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March 17

suicide

what is the most popular method of suicide? and why? Im in ur house 02:04, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm glad you didn't do it. -LambaJan 02:21, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Natural causes. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:43, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Suicide by homework. Luigi30 (Ταλκ το mε) 03:54, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When a politician says and does too many stupid things ... the political suicide is remarkable. Popular also, depending on which side you stand. --DLL 06:24, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You may wish to look at Epidemiology and methodology of suicide.
Smoking seems to be a common one. Grutness...wha? 08:16, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with you. --Nkcs 07:30, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

progressives and progress?

Why is it that liberals who ironically adopt the name "progressives" would have us all go back to the stone age and drive around in tiny primative compact cars? Isn't it oddly against progress to abandon yers of reasearch leading to effective, modern machines like Sport Utility Vehihcles, and to abandon them why? because trees and wildlife are people too? because those evil oil barons are trying to run a business? oh no, gasp, must revert to primitive car technology because liberals are afraid of progress--Demos ocracy 02:26, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, usually they're talking about social progress, as opposed to technological. The word "conservative" also has issues, since it's often unclear what they're "conserving." Certainly not gas, in this context. moink 02:30, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, technological progress can also been seen in terms of less polluting technologies, public transport initiatives and a wide variety of scientific research generally supported by liberals. I could question whether SUVs are typically "effective". And having put years of research into something is not in itself a reason to keep it - years of research have gone into eugenics, but I wouldn't want to promote that theory. Warofdreams talk 02:54, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Progress? Big, gas-guzzling behemoths are so 1950s. The gas-powered car dates to, what, the 1880s? Hydrogen-fueled cars, maglev trains, intelligent transportation systems -- now that's progressive. -- Mwalcoff 02:56, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • No point in answering this, as the user who asked it has been blocked indefinitely as a troll account. I'd say the above is just another trolling attempt. --BluePlatypus 03:21, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • POV and trolling are very interesting in sociology study. Now people can understand why US and Kyoto do not mix easily. The desire for consummation and progress is strong and every argument is taken in that direction only. --DLL 06:23, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I think it's sad this user has been blocked, because he could have contributed a lot to Transportation in the stone age. David Sneek 13:30, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I hope they weren't blocked for this question, which, while showing strong POV, isn't what I would call "trolling", which is just trying to pick a fight. StuRat 14:24, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think anyone gets blocked for a single edit, no matter how bad. I'd suggest looking at the user's edit history. --BluePlatypus 16:06, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I checked the user's contribs, a troll. Yeltensic42 don't panic 00:17, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

sorry to bother: Streak color of dolomite ?

(I fixed your title to actually be of some use in finding the question. StuRat 14:26, 17 March 2006 (UTC))[reply]

what is the streak color of a diatomite?

Use common sense, my child. The streak colour of diatomite is white. --antiestablishmentarianist

Are we talking dolomite or diatomite?--Commander Keane 18:09, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It doesn't matter, they're both white. —Keenan Pepper 18:44, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Commonwealth Games 1974 Number of Days

Hi I'd like to know how may days the Commonwealth Games 1974 were on for. Thanks, Hanna

It was held from 24 January to 2 February 1974. More info can be found here. Grutness...wha? 08:22, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


my question: Erosion of southern tip of Canada ?

(I fixed your title, as the original made no mention of your actual question, which is, after all, the purpose of a title, here.)

I recently heard on the radio that the southernmost point of Canada was washing away, and that the bridge remains. They also said that the sign for 'no swimming' washed up on a beach in Ohio. The sign will however probably be replaced, but nobody will probably swim right now anyways because Lake Erie is cold this time of year.--antiestablishmentarianist

Actually, that isn't a question. What sort of answer are you looking for? Notinasnaid 11:09, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I take it they are asking us to verify the truth of their statement. I'm not sure it's the southernmost point of all of Canada, but the southernmost point of Ontario (Pelee Island) is in Lake Erie, so it's quite possible a sign could cross the lake and end up in Ohio. Also, shores naturally change over time, with some areas eroding and some areas growing. However, our article on that island doesn't mention any net erosion. StuRat 13:53, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The southernmost point on the mainland is at Point Pelee National Park - that point is a thin spit of land that changes often. The southernmost inhabited point is on Pelee Island and the southernmost point is on Middle Island (Canada) and had until recently been owned by an American family. It, however, is an undeveloped bird refuge and shouldn't have had a "no swimming" sign. Rmhermen 14:09, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why wouldn't there be a "no swimming" sign on the shore of a bird sanctuary ? StuRat 14:18, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Can't be entirely sure but it is an "undeveloped" island only reached by private boat. None of the ferries run to it. Rmhermen 15:37, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Following off a comment above the current water temp is 1°C or 34°F[1] Bit cool for swimming, indeed. Rmhermen 15:40, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I visited Point Pelee in September 2005. It's suspicious to me that it was reported that "the" no swimming sign was washed away, as there are many no swimming signs at Point Pelee, and several of them also warn against even wading, since the currents are so swift at Pelee Point. There was also a diagram at the visitor's center showing how the shape of the sandbar had changed over the years--although it does change shape on a regular basis due to the action of the currents, it does not seem to be getting any smaller, at least judging by the diagram I saw. While individual grains of sand are frequently washed away by the current, I'm sure, sand is also deposited there by the currents, leading to no net change in the size of the point. But then, there's no bridge at Point Pelee, so the radio report may not have been talking about that at all. Chuck 15:47, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By chance a Canajun friend of mine forwarded me two articles today on this very subject. Read this and this. Short answer: yes, it's Point Pelee, and the bit about the No Swimming sign is confirmed, too. —Steve Summit (talk) 04:26, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

SILENCE, MORTAL FOOLS! This was no question. I just wanted to see how people would react if someone didn't actually ask a question, but rather state a fact. Thank you for taking part in my experiment. It's amazing how so many people replyed to something that isn't even a question, when so many other real questions go unanswered or get a short answer. --antiestablishmentarianist

We can't help it. We are compelled to provide information as best we can; it is an enforced penance for the hubris and condescention of our previous, even less worthy existences. We could use sympathy, not abuse, so please, chill out, immortal buffoon. —Steve Summit (talk) 15:10, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

big fish little fish

Does anyone know what the phrase "big fish, little fish, cardboard box" means? I'm sure it's a bit rude, but how? Thanks very much, o Refernce Desk. --Dangherous 11:48, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have heard it as an idiot's guide to dancing in clubs -- you make the shapes described in front of you with your arms. "Big fish" is arms crossed over at approx. the elbows with the hands pointing vertically, "little fish" is the same but just hands crossed at the wrists and then "cardboard box" is two movements -- arms parallel at the sides and then top and bottom of a square. Repeat until bored/drunk enough to start following your "natural sense of rhythm". --Bth 12:30, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm a big fan of 'Make a box, put it on the shelf'. I'll be ripping the dancefloor up with that bad boy tonight. Proto||type 14:13, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why is North "up"?

Why do maps of the world show North as being "up" and South as being "down"? Who decided that maps should be shown in this way and not the other way around or even on their side?

The Ancient Greeks decided. Judging by this webpage (which has plenty more information for you if you want it), north-at-the-top in fact relates to the re-adoption of the ancient Greek standard following the translation of Ptolemy's Geography (IIRC prior to that, maps in Western Europe tended to have Jerusalem in the East at the top.) You may like this artwork by Ross Sinclair. --Bth 15:12, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The Australians have maps with the south upwards. Mostly as a novelty item though. --BluePlatypus 16:04, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
NZers too - the maps from The Wizard of New Zealand are an example of that. Grutness...wha? 05:55, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see how it much matters which direction is up, as long as everyone does it the same way. Otherwise, you would always have to find the key to figure out which way to hold up (whichever direction you are used to being up), and then you couldn't always read the possibly upside-down text. StuRat 16:37, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think it would do people good to look at an "upside-down" or "sideways" map once in a while. I can't stand it when people say things like "Georgia is above Florida". No, Georgia is north of Florida. They are perpendicular directions. —Keenan Pepper 18:33, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Slightly off-topic but road atlases of Britain used to start with Map1 of the far north and finish with Map100 (whatever) of the south coast. But now they all start in the south and work upwards. Jameswilson 00:00, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You actually do see maps or diagrams with directions other than north at the top sometimes. Mostly these are diagrams of a building, group of buildings, the route of a single transit line, or some other small area like that. Often they are drawn so that the direction people are facing when they look at the diagram (or the direction the transit vehicle will be moving) are at the top. A lot of people like this; others find it really annoying. It depends on how you process geographical information. (One solution is to always place them so that the person looking at the thing is facing north, but that's not always practical either.) Also, if a city has a rectilinear street grid that's not aligned to the compass points, like Manhattan or Toronto, then maps are very often oriented so that north is roughly at the top, but the grid streets are horizontal and vertical (and again, similarly for building plans that would otherwise have north at the top). And I have occasionally seen city maps with east or west at the top for no obvious reason. --Anonymous, 01:50 UTC, March 18, 2006.
"Up" could have been aligned with any direction (and not just the 4 cardinal points either), but North was chosen. It wasn't just a random arbitrary thing. I think North was considered the "primary" direction, and "up" the primary orientation, so it was natural they be aligned. To this day, only a North arrow is shown on maps, with all other directions being calculated by reference to North. But why North? Something to do with magnetism, perhaps? (although that would just give a North-South axis, not North specifically). And why "up"? The Greeks wrote starting from the top of the page, not from the bottom, which seems a sensible way of doing things (unless you want to obscure or smudge what you've just written with your hand/arm). To get to the top of the page from a central position, you have to look up. So "up" seems to have a sense of "beginning" or "origin" about it. This would also explain why 12 o'clock on a traditional clock is always shown at the North position. Unfortunately, it doesn't explain why piano keys are ordered in ascending pitch from left to right, rather than descending. I think there's more to this question than meets the eye. JackofOz 02:05, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, Jack, I think you have cause and effect reversed. The other things you describe are the result of north being shown at the top of maps, not the cause. (Okay, except for magnetism, but a compass needle has two ends: it points south as well as north.) --Anon, 02:25 UTC, March 18.
The real reason North is up is because "your betters" live there and you should look up to them. (removes tongue from cheek). CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:10, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Feh. The cold weather's got to your head there, methinks :). Anyway, it varies a bit from culture to culture. The medieval Chinese put east at the top of their maps, IIRC. Grutness...wha? 05:55, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OK, the answer is that north is easiest to determine astronomically, for those in the northern hemisphere, by using the North Star. So, when looking up at the North Star (Polaris), it would be convenient to have a map which also had north in the up direction. StuRat 03:44, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since The West Wing (TV) was recently our featured article, one may be interested in the Wikipedia summary of a relevant episodic discussion. Joe 03:57, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Editing my page

I am an actress and i just added my own page on Wikipedia! My question is, how do I insert the "Filmography" section and "external links" to my website...etc? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nuniestar (talkcontribs)

I hope you're a notable actress under the criteria for the inclusion of biographies, otherwise your page is likely to be deleted fairly quickly (no offence meant; I'm sure you're a perfectly lovely person even if you turn out not to be notable by WP standards). But to answer the more general question, section headings are done with pairs of multiple equal signs. eg ==Section heading== produces a main heading, ===Minor heading=== a subheading. --Bth 17:47, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not quite sure what you are asking, but here are the answers in any case:

1) If you want to know how to add sections to a Wikipedia article, pick the "+" sign next to "edit this page" to add a new section.

2) If you want to know how to add a link from Wikipedia to an external site, do it like this:

*Fancy Actress official web site: [http://www.fancyactress.com]

StuRat 17:56, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have a plus-sign on my "edit this page" (monobook skin on safari). In any event, to create a new subject header, you do it in the following format:
==Header name==
--Fastfission 18:34, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Didn't you already have to do that to create this section? Yeltensic42 don't panic 00:05, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When you press the + button, or the link at the top of the Ref Desk that duplicates its function, you get an option to type in a heading in a separate little text box, so you wouldn't learn the wiki markup if that's your only exposure to setting up sections. --Bth 09:49, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, that's right. I always forget that, since I rarely use that feature. I usually use the edit link for the last section, then clear the name of that section from the edit summary. Yeltensic42 don't panic 01:22, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Background music

I hope someone has the answer to my inquiry. The latest academy awards show paid tribute to bigraphical movies that had been made over the years.I would like to know the title of the background music that was played during that segment. Does anyone know the title name? Thanking you in advancePrhet 17:17, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


Warship Fuel Type

Can you please tell me what type of fuel was used by HMS Dreadnought (1906)when she entered service. Also, if possible, in which year she(and other British capital ships) were converted from coal to oil burning. 82.26.149.128 19:26, 17 March 2006 (UTC) Christopher Streatfeild-James[reply]

Coal, see HMS Dreadnought (1906). --145.94.41.95 19:58, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Our article does't mention any conversion to oil - but it was scrapped in 1923. Rmhermen 21:36, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Oil was scrapped in 1923? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:26, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The ship was scrapped then - it was decommissioned in 1919. Rmhermen 03:36, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Damn. If oil had been scrapped in 1923, maybe we'd all be a whole lot better off now. JackofOz 02:32, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's a relatively short life for a warship. I suppose the rapidly changing technology of the time made it quickly obsolete. StuRat 02:31, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Dreadnought was obsolescent, certainly - she was the oldest "modern" battleship then in service in the world. But 1923 was also the year of the Washington Treaty, which meant an awful lot of old ships got scrapped, regardless of merit... Shimgray | talk | 17:26, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty began converting the Fleet from coal to oil in 1911 so I suspect it would've been coal before then & converted sometime after 1911. AllanHainey 11:54, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Unknown instruments

My two year old brother has this instrument that I don't know is. It is wooden and circular with a wooden handle. On the side of the circle, there is a ball attached with a piece of string; also the smae opposite this side of the circle. It works by twsiting your wrist back and forth and the wooden balls hit this unusual piece of plastic. It then makes the noise. Does anybody know what instrument this is, or is it just made up? Thanks! Kilo-Lima|(talk) 19:39, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently it is known as a Den-Den Daiko[2], poss. Japanese or Tibetan in origin, as seen in The Karate Kid. picturesKWH 20:27, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Pardon, apparently it was in The Karate Kid, Part II. KWH 20:42, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

lyrics for this song.....

Hii......

I dont know if this is the right place to ask this question....but i am desparate...... i made this acoustic instrumental... and i am really stuck with the lyrics....!! i got no idea of what to write.... i was hoping that anyone could give me some tips or some website where they have some tips.... oh..and you can listen to the song if you want at my solo.... Thanks a lot..!! Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 20:07, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is the title of your song "Again" ? I liked it. What did you think about when you created it ? What would you like to tell, something cool about life, something a little sad, funny ? --DLL 21:39, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, the title of the file is "Again"...But i really dont even know what to call the song yet.... I am thinking about calling it "Dawn" as one of the other users suggested it.... and i wanna tell something about our desires in life and the choices we make..... but i really dont have any idea on how to start writing the lyrics..... Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 05:55, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
them into little | thoughts is the | write pages | A good method | of guff, snip | MeltBanana 20:08, 20 March 2006 (UTC) | to rearrange confused | throw them in the air. | pieces and | Cut-up technique. Basically,[reply]

What is really up? Solar system and galaxy...

Following on from the question 'why is north up', what is the relationship between the solar ecliptic and the galactic ecliptic (if those are the correct terms)? Is the disc of the solar system parallel to the disc of the galaxy? Markyour words 22:53, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, they're not parallel, not even close. I can't easily find the answer to the question asked, but according to the galactic coordinate system article, the galactic north pole is at about declination 27°; thus the galactic axis is at an angle of about 63° to the Earth's axis; As is well known, the Earth's axis is in turn at an angle of about 23° from the perpendicular to plane of the Earth's orbit (the ecliptic). So the ("solar") ecliptic plane and the galactic plane must be at least about 40° apart and maybe more than that. If you can find a sky chart that shows both the ecliptic and the Milky Way, just look at the angle formed where they cross. That's it. --Anonymous, 02:11 UTC, March 18, 2006.
If you look up at night in a rural area, you can see a strip of stars marking the galactic disc. And it's not above the equator ;)  -- Run!  10:03, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. :) Markyour words 11:08, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

beers? in the US?

