Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

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

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

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

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

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

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

July 9

Celebrating national holidays from other cultures (outside the U.S.)

This year, as part of our family activities, we observed both Cinco de Mayo and the 4th of July. For Cinco de Mayo we prepared some platanos and set up a pinata for the kids. For the 4th we had a BBQ and shot fireworks. When I asked my son how he like the 4th of July celebration, he said he like Cinco de Mayo better because we "did something different." That got me thinking: What other type of "nationalistic" holidays from around the world could we observe, and what kind of activities would be involved? I think this would be fun for the kids, while also being educational about other cultures. It would also be nice to have more holidays to look forward to throughout the year. Any suggestions or resources that would be helpful with this? Quinn ^{❀ BEAUTIFUL DAY} 19:49, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

How about Guy Fawkes Night from England on 5 November. Have a big bonfire. Make an effigy (of Guy Fawkes) out of old clothes stuffed with newspaper and chuck it on the fire at an appropriate moment. Eat jacket potatoes and sausage rolls. And (if local legislation allows) lots of fireworks. Apparently it's celebrated in New Zealand too, although I have no idea why. Probably best to avoid making an effigy of the Pope as they do in Lewes though. Alansplodge (talk) 20:54, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

It is a shame that that GFN article says nothing anout how GFN is currently celebrated in Britain, as Alansplodge rightly describes. (I've never heard of fireworks being restricted - unless you live near an airport perhaps). 2.101.12.198 (talk) 11:33, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

"In the United States, the laws governing consumer fireworks vary widely from state to state, or from county to county. It is common for consumers to cross state and county lines in order to purchase types of fireworks which are outlawed in their home-jurisdictions. Fireworks laws in urban areas typically limit sales or use by dates or seasons. Municipalities may have stricter laws than their counties or states do." Alansplodge (talk) 21:34, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Indeed. Perhaps you'd be interested in the discussion (archived) at Talk:Guy Fawkes Night/Archive 3, and the current one at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bonfire Night. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:58, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

It is a pity that the GFN article appears to have been hijacked by people with an anti-catholic religious agenda. The seperate Bonfire night article says nothing about how GFN is celebrated in Britain - its British history after all - and is therefore a bad article. I see that the "Parrott of Doom", who is blamed for all this on the talk pages, states that he (PoD) was "one of the primary contributors" to the "Nick Griffin" article. Nick Griffin is the head of the National Front, a notorious fascist organisation. 92.28.241.211 (talk) 10:44, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

This isn't the relevant place to air an article dispute. Just on one basic fact in your text, Nick Griffin is a former member of the National Front, but he is the leader of the entirely separate British National Party. Warofdreams talk 12:49, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

"Parrot Of Doom", "War Of Dreams". What's the connection? 92.24.187.78 (talk) 15:09, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Same connection as with Catherine of Aragon. Three words with "of" in the middle. Never heard of this editor you mention; your dispute, whatever it may be, is not relevant to this question. Warofdreams talk 00:53, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

I've heard that Tom of Finland is very popular among members of the BNP, I thought it was in-group code for that. 92.28.244.254 (talk) 11:45, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

You've both got similar names and you both are knowledgeable about fascist politics. Sock puppet? Using home computer and work or library computer to get different ISP numbers? 92.28.244.254 (talk) 11:39, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Amazing the bizarre things you can be accused of sometimes! This clearly doesn't merit a response; I'll not remove it, as it concerns me, but given it's entirely off-topic, I wouldn't be surprised if it disappears. Warofdreams talk 16:03, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Guy Fawkes Night was a big event in Australia when I was a kid around 50 years ago. It's faded a lot since then with personal safety concerns about fireworks dramatically limiting their sale, and concerns about bushfire dramatically restricting their use. HiLo48 (talk) 12:23, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Toffee and parkin is more traditional (in the "heritage" sense of the word) for Guy Fawkes', and researching how to make it may be educational. Although I wouldn't be surprised to find that you can't get black treacle in the States... Tevildo (talk) 11:28, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Being from the sunny south of the Kingdom, I had no idea what "parkin" is until about 30 seconds ago! Alansplodge (talk) 21:34, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Children's Day (Japan) - you can make your own paper carp. Rmhermen (talk) 22:23, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

The kids might not enjoy that carp, and carp about it all day long. StuRat (talk) 19:16, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

The article National Day should help. I'm in Australia. We have Australia Day on 26th January, the height of summer, so there's lots of BBQs and picnics. Sausages, lamb chops, steak, prawns (we don't call them shrimps - that has another meaning here). HiLo48 (talk) 23:10, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

If you don't mind another Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead is fun, but something like Halloween. StuRat (talk) 00:09, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Hanukkah has a small gift each day, instead of one day packed with gifts at Christmas (although the Twelve Days of Christmas is similar). StuRat (talk) 00:33, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

On the tenth day of Hanukkah my true love gave to me ten adonai a-leaping... ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:30, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

*adonim. ._. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | Say Shalom! 12:59, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. I knew I had it wrong, and was counting on a Hebrew student to correct it. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:17, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

As a student studying French at high school I was introduced to celebration of Quatorze Juillet or Bastille Day. (14th July, in case translation is needed.) It seemed to involve lots of hot croissants with heaps of butter and strawberry jam. HiLo48 (talk) 08:42, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Canada Day is July 1, although it's not much different than the 4th of July (barbecue, hot dogs, fireworks, beer...) Adam Bishop (talk) 09:41, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Q: Does Canada have a Fourth of July?
A: Yes, only it comes on the First.
←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:24, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Give 67 minutes of your time to a humanitarian cause in your community on Mandela Day (18 July). I'm going to read to some of the residents at a nearby home for the aged. It's not a national holiday as such but it is officially endorsed by the United Nations. Roger (talk) 12:12, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Surely it should be 69 minutes now? 85.210.113.229 (talk) 19:12, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Why? The 67 minutes is based on his 67 year career - read the article. Roger (talk) 20:58, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Norwegians are delighted to tell about their National Day May 17th e.g. their children's parades, greeting the king, costumes, anthem etc. The article Mardi Gras describes a host of celebrations in various countries. Also look around locally for neighbours with non-US cultural connections, even if distant. Those who run restaurants are easy to identify, such as Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese etc. You can find out the dates celebrated in their homelands from Wikipedia and tourist guides. Then express a friendly interest to them in knowing more and you will not be disapointed. Use discretion with the sensitivity of refugees who must have mixed feelings about government sponsored days of the type "Day of Glorious Birthday of Beloved Dictator". Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:25, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

The only real nationalistic holiday in Finland is the Independence Day, which is on 6 December. It is a very solemn holiday with next to none partying. It has been established as more of a celebration of Finland surviving the Winter War and the Continuation War instead of an actual celebration of independence, although Finland has been continuously independent ever since the Finnish Parliament accepted the proposal for independence on 6 December 1917. In practice, the real Finnish holidays are on Midsummer and Christmas. Midsummer is the holiday where people party, on Christmas they get together with their families to receive presents and eat Christmas dinner. JIP | Talk 20:45, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Diwali and Chinese New Year are among the holidays often commemorated in UK schools; they can be occasions to cook and eat excellent food. Itsmejudith (talk) 07:35, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

And it's not Chinese New Year without a Chinese dragon dance. StuRat (talk) 19:07, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Actually dragon dances are relatively rare in Malaysia during Chinese New Year. The Lion dance is far more common. I think it's the same in NZ and Singapore. Nil Einne (talk) 22:41, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Insurance questions

My camera was stolen in Stockholm during my InterRail trip. I have valid travel insurance, so I will have to contact the insurance company and file a claim. I can provide my InterRail tickets and a copy of the report I filed for the Swedish police along with the claim, but will the insurance company be satisfied with that? They don't actually have proof that the camera even existed in the first place. It was even originally bought with my mother's credit card, so I don't have the receipt, and I don't know if my mother has it either. Would the camera shop have it on their records? I do have the warranty cards for the camera and the lenses with the shop's stamp and sales date, but no price. Will that help? Will the insurance company reimburse me for the original cost of the camera or its current value? JIP | Talk 21:46, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

