06:12, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

The writing on the side says "spitalul clinic de copii". That is Romanian for "Children's Hospital." (AFAIK). ^Avicenna_sis @ 06:14, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks a lot. I'll put Romania :) Chevymontecarlo. 06:16, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Note that Romanian is also spoken in Moldova. — Kpalion^(talk) 08:25, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

If you want to be even more specific, the city seems to be Oradea, as the particular hospital is identified as the Spitalul Clinic de Copii "Dr. G. Curteanu". Deor (talk) 12:19, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

OK, I have added the city to the description. Thanks. Chevymontecarlo. 15:38, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Thoes Small Icons What Are In Line With The Title

like on protected, spoken and featured pages

when mediawiki:sitenotice is being used, they stay in line with the title

on my wiki, they dont stay in line (see here)

iv coppied

• Common.js
• Monobook.js
• Common.css
• Monobook.css

to my wiki but it just wont do it, i dont want to use "demospace" because i want to use my own custom icons

how do i get it to work?

-Sghfdhdfghdfgfd (talk) 10:25, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

You might try this question on the computing reference desk. Deor (talk) 01:33, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Fun / Weird / Use and unuseful information

on 4chan they are known as info thereads, saved a lot of them, very interesting, can they be used at all?

-Sghfdhdfghdfgfd (talk) 10:30, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

"Used" as in "Used to make wikipedia articles"? Not likely. We have high standards for notability and (especially) we require that any fact that is likely to be disputed must be backed up with solid references in mainstream media (books, reputable newspapers, scientific journals, etc). The threads you refer to are highly unlikely to be any of those things. So, it's almost certain that this information is pretty much useless to Wikipedia. SteveBaker (talk) 13:57, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Nuclear waste

Is it possible and/or feasible to send our nuclear waste into the sun? One could just launch a rocket loaded with the stuff with preset coordinates and launch, no worries. If this is possible why is it not done?

think it would be because of cost and time. how much would it take to bulid something for 1 use, the fuel to power it to the sun and how long it would take the rocket to get to the sun. it takes about 8mins for light so it would take a long time for a rocket -Sghfdhdfghdfgfd (talk) 12:35, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

How long it would take to get to the sun is irrelevant. It's not like we have to wait for the first one to hit before we launch the second. :) FiggyBee (talk) 12:45, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

See Radioactive waste#Space disposal Nanonic (talk) 12:36, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

(ec) Because;

A) The world's nuclear programs produce thousands of tons of high level waste a year. Just putting that much material into orbit with current technology (ie, no space elevators) would cost trillions of dollars. Pushing it out of orbit and towards the sun would cost vastly more.

B) The world's best expendable launch systems currently have a failure rate of about 5%. The consequences of 10 tons of high level radioactive waste exploding in the upper atmosphere are unknown, but it wouldn't be pretty...

FiggyBee (talk) 12:43, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

But those practical concerns aside, once (if) we have a reliable cheap method of getting stuff to orbit (such as a space elevator), launching nuclear waste into the sun becomes a reasonable option. — Lomn 12:57, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

...which is a fairly tautological statement. "Once it becomes practical, then it can become reasonable." But it's nowhere near practical, so it's not reasonable. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:02, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Fair point, so I'll clarify the intent. Once orbital launches are safe and cheap, "shooting something into the sun" is an effective means of disposal. The problem isn't that nuclear waste falling into the sun is in some way unsafe. Contrast with "launching nuclear waste to Mars". — Lomn 13:07, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Agreed. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:50, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Disagreed. An orbital launch requires a speed of 18,000 mph (8 km/s). Escaping the Earth requires a speed of 25,000 mph (11 km/s). (If you haul something to a higher enough altitude first, as in a space elevator, of course the speed requirement is lowered but not the energy requirement.) But to launch into the Sun not only requires escaping the Earth but also requires canceling its orbital velocity, which is 66,600 mph (30 km/s) -- a much bigger deal. Some sort of gravitational slingshot trajectory might be able to reduce the energy requirements but would require active control for course corrections. In any case, today's waste may be tomorrow's fuel, which argues against such irrevocable disposal. --Anonymous, 19:11 UTC, April 12, 2010.

[2] says that the cost to launch 10,000kg into low earth orbit is well over $100,000,000. That's only to low earth orbit - to get out to geostationary orbit is about twice that - and prices for an orbit to get you to the sun could only be higher than that. So let's go with $100,000 per kilo of waste...versus digging a hole in Yucca mountain and dumping it there. But much worse than that is that both commercial and NASA launches have a failure rate of around 2% to 5%. So when your rocket (containing 10 tons of radioactive waste and a few hundred tons of highly explosive rocket fuel) fails...what are the consequences? Recall the shuttle disaster when the thing exploded on the way up to orbit...that was a pretty big bang. My guess is that the consequences would be about 1,000 times worse than a 10kg "dirty bomb"...which is to say "utterly devastating". Since we'd need to make well over a hundred launches a year to do what you suggest with current rocket technology, we'd have between two and five major nuclear accidents every year! It would be vastly cheaper about as harmful to simply dump the raw waste in a big pile out in the middle of New Mexico someplace! This is SO impractical that it's hardly worth discussing. SteveBaker (talk) 13:53, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Before you go sending nuclear stuff toward the sun, watch Superman IV. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:11, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

How about disposal on the ocean floor ?

If we were to dump nuclear waste in the Mariana Trench, in containers designed to dissolve quickly, would it be sufficiently diluted by the ocean to become "safe". I realize that this would be a political and PR nightmare, in any case, but I'm just asking about the scientific merit. StuRat (talk) 14:02, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Have you considered breeder reactors?124.171.232.30 (talk) 15:31, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, if your material was denser the water, I don't see how it would circulate to any great extant. Googlemeister (talk) 16:06, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

You mean like NaCl does not circulate to any great extend? Of course the idea has a certain movie potential "Atomollusc - Death from the Deep Deep!" ;-) --Stephan Schulz (talk) 16:33, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Japan had a plan to do exactly that, except they were going to use long-lasting containers. See Challenger_Deep#Possible_nuclear_waste_disposal_site. --Sean 17:48, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

I believe the Godzilla movies used nuclear weapons testing as the source of Godzilla, so they could have even more plot fun with this. StuRat (talk) 17:54, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

So, would the radioactive elements be at detectable levels if diluted in all the world's oceans ? Would they be dangerous ? StuRat (talk) 17:54, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

You can put it in the ocean, but it is not without its risks. On the whole the idea is that dilution and isolation would be sufficient to keep it from appreciably affecting humans, which is probably true if you only consider water transport, but there are concerns that localized contamination could work its way up the food chain. There was already a lot of dumping of low-level nuclear waste in the 1940s through the 1970s, but it has basically stopped (apparently) in the 1980s, and is banned by of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, of which the US is a party. The major argument against it is that if something did go wrong with the waste (if it turned out it was making its way up the food chain, etc.), you can't get it out again. This lack of ability for retrieval is one of the main arguments against it as a long-term strategy. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:15, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Sailing down the Mississippi

Ok, I and my missus are retired and we have loads of time on our hands and are not terribly short of funds, though we are not terribly rich either. We have travelled extensively across many continents and cultures, by land, sea and air. And we are looking for something different for our anniversary next year, after my wife has undergone some surgery to both feet (she is a chronic arthritic and can't walk far). We have done conventional cruising and don't particularly like it (lots of stuck-up would-be-celebrity-types). And I have just finished reading James Michener's Centennial for the umpteenth time, and I have this obsessive notion to sail up or down the Mississippi. But all I can find on the Web are local 3 hour dinner cruises or one day lecture cruises out of St. Louis or similar. Is there any way I could arrange a whole river trip? Any advice welcome. Thanks. ps. We are in the UK.92.30.49.161 (talk) 12:46, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

I'm not advertising anything, and this isn't completely on the Mississippi, but here is a 14-day river/canal cruise from Chicago to New Orleans. The current economic situation seems to have hit this sort of travel hard; at least two companies have suspended operations on the Mississippi. There really doesn't appear to be much available at this time. Deor (talk) 13:37, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Note that the coasts of the Mississippi are heavily industrialized, so you may see lots of barges and factories. I'm sure there are pleasant areas, too, but it's not all pretty. StuRat (talk) 13:53, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

It's not that bad; most of the industrialization is in the neighborhood of major cities. Deor (talk) 14:16, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Then there are the old, abandoned, rusting truss bridges, which are downright hideous. StuRat (talk) 14:59, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Depending on how much work you want to do, I believe that you can rent houseboats and cruise the Mississippi yourself. Buddy431 (talk) 14:21, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Here's one such place that claims not to have any range limits. There are probably others. Buddy431 (talk) 14:22, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Navigating the Mississippi—what with the commercial traffic (all a lot bigger than you are), negotiating locks, and such—does require a certain amount of knowledge and experience, and a person on a vacation of limited length may not want to be spending much of the time engaged in piloting a boat. Plus, the place you linked may not have a range limit, but it does appear to have a maximum time limit of seven days for returning the boat to the starting point, which would restrict you to, oh, less than a hundred miles upriver and downriver from its base in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I can't imagine that there are any companies that would allow you to rent a boat for an extended one-way trip, but I could be wrong. Deor (talk) 14:54, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

I interpret the Q as asking about cruises, not boat rentals. StuRat (talk) 14:58, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

If, given the lack of cruise options and loads of time on their hands, the posters wanted a real adventure, they might consider purchasing a powerboat in Minnesota and using it to travel down the river to New Orleans, where they could resell the boat. (Given the depressed economy in New Orleans, though, they might have better luck reselling the boat up the coast in Mobile, Alabama.) However, navigation of the Mississippi is known to be challenging. There are currents, shifting shoals, and considerable commercial traffic, as well as locks. I probably wouldn't consider it without some past piloting experience on a large river. Marco polo (talk) 18:25, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Johnathan Raban actually did it and wrote about it here.http://www.amazon.com/Old-Glory-Voyage-Down-Mississippi/dp/0375701001 if this is any help..hotclaws 22:46, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Bible

Is there any christian religion that follows the rules set out by god in the old testament, where it states that one should not cut the hairs on the side of the head. Please note, christian, not jewis, and if not why not?

I wouldn't be surprised to find that there's some small sect somewhere trying to (pardon the pun) religiously adhere to Old Testament law, but no major flavors of Christianity do. As for why, the New Testament repeatedly de-emphasizes slavish adherence to the list of laws. I expect there are graduate-level seminary courses in this question, so I prefer not to add my own personal rationales here. You might consider going to a local church or two and asking the pastor, though -- I'd bet it's not too hard to find a few who'd have the conversation. I will note, though, that I often wonder: "do I skip the rule for <x> because it's not necessary or because it's not convenient?" It's an interesting issue. — Lomn 13:04, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

The United Pentecostal Church International does, but based on passages in Corinthians, not because of the Old Testament (the laws of which no longer needs to be followed because they were fulfilled by Christ). Rastafarians, if you count them as Christians, follow the Old Testament rules about cutting hair. Adam Bishop (talk) 13:11, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Probably some of the Jews for Jesus crowd would satisfy those conditions. APL (talk) 17:55, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

I suppose the OP cites Leviticus 19:27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. Ye hath Moses' word that the Lord spake that unto him. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:35, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Regarding the "why not" part of the question: See Acts 10 for a vision of Peter's, which is used to justify both eating formerly unclean foods and the admission into the church of formerly unclean people (i.e., non-Jews). The presence of non-Jews in the community at all was a big deal, law-wise. Also, some of the Pauline epistles cover the superiority of faith to by-the-letter law, and his discussion of circumcision might be relevant, too. (See Romans 4, for example.) Paul (Stansifer) 03:30, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

GM Crops

Is the following assumption right or wrong, please feel free to pick holes in my theory. If rich companies creat GM seeds and sell them to farmers to grow GM crops, okay. The insects that feed on them will by evolution need to get stronger to feed on them. Then poor farmers that do not have the money to buy the GM seeds will have inferior crops with super insects. This will thus increase the starvation problem in the 3rd world. Thanks

Sure, it's a plausible scenario, but I should note that you can strip out "GM" from that whole paragraph and it'll still be just as valid. Wired ran an interesting piece in February on a new strain of wheat rust that's skipped past the developed "immunity" in the world's major wheat strains. The point here, though, is that those wheat strains were hybridized traditionally some 40 years ago -- no direct genetic modification occurred. — Lomn 13:39, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

(ec) Well, it's a bit like saying that modern housing practices have (or will) resulted in a bunch of super termites to eat them, which will then wipe out the old-fashioned kind of houses, increasing the rate of house-lessness in the third world. Matt Deres (talk) 13:42, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

It depends:

A) If the GM crops are insect resistant by producing some chemical which the other crops also produce, but in lower quantities, then you are right.