I know the legal age around here to buy alchohol is usually 21 but it's not illegal to drink before then? right? only to buy it, like during probibition?--Beers 23:02, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's also illegal to drink alcohol if you're under 21 everywhere I've been in the U.S. I think there are exceptions for religious observances like Holy Eucharist and Passover. I've known a couple of people who have been arrested for possessing alcohol while under the age of 21. Brian G. Crawford 23:08, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They also made religious exceptions during Prohibition. Yeltensic42 don't panic 00:03, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In Michigan, you can get caught for "minor in possession" of alcohol even if it is found in a breath test. Internal possession. Around here, that mainly concerns those who go over to Windsor for Ontario lower drinking age. Rmhermen 03:34, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It actually depends on the state. See [3]. -- 70.27.57.22 03:44, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What are you saying depends on the state? IANAL but to the best of my knowledge, in the United States of which I've been a citizen all my life, you may not possess or buy alcohol until you are 21 years of age. It became the law in every state somewhere in the 80's. Before that there were a few states that still allowed 18 year olds to buy (and consume) alcohol. It was even part of the plot of an episode of Family Ties where Alex went over the border to another state to get drunk with his friends. Dismas|(talk) 06:22, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The age doesn't depend on the state, but only 31 states specifically prohibit consumption. See [4].
Interestingly enough, Family Ties took place in Ohio, which was one of the last states to be forced to raise its drinking age. People might have driven to Ohio to buy alcohol, but not from Ohio. -- 70.27.57.22 15:22, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Wouldn't it be fun to be the last state with a drinking age of 18 ? Then not only would you have your own drunken teens to contend with, but you would also import them from other states. StuRat 02:26, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You also still see "alcohol tourism" from dry counties. Yeltensic42 don't panic 01:25, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As evidenced by the mass exodus of 18-20 year old college students in border states that party in Mexico. :-P On another note, in some states, it is considered legal for a minor to consume small amounts of alcohol under the supervision of a parent/guardian, while not in a public place. Too much, though, and it's considered contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Basically, it's okay to let your kid sip from a beer at home once in a while, but it's NOT okay to let him sip from a beer at a restaurant, or to let him chug the whole beer anywhere. Ehurtley 20:08, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I believe in Alaska you can also drink under the supervision of your over-21 spouse. Those liberal Alaskans! Crypticfirefly 05:13, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

GNU/Linux picture

A while back on some Wikipedia page I saw a picture depicting the GNU wildebeest and the Linux penguin (Tux) as superheroes. Does anyone know that picture and where it's located? Punkmorten 23:10, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Was it this one from commons, perhaps? Jude (talk,contribs,email) 23:29, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Here's the same picture in colour.
File:Gnu-and-penguin-color-300x276.png
The same picture, but in colour.
--Cadaeib 23:39, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Punkmorten 08:57, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Typical Stallman propaganda. The linux penguin is a little faggy boy wonder to the mighty androgenous gnu.

I have a question! Silver album ?

(Made title actually useful. StuRat 02:16, 19 March 2006 (UTC))[reply]

If a record goes silver,how many records has it sold?750,000? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aba williams2002@hotmail.com (talkcontribs)

According to RIAA certification, there is actually no silver classification. RIAA is America-only, though. I'm not sure if we have an article on non-American sales classifications. Jude (talk,contribs,email) 23:39, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See Gold album for list of countries and the silver classification. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:41, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the difference? England ? Britain ? UK ?

(Made title actually useful. StuRat 02:17, 19 March 2006 (UTC))[reply]

I would like to know if there is any difference between United Kingdom,England & Great Britain

See United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland & United Kingdom (disambiguation). CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:41, 17 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You're forgetting Great Britain. =P --Nkcs 02:00, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Doing my best to. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:02, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What about British Isles? JackofOz 02:18, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Might as well give a short answer here. England is a historic kingdom. Great Britain is the island where it is located, also containing Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom includes (and mentions in its full name) Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In terms of international relationships, the UK is the "country" that people deal with, i.e. an indepedent state; but for historical reasons, England is also called a country. Confusing things further is that the terms "England" and "(Great) Britain" are very often used informally when the UK is meant, and even in official use "British" can be the adjective for the UK. --Anonymous, 02:18 UTC, March 18, 2006.
And to continue just a little further, the British Isles are the whole chain of islands (of which Great Britain is the largest). It includes the whole of the UK plus the Republic of Ireland, plus a few small territories which belong to the UK but which have some degree of independence (The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). Grutness...wha? 06:00, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also, some languages don't make use of the name "United Kingdom" in any form, and just say "Great Britain" formally and informally when actually referring to the UK. --BluePlatypus 15:20, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And don't forget the Commonwealth of Nations, formerly the British Commonwealth, which includes just about every English speaking country, except the United States, and several that aren't, such as India. StuRat 02:04, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
India is very much an English-speaking country. It has 23 official languages, of which Hindi and English are the main two. The Commonwealth is veering a long way from the original question. It does include some possessions of the UK, but most Commonwealth countries do not fit that bill. JackofOz 02:20, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Some Americans (yes, more than one) I've spoken to on the internet have asked me if England was in London... I sighed, and said that some of it is. Slumgum | yap | stalk | 02:17, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
India, in fact, is the most populous English-speaking country in the world. (It also has more official languages than any other country). Yeltensic42 don't panic 01:49, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, I have a question of my own...I've heard of London being the capital of England, but how is that? I thought England didn't actually exist as a political entity. Yeltensic42 don't panic 01:51, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Every US state has a capital, so why not every British state? Slumgum | yap | stalk | 02:00, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This question is discussed in some length at Talk:London#The Capital?. JackofOz 02:18, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
So it sounds like London isn't really the capital of England, it's just traditionally considered the capital. Yeltensic42 don't panic 07:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The answer to Slumgum's "why not" is that whereas each US state has its own government, England does not have its own government separate from the UK government. However, I say this is irrelevant. The UK government can pass laws and take other actions that apply only to England of it wants to, and I believe it sometimes does; and certainly it is located in London. That makes London the capital of England as well as the UK.
Of course, "London" in all this refers to the metropolis and not the City of London (see the article section on defining London). The government is actually in the City of Westminster, so if you really wanted to be picky you could say that Westminster is the capital both of England and of the UK. But nobody does that. --Anonymous, 01:15 UTC, March 23, 2006.
But Westminster is part of London (the county-level administrative area, not the City of London) so that still makes London the capital of the UK.
(Inserted) Sure; I did not mean to imply otherwise. --Anon, 05:40 UTC.
From what I can gather of that article, England has no official capital, but London is the de facto capital. Yeltensic42 don't panic 02:11, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

March 18

Board Game

I am looking for a game that I played about a month back. I dont remember what it was called but I thought someone here might know about it. Its a game where someone reads the begining of a saying and the other players guess the ending. The reader then reads the endings that all players wrote down and the real one. The players guess which one it the real answer. I know that there are 20 spaces on the board and each question starts off like: Theres an old German saying... or any other country/language you can think of. If anyone could help that would be great!! Zach 00:52, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds a little like Balderdash... —Keenan Pepper 03:06, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Nah, I dont think so, thats a different one. --70.39.37.218 03:45, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's not Balderdash (though it would make an interesting variation of it - one correct saying ending, several false ones, everyone guess which is the correct one). Can't help with what it is, though. Grutness...wha? 06:02, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds a bit like a version of Consequences to me. And that article suggests it might be Mad Libs, though the "old German saying" bit sounds a bit high-brow for Mad Libs. --Bth 09:46, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
On reflection, it doesn't sound like Consequences; I was getting mixed up with the "20 spaces" thing to think that they all flowed on from one another. --Bth 09:56, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ah ha!! I got it, thanks for everybodies help. It was Wise or Otherwise but all those other games look fun too. Zach 11:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

File Formats

Today I came across a file which I'm sure is a movie file, but came to me without an extension. Does anyone know of an easy way to determine it's original encoding? -Ridge Racer 01:02, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Uh... I just googled it and I found AVICodec. Try that one? ☢ Ҡiff 01:07, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Under any Unix, you can use file. --cesarb 01:12, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No such luck here (Windows), but thanks Kieff, I thought it was an mpeg and it turns out it was actually a wmv. -Ridge Racer 01:19, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Firefighting/Red Card

I am seeking to get my Red Card as soon as possible, so that I can fight fire in the west this summer. I understand that it is fairly easy to do and only requires two classes and a pack test. However, I live in Iowa and can't find classes offered close to me. Where in the closest place that I could take the tests and when?

This site looks to have some good information: [5] Rmhermen 03:09, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


Using Court Briefs as Resources

I was reading in the "reliable source" section that court transcripts pass the verifiablity test. The only source I could find for an alternative viewpoint for one of the Wiki pages was documentation for a Montana court case containing the briefs for the plaintiff (alternative viewpoint), the respondent (primary viewpoint) and the state supreme court’s ruling. My question is: Do court briefs and rulings like these pass the verifiability test or are they considered to be too opinionated? Can they be used as a reference? Thanks. Davecornell 05:49, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sure, the source only has to verify the statement that the point of view in question is held. As long as the presentation of the information here on Wikipedia is NPOV the sources can be biased as all get out. --Bth 09:53, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you say it as "so-and-so holds the opinion that...", then sure, that's fine. If you say "it's a known fact that..." followed by some wacky defense lawyer's dubious self-serving theory, then that would be very wrong. StuRat 01:57, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

firepaw.com

LISTEN UP, MORTAL FOOLS!. Tell me, what is the purpose of the website www.firepaw.com ??? It has nothing to do with firepaw.org, mind you. The site just has 1 page, and nothing else! . --antiestablishmentariansist

Looks like it could be a furry website under construction. Why on earth would we know? I've delinked your website in-case this a sneaky google-bomb attempt (since it has no merit as an actual question).  -- Run!  10:00, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

THANK YOU, THEN Now tell me what the purpose of something.com is! --antiestablishmentarianist

Someone's idea of a joke, probably thought up at 3am after a whole keg of beers. Next question.
And please stop writing in bold. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 13:10, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The guy created something.com and waits for people who want to buy something, like all trained sellers do. --DLL 21:27, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Inflatable Purple Unicorns

What was Wikipedia's 1,000,000th article? Who was Wikipedia's 1,000,000th registered user? --172.136.16.23 10:01, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jordanhill railway station. Not sure about the user.  -- Run!  10:07, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The millionth user was Romulus32, according to the Wikipedia Signpost. --Cadaeib 19:58, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmm, so that means most users write less than one article ? I've written many already, so I guess I can retire and draw a pension now. :-) 01:50, 19 March 2006 (UTC)
That depends - were you a registered user? Rmhermen 02:48, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, thanks for the info. --172.156.88.10 04:47, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

wolfs and dogs

Of the races of dogs that exist in the world which is the race that more looks like a wolf?

Domestic dogs, i assume. Well it's not an easy line to draw between "domestic dog" and "wild dog" (since some wolves are domesticated somewhere but are still considered dominated by wild instincts). I suggest starting with our Dog article and looking for pictures and links to websites with pictures.  -- Run!  14:42, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Wolfdog, Huskies, etc. Rmhermen 14:52, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

BTW, they are called breeds of dogs, not races. That way, we don't need to give any of them Affirmative Action benefits or other racial quotas. StuRat 01:45, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don't huskies have races? Pulling sledges? -- Slumgum | yap | stalk | 01:48, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They do, at least until Susan Butchers them for pulling too slowly. StuRat 03:54, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See Iditarod. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:07, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are also wolf-dog hybrids, but their illegal in some states/counties/provinces. The Saarloos wolfhond is one of these. --antiestablishmentarianist


yes I was talking about breeds, sorry!!!

What are the possible CRM & KMS Integration applications?

Dear All,

My company is a CRM solutions provider company. We are looking for softwares that can be integrated with ours. This will be beneficial for both the companies.

For example we have integrated our Defect Tracking System with Perforce SCM. So as a result if a Perforce software is sold and people asks for a Defect Tracking software, our Defect Tracking Software will be a natural choice(along with some other vendors). The opposite also holds true.

Another example is whenever our software is sold a third party HTML editor gets sold because it's embedded in our solution.

We have other modules like Sales Force Automation, Marketing Automation, Customer Helpdesk, Employee Helpdesk, CRM Portals, Knowledge Management System, Asset Management, Mobile CRM etc.

It will be of great help if anybody can suggest me other possible integrations/embedding which will result in sales enquiries for the above modules whenever the other software is sold. Call Center,ERP are some of the common integration possibilities. Apart from these two please suggest other applications which are very popular and will result in adding value to our eCRM suite.

Thanks is advance for your time and help.

Best Regards Pat

Boy, have you got the wrong audience here. The people who are crazy enough to give answers to crazy people, are not business types. You need to find people in suits with 3-letter names stamped on their collective foreheads. --Zeizmic 15:25, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Zeizmic for your suggestion. But I thought this site is dedicated to everything and somebody out there will have the knowledge to answer this. Please don't comment if you don't have an answer. I cannot answer anything about earthquakes!

Regards Pat

Arm and Leg weights

I wanted to ask how heavy weights should I buy at the start for arms if I weight 60KG and second what are the advantages and disadvantages of using/wearing Weights all day, and taking them off at night. And how long would it take for me to get used to the new weight and be able to buy heavier weights and what would be the limit for a human body to build up from weights. I mean, I think it's not possible to wear about 3KG at start and then add 3 more, and more, I mean there has to be a limit, and what would it be?

You're pretty small, so get the lightest weights you can find. When they no longer seem heavy, move up to the next weight, and so on. StuRat 01:39, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A trainer I talked to strongly recommended against them with the thinking that they would place too much stress on the joints, etc, and may not give enough time for recovery. That is possible, so consider soreness, activity levels etc. Placing too much additional stress too quickly generally leads to injury, and overuse injuries can be a little slower and harder to notice. Think RSI. - Taxman Talk 19:52, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I would think that would be true of overdoing any form of exercise. In the case of wrist and ankle weights, they should most definitely not get the heaviest weights which will allow them to move, as that will seriously overtax their muscles. That is why I suggested the lightest weights they can find, initially. StuRat 22:49, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bubble gum

How is bubblegum distibuted throughout the world? For whom are they produced? Are there any gum factories or companies in Canada and if so who and where?

1) On the soles of people's shoes, mostly. But also by more conventional means. 2) People who like chewing. 3) Try searching for it, looks like Wrigley Company has a factory in Canada somewhere. --BluePlatypus 22:07, 18 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

why are you asking? just curious.

congressmen edits

i have found the specific edits on meehan and am looking for more. any links or suggestions? thanks


thanks, i did check it out before. how do i sort through it? and how do i know who altered it (staffers)? i was just wondering if there was a shortcut

All we have are the IP addresses (the sets of four numbers) which correspond with what their internet service provider (ISP) has assigned them. So we can see that most of them are through Congress because that is what their ISP has listed those particular edits as being, and apparently we can even tell which branch of Congress it is. Other than that... no easy way to know unless they identify themselves. If you go down to the "Senate" section of the list you'll see that some of them are fairly well annotated for what they have done, if you click on the "contribs" next to the IP address it will show you all of their edits. Hope that helps. --Fastfission 21:47, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

March 19

boldersgate searies

Do you know when the games of the rest of the searies comming out for playstation 2

Do you mean the Baldur's Gate series ? That article contains a link to their web site (at the bottom). Try looking there. StuRat 03:22, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Corporate Mergers and Buyouts

What happens to a person if they get terminated from a company, get a new job, and later the company they work for now is bought or merged with the company that they got terminated from?

That would be up to the new owners. --Anon, 06:01 UTC, March 19, 2006.
I would think it would be unlikely they would be fired again, because of the former firing, at any rate. An exception might be made if they were caught engaging in seriously unethical behavior, like stealing from the former company. Then again, in large companies nobody may even notice that a new employee from a merger is a formerly fired employee. StuRat 13:53, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Living World Two Vets.

Can you tell me how many World War 2 vets are still living. Also how many of these vets live in Indiana.

Thanks

Tom

This suggests there's currently about 3.45m veterans living in the US (by the US defintion of 'veteran', at least). Indiana has about 2.1% of the US population... about 70-75,000 veterans in Indiana, assuming reasonable distribution across the country. Shimgray | talk | 17:22, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This picture: real?

Do you think that this picture is real? : http://www.ratemypoo.com/ratemy/poo?image=239282 --Slim Shady

Geez, thanks for making me look at that ! Yes, I think it's real, but the bottle may be smaller than you think, perhaps an airline or minibar beer bottle. StuRat 13:47, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
WARNING: PICTURE CONTAINS FECES!

places of tourist intrest in Russia

I would like to kno of plcesof toursit interest in Russia, especially those not too far from Moscow

Thanks ^^^ http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2789206-cat-Tourist+Attractions+&+Sightseeing-moscow_things_to_do-i

British Sailing Ship Aquitania

Does anybody know the following information about the SS Aquitania?

1. How long was it docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1918? 2. Where was it en-route to? 3. Did any passengers die on board ship? 4. If so, what of, and what are their names?

Also, can anyone dig up some passenger lists for the trip from Liverpool, UK, which docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Novemeber 28th, 1918?

I'm asking because my great-grandfather was on it, and would like to know what happened to him.

Thanks a lot if you can help CCLemon 07:02, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well so far the only person I could find on it was Kenneth Gerald Freeman. Also after some searching I got this from the University of Livepool. The Cunard archives are not available but it gives a couple of links that might be able to help. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:01, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Graphics glitches.

A friend of mine runs a copy of Far Cry on his PC. The graphics card is quite good and modern; it runs Unreal Tournament 2004 at 50fps and above, runs Photoshop just fine, etc. However, in Far Cry, there are often large patches of black replacing textures -- at some points, the green ground will be replaced by a large square of black, and stays there during movement, even though the blades of grass, dead bodies, etc appear above it normally.

A seperate question: his PC also randomly turns itself off quite suddenly. There's just the PC and monitor plugged into the powerpoint, the house is new and can handle the electricity recquired, and the case and components are room temperature or cooler when it happens. Aside from a bad power supply unit, what could be wrong?

Thanks to any who respond.