You should read the fine print of your insurance contract. Many companies will recognise a police lost property report. They may fund a replacement, or what value they think it would be after depreciation. If you have saved some pictures from the camera, eg on commons, you may be able to show that the camera existed based on the EXIF data. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 03:43, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

It sounds like you have good documentation except only the price of the camera. You don't say the camera model but if it is a well known system camera with interchangeable lenses there are the manufacturer's price list and advertisements that show the price when new. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:52, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

It was an Olympus E-520. Olympus is not nearly as popular for its DSLRs as Canon or Nikon but still popular enough to be known to most people. I will telephone the camera shop tomorrow and ask if they can give the receipt information to me or to my mother. JIP | Talk 19:19, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Is there a reason why you can't telephone your insurance company and just ask them what documentation they require (or will settle for)? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:02, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, there was. I originally posted my question during the weekend and the insurance company was closed. I've telephoned them now and they answered that the InterRail tickets, the police report, and the warranty cards should be sufficient, as long as I provide a value estimate on the claim form itself. JIP | Talk 20:55, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Surely the credit card company has a record of the price paid. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:15, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

I think so too, but I'm fairly sure they will only give it to my mother, as it was she who paid for the camera. (I paid her in return later.) She has currently been too busy to contact the credit card company. JIP | Talk 18:45, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

sangalingali bigeared creature of vanuatu

An account of the apparent capture of one of these creatures appears in a Missionary's account of life in Vanuatu in the 1930s. Reverent Basil Nottage of New Zealand in his book "Break of Day Islands", published by the Presbyterian Church of NZ, describes it on page 68. Can I find out more of the tales of this creature? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.239.25.22 (talk) 22:36, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

That book is unlikely to be readily available to anybody who watches this page, so without more information there is probably not much to say. Sources that are available online translate the word sangalingali (also spelled sangalangal) as "bush spirit" or "spirit of the bush". Apparently "bush spirits" are mythological entities that haunt waterholes, sort of like the nymphs and fairies of European mythology. Obviously one cannot capture a mythological entity. Looie496 (talk) 00:43, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

As our article notes Vanuatu#Flora_and_fauna, there are no large indigenous animals on Vanuatu. I'd suspect that if the 'creature' existed at all, it was a bat - though this is pure conjecture. Then again, Missionaries in the region seem to have had a propensity for misunderstanding the locals, and vice versa (I'll find a source for this if someone really insists, but our Cargo Cult article is a good place to start if you want to see how unsuccessful the Missionaries were at imposing their own world-view - though this article needs a lot of work), so what exactly occurred is anyone's guess. AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:26, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

July 10

gregory abbott

I have to question the dob of 1964 for singer Gregory Abbott if he is 47 now and on Freda Payne's page list him as her son's father and the their son was born in 1978 then Mr. Abbott was 14 when their child was born. This is not adding up. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.224.38.220 (talk) 02:52, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. I have changed the birth year of Gregory Abbott from 1964 to 1954 to agree with sources not derived from Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:10, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

How can I donate directly to help with the East African famine?

Is there a way to donate directly to help the situation in East Africa? The best solution I have found is to donate to Mercy Corps, but I can't specifically request that my money be used to help with the East African famine. I would prefer to not donate to Oxfam because I don't think they use their money efficiently. Are there any charities accepting money specifically for East Africa? I would also prefer a Canadian charity, but that's not especially important. Thanks. Eiad77 (talk) 06:08, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

I donated at the British Red Cross, which appears to have specific funds for specific needs. The Canadian Red Cross don't appear to differentiate as clearly on their web site, but I think they still have separate causes rather than a single pot. Though actually I wonder if it wouldn't be better to let them decide where to allocate donations, as they have an awareness of all the needs, not just the ones that are currently making headlines. --ColinFine (talk) 10:20, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Click here for a list of Canadian charities for international relief. Scroll down to those that work in Africa. I found links to 6 charities. You can e-mail to each to ask which countries they work in. They are probably looking for both volunteers and donations. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:42, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Just in case anyone is wondering, I decided to go with CARE which is accepting money specifically for the East African Famine: https://care.donorportal.ca/Donation/DonationDetails.aspx?L=en-CA&G=36&F=605&T=GENER%E2%80%9D — Preceding unsigned comment added by Eiad77 (talk • contribs) 17:43, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

If you are concerned about how money given to charity is being used, the places it is spend, who it is given to, what it is used for and particularly how much goes on administrative costs, bribes, salaries and such like, the best option is to create your own charity and thus control every aspect of what you spend the money on. Though, perhaps this is more work than you are willing to put in just now? 85.210.113.229 (talk) 19:08, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

It's also ridiculously inefficient. The money you would spend on establishing the charity and setting up the infrastructure necessary to do anything would be far better spent by an already established charity. --Tango (talk) 21:13, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

In the UK the Disasters Emergency Commission (DEC) seem very efficient, and you can easily contribute by credit or debit card on line where ever you are. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.211.159.54 (talk) 06:30, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Oxfam's in DEC and the OP wanted to avoid Oxfam. But is Oxfam really less efficient than other major charities? Itsmejudith (talk) 10:45, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps Oxfam's efficeincy is not why the OP wishes to avoid them? Googlemeister (talk) 20:29, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

The OP specifically said "I would prefer to not donate to Oxfam because I don't think they use their money efficiently" so it seems rather likely the OP's view of Oxfam's inefficiency is one of the key factors in their desire not to donate to Oxfam. Nil Einne (talk) 22:38, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

If you'd like a small, efficient charity that has specialist knowledge of East Africa and makes a real difference there, community bu community, try Build Africa. If you like the small/efficient values, but prefer your money to go to something more emergency-like, try Medical Emergency Relief International. --Dweller (talk) 09:42, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Parlez-vous français?

This is not an Apple. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:15, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Is there an image related to the subject in apple headquarters? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mangesh Krishna (talk • contribs) 15:35, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Are you referring to Apple Inc. or Apple Records? One is significantly closer to France than the other... Or are you referring to another "apple" entirely? Dismas|^(talk) 15:37, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Given the title of the thread, maybe the OP is refering to this famous painting. It was done by René Magritte and I have tried searching and cannot find where the original is currently located. Magritte did many paintings of apples, though I don't know if any are at Apple Inc. or Apple Records headquarters, or even if that is what the OP is talking about. Just a stab in the dark. --Jayron32 18:38, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

An example of Magritte's Ceci n'est pas une pomme hangs at Hopkins Custot Gallery in London. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:15, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Different sized boats

Those inflatable boats, dinghys is it they are called now, the little ones for playing around on at the beach rather than the big professional ones, and specifically those that are coloured red and black, does anyone know what different sizes they come in, the only one I ever saw on sale seemed rather small, whilst those I have seen elsewhere recently looked quite a bit bigger.

85.210.113.229 (talk) 19:05, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

I guess you are looking for these. 99.24.223.58 (talk) 22:17, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia has an article about Dinghy which is a word attested to in 1810[1]. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:16, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Is there a Wikipedia Reference Desk in the Spanish language Wikipedia?

