Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

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

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

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

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

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

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

February 1

Who is my father?

My name is ...[removed]

Removed per WP:BLP We do not identify non-notable people or their relatives, especially not without verifiable sources. Editors who want to offer resources for such searches can do so without reference to personal information.

My Google search for find your biological father online reported about 2,220,000 results, including this one.

• I Found My Biological Parents, and Wish I Hadn’t - NYTimes.com (May 4, 2012)

—Wavelength (talk) 03:29, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

ETHICS

IN ETHICS, DO DEAD PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS OVER THEIR PROPERTY-INCLUDING INTELLECTUAL ONES- AND PRIVACY? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.52.145.100 (talk) 09:39, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Your caps-lock key is over there, at the left hand side of your keyboard. 'Ethics' is not a set of universal standards. However, as a rule of thumb:

• 'Rights' are granted by law to natural persons. They are at least as much a matter of law as of ethics.
• Someone dead is no longer a natural person under the law, so they have no rights as such.
• Dead people also own no property, and enjoy no privacy. ("The grave's a fine and private place...")
• Whether or not the wishes of people now dead, expressed while they were alive, ought to be respected varies between legal systems, and between ethical systems. Your answer to this question depends on your other assumptions in lots of ways.

If you can tell us more about what legal and ethical systems you're interested in, we may be able to help you more. AlexTiefling (talk) 10:12, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Although a deceased person's Estate passes to their next of kin, who inherit intellectual as well as physical property (usually for a limited amount of time). Alansplodge (talk) 13:22, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Is that necessarily true in the Phillipines? I wouldn't count on it. If the OP wants to know, he needs to consult a lawyer licensed to practice in the Phillipines, assuming his IP geolocates to where he actually is. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:14, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

I think you're bracket may be in a confusing position or alternatively your statement must only apply to limited area. AFAIK in most places inheritance of physical property lasts indefinitely, baring exceptions when stuff like fraud is involved, or any laws which limit how long you can hold certain forms of property or which otherwise allow your property to be taken by someone else without your agreement. But as said, in most cases these are exceptions. (Various taxes may also arise which may make it difficult for you to keep your property in some cases.) Of course once that person dies, their estate will be handed over to whoever their beneficiaries are including any stuff remaining from their inheritance. Intellectual property is generally time limited and in some cases, the limit may be shorter after death of the original creator (or perhaps there is no limit until death), although you do generally keep whatever you rightfully inherited until any expiry when the rights cease (or you die). Nil Einne (talk) 17:23, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Yes, badly placed brackets - I was thinking about intellectual property like copyright and patents. Alansplodge (talk) 18:22, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

This is a very interesting question. Difficult to know where you want to go with this though without more information. A question came up recently on the humanities reference desk concerning the german legal theory (with their normal level of civil law precision) notion of 'Rechtsfähigkeit' which is as a natural person, the ability to be a holder/subject of rights and obligations. Both civil and common law legal systems, I believe, tend to recognise that the ability of a person to be a holder of rights ends at death - there are notable exceptions to this in terms of things like copyright and personality rights; and the recognition of these exceptions seems to vary a bit from one jurisidiction to another.---- _nonsense ferret 20:43, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Death does not retroactively destroy one's rights. The right to have a will is simply the right to make a gift and to make legal arrangements contingent on future dates just as with commodities futures and insurance. Likewise someone who is murdered doesn't therefore lose his right to life, leaving the killer scott free because his victim no longer has rights. The point about dead bodies is they can no longer pursue or engage in new rights or rightful acts after their deaths. Dead people can't write new wills after they are dead. Living people can write wills that take effect upon their death. μηδείς (talk) 01:59, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I think I'm right in saying that personhood and capacity in a legal sense ends at death - the person is no longer a person under the law and cannot be a holder of rights. The example of murder isn't really an upholding of a right to life of the dead person, it is just an enforcement of a obligation not to kill people on the murderer. The distribution of the deceased's property after death is arguably not an enforcement of the deceased's rights - surely it is an enforcement of the rights of the beneficiaries, and the rights and obligations of the executors. The beneficiaries can agree to amend the provisions for succession, so I think that points towards it being their right of succession rather if you see what I mean.---- _nonsense ferret 16:24, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Yes, the rights of the beneficiaries matter--but they only have those rights in that form (as opposed to inheritance laws for next of kin in intestate deaths) because the deceased wrote his will while he was still alive granting those bequests to them. Death doesn't affect that. It makes no more sense to talk about the dead having no rights in this situation than it would to say the dead have no obligations and hence debtors claims against the estate are null and void. μηδείς (talk) 18:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I appreciate you think it makes no sense, but I understand it is the prevailing view particularly from a civil law tradition to frame the analysis in these terms - rights and obligations are held by a person under the law and legal personality ends with death - that you might have a claim on the deceased's estate is an obligation on the executor, not the deceased ---- _nonsense ferret 13:25, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Strange military vehicles in London