His PC's power settings may be set to turn the PC off after a certain amount of time. Check Control Panel -> battery settings (i think that's what it is in English). As far as the other problem goes, i can't help you there. CCLemon 07:59, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Make sure all drivers are updated. I was gonna say it might be an overheating issue, but if it's just happening in that one game, it's probably just a game-specific bug. Some games just don't work well with certain graphics cards :-P Cyde Weys 08:01, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Those problems with the graphics are quite common...i think they are called artifacts....If your graphics card is overclocked or if its clock speed is not high enough....it causes that problem... tell your friend to test it on another graphics card... And for the other problem.... there might be something wrong with the SNPS of the computer.... or just check the power settings of the computer....Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 09:23, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As for the restarting thing, I assume it's the PSU (power supply unit). So you should start by swapping that for a verified working one. If you've already tried that, try changing the memory (if there are two sticks of RAM remove one at a time and see if that solves it, and if it doesn't try it with fresh working memory). And if that doesn't work, try unplugging all unnecessary stuff - sound cards, non-vital drives, network cards etc. to see if you can narrow down the problem to one thing. If it's not that, it might be the processor - try changing that. Past that it's probably a motherboard problem, at which point you are stuck. Of course, the problem with this method is that you need a friend with a lot of spare PC bits. Sum0 21:40, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Non-specific facts!

Hi, I would be greatfull if someone could help me with the following - I work as an Inventory Controller in a large warehouse. One of my collegues has sent me a mail asking if it would be ok to store some equipment in the warehouse. They have stated that the total volume of the equipment is 191.25 CDM. What does CDM mean?

I don't wont to show my ignorance by asking my collegue. Please advice. Thanks. -- Brian

It means cubic decimetre. One cubic decimetre is the same as one litre. ☢ Ҡiff 16:38, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You shouldn't be so embarrassed to ask your colleague. After he answered you would just reply "Oh, we don't use that measurement, we use...", and he should understand your confusion. StuRat 17:54, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And besides, according to the SI standard, the proper symbol for cubic decimeters is dm with a superscript 3: dm³. I've never seen CDM used before (though I'm not surprised if there are people somewhere who use it regularly), so I'm not surprised if you haven't either. --Anonymous, 19:28 UTC, March 19, 2006.
Supporting the foregoing comment, the Acronym Finder has 60 meanings for "CDM", with 199 more in the Acronym Attic, and not one of those is "cubic decimeters". The Acronym Finder isn't perfect, but something not listed is probably not in widespread use. JamesMLane t c 22:38, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would be seriously concerned about the insurance issue of storing your colleague's stuff at your (employer's?) warehouse. If there is a fire, theft etc., or if the material is hazardous and causes damage, who is liable? Not a situation I would want to get into.

Villians from Sitcoms

Do you know of any villians from sitcoms like "Malcolm In The Middle" and "Friends"?

Well, Malcolm's brother Reese frequently plays the villain, at least from Malcolm's POV, but not always. StuRat 19:45, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Lois and Craig are much worse. IMO. -- Slumgum | yap | stalk | 20:23, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, they don't try to intentionally make Malcolm's life miserable, but Reese does. StuRat 22:54, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Friends, being a sitcom filled with siny happy people holding hands, only has two characters that come anywhere close to being villains: Mr. Heckles, the downstairs neighbour in the early seasons; and Ursula Buffay, Phoebe's twin sister. Other than that, the only people that act "villanous" are usually unnamed bit parts in single episodes. Also, from Ross's perspective, Susan Bunch, his ex-wife Carol's lesbian life partner, is somewhat of a villain. Under a very, very loose definition of the term villain, you can include Eddie, the crazy guy who moved in with Chandler when Joey moved out; Janice, Chandler's ex-girlfriend who annoys everyone immesurably; and Mark, the person basically responsible for Ross and Rachel breaking up. If you want a sitcom where there's plenty of villains to choose from, try Seinfeld. --Aramգուտանգ 21:13, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
On Seinfeld, the main group of friends are arguably villains. Yeltensic42 don't panic 01:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And while on Seinfeld, don't forget Newman. StuRat 22:54, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hello...Newman. Yeltensic42 don't panic 02:58, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Another Seinfeld character that might be classified as a villain is "Crazy" Joe Davola. --andrewpaull 23:05, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


Other villains on Malcolm in the Middle were Lavernia (Francis's boss when he lived in Alaska) and Victor and Ida (Lois's parents). --Metropolitan90 23:58, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And Commandant Spangler, from the military school. StuRat 03:32, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What are the best American colleges for Political Science?

I mean, I've been asking everyone, yknow.

The whole list is in this section. --DLL 19:44, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Historical British Army Ranks

Re: Staff Sergeant Major

I am unable to find any mention of the above noted rank in any of your web pages.

I understand the rank did exist at Sandhurst and persons so appointed were 'instructors of instructors.'

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently appointed a number of people to the rank once again as at one time that organization did have 'staff sergeant majors.'

I would appreciate any information which may be forthcoming in the above regard.

Thank you. Alan --Ernestalan 19:30, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sleep Naked

Why some people go to sleep naked?

Why would anyone wear clothes in bed? Notinasnaid 20:37, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's hard to find good pajamas for adults, at least in the US, and wearing day clothes is uncomfortable. —Keenan Pepper 21:25, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
So they can be ready to answer the door. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:35, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
.... or knock on the door ... JackofOz 00:42, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What? —Keenan Pepper 00:52, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That was a slightly salacious reference to what adults do in bed with each other when they're naked. I'm sure you can work it out. JackofOz 00:56, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Seems like a facetious question. ("Facetious" in this case from its etymological roots: "having more than one facet ... two-faced ... duplicitous ... not entirely forthright ... bogus" (but also with the more modern implications: "impish, prankish, etc").
One obvious retort would be: why do some/many people bathe in the nude? (obviously because this is a situation in which any clothing would just get in the way). More generally there are some people who don't feel compelled to wear clothing in the privacy of their own bed, bath, or perhaps in their homes in general. Of course there are people who consider most clothing to be an unnatural affectation ... and artifact of our culture. (They often call themselves naturists; while others often refer to them as "nudists"). For some this is a political, social or spiritual matter. For others it's a simple matter of pragmatism. (For example a couple who are intimate may prefer to sleep in the nude simply because it affords them more opportunity for spontaneous indulgence in their sexual relations; in counterpoint the "nightie, and especially the babydoll is primarily an erotic garment). Another question one might ask would be: what purposes are served by pajamas, night gowns or other bed clothes? Obvious answers might include: supplemental insulation (for colder climes or seasons), insulation for any midnight trips to the lavatory or for during midnight snacks, insurance of the ability to rapidly answer the door or flee during fire or other emergency, absorbence of perspiration (keeping the sheets and blankets cleaner?), and, of course personal preference and habit. Of course many of those purposes can be readily served by simply keeping a robe and slippers within arm's reach of the bed. Ultimately the choice of bed time attire is mostly dictated by custom, habit and personal preference. Our culture plays a dominant role in how our parents were raised, and in turn how the raise us ... and this forms he basis for many of our habits and prejudices (preferences). When I answer a question like this I really try to show how much of the answer is already covered by existing WP articles. JimD 01:31, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The main reason (for me) is because I find it more comfortable. Thryduulf 01:46, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"If God had meant for us to be nudists, we all would have been born buck naked." StuRat 02:04, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Was King Arthur Real?

Hi, I'm doing a report for my PRE.AP. English class on an Unsolved Mystery. And I have chosen the topic 'Was King Arthur Real', and I was looking on this site for any information to that subject, and came up empty handed. And so, I was wondering if there was anything on here or on another web site that could be helpful to my report, could you please e-mail me the web site name or link? That would be so much help! Thanks for your time! -K.C.

The far-too-clever answer is to turn in a paper saying "No, Arthur, Prince of Wales died before he became king". But what you want, I think, is our article on the historical basis for King Arthur. Shimgray | talk | 21:31, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You may also want to try reading Geoffrey Ashe's books. He's a very entertaining writer, and knows his stuff. Try The Discovery of King Arthur. 64.198.112.210 21:02, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not to offer to do your homework for you, but this is one of my favorite topics, and I'm willing to help you research if you get stuck. And supposedly, Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britian has quite a bit of history behind all the fantasy. DuctapeDaredevil 21:04, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Alzheimer's disease

Can anyone tell me if Alzheimers is an Hereditary Condition, — Preceding unsigned comment added by Phldcksy (talkcontribs)

There seems to be some genetic component - see Alzheimer's disease. --Robert Merkel 22:34, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Stroblianthus dyerianus

What climate type is Strobilanthus dyerianus found?

Sure you don't mean Strobilanthes dyerianus, with an E? —Keenan Pepper 22:46, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Strobilanthes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And from the latter link : "Persian Shield grows best outdoors in USDA zones 9 and 10 (e.g. : Texas, Florida, California), although it can survive in other zones as a houseplant." --DLL 19:40, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Free Web Hosting

What is the best free web hosting out there? I like Freewebs but I have a problem with loading every individual file from my site.--154.20.89.16 23:14, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Armour Institute Chicago

In researching my great uncle, Rev. William Alvin Bartlett, who was Pastor of Plymouth Church in Chicago during the great fire, one of his church members was Joseph Armour. He was called from Chicago to Washington D.C.

In his final sermon,November 11, 1894 from The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C. Dr. Bartlett spoke:

"With Joseph Armour I spied out the ground and laid the foundation for what is today the great Armour Institute. We selected the site on the prarie, as it then was, for a mission of Plymouth Church; but Mr. Armour delayed deeding the property until he began to get other conceptions; and at his death, he committed the work to his brother, who has carried it on to its present magnificent proportions.

Could this appear anywhere in Wikipedia? The web sites give credit another minister.

Article donation

I was wondering, how do I donate an article and what are the requirements?

--72.197.201.129 23:59, 19 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't really "donate" articles...you just write them! Don't cut and paste content from copyrighted webpages. Donate your time to write quality articles on any topic you like - as long as it's notable, and presented in a neutral fashion. To start off, just type in the article name in the search box to your left, and then follow the instructions that show up on the screen. Somewhere at the top of the screen it would say "edit this page" or "create an article". Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, feel free to come back, or drop by my talk page! --HappyCamper 00:01, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

March 20

continuation of "article donation" question

It doesn't say "Create an article" at the top of the screen, and I don't see how editing an existing article would go toward contributing a new one. Please clarify.

--Aleph1.0 00:15, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Once you have a title use the search box to look and see if the article already exsists. If not then again using the search box click on "Go" at the top will be a read link that will allow you to create the article with the title you choose. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:26, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In the long run editing an article may help to create a new on. If you look at somthing like Montreal you will see that it's a large article. As you scroll down there is a link to History of Montreal. The Montreal article has been added to and got so large that a new article History of Montreal was created. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:31, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
BTW, it's "red", not "read". Freudian slip? Slumgum | yap | stalk | 00:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, a purple link is a read link. :-) StuRat 01:59, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I've been suitly emphazi. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:35, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's "read" in Old English. --BluePlatypus 16:08, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can blind people jump?

This is a question that has been bugging me for a while: are congenitally completely blind people capable of successfully jumping horizontally, for example across a stream? It seems to me that visual-spatial coordination would be vital to such a task, and so I don't know if a blind person would possess the ability to do make the jump. --jp3z 00:28, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure someone would physically be able to do it, but judging the distance and how (and when) to land would be very difficult.
Slumgum | yap | stalk | 00:35, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course they are capable of jumping. They might not have the accuracy of a seeing person, but they can do it. The only cases where a blind person wouldn't be able to jump would be if they couldn't use their legs or something like that.

In short, the ability to see is independent of the ability to use your legs, and vice versa, so the blind people that retain control of their legs can jump.--Aleph1.0 00:39, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The question was if they could "successfully" jump. It would seem that anyone could perform some quick and very inexpensive experiments by simply trying to jump across some small innocuous obstacles with one's eyes closed (or wearing blindfolds). Obviously gauging distance and landing surface would be difficult (or impossible) and it's possible that maintaining balance on landing might also pose additional challenges. Of course a congenitally blinding person might be able to fare better than a sighted person who was blindfolded. They have considerably more experience maintaining their balance without visual cues which most of us take for granted. JimD 01:46, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Paralympics includes a long jump and triple jump for blind athletes and a high jump for athletes with limited vision. So yes, blind people can jump. Unless they're white :). -- Mwalcoff 01:57, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Animals in Asia

An animal that is reputed to commit mass suicide by running headlong off cliffs (minglem)

Are you thinking of Lemmings? -- Slumgum | yap | stalk | 00:38, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why would they run headlong off cliffs? I think that only suicidal humans, flying squirrels, birds, and other animals that can fly would run off cliffs.

Lemmings don't really run off cliffs, it's a persistent myth. Yeltensic42 don't panic 01:27, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It was once a delicious video game. Our article states : "Lemmings are very delicate creatures and will die under any of the following conditions. They will die if they :
  • Fall down from too great a height.
  • Fall off the map.
  • Walk into water, lava, or slime.
  • Step into a trap, such as a spring-loaded trap, compressor, etc.
  • Are ordered to explode." --DLL 18:49, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Never in my life have I ever been able to get past the first level of that game—my friends haven't either. Kilo-Lima|(talk) 18:55, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
All you do is command any one of the Lemmings to dig. It doesn't matter where, or which one. It only takes one command.

Disney made one of their nature documentaries about them and when they found out lemmings don't jump off cliffs they pushed!hotclaws**==

actor

is there an actor whose every film (and stage performance if any) have been a success? thanks

Impossible to answer without a particular definition of "success". Getting all ones lines right, critical acclaim, film/play makes a profit, film/play is a blockbuster? Anyone with one acting credit to their name could conceivably fit this bill in some way or another. --Canley 01:59, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I suspect this would only be true of people with very small numbers of films, too. James Dean might be a possibility, for instance. Grutness...wha? 06:37, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well i know one actor in tamil.Suraj vas 10:08, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't count The Godfather Part III (in which he appeared in archive footage), every one of John Cazale's films was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Not sure if his stage career was quite as exceptional. -Wiccan Quagga 08:54, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Real Estate: Needing Assistance. Thank You!

Ref: Real Estate Property

What is the difference between the two (last 6 words)............

DEFAULT BY SELLER: If the Seller fails to perform any of the covenants of this contract, the aforesaid money paid by the Buyer, at the option of the buyer, shall be returned to the Buyer on demand; or the Buyer shall have "ONLY THE RIGHT OF SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE"

and........."THE RIGHT OF SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE?" Thank You!

A Google search on the terms: "specific peformance," law and "real estate" (quoted as indicated) provides a wealth of explanations to this principle. The gist of it: this clause limits the buyer from suing for damages (monetary compensation) and allows only for any suit to require the seller to perform whatever duties were spelled out in the provisions of the contract. In other words if I were the seller and there were some clause that regarding a termite inspection or tenting and extermination ... and I failed to provide those ... you could sue to require me to perform those but you couldn't pay someone to do it and then sue me for damages. Of course you should really discuss any legal questions with a qualified attorney ... one who is a specialist in your locality and in the branch of law at hand (real estate in this case). JimD 02:02, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

College Tuition Statistics

Hello, I was wondering if it would be possible to get infomation on specific college tuition fees since 1996 (what the average student was paying each year). I will be making a scatter plot with these costs. I need the information for Rhode Island School of Design, and Parsons School of Design. It would be great if you could provide me with that infomation. Thank you for your time.

Can't get it online, but find a high school guidance counselor who keeps back copies of the annual college review books. alteripse 02:06, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sports Facts

What was the origial meaning of the letter E in ESPN??

It spells it out on the first line of the ESPN article. Dismas|(talk) 03:41, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Linking to pages

I recently linked to a page on the Wikipedia iPod page. The link was extremely relevant and has very high quality information, even if it is my own site. I recently got a letter from a user and had the link deleted saying that I can't use Wikipedia to post commercial links. In no way is my site for commercial purposes. The goal of the site is to help iPod users, especially in converting DVDs. The site functions well and is updated almost constantly. It is perfectly relevant and has very high-quality content, so I encourage you to take a look and see if the claim I make is true (I am very confident). I just want to know whether I should re-post the link or keep it off. Thank you, andsorry for the rambling.

--ekozie

The best thing to do is ask first on Talk:iPod. If no one objects, go ahead and add it. Superm401 - Talk 04:31, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Getting Developer Attention

Got any ideas on how to get a Dev to look at Approved requests for new languages? About a dozen languages have been approved, and the Norman test-Wiki has well over 100 articles already (more than nearly half of our actual Wikipedias). No new wikipedias have been created in several months, however. The Jade Knight 03:52, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You could try asking at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). Superm401 - Talk 04:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

highest score

What is the highest individual points scored in a regulation game of basketball at any level? And by who? When? Im in ur house 04:26, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Supposedly, 13-year-old Mats Wermelin scored 272 points in a 272-0 Swedish basketball game in 1974. John Barber is said to have scored 188 points for Los Angeles State in a 206-82 win over Chapman College Junior Varsity in 1953. Erman Kunter of Fenerbahce Istanbul in Turkey is reputed to have scored 153 points in a 175-99 defeat of Hilalspor Izmir in 1988. But the record I'd trust is Danny Heater's famous 135-point performance for Burnsville High in West Virginia against Widen in 1960 [6].
And for the U.S. NBA, it was Wilt Chamberlain with just 100 points. Dismas|(talk) 06:52, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Note that being a good player is not the only factor that goes into scoring lots of points. Other important factors include an opposing team incapable of mounting any true opposition and the player's teammates willingness to pass him the ball for each shot rather than take the shot themselves. StuRat 14:42, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How may i contact.