B) If the GM crops are insect resistant by producing some chemical which the other crops lack, then the insects would just develop a resistance to that chemical. Therefore, this would have no effect on their ability to eat other crops, only on GM crops. StuRat (talk) 13:47, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Your basic contention, that if farmers adopt a monoculture they will open themselves up to major dependence on seed suppliers (because even GM monocultures will probably eventually run into problems), is probably correct and is a common argument against GM crops. That's not necessarily an argument against GM crops altogether, but it is an argument against monocultures, which are often associated with GM crops. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:54, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

An insect species cannot evolve new characteristics instantly. If and when the new "super insects" eventually appear they won't necessarily want to eat the pre-GM crops their ancestors ate. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:22, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

It's not so much an issue of "super insects", but rather of inadvertent artificial selection by killing the insect larvae that have no resistance, while the larvae with resistance likely will survive to reproduce. With corn (maize), for example, where you plant GM crops, you also plant a portion of conventional corn, to provide what's called a "refuge" for bugs that have little or no resistance to the insecticide toxin being produced by the GM plant. So if your crop gets infested, you'll still have a decent yield, but you'll also ensure some genetic diversity in the insect population. That's the theory, anyway. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:06, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

And it doesn't have to be something related to the original GM modification. Let's say you replace all your places with Super Corn that defeats the Nefarious Corn Eating Beetle. Great! Except then one day the Asian Corn Blight happens to migrate to your country and takes off like crazy. It turns out that it happens to afflict Super Corn especially hard, just coincidentally. Well, heck. Now all of your Super Corn is Blighted. If you had less of a monoculture, that might set you back but not be a disaster, because your other varieties of corn might be more (coincidentally) resistant to the Blight. But since you didn't, now you have a total destruction of your corn crop. These aren't just hypothetical examples—monocultures in general have led to this sort of thing in the past, and it's not something you can predict. It's an argument against any monoculture, not just GMOs, but the widespread domination of GMOs makes it all the more likely that you'll end up with monocultures, as the argument goes. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:45, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

What is this car?

Hi, I am trying to add a description to this picture. Can anyone help me identify the car in the picture? It looks like a Toyota or Mazda, but I'm not sure. Chevymontecarlo. 15:36, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, it says Mazda on the hood, if that helps...! --Mr.98 (talk) 15:42, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

[after edit conflict] Looks like a series 4 Mazda RX7 to me, compare Google Image search. -- Ferkelparade π 15:44, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

2nd gen Mazda RX-7, Series 5. That's actually the pic from the article: Mazda_RX-7#Second_generation_.28FC.29. StuRat (talk) 15:45, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

OK I'll add that to the description. Thanks. Chevymontecarlo. 15:55, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

A Capella Group?

So, I have this song on my iPod of an A Capella group doing a "remix" of Deck the Halls. I'm almost positive it is a professional group, as it sounds studio edited, professionally done, and I swear I just remember knowing they were a professional group. I can't find them on the internet though, as all my searches on every plane bring up endless results of amateurs and covers. So, I'm hoping someone here could recognize, or maybe point me in the right direction. The song is unique, as it actually portrays a recording session where two British men are the studio workers, trying to get the group to do different sounds for the song. They go from the 40s to present, then go back to the "gregorian chant" version at the end, and the British guys get continually more annoying. Any help would be MASSIVELY appreciated, as I want to revisit my old music days and find more of their stuff! Side note: if you here a song that sounds like this, stress on the British guy's phrase "Shall we?" is emphasized more and more throughout the song; its a dead give away for the group I'm looking for. Thanks in advance! Hubydane (talk) 18:49, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Sounds fantastic. I look forward to viewing it when someone tracks it down. Edison (talk) 01:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I remember hearing that as well! But unfortunately, I now join you in frustration of not being able to find it. 10draftsdeep (talk) 13:25, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Ok, is there any chance this could be King's Singers? They did a version of Deck the Halls but the sound clip is too short to determine if it is the same one. [3] 10draftsdeep (talk) 15:09, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Deceptively close on the King's Singers, but the song (and group) I'm thinking about has pauses between decade sets, where the studio workers discuss random, hilarious things. Our search continues!Hubydane (talk) 16:09, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Are there any clues on your Ipod? How is the track titled...and how long is it? I'm grasping for any clues possible. The "shall we" is starting to haunt me! 10draftsdeep (talk) 16:30, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Just for Edison: The Swingle Singers recorded "Music History 101" which is "a trip through Music History to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" treated as a Gregorian Chant, a Medieval Round, a Madrigal, a Bach Chorale, a Schubert Lied and many other styles including jazz and rap."[4]. It's on Anyone For Mozart, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi?. ---Sluzzelin talk 22:36, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Clues from iPod: simply titled "Deck the Halls - A Capella" with album Unknown. My track is 6 minutes 55 seconds. I uploaded the file here to help the search. Hubydane (talk) 14:08, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

For further research: The group didn't vary over the theme or harmonies of "Deck the Halls". Instead, they simply squeezed the words into famous existing tunes: "In the Mood" for big band era, The Marcels' version of "Blue Moon" ("bom-baba-bom...") for doo-wop. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" for "bell-bottoms" rock. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" for "happy" I thought maybe the group had recorded these songs in their own right as well, but found nothing conclusive. Are those British accents fake, by the way? ---Sluzzelin talk 03:58, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

April 13

Hemp powder

how safe is hemp protein powder? any side effects? Will taking affect drug testing?

This sounds like medical advice, which we are not allowed to give. It's possible the hemp article will have some info on that, though. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:26, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Psud whinging about Bugs jumping to conclusions about medical advice

It's no more medical than "how safe is soap? Will washing myself with soap have any bad effects?". They're not asking for a diagnosis, prognosis or even about an illness or disease. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 03:44, 13 April 2010 (UTC) And further to that, see Kainaw's criterion: "Can the question be answered completely without providing a diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment advice?" Diagnosis: None requested. Prognosis: (likely outcome of an illness) Nope. No illness mentioned. Treatment: Nope. Bugs, I suggest you add the Kainaw's criterion link above to your favourites and refer to it before labelling a question as medical. sorry bugs, bee in my bonnet regarding people incorrectly marking questions as medical, legal etc. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 04:18, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

To the OP: According to this newspaper article it's very unlikely that you could consume enough hemp protein powder to trigger a positve drug test result. See the article for details. I can't find anything claiming that it is dangerous (in comparison to other protein supplements) --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 04:18, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

This FAQ should be helpful (though of course it's from a manufacturer of hemp protein powder.) --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 04:19, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Help identify flower

Hi. What flower is this? Flower size is about 3cm, grows in a plant. רנדום (talk) 05:31, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Um, never seen a flower grow in an animal before. Don't they all grow in plants? Seriously though, your flowers look like Saintpaulia, aka "african violet". --Jayron32 05:35, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I added a close up picture to the article. רנדום (talk) 05:43, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

What flower is this?

See the picture here. The bird is a Palestine Sunbird, but what flower is it? . רנדום (talk) 06:17, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Can't nail down the exact genus or species, but it looks like it may be some type of "primrose", which is a HUGE family of plants, see Primulaceae. The size and shape is something like Primula veris (aka cowslip) but the color is different. You'd have to browse through all of the various Primulaceae to find a good fit. It may also be a type of Anagallis, aka "pimpernel". Or something else entirely. --Jayron32 06:31, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm, it doesn't look like any of the above. Here are more pictures of the flower. Any idea? רנדום (talk) 07:16, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Can't name it myself but I suggest you sign up to Flikr and post it on the 'Unidentified Plant' group. I'll be surprised if it not identified within 24 hours. Richard Avery (talk) 13:53, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Which park is the Imperial War Museum London inside?

Yesterday I went to the Imperial War Museum London, and it's inside a park. What is the name of this park?--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 07:05, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I think that would be Harmsworth Park, (properly The Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park) in the borough of Lambeth. Viscount Rothermere, proprietor of the Daily Mail, presented it to the then London County Council for use as a public park in memory of his mother, Geraldine Mary Harmsworth. It was opened in 1934 and in 1938 a children's lido was added. In the park is a section of the Berlin Wall and a Soviet War Memorial.Richard Avery (talk) 07:47, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Looking again I find there is all the info you need in the WP article Imperial War Museum, look at the section labelled 'Relocation'. (and sorry, it is Southwark not Lambeth) Richard Avery (talk) 13:44, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

How did Viscount Rothemere get it? Surely it must have been the grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital not long beforehand? Alansplodge (talk) 07:57, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Don't know, but Here and here is some more information about it. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:01, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

PS: According to this site, "the main part of the institution [Bethlem] remained in Southwark until after the 1914–18 war, when the Governors decided to build new premises in rural surroundings. The removal to Monks Orchard at Addington in Surrey was sanctioned by Act of Parliament in 1926. The freehold of the old site was purchased by Viscount Rothermere in 1930 and vested in the London County Council for the formation of a public open space, to be known as the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park in memory of his mother." Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

What a nice fellow. I take back everything I said about the Daily Mail. Thanks. Alansplodge (talk) 12:46, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Hang on a minute - I've just looked at his Wikipedia page: Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere. I retract my withdrawal. Alansplodge (talk) 00:34, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Playing MMORPGs

I've got a new broadband connection, but my service provider allows only 1.5 GB of download/upload per month. I want to start playing online games, especially MMORPGs like World of Warcraft etc. Do these games require a lot of data exchange? Will it consume a lot of my download rations? How many hours of games like these will I be able to play on an average, without running the risk of exceeding 1.5 GB data usage? Thanks in advance... 117.194.230.102 (talk) 10:41, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

1.5GB a month seems like a painfully small allowance, but games generally don't use much bandwidth for normal play. Consider that when you're playing the game it's the equivalent of you browsing random wikipedia articles continually. Perhaps 12-30 KB/s, unless you're doing other things like in-game file transfers or something that will consume a lot more bandwidth. If this wasn't helpful, try asking at the Computer Reference Desk for better answers. 82.44.54.83 (talk) 10:44, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Using those speeds, I get some 18-35 hours. That's only half an hour to an hour a day; even less when you consider other data transfers. To appreciate just how low 1.5 GB of download/upload per month is, that works out to about a half hour of a standard definition DVD movie. StuRat (talk) 12:24, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

The IP resolves to India, if anyone was wondering why anyone would have such a harsh limit. I would agree that this is too low to game effectively. On the other hand, it would allow you to moderate your gaming! :) There's always a bright side. Also, it seems common (with the ISPs I have had) to tolerate use that is slightly in excess of the limit; say 150% or so. This is somewhat dependant on culture, I think, and so I can't urge you to try to use more than your allotted share. 88.90.16.251 (talk) 13:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Look for games designed for dialup users. Those will move less than 7 kilobytes of data per second, giving you at least 60 hours of playtime a month. --Carnildo (talk) 23:23, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Since I come from NZ where 5GB caps are about average IIRC and 1GB not unheard of, I thought there must be some actual experience and testing for this. Sure enough [5] [6] [7]. And eventually [8] where someone from Blizzard gives 6 Kb/s download, 3 Kb/s upload. This gives about 4 megabytes per hour which is many hours of playing time. However this is an average, if you spend a lot of time raiding, in cities with lots of people etc you may find yourself using more. Also a key point highlighted in some of the other forums posts, the patches are likely to add up to quite a lot. (If you do decide to play WOW make sure you disable the P2P option for patches, same of course with anything else that distributes patches in that way.) Of course other internet activities can add up to a lot too, I have a 15 GB peak cap which I (well household) always go over and then spend NZ$1 /GB for the extra so I have some experience. (And the RD is often ~500k IIRC.) On the other hand I also know from experience with some friends that if you don't actually use the internet that much particularly for bandwidth intensive things like viewing video, 1.5GB/month isn't actually that low (their cap is 5GB but AFAIK they don't even get close most of the time, not sure how much they spend but it may even be under 1GB). P.S. While there's such thing as a fair usage data plan here, most connections have hard data limits, if you go over your limit you're either limited to 64kbps or you pay more. I'm not sure but perhaps there's something similar in India. Nil Einne (talk) 23:47, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

If you don't think those limits are low, you must not download movies. StuRat (talk) 04:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

No, I don't! I have a 0.5GB per month limit (on internet delivered via a series of microwave links) which I keep within, though I admit that I do my updating of software and a few downloads elsewhere. I find some software such as Adobe infuriating because it performs unauthorised updates without asking. Dbfirs 09:10, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I find this annoying too and have for a long time and you're right they usually don't ask. However in case you're not aware mostly commonly you can switch it off. In Adobe's case, either try Edit, Preference, Updater (for Adobe Reader); or run the updater and look for a preferences option (for most other things IIRC). Of course since the updater is often a seperate app you can disable it from starting at startup, but apps nowadays seem to often just add it back, again without asking Nil Einne (talk) 19:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I've now done that (again). It had turned itself on at the last update. I suppose most people just want things to happen automatically without being asked. Do you know of any software that sits between the operating system and the internet with a whitelist, blacklist and permission list? Dbfirs 11:48, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Who are you referring to? As I said, I always go over my 15GB peak cap usually by quite a bit, even with scheduling most major downloads (like movies) for offpeak times which is unlimited for me so I do find such caps low for myself (well household). However the fact remains, plenty of people are able to keep to such caps, it isn't as hard as you may think if you aren't using such demanding stuff like video, P2P etc and don't actually use the internet that much (remember, many people don't spend several hours a day on the internet for leisure purposes and even many who do may just use stuff like e-mail, Facebook, IM, blogs with some occasional Youtube and more data intensive stuff and may not spend more then say 3 gb /month). This stuff does add up, faster then I expect many people realise however at the same time it doesn't add up to as much as some people guess.