This morning, I saw two [civilian type] transporter lorries carrying military vehicles in London. Although the vehicles were mostly covered with tarpaulins, I could make out that they each had the acronym "UDF" printed on it, along with a stylised globe logo. Additionally, I saw no sign of the usual British flag one normally sees on UK forces vehicles, although, like I say, the tarpaulin may have obscured it. Assuming the Ulster Defence Force isn't on active service in London, does anyone have an idea who these vehicles belong to? --Dweller (talk) 11:32, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

My first guess would be that they belong to a film crew, and that 'UDF' will prove to be some kind of ersatz-UN organisation in some action movie in the next 18 months. AlexTiefling (talk) 11:39, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

And here [1] is a picture, and here [2] a news story indicating that this is Tom Cruise's forthcoming SF feature All You Need Is Kill. AlexTiefling (talk) 11:41, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Great sleuthing. Thank you. I imagine that choice of acronym may cause some box office anomalies in Northern Ireland and Eire. --Dweller (talk) 12:20, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks! And yes - a Hollywood action film, based on Japanese source material, being insensitive about the Troubles? Who'd have guessed? AlexTiefling (talk) 12:50, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

You mean like the rather ill chosen "The future's bright, the future's Orange" ;-) Dmcq (talk) 15:45, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Something like that, although the Indy lazily repeats the 'No va' urban legend [3], so i'd view the reporting with a little skepticism. AlexTiefling (talk) 15:54, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Although dressed as a military vehicle, I think it's one of MAN SE's civilian trucks (they make them in so many variants for different purposes that I can't figure out precisely which; I think it's a construction build TGM) rather than one of the military vehicles built by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (which have armour). IMCDB hasn't got a page up about the movie yet. So they probably belong to some plant-hire company, to whom they'll be returned (with the cammo overpainted) once filming is done. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 14:39, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

The MAN vehicles we used in the US Army 56th Field Artillery Command 20 years ago were not armored. --— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 23:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

How do I change my username on a wikipage?

How do I change my username on a wikipage? Venustar84 (talk) 19:38, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Regardless of the fact that that might be highly inappropriate, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk which handles editting questions. μηδείς (talk) 19:45, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Past posts to talk pages where you signed your username probably shouldn't be changed. If you wish to merely change your username going forward (i.e. to start using a new username from now, without regard for your previous posts on talk pages) you can do so at WP:CHU. --Jayron32 19:48, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

The user has already promised not to change his username given past misbehavior. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk/Archive_96#New_NeptuneKH94_sockpuppet_nonsense. The user's already got over a dozen names. μηδείς (talk) 22:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Ah, yes. In that case, don't do that. Just keep this name, and don't do the things you were told not to do before. --Jayron32 01:42, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Don't abbreviate "Wikipedia" as "Wiki"! There are other wikis out there – Wikipedia is just one of them.

I wasn;t going to change it on wikipedia. I was going to change it on wikimoon.org. 174.7.167.7 (talk) 20:54, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

How were we supposed to mean that you mean WikiMoon? Dismas|^(talk) 21:19, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Furthermore, we have no association with Wikimoon. You'll have to contact someone there. --Jayron32 00:50, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

That makes sense. Ok I'll ask people on that website. 03:24, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

February 2

Eileens' Tacky Glue - in UK and Australia.

My g/f has a business making small plywood building models (http://renm.us) - and we recommend that our USA customers glue them together with a white wood glue called "Eileen's Tacky Glue" - which comes in a gold bottle and is on sale just about everywhere (eg Walmart, HobbyLobby, etc). I'm writing the instructions for assembling her models and because she makes big sales in the UK and Australia, I'm wondering what to recommend to her customers in those places.

The critical attributes of this stuff is that it's fairly sticky when fresh from the bottle but has a long working time - and most importantly, it dries completely transparent.

Could anyone from Europe/UK and Australia (and other countries too if you can) suggest whether Eileens' is commonly available in stores there - or what a decent local alternative might be?

