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June 23

Postal Jeep Wrangler?

So, I live in western North Carolina, and I have a severe hearing impairment and I'm totally deaf in my right ear. This being said, I can't hear a thing when I'm driving. I'm looking to buy a Jeep wrangler, and got the idea a Postal vehicle would be perfect for me. Would this be legal? And where would I look for these? And would I be able to find them in manual? 97.82.209.100 (talk) 02:34, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

You can buy a new one from the dealer with right hand drive. The older ones that most people associate with the post office were called DJs. (Jeeps have a two letter designation of sorts. The current models are JKs, the last Wrangler model were TJs, etc) I don't know if it matters to you but the DJs were rear wheel drive and had no 4WD capability. I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't be legal since rural postal carriers still drive right hand drive vehicles. Though you may want to check with your local DMV to see if there is a particular certification you need on your driver's license. And yes, the DJs came in manual and automatic. If you're looking for a used Jeep, there are sites like this one that specialize in right hand drive Jeeps. Dismas|^(talk) 03:13, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

If he's in North Carolina, a left-hand drive model would be more appropriate. DuncanHill (talk) 08:54, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Postal Jeeps are right hand drive. But you're right, if he can't hear out of his right ear, I don't know why you'd want that closer to traffic by being in the right hand seat. Dismas|^(talk) 08:57, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I was thinking it might be nice for him to be able to see oncoming traffic, assuming he will drive on the right like so many Americans do. DuncanHill (talk) 09:05, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Being in a r-h-d vehicle in a drive-on-the-right regime means he'll be able to get in and out on the sidewalk side of the car: for someone with a hearing impediment who can't, when stationary, easily detect traffic approaching from around a bend, for example, that might be safer. Also, it'll put him further from the traffic (I think Dismas has it wrong) but his better-functioning ear closer.

Driving in a "wrong-driving-side" car is marginally more difficult but by no means dangerously so for someone used to it. British military personnel frequently (for tax reasons) purchase new r-h-d cars when posted to d-o-t-r Germany (typically for 3 years) and experience no particular difficulties, as I know from family experience and discussion. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 15:35, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

DuncanHill, that's the whole point of his question. He wants a postal van because they're the only vehicle he thinks he might be able to get his hands on that is righthand-drive. That way his good ear would be away from the open window and he could hold conversations with passengers (Where would they sit?). APL (talk) 22:50, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Wouldnt it be safer to buy a normal car where it was convenient to slide over to the other seat for entry or exit? 92.15.3.0 (talk) 20:03, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

This isn't about me sliding out for entry and exit, or for hearing oncoming traffic. It is basically impossible for me to hear anything going on -inside- the car while its moving, and with music or a window down, completely impossible without craning my neck and therefore not looking at the road. A RHD vehicle would solve this, as my good ear would be facing the interior of the car, rather than the door. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.181.202.2 (talk) 12:36, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

RHD cars are certainly legal throughout the USA. I often drive my (British) 1963 Mini - which is RHD. However, you should be warned that driving an RHD car in the US (or an LHD car in the UK for that matter) is a serious pain...and probably dangerous too. The trouble is that you can't pull out around parked cars or overtake on a 2-lane or even 3-lane highway safely. In a normal car, you can edge out a little bit - see the oncoming traffic and then make your decision to overtake. But in an RHD car, you have to pull all the way out into the next lane (with potentially oncoming traffic) before you can see whether or not it is safe to do what you just did! Hence, I only drive my Mini to car shows and club meetings - and I tow it to car shows that are out of town so I don't have to drive it on the freeway. Otherwise, I tend to stick to roads where I don't have to overtake or pass parked cars.

Another problem you almost certainly won't have thought of is that drive-thru's at banks and fast-food places are unusable in an RHD car! (Actually, I have on more than one occasion reversed through a fast-food drive-thru...you get a lot of amusing comments and strange looks when you do that!!) I've also found that some traffic lights are set up so they aren't visible to people in the adjacent lane to the one they are controlling - sometimes those are impossible to see from the other seat of the car.

So I have to advise against doing this for a daily driver - I'm pretty sure you'll find that the inconvenience FAR outweighs the benefits. That said, if you REALLY want an RHD car, you can import them from counties that drive on the other side of the road fairly cheaply and get almost any kind of car you fancy in RHD. (I paid $600 to ship my Mini from the UK) Also, you can sometimes special-order a RHD car directly through a car dealership providing the manufacturer sells that model in RHD countries. But if you do that with a new car, it would be hard to sell it again in the future. As an alternative (and I'm also fairly deaf in my right ear) - I bought one of those really cheesy "Miracle Ear" gizmos that they advertise on TV for $19.99 (they are much cheaper than that in my local drug store) - and I stick the earbud into my good left ear and put the microphone part down on the center-console of the car and then I can hear conversation in the car just fine...but that's going to depend on how good your left-ear hearing is...it's probably not a good idea to block off whatever hearing you have left in your good ear with an ear-bud and thereby perhaps make it harder to hear horns, sirens and other audible alerts...but for about $15 you can find out - and it's a LOT cheaper/better than driving an RHD car!

SteveBaker (talk) 15:27, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't really think that the passing a parked car issue will be an issue, as in my area at least I have ample room to see on either side before I would pass a car. And as for banks and drive-thrus, I make it a point to do any business inside as a rule. And, as you said, reversing would only add to the humor of a drive-thru. As for the traffic light, as far as I can tell I have never encountered a light anywhere in my travels that was not just as clearly visible in the passenger seat of a LHD vehicle (therefore the drivers seat on a RHD vehicle), and I feel as if one or two inconveniences would be easily overcome as long as they weren't a regular occurrence. I appreciate the thoughts though, I actually hadn't thought of the drive-thru situation yet, but seeing as I try to take my business inside where ever possible, it doesn't inconvenience me. And as for the miracle ear, I doubt that would work very well for me as I have a hearing aide for my left ear, and when I do wear it, it would stop any other items from being used. Also, I'm a 19 year old college student, so I seriously doubt something sitting on the console would be safe from much, especially when considering my exceptionally rowdy passengers. And I get in and out of my car a -lot-, picking up people, dropping things off, and driving around campus, so I feel like having to put something in every time I would like to easily hear people would be a hassle.

That being said, I checked the link posted for RHD Jeeps, but they all seem to be fairly new cars. Are there not any models in the 90s that are RHD?

24.181.202.2 (talk) 13:14, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Storing Pans in the Oven

I found out my mom stores her pans in the oven. Is this "normal" (as in common to some extent)? How do most Americans store pans? ~EdGl! 04:14, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Is this in a drawer at the bottom of the oven or in the oven proper? I don't know how "normal" this is but we (my wife and I) keep our cookie sheets in the oven. Dismas|^(talk) 04:28, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I know folks who do that. Cookie sheets are especially good to stash there, as it's hard to find a more conventional place for them. Just don't turn on the oven while that stuff is in there, as it could get too hot to handle and/or it could damage the handles. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:10, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

We do that sometimes...but I always turn the oven on while they are still in there. They usually go in the drawer below the oven though. Adam Bishop (talk) 13:53, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

A lot of American kitchens (such as mine) don't have enough storage space, so bulky items like pots and pans go into the oven, which is unused 95 percent of the time. During the time it's actually heating something, the empty pots and pans are left on the countertop. Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 16:28, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't because of several incidents where I turned on the oven to preheat it without first looking inside to check whether there were pans in there. I opened the oven and then had the nuisance of an unwantedly-400-degree pan to deal with. Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:20, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

?unwantedly, does that mean unwanted? 86.4.183.90 (talk) 18:16, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

When I typed it, I thought "unwantedly" was not really not a word in English; I was trying to be clever; but I see here that it's actually a word! If I had said "an unwanted 400-degree pan", it would have indicated that I did not want the pan; by saying "unwantedly 400 degree pan", I was trying to indicate that I just didn't want it to be at 400 degrees. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:24, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

 Done Thank you for your answers! (and yes Dismas, I meant oven proper). ~EdGl! 02:30, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Rice cookers

Are rice cookers equally effective for cooking wholegrain brown rice, rather than just the white stuff? Wholegrain rice takes about twice as long to cook as white rice. Thanks 92.15.17.9 (talk) 12:21, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes, though you will need to add rather more water than for white rice, and as you say you will need to set the timer for longer. The instruction manual should have details, otherwise (unless someone else appears here with sound advice) you will just have to experiment. Or Google the problem.....--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:09, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I use both white and brown rice. I put in the same amount of rice and water and cook for the same amount of time and I've never found the rice to be undercooked. Exploding Boy (talk) 15:47, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I generally use the standard rice cooker for white rice, and a pressure cooker for brown rice. Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 16:23, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Timer? You use a rice cooker with a timer? Anyway as with Exploding Boy, I have no problem with using a normal rice cooker (i.e. one without a timer) although I admit I rarely cook brown rice on its own as I greatly prefer a mixture (about 2 brown to 1 white). Depending on your preference you may want to adjust the amount of water however that will obviously vary a lot from person to person and also from the type of rice you're used to cooking (personally I've never understood the idea some people have that rice shouldn't stick together so if you are one of those I probably can't provide helpful advice). Soaking the rice first may also help. Of course I come from Malaysia so as I think with much of SEA and East Asia I use what I think is called the absorption method, if you use some other method, things may be different.