This man wrote a article on your site, about Henry hill, the gangster, who was a F.B.I. informant in the 50's and 60's, new york. The man who wrote this article his name is: Jonathan Dunder, who I am assuming may work for the Wikipedia Foundation.Please help with any information u could help me with, would like to contact this gentlemen, so that possibly he may be able to help me to contact mr. Henry Hill, for a interview. Thank You. Mr. Bruce McGlasson.

Well looking at the history of Henry Hill it appears that the original article was by User:AntonioMartin so I suggest that you contact him at User talk:AntonioMartin. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:39, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

a lot of people helped write that article. Intiguing thing is that there is no User:Jonathan Dunder - so presumably that's the real name of someone here with a user name. If so, you could either leave a note on that person's User talk page or go to his user page then click on the "email this user" link in the toolbox at the side of the page. Grutness...wha? 06:48, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Henry Hill is in the witness protection program so it is doubtful if you can get an interview, though Nicholas Pileggi did & wrote a book about him. You might try asking the F.B.I. to pass along any request for an interview. AllanHainey 12:16, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No he's not. He was, but not any longer. From what I've heard, he spends a lot of time in Europe, to keep away from folks that might want to harm him, even though his cadre of crime assosicates are now mostly deceased.Brian Schlosser42 21:36, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

File links

Hi there,

i was browsing an article and noticed that there were currently no pictures of the area that i was looking at. I decided to create and account and upload my own photo of the place. I released the photo into the public domain but i dont know how to edit the article to include my photo.

cheers Harry

See Wikipedia:Picture tutorial. Dismas|(talk) 06:53, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Nice picture! If you'd like more help than the tutorial Dismas pointed you at can provide, feel free to ask. —Steve Summit (talk) 17:39, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It must be very easy but please Steve explain to me how did you find the pic ? Give details! --DLL 18:25, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'll hazard a guess that he selected the "Page history" link, went back far enough to find that the query was added in this edit by User:Lost Soul, then checked that user's contribution list. And, yes, it is a nice picture. JamesMLane t c 22:54, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Homosexuality

Please answer these questions only if you are a Christian, or if you're not, then answer them in the Christian point of view.

1.When you Christians say that homosexuality is morally wrong, are you saying or do you mean that it is wrong for a person to fall in love with someone of his or her same gender?

2.If homosexuality is wrong and a person is homosexual(whether that person knows Jesus or not), then what should he or she do about it?

3.What causes homosexuality?

4.I've heard that homosexuality is(probably) caused by one's genes and/or by chemicals in one's brain called hormones or pheromones.If homosexuality really is bad and it is determined by one's personal choice, then what do you have to say about that?

5.I've heard that homosexuality exists not only in humans but also in animals.(If you don't believe, then see Homosexuality_in_animals#Homosexual_behaviour.)If homosexuality is just like what Christinas believe, then what do you have to say about that?

User:Bowei 07:00, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not a Christian, but you might find some answers to your questions in the articles: Religion and sexual orientation, Homosexuality and Christianity and Homosexuality. --Canley 07:42, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
While I cannot speak for all Christians (and no one here can), I will do my best to try to provide some speculative answers:
  1. Part of the difficulty in answering this question is that "love" is a word in the English language with many meanings. Some Christians may feel that it is wrong to "fall in love" romantically with other men, but others may feel that it is only sexual acts, and by extension, sexual desire between men that is wrong. I believe that the only passages in the Bible condemning homosexuality speak of the sexual act, and don't enter into feelings.
  2. This question is even more complex. If an individual is homosexual but desires to be heterosexual, there are many things one can attempt. Some of the difficulties with this issue are related to the following question, but the article on Ex-gay may be helpful. However, please be aware that this is a very controversial subject, particularly among homosexuals.
  3. This topic is also one of great controversy. Some argue that the cause is genetic or biological in nature, while others believe that it is caused by psychological trauma or disturbances, or some other sociological cause. It is clear that in some cultures, at least, homosexuality is sociological in nature, but the debate continues to rage on—psychologists tend to argue that homosexuality is psychological, geneticists tend to argue that it is genetic, and sociologists tend to argue that it is social in origin. I highly recommend you take a good look at the article on Homosexuality for a better overview. Most Christians who oppose homosexuality (not all do!) would likely, I expect, insist that it is psychological or social in nature.
  4. Once again, it is a controversial subject. Some hold that it is chemical or genetic, but there is no consensus. I'm not really sure how to answer your question, however. You might find this link amusing, however.
  5. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "what do you have to say about that". Certainly some species engage in homosexuality. However, if one believes in evolution (many Christians don't), it should be clear that homosexuality is not an evolutionarily advantageous trait, and if it is genetic in animals, the gene should in theory die out among species (bisexuality in animals is potentially a different matter), leading one to expect that a non-genetic cause may be likely (consider the linked article above).
I hope you found this helpful. The Jade Knight 07:51, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Evolution is not that simple.:) Markyour words 13:13, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Attempting to answer from a Christian point of view: question 5 is simply irrelevant. Doubtless examples of behaviour people might describe as homosexuality can be found among animals. Examples can also be found among animals of behaviour that might be described as (from a longer list): compassion; murder; self-sacrifice; rape. Christians simply do not base their behaviour and beliefs, and ideas of what is right and wrong, on what animals can be observed to be doing. Notinasnaid 12:24, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • you Christians say that homosexuality is morally wrong is a very inaccurate generalisation. I suspect most Christians in Europe would not say that. Markyour words 13:13, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The Bible most definitely condemns homosexual acts. However, it also appears to support slavery, the subjugation of women, killing children, and genocide, so we can't put much stock in what the Bible says. It's essentially just a record of what the men of the time thought was moral, not an absolute guide to morality. StuRat 14:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Many people would say that homosexuality is not morally wrong, but against what the bible instructs, that is for people to 1. love. and 2. procreate. Although this is what the bible teaches, many Christians are against this as homosexuality is still seen as the purpose of loving, just not procreation, and many married couples do not procreate.--Ali K 14:40, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May I suggest you read the Bible? Leviticus, chapter 18, verse 22, clearly answers the question of right or wrong. Cynics will suggest the Bible is outdated and lacks the understanding of todays problems. I take the view that it is a guidebook to lifes questions and you must apply what you learn. Prayer, meditation and seeking the consul of a minister help you interpret what may seem confusing advice. Many people attempt to twist or deliberately misinterpret the writings of the Good Book to meet their individual goals or agenda. On this question though, it is clearly written and unmistakable...homosexuality is wrong and is an abomination in the Lord's eyes. We should not shun or deliberately harm these people, but neither should we encourage or approve of their lifestyle. The media seems to love this subject. The controversial and taboo subjects arouse curiosity from the straight and gay population, attracting more viewers and increasing ad rates. The more we fall prey to this, the more we encourage them to put this garbage on TV. The answers to this and other problems can be found in the Bible. When one takes the time to read, one can learn a great deal about life.

He's right you know, I never thought much of fistfucking until the day I read that wonderful passage in Song of Songs: "My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him." David Sneek 21:21, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
May I suggest that if you want to use the Bible to justify your hate, that you can't pick and choose which verses you like. In Deuteronomy, chapter 22, verses 13 through 21, we see that if a woman is not a virgin at the time of marriage, she must be stoned to death. Then there's that whole thing in 2 Kings, chapter 2, verses 23 and 24, where God sends a couple bears to kill 42 children, some of whom called Elisha "Baldy." So yeah, if some kids make fun of you, by all means, sic a wild animal or two on 'em. I'll live my life without relying on a book of fairy tales, thanks. --LarryMac 16:41, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I understand that this is emotive stuff, but let's try and keep it Wikipedia:civil. — Matt Crypto 16:46, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And if you, or your priest, are going to pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe, only selecting those parts which support your world view, why use the Bible at all ? Just figure out what you believe to be right and go with it. StuRat 16:57, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I will not attempt to justify my prior response, but I will point out that the original questioner has somewhat of a history of posting "questions" that some might consider prosyletizing or even trolling. Even attempting to dictate who can answer this question, or what POV is required when answering is questionable. --LarryMac 17:33, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In answer to question 3, conservative Christians might point to Romans 1:18-27, which suggests that God "gave [people] over to shameful lusts", because they "neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him", and that they engaged in idolatry. — Matt Crypto 16:46, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

IANAD (doctor of faith), but can give there a Christian (catholic) POV : "Persona Humana - Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics
"At the present time there are those who, basing themselves on observations in the psychological order, have begun to judge indulgently, and even to excuse completely, homosexual relations between certain people. This they do in opposition to the constant teaching of the Magisterium and to the moral sense of the Christian people.
A distinction is drawn, and it seems with some reason, between homosexuals whose tendency comes from a false education, from a lack of normal sexual development, from habit, from bad example, or from other similar causes, and is transitory or at least not incurable; and homosexuals who are definitively such because of some kind of innate instinct or a pathological constitution judged to be incurable.
In regard to this second category of subjects, some people conclude that their tendency is so natural that it justifies, &c. ..." [7] (Vatican site.)
Only the magisterium (autority of the Church) is invoked, not the Book which is recognised as what it is : not fairy tales, nor history, nor moral dogma, our best souvenir. As to homosexuals, they divide between the incurable and the evil. When did they put those rules (plenty of fathers were neoplatonists) ? What if people listened to that ? See also Wikipedia articles about such subjects. --DLL 18:19, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Homosexual men aren't all that different, they just prefer to think 'outside the box'." StuRat 21:54, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Isnt the goal of every species to keep on reproducing in order to keep their species alive? Shouldnt then humans stick to the natural method of achieving this, that is sticking to heterosexuality? Im in ur house 05:24, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That certainly is a goal, but not the only goal. If we were to forbid all activities that don't directly lead to reproduction we would ban most of human activity. Just keeping to sexual practices, this would ban:
  • Non-vaginal forms of sex.
  • Sex by women past the age of menopause.
  • Sex by the infertile.
  • Contraceptives.
  • Sex when the woman is in an infertile time of her monthly cycle.
  • Kissing.
StuRat 15:34, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Isnt the goal of every species to keep on reproducing in order to keep their species alive?" The Bible says to "go forth and multiply and fill the Earth". Of course, by now, with six billion of us roaming this planet, the Earth is quite full, thank you very much, and it is overpopulation that threatens our ability to keep our species alive, not failure to reproduce. Ground Zero | t 15:46, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Outlook Express error.

When I click FILE -> EXPORT -> MESSAGES in Outlook Express, I get the error An error occured while initialising MAPI. What could this mean, and how can I fix it? It's quite urgent.

I don't know what it means although I'm sure you'll get an answer soon. I've never found a reliable way to export messages using Outlook Express alone. I suggest you download a free copy of Mail Navigator from www.mailnavigator.com which will do the work for you. --Shantavira 14:14, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What format do you need to export into? Because if you just want to back up your entire mail store, then you need to go into your Outlook Express store directory (listed in one of the panes of Tools -> Options) and copy all the .pst files from there. If you need to back up one or two messages, you can open them (double-click) and then File -> Save As. Hope that helps. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:55, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I want to save all my messages, in the folders they're in, and put them into Outlook '97 instead of Outlook Express... how would I do that?

Venezuela Government Restrictions

Have the Venezuela Government seized bank accounts in Venezuela and placed restrictions on transferring funds into U S bank accounts? If so, what dollar amount can a person transfer from a Venezuela bank to a U S bank?

Thank tou for a prompt response.
I am not aware of any such actions from the Venezuelan Government, but could not tell you for sure. Consider the articles on United States-Venezuela relations, Economy of Venezuela, and Current political events of Venezuela. The Jade Knight 09:13, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Greatest Library

Hey Everybody

I was just wondering where the greatest library in the world, is to be found?

~Simon

See Some famous libraries. The largest academic library in the world would appear to be Widener Library. The Jade Knight 09:30, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The largest academic library system is Harvard's; however, several universities have single libraries larger the Widener. Rmhermen 21:15, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No way dude. Library of Congress all the way. Yoo Ess Ay! Yoo Ess Ay! —Keenan Pepper 13:20, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You Ass Ey? DirkvdM 13:46, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Suitly emphazi? Optichan 16:50, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
USA 64.198.112.210 20:53, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
[The Library of Congress] contains more than 130 million items, second only to the British Library (with over 150 million items). You boys have some catching up to do ;-) adamsan 21:06, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I vote Cambridge University Library, if only for its Orwellian architecture and ability to make students disappear. ;-) — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:51, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, making Tabs disappear is only right and proper. Markyour words 17:06, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You're just jealous because, because, erm, um, your library's tower isn't as tall and intimidating as ours! ;-) — QuantumEleven | (talk) 09:08, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The Bodleian Library at Oxford beats the lot. Hands down.G N Frykman 20:04, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Philip Cleife

I would like some information and the biography on author Philip Cleife (Tour de Force, Harper and Row Publishing, 1971). I have searched the net, unsuccesfully thus far. This is not for a homework or research project, just idle curiosity on my part. Thank you for your time and consideration--Jimgteague 15:26, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Which male species is able to get pregnant?

In WIKIPEDIA it states that a Sea Horse is one of the few male species that gets pregnant - I thought it was the only one. Could someone please state the others.

Where in Wikipedia does it state this? Have you looked at Male pregnancy? The Jade Knight 05:25, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It is stated in the opening paragraphs of the Seahorse article. --LarryMac 15:20, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

rediculously high cost long distance charges possible?

I've heard that there are some scams out there that trick you into calling a number for something, and by calling that number you are forced to pay like 20 dollars a minute (Canadian).

I'm wondering, is it possible to somehow make it so if you call a certain phone number or use a certain phone service you'd have to pay rediculously high charges? I'm talking like hundreds, or thousands of dollars a minute.

Yes, they can charge whatever rate they want, and some countries don't even require that you be notified of the amount and given a chance to decline before accruing charges. One variation on this scam is a virus you download which includes an autodialer program, which causes your computer to dial a number without your permission. If your computer ever starts dialing a number for no apparent reason, shut it down immediately, or at least pull the modem connection. However, at least in the US, you can notify your long distance carrier and say the charge is in dispute, and they won't cut off your phone service if you refuse to pay it. StuRat 17:43, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
One way that this sort of thing has been done as a scam is to use numbers that at actually international calls, but which the scammer hopes you won't recognize as international. For victims in the US and Canada, this most likely involves a call to one of the 15 or so Caribbean island countries and territories that are part of the North American numbering plan. They have area codes that look just like our ordinary ones and are dialed like an ordinary long-distance call, not like international calls to other countries. (Originally they all shared one area code, 809, but now they are all different.) You would expect the cost of the international call to go to the phone companies, but the scammers are working with them and getting a kickback for routing the calls to that country. Presumably it is also possible that you are calling a premium-rate number in the other country because you don't know what numbers would be premium there. --Anonymous, 22:55 UTC, March 20/06.
Ouch - that happened to me. I thought I was on my normal internet connection - actually I was connected to a number in Tuvalu. £1.50/min. Fortunately I realised before too long and the total bill was only about £40 but some people have had bills of £1,000 plus. So now I have a phone lock, which means I can only dial local numbers unless I unlock the phone first - so these auto-diallers cant do their stuff. Jameswilson 23:59, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I recommend using SpyBot to help prevent such attacks. The Jade Knight 05:22, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, and also AdAware. StuRat 15:39, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Model A production and distribution.

I am interested in any information that may be available as to the production of Ford Model A automobiles and if there exists a distribution list as to where certain models were sold and distributed.

Thank You

Bob Bethell <removed email, read top of page>

Design for yoga room

I'm interested in building plans for a room for yoga in my basement which is currently a 12 course high concrete block windowless area. Ideally it would be just large enough for one person to use and I would be able to disassembe it whenever I move it to a new house. Lighting, electric floor heating, ventilation and a some provision for storing a mat, meditation cushion and should be an integral part of the plan. Input appreciated. Because I live in a condo no structural alteration is possible. Looking forward to the responses. David,Pittsford, New York

Well, I wouldn't think you would need to do much. I assume the basement already has adequate lighting and the air temp is reasonable for yoga. Once thing that could be a problem is the cold floor, which might be quite a shock on bare feet. A throw rug would make it less of a shock, enough to get you from the door to the mats without too much pain. However, if you store the mats on the floor, they might get quite cold, too, and might get spiders and other insects on them.
I suggest you store them upstairs, where it's warm. If you insist on storing them in the basement, at least ensure that they are stored off the floor. Aiming one or more forced air electrical space heaters (electrical "fire", if your a Brit) at yourself could provide radiant heating. Be careful not to exceed the circuit limit, though, as those space heaters can be 1500 watts each.
Now for decor, how about some folding screens, perhaps with relaxing Oriental themes, to hide the ugly walls ? StuRat 22:27, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pixies and Burt Bacharach

have they ever dueted? And what songs have they done? Thanks 86.137.0.202 18:41, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Haha.. you're kidding, right? That'd be interesting to hear.. Frank Black screaming a dissonant love song over pretty piano chords? Ok, well at least as far as I know, the Pixies haven't ever collaborated with anyone, and I've got all their albums. (Although I think David Bowie wanted them to work with him) --BluePlatypus 19:19, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Actually they have dueted but the record is extremely rare. together they sang What the World Needs Now, i grant you it is strange to hear Frank Black singing it, but i suggest you check out [8], as i said it is a rare song and only seven sites came up for the seach. Kingstonjr 19:29, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Apparently, that was The Posies, on the Austin Powers soundtrack. --BluePlatypus 19:33, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Quote

I'd like to get some info added by someone who knows the answer. The quote "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance" is attributed all over the web to both Derek Bok and Andy McIntyre. There's plenty of info in Derek Bok as he is a faculty member at Harvard. There's nothing anywhere about Andy McIntyre - except the fact that the quote is attributed to him.