TIA. SteveBaker (talk) 03:05, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

We have a selection of PVA glues available in supermarkets and hardware stores in the UK, but I haven't seen Eileen's. It might be available in craft shops. Eileen's seems to be more tacky than the average PVA. Perhaps someone knows a craft equivalent. Dbfirs 08:24, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

You can get Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue in the U.S. in a gold bottle (check spelling). Also Elmer's Craft Bond seems to be similar but I haven't used that one myself - is it available overseas? Rmhermen (talk) 16:24, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Aleene's glue does appear to be available in the UK (e.g. here) but it wouldn't be recognised as describing a particular type of glue. The only immediately recognisable ones I can think of are Pritt Stick, UHU and Copydex, but I don't think any of these match what you're looking for. The best bet would probably to specify using 'tacky, clear PVA glue', and leave your customers to choose the brand they prefer. You can search on the Hobbycraft website (the first link I gave) to see the sorts of things that are available. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:01, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

eye patch

in making of an eye patch what material is used thanks billy — Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.2.126.176 (talk) 06:46, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

An eye patch can be made of many materials, it just needs to block light and not cause any other problems. Cheap, disposable ones can be paper, with others made of cloth. In either case, an elastic cord is needed to hold it on the head. There also seems to be a version held on with adhesive, which is more like a Band-Aid/plaster. StuRat (talk) 06:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

If it is for a costume, black felt is usually used. See these instructions or google "how to make an eye patch" for other suggestions. μηδείς (talk) 18:46, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

The eye patch store[4] mentions ultrasuede and leather as a materials for an eye patch. Vinyl is mentioned in this search. -- Uzma Gamal (talk) 12:06, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Sony TV selling stores in Doha with estimated price

Hi, I am trying to search the website of the Sony TV selling stores in Doha with estimated prizes. Tried Sony Doha website but they don't show the prize. Thank you in advance.Nirajrm (talk) 06:55, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I don't understand. Can you clarify your question ? StuRat (talk) 06:57, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I want to buy the Sony LED television from Doha but fail to find the electronic stores selling TV and displaying the prizes on their website. Can you suggest a store website?Nirajrm (talk) 06:59, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

The confusing part is your use of the word "prize". Is there some type of contest where they give away something for free ? Or did you mean to say "item" instead of "prize" ? In any case, there appears to be a Sony showroom here: [5]. StuRat (talk) 07:07, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Stu, are you deliberately not understanding, or are you actually missing the obvious miss-spelling price->prize? Assuming that, I hope you can agree that all of Nirajrm's entries make perfect sense. The difference between the voiced and unvoiced is far from universal, so for many ESL speakers, those words are complete homophones, even though they're not in most English dialects./81.170.148.21 (talk) 12:27, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

You're right, that must be what they meant. I didn't see it, since the two sound very different to me, making a misspelling unlikely for me, and the OP repeated the word, making a typo unlikely. StuRat (talk) 16:46, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Thank you StuRat but I want to do online shopping of a Sony TV in Doha. Sorry for the confusion. I mean cost of the TV.Nirajrm (talk) 07:10, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I am interested in online shopping of the Sony LED TV in Doha. So, please suggest me the website for it. I tried Google but so far not successful. Nirajrm (talk) 07:14, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm having the same problem. It's possible they aren't allowed to sell TVs online in Qatar. Some nations require a local partner. In this case, the local partner would sell the Sony TVs in it's showrooms. 51 East seems to be a local partner in Qatar: http://www.51east.com.qa/. (If you pick "Haute Electronics" and then "TV", they list some Sony TVs, but no prices are shown.) StuRat (talk) 07:47, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Note that you don't need to actually sell online to display prices. It isn't uncommon for manufacturers to list prices even though they don't sell products direct to the consumer or don't sell online. Some retailers do so too. There may be a small number of jurisdictions where this is illegal, but I doubt it's common. However the practice of selling online and listing prices varies significantly from country to country depending on how common it is etc. Although I'm somewhat confused whether the OP wants a store selling online or simply wants to a list of prices online as they've mentioned both. Nil Einne (talk) 16:38, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Listing prices online where you don't sell online is problematic, as each retailer will sell for different prices, and, if they sell for more than the list price, this will let everyone know they are being ripped off there. They typically either don't list prices online, in this case, or list an absurdly high manufacturer's suggested retail price, so as to not make their retailers look bad. Of course, such a MSRP is of little practical value, as the amount they pad the price is variable, making comparisons between brands useless. StuRat (talk) 16:51, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I can't say how things work in the US, but I'd think you'd find in many places, major manufacturer online stores when they do exist sell their consumer electronic products like TVs at MSRPs (or prices close to it) anyway. Yes the prices are absurb but the OP didn't give any indication they cared. Similarly, in many countries, even if online non manufacturer retails stores do exist, for big ticket consumer electronic items the price you'll pay online is often a lot more then you can expect to pay in store (barring the occasional special) since it's expected you will haggle on the price and the online store simply lists the retail price which few people pay (one of the reasons why online stores aren't that successful). The prices may not be quite as high as MSRPs but getting there. I thought of mentioning all this during my initial reply but decided it's the OP choice and they hopefully know more about the Dubai marketplace then you and me. I'd note the OP can no indication they cared about anyone but Sony (although comparing even same manufacturer MSRPs doesn't always work very well.)Nil Einne (talk) 05:40, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Online game map editor