Paying NZ$1/gb does encourage you to not just use data willy nilly, although I suspect most people in NZ don't particularly since they don't have to because they never get close to their caps even without worrying about it.

Even in the US, while the average data usage is likely to be significantly higher, I expect you'll find similar patterns, i.e. most users don't actually use that much (it wouldn't surprise me if it's under 10GB)

Or to put it a different way, IMHO people who don't have to worry about these sort of things have a tendency to both underestimate and overestimage data usage depending on the circumstance. This question is perhaps an example of the overestimate part, the actual average bandwidth usage for WOW according to Blizzard is below the minimum estimation above, and the evidence suggests Blizzard is not far off the mark (although of course many people won't have average usage depending on their playing patterns).

BTW, in NZ the number and usage of legal on demand video services (referring to real TV and movies sort of thing, not Youtube) is fairly limited partially because of the caps. The TiVo launched here recently with a deal with the major ISP for unmetered ondemand service.

Nil Einne (talk) 19:27, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Experiment on copper (I) chloride

Exaplain why? (a)A layer of liquid should cover the salt in the funnel at all times. (b)The product has to be preserved in a tightly stoppered sample tube. (c)Is it necessary to wash the product with alcohol before drying

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Reference Desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. --LarryMac | Talk 11:02, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia article is at Copper(I) chloride. This will give plenty of information on your topic. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:47, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

management information system (computer)

What is Simon’s framework for decision-making? How does it help in MIS design?

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Reference Desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. --LarryMac | Talk 11:02, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You might start by reading our article on Herbert Simon. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 13:41, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Indeed. From some Googlation, it would seem this question (which appears verbatim in the assignments of a number of Indian MIS courses) refers to Simon's rather sinister-sounding 1965 work The shape of automation for men and management. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

gettin a manifesto

so hey I been reading in the paper about the new labiur and conservative manifesto and their covers and I was wondering if I could get one sent to me by post as I cant sit down and read those thing through n full on the computer!! i live in england if that a thing but when I go to their website I just told to read online ; I want the book to know how to vote!! Salza boo (talk) 11:36, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, here are the online versions. You could print them from there. If you don't have a printer, you could maybe go to a place that does, like a friend's house or library:

The Labour Party Manifesto: [9].

The Conservative Party Manifesto: [10].

In an interesting example of Conservative Party values, they are willing to sell you a copy, but not to send you one for free. However, if I go to the page to buy it, my Firefox browser goes down. (Read what you will, about their competence, into this.) StuRat (talk) 11:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

When it comes to who to vote for the manifestos are a reasonable guide, but remember that they are just some vague promises and only some of them will ever be put forward in parliment. Once in power, many manifesto promises are quickly forgotten. Also, it won't take long for each party to send leaflets telling you all about their candidate in your constituency.

As for how to vote, if you haven't already done so, you will need to register to vote before 20 April 2010 - your local council will be able to tell you how to register. Assuming you haven't requested a postal or proxy vote, you will receive a voting card through the post telling you the location of your polling station (usually a local school). On 6 May you visit the specified polling station, where your identity will be checked and you will be given a piece of paper listing the candidates. You go into one of the small curtained booths and put an "X" in the box next to the one candidate you are voting for. Fold the paper in half, return to the desk and drop your voting paper into the ballot box. That's it. Astronaut (talk) 12:31, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

pocket money in india

how much pocket money does an indian kid aged 17 get on an average per month?

Are you asking about allowance from their parents ? I'm of the opinion that there's a wide range of wealth in India, based on geographic and other factors. Can you be more specific ? StuRat (talk) 12:14, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

No need to gloss "pocket money", since it's a perfectly understandable term in large parts of the world. Clearly there will be differences, but you seem not to have noticed the words on average in the OP's question. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I need to understand a Q before answering it, and I don't know if they meant money received from parents or from other sources. StuRat (talk) 14:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

"Pocket money" means money received from parents. That's what it means. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:46, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps where you live, but here it means "any money you have in your pocket, regardless of the source", as in: "I like to keep $20 in pocket money, in case I need to take a cab": [11]. You seem to repeatedly make the mistake of thinking that the def you use is the only, universal def of a word or term. I will update Wiktionary:pocket money, accordingly. StuRat (talk) 17:43, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but it's worth noting that "average" may not be useful. Borrowing some numbers from India#Economy, the overall Indian economy is either the 12th largest or 4th largest in the world, depending on some factor I don't understand. That looks pretty good (and raises our estimate for average pocket money). However, India is also the most populous nation in the world. It's per capita GDP is 140th -- that drastically lowers the pocket money average. That income is also hugely skewed -- over 40% of the population lives on less than $1.25/day. It's safe to say that teenagers in that bracket have no pocket money to speak of. So what "average" do we want to know? The mean of the whole country? That's skewed low by the poverty line but probably doesn't represent much of the actual population. The median? At least it's a real person, but who knows how representative. The mode is all but certainly the pool of $0. Or, as I think more likely (and as StuRat is suggesting), do we want the average for some subset of India, and if so, what subset? — Lomn 13:26, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

(Edit Conflict) I suggest that, although it would be theoretically possible to calculate an average figure, it would probably not be very meaningful. The very concept of "pocket money/allowance" is rooted in a "western" pattern of family, culture, and society followed by only a small fraction of, if you like, "westernised" Indian citizens, anomalously wealthy by average Indian standards.

As you can see from the 'Economy', 'Demographics' and 'Culture' sections of our article on India, some 70% of the Indian population live rurally, and will be making a living from agriculture at, or at little above, the subsistence level. Very many urban dwellers will be working in shop-floor service or manufacturing jobs at low rates of pay (hence the cheap textiles and other manufactured goods that India is able to export to the richer western world).

In these circumstances most Indian minors will probably not only not be receiving pocket money, but will be working for some hours of the day in agricultural labour, or in urban industries, or in some cases begging, in order to make a contribution to the pooled labour and income of their family (if they have one). I also suspect that for most of the (culturally very varied) Indian population, a 17-y-o would be socially and economically considered an adult. Obviously, in a population approaching 1.2 billion, the small proportion of families who do follow a lifestyle that includes the giving of pocket money to their 17-y-o offspring may still represent a sizeable number, but using them to calculate an average figure for the population as a whole would be misleading (and the figure would be tiny), as would any comparison to that of countries with different demographic, etc, patterns. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 13:35, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I'm a 17 year old from Ireland and I get no pocket money at all, and never have. My parents just buy what I want, so long as it's not ridiculously expensive or I want something every other day. I work during my school holidays for money.--92.251.147.169 (talk) 18:21, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

That's nice to know, but how is it in any way relevant to the question at hand? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:29, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

British Law

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. LEGAL INFORMATION. I don't know about other laws, but I think in England all evidence you wish to rely upon in court must be given to your opponent boforehand. Or something like that, I think. So my friend had this hypothesis, that I think that would work, for people to get around that: surely you could just give it to your opponent just before you enter the courtroom. Then you would have stuck within the law but they would be pretty unarmed and you would win, particularly if they had given you thier evdence way in advance. Neither of us have courtcases, or have had courtcases, so our knowledge is based mostly on general knowledge and courtrooms in movies. But would that work? Or have the courts thought of that already and put some time boundary in place? Thanks for any info you can provide. 86.185.145.173 (talk) 13:56, 13 April 2010 (UTC

As I recall, the other party could just appeal to the judge and get an adjournment. You'd only succeed in delaying the trial and irritating everyone (including the judge). - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 14:00, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

A continuance, yes. StuRat (talk) 14:06, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You learn something new every day. Me more than most. - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 14:12, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I learn something new everyday, too. Unfortunately, I have to forget two or three old things to make room. StuRat (talk) 19:19, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I wish you hadn't said that - now that I know the frequency at which you learn and how many things you have to forget, I no longer know the square root of 1764, I don't recall what a "lubbock" is and I've forgotten what the other thing I forgot was. SteveBaker (talk) 00:38, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

See disclosure (the same as "discovery" in the US). StuRat (talk) 14:06, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Generally you can only introduce evidence late (I'm not sure what the deadline is, but it is more than just a minute before the trial) with the permission of the judge and the judge will only give that permission if you only just got the evidence (and couldn't have reasonably got it before) and if it being late won't unduly prejudice the other party. Lawyers are very clever people, so if such a scheme would work, they would all be doing it (sometimes they do try such things, but not routinely). --Tango (talk) 14:14, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

(The US article is Discovery (law)). A court will set a date for disclosure to be complete, which may be followed by a bit of to-and-fro between the parties who allege that they want more info, or more time, or that the other party's disclosure requests are unreasonable. That time is weeks (or for complex cases months) before the trial date; information disclosed after that time is generally inadmissable. If a party were to suppress or withhold material that was subject to the discovery order, and the court believed they'd done it with intent, that party could be considered in contempt of court. If the matter withheld was particularly significant, and the withholding obviously and wilfully egregious, the withholder could be charged with perverting the course of justice, an exceedingly serious crime. In general the legal manoeuvres practised by TV lawyers, with dramatic last-minute disclosures and confessions, are hopelessly at variance with natural justice and with the somewhat glacial pace of modern court proceedings, and would result only in Perry Mason losing, being disbarred, and probably chucked in jail. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 14:21, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Deliberately withholding evidence is part of what got Mike Nifong his career change. (American law, obviously.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:04, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

See also Ambush defence, a thing which judges dislike greatly. --Tagishsimon (talk) 19:37, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In family law that is certainly not the case. The opposition can bring up anything they like. Kittybrewster ☎ 21:27, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Is that civil or criminal? Or something special? I think we're talking about purely criminal trials here. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:45, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Thank you very much for all the information you've been able to provide; it has been most interesting and enlightening. 86.176.97.98 (talk) 22:07, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Water Solar Disinfection

If I was to hold a sample of pathogen-laden water in a clear, plastic water bottle and expose it to a day's worth of sunlight, how effective will the Sun's UV rays be in killing some of the pathogens in the water? Acceptable (talk) 14:21, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Not much - those pathogens have been living in the top layers of the lake, stream, or sea from which you drew the water, bathed in a comparable amount of UV that they'd get in the bottle. It's all too easy to get a nasty cryptosporidium from a fast-flowing, inch deep, mountain stream. If you were looking to have the Sun sterilise water for you, you'd probably want to use a solar still, not a bottle. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 14:27, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I drink water from back the mountains here regularly, I've never caught anything.--92.251.147.169 (talk) 22:42, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Not a very useful anecdote. So, what happens when you take your water collected in a high stream, away from industrial and agricultural pollution (you hope) and put it in a plastic bottle, then incubate the bottle at a comfortable temperature for a day or so. The water's sure to have small numbers of bacteria, fungus, alge etc. Given time and nice temperature some of those (which might be pathogenic) might grow or reproduce enough to become an infection risk or toxic. --Psud (talk) 07:24, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I think you’d be better off asking this question on Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Science.--Aspro (talk) 14:37, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Actually, this is an effective and cheap method of purifying water. I just saw this recently in either Nature or Natural Geographic. The key was to lay the closed clear plastic bottles on a metal surface in the sun for several hours. I'm looking for the ref. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 14:46, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