Who is Andy McIntyre?

Does the quote belong to him or Derek Bok?

What's the reference?

Does anyone know?

New article wont appear when searched.

I have created an article about a band called The Boxer Rebellion - but when I search for it using the search toolbar I just get a list of links that arent related to the band page that Ive created.

Why is this?

How do I make the page appear top of a searrch list?

Thanks! —This unsigned comment was added by 82.4.45.157 (talkcontribs) 20:28, March 20, 2006 (UTC).

This kind of question should probably be on the Help desk, but I'll shoot off a quick answer anyway: The Wikipedia searchable index (which you're looking at when you search for an article) takes some time to update, usually one or two weeks (Wikipedia is big!). Be patient - soon your article will appear on the list when you search for "The Boxer Rebellion". Google also indexes Wikipedia, and is sometimes a bit faster - on the order of a week is average (search Wikipedia through Google). — QuantumEleven | (talk) 19:36, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I take it the band is named after the Boxer Rebellion, which was a revolt by the Chinese against the colonial powers whereby they finally earned the right to wear either briefs or boxers. :-) StuRat 22:05, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thomas Willhite, PSI Seminars

I've taken numerous PSI Seminars and would like to find more than just the company line on Thomas Willhite, the starter of PSI Seminars. I know some info on him, that he trained with Werner Erhardt in Mind Dynamics and he was from Milwaukee and started PSI in Cali. i know he died at a relatively young age in a plane accident on his ranch, and it's now run by his wife, Jane Willhite, his daughter Janessa Willhite and i know he has a son, tho i've never heard his name mentioned. i'd really like to know more about him, like your article on Werner Erhard was very helpful

thanks --146.137.57.34 20:04, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


transportation

I understand that each state has free transportation available for those people who have limited or no income. How do I find out about this in north Georgia? Thank you. diane farrel

This is different for every community on the planet. Your best bet is check the local office that does social assistance. Every town has something like this. --Zeizmic 20:59, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you are in the US, then try asking at the welfare office or unemployment office. You could also call a local bus company. If you are in the former Soviet country of Georgia, I can't help you. StuRat 21:59, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's common for rural and exurban counties without the population density for a real bus system to have a "demand-response" transit system. Basically, that means you call them up ahead of time, schedule a ride, pay them maybe a dollar or two, and they take you where you need to go. You can try calling your county's department of transportation. -- Mwalcoff 00:42, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hal Holbrook

I'm trying to contact Hal Holbrook. I have a web lite I'd like him to see. He is a great Mark Twain enthusiast and I'm sure he could be of help to me.If you could help me or point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it. Thank You, John

Bad habits

Anyone got tips on how to rid yourself of a bad habit? In particular, chewing your parts of your body until they bleed. 64.198.112.210 20:45, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sadly, compulsive destructive behaviour (such as smoking) comes from low levels or imbalances in neurotransmitters. Two most important for human behaviour are serotonin and vasopressin. You can stop mild bad habits by a will-power or the yucky bitter stuff, but you can't stop a serious problem. For that you need some help from your doctor on the brain chemical aspect. --Zeizmic 20:56, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe reading the article on self-harm might help. The article has a couple of links to other websites, too. Lupo 21:04, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
SSRIs are pretty good for this kinda thing. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:16, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Find out why you do it first.I cut myself for years til I figured out why,then I could deal with it and stop.hotclaws**==

Ice Cream

How is Chapmans ice cream distributed and where do they distribute to?(What countries, cites etc.)

Hm. Google was not of much help. I suspect you could email them that question and get a pretty good answer.--inksT 21:28, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ice cream is unlikely to be exported from one country to another. (Keeping it frozen would be unnecessarily expensive.) But it might well be made locally under that name. --Shantavira 12:58, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

sports

Hello my faithful Reference Deskers, I have a question about soccer referees. What's the name of that woman who refereed games in the English football league? I think her name was Wendy something, but I'm not sure. I believe she used to do quite a bit of refereeing in the Conference, and was an assistant referee for a few professional games. Any helpers? Thanks so much --Dangherous 21:12, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Andi Regan? David Sneek 21:29, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wendy Toms.
Slumgum | yap | stalk | 22:27, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Technika

hi there i own a technika dvd2005 dvd recorder and i ma trying to register it however I am faced with a list of brands and technika is not there, the place i am doing this is an official site and was suggested by the actual hardware yet the brand name is not in the list. i can only assume that some other company owns or manufactures technika, plaese help. 86.137.0.202 21:18, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the site that was suggested? Notinasnaid 21:23, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It was to register the product with DivX V.O.D. 9video on demand) so its at www.DivX.com/vod

NCAA Basketball Question!!!!!!!!!!!! Michigan State RIVAL?ASAP

??? Ililnois? --WoodscutterAveries 23:10, 20 March 2006 (UTC) anyone else of note??? thanks asazP![reply]

ASAP, eh? This wouldn't be for a pub quiz would it?  -- Run!  23:21, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I need to know

I'm not sure what your question is, but the article on Michigan State University might be helpful, even though it doesn't mention Illinois. The article on NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship says that Illinois lost the championship match in 2005; Michigan State won in 2000.--Cadaeib 23:33, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm pretty sure that Michigan State's biggest rival is the University of Michigan. --Metropolitan90 00:59, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Absolutely. Guettarda 01:04, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Knife fight

Who wins in a knife fight the blood or crips? --WoodscutterAveries 23:35, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

iuy

Please title your questions using a pair of equals (==) signs either side. --Slumgum | yap | stalk | 23:42, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who cares? hotclaws**==

As long as there are fatalities, we all do. Markyour words 17:43, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

March 21

DEVAS???

Hello,

My question is if devas existed how did they become extinct??? Or if they still exist how would you protect yourself??? Maybe even destroy an evil deva??

Jay Vega

Given that Devas are a theosophical concept relating to species-wide group intelligences or spirits then there are several possible ways to answer this:
  1. If they have ever existed they still do and are not extinct.
  2. If they do not exist now they never have.
  3. If a particular species has a deva, then presumably the extinction of that species would also kill its deva.
  4. Why would one be evil, and why would a person need to protect themselves from it?
These comments presuppose that you are not talking about A city in Romania. Grutness...wha? 06:31, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It looks to me like you two are using different definitions of "devas". The questioner should include his definition, so we know what they mean. StuRat 11:05, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

birth records at Musoma catholic church

iwould like to get in touch with the Musoma catholic mission church, Tanganyika. B.E.A. for birth records of the year 1959. can you help?

Thank you

quiz

the first person to answer 2+2=? will win a prize...Im in ur house 05:40, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Did i miss a trick??? Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 05:48, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
2+2=5 for sufficiently large values of 2. Grutness...wha? 06:26, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
2+2=suitly emphazi. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:45, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Did i win..?? ;-)....Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 18:42, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
YOU'RE WINNER! --Optichan 21:30, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

LOOP

How do you get the following output using VB control structures?

                 #####
                  ###
                   #
                  ###
                 #####
This sounds like a homework assignment. The Jade Knight 06:14, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And a rather silly assignment at that. I see no advantage to using a loop to produce such output. StuRat 11:00, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Programming assignments never make you do anything useful. It doesn't seem too hard to do, as long as you know how to use loops well enough. It probably wouldn't be too hard for me to whip up something like that... --Optichan 15:25, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I've had some useful programming assignments, like solving the quadratic equation. For loops, a nice basic bubble sort would be a good exercise. StuRat 15:43, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A very ridiculous assignment ... here's one approach:

   Dim strTemp$
   Dim i%
   
   For i = -5 To 5 Step 2
       If (i = 1) = False Then
           strTemp = strTemp & String((5 - Abs(i)) / 2, " ") & String(Abs(i), "#") & Chr(13) & Chr(10)
       End If
   Next i
   
   Debug.Print strTemp

HTH AmiDaniel (Talk) 01:00, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Elevation of North Hollywood, CA

Please supply me with the elevation in feet above sea level of the city of North Hollywood, CA.

    Thank you.
          Eric Obermeit
See Bob Hope Airport or Van Nuys Airport. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:54, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Or, to be more precise, you could Google for "north hollywood" and "altitude", and you'd find a nice site that says the altitude is 613 feet (186 meters.) --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 15:12, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ancient TV show

A double-barreled question about an ancient TV show I vaguely remember from when I was a wee kid.

  1. There was a children's programme set (I think) somewhere like Croatia (would have been Yugoslavia back then) about a farm where lippizaner horses were bred (sort of an eastern European Follyfoot). It would have shown on UK television about 1972-4. Can anyone tell me any details about what the programme would have been?
  2. I was reminded about the programme by hearing a cover version of the theme music (a naff but endearing little ditty about flying away to a land of white horses) which sounded like it was done by someone like Aztec Camera or the Housemartins. Anyone know who it was by and what the title was?

Grutness...wha? 07:51, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Your dates a bit off but White Horses is what you are looking for. I rembember watching this. Also see this. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:07, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that's the first part answered (thanks!). Now all I've got to do is find out who the cover of the theme is by, because it was definitely a male vocalist and 80s-ish soft-pop-rock version I heard with male vocals, and the original theme music was a folky female vocal version. Grutness...wha? 12:27, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Google is my friend (now that I know the title!) This seems to have been covered twice - once by All About Eve (band) (not very Aztec Camera-y at all), and once by Trash Can Sinatras (very Aztec Camera-y). It will almost certainly have been TCS that I heard. Grutness...wha? 12:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pic on a wikipedia page...

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask but...

On this page below... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lilith_%28John_Collier_painting%29.jpg

There's a picture I would like to use, and at the bottom it says...

"This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years or less. Subject to disclaimers."

Does that mean I can use it as the art for my band's demo? It won't be for commercial purposes. I'm just giving the demos out to specific record companies and a few people for free. I would like to have that on the cover and maybe the back too. Is this illegal? Or can I go ahead and do it?

Again, sorry if this isn't the right place to ask.

Thanks, Blake

Because it is in the public domain, you can use it however you like, without restriction (at least in the US). However, this should not be construed as legal advice—you might want to double-check and make sure it is in the public domain now. The Jade Knight 08:05, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

cockroaches

i need 2 no wot the names 4 cockroaches gender (male or female) r, could u plz tell me, u can contact me at ((email address removed to stop sarah's mailbox suffering spamclog)) (dont mock me i got it wen i was 7).

kind regards- sarah truscott

P.s. excuse the msn typing. it is a habit i find hard 2 break

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're asking for -- what's wrong with "male" and "female"? --Bth 11:23, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
PS Break it anyway.
I figure you could call them male and female cockroaches. Or give them individual names, like Jack and Jill. :) --Optichan 15:48, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No, we will not excuse your spelling. Surely, you do not do that at school or at work. Does Wikipedia deserve your respect any less? --Nelson Ricardo 16:52, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I find Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo very rude, just answer the persons question without making any comment on there typing skills. We are all humans and we all make mistakes otherwise it is inhuman! UNKOWN USER

As far as I know, non-social insects aren't given specific names for genders the way higher animals are. I suppose you could use the generic sire/dame appelations if for some odd reason you wanted to breed cockroaches...Brian Schlosser42 21:14, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Finding a list of 2006 NBA Roster Moves

I'm looking for a simple list of roster moves that have occured in the NBA this season. Basically a list of who has been traded to what team since the beginning of the season. Where can I find this? Mysteriousinventors 09:03, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This might be useful: Roster Update Guide Sum0 14:57, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Research of informations

Dear Sirs, Dear Madams,

I am a student in Belgium and for the needs for my thesis; I need to find the number of invoices emitted (B2B) by sectors in Belgium and in the world. I made a lot of research but I have not been able to find anything. This is why I allow myself to ask you whether you had an idea of where I could find this information? Or whether you have this information?

I thank you in advance for your assistance.

I don't see how this could be knowable. My company generates many B2B invoices. The number we generate is our private information: it is not put in our annual report or accounts or anywhere else a researcher could check. This will be true of most companies. I think a major thesis in itself would be to devise a methodology to roughly estimate such a number. Notinasnaid 10:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In a way it sounds like a good chewy Fermi problem. You could try approaching a range of businesses to see if they're prepared to release the information to you (however, this could well involve them having to systematically collecting the information in the first place so they might not be terribly keen unless you can demonstrate to them that the results of your thesis will somehow help them save lots of money). If you did manage to get a decent sample, you could give your estimates some statistical basis (though there are likely a number of biases involved), but I can't see any way you're going to be able to get an exact figure. --Bth 11:07, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also note that "information" is already plural, so no "s" is added. StuRat 10:50, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Carmen Bernos de Gasztold

I am searching for the specific year of birth for accuracy for Carmen Bernos de Gasztold. Your site says 1919. Can you tell me how you received the information?

No. But I see from that article's history that it was added by User:Aloysius. The best thing for you to do is ask this question on Aloysius's talk page (go to User talk:Aloysius and ask there). Grutness...wha? 12:32, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here are some sources: [9], [10], [11]. StuRat 13:16, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Underpowered" pistols

What exactly makes a pistol be considered "underpowered"? It won't blow a hole through a house? hotclaws**==

If the goal is to kill someone, and it can't do that very effectively, like a 22 caliber pistol, then it's "underpowered" for the purpose intended. StuRat 15:53, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What time is it?

In your home town? javascript:insertTags('--WoodscutterAveries 15:48, 21 March 2006 (UTC)',,);--WoodscutterAveries 15:48, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's -7 Coordinated Universal Time. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:32, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ --Shantavira 16:44, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"It's later than you think." StuRat 17:07, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Given that there's rubbish music TV on permanently at my work, the correct answer for me would appear to be: It's Chico Time! --Bth 17:09, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I had decided to answer and suddenly it changed. Give me your watch and I'll give you the time it is. --DLL 18:28, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
STOP. It's hammertime. Doo, do-do doot can't touch this  -- Run!  21:10, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Time to unpimp ze auto? —Keenan Pepper 13:00, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Star date 34-7664 74 minims past the arn of scampering---hotclaws**==

The current date and time is 20 June 2024 T 18:17 UTC. But I'm 6 hours behind UTC. --Optichan 18:45, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A death in Sierra Leone

I would like to know how I can find information on the death of Dr. Dane Michael from the Republic os Sierra Leone. I do not know the date! D. Hardin

Fortunately, it appears that Dr Michael died only in the fictions of Nigerian con-artists. [12] Whether there was ever a real Dr Michael, and if so his state of health, remains unclear. Markyour words 17:52, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ethnic background of population

I am looking for a source to find the approximate numbers of various ethnic background populations of New York, NY. The specific populations whose numbers I would like to ascertain:

Indian Bangladesh All Arab countries China Korea Japan Russia Jewish

Unfortunately the New York census doesn't seem to split things down beyond "Asian", but there are just over a million people who describe themselves as falling into that category. The US census is forbidden from asking compulsory questions on religious affilliation, so no info on the number of Jews from them, but this map of the proportion of Jews in the population produced by the Glenmary Research Centre shows it's high in that area. --Bth 18:06, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, the census does collect data on "nationality." You should be able to find it at factfinder.census.gov. You won't find info on religion, though; the U.S. census doesn't record it. -- Mwalcoff 00:26, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Weird - we had a question recently on languages spoken in Britain. The UK census doesnt collect that but does do religion. The US does nationality but not religion. I wonder what the rationale for each approach is. Jameswilson 01:04, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Public Law 94-521 prohibits the US Census Bureau from asking people about their religion. I don't know the rationale for that law, but I suppose some people think it's an invasion of privacy to ask about someone's religion. Considering the Jedi census phenomenon, you have to question whether information collected on religion is going to be accurate.
I'm surprised they don't count language speakers in the UK. I would think it would be very important for social services. Doesn't the government need to know how many AIDS brochures it needs to print in, say, Chinese? -- Mwalcoff 01:25, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You might poke around sociologist literature on New York -- there is quite a lot out there written about the ethnic/religious makeup of the city, and should give you rough numbers. --Fastfission 03:49, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

hotel/motel

What is the total number of hotel/motel rooms in the United States? Where can I find this information? I have "Googled" with no success. I'd be grateful for the answer. gil Ggarger 17:34, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think we may have another Fermi problem here... I doubt there is any reliable statistic for this, but you can certainly compute a good guesstimate. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 17:56, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You want the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which lists 4.4 million guest rooms as of year-end 2004. — Lomn Talk 18:54, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes Iago as a "motiveless malignancy" does anyonw know where this quote comes from? 18:09, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you just answer your own question? Or are you asking where Coleridge wrote that observation? That'd be in his "Notes on Othello" (where else?) Available here, among other places. --BluePlatypus 19:43, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Singer on 3/18/06

I know this is a strange question, but I have looked everywhere! But, it is could you lease tell me who was the singer on 3/18/06....I remember she has 1 name. I think it began with a "S". If you could please help me, I would really appreciate it! My email is [removed to prevent spam] !!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frances-West Cook
Er, details? Where was this, or what event? — Lomn Talk 19:32, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm guessing you want to know who the singer was on Saturday Night Live on 3/18/06. If so, it was Shakira. (The 3/18/06 show was actually a rerun of the 12/10/05 episode.) --Pinball22 19:40, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ditech Commercials

What is the Guys name is the Ditech commercials that always loses loans to Ditech?