I can't find it in the Spanish language Wikipedia. Willminator (talk) 20:07, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, the page you're looking for is Wikipedia:Consultas. --Antiquary (talk) 20:41, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

You can find the various Reference Desk pages in other languages by going to the main Reference Desk page and looking at the interlanguage links. The Mark of the Beast (talk) 20:43, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Ok thanks. Hmm, there doesn't seem to be a lot of questions posted there nor a lot of answers to those questions posted there, in the Wikipedia:Consultas, but again, thank you. Willminator (talk) 21:37, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

July 11

Francisco Mochi statue

I JUST PURCHASED A BRONZE STATUE, FRANCISCO MOCHI, ON O MARBLE BASE,OF GABRIEL.APROX.2 FEET TALL.38 LBS. IN PERFECT CONDITION.ANY IDEA OF THE VALUE? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.57.58.32 (talk) 00:58, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

We don't have an article on the sculptor Francesco Mochi, though the Spanish-language Wikipedia seems to: [2]. As to the value of your statue, I doubt if anyone here is likely to be able to say - obviously this would depend on whether it was original, or a reproduction (which seems much more likely). If it is bronze, and weighs 38 lbs, it is worth a bit as scrap metal, but otherwise, I'd seek expert advice elsewhere. AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:31, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Correction: we do have an article on Francesco Mochi - note the spelling. AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:37, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Philosopher's stone

What was the supposed physical appearance of the "philosopher's stone"? --134.10.114.238 (talk) 02:01, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Variable. See Philosopher's stone#Appearance. Looie496 (talk) 02:41, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Tesco market cap

I'm wondering what is a market capitalization of Tesco. Article claim that stock symbol is TSCO. But there is also TSCDY that shows much bigger market cap. And the second one is also for Tesco PLC, just with addition of "(ADR)". Same description on Google Finance. If those companies have their shares traded interdependently - they are actually different ones? Or what is Tesco PLC (ADR) and how it is different from company described in the article? 70.52.184.189 (talk) 07:12, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Tesco plc is a UK company, so its shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange and denominated in GBP - these are the TSCO shares. However, to make its shares attractive to US investors, Tesco also issues American Depositary Shares - these shares are denominated in USD and pay dividends in USD too. The ADS shares are not held directly by investors, but are held on deposit by a custodian bank, which then issues American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) to investors. These ADRs are the TSCDY listing. Note that the market capitalisation on the TSCO is in GBP whereas the market cap on the TSCDY page is in USD. Gandalf61 (talk) 10:37, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Perfect, thank you for answer! 70.52.184.189 (talk) 17:10, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Orange Amp

What happened to orange amp energy drink? I can't find it anywhere...did they stop making it? CTJF83 11:40, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

• Looking at the AMP website, it looks like they stopped making orange-flavored soda (also known as AMP Relaunch) and started making orange juice. According to this review, it's basically 99.9% juice, spiked with the usual AMP stuff like caffeine and taurine. --M@rēino 19:01, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
  • Ahh, ok, thanks! CTJF83 19:24, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

information on a credit banque key chain.

hi, i'm wondering if you can assist me on finding any kind of history of this collectors item and if there is any value to the decades old, credit banque 100g, good as gold, all brass keychain made in france and given out to v.i.p.s at the four queens casino. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.103.194.166 (talk) 21:13, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

July 12

Eating frequency

In the western world, we are often taught that it is customary / important to eat three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), sometimes with the addition of traditional tea times / coffee breaks.

I am wondering what is the history of this practice? When did it become "normal" to eat three meals a day? Are there parts of the world where food is widely available but it is typical to eat some other number of meals (e.g. 2 meals or 4 meals per day)? People sometimes say that eating three meals on a routine is "better" (e.g. healthier) than simply eating when hungry. Assuming that an individual consumed the same number of calories and nutritional content via either eating pattern, is there some other objective metric by which one method of eating might be judged as superior? Dragons flight (talk) 02:10, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

There seem to be 2 contradictory opinions:

A) Eat on a regular schedule.

B) Don't eat when you are not hungry.

I go with the 2nd opinion, which means I skip meals if I'm not hungry. StuRat (talk) 04:28, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Regarding the origins of the 3 standard meals it must have begun after the Roman era, because they had only one main meal, cena. The other meals was reduced to simple "snacking" at no fixed hours. --Saddhiyama (talk) 08:32, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

In Victorian times there was another pattern - breakfast: lunch: high tea: supper. High tea was served around 4 pm, while supper was around 8 pm. I had heard that it was invented to fill the gap between lunch at noon and supper, to cater for "delicate ladies' constitutions"! Unfortunately the copy of Mrs Beeton that I have is a modern revision, otherwise I could check this. The other thing I have heard about English mealtimes is that they were actually brought over by Antoine Careme, the French chef who cooked for King George IV. I'm a bit busy today so may not be able to check this. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:06, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Found this which might help. --TammyMoet (talk) 11:30, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

I've spent a lot of time studying my own digestive tract (I had a history of ulcers) and stuff concerning eating habits and I know this much. First of all, eating more smaller meals a day (four to six) is much healthier than having two or three larger meals (this is not only a recommendation for ulcer sufferers but it's generally healthier as well). The reason for this is that lighter, smaller meals require less effort by the digestive system - but then again eating more often during the day makes you take more breaks from work, which might be considered damaging to corporate productivity (or other nonsense). Also, eating only when you're hungry is a bad choice for more or less the same reasons. If you keep a healthy regimen of eating more or less around the same time every day, do not skip a meal, but have something much lighter (i. e. instead of a full main course just a smaller salad or something). The reason for this is that your stomach (in simple terms) gets used to a fairly stable level of acidity and its own size, and only eating when you're hungry (and in those cases probably eating a lot in one sitting) just disturbs that equilibrium - because first the stomach will shrink somewhat, and then will need to expand to take in the meal. I know this isn't really what you asked about, but wanted to volunteer related information. Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 10:07, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

More nonsense about corporate productivity is expressed in the jibe "Why don't blondes get lunch breaks?". Answer: Because it takes too long to retrain them. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:05, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

There is a school of thought that disagrees with this notion of small meals being better by the way. See Paleolithic diet for instance. Expressing no opinion about any of that, just saying your basic conclusion that its "a healthy regimen" is not at all a consensus. Shadowjams (talk) 08:58, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I concur with Shadowjams that describing one particular pattern of behaviour as "healthier" can be problematic: what suits one person may not suit another. But I jumped in here mainly to add to TammyMoet's suggestion re tea: there is the Victorian distinction between afternoon tea, more of a snack to tide the ladies over till dinner, and high tea, for the hungry working class. And then there is just "tea", the normal word in much of the North of England for the evening meal. BrainyBabe (talk) 17:54, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Manufacturers' coupons

Here in the U.S., manufacturers' coupons almost invaribly say "cash redemption value 1/20 of 1 cent (occasionally 1/100 of 1 cent) at the bottom. I've always wondered but never thought to ask:

• 1.) Why is this cash value given?
• 2.) If someone collected a slew of them and wished to redeem them, how would they do it?
• 3.) When the coupon expires, does this "cash value" also expire? Joefromrandb (talk) 03:26, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

In response to number 1, see "Do Penguins Have Knees?: An Imponderables Book" By David Feldman. In some US states, if no cash value was stated, a customer could demand the stated value of the coupon, so much off the purchase price of the product. The "cash value" value, in contrast, was set so low that the postage would be more than the redemption value. In response to 2, within the last year I read about someone who collected say a dollar's worth of such coupons and presented them for redemption at a store of the company. The local people were perplexed, but the company's public relations department eventually produced a check for a dollar which was presented to the ardent coupon collector, along with a commemorative plaque they crafted especially for the occasion, and a photo was taken for newspaper publication. He must have just caught them on a good day. A quizzical look is the most I would expect if I marched into a commercial establishment with a bag full of such coupons. Edison (talk) 03:36, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

If my memory serves me, it was a Pizza Hut that they walked into with all those coupons. I remember reading about it maybe 6 months ago. Dismas|^(talk) 03:48, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Sounds right. Edison (talk) 03:55, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

You read about it right here (not to mention June 13, 2007 and July 22, 2008. (I haven't found the June 2009 instance yet.)--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:28, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

You missed the follow up Nil Einne (talk) 23:27, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Cecil Adams gives a slightly different response than Edison does : [The Straight Dope : Why do Grocery Store Coupons Say Cash Value 1/20 of a Cent

Not sure which is the whole store, or if they're both part of the reason. APL (talk) 06:07, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