The World Health Organization is very interested in this area of water treatment. They have published a document entitled Water Treatment and Pathogen Control which may answer your questions.--Aspro (talk) 14:50, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I saw it in the current National Geographic Magazine, April 2010, p28. The article states that "6 hrs in the sun will kill viruses, bacteria, parasites in the water making it safe to drink." The program is called SODIS, and look! We have an article. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 14:52, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Portable water purification - I have added the above publication to the ‘further reading’ section.--Aspro (talk) 15:01, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Can a glass bottle be used ? (As a plastic bottle may leach chemicals into the water when exposed to heat and UV light.) StuRat (talk) 16:25, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Glass is opaque (or partially so) to parts of the UV spectrum. Also, this process requires the use of PET bottles, not polycarbonate. See Solar_water_disinfection#Cautions for links to refs. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 16:32, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Alice Bailey

Is there a religion based on the writings of Alice Bailey specifically A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. I realise she is a Theosophist, but is this a religion, and alot of Theosophy is, well, tripe. But I am very intrigued by her writings, is this a religious movements? Any enlightenment on the subject would be appreciated. Thanks

Temporarily Insulating a room

I live in a room that is about 16 square meter in the groundfloor, whose two sides are directly exposed to the outside. Heating works as expected and it is below the window, but the room is a bit cold. The culprits are 3 glass structures. One is the door and the other is a "window" like rectangular space, presumably to allow more light in the room and the other is an actual window itself. The door and the window closes well and there is no heat leakage on the metalic part. The door however, leaked cold air in the frame where the glass meets the metal. I taped this "frame" area, and it has helped a bit. Glass feels cold on all 3 structures. Iam wondering if covering the glass with styrofoam or anything that insulates (even opaque material)can help litigate my misery. Since it is a rented room, iam not allowed to permenantly alter anything or bore or cut stuff. Iam allowed to paste stuff using adhesive tape that can be removed. Please give me a few ideas. I do not know why I cannot tolerate cold, it could be due to the fact that my body temperature is slightly above normal right from the birth.

The "poor man's window insulator" is to buy sheets of the thickest available plastic sheeting at your local hardware store and tape it up inside the window with masking tape, creating a seal. Disadvantage of course is that you won't really be able to get a view out of the window anymore, and it looks like you have thick plastic sheeting in your window. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:00, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I have the same problem and use the same solution, a 3/4" "Foamular 150" Styrofoam sheet, which I place in the window, so it's supported by the sill. This insulates far better than plastic sheets, especially when dealing with single pane windows. I had to cut it to fit inside the frame, then taped it up along the bottom and 2 sides (I skipped the top, since cold air won't rise). That window, right over my bed, was the coldest spot on the wall, now it's the warmest. I use white Styrofoam sheets, but you can use pink if you're a girl (or want everyone to think you are). I placed the ugly side with the labels and warnings on it pointed inside, so they will be covered by the drapes, and everyone outside will see a flat white surface, difficult to distinguish from drapes. While I can't see out the window, plenty of light comes through it. The tape does occasionally come loose, but I replace the tape and it's good for another month or two.

You should buy the Styrofoam well in advance, and let it sit outside or in a garage, since it stinks, due to outgassing, when new. Measure and mark it carefully, and cut it using a utility knife, again outside or in the garage, since this will generate a lot of Styrofoam balls which will stick to everything, via static electricity. The factory edges will be much smoother than you can get using the knife, so place it with one of the smooth edges down on the sill, so it seals better and is supported better. And, fair warning, cutting Styrofoam makes the proverbial "fingernails on a chalkboard" sound, so be prepared. :-) StuRat (talk) 18:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

It's been a long time - but many years ago, in an emergency - I found that using sheets of kitchen cling-film over the door and window frames to create an air-gap between the cold glass and the air of the room helped a lot. It works in a similar way to double-glazing. It has the advantage that if you stretch it tight, you can still see through it perfectly well. SteveBaker (talk) 18:37, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You can cut styrofoam using a hot wire gadget, which plugs into a power outlet. They should be available at art-and-craft stores quite cheaply and allow you to shape the panels without mess. Essentially the gadget melts its way through the panel and you avoid the electrostatic foamdust which clings to anything. Googling should find a supplier in your vicinity. --88.117.1.3 (talk) 18:57, 13 April 2010 (UTC), whoops --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:58, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Wouldn't that make a horrid burning plastic smell ? StuRat (talk) 19:01, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Who cares? At least you won't be freezing your patootie off. Bus stop (talk) 19:13, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, if you cut it with a utility knife, instead, you'll still have both your lungs and your patootie. And, if you wear hearing protection, your eardrums won't be assaulted, either. StuRat (talk) 19:16, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Or an iPod playing some VanHalen to keep out the noise :) Googlemeister (talk) 19:33, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

At least in my area (Eastern Massachusetts), it's possible to get plastic film for exactly this purpose from the hardware store. It may very well be the same material as the plastic wrap Steve suggests, but it's sized to fit windows, and comes with double-sided tape to help you mount it. You use a hair dryer to warm it up to stretch it taut, and it's pretty much invisible. Paul (Stansifer) 02:12, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

The exact same product is available in the UK from some DIY stores and works very well - I've had some up for over 15 years. The most difficult part of the job is getting the frame surface smooth and clean enough to take the tape bond firmly (new paint, though apparently dry, tends to shear under the tension). 87.81.230.195 (talk) 15:37, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Plumbing: faucet: replacement parts

Is there a standard system for identifying the correct washer (and other replacement parts) for a particular faucet, enabling a person to go to a store and buy a supply of the correct items, instead of removing old parts and taking them to a store for matching with new parts? (By analogy, a person can buy replacement batteries of the correct type by looking for AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, or whichever type of battery is required, instead of needing to take an old battery to a store for matching with new ones.) -- Wavelength (talk) 20:43, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I know the plumbing sections of DIY stores (who cater to the occasional rather than professional plumber) sell packages of washers in all of the common configurations (I think the one I looked at in the UK had at least five different kinds). That way one could be sure of having the right kind when one opened the tap. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:56, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You're also much better off going to the do-it-yourself store with the parts in your hands and your hands all grimy and with dirt on your pants — that way you get the real machismo experience. Bus stop (talk) 21:03, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but to do that with a tap washer you need to firstly turn off the water (often to the whole house) ; then disassemble the tap and extract the washer ; then drive to the DIY store, find the replacement, buy it, drive home ; and only then fit it. That leaves the house without water for potentially an hour or two, for a five minute job, which 'er indoors isn't going to like. Washers are ludicrously cheap, so having a few wasted ones (which you'll stockpile anyway, in the delusion that you'll find them next time) is of little cost. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 21:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In the past I have taken a photo (digital) of the part required and shown it (using the camera) to the sales person - it worked well both times I did it. OK, washers aren't very photogenic, but the part that they are attached to and an appropriate measurement ought to be familiar to any reasonable plumbing or DIY centre. Richard Avery (talk) 07:53, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Another trouble with tap washers is that they often disintegrate when you try to remove them (either into several bits or into many), so you're taking a bunch of lumps to the shop. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:19, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Wavelength, a standard pack of UK tap washers is detailed here; it lists five different types, each in several diameters. I would guess that washers used in other places like the US or China may be of yet more designs. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:19, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

If one finds, after purchasing such a pack, that the faucet needs a washer of a certain type and of a certain diameter, could one return later to buy a pack containing washers only of that type and of that diameter? -- Wavelength (talk) 19:17, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Please be very very careful when buying spares for a tap. The manufacturers deliberately choose competing channels of distribution, often changing specifications along the way. So what appears to be the same tap in one store, is frequently NOT the same as the similar looking one in another store. And consequently, the same goes for spare parts and washers. And I know this from bitter experience (in the UK). And from that experience, I have since decided NOT to waste my time and money, hunting for frustratingly problematic spares for leaking and dripping taps. I just go to a few local DIY stores, choose the model I like best, and buy it online which usually gives the best price, even allowing for shipping costs. 92.30.49.228 (talk) 19:51, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Rose tea

I'd like to buy some rose tea in the UK - but not the Twinings brand. Does anyone know of any other brand name available in the UK please that does not use artificial flavours?

I had some Twinings brand rose tea years ago and it was wonderful. But I've just tried some "limited edition" rose tea from Twinings now, and its not very nice, like boiled sweets really. Very expensive, and very disapointing. Its also in those horrible little bags on a string things. Twinings have made the catastrophic mistake of putting artificial flavours in their speciality teas, and they are vile. I predict disaster. Thanks 89.240.34.241 (talk) 21:16, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I would assume Whittards do it - they're a tea company and popular enough to have high-street stores. I'd be surprised if Marks & Spencer don't also do it - at least in some of their large food-stores. Taylors of Harrogate are probably worth a check too. There'll be plenty of smaller brands that do them as well i'd expect. ny156uk (talk) 21:59, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In terms of teabags Whittard does have rose tea:[12] In ingredients it just says "flavouring", not sure if that is artificial or not. This shop [13] has ceylon tea with "natural rose flavour". If you are happy to use loose leaf tea (and I can testify that it really is worth the extra effort) Whittard does that as well and here are some links to other places: [14] [15] [16]. You can even buy "pure" dried rosebuds from here to mix with any other tea leaves you like. 131.111.185.69 (talk) 22:04, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

At that last link there are both pink and red rosebuds available. A site with that attention to detail is definitely going in my bookmark list.131.111.185.69 (talk) 22:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Google is your friend. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:40, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't really like these type of teas myself so I have little knowledge, but I know that my Mum really likes the Harrods Rose Bud Tea, so I guess it would be good. Though I don't know of the ingredients. It comes in a pink cubic tin that I can't seem to find on their website. 86.176.97.98 (talk) 07:38, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

The problem with the Twinings tea is that as well as having unpleasant and unconvincing artificial flavours, using them in place of rose petals means you don't get the wonderful fragrence that was the best part of drinking the tea. Its a pity that Twinings are now using sub-standard ingredients, while keeping upmarket pricing as well. Its like the Titanic going to meet its iceberg. Perhaps I should grow some roses specifically to make rose tea - I imagine putting the rose petals in a bag with some tea and leaving it there for a few weeks. 89.242.91.98 (talk) 10:39, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Taylors of Harrogate state on their website that their rose petal leaf tea contains real pink rose petals. And it's available to buy online. Warofdreams talk 12:01, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Philadelphia Eagles/ Robert Morris University (Illinois) Eagles- Same Logo?