I don't think the character was ever given a name, are you looking for the actor's name ? StuRat 20:23, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It looks like the actor's name is Ron Michaelson. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:47, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
We have an article! Ron Michaelson KWH 06:13, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

canine breed

Looking for info on 1/2 german shephard & 1/2 doberman pincher pups

What kind of info are you looking for? Where to find them? What their temperment may be? How big they may be? Help us out here. Dismas|(talk) 21:34, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

two questions that have nothing to with one another

hello wikipedians from new york city to naples,italy i have to questions that have nothing to do with one another the first is during a sale at a store when it is closing down like the one at seamans which is closing down what happens to that money. the second is did jfk ever travel to dallas before he was assinated on 11/22/63. answer ASAP please. please no pictures

For the first one, it depends on why they are closing down. If they decided to close down on their own, the money goes to the owners, after they have paid off their bills. If they were ordered to close down as part of a bankruptcy proceeding, there are very specific rules set by the court for which bills will be paid off and which will be left unpaid. Under such an order there is typically nothing left for the owners. StuRat 21:59, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
For the second one, I would imagine he also went to Dallas during his first Presidential campaign, but don't know specifically. StuRat 21:59, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This mentions it was President Kennedy's first visit to Texas (and thus Dallas), but that might be interpreted as meaning his first visit as president. --BluePlatypus 22:57, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


The definition of rig

Can someone please confirm that a partially castrated or one testicled horse or colt is in fact called a 'rig' as mentioned on the BBC by racing analyst Richard Pitman.

Apparently, not quite: [13] Markyour words 22:49, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes this is a commonly used term for that kind of horse...hotclaws**==

Why would you want to partially castrate a horse anyway? Surely you either want it fully castrated or fully able to breed. AllanHainey 13:40, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's when one testical fails to decend and thus the castration is incomplete.Was more common when vets were less well trained than they are now or it was done anyway by the owner.hotclaws**==

The castration is irrelevant. A horse with one undescended testicle is a rig, whether or not the other testicle has been cut off. Markyour words 17:08, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

COCO PUFFS in Toronto...

Hello, I moved to Toronto 6 years ago and before that I used to eat the cereal "Coco Puffs" which is made by General Mills all the time, but since I moved here I have not been able to find it in Toronto. General Mills does not distribute them in Canada, but I wanted to know if there are any specialty stores or something like that I could find it in. Thank you --(Aytakin) | Talk 23:12, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might want to stock up the next time you visit the US. I imagine Niagara is the closest crossing point. There isn't any reason why they would block bringing them in for personal use, is there ? StuRat 23:39, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I've seen them in American ethnic food stores in Europe, don't know any in Toronto though. (That's right USians.. Oreo cookies and Doritos are your ethnical foods! :)) --BluePlatypus 23:26, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That is weird. Of course, most American foods can be found around the world, like hot dogs and Kentucky Fried Chicken. StuRat 23:39, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, but there are many other things that only you eat. Such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or Fruit By The Foot. Being much more refined than you, there is much Americano food which we wouldn't touch with a bargepole... ;-) — QuantumEleven | (talk) 07:37, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm surprised you consider PB&J to be "unrefined". I would think you would pick something worse, like processed cheese, especially when pre-sliced in little plastic wrappers for sandwiches. If you use natural peanut butter (not the stuff with hydrogenated oils added to make it solid) and a high quality jam on toasted wheat bread, you can have a tasty and healthy after-school snack with a glass of milk on the side. If it satisfies the kid's hunger and keeps them from eating candy, then it's a good alternative, I must say. Some foods from other countries, like "fish and chips", seems quite disgusting to me, especially when fused to the paper on which it is served. StuRat 20:28, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I guess that means you've never had a Fluffernutter. And as for foodstuffs I'd gladly avoid at least until death, I will say only Vegemite. --LarryMac 20:11, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Daisy Duke Rap Song

Hi Wikipedia:

Can you tell me if you know of the group and the song name that sang about the Daisy Duke shorts?

Some of the lyrics go like this....

"look at that girl with the Daisy Dukes on...." It was a big hit back in either the late 80's or early 90's when the Daisy Duke shorts were a big hit to wear.

Any help would be appreciated.

Lyn

69 Boyz - "Daisy Dukes". Grutness...wha? 00:35, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

daily calcium

how much calcium is in a cows daily output of milk in one day ?

A dairy cow might provide 20 liters of milk per day. Pasteurized milk has around 1,200 milligrams of calcium per liter. So a cow's daily output translate into 24 grams of calcium per day after pasteurization. -- Mwalcoff 01:33, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Surely pasteurization doesn't change the calcium content? --BluePlatypus 02:23, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not every breed of milk cow produces the same amount of milk though, nor even every cow within a particular breed. The milk that you buy at the market may be made up of milk from 2, 3, or possibly more breeds. The milk from different breeds may not have the same amount of calcium per unit, I'm not at all certain. Dismas|(talk) 03:40, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

March 22

Search for Native Canadian

Dear Sir/Madam

Please can you let me know if there is anything written regarding a particular Native Canadian called 'He who runs with horses'? I believe he may of been here around the 1800's. I have done some research but to no avail. I know he belonged to the Shuswap tribe.

I would appreciate any information you may have or you know someone who may be able to assist.

Many thanks & kind regards

Maxine

How much of Microsoft does Bill Gates own?

I'm wondering if anyone would know or could tell me where to find the percentage of shares of Microsoft Corp. owned by Bill Gates.

Basically I'd like to know approximately how much of Microsoft shares Bill Gates owns.

I would expect to hear an answer somewhere in the range of 20% (as an educated guess) for how widely held corporations with controlling shareholders work, but I'd like some more concrete information.

Thanks to anyone who can help me!

LewisLoomis51 03:35, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

10.33 billion shares outstanding, Billie owns 977,499,336 of them. So 9.5% --BluePlatypus 03:50, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NYC Subway riders

I am trying to find out how many people ride the nyc subway system during the work week and how many use it on the weekends on average.

Can I write an article about the village where I live, even if I don't have published sources on it?

I am wondering if I can write an article for Wikipedia if I do not have published sources as references? I would like to write about my village, explaining when it was created, how many houses it has today, where it is located, etc. I have no intention of posting any opinions - just facts.

Victoria --216.55.193.65 04:53, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, you can. It's likely someone will add a "no sources" tag to it, asking that sources be added, but the article can remain in that state indefinitely StuRat 05:11, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm actually not too sure, StuRat. There are two things that will prevent an article like that from surviving on Wikipedia:
  1. Lack or sources, like you said (brochures on the city, I think, count as sources);
  2. Lack of significance.
I'm actually going to say that this question is better suited for The FAQ. --JB Adder | Talk 05:14, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As I understand it, there is no policy that unsourced articles should be deleted. However, I can imagine a point way in the future (once, say, 90% of our articles are fully sourced), where such a policy might be decided upon. StuRat 05:37, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The article will continue to exist indefinitely, but it's likely that the unreferenced bits will be removed. Markyour words 11:05, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also, you may want to consider Wikipedia: Notability - is your village notable in some way? Not meaning to judge your village either way, but Wikipedia is "a neutral and unbiased compilation of notable, verifiable facts." (from Wikipedia:Wikipedia in eight words). Just something to think about. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 07:34, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Unless it's an extremely small village (population 1 ?), I would expect it to be notable to the entire population of the village, plus those who have visited it, live near it, know someone who lives there, etc. StuRat 12:52, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sources: in practice, nobody is probably going to complain if you don't cite sources. But it's definitely better to have published sources. Why don't you look if you can find some? Most municipalities/cities/counties publish some kind of brochure about themselves. Or there might a printed addressbook that has some kind of general information in the introductory section. Or the local newspaper might have published these facts at some point. The nearest public libary would be a good place to ask for help. -- Lack of significance/notability: Not an issue. We already have an article about every single village in the USA (at least if it is recognized by the census), and nobody has complained yet as far as I know. Since we're striving to be global, it would be good to have more articles about villages in other countries, too. --Chl 14:03, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In general, real places survive AfD, no matter how small. User:Zoe|(talk) 17:12, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What don't survive are people, no matter how great. Users always think that bios are some kind of vanity or copyvio even if they aren't and especially if Google sources are few. The big problem here is that
  • Google is definitely not a perfect website and does not have all the records of a certain person; and
  • Usually famous people in "insignificant" countries don't have many weblinks, so their bios are always thought of as vanity articles.
Places, however, cannot write about themselves, and sources may well be plentiful, so you should have no trouble writing about your village (that is, unless some AfD maniac or racist chances upon your "vanity" place article and decides to delete it). 84.154.97.12 21:35, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Nonsense. All you have to do is provide sources. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:48, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
So, 84, did your bio get deleted, too? :-) —Steve Summit (talk) 02:53, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No, but articles I wrote about my some of my well-known countrymen were deleted or were being considered for deletion due to "lack of Google sources", "vanity", "incredibility", and a host of other absurd reasons. At first, I was like, hey, come on, I write articles about three different people, and you think that's vanity? And then there was this racist who went on an AfD spree. It was real hilarious per se, but the articles that got deleted definitely didn't like it. ;) 84.154.100.223 06:01, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A village is almost certain to survive AFD - even if it's proposed for deletion there are several of us who go out of our way to improve any "real place" articles we see that are on afd - usually to the point where they're good enough to keep. Grutness...wha? 06:09, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

baby blues

why do parents that have multiple children ( twins, triplets etc) usually give their children names that sound the same. does it make it easier to remember? can you come up with a few examples? theodore and theodora, ken and kim, jenny and jimmy , candice and caprice --Crazypinkster 09:39, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Probably because they think it's "cute" or some other such thing. Dismas|(talk) 10:46, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Among the families with twins I have known, more often the children did not have similar-sounding names. I don't expect anyone in particular to take my advice, but I would recommend that parents of twins, or for that matter parents of more than one child of different ages, choose names that sound reasonably different. This way, if you have to call them over to you by shouting their names, they will have a better chance of hearing you correctly. --Metropolitan90 02:52, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

tractor advertising

Hi,

Can we advertise for tractors on this site??

Advertising is not allowed. See What Wikipedia is not for more info. Dismas|(talk) 10:44, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

PUSSY FART

A friend recently mailed me about an experience involving a "pussy fart". after some research i found out more or less what it is but whats the cause of it? does it happen to all females? is there a cure? i can only imagine that its really embarrasing! --Crazypinkster 12:02, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can't believe we actually have an article about this...yes, it's quite common, and no, it's not particularly embarassing. As the article points out, there is no odor connected with it, plus it usually happens during sex - and if you find normal bodily reactions during sex embarassing, you might face some pretty seriosu difficulties :) - Ferkelparade π 12:12, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not really surprised that there is an article about it but I was a bit surprised by the existance of a Latin term for it. And after having read the talk page for the article, I'm currently having an immature giggle over the singular film of the sub-genre, Amber, The Lesbian Queefer. Dismas|(talk) 13:12, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How can I stop my hair getting tangled and knotty overnight?

nt

Have you tried braiding it? I've been told that works. What I do is put mine over the back of the pillow so I'm not laying on it. I think this works well for me because I don't toss and turn too much while sleeping. When down, my hair reaches down to my belt, in case you were wondering. Dismas|(talk) 13:29, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm... braiding it isn't really an option for me (I'm a guy, and my roommates already consider having long hair as feminine enough), and I toss and turn constnatly during the night, as well as sleeping on different angles. Thanks, though.
Then you can use some type of masculine rubber bands ("elastics", if you're a Brit) to secure your hair. (I suspect you aren't American, as we would normally say "How can I stop my hair from getting tangled and knotty overnight ?".) StuRat 17:27, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Although this isn't the language desk, I just wanted to mention that the term "elastic" in place of "rubber-band" is not limited to British English. I heard it (and was confused by it) when my family moved to Connecticut when I was 12. --LarryMac 18:15, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have shoulder length hair which I tie back with a plain hair band (that's a common commercially manufactured rubber band in a cloth sheath to keep it from snagging on the hair). My wife usually uses a couple of these spaced a few inches apart; her hair is longer and straighter, but tends more towards tangling. We both move around a bit in our sleep (more so for me). Unbound hair tends to get trapped under one another which is rather uncomfortable during any subsequent movement. 216.240.40.182 19:32, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a guy too and I know what you mean about getting a hard time about your long hair. I used to live in the South and it didn't go over well with some of the locals although I didn't care because I had more than a few lady friends who liked to run their fingers through my hair.  :-) I agree with using the hair ties spaced a few inches apart. I do this at work all the time. I work in a cleanroom so having my hair under the cleanroom suit without them gives me one huge knot by the end of the day. Although, as you said, you may get a hard time about this from your roommates. And please, do not use actual rubber bands. In case you didn't know, they're painful to pull out and damage your hair. Dismas|(talk) 22:35, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When I don't braid it, I drop mine over the pillow through a gap in the headboard so it hangs down over the side of the bed (my headboard has a 6 inch slot running all the way across at matress level). My hair is fairly long, so even though I move around in my sleep it stays put and relatively untangled. But braiding is the best way in my opinion, and not particularly feminine. (Look at this guy's braid.) Can you ignore your roomates? Crypticfirefly 04:46, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

give it 2 me

my boyfriend and i enjoy foreplay b4 intercourse and when we do have sex he has an orgasm in less than 30 minutes. he is then so tired and is unable to satisfy me completely as his penis becomes flacid. how can we avoid this but stil enjoy 4play? any particular positions?

30 minutes is pretty good for a guy, you have nothing to complain about there. I suggest you get a dildo, if you need an erection for more than 30 minutes at a time. StuRat 14:24, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
30 minutes is average, or even a little better. I'd suggest asking him to perform oral sex.
If you want more information, there are innumerable sex manuals present in most libraries that might provide some useful suggestions; I have to agree with the general consensus here that maybe your foreplay should be a little more focussed on you than him, but there are all manner of ways that this can be done and you might have a lot of fun experimenting with some of the suggestions! By the way, if you meant 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes, you might find the page on premature ejaculation contains some relevant information. --Robert Merkel 11:48, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

user account: BOGDANOUD

Someone else is clearly using my account. I have not changed ANY articles. To stop this from happening in the future, I want the account to be locked or closed

NOTE: This may have something to do with the school network.

BOGDANOUD has made no contributions to Wikipedia. [14] --Optichan 15:28, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's because the username is not written in all caps (hint to original poster: user names are case sensitive) - Bogdanoud has indeed made some contributions, but none to the article namespace. Could you (the original poster) clarify why you suspect your account has been hijacked? -- Ferkelparade π 16:10, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
He has edited User:80.249.52.137 to say he's only used it once. Perhaps we should take a look at 80.249.52.137's contribs? --Optichan 16:32, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Change your password. By the way, how do you do this in Wikipedia? 208.61.138.229 16:41, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You need to login to change a password. Then there will be a Preferences link at the top of the screen (if you're using the default MonoBook theme). I think it's possible that the original poster simply didn't log in to his account, so he saw messages directed to someone else on his talk page. --Optichan 16:54, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, we should probably point out that such discussions on Wikipedia-related stuff should properly go on the Help desk :P -- Ferkelparade π 16:57, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think my account was hijacked because I have received several warnings saying that my rights to edit will be taken off. How can this happen when I have NOT edited a single article?

Hmm, I cannot see any warnings on your talk page...my best guess is that you were getting these warnings while you were not logged in. If you're editing from a school computer, everyone from your school who is not logged in will appear to be the same anonymous user on Wikipedia (because they all come in with the same IP address, and because not-logged-in users are only identified by their IP address), and so everyone from your school will get these vandalism warnings if only one person vandalized an article. If you did not vandalize any articles, you can safely ignore these warnings. (you might, however, be able to find out who is vandalizing Wikipedia from your school and try to convince them to contribute in a constructive manner instead :P ) -- Ferkelparade π 11:54, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. user: bogdanoud

carrs

hi, could you please find out for me if carrs sheffield england sterling silver flatware pattern bead is available this spring to buy.i read the arcticle on your website that carrs had created a non tarnish sterling silver. also is it considered real sterling. i appreciate your information and time sincerely, barbara

The best place to go will certainly be Carrs own website. The easiest way to get to this is to use a search engine - Google is a good choice. Follow this link, type "Carrs" into the search box (without the quotes) and press Google search. Look down the list until you find Carrs of Sheffield. DJ Clayworth 18:43, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ringtones

Does anyone know of any website where i can download free polyphonic ringtone onto my computer and then transfer them to my mobile using my mobile software. My phone is the samsung d600

census data on Working Immigrants and unemployed Americans in Boston

I am looking for where i can find census data of the number of immigrants that have come into Boston, who have work permits, as well as the number of unemployed Americans in Boston.

I'm guessing if you find 5% immigrants and 5% unemployment you will assume there would be 0% unemployment if immigrants were banned. That's just not the case. Many people are unemployed because they lack the needed skills the immigrants have or refuse to do the hard work it takes to hold jobs which immigrants will gladly do. StuRat 18:38, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

otters

Who discovered and/or named the Otter? Who discovered and/or named the North American River Otter?