There's a Japanese study I'm lazy to dig up which found brown rice soaked for a very long time like 24 hours or more so it germinates slightly (presuming your rice hasn't been processed in such a way this can't occur I guess) has some interesting properties/advantageous, IIRC some of compounds which may be beneficial are released and it also has a lower GI. I've tried it a few times but as I tend to be lazy to remember to do so and want to cook rice when I need it and actually have been having very little rice recently I kind of stopped. I think this also lowers the amount of water needed and reduces the cooking time, and it changes the taste slightly.

Nil Einne (talk) 17:07, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Pressure cookers are usually used for making congee, so it depends on how much water you add to the rice. ~AH1^(TCU) 17:16, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Interior heat pumps as A/C

There are some A/Cs which are not connected to the exterior of the building to release hot air. What do they do with the heat? Do they release it at night or do they store it into some water reservoir which has to be emptied?--Quest09 (talk) 16:58, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Such devices are connected to the outside, but by means of a water pipe which conducts the heat away. This water pipe can be much narrower than the equivalent air duct, and so you might have mistaken it for a pipe wire conduit. See chiller#use in air conditioning. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 17:16, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

This diagram explains it better. The chiller is on the roof, and a skinny water pipe descends from it. At various points it runs through heat exchanger boxes, which use electric fans to draw warm internal air over a matrix of pipes carrying the chilled water, this cooling that air. The water, now warmed, runs back up to the chiller. This picture shows a temporary chiller, showing the large black water pipes running into a manifold and out to smaller yellow pipes, then back through other small pipes into an intake manifold and back to the chiller unit. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 17:29, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

... unless you are referring to the portable air cooler units that just use water evaporation to cool the air that is blown out. Their effectiveness is limited by the fact that they increase the humidity of the air because the heat goes into latent heat of evaporation. With ventilation to get rid of the water vapour that they produce, these can have some cooling effect, but they are not really "air conditioning". I think the so-called air conditioning in my car uses a similar method, but I must investigate it further. Dbfirs 17:43, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Which is called an evaporative cooler, although often called (by dint of their characteristic stale jockstrap smell) a swamp cooler. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 17:47, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the link. Are vehicle manufacturers being honest when they describe these systems as "air conditioning"? Dbfirs 06:58, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I have never heard of a modern car with an evaporative cooler; every automotive AC I've seen has been a proper air conditioner with a compressor. A real AC is necessary because people use the AC to dehumidify the air inside the cabin, for the purposes of clearing the interior of the windscreen of misting, particularly on a rainy day - an evaporative cooler wouldn't do that. Swamp cooler were fitted to some old cars - see car cooler, however. Real ACs can occasionally still smell bad, but that's usually because a drainage channel is blocked. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:54, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't know where I got the idea that they use evaporative cooling. Probably from the smell, as you suggest. Dbfirs 22:09, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

In the UK the cooling effect of AC is only necessary for a couple of months (sometimes weeks!) a year. I found that when using the A/C for the first time each year it would smell stale. After my A/C lost pressure through "degraded seals" I was told that you should run the A/C for ten minutes or so a week whatever the weather. In doing this I discovered the wonderful demisting effect of A/C and heating working together that Finlay mentioned. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:32, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

This is a water-source heat pump, which employs a loop of water piping around the building that can receive heat pumped into it from a unit in cooling mode, or can have heat taken out of it by a unit in heating mode. Since there can be situations where units in a building core want cooling when the perimeter wants heat, it provides an efficient way to move heat around a building without having to make it in a boiler. The systems deal with an excess of loop cooling/heat extraction by running a boiler to heat the loop, or by rejecting excess heat to a chiller or cooling tower. If the system uses the earth as a heat sink/storage element, it's a geothermal water loop heat pump system. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article on Water-source heat pumps redirects to Geothermal heat pump, which is only a subset of water-source/loop systems. Conventional systems (i.e., non-geothermal systems) can have surprisingly small boilers and cooling towers for the size of the building, since they have the means to efficiently redistribute heating and cooling loads around the building. Acroterion _(talk) 00:43, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

June 24

Petraeus Still Commander of CENTCOM?

Will General David Petraeus still remain as the commander of CENTCOM if he is confirmed at Gen. Stanely McChrystal's replacement? If so, will he be working two jobs at once? Acceptable (talk) 00:11, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

This source indicates that he will be replaced as commander of CENTCOM if he is confirmed as commanding officer in Afghanistan. Marco polo (talk) 14:48, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Then wouldn't this mean that Petraeus is being demoted? Acceptable (talk) 20:20, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Not strictly; his rank shouldn't change (so technically, no demotion). However, it might be perceived as a less-prestigious posting (an unofficial demotion). I suspect that "less prestigious" is offset considerably by "personally requested by the President" and "being a favorite of the President, likely to get another top billing in the future". — Lomn 21:57, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I understand what you mean, but per Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chairman is considered the high-ranking military officer in the US military, while the Vice-Chairman is considered the second-highest ranking officer. If the Chairman was to be "demoted" to Vice-Chairman, then his rank does change per the article even though his rank in terms of like General, Colonel, Captain, etc... does not change. Applying that to this situation, wouldn't this mean that Patraeus is also being reduced to a lower "rank"? Acceptable (talk) 23:43, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

What's happening to McChrystal, BTW? Will they give him another post, or is he now required to retire, or even just flat separated from the military? If he's retiring, does he get to do so as a four-star? --Trovatore (talk) 23:46, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I've heard no mention of a court-martial, so I guess he can retire in the usual fashion. --Tango (talk) 05:22, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

4-star Generals require a specific post to retain their job, AFAIK. There are no "4 star generals at large". So its likely he's out of a job, as far as the Army is concerned. Also, according to General (United States), even if he stays in the Army, he loses a star, "Four-star grades go hand-in-hand with the positions of office they are linked to, so these ranks are temporary. Officers may only achieve four-star grade if they are appointed to positions of office that require the officer to hold such a rank.[9] Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute.[9]" He's not going to be destitute, however, there are lots of job prospects for a former 4-star general, even one who was "defrocked" in the manner that McChrystal was. There are private military schools that need comandants, think tanks that need consultants, that sort of thing. --Jayron32 05:42, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

He will also get a very good pension, I imagine. --Tango (talk) 05:47, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Might Gen. McChrystal be placed in charge of Camp Swampy until he decides to actually retire from active military service? Edison (talk) 05:52, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Streaming world cup NZ vs Paraguay

Hi all,

The (stupid stupid stupid!) country I'm living in isn't showing this match on TV (I think). Does anyone know where and how I can watch it for free? Thanks heaps!

Adam —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aaadddaaammm (talk • contribs) 07:35, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

FYI the country is Germany. Aaadddaaammm (talk) 07:52, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

You could try this site, not sure what restrictions it has though. Let me know if it works for you, I'd be interested. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 07:53, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Nope, Germany's not on their list: "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ video content on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) streaming video portal may only be viewed in certain EBU territories as noted below:

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Kazakstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.