As I was researching the internet, I stumbled upon Robert Morris University (Illinois) Ice Hockey Website. I could not help but notice that their logo is the same as the logo of the Philadelphia Eagles, the only difference being the eagle is different in color. Follow these links to compare the logos:

http://www.robertmorris.edu/athletics/menshockey/chicago-gold/

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m228/manda42687/Philadelphia-Eagles-Logo.gif

This launched a discussion as to who stole the logo. I was able to find that the Philadelphia Eagles changed their logo in 1996, but found nothing on the Robert Morris University logo or when they began using it. Who designed the logo and which team used it first?Lisamp2 (talk) 22:32, 13 April 2010 (UTC)Lisa

"Stole" is a rather harsh interpretation. Assuming it isn't sheer inadvertant coincidence, given the obvious popularity of the eagle emblem in USA sports, whoever adopted it second may have been paying a deliberate sincere tribute or hommage to the prior user, perhaps because of some connection between the two clubs. In Heraldry (from which the use of such crests or emblems arose) it was and is common for a junior associate, relation or cadet to someone with an existing coat of arms to adopt (under the auspices of the relevant Heraldic Authority) a similar design with minor alterations or 'differences', often a change of 'tinctures' just as in this instance. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 15:26, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think it's a coincidence—did you look at the logos? They are not coincidentally related to eagles. They are the same logo with the same typography and only the tiniest of changes—clearly either derivative of one or the other or of a common source. The current Philadelphia Eagles logo dates from 1996, according to the Wikipedia article. Look at the Robert Morris Athletics page with the Wayback Machine, they seem to use a similar (but not identical) eagle without the distinctive text (see, e.g. this newsletter from 2005) in 2004-2005 or so. My guess would be that the university one is derivative, just because a major NFL franchise would not be silly enough to copy another logo in such a blatant way. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:14, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I had thought that the NFL routinely allowed US high schools to copy the NFL logo of the school's namesake, but am having trouble googling any evidence of my impression. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:45, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I believe the West Deptford High School Eagles in Gloucester County, New Jersey, use the exact same logo as the Philadelphia Eagles. I think that's the case because I've driven by the town's water tower which has that logo pasted over it and the school's mascot is the eagle..76.116.92.205 (talk) 04:04, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Lighted LED Halo

Where can I buy materials that I can make a halo (for a costume) that lights like LED? --Reticuli88 (talk) 22:38, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

An annular ring of transparent plastic would act as a Waveguide and so could be made to glow. One could be made from "casting acrylic" bought from and art shop. Silver or gold sparkles could be mixed into it. This would be easier than persuading your actresses/actors to be ever-so-good and saintly to the point where they develop their own halos. --Aspro (talk) 22:58, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Get a number of LEDs and wire them in series and form into a halo shape. Connect to battery via a resistor of suitable value. This will then be a halo that looks like lit LEDs (because it is lit LEDs).--79.76.163.157 (talk) 23:25, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Nah - forget LED's - those are so 1980's. Do a Google Search on Electroluminescent wire. It's the PERFECT stuff for this - and you can buy it in kit form with all of the electronics and everything. It's relatively new material and not many people have seen it - so it'll definitely impress the heck out of most people. SteveBaker (talk) 00:06, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Awesome idea, Steve! I found a distributor online and it is surprisingly inexpensive! Thanks? --Reticuli88 (talk) 13:05, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

April 14

Bank cheque present etiquette

I have a tricky etiquette question. It’s not really reference desk fodder, but I know of no better place to ask.

Close to 2 years ago, I gave a member of my family some money for an important birthday. I’m not in regular contact with them, I know little about their lifestyle or interests, and I had to travel interstate to the party, so all in all I thought a small token gift plus some money was the most practical option. The money was in the form of a bank cheque. They seemed very appreciative when I gave it to them. So far, so good.

A month or so ago, I got a letter from my bank, saying the cheque had never been presented, and the funds were being returned to my account. Now I have a problem.

I’m loath to discuss the matter with the person, for fear of embarrassing them. They may have mislaid the cheque or it may have been accidentally destroyed, and I can understand them not wanting to contact me to ask for the money again. Or it may be sitting in a bottom drawer waiting for them to get around to banking it (which would be fruitless now, but they don't know that); or they may even have been offended by it. These last 2 are much less likely, but you never know. What if they finally bank it, and discover the cheque has been cancelled in the meantime? They may well think it was of my doing, and I’ll then become the Indian giver from hell, in their eyes.

If I just send them the money again, that’s also likely to embarrass them. I could do it under cover of a letter where I acknowledge these things sometimes happen in even the very best of families, and it’s no big deal. But maybe they never wanted the money to begin with, and deliberately chose not to bank it. Better to know this before I do anything. But that involves asking them if there was a problem, and if there was but they didn’t want to talk about it, then I’m creating a new problem by forcing the issue. And you know me, I never force issues. :)

Or maybe they'd go "What a godsend, I really need that money. I’d completely forgotten about it. Thanks so much for letting me know. How quickly can you get it to me?"

Or maybe they’d totally forgotten about it, but don’t need it at all.

But whether they need it or not is really beside the point. I gave it to them, I wanted them to have it, and nothing’s changed as far as that’s concerned. I feel that I should at least suffer pangs of guilt if I’m going to get to keep the money. Silly, I know, but that’s me.

Maybe I should just shut up, do nothing, and treat it as a windfall gain, on the principle that it was their responsibility to bank it before they had a chance to lose it. And it was, as I say, almost 2 years ago now and nothing’s been said. But that still feels pretty mean and penny-pinching to me.

If I don’t make some attempt to either get the money back to them or at least discuss it with them, it’s almost tantamount to never having given it to them in the first place. That’s certainly so in monetary terms. My gestures of travelling to be at the party and handing over my present can never be erased, though, and maybe that’s all that really matters in the end. “It’s the thought that counts” (he rationalises).

So, what, if anything, to do, and how to go about it, or not? I’d appreciate any helpful perspectives on this. Maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, maybe not. -- (JackofOz =) 202.142.129.66 (talk) 00:07, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think you should do anything. The check won't be honored by the bank if they do ever present it - and that's not your fault. Perhaps they don't need the money - maybe "the thought was what counted" - maybe they think you need the money more than they do - or maybe they simply forgot all about it - maybe they were so amazed that you gave them money that they framed the check instead of presenting it! If you really feel bad about it - wait until the persons' next birthday and buy them something extra-special. Gift-giving is about the moment...if it drags on, forget it. SteveBaker (talk) 00:14, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

We need another ref desk, called "Dear Gabby" or some such. :) In my opinion, you're overthinking this. If it were me, rather than playing any guessing games, I would simply give them a friendly call or letter and advise them that a check you gave them 2 years ago was never cashed, that the bank has nullified it, and ask them what they want done about it. I don't see why it would be all that embarrassing - probably just a good laugh. If nothing else, it's an excuse to contact them, assuming you're on good terms with them. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:37, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I agree with Steve. I don't think you have any further obligation. If you had given them some other sort of open voucher, say a book token, and they had not used it, for whatever reason, you would not have thought about it. When one gives a gift it is behoven on the receiver to take care of it if they want to use it. When you gave the gift it no longer was your property or responsibility. OK, I understand your kind concern, but life is not a perfect process and as Steve suggests there will be another time for you to rectify the situation. Richard Avery (talk) 07:44, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Jack, you've got no duty to do anything about it. If you want to re-send a cheque, I wouldn't expect anyone to be embarrassed by a note with cheque attached saying "bank told me cheque wasn't cashed, in case you've misplaced it, here's a copy". I personally would tend to resend the cheque if it was for a younger relative, but forget about it if it was for an older one. --Psud (talk) 08:01, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

And if the significant birthday was a 21st or lower, I (as a 32 year old) would definitely resend the cheque. (but I'm probably overly sentimental) --Psud (talk) 08:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I would do nothing. If ever in the presence of the person again I would mention what subsequently transpired. That would include even being in the phone presence of the person, but more applicably in face to face presence. I wouldn't make a special phone call to address this. Only if on the phone for some other reason or no reason at all would I eventually mention it. And if in the company of the person at some point in the future, I think it would be an appropriate topic of conversation to bring up. Bus stop (talk) 08:54, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

If the bank cancelled the check, then its due to procedure, in this case is highly likely that if they try to cash the check their bank can see that it has expired. Joneleth (talk) 16:00, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I am missing why they would be embarrassed over their failure to deposit the check. Personally I'd mail them a replacement with a note that the bank had notified you that the original check had never been presented and is no longer valid; though I agree with the above that you have no duty to do so. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:40, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

It was, as I say, a bank cheque, not my own personal cheque. They could never have cashed it as such; it needed to be deposited to their account, and the funds would become available within a few days, unless they chose to pay a fee to have it cleared quickly. Typically, when one deposits any sort of cheque, it's stamped and accepted by the teller, and the first time the customer knows there's any problem is when they receive a letter from the bank saying the cheque they deposited last week has been cancelled. I'd hate for that to happen to me. I might realise that it's just a time issue, because all cheques become what's known as "stale" (i.e. not worth the paper they're written on) after a certain period. But it's still unsatisfactory, because I deposited the cheque in order for the funds to be transferred to my account, and that hasn't happened, and unless I contact the giver, it's not going to happen.

Had it been my own personal cheque (theoretical since I haven't used personal cheques for at least 5 years), the funds would never have left my control to begin with, until such time as the cheque was presented, which normally would have been within a short time after giving it. But because it was a bank cheque, I forked out cash for it at the time - and now, 2 years later, the funds have come back to me. I'm that much better off now than I was a couple of weeks ago. And I feel I shouldn't be.

Look, I think it's very unlikely that the cheque would still be in their possession after all this time, so the above scenario isn't going to happen. If it happened to me, there's no way I'd be getting in touch with the giver, and I'd just put it down to experience. The most likely thing is the cheque was left in their pocket, it went into the wash and was pulped, 2 years ago, and it's been long forgotten. This person has been on at least 3 overseas holidays since then, so it's not as if they're exactly skint. That was never the issue. I gave this money away, so to me it's not my property any more. Yet I have it back - but not because they gave it back. I didn't steal it off them, but it feels not much different than if I had. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:12, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I agree with Baseball Bugs and with Comet. Good excuse to be in touch with them. If I were in their shoes (and I have been), that is what I would most appreciate. If another cheque goes astray, you just forget about it. Kittybrewster ☎ 21:50, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I think gifts don't matter. The proper perspective in which to put gifts are as things of secondary importance. Did you give it to him? Did he see it? Did he recognize its identity? Did he read the amount of money inscribed on the piece of paper? Were there pleasantries exchanged over occurrence? I think it has to be said that all of the preceding is the essence, and all that transpires subsequently is of secondary importance, from the perspective of you, the gift-giver. Yes, you have questions. Yes, you want to know what happened. I don't think it is out of the question for you to contact them now about it. But I think subterfuge should be employed. I think you would want to pretend that there is a primary reason why you are contacting them, made up, of course, and then only as an afterthought would this subject be brought up. I don't think focus is welcome on a tender moment that is over. It is easier for you and easier for the recipient that any inquiry about that un-cashed check be relegated to a minor afterthought. But hey, maybe I'm thinking about this too much. Bus stop (talk) 21:54, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Me too, Bus stop.

Thanks to all for your valuable insights. I will take them all into account when I decide what, if anything, I'm going to do. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 09:14, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I thought of a possibly-humorous way you could do this. If you happen to have a carbon copy of that check, and if they do this kind of thing in Australia, you could create a fake version of one of those "missing persons" mailings (they also used to put them on milk cartons) and send it to your friend, with a picture of that check!

And in case you think I made that up, no, I got it from a comic some years ago (don't ask me who) who said that he got a small carton of milk on his plane flight, and on it was a picture of his luggage. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:23, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Robozzle

Does anyone know where I can find solutions (direct solutions not hints) to Robozzle.com ? Joneleth (talk) 11:26, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Oh my, thank you for turning me on to this game. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 19:53, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

De Javu

Recently when experienceing Dejavu I have found that if I am quick I am able to remember forwards, so that I will be able to know what is going to happen in the next 3 seconds or so. Is this a normal reaction to the phenomenon? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 12:34, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, in my experience, but we call it predicting not 'remembering forward'. You are not remembering anything, it just feels as though you are. Caesar's Daddy (talk) 15:21, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Humans are habitual creatures, we have often been in the exact same situations before that we are in now, if the current situation feels close enough to a prior one you get such strong predictions about whats going to happen that it feels like a memory. Joneleth (talk) 15:56, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Btw, the letter split is déjà vu, literally meaning "already seen". -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:34, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Happens to me all the time. I think it's called déjà entendu, but google search has been made tough as that seems to also be the name of a popular album. AlexHOUSE (talk) 18:28, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Dunno, but déjà entendu should mean you've "already heard" it, literally.--91.148.159.4 (talk) 20:34, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

what kind of economy china is?

what kind of economy china is? wheather it is mix-economy, marx... or what??? and wheather there where any other econonmy policy in china before 1970? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Spatel4patel (talk • contribs) 14:26, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

If by "China" you mean the People's Republic of China, then we have an article on it: Economy of the People's Republic of China. We also have an article Economic reform in the People's Republic of China that explains how they're different now than they were before the 1970s. If you mean some China other than the PRC, then check the disambiguation page Economy of China. Buddy431 (talk) 14:41, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I think it's a safe bet that anyone asking about Taiwan will call it Taiwan (or maybe Formosa). An exception would be people from China, and they aren't likely to post such a Q here, as they already would know the answer. StuRat (talk) 15:50, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

What would people from China call it? Or do you mean people from Taiwan, who might call it "Republic of China"? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 13:30, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

People from China probably call it "that treasonous breakaway province of ours". StuRat (talk) 20:03, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

As far as I know, people from China call Taiwan 'Taiwan', believe it or not - simply because that's the name of the place. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:34, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

That's strictly true only for the geographic entity, which is probably sufficient for most people. The name of the state that governs that geographic entity is Republic of China, but it gets called other things too, such as Chinese Taipei. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:59, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Sneaker type shoes with "either" composite, or "steel-toes......