Hi, I am looking to find a free to use online games map editor to keep track of enemy locations. It is to be used alongside a browser-based online game. The locations go from 0,0 to 999,999. It is important I am able to edit the locations by inputting coords directly, ie 234,567. Thanks guys — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.148.8.63 (talk) 13:15, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Do you want it to provide graphic maps for the players to view ? StuRat (talk) 16:52, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

No, just a visual reference for me to keep track of enemy coords. Thx — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.148.8.63 (talk) 18:20, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

So, would you have a top view pic of rooms, etc., then enter enemy coords, and have it create a map with dots added to the pic at each of those coords ? And do you also need the ability to move the enemies on the map, once placed, or would you generate a new map from scratch and re-enter them all ?

Or perhaps you just want it to list a table with the coords for each enemy ? If that's all you want, I could write that for you myself. StuRat (talk) 06:14, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

I would think the second option is closer to what I had in mind. At the moment, I am keeping tabs of locations by hand and it gets really messy :) Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.148.8.63 (talk) 09:58, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

OK, would you like me to whip up a program for you ? This does mean you'd have to trust me enough to give me your email address (you could tell me on my talk page) and then run the executable I send you. StuRat (talk) 16:57, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

(I've now sent the program I wrote.) StuRat (talk) 22:20, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

How about a 1000*1000 bitmap image. Set the colour of a pixel depending upon what is at that coordinate. I would use PSP3 (An ancient program, but it works a treat). -- SGBailey (talk) 17:30, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Mailing the Queen

I love writing letters, and just got to know that the Queen (of England :P ) will be participating in InCoWriMo. I’d love to send her a letter, but was wondering how to go about it. For starters, how do you address the queen in a letter. Keep in mind that it’s not official stuff, it’s meant to be casual. Do I still write “Your Majesty”? Or do I begin with “Dear Elizabeth”? =P Also, I’m from India, and not extremely familiar with British etiquette. What do I write about? Things I would normally write about to any old penpal I usually correspond with? Any pointers would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance. 101.60.33.39 (talk) 17:54, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

We have an article on everything: Forms of address#Royalty. So you would write "Your Majesty" instead of "Dear..." and I'd suggest you'd congratulate her on recently celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, and maybe you'd also like to ask her whether she plans to visit India. Unfortunately our article does not inform us how to close the letter - maybe "Yours faithfully". --TammyMoet (talk) 18:07, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

(ec) According to the royal website at http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/ContactTheQueen/Overview.aspx, "You should feel free to write in whatever sytle you feel comfortable" RudolfRed (talk) 18:10, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

But make sure you don't address the letter to the "Queen of England". That would be as anachronistic as sending a letter to the Viceroy of India. You could if you like address it to her as Queen of Jamaica, or Queen of Papua New Guinea, or Queen of Tuvalu or 13 other choices - all perfectly legitimate current titles and all more correct than "Queen of England". But I suppose the default crown she is assumed to wear is that of the United Kingdom. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 20:24, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Further to the information above, the envelope should be addressed thus: (ref 'How to contact the Queen')

HM The Queen

Buckingham Palace

London SW1A 1AA

UNITED KINGDOM

For a formal letter, you should begin the letter with:

Madam,

and end with:

I have the honour to be, Madam, Your Majesty's humble and obedient servant, <your name>

In the body of the letter you should be brief, but courteous. The Queen receives very many letters, so you need to explain what you are writing about in as short a time as possible. I personally would not expect to write to the Queen as if to a friend or pen pal, but to write something interesting and meaningful. I believe that Her Majesty has a strong personal interest in India, so you may wish to tell her about your life in your country, but also to ask her for her thoughts on the future.