As we cannot confirm that you are accessing this service from within these territories we regret that you will be unable to view the content." Aaadddaaammm (talk) 09:47, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

If your in Germany it's either on ZDF or ZDF infokanal, a live stream should be on the ZDF Mediathek 194.39.218.10 (talk) 09:06, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Sweet! Thanks 194.39.218.10! Aaadddaaammm (talk) 09:47, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

You can also try CBC's live streams. I'm not sure if they are blocked outside of Canada, but I know their radio content isn't. Cbc.ca -> Sports -> Fifa World Cup. Vranak (talk) 17:53, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Car badging – Mazda, Kia, Ford

Could anyone familiar with the subject look at the talk page Talk:Badge engineering#Ford Fiesta? and clarify the car models correlation? --CiaPan (talk) 09:39, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Please explain a little more. I don't understand. Do you want someone to identify the cars? I'm not sure. Chevymontecarlo 16:14, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

FIFA jackets

Why non-playing players, who sit on the bench, wear jackets with FIFA caption during the current WC? Can't they wear for example their national team colors? 83.31.91.87 (talk) 16:04, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm sure they're wearing their kit under the FIFA tops. As to why, see brand and marketing. Zunaid 18:55, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Does FIFA need to advert itself? 83.31.99.51 (talk) 19:46, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I believe it's to help the officials make sure there is only the correct number of players on the pitch. I seem to remember that during a recent cricket international match, one side played with 12 on the pitch for part of an over. --TammyMoet (talk) 19:49, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It's more likely to be to indicate who is a legal substitute and entitled to enter the game. If the eligible players have been pre-screened and identified beforehand, there is no need to do another check before they enter the game. Too many men on the pitch is an extremely rare occurrence in football, but accidentally letting an ineligible player on the pitch has happened a number of times. Measures that make it less likely are understandable, particularly in a tournament as important as the World Cup. --Xuxl (talk) 20:26, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I agree with TammyMoet - as an amateur footballer of many-years it is extremely irritating when subs hang around in their kits without a jacket over their top. It is very difficult to tell whether or not they are 'on' or not when they're stood by the sidelines and you're playing a ball from one side of the pitch to the other. It will certainly help make it clearer who is currently 'playing' and who isn't. I suppose it'd help in terms of legal subs but doubt that having a jacket is necessarily any type of worthwhile security (if you can fool the officials into switching a registered sub to another non-registered sub I doubt you'll struggle to get hold of the necessary jacket). ny156uk (talk) 14:43, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Sheikh Khalifa bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Under the picture of Sheikh Khalifa bin Sultan Al Nahyan it says "Liverpool Football Club Owner". Is this true? No press reports link them to a takeover. And nothing has been mentioned by the club as well. Is this information accurate? Has the takeover been done? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.246.189.43 (talk) 16:18, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I have removed mention from the article (which you seem to be one of the ones adding). Until a reliable source is reporting it, it should not be in the article. In future, discuss it in the article talk page or use WP:BLP/N and if no source is provide and you have doubts about the information in a BLP feel free to remove it on sight Nil Einne (talk) 17:15, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Criminal Record and a Job

Talking to a friend of mine who was applying for a job in an airport, customer service, when she was filling out the online application she was faced with a couple of routine questions such as are you over 18? Do you speak English? Are you available for a face to face interview? Then the big one do you have a criminal record? She answered yes to all and on the the next page of the online application she was told that she wasn't eleigible for the job. I can only assume it was because of her conviction. So how can it be fair that her application for this job can not be processed for a motoring conviction she got 22 years ago. At no time was she able to explain her conviction is this standard practice for people with convicions? Thanks Mo ainm~Talk 16:21, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

A lot will depend on what country your friend is in. In the UK there are provisions for some convictions to become "spent" (Rehabilitation of Offenders Act), but there are exceptions to this. Also, in the UK a traffic offence may not count as a criminal conviction. Your friend should consult her trade union, a Citizens' Advice Bureau or similar, or an employment rights service. DuncanHill (talk) 16:28, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It was in Ireland, what I find strange is that just by answering yes she couldn't even proceed with the application, I told her she should have lied I would have for a very minor offence 20 odd years ago. Mo ainm~Talk 16:32, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

You haven't told us what the "motoring conviction" was, exactly — was she cited for speeding 10 kph over the limit, or did she run down 20 pedestrians at a zebra crossing whilst drunk? — but if it was indeed minor then she needs to determine whether the offence counts as a "crime", and whether the police would indeed answer "yes" if asked whether she has a "criminal record". Can she call the local police and ask to see her own criminal record? Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:46, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It was driving without a licence or insurance in her brothers car. Mo ainm~Talk 16:52, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

As a motoring offence, that's one of the more serious, and would likely not be an "exempted" crime. (The harsh side of me says, "If you don't want the time, don't do the crime!") ╟─TreasuryTag►UK EYES ONLY─╢ 17:06, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

The principle behind having convictions become spent after a certain amount of time is that people who have already done the time shouldn't have the crime held against them indefinitely. --Tango (talk) 17:15, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I did know that, actually... ╟─TreasuryTag►secretariat─╢ 17:29, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

That probably does qualify as a criminal offence. Did she have to go to court? What was the sentence? I've been looking for an Irish equivalent to the British Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and can't find out - there is a proposed bill for one in 2007, which suggests there isn't one currently (the bill doesn't seem to have passed). In the UK, the question will always say "Do you have any criminal convictions that have not been spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974?" - does the question on this website say anything similar? --Tango (talk) 17:14, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It is odd that they would reject someone just because they have a criminal record. Usually they would want to know what the offence was and when it happened. The security requirements to work in an airport are very high, for obvious reasons, but that doesn't mean the mere existence of a criminal record should disqualify you. It is possible she was ineligible for some other reason - lacking the necessary qualifications or something. I would suggest she ask the employer for clarification. --Tango (talk) 17:05, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It was certainly the conviction here is a link to the questions she was asked click next and you will see them, she replied yes to them all, I just did it myself and answered no to the conviction and I was allowed to procede to the next step where if I answer yes it won't allow me. It then states that "Yours answers to the questions listed suggest that you don’t currently meet the current requirements necessary for consideration." "These criteria are in accordance with the National Civil Aviation Programme 2004 and are required of all staff working in Terminal Buildings." Mo ainm~Talk 17:22, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

You are right, they are automatically rejecting anyone with any criminal convictions. That's odd... Once again, I suggest contacting the employer. --Tango (talk) 18:10, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Even more oddly, Google can't find anything called "National Civil Aviation Programme 2004". [1] (the results shown there are without the quotes, since it couldn't find any results with the quotes). --Tango (talk) 18:15, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It is NOT possible that they checked her criminal record while applying online. 83.31.91.87 (talk) 18:38, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Of course not. You don't even have to give your name by this point in the application process. --Tango (talk) 18:44, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Most motoring offenses in the USA (at least) are not "Criminal" offenses - they are civil. That being the case, one should not mention them when asked about strictly criminal stuff. Stealing a car is criminal - driving one at 80mph in a 70 limit isn't. SteveBaker (talk) 23:19, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

In the UK, people occasionally come up with the phrase "civil offence", which is pseudo-legal nonsense. Do you have a reference for its being meaningful in the US? --ColinFine (talk) 23:23, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Here is Michigan's Traffic and Nontraffic Civil Infraction Matters Another site with further explanation (in the What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony? section: [2] 75.41.110.200 (talk) 03:18, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

The OP says this was driving without a license or insurance, which I think probably is a criminal offence in most countries. --Tango (talk) 23:55, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I understand this might seem harsh, but my understanding is that places like airports and maybe embassies have a zero tolerance policy regarding that sort of thing because of their special jurisdiction. it's not like just going for a job on the high street. This is a requirement regardless whether you're in customer service or customs security, or a toilet cleaner, you're employed by the airport so you have to pass the checks, it's like a "security clearance".. I don't have a reference for that, that's just my understanding. Vespine (talk) 04:49, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes, that's true, but it the mere existence of a criminal record doesn't usually preclude you getting security clearance. Here is the FAQ on MI5's careers website saying you can get a job with MI5 even with criminal convictions: [3]. --Tango (talk) 05:24, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

cooking chicken

If you want chicken breast cubes, is it better to cube the chicken before cooking, or to cook the chicken and then cube it? Googlemeister (talk) 20:47, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It will be faster if you cube then cook, as cooking generally goes faster with a higher surface area to mass ratio. Whether that's "better" is more subjective, though for my money, it's absolutely better. Cubed first means more tasty brown bits on the surface of the meat. — Lomn 21:52, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

The only advantage of cubing afterwards I can imagine is that the chicken might be easier to cut. Handling uncooked chicken isn't pleasant to some, so there'd be less of that. Vimescarrot (talk) 22:54, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Good point. I usually put the chicken in the freezer for a bit before I cube it to aid the process. — Lomn 23:39, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

It depends on what you want. Cooking cubes of raw chicken will result in pieces of cooked meat that only very vaguely resemble cubes; the corners will all be rounded but not necessarily in a uniform way, and the whole piece will have shrunk, but again, not necessarily in a uniform way. This may not bother you if all you want is something roughly cubical. Cutting cubes from a larger piece of cooked chicken will give you nice uniform cubes of cooked chicken, but they may not be as caramelised and tasty as smaller pieces cooked separately. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:47, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Cooking a chicken whole will give juicier and more tasty meat, as the skin and fat will saturate the meat with flavour. Chicken cubes would mainly consist of the meat alone, which can have a tendency to go dry and with little taste. --Saddhiyama (talk) 06:29, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Well I decided to conduct an experiment with a blind study (I knew which were which so it wasn't double blind). I asked my 2 house guests which they preferred and they both liked the pre-cooked cutting better then the post cooked. It also cooked like 3x faster. Good enough for me. Googlemeister (talk) 13:31, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

How many mountain bikes could I fit in a Citroen Berlingo van?