"Coupon brokers" have always been a thorn in the side of manufacturers who seek to stimulate consumer interest in their products with cents off coupons. I saw a 1915 reference that said merchants would send in huge amounts of coupons they had supposedly redeemed, when a quick investigation showed that the merchant never had that much of the product. When coupons were printed in newspapers, unscrupulous newspaper employees or newsstand employees would clip the coupons out of unsold papers and a shady merchant would send them in for redemption. Similarly shady folks at a printing plant could run off thousands of extra coupons for fraudulent purposes. Edison (talk) 17:19, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

King George Washinton

I recal having read that George Washington was encouraged to become the new "monarch" of the U.S. at one point in the early history of the U.S. Is this true? I did not see anything about this in his article (though, it is very long; I could've missed it). If not, then OK...but, if so, it begs the question, had he become the "King of the United States", following the lines of succession, who would now be the current King (or Queen)? Quinn ^{❀ BEAUTIFUL DAY} 03:46, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

No, I believe the fear was that a strong President would become king (I think a political cartoon by his detractors portrayed him as "King George"). This is why the first attempt at a US government, the Articles of Confederation, had no President (other than the President of Congress). StuRat (talk) 04:06, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

George Washington had no children, which makes an interesting primogeniture problem. He did have a LOT of nephews, however, follow the family tree of George's father Augustine Washington to see where it leads. I checked some of the closest relatives, including George's younger brother Samuel Washington, but most of these lines quickly lead to redlinks. By today, Augustine could have hundreds of direct decendents, many of whom aren't particularly famous or notable. --Jayron32 04:50, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Seaching a bit more, it appears from the George Washington article that his legal heir was his nephew Bushrod Washington, who was not the "top" nephew via primogenture, but what the hey. Maybe he'd have been King Bushrod I. However, our article has zero information on Bushrod's children, if he had any. --Jayron32 04:54, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

According to the University of Nevada, Reno, Bushrod (having no children) shared his property among numerous nephews and grand-nephews, the oldest of whom appears to be John Augustine Washington (not the one with an article on Wikipedia). John Augustine's heir was his wife, and then it becomes hazy. Warofdreams talk 09:02, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

I just find it hard to believe that in this day and age, where every (many, not "all") Southern women are involved in the "daughters of the confederates" that no on took the time to follow GW's lineage. We've got articles on Cthulu's lineage, for God's sake! Quinn ^{❀ BEAUTIFUL DAY} 05:13, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

"Did George Washington Turn Down An Offer To Be A King? The Story Behind the Myth". Clarityfiend (talk) 05:16, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Name that sound!

What are the pairs/sets of tones heard before the man speaks in the sound clip? Variants of the pairs unique to each fire station zone (rural fire districts have one set of three pairs and city fire zones have one pair) are activated right before the dispatcher dispatches fire trucks or ambulances to an emergency in that zone, or when a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado watch or warning is issued for the county they play the tones for all of the fire districts/zones in the county one right after another and then announce the watch/warning. Thanks in advance, Ks0stm ^(T•C•G) 05:46, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

It's a Selective calling tone. APL (talk) 06:10, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Wheels rotation

Can someone please explain why, on film or TV, the wheels of a cart, car etc. appear to be revolving in the opposite direction to the direction of travel?85.211.153.35 (talk) 10:41, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

This is the Wagon-wheel effect, most commonly thought of as the inability of the observer to 'keep up' with a very fast rotation. Grandiose (me, talk, contribs) 10:43, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

To clarify what is meant by "observer", it is initially the film or video camera that breaks the continuous "analog" rotation of the wheel into discrete frames at a sampling rate of typically 24 or 25 frames/sec. The persistence of human vision usually succeeds in reconstructing the continuous motion from the frames. The Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem explains that correct reconstruction of spatial frequencies is only possible up to (theoretically) half the sampling (frame) frequency. At higher spatial frequencies, such as the spokes of a fast rotating wagon wheel, reconstruction is impossible and what the viewer perceives is a blur or an incorrect alias frequency. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:55, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

The effect is also sometimes visible in "real life" if the wheel is lit by a light that's flashing. (Even if it's flashing faster than humans can percieve.)

It's sometimes noticeable on the highway at night, depending on the type of streetlights used. APL (talk) 22:24, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Searching for "mamones"

Several months ago I read an article about the Italian phenomenon of declining population due largely to so many men not marrying because of being "emotionally tied" to their mothers. The term used to name these men was something like "mamones" which I believe means "mama boys" (?) Do you have anything on this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.86.226.61 (talk) 13:37, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

It's mammoni. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:43, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

That's interesting. In Central America, "mamón" is a derogatory term for a male homosexual, deriving from the verb "mamar", to suck. Reading 209's first two sentences was consonant with that usage! The population is declining because of all the male homosexuals! Alarm! Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:47, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Duelling in California

In Duel#State_and_territorial_laws_prohibiting_duelling it states that the law prohibiting duelling (pistols at dawn, that kind of thing) in California was repealed in 1994.

OK - Why? Who decided that duelling ought to be legal in California? 216.136.51.242 (talk) 14:46, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Apparently this was part of an effort to get unneeded, archaic laws off the books.[3] According to some op-ed columnist, the repealed law required the winner of the duel to compensate the surviving spouse of the loser.[4] Dueling is certainly still illegal in California, just under other laws (assault, battery, attempted murder, murder, weapons charges, etc.)--no need to have laws specific to dueling. Calliopejen1 (talk) 15:21, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Except that if the duel doesn't end in death (and when they were commonplace, only 15% did) then it presumably requires the loser/victim to press charges against the winner...which rarely happened. Hence why duelling was made illegal in the first place. But only a small fraction of US states ever banned duelling anyway. Thanks for the references! 216.136.51.242 (talk) 16:57, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Consent isn't always a defence. I don't know about California, but in England grievous bodily harm can be consensual and still illegal. --Tango (talk) 20:36, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

A victim does not need to press charges if there is evidence of a crime. The state brings criminal cases, not the victim. A duel is basically the definition of attempted murder, as far as I know, so I can't imagine that any dueling laws are doing work that couldn't be done by attempted murder laws. If a (still-living) participant would not willingly participate in the prosecution his duel opponent, he could theoretically be subpoenaed to testify, or the state could proceed on the basis of physical evidence or other eyewitness testimony alone. Calliopejen1 (talk) 21:21, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

The victim couldn't be compelled to testify because doing so would incriminate himself as well. --134.10.113.106 (talk) 00:22, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Duels with swords or rapiers would generally be fought to 'first blood' rather than to the death...although that was always a possibility. So "attempted murder" would be a tough charge to make stick. 70.112.121.164 (talk) 22:31, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Assault with a deadly weapon or some similar charge would still seem likely Nil Einne (talk) 12:10, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

online selective mutism

Have there been any studies on selective mutism affecting people online? For example, being able to talk on one forum but not on another, despite desperately wanting to 82.247.223.93 (talk) 18:37, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Eh? What sort of online forum do you talk in? Looie496 (talk) 06:02, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Selective mutism refers to speech (you know, talking, like people do in real life), not participation in online forums. Writer's block is the psychological inability to write. --Colapeninsula (talk) 13:13, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I disagree. Writer's block is a temporary lack of creativity. It is very different from being unable to participate in some forums due to shyness and anxiety, while being perfectly able to in others. The strict definition of selective mutism may only apply to real world speech, but the symptoms seem exactly the same. 82.43.90.27 (talk) 19:36, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Earls in the 1840's

Would two British men who lived in or around London in the 1840's each with the title "Earl of <whatever>" have been highly likely to know each other (eg because they'd have met at the House of Lords - or just generally have been socially aware of each other)...to the point where they'd be likely to know each other on sight? 216.136.51.242 (talk) 18:55, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

• Quite possibly. The number of Earls is a relatively small group; and they likely run in the same social circles. There are currently 193 Earldoms listed at List of earls, I can't imagine there were ALL that many more Earls 150 or so years ago. The actual number of Earls at any one time is likely somewhat smaller, as many Earldoms are lesser titles also held by Marquesses and Dukes. The average person probably knows more than 1000 or so people "on sight", that is can keep the name and face together, and probably a far greater number of people whom they recognize as familiar, even if they have trouble placing the name. Two Earls, both living in London at the same time would likely have been at the same parties, known each other from the House of Lords, heck probably came from families which had long associated and probably knew each other from childhood, given how Earldoms pass down through families. --Jayron32 19:07, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

..and they may well have been members of the same club, such as White's. Ghmyrtle (talk) 19:37, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Given the numbers, they'd be likely to know of each other or have a passing acquaintance, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that they would necessarily have been well acquainted with each other. Even a real extrovert might be well acquainted with only 50 or so people, some of whom would be family or servants rather than other earls. But if there were 100 or so earls living in and around London in 1845, attending the House of Lords and moving in the same social circles, you'd expect that they would be likely to at least recognize one another. Marco polo (talk) 19:41, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

July 13

Going for a drive...