I work and stand on my feet 8-12 hours a day. We are required by OSHA to have toe protection on our shoes. In the past, and even now, steel-toed shoes were the most common option for toe protection from heavy objects.

Some shoe manufacturers now advertise "composite" toe protection. I understand that there are astm standards for shoes that meet OSHAs' reqirements.

My questions are: A. What are ASTM requirements? B. How do they compare composite to steel-toed shoes? C. What composite toe shoes meet ASTM standards. D. What shoes manufacturers offer composite toes shoes that meet standards; and do they provide that information to potential buyers?

Thank you R.K.Click (email address redacted) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.28.245.45 (talk) 17:04, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Please don't use all caps. StuRat (talk) 17:37, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Is it legit to reduce the volume level of the above post by transmuting to lc?--BandUser (talk) 00:12, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes it is, and I have done just that. Astronaut (talk) 11:34, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I've removed your email to prevent people from spamming you. Hopefully someone will be by to give you a more complete answer, but I can provide you with something regarding question 3. The key thing to most safety footwear (in terms of OSHA regs) is to simply see the rating for the shoe/boot. For example, in Canada, footwear is given a rating by the CSA and this rating system works the same for composite and steel. In my particular workplace, I'm required to wear "green tag" CSA-approved footwear; what material that footwear is made of makes no difference - just the rating. To answer your 4th question, I would say that virtually all safety footwear manufacturers will have lines of composite safety enhancements. Even the old-style steel "shank" that used to be required for construction and many other high-risk activities has largely been replaced with a rather neat composite layer which bends like rubber but blocks punctures better than steel. I would contact a nearby safety footwear store and ask them to send a rep over to talk to you or your company. In my experience those guys necessarily have a great understanding of local regs and can walk you through any odd corners. Matt Deres (talk) 17:23, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Spending a day in Kraków...

I have done some queries on the Deutsche Bahn website on how to get from Kraków to Spittal an der Drau, and found a perfectly suitable train: it leaves Kraków at 10 PM, and arrives in Vienna at 6 AM the next day. Then I have to change trains once again in Villach, and I'll arrive at Spittal an der Drau before noon.

The problem here is that I have to check out from my hotel ten hours before the train leaves. What am I supposed to do in that time? I will be carrying the bulk of my luggage in a big backpack, with only my essential documents and my camera in lighter packages. Can I leave the backpack at Kraków railway station in some sort of storage locker for ten hours and then come pick it up later? JIP | Talk 18:04, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

There are storage lockers as well as a reliable luggage storage service. I don't know how much they cost, but surely not a lot. I think there is some kind of a tourist information facility at or near the station to provide you with a map, and if not, there is a fixed map nearby to guide you to the Old Town, Wawel and Kazimierz for a walk. If you need any more help or info regarding Kraków you may contact me directly via my talk page. Cheers! --Ouro (blah blah) 18:38, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I spent a couple of days in Kraków in September 2009. I found the Jewish history in the Kazimierz district interesting and had a wander around the Old Town with the Market Square at its centre (the Sukiennice was closed for renovation, though it might have since reopened). There is also an extensive tram & bus system if you want to see something a little too far away to walk. In the evening, I had no trouble finding places to eat and there are plenty of bars. I particularly enjoyed the candle-lit bar/restaurant "Dawno Temu na Kazimierzu" at Szeroka 1 in Kazimierz. Astronaut (talk) 19:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Kraków is a beautiful city well worth spending time visiting. If you have time, you might try to spend an additional day or two there. There are lots of interesting sights and some nice places to eat and drink. Marco polo (talk) 19:32, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Before you carry you backpack to the train station, you may wanna ask at the hotel, if they have a storage room or lockers where you can leave your bags even after you check out. If they do, it may be even safer and perhaps also free of charge. — Kpalion^(talk) 21:06, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes to the above, your hotel should be willing to keep your bags after checkout. I'm a Pole living in Australia most of my life. I have been to Krakow twice in the last 8 years, on each occasion with different Australian travelling companions. The Highlight of both trips, still most fondly recalled by my companions was a trip out to Wieliczka Salt Mine. Krakow and wawel are really fantastic examples of a medieval town, but the salt mine is quite unlike anything you are ever likely to see anywhere else in the world. I highly recommend it. By far the easiest way to see it is to find a local in Krakow to drive you out, from memory a couple of years ago I paid someone AU$60 to take us there and bring us back after the tour, which only takes a couple of hours. From memory the drive was about 30 minutes. So it won't take up the whole day, you can still go back to town and see some more stuff.. There are busses which are a lot cheaper, but trying to figure out which bus to take and where to get off and where to go wasn't very easy. So if you have the money it's really worth findng someone with a car, we had no trouble, there was several people hanging around the station offering their services.. Obviously just take basic precautions like ask to see ID and don't give the whole fee in advance and don't leave stuff in their car, but in general i think it's pretty safe. If you really don't want to get out of town, I recommend going to see the Wawel Cathedral and St._Leonard's_Crypt which are quite awesome. There is also a fantastic medieval armoury exhibit there if you are into that kind of thing. Vespine (talk) 23:01, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Not wanting to contradict Vespine, at the same time agreeing that a trip to the salt mine in Wieliczka is definitely worth it - but it will take longer than a couple of hours. It's best to plan an entire day or at least for it and not hurry through. Wieliczka lies 20-30 miuntes outside of Kraków and there are literally kilometres of walkable corridors underground there. Plus, take time to stop for photos and listen to the guide, take in the atmosphere and lick the walls ;) --Ouro (blah blah) 06:59, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I want to have my own bussines but i don't have much money, which is easier and cheaper?

i want to build something commercial, right now i don't have much money because i'm a foreign exchange student(Mexico) and i don't have much technical skills and i dont want to pay someone to build a website for me because it cost too much.so i want to build something easy and simple because of my lack of technical skills so which is easier and cheaper to build: a comercial website,a social network,a comercial forum or a comercial blog. I'am not working right now so i have free time.thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.16.77.4 (talk) 19:17, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

The very same question was asked a few days ago. Do you need additional advice beyond the answers supplied then? Astronaut (talk) 19:49, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.16.77.4 (talk) 19:53, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Then you are going to have to ask a specific question. We already answered your earlier paragraph. What exactly do you need more help with? Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:30, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

In the current business climate, to make easy money you need either to be a genius or to be lucky enough to hit on the right idea that hasn't already been exploited. If I could advise you on this, I would already be making my fortune! If you have no technical skills in website design then you should probably look elsewhere for a good use of your spare time. Very few people make money easily. Dbfirs 21:34, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

No pain, no gain. If you don't have skills - or the money to pay people who have skills - then your only chance is to learn some skills. The Internet is simply jam packed full of places that'll teach you skills - check out our very own Wikiversity, for example. You mentioned building a web site - OK well, if you have an hour to spare, here is my one hour guide to learning enough HTML to make yourself a web site. Nothing too fancy - but it's very good start. The problem here is that you need to start...just hoping someone will tell you how to make money is crazy. But it's perfectly possible to make a boatload of money from a good idea - the trouble is, you have to have the idea! But with even the simplest of web skills - and a clever idea - you can make a lot of money. For example:

• The guy who had the idea to make a 1000x1000 pixel image and put it on his web page - and to sell advertising for $1 per pixel. It's at http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/ and we have an article about it: The Million Dollar Homepage...the idea "went viral" and he sold all million pixels (and therefore made a cool million dollars) in a matter of weeks! Of course there were copy-cat pages everywhere within no time - and you can find them everywhere - but none of them are making serious money from it because the market is tapped out - it was a one-time idea.

• One red paperclip - the owner of the site needed someplace to live - and he had a clever idea. He started with a red paperclip and offered to trade it with someone for something else (a fish-shaped pen as it happens)...which he offered to trade for something else (a designer door knob!) which he traded for a camp stove...which he swapped for a generator, an "instant party", a snowmobile a trip to Yahk, British Columbia, a van, a recording contract, a year's rent, an afternoon with Alice Cooper, a KISS motorized snow globe, a role in a film...and finally a two-story farmhouse! So for very little work and a clever idea, he got a free house! Again, there have been a million copycats - none of them got beyond the "junk office equipment" stage.

But those ideas have been taken - you can't make them work a second time. So, if you could come up with a really clever idea - you possibly earn a million dollars or get a free house...but the snag is that we can't guess what that idea might be - that's something you have to dream up for yourself. SteveBaker (talk) 01:15, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Merchant Marine Engineering Officers

In 1896 the US Congress passed a bill making Licensed Engineers Officers of equal rank and status with the Deck Officers. What was the name and number of this bill, and which section of the United States Code is this in? This bill included the Navy also. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SherwoodNM (talk • contribs) 22:41, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Haven't found the bill yet, but the US code is Title 46, Part 10 Zoonoses (talk) 12:57, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

April 15

Wikipedia vs global thermonuclear warfare

In the unfortunate event of total GTW resuling in mass extinction of the human race, what precautions have the Wikimedia foundation taken to preserve all the Wikipedia encyclopedic entries for the few survivors of such an event?--BandUser (talk) 00:17, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There's no record of the foundation having taken any action whatsoever to consider the means of survival of its assets post a global thermonuclear war. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:21, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Hmm, so that would be a lot of effort down the drain then?--BandUser (talk) 00:30, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Indeed. Global thermonuclear warfare: a lot of effort down the drain. --Mr.98 (talk) 00:36, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

It is possible to download a current snapshot of the encyclopaedia. Do your civic duty and act now - you never know, it could already be too late! 94.168.184.16 (talk) 00:38, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

This guy is on the job, it's taken care of. Hopefully this mitigates your fear of global thermonuclear war. Comet Tuttle (talk) 01:33, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

This scenario is why Flagged Revisions are so desparately needed - so that the good knowledge of wikipedia can be cast in stone, preferably marble, and withstand thousands of years of weathering, so that the next alien race that comes along can try and decipher them. They'll probably conclude that the earthlings were anihilated in a global edit war. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:39, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Don't forget to include glasses for those with poor eyesight. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:07, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Sadly the problem isn't taken care of by that guy who printed all that stuff - he only printed the featured articles - that's like 0.1% of the whole encyclopedia - and it only covers the English version! The full printed English Wikipedia is over 1000 volumes and would look like this:

3496 volumes 18 stacks

(The guy standing next to them is naked because he's the only human to have survived the apocalypse and he hasn't found the articles: Cotton, Weaving, Needle, Button and Zipper yet)

SteveBaker (talk) 04:22, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

That's his appearance after exposure to radiation. Either that, or he's a shadow of his former self. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:42, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

You sure he's naked? Looks to me like he's wearing long underwear, a hoodie, and mittens. All dressed up for nuclear winter. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:46, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

When making a "Post-Apocalypse Edition" of Wikipedia, the size could be condensed somewhat by omitting some articles not necessary to survival or betterment of knowledge. For instance, any articles on cities such as Chaussy, Val-d'Oise could be removed since... well, after a nuclear war, it's probably been laid to waste, if not by nuclear attacks on nearby cities then by nuclear winter (apologies to anyone who hails from Chaussy, Val-d'Oise)). I'd hate to be the person that decides which articles are notable for that particular edition, though.--WaltCip (talk) 04:43, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Ironically, places like Bill, Wyoming might be the only parts of civilization left unscathed. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:42, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There would certainly be a lot of work needed to add {{outofdate}} messages as well. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:04, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

• BEST REFDESK TOPIC EVER. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 04:59, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

So it would seem that BandUser s have their uses after all? :) --79.76.228.211 (talk) 10:24, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

This gives me a snapshot of all the article text (no images). As long as at least one of those readers survives (and one can find or make batteries) you'd continue to have easy access to all of the Wikipedia text. Dragons flight (talk) 05:15, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Reminds me of some woman I heard recently who said, "Ah yes, the internet. I've heard of that. I must download it one weekend and have a good read of it." True story. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 06:35, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Maybe she has a really fast connection. Meanwhile, in the post-WWIII environment, I wonder how long it will take to get electrical power back up and running? Unless they intend to run the internet via generators. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:39, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