Just seen one of these vans in the newspaper at a good price, but not sure if it is long or high enough inside. I need to carry two fully assembled adult mountain bikes, ready to ride. Help please? :-) 86.143.231.213 (talk) 23:00, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

This brochure gives the internal dimensions of various Berlingo models. Bikes can also be carried on an external frame. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:24, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Thanks :) I found another site] with a review that gives the dimensions, and I should be okay. Still, if anyone reading this owns a Berlingo then please comment! 86.143.231.213 (talk) 01:44, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

If you take them apart then you will be able to fit many more in. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:41, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

You could also put the bikes on the roof. There you would be able to get at least 2 on the roof I should think. Thule is a company that produces racks for vehicle roofs. Chevymontecarlo - alt 12:14, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Is it roofs or rooves? :D Chevymontecarlo 16:13, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Either, apparently, though I've never heard anyone say, or seen anyone write, "rooves" - as noted, it's uncommon and usually considered incorrect. Vimescarrot (talk) 16:28, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

I was taught (in northern UK many years ago) that the plural was rooves ( - the older British plural), but this is one of the few bits of my education that I rejected almost immediately in favour of the more modern roofs. Is it true that rooves is still the standard plural in New Zealand? Dbfirs 16:54, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

No idea, but you might want to ask at WP:RD/L. Chevymontecarlo 14:39, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Loaf - loaves. Calf - calves. Elf - elves. Perhaps Vimescarrot would like to declare all these English plurals that follow the pattern of -f changing to -ves as "considered incorrect" while at this noble crusade to demolish the consensus of English dictionaries and centuries of English speakers. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:57, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

"consensus of English dictionaries" - maybe British English ones. American Heritage, Merriam-Webster and Random House all say roofs, with no mention of rooves at all. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 19:12, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

The questioner Chevymontecarlo is from Loughborough, in the UK. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:53, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

The difference between loaf, roof and elf is that I've never seen roof pluralised as rooves, and indeed was taught that was wrong (by the sound of it, I'm not the only person in the UK to have been taught that either). Besides, I was only quoting the Wiktionary article. Vimescarrot (talk) 18:14, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

FWIW, I'm from the North of England, and I say both 'roof' and 'rooves', though, admittedly, a distinction is upheld depending on when I am saying it and to whom. Vimescarrot's original answer of 'either [is correct]' still stands in my opinion. The questioner's whereabouts are irrelevant, as (s)he did not ask which was appropriate in his/her particular town, nor did he/she specify any place, in fact. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 18:25, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Hoofs and hooves... Bus stop (talk) 18:57, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Spoofs and spooves? --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 19:27, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Beef and beeves? Reef and reeves? Fief and fieves? Fife and fives? Going off in various huvves? Tough and tuvves? Rough and ruvves? Enuvves! -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:42, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I was also taught to use "rooves" (in south east UK) and winced when I saw that some proles had named their house "The Roofs". 92.28.242.168 (talk) 21:42, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Jim and Keanu see nothing wrong with reeves and nor do their many relatives. This film plot summary has the text "While rescuing the crew of the ship "Julliete", wrecked on the reeves by the First Mate Mathias Widgeon, Loxi falls in love.... @KägeTorä a questioner's whereabouts are relevant if the answer depends on their location (as in the question What time is it?). Telling a person in England that omissions in upstart US dictionaries should constrict their mother tongue is an impertinence comparable to misrepresenting what Wikitionary really says about rooves. Only a thief would steal the word rooves that is good enough for Dickens, Shakespeare and the BBC[4] - STOP THIEVES! Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:19, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Thing is, Cuddlyable, Vimescarrot didn't say that. He said both 'roof' and 'rooves' were OK. He then went onto say that he had never heard 'rooves', and that it was usually considered incorrect. Not one of these statements even implies that 'rooves' is actually incorrect, whether in the US or here. By the way, Vimescarrot is a Brit, too. Furthermore, not only are Dickens and Shakespeare written in a form of English that has since been updated many a time, <soapbox> one look at anything of what the BBC writes on the internet makes me ashamed to have it regarded as our national flagship news agency, with spelling errors, grammatical errors, and pure laziness on the part of editors who seem to think that merely changing a few words in a sentence without making sure the rest fits with it to make it make any sense is good enough for us. They could certainly learn a thing or two from us </soapbox>. Oh, and, sorry, I forgot the 'small' tags in my last post. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 03:29, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Volume

Cuddlyable found a good link giving dimensions for varieties of the Berlingo. I noticed, however, that a lot of car websites and magazines give the loading space dimensions in form of volume (cubic meters). Why? It is less information than giving height, width, and depth. To me it's a useless number, as I'd be more interested in being able to load bulky objects than as many egg cartons as possible. Anyone know why this number (volume) is considered useful? ---

It is certainly less useful than height, width, and depth. It is a "quick comparison" value, that is sometimes useful when looking at different cars. It allows you to rule some out quickly, and then look at the further details in depth for a few. -- Q Chris (talk) 07:44, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Have fitted 3 mountain bikes into a Berlingo Multispace. The new Berlingo seems to be a bit bigger. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:48, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

June 25

Ordering portraits of Thai kings

Can you please help? I am interested in purchasing pictures of all the 9 kings of Thailand, are you able to provide me with a quote? Kings 1 through to king 9 (I need all of them) approx size around 900mm x 900

1. Your quote can be for images so long as the images can be made very big (good Pixels for hanging on wall)

2. or paintings approx size around 900mm x 900

3. or prints

4. or posters

Please get back to me ASAP

Kind Regards

Anthony Cox (email address removed) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.241.142.45 (talk) 00:49, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Hi Anthony, you could enquire here http://www.oilpaintings2order.com/. This is a Thai business where you can commission any oil painting you like. Or just google something like thai+king+portrait for other sites. 86.143.231.213 (talk) 02:03, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Additionally, we're an encyclopedia, not an art dealer. Dismas|^(talk) 02:14, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

I removed your email address to eliminate the possibility of spam to you. Feel free to check back here periodically to view updated answers to your question.24.150.18.30 (talk) 02:25, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

You're probably better off asking elsewhere. Wikipedia isn't the best place for this, but you may find some good links. Chevymontecarlo - alt 12:12, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

There are some pictures in the article List of Thai Monarchs. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:53, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Hello. I'm rubbish at art, but will happily produce the pictures for you for, say, £430,000. Deal? --Dweller (talk) 13:32, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Health Fructose

Hi I suffer from Fructose Malabsorbtion (Basically this means that I cannot eat anything where the fructose level is higher than the glucose level) eg most fruits, onions, wheat, honey etc. I just need to know whether the fructose level is higher than the glucose level in Turmeric. Are you able to help?

Thanks Ian

I'm sorry we can't give medical advice.--178.167.218.35 (talk) 14:16, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

We can't answer medical questions but I think you may be misunderstanding your dietary needs...and that means that you REALLY need to talk to a qualified medical professional about your diet.

Surely it is not the case that glucose has to be higher than fructose in every individual ingredient of the food you eat? That makes zero sense - most foods contain a mixture of all sorts of ingredients - some of which are high in fructose and others which are high in glucose - your body isn't going to attempt to digest each ingredient individually! It can only be that averaged over a particular meal the glucose level must exceed the fructose. Otherwise there would be almost no foods that you could tolerate. You certainly shouldn't take dietary advice from me, or anyone else here - but if you think about this logically, if the only requirement were that glucose must exceed fructose then eating a couple of spoonfuls of glucose with a piece of fruit would covers that dietary balance requirement and they wouldn't be telling you to avoid fruit - but instead to take a couple of these handy glucose pills with each meal! Since (I presume) they aren't telling you that - you must therefore have misunderstood the advice you've been given. That's a potentially serious matter - and you really, really need to go back to your doctor and get this clarified.

As to your particular question here, it's probably impossible to know the relative amounts of fructose and glucose in turmeric (I very much doubt anyone has analysed it that carefully) - but since it's a spice and probably constitute way less than 1% of the meal that contains it, unless you're planning on eating a delicious bowl of pure Tumeric for lunch (please don't!), it's unlikely that the answer matters to you. What matters is the average balance in the total meal - of which normal amounts of tumeric is an utterly negligable contributor.

Since you do seem to have a deep misunderstanding of how you need to eat to remain healthy - I strongly recommend you talk to your doctor about this - and possibly to a medically qualified dietician who can prepare diet plans for you and explain to you how 'trace ingredients' like Tumeric will affect you. Above all, don't take health advice from random people on the Internet (like me, for example!).