There are 2 questions


Do your own homework. Read the otter article. Marak24 00:28, 23 March 2006 (UTC)marak24[reply]

Help with decryption

Hi I got a letter which was written in Vigenere code and I can't decipher it. I dont know who the sender is, but I managed to decode some paragraphs by the use of a key included in the letter. However I can not decode the other paragraphs and the key works not with these, so I want to ask if anybody can help me with this. The other question is that the key for the other paragraphs is "kqaiyawikqeqc" and seems not to be the name of a person or place or thing. Can anybody help with this? Many thanks.

lprjalwsbqpoawafesesexjgmbwvpvkpeiibyqqwbuiyiohqmumqlqbrehzyqldmrwkecbtphkqtahmavrstsmxsggkgzqezdeljvyqhzbuibrpznwwaywg
hatazmjpmydvhtduettkjwafbidsatgqgdfgmrzetruhhqyauiszakqqubpgtpudetldhgivrquqgfycticawpjmnrwyohafnjrycjxgcngvoilzrgtykmm
ccwokbkmnhpxkpdpueiztbkammsigjqdiodisnyftovpixspahderaswaqbdshacpyxridnbugyhnltzhfleboenxqqwmzjwrwodbtiiyaoguiepiumjyog
fsowhuasbhnlmlmialieewwtqvgdfnuxeeuxdqxnjtgwxojzepyaqipxnykixptqrrxpbqhugeemsjmznfefukbrgetzassqjhkbsexmqkdcpirsldcahjv
sgducbdskxxkcqfceiujvtekqhzhdzctbyrgdqodnqdkpzmzmxhizoexeswlszcyrgzlpqegumdxnnmbjvzpzblijqwovgxvrfwqnhflehqesbpjuozxeih
fikrhrkvehifxaelsdaqhgqderveonxiiqwqwlcrzggpyqxsywdkisilhebidnfnebqvbcwtfqcfjpejmwqargwwsoaxztoatztgqgnckuemdjdlxrzlnli
zenvejgohfbxnjhuoirvwp
Well, using a suitable Vigenère key of length 13, the beginning reads:
thefollowingmessagehasbeenencryptedtwicethemiddlesectionshouldbedecryptedfirstusingthiskeywordandthenwiththepreviouskey.
Does that help? —Blotwell 13:52, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you very much! Also, may I know what the key for the beginning is?

Wasn't The Police Cops supposed to be a fictional television show on The Simpsons?

I'm pretty sure it is. Do you have a source that says otherwise? --Optichan 21:55, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I checked 2007 in television so many times that I thought I would ask you guys. Senor Internet--12.18.90.163 23:20, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just put the {{references}} tag on that page. Those show names sound mighty suspicious. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:52, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can you help me

Hello, I wonder if you can help me out, There was a mini series on TV many years ago based loosely on Dennis Allen and the pettingal family in Melbourne. Can you help me find the name of it and where can I get a copy of it, if available. -- Kind regards Ian Tippet.

I don't have an exact answer, but there is a list of TV series at the bottom of the article Crime in Australia; perhaps something there will look familiar. There was a book published about Kath Pettingill (note spelling), called The Matriarch: The Kathy Pettingill Story, but near as I can tell it has not (yet?) been made into a mini-series. There was a mini-series Blue Murder, which seems to have dealt with similar topics and figures who may have been peripherally connected to the Pettingill family. --LarryMac 18:07, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Administrator request

Would somebody who is an Administrator be so kind to delete file Image:Dragonlord_logo.gif! The better version is on Image:Dragonlord_logo.jpg, this one is unnecessary. Thanks! Death2 22:32, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Done. If you look at Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion you will see that there's a speedy deletion tag. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:16, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Editing a picture

How can a add/edit a picture on wikipedia?

See Wikipedia:Picture tutorial. Dismas|(talk) 00:39, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How to create an article

Stupid question, I know, but I need to ask since I can't find the answer anywhere...

See Wikipedia:Your first article. Dismas|(talk) 00:40, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ancient Olympic Races

I have been told that in the ancient olympic games that in the running events - each runner was given the same distance yet they were given a different path or course to follow. The winner was determined by the first to complete his course. Is this true? Can anyone confirm or deny that for me. Thanks for your help.

I can't answer your question about the different courses, but I can give you a nice trivia tidbit and tell you that they all competed completely naked. -zappa 05:12, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia Pageviews

Is there a way to find out which wikipedia pages are most viewed daily? Thanks in advance! Marak24 01:31, 23 March 2006 (UTC)marak24[reply]

Not really. There's an FAQ list entry about this. SInce there are several hundred web servers serving up cached copies of Wikipedia articles in parallel, it'd be quite a bit of work to collate the statistics, and evidently the developers don't feel like it's worth it (nor do I blame them). Although for what it's worth, there is at least one attempt at a most-viewed-pages list here. —Steve Summit (talk) 02:42, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Species of penguin used in the Coat-of-Arms for the Arturo Prat Antarctic Naval Base

Dear Sir,

I collect penguins on worldwide postage stamps. Chile issued a commerative stamp in February 1997 to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Arturo Prat Antaractic Naval Base. (Scott #1204-05). There is a Coat-of-Arms included on the issue. Can you tell me what species of penguin is on the Coat-of-Arms? - - ~ ~ ~

Can you provide a picture ? StuRat 09:40, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Googling for "Arturo Pratt Naval Base" gave me this picture of the coat of arms, but I don't know what species of penguin that is meant to represent... Ferkelparade π 09:53, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I believe the distinctive white areas on the sides of their necks makes them adelie penguins. Those white areas on the neck aren't very apparent when they stretch their heads up, as in the pics in our article, but can be seen at this web page, especially on the two bottom pics: [15]. The other penguin species native to Antarctica is the emperor penguin, but they have yellowish-orange areas on the sides of their necks. StuRat 10:31, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

PC-to-Cellphone SMS?

Is there some way I can send an SMS from my PC to an Australian cellphone for free? I remember ICQ Lite used to this long ago, but it appears it doesn't now.


You can send SMS to any Mobile across the Globe using the Yahoo Messenger Service. This works with Most GSM, TDMA, and CDMA Providers. Please check with the recipient’s mobile Provider, because they might be charged for that.

Not "any Mobile across the Globe." Yahoo Messenger can not send to Sprint PCS users in the US, for example. There is an official list of supported carriers. --LarryMac 15:11, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are email-to-cellphone services that let you send email to an address like phonenumber@somethingorother.com and the email gets forwarded to the phone via SMS. If you know the recipient's provider you can use a vendor-specific address (e.g. phonenumber@sprintpcs.com), otherwise there are generic services that somehow figure out which provider a given phone number belongs to and route it accordingly. —Steve Summit (talk) 17:46, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why not just try and use your regular email client? MS Outlook (not Outlook Express) works with number@txt.bell.ca fine. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 17:53, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee

I am in Canada. My Husband from High Wycombe, recently passed away. Found in possession a commemorative medal issued in Chepping Wymcombe, 21st June - looks like a VC but with picture of Queen Victoria front centre. Mayor listed as George Wheeler. Question: Was there a bar and ribbon with the original issue as with an actual VC. I am trying to validate this piece of history. By the way, excellent information on Queen Victoria which I have read with enthusiam. So glad to have found you.--66.222.192.35 06:57, 23 March 2006 (UTC)Melanie Rogers[reply]

is it this one? You need to scroll down to see all the pictures. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:09, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Or is it more like this. None of them so far look like they would have space for the mayors name. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:19, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If the medal was issued by a Mayor or a town then it is unlikely to be a VC, these are made by the Jewellers Hancocks of London & won't say issued by anyone on them (except possibly for issued by the Army or Crown). AllanHainey 13:52, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I didn't read it properly. It "looks like a VC" so the medal would not be a round jubilee medal but would look more like this but with Victoria's head on it instead of the lion. Melanie, are there any other words on it besides the mayors name. Also you might want to try Chepping Wycombe and email somebody listed there. They might have some information or know where to find it. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:43, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Peer to Peer and Client server

Would someone please help me in answering my question which is, in Peer to Peer networks, can someone say on computer A access their work on a different computer? like in Client server? and what is the main difference between Peer to Perr networks and Client servers and what is remote acees and Modem sharing.

Thank you

You can read all about the peer-to-peer and client-server models through our wonderful Wikipedia articles. If you still have questions then, or there is a specific concept you want to ask more about, come back and we'll do our best to help you. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 11:44, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Which network has more security and privacy? h=whci network is best used for a company that has 8 computers but each have a different purpose with different databases?

sex percent?

At any given time, what si the average percentage of adults in the world engaged in sexual intercourse? I'd hazard a guess at about 0.03%. Any stats out there? Cheers, you wonderful ppl. --Knotted 10:41, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That estimate seems rather low to me, being about 3 minutes out of every week for every adult. I would expect it to be, maybe, 10x higher than that, even taking into account those adults who aren't sexually active. Also note that the estimate would be even higher if you had asked "engaged in sexual relations", rather than "intercourse", due to the many sexual activities other than intercourse. StuRat 11:33, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is 'Estrogenic' and 'Mastogenic' Food/Herbs?

What is 'Estrogenic' and 'Mastogenic' Food/Herbs? Please Name some of them, (the common ones) and their potency?

I wonder which ones enable students to do their own homework. StuRat 11:36, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am not a student...it is a question out of interest

Search does not show my article

I wrote an article on an author 'Hyatt Verrill'. I think that I did everything correctly and the page can be found using alphabetic search but if you type his name into the search tool the result is not obvious. How do I ensure the result comes up as a 100% match in the search engine?

newby
thanks —This unsigned comment was added by Frizzled (talkcontribs) 13:11, March 23, 2006 (UTC).

I presume you're talking about Alpheus Hyatt Verrill? You will find him if you type his name exactly into the search and click "Go", but you'll have to wait a bit before finding him through "Search" - the wiki index is huge, and it takes the system several weeks to update it. Be patient, your article will appear on there soon! — QuantumEleven | (talk) 13:18, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Career Oppurtunities...

hii..... I am looking this for a friend actually.....i would like to know the career opportunities in India if someone does economics honours.... I'll appreciate any help...!! Thanks a lot!!!!!! Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 18:31, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Prince of Spain

please tell me more about the prince of spain felipe (I put a heading to it...Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 19:05, 23 March 2006 (UTC))[reply]

Felipe, Prince of Asturias. David Sneek 20:01, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

translation software

I noticed that the Wikipedia website can be translated into Polish. Many translation software packages do NOT include Polish, so I was wondering if anyone knew how this was accomplished. I am assisting in a project, part of which entails translating a medical research site from Polish to English.

I would greatly appreciate any information on this subject.

Thanks,

Advocate

Although users can take inspiration from articles in other language versions of Wikipedia, articles are usually written independently in each language and not translated. Machine translations are horibly unreliable anyway. --Nelson Ricardo 19:53, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Will Shortz

Will Shortz, the fabulous puzzle maker, is an idol of mine. I am interested im making sudoku puzzles, and wonder if I can get some tips from him. If you have any way I can contact him, e-mail preferably, that would be great!

Thank you so much Wikipedia!

Frankly, I have to doubt that he's going to drop his other projects to write out a set of tips for you. You might use your one-time 14-day free trial of Times Select to read this article by Shortz about Sudoku on the Times website, to see if it has suggestions. Our article on Sudoku has an external link to a "Let's Make Sudoku" website, so maybe you could develop your basic technique there and defer querying Shortz until you need help with the fine points.
If you really want to try to reach Shortz: I've dealt with other people at the Times, whose email addresses were in the format wshortz@nytimes.com or shortz@nytimes.com, so one of them might work. JamesMLane t c 10:12, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Deleting an uploaded file

How can I delete a picture that I uploaded? I accidently put it up for public domain and I don't want it up anymore.

While the picture could be deleted as it's already in the public domain I'm not sure that would help. If someone has reused it on a web site I don't think there is much you can do about it now. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:56, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I want to delete it anyway. Could you tell me how?
You seem to have uploaded several. Some of which all look the same except fot the name. You can't delete it as you're not an admin but if you tell me which one I'll check it out. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:47, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't want any of them up anymore. Could you please take them down?
It seems the reason several of them are the same is because he's replaced them with other images. Did you see his picture of a dragon/gun? --Optichan 22:37, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you uploaded it and want it deleted, edit the picture header (click the "Edit" button) and add {{db-author}}. An admin will come along and delete it for you. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 08:56, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Peeling Shrimp

Can anyone tell me if there is a machine designed to peel shrimp? If so how does it work? Will it peel popcorn shrimp? Thanks WSC

I would assume there would have to be an industrial process for it based on the volume of shrimp sold in the world. Our shrimp article doesn't give the answer, and our most detailed article on shrimp, shrimp farm doesn't either, but the external links and sources there may provide your answer. The author of the latter article may know too, so consider asking on his talk page. You may also know there is a curved plastic spike you can get that is useful when peeling and de-veining by hand. - Taxman Talk 23:50, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I thought it was hand-peeled overseas with cheap labor. The Jade Knight 05:03, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are buildings protected works?

We are used to the concept of intellectual property when it comes to books, movies, music, etc., but what protects architecture, if anything? I suppose the blueprints are copyrighted by the architects, and I further suppose that an IMAGE of a building can be copyrighted, or tradmarked if used in a logo, but is there any other protection? Let's say I want to build an office building, and I decide to copy the Transamerica Pyramid. Can anyone stop me? Brian Schlosser42 21:21, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This website is rather helpful: US Copyright Office FAQ. Anything created after 1990 is subject to copyright protection, but not anything built before, so if you chose to, copying the Transamerica Pyramid would not violate copyright law. — TheKMantalk 01:39, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Does copyright of the architecture prevent legally taking an image of a building? I seem to remember that it doesn't, except perhaps of the interior. Rmhermen 01:51, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I dunno about the US, but in the UK it doesn't.[16] (The same is true for sculptures, models of buildings, and "work[s] of artistic craftsmanship", whatever they are.) -- AJR | Talk 02:02, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In the US, only the actual building and plans are copyrighted. However, this is not the case for all countries. From Commons:Licensing:
  • For a picture of the interior of a building, note that the architect may hold some rights if distinct architectural features are shown (this is true at least in Germany).
  • For a picture of the exterior of a building, note that the architect may hold some rights; in some countries, this only applies if the picture was taken from a non-public place (Germany, Austria), but in some others this applies wherever the picture was taken from (France).
Hope this helps! — TheKMantalk 03:45, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That helps a great deal. The circular on the Paten Office site is fascinating, at least to a nerd like me. Thanks!Brian Schlosser42 13:35, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Word Problem

Hello. I have been trying to think of a term for the past few days and it is bugging the heck out of me. What is the term when lets say you have a box of tissues and you say "I want a Kleenex." Its like when everyday things take on the name of a "Name brand" Item. If anyone could help it would be greatly appriciated. Zach 22:53, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Generic trademark. --Sam Pointon United FC 23:01, 23 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


mac os emulator

there is a mac os emulator?? (like there is a snes emulator, DOS emulator...)

There are PowerPC emulators like CherryOS and PearPC, but I strongly doubt that there is an independent implementation of Mac OS. —Keenan Pepper 00:31, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia articles locked for editing

On average, how many Wikipedia articles are locked at any given time? I understand the reasons behind such decisions (repeated vandalism, et cetera) but am just trying to understand how many of the 1,000,000+ articles are locked at any given time. Thanks in advance, Dennis in Colorado72.174.12.134 00:05, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are 43 locked pages and 29 semi-locked pages  -- Run!  00:11, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Y'all are amazing in your quick responses to questions. Thanks very much. Dennis in Colorado.
We should have an informal competition for who can provide a real solid answer to a given question in the shortest time. I thought my eight minutes above was impressive, but this six-minuter suitly emphazi's Run!'s ability. --Sam Pointon United FC 03:11, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Agree that was impressively quick. Perhaps a travelling trophy that stays either with the person with the current quickest answer or the quickest answer of the week. Although a better trophy might be for the person that creates or expands the best article out of an answer for the reference desk. Or a super trophy to the editor that creates a legitimate, referenced article as the first answer to a question. That would take the cake. - Taxman Talk 04:24, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure about the speed of reply as there are too many question that can be answered by saying "see our article on x" or saying "look at all the google results". I like the second idea better. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:25, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The 43 protected isn't quite right. There are subcategories too, including several hundred pages that have been protected to prevent recreation of previously deleted material. Night Gyr 18:51, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

March 24

Contacts/address for GHQ Rawalpindi Pakistan

Hi I am an ex-army officer here in canada, I need to send my resume/latest qualifications to army GHQ in pakistan in particular to a Directorate dealing with retired army officers, can you please give me fax or email address for GHQ-- Thanks Khan

dc universe question

i saw here (http://dcu.smartmemes.com/) that in The End of Time in dc universe, the dc universe will be "destroyed" (i don't remember what comic shows this) and after this the Time will loops around to its own beginning. (Flash v2 #141). So my question is, if the dc universe will loops backs, after looping back for the first time, what will occur in the year of the marvel versus dc things [since only dc universe will loops back, so the marvel universe will be in a very far future, and since that ultramega-gods that created dc and marvel are friends now (since the multiverse where those gods are didin't looped back) they will not try to make a war between those 2 universes]

A Good Reference Desk Question?