Do not be disappointed if you receive a reply from an employee of the Queen's household: although the Queen receives, and reads, many letters each day, she may not have the opportunity to reply to each one personally. However, her aides do make sure that her views are represented in their replies, and that she is informed of the contents of interesting correspondence. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 00:27, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Bearing in mind the OP didn't give any indication they were a citizen of any member of the commonwealth realm, is it really necessary or expected that the OP will call themselves the queen's humble and obedient servant? Nil Einne (talk) 05:29, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Actually the site continues This traditional approach is by no means obligatory. You should feel free to write in whatever style you feel comfortable. Also I think this form dates to a time when people would close letters with y'r obedient servant, Benjamin Franklin even when the letter was addressed to someone the writer had no intention of either serving or obeying. It reminds me a bit of the letter that Caryl Chessman reported receiving from the warden of San Quentin, which if memory serves went something like: Dear Sir. Today I received notice that an execution date has been fixed in your case. Very truly yours, H. Teets, Warden. --Trovatore (talk) 08:10, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

How awful. Common etiquette demands the use of "yours faithfully" when signing a letter commencing "Dear sir".[6] Alansplodge (talk) 22:16, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

It's similar to the old fashioned way of greeting someone for the first time by saying you are "at your service". If doesn't mean you are actually going to bring them their dinner, it's just courtesy. --Tango (talk) 01:48, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

But why do you believe its a courtesy normal for those of who are not citizens of commonwealth realm countries? Trovatore's suggestion is a possibly, but you don't seem to have given anything to suggest it is. I don't think the queen realisticly expects citizens of the commonwealth realm to be humble and obedient servants either but it's a courtesy understandable there. Note that the ref used doesn't every specify the country, so it's unclear they were directing it at people outside the UK, let alone in non Commonwealth realm countries. Nil Einne (talk) 18:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Looking a bit, I found [7] where the phrase was used. Also [8], [9] and [10] although not directed at royalty but are directed at people from different countries if I understand them correctly and do use similar phrasing. BTW, some more traditional royalists suggest British and possibly all Commonwealth realm countries citizens (i.e. anyone who can be regarded as the Queen's subjects) should write subject rather then servant. Nil Einne (talk) 19:15, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

When mailing the Queen, does the stamp go on her bum ? StuRat (talk) 06:08, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

No, one inch from her upper and right corner, use a ruler. μηδείς (talk) 21:22, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

February 3

Editing image of a world map?

In the Amazing Race articles on each season, there would be a map showing the places where the race will be set in, e.g. here. I looked up the blank map and got the image file. So how can I edit (and what do I use) to edit the image to look something like this (e.g. arrows pointing to different places on the world map with a dot showing the exact location and a blue background on the country of which the dot is placed on)? Thanks Koopatrev (talk) 05:44, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

That rather looks like it was done with Microsoft Paint, using the fill tool to set the color of selected nations to blue, the curve tool to draw the connections, etc. Note that this is a rather crude way to do it, as the routes should properly be great circle routes projected onto the plane of the map. StuRat (talk) 06:05, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Making things like diagrams (for Wikipedia) using a paint program is a really bad idea. It would be better to use a vector art program such as Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator which produce resolution-independent pictures that are much easier for other people to improve, re-use and add to. Is there an SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphics) version of that map someplace? Wikicommons has all sorts of maps in SVG format to use as a starting point. SteveBaker (talk) 14:27, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Tic (card game)

I've been looking through card games on Wikipedia and tried searching for this game but found nothing. I also searched the web and only found a few questions about it and someone describing how to play it. I would like if someone could help add this card game to Wikipedia. I could not find any sources for it. I did not make this game - someone taught it to me, and someone had taught it to them. Not sure if this game has any other names.