SteveBaker (talk) 14:15, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Good advice. Fructose malabsorption is worth a look. Turmeric (or its primary ingredient, curcumin) does seem to have a relationship to fructose issues (for example, it slows down the conversion of sorbitol to fructose in the body.) But, yeah, talk to your doctor -- it sounds like you've gotten some misinformation or at least are confused baout the information you've gotten. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 17:45, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

What exactly is a Gendarmerie?

Ok I've been reading hte wikipedia article but it's not very good and I still don't understand what a Gendarmerie is. Basically, how do they differ in equipment nad role from a normal police force? Thanks!--178.167.218.35 (talk) 13:12, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Per the definition in the lede, gendarmerie are a military body charged with police duties, as contrasted with standard civilian police forces. The definition does not concern itself with a distinction in equipment or role from standard police (as noted in the definition, the role is the same). That said, individual countries may draw a distinction, but conceptually none exists. Note that in the US the Posse Comitatus Act effectively prohibits a gendarmerie except for the U.S. Coast Guard. — Lomn 14:03, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes I read that but what is the difference between military and civilian? What's the difference then in role and equipment between the French Gendarmerie an d French national police?--178.167.218.35 (talk) 14:13, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

The difference between military and civilian control of the police is where the authority rests. The US has decided that civilian authority over the military means that the military shouldn't be enforcing civilian law. There was a recent case, for example, where an Army officer in Alabama was disciplined for providing police services at the request of local law enforcement after a mass shooting left civilian personnel undermanned.[5] It was absolutely a humanitarian gesture, but in the US, The Military Does Not Act As Police (the above linked Posse Comitatus Act explains why). Many other democracies have decided that a balance can be struck, and thus you get (among others) the French Gendarmerie Nationale. In some places, it's a convenient fiction to suggest the rule of law, much as how you see "democratic republic" occasionally affixed to some unlikely countries. As for specifics of how France divides up their policing responsibilities, see National Gendarmerie and National Police (France). — Lomn 14:48, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

That National Police article was useful, thanks, it had a link to [6] which pretty much explained what I was looking for.--178.167.215.72 (talk) 15:05, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

The national police force of Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in French is la Gendarmerie Royale du Canada. As the gendarmerie article notes, they are not considered "military." --- OtherDave (talk) 18:05, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

The Republican Guard, which is the part of the Gendarmerie responsible for Paris, provides ceremonial guards, military bands and drill displays in a similar way to the Brigade of Guards in London. They have in the past been sent abroad for combat duty, most recently in the First Indochina War. The Gendarmerie Mobile provide specialised riot squads, although the Police Nationale have a branch with a similar role called the CRS. Alansplodge (talk) 23:27, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

In Italy, you have the civilian polizia and the military carabinieri (I think the word means soldiers armed with carbines). They do, as far as I can tell, exactly the same thing. Sometimes wind up stepping on each other's toes; I remember one story of a dispute between two parties, where one called the polizia and the other called the carabinieri.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying this is a bad thing. I'm all for competition, and not so keen on unified state authority. Maybe this would be a good discordian model to copy. But I doubt that was the original idea. --Trovatore (talk) 19:57, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Of course the name may have different meanings in different countries. In Poland, for example, Żandarmeria Wojskowa (Military Gendarmerie) carries out policing duties only within the Armed Forces, like the Military Police Corps in the U.S., and doesn't interfere with the civilian Policja. — Kpalion^(talk) 13:56, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Kissing

Why do people kiss? What is the evolutionary/reproductive advantage in kissing? What is its origin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.229.149.7 (talk) 17:09, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

I assume that you've already read Kiss#Nature and history of the kiss and Kiss#Biology and evolution? ╟─TreasuryTag►ballotbox─╢ 17:12, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

It certainly helps develop and sustain close personal relationships, which may prove profitable. Dogs like to hunt in packs, and humans may often do better in collaboration with one another. Kissing is certainly a token of goodwill and fellowship. It helps build trust, caring, and so on. Vranak (talk) 17:51, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Should I make a layover in Atlanta or Paris?

I'm flying from Salt Lake City to Dusseldorf and I have the choice of making a connecting flight in Atlanta or Paris. I'm somewhat familiar with how Hartsfield Airport works but I've never been to Charles de Gaulle, so I'm wondering if any of these two airports has an advantage over the other (especially since I'll be dealing with customs in either Paris or Dusseldorf, depending on where I make my connection). Thanks. 71.213.57.196 (talk) 19:26, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Would you potentially have to do customs in both Charles de Gaulle and Dusseldorf? If so, Atlanta would be the logical option for me, as the trip from Salt Lake City would not require customs in Atlanta. All else being equal, I'd go for France, just because I'm a curious person and have never been to France. Falconus^{p t c} 22:44, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Flying via Paris would involve a shorter flying time, because a routing from SLC to Germany would be much longer (in miles or km) via ATL. If you fly through Paris, you will pass through immigration in Paris, and you and your carry-on bag will pass through customs, but unless you have something to declare, you will probably not actually be stopped for a check. (The "nothing to declare" walkway operates on an honor system, with occasional spot checks if you look suspicious.) You will not have to go through immigration again in Düsseldorf, but your checked bag will need to pass through customs there. Unlike the United States, the Schengen area countries do not require you to collect your checked bags at point of entry to go through customs before checking them again. So your bag will be checked straight through to Düsseldorf. (Again if you have nothing to declare, you will probably just sail through without a stop.) In my experience, immigration in Paris are no big deal. They may just glance at your passport, hand it back to you, and wave you through. They are much less picky (at least with US passport holders who are white and look more or less professional) than US Immigration and Customs. That said, in my experience, ATL is a more efficient airport than CDG. Even though there is more volume at ATL, it moves more smoothly, and it is easier to move around the airport from one gate to another. My last flight from CDG involved checking in at the main terminal, then a longish walk to a bus station, then a wait for a bus, then a bus ride to another terminal, a wait there, then a second bus from the second terminal to the actual plane, which was parked out on the asphalt with a mobile stairway leading to the cabin. If you are transfering at CDG, you might want to make sure that both flights will be in the same terminal or be sure to have a couple of hours between flights. Marco polo (talk) 00:48, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

I've never been to Atlanta but have travelled many times in/out of Charles De Gaulle. If your flight from Salt Lake City arrives at CDG Terminal 2 but your flight to Dusseldorf leaves from CDG Terminal 1, the two terminals are about a mile apart. However, the terminals are connected by a shuttle train, the CDGVAL, which takes 8 minutes and is a big improvement on the old shuttle bus. The Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport article lists which airline uses which terminal. The airport's official site should be able to help your further. Astronaut (talk) 01:16, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Atlanta is somewhat simpler to find your way around, but CDG is a much more impressive architecture. It's a wash. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 01:33, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Wonderful! This is exactly the type of information I was seeking. Kudos to you guys! And yes, I do agree U.S. customs are very thorough (LAX was a nightmare). Looks like I'll be choosing Atlanta just because this is my first time venturing outside the country on my own and I want to make things a little easier. As an added benefit, I have an hour more to make my connection in Atlanta than I would in Paris. Again, many thanks! 71.213.57.196 (talk) 02:59, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

One other consideration: French Air Traffic Controllers, Airport Staff, etc, etc, not infrequently go on strike, resulting in the cancellation of flights passing through France, and indeed Heikki Kovalainen had this very week to drive 900 miles overnight to get to the European Grand Prix in Valencia in time for Friday morning practice because of such a strike. You would be wise to monitor the news for possible impending events of this nature, and might consider the Atlanta option in the light of this. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 10:41, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Dog breed identification

I saw someone with a dog on a leash here in Vienna, and it kinda looked like a big bad wolf. It was a large dog, with a long coat and a color like this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MountainCur.jpg. Its paws where white and really large, and he had light-colored eyes and a mean look on its face. Now that I'm reading what I wrote it kinda sounds like trolling, but it really isn't, I was just trying to be funny. Thanks in advance! Rimush (talk) 19:53, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

How big? How long? How much like that one? I think that coat color is called brindle, but it's less distinct on long-haired dogs (the article has an example). I suggest it might have been a lurcher, see the third image on that page (the dog called "Bubbles"). Or (perhaps too obvious) a husky? The first image in Alaskan Husky seems like the dog you describe, unless the parameters (size, paw size, coat length) are not extreme enough. 213.122.5.82 (talk) 20:20, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Or perhaps a malamute; they can get pretty big and both look and sound pretty wolf-ish. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:31, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