There is a 2 km (1.2 mi) road that runs from town 69°06′56″N 105°04′29″W to the airport 69°06′25″N 105°07′10″W with a speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph). I drive the road several times a week to get to work at the terminal. One thing I've noticed is that I will arrive at the terminal or home without remembering the actual drive. I seem to be daydreaming during the drive. I was curious is this common and, given that it's not the safest habit, how would I stop it. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 02:16, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Habit is a funny thing. I drive a lot at my job and have experienced the same thing on more than one occasion. I don't think it is all that uncommon among people who drive over the exat same route many times. If it started happening other times in less familiar settings I think you would have cause for concern. I once caught myself trying to drive bo looking into the rearview mirror at my own mirrored sunglasses for guidance on what as ahead. I actually pulled off this insanely stupid technique for a few minutes on a very familiar road with no cross-streets for several minutes until I came to an area with more traffic and realized how idiotic it was. Beeblebrox (talk) 02:28, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

The only thing I found to stop it wasn't much better and that was to drive way to fast for a gravel road often covered in ice and snow. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 04:07, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

See also highway hypnosis (aka "driving without attention mode", "white line fever", "driving trance", "trance driving", "reptilian driving", ...) ---Sluzzelin talk 04:15, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I think there are two different things going on. Highway hypnosis, or being 'road stoned' is a different experience from what the OP is describing, at least to me. I regularly don't remember my drive to work, unless something notable happens, whether it's seeing a cool lisence plate, or some jerk cutting me off. I'm completely aware during this, but like someone above said, it seems my brain doesn't see it as important enough to care. Highway hypnosis, on the other hand, is when I'm aware of being unaware. Is there a better term for the 'brain doesn't care enough to remember' type of driving? Foofish (talk) 03:28, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps you are paying attention, but your brain did not determine that anything worth storing in the long term memory happened. Googlemeister (talk) 16:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

An absent minded professor gave one of his students a lift by car to the university. During the drive the prof talked about his latest theories. The student interrupted "There's the university. Shouldn't we stop here?". The prof replied "Yes you're right. I'm sorry, I thought you were driving." Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:03, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Sometimes, while thinking about something else, I realise I've crossed (as a pedestrian) a busy road without remembering it. I wonder if humans are beginning to develop (or have) more than one consciousness, like people whose brain's have been cut in half as a cure for epilepsy. Or perhaps the drivers just drove around me. 92.28.240.112 (talk) 17:32, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

See also automaticity. (wp:or alert:) Many years ago, I played quite a bit of the computer game 'x-wing'. I recall playing one night on an 'endless' mode. At one look, I had killed ~20 TIE fighters. Seemingly a moment later, I had registered ~200 kills. I had no specific memory of those events, or the time that was necessary for them to pass! SemanticMantis (talk) 17:52, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

...and on a different day...

On the above road at night in a blizzard a strange effect occurs. Because the headlights on the truck reduce the visibility even more than the blizzard alone driving slow 15–20 km/h (9.3–12.4 mph) is the only way to go or drive off the road. Navigation is by looking at the side of the road and making sure not to get too close or too far from it. The other option is to go by snowmobile and drive off the left side of the road under the power lines. Either way it is quite possible to arrive at the airport without knowing that you have made any left or right turns along the road. So why does the road seem to be a straight line under blizzard conditions. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 02:16, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Probably because you are concentrating so hard in staying in the lane that you are shutting out any other stimuli. You aren't using the "high beams" in heavy snow are you? That makes things much worse. You might want to invest in driving lights or fog lights to mount below the front bumper of the rig, they can really improve visibility in such situations. Beeblebrox (talk) 02:30, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

If I'm reading this right, you're only looking at a small bit of the road during a blizzard, so you don't notice any curves. It's like looking down the street to the horizon. You'd think the world was flat if that was the only view of the horizon that you have. But if you were to raise up in the air, high enough to see horizon all around you, you'd notice the curvature of the earth. Dismas|^(talk) 03:25, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Those answers make sense. It can be dangerous though. In the question below, the power lines are 15–20 m (49–66 ft) to the left of the road. If going by snowmobile we use the lines above our heads to navigate. Near the building at the second coordinate the power line makes 4 almost 90° turns. Left, right, right and left to come back to the road. We are releasing hydrogen balloons and hitting the power lines is impressive but not a good idea. I drove up following the lines and made the first left and right turns before I noticed the building on my right. Another guy actually drove out on the lake at the end of the road before he noticed. The ice under the skis was a real clue. Beeblebrox, no we never use the highbeams. Currently we have a Ford F150 which has a 3 position switch for the lights. If you put it in the centre position and pull towards you the lights will point slightly down making it easier to drive. The funny thing is that I've been down here for 35+ years and any time I suggest we try fog lamps for blizzards everybody looks at me as if I'm more stupid than normal. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 03:59, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

...but now I'm going for a walk

Going from 69°07′13″N 105°03′21″W to 69°07′42″N 105°03′29″W is slightly uphill and mostly straight. From my house (not shown) to the Upper Air is about 1.5 km (0.93 mi). Most of the time we just drive up there, however during and just after blizzards a few of us will walk up. It takes about 15 minutes (within a minute) to do the walk no matter what. Even walking into the wind uphill or with the wind downhill the time is always 14-16 minutes. The only thing that slows me up is fresh snowdrifts and that usually no more than 5 minutes. Why would the times be so consistent? CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 02:16, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

That's simply because your (possibly subconscious) brain decides your walking speed and adjusts your energy expenditure to match. Dbfirs 05:29, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

The article Walking notes that the body swings forward like an inverted pendulum. A swinging Pendulum acts as an energy reservoir and swings at a fairly constant frequency. Presumably the OP walks on a gradient that is not steep enough to change their gait from walking into running or climbing. The combination of constant step frequency and constant stride length gives in theory a constant trip duration. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:17, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Yep the gradient is not that steep but is noticeable. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 15:40, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Parlez vous francais?

The main line of the question says -

    An image inside apple's headquarters.