This shouldn't be an issue as long as we follow Dr. Strangelove's plan. Nuclear reactors concealed in deep mine shafts could easily provide electricity for several decades. The issue would simply be deciding who would stay and who would go.--WaltCip (talk) 16:02, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

But if only Wikipedia survives, then everything on it will be uncited, so the administrators will of course have to delete it all... --Hence Piano (talk) 09:14, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Assuming any admins survive. And have electrical power. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:45, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There's a similar, somewhat more serious discussion on another ref desk. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:45, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, funny how we tend to get bunches of very similar questions all around the same time. Might have something to do with the recent nuclear summit. Or has 2012 been in the news again and I've missed all the fun? --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 09:53, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Terminal Event Management Policy. Hut 8.5 14:11, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Wow! An answer!--KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:03, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Is that document real? Has Wikipedia really arranged to be transmitted to 300 other stars in the event of a ELE? APL (talk) 16:12, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

The article was begun on April 1, 2009, and currently says "intended as humor", so I'll go out on a limb here and say the answer to your questions is "NO". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:39, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Phew! Got us all worried, then! It gave us lists of priorities for each level of warning, and mentioned codes of conduct - something many people have a hard time with at the best of times, never mind when we've only got minutes to live... And what about copyright?! :) --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:51, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Ah. Of course. Got me. I guess long-term use of Wikipedia has conditioned me to skip past the warning boxes at the top. APL (talk) 16:54, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

It's a well executed gag. Parts of it seem completely reasonable. APL (talk) 16:55, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I vote it the best page on Wikipedia. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:33, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

A couple of days ago, Obama cautioned the public not to expect an immediate recovery response in the event of a nuclear holocaust. I would classify that kind of comment as eternal American optimism in the face of unspeakable disaster. I heard years ago that the IRS had a contingency plan for collecting taxes in the event of a holocaust. Like anyone's still going to be working at their regular jobs as if nothing happened. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:50, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Hey! The tax code doesn't have an exemption for people who lost their jobs in a nuclear Armageddon and are now shoveling pig crap for a local feudal warlord. APL (talk) 19:41, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Of course, even from a current policy standpoint nothing is that simple. We don't necessarily delete referenced material just because the link is dead. And for paper references, 'I can't find it' or the reference being obscure and very difficult to find isn't necessarily a resonable justification for deleting it and the referenced material. In other words, deleting the material just because the other references may no longer exist isn't a clear cut issue even from current policy and mass deleting such material without consensus is likely to be seen as disruptive and leading to bans. Nil Einne (talk) 18:58, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, the OP is hilarious, with a sparkling wit that others would do well to envy. </sarcasm> ╟─TreasuryTag►stannator─╢ 19:00, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Driving a child toward success?

While some people believe in encouraging children to plot their own course in life, there are still many parents that heavily try to shape the course of their children's lives. For example, I know a medical doctor who drove all four of his children to enter medicine. In other cases, you hear of children being groomed to take over the family business.

Are there studies about the impact of this kind of parental direction setting and pressure? Do children end up more/less financially successful, more/less happy, more/less neurotic, etc., as a result of parents driving them towards a particular career? Is it better (on average) to drive your kids or to let them find their own way?

I'd greatly prefer to see research studies rather than anecdotal judgments. Dragons flight (talk) 07:03, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

“It is said that family firms go from "clogs to clogs in three generations", an aphorism based on the observation that it takes one generation to found a business, the next to build it, and the third to spend it. “

Prof. Nigel Nicholson has considered this problem: Keeping your business in the family. However, if you can organise along the lines he suggests, then that can lead to the durability of the type seen in long established family firms like the Windsor's. Even so, they have never found things plain sailing and their latest problems (some along the lines asked by the OP) have been the subject of a book. The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor . --Aspro (talk) 10:35, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Selective Perception in SPORTS

Greetings! For an article about "selective perception", "modern mythology", and "false pattern recognition" in todays Sports I'd like to know whether there is a specific team in the US (ANY sport) which has a "media-reputation" of "guaranteed good luck" (winning games in the last minute; lucky, when matches are set up by random-picking of teams, lucky when picking rookies, etc.). A type of Gladstone-Gander-Sports-Team whose reputation ist continuously fed by the media (because media people love those stories). Any suggestions? Could be several, but emphasis is on THE Team that draws most attention in this respect. Thanks! 213.169.161.126 (talk) 09:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

New York Yankees. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:44, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Is there a special term which describes this "luck"? Like Luck of the Yankees or similar? (The word "era" in the Yankees-article is sometimes written "Era", sometimes "era" - even in the headlines. Is that intended ?? Its a term, isn't it?) 213.169.161.126 (talk) 10:41, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

How about "team of destiny", a term which was used decades ago to describe the Yankees. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:31, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Then theres "The team that uses its financial weight to raid every other team in the league for the best players since baseball has no real salary cap and thus has no way for most small market teams to hold on to any good players and compete for a championship except every once in a while as a fluke". I know, its an unweildy name, but its somewhat accurate... --Jayron32 19:19, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Then go with the executive summary, "The Evil Empire". The Yankees have always done it this way, from Ruppert-and-Huston to Topping-and-Webb, and then the Steinbrenners. They were willing to spend whatever it took to win, and were in position to be able to do so. But there's another factor, and that is not just spending, but having the know-how to get the best players they could. Which leads to the Branch Rickey quote, "Luck is the residue of design." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:26, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I know it's not US, although they are owned by Americans (the Glazers), but Manchester United has a reputation (among supporters of opposing teams) for winning matches in the 5th minute of extra time. The reputed practice by referees of giving huge amounts of extra time in Man Utd games has led to this being known as "Man U time". This is not merely a perception: this article tells us that it actually happens. [17] There are other perceptions in the English Premier League, such as the top teams get all the decisions going their way; opposing teams will never get a penalty at Anfield (home of Liverpool FC). However, I can't find any evidence to support these. --TammyMoet (talk) 11:04, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Great! Any example is fine. The Info is for a colleague who writes about "Bayern-Dusel" (the luck of FC Bayern München; soccer), which is used extensively in the media (if it comes in handy - and which has been analyzed by a sports psychologist). Should there be analogies in other sports, one would expect (a) a team from a big city (b) leading (over time) in championships (or at least being very successful (c) polarizing fans . I will look into Man U and the other links. 213.169.161.126 (talk) 16:55, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I would think the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team would be what you are looking for. When they were good, they were known for having "the luck of the Irish." See Hail Flutie. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:01, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Edna St Vincent Millay society

Just curious, not asking for legal advice or anything... the Millay Society webpage says "The Millay Society owns the copyrights to the literary estate of Edna St. Vincent Millay. All published and unpublished writings, including songs, by Millay and her family are protected under copyright law." How is this possible, since a good portion of her writing was published before 1923? 128.194.250.125 (talk) 09:58, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Probably a blanket statement intended to protect the works that remain in copyright without having to specify. A 'catch-all' statement.Froggie34 (talk) 10:08, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Could also be what is sometimes called a "legal bluff". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

It might be interesting for you to email them and ask. I'd personally be curious to see a summary of their response. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 16:27, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

It may surprise you to learn that many countries do not have a 1923 cut-off for copyright. We scholars call such countries "not the USA". DuncanHill (talk) 17:31, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Both that society and Edna herself are American. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:47, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

If her work was published overseas,(I assume it was.) There may be foreign copyrights that are still valid. APL (talk) 03:28, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Without researching this, my default assumption is that Bugs is correct. See copyfraud. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:23, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Bacardi white rum

It is 42.86% v/v and 75% Alcoholic proof. I have a 60 ML with five or six ice cubes. Does it require further dilution? Will you call that drink strong? What is the best simple way (other than water) to take white rum? It's Bacardi Superior, that is, it is unflavoured. --117.204.84.253 (talk) 12:28, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

A "Light 'n' Stormy" only requires ginger beer and ice. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:36, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Bacardi and coca-cola is popular as is Bacardi and orange. 60ml is about 2.5 'measures' in a bar so that's a pretty strong drink to be drinking (though of course a lot depends on how long you take, how much overall you drink and so on). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 12:42, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I would call 75 proof with ice to be a bit strong for me. Rum and water/ice is not exactly everyone's idea of a good time. I would mix it with something else. I'm partial to Rum and Cokes which would work well with that. Even a little club soda would be preferable to me than to just take it straight on the rocks. But it's just personal preference. You can sip it on the rocks if you'd like. If you're thinking of serving it to company, though, you probably want to have a couple other options available. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:23, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There's always grog, and as a bonus you get to talk like a pirate. Acroterion _(talk) 16:59, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Actually, if you're going for pirate authenticity, and less nastiness than actual grog, I recommend bumbo instead. I like it with a good dark rum, but I've found it to be a pretty acquired taste. Most people don't like gritty drinks. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:15, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Naturally, we have an article (well, a section of an article, anyway) on rum drinks. List of cocktails with rum. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:19, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Most translated page?

Is there a list of pages with the most interlanguage wikilinks? For example, articles like cat have a huge list of other languages they can be read in, whereas other articles, like Oto Luthar are only available in 1 or 2 languages. Does such a list exist? Aaadddaaammm (talk) 13:09, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

One guy (now departed from Wikipedia for some reason or whatever) took care that the locality he was born in, Kurów, gets as many as possible. I don't know how many of these are still live, though. --Ouro (blah blah) 13:41, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I found the following numbers by counting the languages listed and adding 1 for English: United States 219; Wikipedia 214; English language 208; Bible 182; Earth 176; Internet 157; Computer 156; Google 106; Water 99; World 61. -- Wavelength (talk) 15:06, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Kurów also has 219 total languages. APL (talk) 15:15, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Please double check me, but by pasting the language list into MS Word for Religion I got 315. I do not know if Word count correctly handles Chinese style characters though. Googlemeister (talk) 15:31, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I did a line count on the Religion language list, and got only 147 (Plus one for english). APL (talk) 15:41, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I guess that we can conclude that word count does not correctly count the letters used in some languages. Googlemeister (talk) 16:13, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Also you double-counted languages like "Basa Jawa". APL (talk) 16:51, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

How are you counting? I'm copying into excel and getting different (smaller) numbers than you. Aaadddaaammm (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 16:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC).

I copied the whole list (I tried both copying the list on the web-page, and the list in the wiki-source and got the same answers.) into gVim (A text editor) and read off the line number of the final line. Then I added one. APL (talk) 18:17, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There's a list from a year ago at User:Emijrp/Most interwiked articles; that lists True Jesus Church as existing in the most languages. Warofdreams talk 22:53, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Ref desk

take it to Wikipedia talk:Reference desk
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
How can I go about campaigning for or why do we not have, a religion ref desk and a History ref desk but specifically a religion ref desk, imagine the interesting questions, and the funny answers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 14:12, 15 April 2010 (UTC) Nope. The ref desk is not for stirring up controversy for its own sake. — Lomn 14:15, 15 April 2010 (UTC) The reference desk talk page is the place to raise suggestions on how to improve the reference desks. I'm not sure there is a need for 'more' desks, people seem happy to ask questions on the relevant (or sometime not relevant) desk, I doubt we get less 'religion' or 'history' questions because we don't have a desk specifically titled for them. infact a seemingly large number of the humanities-desk questions are history/religion related. Still if you want to campaign the talk-page is a good place to start194.221.133.226 (talk) 14:18, 15 April 2010 (UTC) Check out Wikipedia:Reference desk/How to create a new reference desk and use the Reference Desk talk page if you're still keen. --Sean 15:12, 15 April 2010 (UTC) It has been proposed before and well discussed. I have not seen any changes that would warrant me changing my opinion on the matter, but it would be erroneous to consider me alone as a statistically meaningful sample. Googlemeister (talk) 15:28, 15 April 2010 (UTC) Religion and History questions go to the Humanities desk. Unless that suddenly gets overwhelmed there's no point in splitting it up. (Adding new desks won't generate questions, obviously, just split up the ones we would have gotten anyway.) APL (talk) 16:08, 15 April 2010 (UTC) It's not at all obvious that having a separate desk won't generate questions. However, a specifically-religion desk could easily descend into a lightning rod of endless debates. Meanwhile, the "entertainment" desk could probably be folded back into the humanities desk (as it once was, if I recall correctly) as it doesn't really see a lot of traffic. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:35, 15 April 2010 (UTC) And to add to the above, the reference desks are not (always) about creating funny answers. --Ouro (blah blah) 16:50, 15 April 2010 (UTC) To give some sense of the OP's general seriousness, check this out:[18] ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:55, 15 April 2010 (UTC) WTF?!?! 24.189.90.68 (talk) 17:05, 15 April 2010 (UTC) That was pretty much my reaction also. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:19, 15 April 2010 (UTC) Beware the Genetic fallacy. An IP address does not necessarily identify a single user. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:49, 15 April 2010 (UTC) True. And IP users almost never identify who they are. So unless they do, they bear the consequences of what they, or other individuals on the same IP, have done - especially when it's recent. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:53, 15 April 2010 (UTC) We wouldn't want a nasty thing to happen like a mob of Wikipedians all accidentally pinging 62.172.58.82 in Stevenage, would we BB ? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:23, 15 April 2010 (UTC) That would be bad. It could force their internet engine (i.e. their hamster on a spinwheel) to overload and shut down. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:28, 15 April 2010 (UTC) This entire discussion should be on the Talk page, as 194.221 said way up there. Those later entrants who couldn't help themselves from piping up here all know better. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:48, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Legal matters in the press