The lurcher and the Alaskan Husky look skinny, this dog was rather heavy-set. And I don't think it was a malamute or a Siberian Husky, I know what those look like. It had a bigger head, and it was also taller and longer than a Siberian Husky - it also had a longer coat, but not too long. It didn't look like a wolf in the husky sense, it looked like a wolf in that it looked like a wild animal, not like a normal dog. Rimush (talk) 21:16, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

To rule out the obvious enormous dog, Irish Wolfhound? 213.122.5.82 (talk) 21:56, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Too skinny, and "my" dog might not be that tall, but close. It was a really unusual dog, I haven't seen one like it before. Rimush (talk) 22:04, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

What was the snout like - long, short, droopy? A huge stocky dog is the english mastiff, which can be long-haired and scary-looking. 213.122.5.82 (talk) 22:09, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

This picture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mastif_angielski_pregowany_768.jpg - comes close, but I think it was some sort of cross between a mastiff and something else, because it didn't have the typical snout/face. Rimush (talk) 22:15, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Checking out other kinds of mastiff, I found Anatolian Shepherd Dog, which has a more wolfish snout. The one in the second picture has an ominous glint in its eye, and "might not yet be full size". Getting towards skinnier dogs again, though. I think I'll stop guessing now in case a dog expert comes along and tells you exactly what it was... 213.122.5.82 (talk) 22:22, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I looked at that one too, also looks similar (except the color is off). Anyway, thanks for your efforts :D Rimush (talk) 22:28, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Although only you know exactly what the animal you saw looked like, have you considered the possibility that it was actually a wolf? Although in most (all?) jurisdictions it is illegal to own and keep pure-bred wolves as if they were pet dogs (which are, of course, domesticated wolves), in some it is legal to keep wolf-dog crosses if one has the necessary paperwork declaring the animal's (mixed) descent, and these papers are sometimes, shall we say, mis-issued.

An acquaintance who runs a zoo in the UK and is a carnivore expert has related how he met a visitor from Canada in, I think, Plymouth (Devon, UK) walking on a lead what he immediately recognised as a wolf. In conversation, the owner admitted to him that the animal was indeed a pure wolf for which he had obtained "wolf dog" papers in some way. Although an individual wolf can be tamed (my acquaintance said), it will be comfortable only with its owner (who must function as its pack leader), uncomfortable though controllable (by its owner) amongst other people, and will ignore "other" dogs.

NB: our article on Domestication is, in my opinion, misleading in suggesting that the words 'domesticating' and 'taming' are synonyms: I would contend that the former implies physical and mental modification of a population through captive breeding and artificial selection, and the latter only the training of an individual, normally wild, animal to associate with humans. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 23:17, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

I did consider that it might be a wolf, although it looked a bit stocky for a wolf (maybe they overfed it), even if only because it looked like a wild animal that just now came out of the woods. Rimush (talk) 10:11, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Dutch Shepherd Dog? See the image here too. Oda Mari (talk) 15:33, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

I think it was indeed a Dutch Shepherd, and a big fat one at that :P Rimush (talk) 19:24, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

You could refer your question to Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Dogs.—Wavelength (talk) 16:01, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

June 26

Genealogy

Hi, I've searched for months and I'm stick. Is there a way to connect a person to another person??????? Example - I've traced my tree back Isaac Robinson (1768-1833). I AM VERY SURE that there is a connection with the following:- Christopher Robinson/Priest/died for Treason in 1598, Henry Robinson/Bishop/(1553-1616), John Robinson/Mayflower organizer/(1575-1625). I can't understand where they came from OR went to. Thanks for any advice you can give me. Once again, Thank You, Cathy Robinson Fitzpatrick.Limeycat (talk) 14:11, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

There are websites that will help you do this. Search "genealogy" on Google. Ancestry.com is one that's widely advertised, but I don't know what it's like. Exploding Boy (talk) 14:25, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Some websites like that are free, but many make you pay a subscription. With these paid sites you can access certain records available online. Ancestry.com is a paid site, I think. There's usually a monthly subscription to use sites like that, although as I've said already there are free ones out there. I have no idea what any of them are like, as I've never used them. Chevymontecarlo 14:36, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm puzzled how you can be VERY SURE that there is a connection to two people who died well over a century before the earliest ancestor you've traced, unless you've got some documents that establish the relationship. --ColinFine (talk) 22:58, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

I have to agree. It might be just a coincidence. Chevymontecarlo - alt 09:08, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I agree, the OP is doing it backwards. You find evidence, then you work out what you can be sure of. You don't start from a position of being sure of something and try to justify it. Robinson is a very common name, so you need far more than just the name to even suspect a close relationship. --Tango (talk) 13:44, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

no moon ?? new moon?

Why do we call a night without moon a new moon day? Shouldn't it be called no moon day? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Myownid420 (talk • contribs) 17:16, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Have you read our new moon article? It discusses the origin of the phrase. However, "new moon day" is a phrase that I don't think has much common use. — Lomn 17:32, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

It should be noted, however, that during a new moon, the moon itself is in the sky almost entirely during the "daytime". A new moon should rise at about 6:00 AM and set at about 6:00 PM (with variances due to local time zones). This is because of the geometry involved in the phases of the moon. I agree, however, that the phrase itself is not in common use. --Jayron32 17:38, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

My grandmother used to turn round three times when she saw a new moon. Kittybrewster ☎ 19:26, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Have they unscrewed her yet?--SigmundColin (talk) 22:00, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

The ref desk has just sunk to a new low. Talk about unscrewing one's grandmother. I blush at the very idea! -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 22:57, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

What else would you expect from Elsie? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:01, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Schema for doing as much quality work as possible

I have a lot of deskwork and paperwork that will take weeks or months to do. I'd like to get through it as soon as possible. It is not routine, so I've got to stay alert and motivated as well. I am not an employee so can work how and when I like.

What would be the best scheme for doing the greatest amount of quality work? Working non-stop would rapidly lead to tireness and loss of motivation, so clearly work needs to be alternated with breaks. What routine should there be for breaks, and what should I do within those breaks? Would taking one or more days off each week pay back in greater efficiency on the other days? Thanks 92.15.5.103 (talk) 20:12, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Everything depends on your lifestyle, actually. Do you prefer working earlier in the day or later? Are you an early bird? Do you have a family? Will there be factors which will hinder you periodically?

For me, I'm an early riser, and even though I work from home and can do it when I please, I endeavour to get up early (of my own accord - even before 7 am) because I prefer to start early than to work late into the night. When I have to deal with large amounts of work to a deadline that's fairly loose but still impending, I try to divide the stuff into fairly equal larger chunks, and afterwards break these up to get the idea of the daily workload I need to complete. Then, in the beginning, I usually try to do the daily workload +10/20% extra if possible, to have an edge for the upcoming parts of the work in case I stumble upon unforeseen difficulties. I try to plan in a small break every hour (like five minutes to brew fresh tea, a sandwich) and larger breaks every three hours (a walk, a larger meal). You have to work out practically what's best for you. Just here to help. --Ouro (blah blah) 07:23, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I like to get up early as well, and for breaks I take about 15 minutes every hour. I go cycling, read the paper or catch up on podcast episodes. I think that taking maybe half a day off a week as well as the weekend would be a good plan, but it's up to you. Chevymontecarlo - alt 09:07, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

"Half a day off a week as well as the weekend"!!!! That's hardly working. 92.28.242.168 (talk) 21:49, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

A trick they seem to teach in every school/college/&c is to take a short break about once an hour whilst working for a long time, apparently it helps to maintain concentration. As well, Bucky had some interesting ideas about sleeping for a few minutes whenever he felt tired, or once every six hours, apparently managing to get by on two hours a day, leaving twentytwo for his work. 80.47.203.9 (talk) 17:15, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

On a Tim Russert interview show several years ago, Phil Rizzuto commented that Joe DiMaggio used to occasionally take what Phil called a "power nap" in a corner of the dugout. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:50, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Children's book

Looking for a childrens book I had as a child in the 1960s. Was about a boy with hair made up of/or colours of the rainbow. I think it had some pop ups. Poss titles I have tried are boy with the rainbow hair/rainbow boy - no luck. Writing from UK81.157.87.26 (talk) 20:44, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Struwwelpeter. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:19, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Bicycling up a hill

So, I'd love to commute to work on a bicycle. After all, I only live three miles from work, which would be a pretty simple ride. Problem is, I live on top of a hill. My question is threefold:

• Where can I look to find the specific grades of streets in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA? I tried some googling, but my google-fu proved inadequate to the purpose
• At what grade would we consider a street to be (a)a brisk bit of exercise (b) pretty darn tough (c) stupid to try to bicycle
• How much difference would it make if I bought an electric bicycle? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:12, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Easy answer: Just try it once! How hard it is depends very much on how fast you go and how good your bicycle is. For me, 15% is about where it stops being fun. I'm fbf, and have two rather decent bikes. A good indicator for me is hearth rate...up to 150 bpm im ok, 160 is uncomfortable, and at 165 I drop off the bike. Any good E-Bike will make the hill essentially irrelevant, but it will also reduce the training effect. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 23:25, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

• • (ec) Don't know offhand.
  • For me, it starts to get noticeably difficult at maybe 7% or so, but I can do that for miles if I want to, which I often do. I can pull off 20% for very short distances, maybe in the hundreds of yards at most.
  • Don't get an electric bike. That's just cheating; might as well drive. Well, not quite; I suppose it's gentler on the planet than a car. But it doesn't do you any more good. --Trovatore (talk) 23:28, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

If you feel that you're beginning to slow down whilst climbing the hill, even when you're in the lowest gear and pedalling hard, then the hill's too steep! I think an electric bike is good in a city environment, for example after a green light to give you a burst of speed to get you started. Using the electric motor all the time is pointless though. Chevymontecarlo - alt 09:04, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

If you feel that you're slowing down, it's too steep? What kind of lazy advice is that? If it doesn't slow you down, it's not a hill. If you can climb it faster than about 5 mph (on a sustained basis), go look for a steeper hill.