Hint 1. Parlez-vous francais? Hint 2. See level 14

Can you solve this one....!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.145.212.118 (talk) 04:14, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

The reference desk is for providing factual (or at least referenced) answers to genuine questions, not for solving conundrums. Please go to a puzzles forum. --ColinFine (talk) 06:51, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Papier-mâché? Papier-mâché is made from paper, which in turn is made from wood, which is where apples come from, hence "apple's headquarters". It's a french word as well. No idea what "level 14" means in this context, however. --Jayron32 11:58, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

The question seems to be a repetition of a previous question with almost identical title. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:10, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

US bonds

The US Republicans and Democrats are locked in a struggle, with no evident chance of compromise, likely leading to a default of obligations of the US, and possibly to a downgrading of US bonds to "junk" status. What does this augur for US Savings Bonds, which have the "full faith and credit" of the US government? I still have thousands of dollars worth. If the US "defaults" and does not meet obligatory payments to creditors, do US Savings Bonds from decades ago lose their value?? Does it make sense therefore to present them right now for payment, before the August 2 deadline? Edison (talk) 04:27, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

It's highly likely that any default would only be temporary. As soon as the debt ceiling is raised, all the back-obligations will be paid. I can't believe that the state of default will last more than a week or two, even at worst -- the damage will be so obvious that the pressure to solve the problem will be irresistable. Looie496 (talk) 06:00, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Furthermore, I'm not sure it would effect U.S. Savings bonds, which aren't "tradable" securities like T-Bonds are. Thus, bond-rating agencies don't rate them, and their interest is determined by the rules established when they are issued, and aren't subject to the value of the open market or upon the rating agencies to detemine the interest payed on them. Seriously, if the U.S. default ever gets down to defaulting permanently on your savings bonds, the country is so fooked you're probably not even worrying about your savings bonds anymore... See United States Treasury security for a better description of the different types of financial instruments issued by the U.S. federal government. --Jayron32 11:56, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Imagine you have a checking account with a balance of $1 trillion, and checks to write for $1.1 trillion. You can either pay the first $1 trillion and the other folks know they will, in fact, eventually be paid, or you can "go on strike" and pay absolutely nothing to anyone because your bank won't let you owe another $.1 trillion. Nutshell explanation of current state of affairs. Collect (talk) 12:41, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure the full outcome is known of what would happen if the US defaulted. It hasn't happened over here before, but it's certainly happened to other modern countries, and the results there weren't very pretty. I'm not sure the Reference Desk is a great place to look for financial advice. Are there any economists in the house, or are we all just winging it? --Mr.98 (talk) 14:13, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

And as dumb as politicians in the US tend to be, they know they are driving at a destroyed bridge at high speed and they are not suicidal. Chances of a US default in the next month has to be incredibly small. Googlemeister (talk) 16:01, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I am not quite so sanguine. When you have two parties playing chicken, bad things can happen even if both parties know the consequences. Looie496 (talk) 16:15, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

The Republicans leaders historically would compromise to avoid a default, but at present they are in fear of the TeaParty movement, and are playing highway chicken in a car with the accelerator bolted down and running on rails. The refusal to raise the debt limit is a refusal to pay for things already purchased. They are demanding cuts in programs, with no tax loopholes being closed for the very rich. Obama seems to have the power to swerve at the last moment, and sell out his constituency, since he is still raking in campaign funds at a record pace from someone who likes what he is doing. I suppose the Treasury will always issue currency to pay off US Savings "Bonds," but it might be like inflated Weimar currency, requiring a shopping cart full to buy a loaf of bread in a worst case scenario. Has there been discussion by TeaParty thinkers as to the interest rates the US government would have to pay when they go to borrow more money on the world market, if real, traded US bonds were downgraded as has happened to other countries, and what that would do the "job creation" ability of rich people and corporations? Edison (talk) 17:20, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I agree that most likely Obama and the Republicans will come up with some kind of mutually face-saving deal. Here is one such deal that has been proposed. The next most likely possibilities are 1) Obama caves and gives the Republicans what they want, as he did on extending the Bush tax cuts, or 2) Obama holds firm and, when the government starts to run out of cash, suspends payments on Social Security and other domestic entitlement programs, saying that Republicans have forced his hand. The resulting outcry from the Republicans' constituents would force them to compromise. What I think is least likely is that the government would actually default on its debt obligations. That would cause irreparable damage. Marco polo (talk) 19:19, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Incidentally, I think that the expression "Tea Party thinkers" may be an oxymoron. Marco polo (talk) 19:22, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

That's pushing the sterotype pretty far. Googlemeister (talk) 13:50, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

If the trend to negative real interest rates recently observed in the five year Treasury bill continues, the debt can be rolled over into paying securities, and need not default. It makes sense to me that those who wish to keep their funds on account with the U.S. government should be paying for the privilege to do so. 99.24.223.58 (talk) 19:27, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

You have your likelihoods the wrong way around. A reduction in the credit rating is far more likely that an actual default. If there is a default then the credit rating automatically drops to "in default", which is a low as it gets. A reduction from the current triple-A status by a couple of steps is entirely possible, but I doubt it would get to junk status. A triple-A rating says there is essentially no chance of a default in the foreseeable future. The rating agencies may drop it to A+ or something, meaning there is a very small chance of a default, which would be pretty accurate. --Tango (talk) 13:48, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

gunpowder recipie

So, say it is around 1500 and I wish to make a quantity of gunpowder. I know I need charcoal, high quality urine and various other seemingly random chemicals, but I know little of the specifics. So, what actually is the full ingredients list, where might each be acquired and where would the actual process be undertaken? 85.210.115.112 (talk) 12:29, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Not much - and widely known. Grate charcoal, add saltpetre and sulphur to taste. Collect (talk) 12:38, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Our article on gunpowder describes the ingredients. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:49, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

So, saltpeter, sulpher and charcoal, and that's it? where would I go to buy such things, though? charcoal is made from wood, of course, sulphur seems to be mined and extracted from some rock or mineral, but I cannot seem to find where this saltpeter comes from. 85.210.115.112 (talk) 12:59, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Saltpeter in this context generally means Potassium nitrate; that article has some info on its production; it can be obtained as the mineral niter. It's a little confusing because both saltpeter/saltpetre and niter/nitre have multiple meanings. (I wonder if there's a 16th century version of the Anarchist's Cookbook anywhere?) --Colapeninsula (talk) 13:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

This page describes how to obtain niter from urine; it could be obtained directly from the walls of stables, or by filtering urine through straw (and presumably letting it dry). --Colapeninsula (talk) 13:08, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, saltpetre was produced from manure and urine, or from urine and straw. I've seen references to monks' urine being considered the best - something to do with the concentration. A smelly business, but then the neighbours will have other concerns if you are producing gunpowder in any quantity. AndyTheGrump (talk) 13:12, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Saltpetre is the main ingredient (about 3/4er by weight, with charcoal and sulfur is varying but generally similar amounts). As I understand it, you want to wet the mixed powder, compress it, let it dry, and then grind it down (and sieve it into uniform grades). This reduces the risk of accidental detonation and also ensures that the different ingredients don't separate out over time. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 13:30, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

You should also consider that not all charcoal is equal for this endeavor. I presume you would want a very porus charcoal for better results. Googlemeister (talk) 15:58, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Mythbusters tried to make black powder, using a variety of recipes, and the result was pretty disappointing. It would burn too slowly to explode. If it is made in kernals rather than a mixture of dust it is said to work better. Naturally many experimenters with making gunpowder wind up maimed, blind, or dead. There is some info in "The Complete Blackpowder Handbook". Edison (talk) 17:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I remember reading that in the English Civil War, country churches with beaten earth floors had the same dug up for the manufacture of gunpowder. Apparently the ladies used to discreetly pee on the floor during the long services; now you know why they wore long dresses! Alansplodge (talk) 17:29, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

That's an interesting trick if you're sitting down. It would also be an interesting definition of "discreet" since a stream of urine hitting a dry floor would make a noticeable and distinctive noise.APL (talk) 18:51, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Not if it trickled down your legs and over your shoes. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 19:35, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Did everyone smell so bad in Europe in pre-Modern times that pissing all overyourself went unnoticed? Nevermind, I already know that they did, but it still boggles the mind. --Jayron32 19:55, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

ROFL! Joefromrandb (talk) 05:08, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

IIRC on "Cash in the Attic" they once found a specialy designed article of convenience for ladies so that would not have occurred. Sold for a great deal of money, by the way. Collect (talk) 14:01, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

People, apart from the wealthy, stood and knelt in church in those days; they didn't sit. Perhaps there were some accidents due to the long services, but women didn't regularly wee themselves in church, it would have been sacrilegious. People did't smell terrible, they washed every day. They didn't bathe often, and that shocked the Victorians who were advocating the installation of baths in houses. Itsmejudith (talk) 06:54, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

All very interesting, I'm sure. One last question, though, I don't suppose anyone knows where this would have taken place, if there was a particular name for the building where these things would have been processed and made? 79.66.96.223 (talk) 13:10, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

When the production of gunpowder became industrialised, from the 16th century onwards, the places where it was manufactured were called gunpowder mills. If you were making gunpowder on a smaller scale, you would probably want to do it in a shed at the bottom of a very long garden. Gandalf61 (talk) 13:25, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Where can I buy a British bus day pass online?