What is an example of a good reference desk question? What are the general suggestions for a good reference desk question? Vertigociel 02:50, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]


I thought this was a fairly good question: [17]
Specifically, it included enough info for us to find the answer, including the countries/regions in question, yet wasn't so obvious that they should have been able to figure it out themselves. It also didn't appear to be a homework question. StuRat 03:45, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I changed the example question on Wikipedia:Questions to that. Now maybe people will ask that instead of the Hitler one. =P —Keenan Pepper 04:00, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Cool, now we will have endless penguin questions instead. StuRat 12:42, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Single mothers in Canada in the 1900's

What was it like to be a single mother back in the 1900's? Were they shunned by their families and community? What happened to the child, was abortion or adoption an option? Also, what was the typical marriage age and were the marriages arranged by the parents or were they allowed to marry whomever they wanted? If they did have the child, were the mothers allowed to work and if so where would they typically work and how much would they get paid? After they had a child out of wedlock, would they be able to get married?

Do you mean 1900-1909 or 1900-1999 ? If you meant the later, things changed dramatically in that period, so no one answer will do. StuRat 03:34, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Evil, evil RPG games

What are some RPG video games that either allow the player to choose to be really really evil or have an evil evil protagonist on an evil evil quest for world/galactic/universal domination? ie. evil and megalomaniacal. There's the KotOR series, Baldur's Gate series, and to an extent Neverwinter Nights series. What others? -- Миборовский U|T|C|M|E|Chugoku Banzai! 04:54, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Played all except Fable. Lacked megalomania. :( Just how evil do you get to be in Fable? :D -- Миборовский U|T|C|M|E|Chugoku Banzai! 06:11, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not quite an RPG, but would Black & White count? You get to be an evil GOD! — QuantumEleven | (talk) 08:53, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How about the Grand Theft Auto series ? StuRat 12:20, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

left handed? ambidextrous?

I use my right hand for writing and for pulling the trigger during range practice, but my left hand for everything else. Am I left-handed, or ambidextrous, or...? — Kimchi.sg | Talk 05:02, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're left handed. I pick up baseball/cricket bats, hockey sticks, guitars etc left handed but everything else I do right handed. My litte sister is completely left handed except when she plays darts which she does right handed. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:17, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It depends really with which hand you used when you learnt the stuff... when we are small we just start learning stuff with whichever hand we feel comfortable... but i'd say you are mostly left handed..... Jayant,17 Years, Indiacontribs 05:26, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think it depends on how much you use each hand. These days, most people tap at keyboards more than they write, so the writing hand is probably less prominent that it was before. That probably makes you a left-hander with some right-handed quirks. But if you write for your living, and write in long hand, then this would make you a right-hander with some left-handed quirks. Either way, you're not totally one or the other. But I'm very curious - were you naturally right-handed with writing, or was this forced upon you by school or parents? I've heard of people having quirks with certain things, but not with handwriting. JackofOz 06:42, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You sound cross-dominant. I'm the same - write and play tennis with my left hand, but I use scissors and bat right handedly, but I prefer my left foot for kicking, yet my right foot is more dextrous for ball skills. My picture should probably appear in the cross dominance article for illustrative purposes. --Sam Pointon United FC 11:57, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

greece

this dictionary does not tell me what types of things can be exported from greece help please ! thanks

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a dictionary. Does Economy of Greece answer your question? —Keenan Pepper 05:41, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also see Greece#Economy. Theshibboleth 06:05, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Adding Links

I just entered the subject heading called Quantum Reality. There are a few terms used that I would like linked to other articles in Wikipedia. How do I do this? Don Roberts

Your article is at Quantum idealism not Quantum Reality. I suggest you read the articles that someone posted links for on your talk page for instructions on how to do things on Wikipedia like making links. Dismas|(talk) 06:03, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Websites for issuing a hacker challenge?

What websites are there where you can issue a challenge to hackers/crackers to hack into a site? (It's for a newspaper article.) Theshibboleth 05:59, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See honeynet. -- Миборовский U|T|C|M|E|Chugoku Banzai! 06:14, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think that's what I'm looking for. Theshibboleth 07:14, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You could try making a webpage describing your challenge, and then submitting the link to various news sites, like slashdot and digg. You'd have to offer some kind of reward, though, to get people's attention. Night Gyr 18:54, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

cracking nuckles

I was always told not to crack my muckles because it would give me arthritise ( ithink that is how you spell it) is this tru or is it just a lie to stop me from cracking them? if it is true can you please explain to me how is causes arthritise.

Many thanks

According to this, this, this, and our own marvellous article on cracking joints, the link between cracking your knuckles and arthritis is a weak one. However, it probably won't do you much good, either.
(plus, it's annoying to other people... ;-) ) — QuantumEleven | (talk) 08:51, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Difference between bottled and canned beer

I know a lot of people who wont touch canned beers prefering bottled ones. Whats the difference between the two anyway, content-wise? And also where would draft (keg?) beer fit in all this? Thanks you! 83.5.184.116 09:47, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the content is any different. The fear is that the beer reacts with the metal can and absorbs a metallic flavor. This can't happen with glass. At least beer makers don't put it in plastic bottles, which seem to leach toxic chemicals into the liquid (this is why bottled water expires). StuRat 12:11, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They sell plastic bottles of beer at sporting events in the US... I've never had one, but I've seen many of them at ball games. Brian Schlosser42 13:41, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Another reason to dislike cans is how the tab is pushed down into the beer, thus polluting the beer with whatever was on the outside of the can. This can be addressed by washing each can before opening, but that's a pain. StuRat 12:11, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Keg beer fits into the can category to me, although with larger volume-to-surface area ratios and shorter shelf lives there is less opportunity for it to acquire a metallic taste. StuRat 12:11, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
About 10 years ago there was a wee spate of poisonings because people had drunk beer out of the bottles & the bottles had previously been pissed on by rats so folk got a disease. That could be one reason agains bottled beer (or at least drinking directly from the bottle). AllanHainey 12:39, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I heard that, but about cans. With bottles the beer should never be polluted by rats pissing on the outside, unless you wrap your lips on the stem below the point which was covered by the cap. In cans, anything on the tab ends up in the beer and the person's lips go on the top and part of the side of the can, as well. StuRat 14:06, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Read this and also think about the phrase Urban Legend. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 14:13, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That article does say that hantavirus and leptospirosis can both be passed on to humans from animals in this way, although they know of no specific instances, and they add that human handlers may also have contaminated the cans with other transmissible diseases. They then echoed my advice to wash off the top of the cans before opening them. One thing in that article didn't make sense to me, though; they said that cardboard containers would protect cans from rat urine. Those boxes have lots of holes in them and urine could soak through, in any case. Other cans come in plastic six-packs, with the tops fully exposed. StuRat 14:33, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Bottled, canned and keg beer are almost always filtered and pasteurised, killing the yeast and terminating the natural reactions that were going on. (There are few exceptions in bottled beers; these are all "lumpy"). British beer drinkers frequently claim that only cask conditioned beer is worthwhile. This is kept alive in a barrel, continuing its reactions until the moment it is poured. (Lumps are allowed to settle in the barrel and shouldn't make it to the glass). This is unusual outside the UK, and in some areas is hard to find even within the UK. British beer drinkers frequently assert too that it should be served warm, so you can taste it, rather than ice cold. "Warm" is an oversimplification: what is meant is traditional cellar temperature, perhaps 8-12 C. So I will claim: canned, bottled, kegged: if it's ice cold it could be any old rubbish but you won't taste it so it doesn't really matter. Notinasnaid 12:44, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

DANDRUFF!

I wash my hair regularly but i'm still plagued by the itchy monsters. i'm notsure what causes it and is there any way i can get rid of it? my mom says it is cuased by leaving my hair wet after swimming or just putting condition to my hair in the morning. it has become a real problem now as it sometimes it keeps me out of sleep as i end up scrathing most of the night. whats the best why to get rid of it?

thanks guys! --Crazypinkster 10:35, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some things to watch out for:
  • You might be allergic to chlorine, in which case you should always take a shower after swimming, and possibly try shampooing, too, to remove the chlorine from your scalp.
  • Always be sure to fully rinse all the shampoo out of your hair. Any left in can cause flakes directly or irritate the scalp and cause it to flake and itch.
  • The oils on the scalp are removed when you shampoo, so a conditioner is needed to replenish them. Don't use a combined shampoo/conditioner, that just doesn't work. Shampooing less often would also help, but might not be an option, as if you swim in chlorine filled pools regularly.
  • If you are on a low fat diet, that will reduce the oil produced by your skin and scalp. Eliminating most animal fats is fine, but unsaturated fish oils and vegetable oils are quite healthy, so you should consider consuming more of those, such as olive oil.
  • You could have a vicious cycle going where the itching causes you to scratch, which irritates the scalp, which causes it to flake, which causes it to itch more, which starts the cycle over again. In that case, perhaps you need to use a shampoo with menthol, eucalyptus, or another local anesthetic to stop the itching, and thus break the cycle.
  • Try alternating use of Neutrogena T-Gel and Neutrogena T-Sal with every other shampoo. I must warn you, though, the T-Gel smells like tar and the T-Sal stings.
  • If none of this works, see a dermatologist, you may have a medical condition, such as psoriasis, especially if the dandruff is isolated to one area.
StuRat 11:44, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also try dandruff shampoos which contain zinc pyrithione or selenium sulfide. If you're already using one of those, try switching to the other. —Keenan Pepper 13:23, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

evaluate whether the move to India of UK companies call centres should be prevented by the UK government

i am conserned that these business are moving out of the UK and damaging the UK economy and stakeholders such as employees, customers, UK government and shareholders of these companies

That's not a question. What information do you want? Markyour words 12:45, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Assuming you are looking for criteria whereby any law blocking such moves could be evaluated, here are some possibilities:
  • National security. Moving jobs in core defense industries to foreign companies could be a defense issue, but this doesn't appear to apply here.
  • Job loss. Such a law could be passed to protect jobs, but India might respond with similar economic sanctions against the UK. Also, such a law might violate rules of the Commonwealth of Nations, EU, or World Trade Organization.
  • Consumer protection. Workers in other countries frequently speak poor English and are unfamiliar with the product or service they are supporting, thus making such phone support of little value. However, if a company wants to offer poor service to it's customers, that is generally considered to be their choice. Thus, if customers object and leave the company, it will reform or go bankrupt. If customers don't do so, then apparently they are willing to accept the lower level of call support in exchange for the lower price the company can charge by using substandard foreign workers.
StuRat 13:16, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And of course the market forces StuRat refers to in his third option are already in play -- Natwest, for instance, makes heavy play in its advertising of the fact that all its call centres are in the UK. --Bth 15:20, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
My funniest experience with a foreign call center went like this:
Me: "When I go into the function, it just blows up on me."
Operator: "I'm sorry, sir, if there is an explosion, this must be a hardware issue, our software could not possibly be to blame." StuRat 15:59, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How often is wikipedia abused?

I am in a debate class and I need some figures on how often or how many times people post spoof articles or articles that are clearly lies. I know how well the people that work with wikipedia do at screening the articles to ensure perfection but it is not possible to maintain a 100% accuracy rate.

Thanks -- Jeremy

Compare the new pages log with the deletion log. Someone may have some stats collated, but most new articles are either junk or obviously legitimate. You may also want to look at WP:AFD and WP:CSD. If an article is seen by a few editors it is very unlikely a spoof article would make it through for long, as the verifiability and no original research policies get applied, and if the article creator can't substantiate the material, it gets deleted. - Taxman Talk 15:10, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You also need to factor in damage to existing articles - a much more frequent abuse than posting junk. I'd guesstimate 2 or 3 incidents per minute. --Tagishsimon (talk)

people search

how can I use this site to locate old friends?

Which site ? Most will need the full name, including maiden name of women, some indication of the location, and any other info you have, like a phone number or e-mail address. StuRat 15:47, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If by "this site" you mean Wikipedia, then, very likely no - unless they have become famous/notable enough to merit their own article on Wikipedia. But even then you'll only find out their biography, not their contact details. You may want something like Friends Reunited. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:52, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Medication

I have some medications that I need to know what they are used for and side effects. These are the medications in question: Trileptal, Hydroxyz HCL, Lithium Carb, Prochlorper, Ribavirin. These are my father's meds. and I have Children....Should I lock these meds. up?

Sincerely, A Concerned Mom of 3

In general, lock all medications away from children. For unbiased info on the effectiveness and side-effects of prescription drugs, I suggest www.worstpills.org: [18], which is not funded by the pharmaceutical companies, but rather by members. (You can get basic info for free, but more detail requires a subscription.) StuRat 16:16, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Here is their basic (free) entry for TRILEPTAL:
Serious Skin Reactions with the 
Seizure Drug Oxcarbazepine (TRILEPTAL) 
(June 2005) 
Oxcarbazepine (TRILEPTAL) has been 
associated with life-threatening skin  
reactions. If you or a family member 
develop AN ALLERGIC reaction or a skin 
rash while taking oxcarbazepine (TRILEPTAL), 
contact the prescribing physician immediately. 
StuRat 16:31, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As Stu says, it is a good practice to keep all medications locked up. Here is some information on each one, which I found using Google:
Trileptal is a medicine to treat partial seizures in adults. It is taken alone or with other seizure medicines. Taken with other seizure medicines, Trileptal is also used to help treat partial seizures in children 4-16 years old. FDA
Hydroxyz HCL seems to be an antihistamine of some kind. Didn't get a lot of detail on this one.
Lithium Carbonate -- Use: Treatment of manic episodes of manic-depressive illness
PROCHLORPER SUP 2.5MG / PROCHLORPERAZINE (proe-klor-PAIR-a-zeen) -- This medicine is a phenothiazine used to treat nausea and vomiting. It may also be used to treat other conditions as determined by your doctor.
Ribavirin is an anti-viral drug used by many hospitals in the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus infection. It is considered by some physicians to be an effective and sometimes life-saving drug, but studies have also indicated that the drug may pose a reproductive risk to health care workers. Ribavirin causes birth defects in test animals given small doses of the drug.
I think you might want to make sure your father's doctor is aware of all of these prescriptions. --LarryMac 16:25, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Even common household drugs like paracetamol (acetaminophen/Tylenol) will kill if taken in an overdose. As a concerned parent, you should not only lock up all drugs, but think very hard about how you can make sure a bored/michievous/curious child cannot get to them: children will put a lot of trouble to get where they are not allowed. For instance, key in your clothes drawer... no, they will find it. Notinasnaid 16:26, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Point number one: As everyone else has said, you should always, always, always keep medicines out of reach of children. ALWAYS.
Point number two: You're much better off consulting a trained doctor over medical affairs than a bunch of random strangers online.
Having said which, at a complete wild guess judging solely from online info and not from any medical expertise (because I have none), it looks like your father is receiving treatment for bipolar disorder (the Trileptal, lithium carb and prochlorperazine) and a viral infection, most likely Hepatitis C (Ribavirin is an antiviral). The hydroxyzine may be for the bipolar as well (it can reduce anxiety), or he may be receiving it to counteract the nauseous effects of some of the others, or he might just have hayfever (its primary use is as an antihistamine).
Let me just emphasise again: keep medicines away from children and talk to a medical professional.
I do hope your father feels better soon, it sounds like he's in rather a bad way. --Bth 16:40, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A Listing on the group "Mission America"

Here's my question. I am the founder and president of Mission America, and I now find that someone has entered a listing for our group which is insulting and inaccurate. It's at

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mission_America_%28Columbus%2C_Ohio%29&action=edit

How do I change it? I believe the person who did this is Earl Pike of Cleveland, who has major current disagreements with my organization's viewpoint, and is generally making a nuisance of himself.

I'd appreciate the opportunity to write about this organization myself. Thanks!

Linda Harvey, President, Mission America (email removed to protect your inbox)

You already seem to have found the edit button on that article. Now just make your changes, add a comment as to what you changed and why you changed it in the one line comment box at the bottom, and then hit the "Save page" button, basically the same process you used to add this question. However, beware that articles are supposed to be neutral, so if you write a glowing article about only the positive aspects of your org and/or insult Earl Pike, your changes will likely be reverted. StuRat 16:53, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Pages can be edited by clicking the "Edit this Page" link at the top of the article. I suggest you create a wikipedia account and read the information on how to write articles, particually about being Non Point of View. Because of your participation in the company it's suggested you add comments in the discussion page about what you would like the article to contain, or information regarding it from a reputable source, as there is some Wikipedia legislation regarding editing articles about you or your company, as they often are biased. I suggest if you don't want to make additions to the article you remove blatently untrue and biased information using the method i stated above. Hope this helps :) -Benbread 16:46, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
(after edit conflict) Hi there! Wikipedia is a wiki, which means anyone (yes, that includes you!) can edit any article, including the article in question - just click on the 'Edit' button (which you already seem to have found), change, add and remove text, click Save, and presto! All done.
A few pointers, however - editing articles about organisations of which you are a member (or, in this case, the President!) is frowned upon, mainly because Wikipedia has a policy of Neutral Point of View, and it may be difficult to be neutral about something in which you are so intimately involved. However, if you feel you can write an neutral article, feel free to contribute, but I should be fair and warn you that your edits may be watched a little closer on that subject than if you edited something unrelated. The general rule is, if an article is very slanted towards one point of view, someone with a better sense of balance will come along and improve it sooner or later anyway.
Also, please keep civility in mind - Wikipedia often deals with very controversial subjects, subjects which may inflame strong passions in our contributors. Always remember to stay cool, and don't attack other contributors just because they may see a subject in a different light.
Best of luck on Wikipedia! If you have any questions about anything, feel free to leave a message on my talk page, and I'd be happy to help you. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:50, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

how does this web site get it new or info

positive impacts

can you please help me to find out about mcdonalds company and the impact they bring to the people of south africa? what they have done to empower south african people?