Climbing is the soul of cycling, and it's supposed to be hard. --Trovatore (talk) 09:18, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Re electric bikes: I was thinking about a Pedelec which augments pedalling - the engine does not take over. Modern ones in Europe are barely recognisable as such - they are useful bicycles to begin with. If that makes you cycle, it's better than commuting by car. Wether augmented or not, exercise in fresh air is so much better than sitting in a tin can ;-). But yes, nearly every 3 mile distance is also reasonable to commute with a plain bicycle. As for "the soul of bicycling" - if you cycle to get somewhere, as opposed to cycling for the fun of it, issues like breath and sweat do play a certain role... --Stephan Schulz (talk) 09:48, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I used to work at a startup about eight miles from my home (but not much elevation change), and I would bike in trying to maintain a moving average of 16 mph (stretch goal; managed it sometimes — this was on a mountain bike as I hadn't bought my cyclo-cross at that time). I took a change of clothes in my backpack. It did take about half an hour to cool down enough to really focus on my work. --Trovatore (talk) 09:53, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Oh, besides which: The original poster says he lives on a hill. So the climbing part would be going home; presumably he can be as sweaty as he likes when he gets there. --Trovatore (talk) 10:01, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I used to get around San Francisco by bicycle. As you probably know, it is a hilly city. My strategy was to use a topographic map and plan routes that avoided steep grades up hills. San Francisco is built on a grid, so this often involved taking a street that ascended a flank of the hill rather than ascending directly to the summit. At some point, often a little past the summit, I would turn uphill perpendicularly to ascend across another flank of the hill. Eventually, using this method, you reach a point where the hill levels out and you can make a direct approach to the summit without ascending too steeply. Another suggestion would be to get a mountain bike with very low gears. If you are bicycling in a hilly area, whether on a mountain bike or a road bike, you definitely need to know how to shift down to deal with uphills. Marco polo (talk) 01:25, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

If the exercise enthusiasts are quite finished, I’d like to thank the original poster for his decision to find an alternative to automotive travel. As such, an electric bike is entirely appropriate and the views of those who cannot conceive of a bicycle as simply a means of transportation may be ignored. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:38, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

June 27

Gundam video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFh4ZeTThtM

Gundam 00 opening 4: Anyone would want to tell me why this video was flipped and is there a way to flip the video back to normal after I download it? I haven't done the latter yet but the video quality is really nice. 64.75.158.194 (talk) 00:22, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Presumably you noticed that one of the comments of the video claimed they have to flip the video or it gets removed. No idea if that's true, or why that would make the video less likely to be removed, but that's the claim. Comet Tuttle (talk) 03:39, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Copyright laws are very iffy things. I assume that flipping the video upside down lends some "creativity" to the video that lends it some legal property or another, though I am not sure what. You could turn your monitor upside down when you watch it. ^Avicenna_sis @ 07:49, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

The video is flipped left/right not up/down. Watch it in a mirror. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:03, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

While this is not legal advice and I'm not a lawyer, the chance simply flipping the video would do anything about the copyright status is close to none barring additional claims (for example if you are claiming the flipped version is better or proves that the creators are working with the devil or whatever and use a short portion to demonstrate this then you could potentially make a fair use claim). The reason why it may benefit here is I'm guessing Youtube or others have automatic copyvio detecting tools which aren't yet designed to detect such videos. As an example a few days ago I did a search for the controversial US non goal (can't remember why since I have a recording), most of the ones seemed deleted but I hit upon one which had been recorded off a TV or monitor with a camera. The quality was shit but at a random guess this probably was one of the reasons I could see it, it couldn't be automatically detected. Nil Einne (talk) 10:55, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Copyright is such a problem, isn't it? But if that is so, why are there so many videos of opening and ending scenes, and even entire episodes, of various anime shows all over Youtube? They don't seem to be affected by copyright in any way. Also, I can't watch this video on a mirror all the time (mostly because I don't have a mirror the size of my monitor). Is there some program that can flip flash videos around while playing them? 64.75.158.193 (talk) 10:46, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Article/Short Composition Wanted By Today

27 June 2010 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.198.3.7 (talk) 07:39, 27 June 2010 (UTC) I want a short article on the topic- "Importance Of Adult Education" by today in 150 words, as i have to submit it tomorrow. It should be of school standard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.198.3.7 (talk) 07:38, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

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 policy 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. 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. ^Avicenna_sis @ 07:46, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Search Wikipedia. There are many articles on here, and there's probably articles about Adult education. Chevymontecarlo - alt 09:09, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Adult education. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:17, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I'll start for you.

There are plenty of people who don't study when they are young and instead transparently try and get others to do their home work for them at the last minute without even offering any payment and even though the header clearly warns them they can expect no such help. While far from a perfect solution, adult education can help teach such people to function independently and help them better their lives when they begin to realise the mistakes of their youth as they encounter their many limitations in adulthood. Clearly the benefits aren't just to the individual as the people who use adult education may becomes productive members of society instead of relying on welfare or crime to support them.

Nil Einne (talk) 10:50, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

The above is just 30 words short of the target. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:26, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Please help me find

It was an animated show about a boy and his St. Bernard dog, the dog was abused and pulled a cart, it was a dutch show, the boy at obe stage lost his ability to speak, this was due to trauma he had experiences. The boy was an orphan. This show was aired in south africa in the early 90's. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.89.16.154 (talk) 11:12, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

You might want to ask at WP:RD/E. Chevymontecarlo 16:46, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps A Dog of Flanders. Rmhermen (talk) 23:21, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Cheren

http://pokebeach.com/news/0610/black-white-character-cheren.jpg

Where does the name Cheren come from? The only things I could find were a village in Eritrea (which is now named Keren, anyway) and Cherenkov radiation, neither of which seems to fit.

Also, is Cheren male or female? Pokébeach outright says that Cheren is female, but when I looked at their forums, it seems that people can't decide. --75.25.103.109 (talk) 11:18, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Subsidies and discrimination

In some countries, many actually, there are laws against discrimination based on age. However, in the same countries, you also get subsidies or tax breaks, for hiring young people. Crazy, isn't it?--Quest09 (talk) 12:50, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't understand what question you are asking. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 13:17, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it is crazy. As crazy as many other regulations. Mr.K. (talk) 13:27, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

No, it is rational. The reasons that employers are reluctant to employ very young or very old workers are different. Politicians may use laws and/or financial incentives to improve either case. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:23, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

In more details: Laws against discrimination exist to correct a social imbalance between two groups of people. Such laws come in two types: laws that prevent a type of action (sort of "negative" laws) and laws that require a type of action ("positive" laws, like affirmative action). The first is to prevent present or future discrimination, the second is to correct the social/political/economic imbalances created by past discrimination. These are not, as some conservative-minded people will have you believe, incompatable ideas. One might say "if we can't discriminate by age at all, then we can't give benefits to people based on age". The other point of view is "if people of certain ages have been denied access to avenues of power, then removing those barriers doesn't magically give them access. We also need to temporarily provide easier routes to power until such time as there is no statistical difference between people based on age". The same is true for any discrimination based on any other trait. --Jayron32 22:39, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

In regard to affirmative action and such, one former manager of mine said, "There's no law requiring you to hire an idiot." In short, regardless of race, they still have to be able to do the job. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:44, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

That is the standard argument for affirmative action, but it doesn't make sense to take affirmative action in favour of young people. They can't have been discriminated against in the past since they've only just entered the world of work. --Tango (talk) 22:43, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