I want to travel from Oxford to London multiple times in one day. Where can I buy a day pass online? 163.1.151.174 (talk) 15:50, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I don't think that there's such a thing at all, certainly not online, but the best source for information on this sort of thing is http://transportdirect.info/ ╟─TreasuryTag►presiding officer─╢ 15:53, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

This image describes a day pass, so I know it exists. I just want to know if I can buy one online. I'm searching the link you provided, but not finding anything. 163.1.151.174 (talk) 15:56, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

You didn't read the picture properly – that day pass is only valid on London buses, not intercity ones! And it can't be bought online anyway. ╟─TreasuryTag►presiding officer─╢ 15:58, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

If you want to use the bus from Oxford to London, there are two competing companies: the Oxford Tube, and the Oxford Bus Company. Neither offers a day pass. Both do offer return tickets, weekly passes, or a 12 trip ticket. You can compare their fares at [5] and [6], decide which of these options would prove cheapest, and buy tickets online if you wish. Alternatively, you could take the train. Warofdreams talk 16:22, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Possibly the cheapest is Megabus. It seems that their £1 fares to London aren't running at the moment - that may change over the summer I guess. It seems at present a one way fare from Oxford to London costs £7.00 - this may (or may not) be the cheapest way to go. --TammyMoet (talk) 17:12, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I hope you realize the journey is going to take you about two hours each way by bus. The train takes about an hour.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:12, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Not only that, but the timetable will probably mean it's effectively a much longer journey, unless buses are available exactly when you need them. Doing the round trip more than once in a day will be exhausting and not leave much time for doing anything else at either end. If you think of doing it by train, do a lot of research online with the train geek sites, because there are often cheaper tickets available intercity, by being smart. --14:44, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

For most train tickets like that, you can get a much cheaper fare if you book up weeks in advance, although you have to specify an exact date and time. 92.24.177.241 (talk) 18:30, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

home fire alarm network

Is there a way to connect your home fire alarm so that it calls the fire deparment automatically in the even of a fire. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jshor05 (talk • contribs) 18:46, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, but the regulations vary, so contact your local fire department and ask them what they would recommend for your building. Then ask them what they would recommend if you had to do it on a tight budget. 99.24.223.58 (talk) 19:18, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Automatic fire alarms are notorious for generating false alarms that will be expensive for someone. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:03, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

My church has a similar system whereby the burglar alarms are linked to the police station. The police gives the church 2 false alarms per year, and then charges us $250 per false alarm after that. YMMV, but as Cuddlyable3 implies, if your local fire department does allow for such a system, they may charge you hefty fees for false alarms. --Jayron32 23:12, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Churches keep giving a false alarm. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

James Bond and Illigitemate Children

When James bond goes about his daily routine he has lots of sex with lots of hot girls. How many of these has he got pregnant? How many illigitemate children does he have? Ol' Uncle Screamin Bug (talk) 21:32, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

According to the article on Mr. Bond, he had one son with Kissy Suzuki. Vranak (talk) 21:39, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

All the other girls were on the pill. HiLo48 (talk) 22:03, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Dispensed to them by Mr. Bond himself, as he had a license to pill. Fribbler (talk) 22:06, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

It's fiction. Fictional heroes don't have embarrassed conversations with new lovers about who is carrying a condom. They don't get sexually transmitted infections. In real life if you have many partners you risk STIs and unwanted pregnancies. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:07, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I am certain that any male secret agent expected to perform sexually in the line of duty would have been offered a vasectomy and semen cryostasis as part of his employment agreement, with UIDs for female secret agents. 208.54.5.137 (talk) 23:32, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, when Ian Fleming's books were set? Hmm .. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 02:56, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Vasectomies were invented circa 1900. Not sure about cyrostasis, but then secret agents might not expect to live long enough to worry about ever having a family. Dragons flight (talk) 03:12, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

If you tell them that, they will be terrible secret agents. 99.24.223.58 (talk) 07:38, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

As David Lodge put it in The British Museum Is Falling Down, "Literature is mostly about having sex and not much about having children; life is the other way around." [7]. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 08:27, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Being a military man, maybe Bond was good at strategic withdrawal HiLo48 (talk) 08:56, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Just want to note that (from your link) the failure rates for typical use is 15 ~ 28%. Royor (talk) 09:28, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Oh, I said he was good at it. (And I'm certainly not recommending it!) HiLo48 (talk) 12:36, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

According to our article on Kissy Suzuki (though unreferenced) "She is also one of the only known Bond girls (also in literary) to have died as a result of a non-violent, natural death." Perhaps, if life begins at conception, he had many illigitemate children, only just the one whose mother survived long to bear him. i.m.canadian (talk) 15:28, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

July 14

Picture of some toffs

I would be interested to know if anyone can shed light on this picture. It's taken from a record sleeve by an English music group, but I don't think that information is particularly relevant and the sleeve has no further details of the photo. The picture seems hard to date. The record is from 1986, so it can't be any later than that. I keep wondering if the bloke on the right is David Cameron during his Oxford days, it certainly looks like him. It's not, though, a picture of the famous Bullingdon Club, since the dinner jackets are not the same. Tineye brings up no results. Any ideas? --Viennese Waltz 10:09, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Are you certain that it isn't a picture of the music group? What group and album was this picture taken from? --Jayron32 12:01, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

LOL, yes I am sure. The record is Alright Jack by Home Service, and it is emphatically not them in the picture. I may be ill informed, but I'm not that ill-informed. --Viennese Waltz 12:04, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The bloke on the right has a totally different hairstyle from Cameron's in this photo (back row, second from left), so I doubt that it's him. From the hairstyles it must be relatively recent - say late 1960s onwards - but apart from that I can't help. It might be a start if someone could identify the location. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 12:29, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The guy just to the left of centre with his hands in his pockets looking at the camera has a cut-away jacket typically worn by working classical musicians. The toff at the far left has a long coat also typical of orchestral conductors. But the rest of them are not like that. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 12:44, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

You can try asking the band's booking agent lisa@homeserviceband.co.uk . Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:32, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Biscuit eating

What's the most number of Marie biscuits someone can eat in 60 seconds? Thanks. --163.202.48.109 (talk) 12:11, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

If you are a competitive eater, probably a lot. For comparison, at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, the record number of hot dogs and buns consumed is 68 in 10 minutes, or almost seven hot dogs and buns per minute. The hot dogs are 1/8th of a pound, and the buns are probably 1 ounce or so, so that gives a very rough estimate of 3/16*7 = 21/16 of a pound per minute, or 1.3 pounds per minute or 2.9 kilograms per minute (if you eat in metric). So, the fastest eaters in the world can consume something slightly less than 3 kilograms of food in 1 minute. this page indicates that there are 8 rolls of biscuits in 800 grams, so 2.5x that number gives an upper limit of 20 rolls of biscuits. I have no idea how many biscuits that translates to total, but that should give you an idea of the limit of human effort in this endeavor. --Jayron32 12:24, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Your pounds to kilogrammes conversion is backwards! 1kg = ~2.2lb so there is no way 1.3lb can equal 2.9kg. in fact the reverse is correct 1.3k = ~2.9lb. Rough rule of thumb - the number of pounds must be more than double the number of kg. So the correct answer is 1.3lb = ~ 0.6kg Roger (talk) 12:56, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The difference would leave 6 rolls of biscuits as an upper end of the scale. However, the object in question looks like a version of an Oreo cookie to me. Something that is hard and crunchy would probably slow the eater down compared to the relatively soft hotdog. Googlemeister (talk) 13:44, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Oops. I do stuff like that all the time. My math skills are actually pretty crappy. Thanks for catching that. I thought my numbers seemed a bit high! --Jayron32 15:25, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The limiting factor in eating biscuits quickly tends to be that they dry your mouth out. If you are allowed to have a sip of water between each biscuit, you'll be able to eat far more, but that's usually against the rules in such contests. --Tango (talk) 14:21, 14 July 2011 (UTC)\