When there are high-profile charges in the media, there's always a rebuttal from the politician or lawyer or high-profile individual -- "baseless", "nonsense" etc. Is there any tip-toeing around the specific words used in such publicized statements? i.e. are there certain phrases that are safe, regardless of the eventual outcome, or that would affect the legal proceedings or could come back to haunt the speaker? It certainly seems like there's a formula to this kind of response -- not sure if it's just tradition or if it is rooted in something else. 198.161.238.18 (talk) 18:30, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Consult All the President's Men and learn about the phrase "non-denial denial". It's a way of seeming to deny a charge while not actually denying it in plain English. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:41, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! And of course there's an article, Non-denial denial. It explains the response I just read, of "bizarre claims" -- that's a non-denial denial. 198.161.238.18 (talk) 18:47, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Then there was the case of the first President Bush, who wanted to make a campaign pledge not to raise taxes, but didn't want to be bound by it. He said there would be "no new taxes". The press jumped on this immediately as allowing for increasing existing taxes, or adding new "assessments", "surcharges", "fees", etc. He then gave his famous quote: "Read my lips, no new taxes !", which was meant to stay ambiguous, but not seem to be so. It did manage to get him elected, but, when he inevitably did raise taxes, people blamed him for breaking his pledge, and he lost his re-election accordingly. StuRat (talk) 19:43, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Skidding aircraft

The stationary wheels of an aircraft as it lands skid when they hit the runway at speed, leaving black streaks of lost rubber on the surface. The tires screech and the cost of their wear must be enormous. What is a practical way to get landing wheels rotating before they touch the runway? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC)]]

There are devices to do this. Involving either motors or little wind vanes. But typically they don't bother. The tire wear isn't that bad, and they'd rather not pay for the fuel needed to lift mechanism.

I don't have a cite, but I think some small planes have mechanisms like this, not to save tire rubber, but to kick up less dust when they land on a unpaved runway. But even so, I'm pretty sure it's rare. APL (talk) 19:08, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I've often thought that a very small motor could spin the wheel up to the proper speed over a few minutes. Without the need for rapid accel, and not needing to move anything but the wheel itself, it could be very small. Without this, there is a substantial amount of wear and tear on the tires, and they need to be replaced after only a few landings. All those tires, only used a few times each, can't be good for the environment. Also, if the small motor failed, then the plane would still land with a skid, same as before, so it wouldn't be critical equipment. StuRat (talk) 19:51, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

This is an interview with American Airlines' former chairman. He says that there's more wear on the tire from taxiing than from the landing, and of the idea of spinup he says "Working with our tire suppliers, we've looked at ways to "spin up" a tire before landing to eliminate that result, but a workable solution remains elusive, principally due to the weight it would add." -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:02, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

it's cost economics. it's likely much cheaper to replace the wheels a bit more frequently than to implement and lift mechanisms to preserve the wheels. such is life. --Ludwigs2 20:13, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There's apparently quite a lot of patents around and even a conspiracy theory that tyre companies bought out patents to suppress the technology discussed here. I think the most convincing argument for me is that if some company DID try to buy out patents, we'd still see this in the air force, or the air forces of china and/or russia. If there really was some cheap and easy way to save tyres on fighter jets, they wouldn't give a hoot about some patent in America or the EU. Install a little doo-hickey on a plane or cart dozens if not hundreds of big heavy tyres around? No brainer. Vespine (talk) 22:50, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

On small, light aircraft (Cessna's and such) and on lightweight fighters, pilots are instructed to dab the wheel brakes immediately after take-off to stop the wheels from spinning because the gyroscopic effects can adversely affect the handling of the plane. I presume that this would also be a reason not to spin the wheels up to speed on approach. However, for heavier planes, this is less likely to be an issue. On large jets, it's been proposed to use electrically powered wheels to drive the plane around the airport in order save fuel - if that idea ever succeeds, then it would be easy enough to use it to match the speed of the runway on landing. SteveBaker (talk) 23:03, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I am not an engineer, and have no knowledge of aerodynamics, so maybe I shouldn't post this, but, it seems to me a basic concept of physics that unless the wheel is made to spin at exactly the same speed as it will need to on contact with the tarmac when it will be load-bearing the weight of the plane, there will be a momentary clash of momentum(s) between the wheel and the runway, similar to a car crashing into a wall. the only difference being that unlike the car, the aero-wheel will be forced to spin at the revs demanded by the momentum of the plane - and in such circumstances, there is going to be an inevitable skid and burn of rubber. So why not instead have the runway converted into a gigantic treadmill that runs at the same speeed as a landing aircraft, where the revs are controlled automatically by the plane's auto-landing systems? Seems an easier solution to me - me NOT being an engineer? 92.30.6.53 (talk) 23:48, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I recall a story about spinning vanes being added to Spitfire (or possibly Hurricane) tyres during WWII. The extra rubber for the vanes was more than the amount of rubber they saved. Edit: now I think about it a Hurricane or Spitfire was only expected to last a few weeks, making any rubber saving irrelevant (the plane would be destroyed long before the tyres wore out anyway). Also, note that due to crosswinds, aircraft don't always land in a perfectly straight line (small aircraft can make uncoordinated landings to minimise this, but airliners generally don't for the comfort of passengers and the risk of scraping an engine). This lateral movement can scrape off a fair amount of rubber; I don't know if pre-spinning the wheels would make it better or worse! FiggyBee (talk) 04:47, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

It would make initial adhesion better. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:29, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

The device would be unnecessary for Kamikaze missions. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:33, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

BTW, if you're interested in tyre life, a tyre will last about 200 landings on a super-heavy airliner like the Airbus A380, 300 on a smaller airliner like the Boeing 737, and 500+ landings on a small 4-place aircraft like the Cessna 182. Airliner tyres are usually retreaded half a dozen times, so you're looking at a typical lifespan of a few years for a tyre which makes one landing per day. FiggyBee (talk) 05:02, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

It occurs to me that unless all the landing wheels could be somehow guaranteed to spin at exactly the same speed, there would be a real risk of the aircraft skidding or slewing off the runway. Much safer to have them all start spinning from zero.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:27, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

A pilot can't ensure that all the landing wheels make ground contact simultaneously and in general they change from skidding to rolling at different times. If one chose to develop an electric spin-up motor it could be controlled by an optical device to match exactly the relative speed of the runway. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:29, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

collectable silver spoons with holder many years old, need info on them

I learned to make homemade biscuits standing in a chair when I was 5 years old. We never used any thing but WhiteLily flour. Back then you could save so many coupons and redeem for a gift. My mother, grandmother, and I colledcted a set of silver spoons. They appear to do Dutch but I am not sure. Any way I have lost one through the years and would love to be able to replace it if possible. I am now 57 and still use WhiteLily. please help me if you can. Thank you in advance for your kindness, I want to pass them to my only grandaughter whom I have taught to make biscuits.

Sincerely, Sylvia Richardson —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sylvia Richardson (talk • contribs) 21:00, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried ebay? One can find just about anything on ebay. Googlemeister (talk) 21:11, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Their homepage http://www.whitelily.com/ContactUs/ has an option to contact the company. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:58, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

[19] has a pair of them on sale for $24 - and another one for $12. It looks like you could probably find a replacement rather easily/cheaply. SteveBaker (talk) 22:57, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Municipalities adjacent to Gladbeck

How many municipalities are adjacent to Gladbeck? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 21:10, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Four: Bottrop, Dorsten, Gelsenkirchen, and Essen. According to Gladbeck and de:Gladbeck. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:16, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

where can I see a floor plan for a mill house, house has two front doors, why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.4.177.130 (talk) 22:34, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Probably, it's been divided into two homes at some time in its life. Some of those old buildings are on the large side for modern families. SteveBaker (talk) 22:44, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

How many of the five mentioned municipalities are urban districts? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:08, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

where is the grave of the man who discovered the metre rule

where is the grave of the man who discovered the metre rule?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dandy Fleur (talk • contribs) 23:18, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Can you please explain your question more clearly. What do you mean by "metre rule"? Is this a physical object, a unit of measurement, or a rule as in a law? In any of these cases, nobody "discovered" them, since they do not occur naturally. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 01:04, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

The unit of measurement known as the meter was invented by John Wilkins (His meter was 3mm shorter than the modern one.) According to this source : "After four years' tenure of his bishopric, he died in the year 1672, at the age of fifty-eight, in Tillotson's house: he was buried in the churchyard of St Lawrence Jewry, his old vicarage. "

Is this what you were looking for? APL (talk) 05:25, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

giant sunfish (Ocean sunfish)

are there any plaster cast or similar actual size of the sunfish mola mola in the uk?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dandy Fleur (talk • contribs) 23:18, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

--Fixed your link --Anon, 03:46 UTC, April 16, 2010.

According to the article, it seems there has been 'some sightings of this fish in south-west England'. Some people have been saying that this is 'evidence of increasing marine temperatures' (quotes from the article). Sorry if you are on about a model, you're question wasn't too clear. (The reference to this statement is highlighted here. Hope this helps you in some way. --Chevymontecarlo. 05:44, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

April 16

stocks vs. Stock funds

Please help; my husband is enrolled in company 401k, highest risk cat stock fund. I am trying to explain to him that he doesn't own the company stock, but rather is invested in a stock fund under his company's options. He thinks he owns $15000.00 of co. Stock. Everytime i try to explain it...We fight. How do i make him understand? Aggravated—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.87.221.12 (talk) 03:45, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Stock, Stock options and mutual fund should explain the the difference between them all. --Jayron32 04:31, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

There is a thick pamphlet called a prospectus that you were probably supposed to be provided before making your investment decisions. There should be one for each fund choice. Each one should explain its fund quite thoroughly. If you threw it away upon receipt, you can ask for another one from the company's 401(k) provider, or perhaps from the company itself. Note that although we don't do financial advice here, I would point out that the high-risk stock fund choice isn't always higher-risk than the choice of investing in the company's stock. The Enron scandal and collapse totally screwed a number of employees who had invested all their retirement savings in the company stock fund. When the company went bankrupt and the stock went to near-zero, they lost not only their job, but all their retirement savings. Here is an example of a guy who apparently lost over 90% of his retirement savings in this way. Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:29, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

I am wondering why you want to "make him understand". Kittybrewster ☎ 10:29, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

The Guardian and the Lib Dems

I understand that The Guardian has a reputation as a left-liberal newspaper, and was unsurprised when they were lampooning the Conservatives recently ("Step Outside Posh Boy"), but in the last few weeks it seems like they are featuring a lot of positive coverage of the Liberal Democrats on their front page. Is the paper known to be especially favourable to that party (over say, Labour) or is it thought of as more non-partisan left? Thanks in advance, 86.45.150.20 (talk) 09:55, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

I take it you've read The_Guardian#Stance and editorial opinion in the article you linked to, although it's not particularly helpful in deciding whether or not the paper is more pro-Labour or Lib Dem. FWIW I've read the Guardian all my adult life and I've always understood it to favour the Lib Dems. In the 2005 election, however, it endorsed Labour; see here. It'll be interesting to see who they back this time. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 10:12, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks Richard, that's helpful. It may just have been the concurrence of the release of their manifesto and Clegg's universally-praised performance in the debate that accounts for my impression. 86.45.150.20 (talk) 10:37, 16 April 2010 (UTC)