That sounds more like a European situation, where oldsters have tended to be favored, hanging onto their jobs, theoretically keeping younger ones out of the market. In America, it's the opposite situation, i.e. they want to dump oldies and hire younger and "more innovative" (and particularly cheaper) labor. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:48, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

@Tango. I think they can. A class of people may have been discriminated against, albeit they had different faces. Kittybrewster ☎ 22:51, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

They would have to demonstrate that companies tend to favor older workers when it comes to hiring practices. Seems like that would be hard to do. Certainly in the U.S., companies are much more interested in hiring them younger. But maybe it's the opposite in Europe? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:54, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

You can't take affirmative action in favour of different people that now occupy a previously discriminated against class. That's just creates an inequality in the opposite direction, it doesn't remove inequality. --Tango (talk) 23:07, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

If that's the case, then it doesn't need affirmative action (which is a short term intervention to correct an inequality that has resulted from past discrimination), it needs enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation. --Tango (talk) 23:07, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

[7] may provide some clues as to some of the issues and why governments tend to feel high youth unemployement is a problem. Bear in mind that quite a few European countries may have high minimum wages and/or many union agreements preventing very low wages being offered to youth so any direct financial benefit may be small. Also when we refer to youth here people usually think about 25 or so and under. I'm a bit surprised if American companies really prefer a fairly or completely inexperienced 22 year old to an experienced 35 year old with okay references/employement history if their wages are similar but I don't know how things are in the US.

In any case, while there may be some age discrimination component I suspect other factors also play a big role so enforcing anti-discrimination legislation won't be that effective. In NZ there's a related thing were companies may reject someone for 'no NZ experience' many feel that these claims are often just as much an excuse for discriminating against Asian immigrants but there's of course nothing illegal about rejecting someone for no NZ experience, I don't know whether you can reject someone if the experience is say in India but accept someone with experience in the UK but it may be possible if you can argue that the job market in the UK is far closer to what you expect. And of course proving discrimination is difficult anyway, it's commonly claimed that companies in Europe as well as here in NZ and also I think Australia that companies will discriminate against people with a non European sounding name and there have even been some tests where identical CVs we sent in but with a different name which seemed to show this in action.

A perhaps key issue is that I suspect from the governments POV they believe they are improving opportunities for all by helping companies to grow, people who can make important contibutions in the future including start businesses of their own get off their feet, better directing the work force (e.g. those with experience etc to go to jobs more fitting their skills rather then taking up jobs which less experience people could do if the company weren't so relucant to hire them) etc etc rather then damaging the prospects of older workers (by which I mean people in say 35-55 range) by offering incentives for hiring youth. Growing the pie as politicians like to say. Note whether these actually work is besides my point which isn't to argue in favour or against such policies. There are other alternatives (e.g. the UK appearently has incentives to hire the long term unemployed whatever the age).

Nil Einne (talk) 09:54, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

If there are benefits paid to the employer as an incentive to selectively hire young people, while at the same time there are laws against selectively hiring young people, that would indeed seem to be crazy, and to be incitement to commit a crime. I suppose there are no such benefits in countries with the anti-ageism law... or are there? 213.122.14.1 (talk) 10:11, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Dragoon Mountains of Arizona

Where did the Dragoon Mountains get their name? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zilchll (talk • contribs) 14:01, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

The Wikipedia article on the Dragoon Mountains does not say, but there is likely some connection to the Dragoons, a type of early-modern military unit that was a hybrid of an infantry and a cavalry unit. --Jayron32 14:06, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Any tree?

I'm asking this question to the natives of New York: Can you see a tree there? --Extra 999 (Contact ^me + _contribs) 15:37, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

You don't need to be in New York (I assume you mean New York City) to see the trees there. Go to Google Maps and use the Satellite view. You can see many trees. Also, see Central Park. --- Medical geneticist (talk) 15:45, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Just look at the article on New York City. There are trees in the very first picture on the page. --Mr.98 (talk) 18:14, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Ginko biloba

I've emailed the NYC Parks Dept with no response -- I've noticed that many institutions of higher learning in NYC possess Ginko biloba trees on the street by the main entrance (Pace University, Columbia University (Morningside), Fashion Institute of Technology, Yeshiva University. Could anyone comment on this finding? I've seen Ginkos around Manhattan as well (3rd Ave) but I wonder if they were planted in clusters for some education-related significance. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 17:05, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

They are very interesting from a taxonomic point of view, though I suppose you already know that. A school might like to have one just because they're so interesting. (I've been to several other colleges that seem to have a token Ginko in prominent locations.) Staecker (talk) 22:36, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

pie-baking

When I was a youth in the 40's, my mother used to bake pies called "TOO-chays" (don't know how it was spelled), a custard-like pie (no upper crust), usually with red or black rasberries or cherries, depending on season. She had a recipe, but of course it's lost. Would anyone recognize that pie-type, and even better, would anyone have a recipe? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rjofrochester (talk • contribs) 20:07, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Well, the only pie I can think of which is pronounced like that is Tourtière, which in Quebec French or New England French (a dialect I grew up hearing) is pronounced something like "TOOCH-ee-aye". However a Tourtière is usually a meat pie, not a fruit pie. It is not inconceivable that the term is applied to other types of pies which arrived via other cultures. What is the background or cultural context of the Pie or your mother who made it? --Jayron32 22:28, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Custard tart

An open-topped pie is properly called a "tart"...perhaps in this case a "custard tart". Custard tarts topped with fruit are a reasonably common thing - and as you can see from the photo at right, they can be topped with seasonal berries. SteveBaker (talk) 02:03, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

What country/region was your mother from? Falconus^{p t c} 04:47, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

June 28

Global Warming

Have Bjørn Lomborg, Penn Jillette, and Teller heard about Al Gore's documentary film An Inconvenient Truth? Have they heard about his book An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It? Have they watched the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth? Have they read the book An Inconvenient Truth? Do they own a copy of a DVD of the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth? Do they own a copy of the book An Inconvenient Truth?

If so, then what do they think about them? What do they think about the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth? What do they think about the book An Inconvenient Truth? How did they react and respond to them? If not, then what would they think about them? What would they think about the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth? What would they think about the book An Inconvenient Truth? How would they react and respond to them?

Do they know why Al Gore made the documentary film and wrote the book? What do they think about why Al Gore made the documentary film and wrote the book? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.171.60.151 (talk) 09:38, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Do they know what the title means? Do they know why Al Gore called and decided to call them by the title? What do they think about the title? What do they think about what the title means? What do they think about why Al Gore called and decided to call them by the title?

Do they know that Al Gore is an environmentalist? What do they think about him? How much did Penn Jillette and Teller vote for Al Gore in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 United States presidential elections? Who did they vote for in the 2000 United States presidential election, George Bush or Al Gore? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.171.60.151 (talk) 7:39 pm, Today (UTC+12)

Season 1, episode 13 of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! deals specifically with environmentalism. And while it was broadcast three years before An Inconvenient Truth was released, I have no doubt that Penn & Teller are aware of Al Gore and the film/book. I'd say that over 95% of the educated public of the US is familiar with or at least aware of the film. As for their political views, both Penn and Teller are libertarians. Dismas|^(talk) 08:00, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Furthermore, in episode 6 of season 6 "Penn and Teller look at the climate change debate and question Al Gore's motives."[8] So yes, they know about Al Gore and feel that he is an "Egregiously Pushy Asshole". Dismas|^(talk) 08:06, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Bjørn Lomborg is clearly well aware of Al Gore and his documentary; this article notes a debate at which Lomborg challenged Gore directly. Warofdreams talk 08:20, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

I have removed the same question from the science desk, please don't cross post particularly when it is mostly OT anyway. In addition either sign your post with four tildes ~~~~ or don't remove the signature when others add it Nil Einne (talk) 08:23, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Will I get a criminal record??

Hi , Ive never been pulled up by the police for any infraction before and am scared/curious as to what happens now.

I was recently stopped By police with a group of friends for drinking in public in an alcohol free zone. I am 17 and had never encountered the police before and was scared/in shock. At first I gave a fake name - then realised that that was a stupid idea and quickly told the truth.

A) Does any of This go on a Criminal Record? B) If it does , does it go on a juvenille record and not be held against me once I am over 18? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.78.92.3 (talk) 08:56, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Alien?

Are these pics of an alien ?  Jon Ascton  (talk) 09:03, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

I highly doubt it, good sir. That creature is most likely a heavily mutated common animal or one that has suffered a rare disease of some sort. It is also possible that it has been photoshopped in such ways, or if I may say it, an outright plastic fake. 64.75.158.193 (talk) 11:23, 28 June 2010 (UTC)