Actually, water is usually allowed in competitive eating contests. It is certainly allowed at the Nathan's hot dog contest, which is among the sort of "Grand Slam" level of comeptitive eating contests; the revolutionary technique of dipping the hot dog in water before eating (rather than sipping during or after eating) has been a major devolpment in the "sport", somewhat akin to what the Fosbury flop did for high jump. It is called the "Solomon method" and is also closely associated with Takeru Kobayashi, one of the superstars of the "sport". --Jayron32 15:24, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. Water, milk or coffee is allowed... So what would be the best strategy? If the guys wanted to they could crush the biscuits into the water and drink that. The only rule is that they have 60 seconds. --163.202.48.109 (talk) 17:32, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

If you value your health, the best strategy is to probably not participate. Googlemeister (talk) 18:26, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Original Coke

I overheard someone say that Coke was originally green in color. Can this be cfonfirmed or denied.? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.28.87.84 (talk) 13:59, 14 July 2011 (UTC) That is Coca cola. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.28.87.84 (talk) 13:59, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The article [8] is what we have and it says nothing about an original green color. But Wikipedia articles have to contain verifiable sourced information, not just what someone said. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:24, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

There are persistent rumours that, before Coca-Cola was launched, Santa Claus wore green-and-white, and that Coke's image of him in red-and-white (to match their logo), changed Santa's colours. However, they are false. Is this what your friend is half-remembering? CS Miller (talk) 15:15, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The first printing of A Christmas Carol had Santa (Ghost of Christmas Present) wearing red - Dickens was upset a great deal - and the released edition has him in green [9]. The reprinting was what cost Dickens a great deal of money. Long before Coke was around. The earliest Coke bottles are clear - later on they were made green. Nothing to do with the color of the soda. Collect (talk) 15:31, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

If the bottles were green, that probably is the source of the misinformation. Thanks--92.28.95.219 (talk) 17:25, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

• Well, the drink itself was still brown, but the original glass bottles for foreign export were indeed green. --M@rēino 18:56, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Self Promoting Content

Hi,

I work for a company that does digital signatures, and we'd like to submit our page to Wikipedia. Although I know you don't usually accept "commercial" contents, I noticed that there are commercial company pages on Wikipedia, e.g. IBM, Microsoft, Philips etc. My question is: what are the parameters for getting accepted by you? We tried to be less "commercial" and more "informational", as we are one of the leading companies in the world for digital signatures, and thus we have a lot of valuable knowledge that not only talks about us, but moreover, educates the market in general about what digital signature is.

If you could reply to my email that would be great (email removed) Thanks, Nami Cohen Marcom Manager ARX Inc. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.25.66.197 (talk) 14:00, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

You need to write an article on digital signatures if it does not exist or add to it if it does.The article needs to be factual and not promotional.--92.28.87.84 (talk) 14:11, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The article Digital signature exists, just click on the name. The OP proposes an article about a commercial company. Look at the Wikipedia guidelines WP:N and WP:COI before creating such an article. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:18, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia carries articles about things, including companies, that we regard as "notable". A good measure (not the only one, but your best bet) is to be the subject of multiple, non-trivial mentions in reliable sources. Note that link for a definition of what "reliable" means. For companies, it generally means at least a couple of pieces of detailed coverage in news media. I found nothing here, which makes me think you're going to struggle to demonstrate your company is notable. --Dweller (talk) 14:38, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Here is the straight dope on this: What matters first and foremost is whether your are sufficiently notable for Wikipedia. The guidelines on this are here. Secondarily, the article itself must be neutral, composed with reliable sources, and not just self-promotion. If your article and company can pass all of those four policies I've cited, you can probably safely post it to Wikipedia. Knowing the policies and writing in a way that will cater to a suspicious editor (who is more than happy to delete your article on the spot) is a good approach to it. Be aware that you do not "own" the article, and you will not be able to control its content any more than any other user. If your company has a huge scandal or something, it's going to go in the article. Just be warned! --Mr.98 (talk) 14:49, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

You're far better not writing it yourself, for a variety of reasons. If your company is notable, post some links to proof of this on my talk page (ie here) and I'll happily create the article for you myself when I have a moment. --Dweller (talk) 14:54, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

In general, the best way to approach conflict of interest issues on Wikipedia is to add content to the article's talk page sourced to reliable independent sources, and then contact the recent editor(s) of the article (or a pertinent WikiProject) disclosing the conflict of interest and politely asking them to consider adding the material to the article. 99.24.223.58 (talk) 20:40, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Truffles and chocolate truffles

The current "Did you know" listing reminded me that I have never actually tasted a real truffle, only chocolate truffles. I have noticed that the light brown fluffy chocolates, as shown in the bottom right corner here, have a distinct bittersweet taste that I rather like. Do real truffles taste anything like this? JIP | Talk 19:35, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

No, they are completely dissimilar. Vranak (talk) 20:16, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

The name could derive from the similarity in appearance. The picture on the right doesn't show the interior, the rich and sticky dark stuff that is the actual chocolate truffle, and which does somewhat resemble the fungus of the same name. --Saddhiyama (talk) 20:24, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Real truffles are funguses, and taste like really intensely flavored mushrooms. It's something akin to the relationship between wasabi and yellow hot dog mustard; same taste family but way more intense. Which, of course, has nothing to do with chocolate. --Jayron32 20:38, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

US News Colelge Rankings for a school for the last N years

Do you happen to know if there's a table/graphs somewhere with US News Rankings for each (undergrad) school, for some years going back? I'd like to see a school's progress through the last 10-20 years, if possible. One specific school I'd like to look up is Drexel University, so if you only find data for it, it would be good enough, although I'd like to get all the data if I can. --216.239.45.4 (talk) 22:00, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

http://web.archive.org/web/20070908142457/http://chronicle.com/stats/usnews/ Sorry, that set doesn't include Drexel, and I am not sure why. 99.24.223.58 (talk) 23:49, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

It's not there because it's not a top 50 school. --99.113.32.198 (talk) 03:01, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

July 15

animal attacks

Which state has the most deadly animal attacks? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.191.101.243 (talk) 00:23, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

Depends on what you mean by "deadly animal attacks". For example, the deadliest animal in the United States is the white-tail deer, with about 150 people killed each year in car-deer collisions. --Carnildo (talk) 01:04, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

My guess would be Texas. The deadliest attacking animals in the US are bees, with Texas getting the largest number of attacks. The next deadliest attacking is the dog (mostly pit bulls), and Texas has a lot of those too. Looie496 (talk) 02:29, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

It's worth noting that all of these numbers are low. Bee sting deaths are about 40-100 per year, due to people who are allergic to the venom. Fatal dog attacks come in around 5-17 per year (California just edging out Texas for #1 on those). To put those numbers in perspective, last year ~32,000 people died from automobile accidents, and that's the lower per capita for quite a long time. Diabetes contributes to something like 230,000 deaths per year. This blog post has some nice numbers on animal deaths per year, though I'm not sure where they are coming from. Some of them seem right, some seem inflated. The comments to the thread point out some of the problematic parts. --Mr.98 (talk) 02:50, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

Your dog numbers are out of date. It's up in the 30s now, because of all the morons who think pit bulls are cool pets. But otherwise, yeah. Looie496 (talk) 02:55, 15 July 2011 (UTC)