Found an explanation of the game here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090705133126AAj9b4k

Here is their explanation of it:

Tic is really fun! Any number of people can play, just add another deck of cards as needed. It does get kinda slow with huge amounts though. Generally you use 2 decks for 3-6 players. Leave the jokers in the deck. You play in rounds, the first round everyone gets 3 cards. The dealer turns over the top card. The person to the left of the dealer can either pick up that card or draw a different one, then discard one, always keeping 3 cards in their hand. The object of the game is to get the cards in your hand into sets, either triples of the same card, or a suited run of three cards. This is the fun part: 3s are wild, and jokers are wild. After someone gets a set of 3, they lay down their set and call "tic". THEN everyone else gets one last chance to play, either taking a card off the top of the discard or from the deck and then discarding. If they get a set of cards, those cards DO NOT count against them. If you have cards in your hand not in a set after your turn, you add up all the points of the cards. Number cards are the same points as on the card, face cards are all worth 10 points, Aces are worth 15, and wilds are 25. So if you can't use your wild get rid of it! When everyone has discarded and added up their points, the round is over. The next round begins with 4 cards in your hands, and 4s and jokers are wild. You play the same way.. except you have to all your cards in sets of AT LEAST 3, so for this round and for round 5 you will have sets of 4 and 5. Again, everyone gets a chance to discard one last time after someone gets tic. Sometimes it is better to get rid of high cards (like aces) on your last turn than to go for a set. If you have a set of at least 3, it will not count against you. So if someone calls tic in round 4 and you have a set of 3 anything, and an ace, get rid of the ace. You want the lowest score possible! So a hand full of low cards is better than a set and extra high cards. When you get to the round with 6 cards, 6s are wild, and now you can have 2 sets of 3 to get tic (or 1 set of 6). The round with 7 cards, 7 are wild, and so on.. sets of at least 3 never count against you, add up all the cards not in sets. There will be 15 ROUNDS! Every round, the number of cards goes up and the wild card goes up. The second to last round aces are wild, the very last round, 2s are wild! After 15 rounds whoever has the lowest score wins! At round 15 you can have 5 sets of 3 to get tic. Awesome. Really fun game, enjoy! Coty9090 (talk) 08:04, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

If you can't find sources, then the game fails WP:GNG and is not suitable for Wikipedia. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:18, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

The Candle Lamp Company, Peekskill, NY

I'd like to know about The Candle Lamp Company, Peekskill, NY. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paulie12 (talk • contribs) 14:01, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Is this the company you mean? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 84.21.143.150 (talk) 14:07, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Advertising legalities

I was wondering how SodaStream was able to create the banned commercial featuring both Coke and Pepsi -- isn't it impermissible to feature another's product, especially in a mocking or scandalous fashion? Or is it merely a play on our expectations, in that we just think it's so clearly presenting Coke and Pepsi, and really, the logos are partially obscured and the drivers are really just wearing red and blue? DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 18:45, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

It's a very broad question. There may be legislative jurisdictions where it is illegal to mention another company's product in your own advertising, but as a general rule of thumb I don't think there's any such prohibition.

But you're right that it's unusual, if only because to mention the other guy at all in your own advertising is to give a free plug to them, and smart marketers know this. That's what "suggestion" really means. It's usually taken to mean more like "recommendation", but to mention something at all is to put into the minds of the listener/reader something that may not have been there before. To mention Pepsi in a Coke ad, even if done to disparage Pepsi, is to suggest Pepsi.

This, for example, is why it's really dumb to say "Don't forget to ...". The listener may never have had any intention to forget whatever it was, but now that the concept has been raised, forgetting might well become exactly what they'll do. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 19:18, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm curious about that last statement, Jack. I trust it's not necessary to prove that people frequently forget things that they have no intention of forgetting (spouse's birthday, buying milk, etc.) even when they haven't been issued a "Don't forget to..." suggestion. Is such a reminder, phrased in that way, really worse than no reminder at all? Have any studies been done which demonstrate an increased propensity for forgetting following such a suggestion? I'm quite curious to see such research. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:46, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

I put it in the same category as the First Lady not saying to the President in the morning, "See you for dinner, honey. Don't press the nuclear button and blow up North Korea or anything". Or a parent who's watching their child ride a bike unaided for the very first time, does not say "Don't fall off and smash your teeth and break your bones". Here are some hits I found - [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17] - the latter don't qualify as research per se. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 20:32, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Those are interesting, but only one (this page) happens to mention an instruction to not forget something, and as you say, it's far from any sort of real research. It also discusses it in the context of advertising, where the intent is presumably to influence the reader to do something they they didn't previously plan to do, or to make them aware of an event or product of which they were previously unaware. The nub of the problem is whether or not forgetting, in the circumstance you originally discussed, is a 'positive' act that can be consciously or subconsciously influenced by the mention of forgetting. The essence of some of those articles that you linked to is that the brain tends to get sloppy when given negatively phrased instructions— "Don't do this" gets initially parsed as "Do this". But what happens with the double negative of the 'don't forget' formulation? Does the brain hear "Don't forget to buy milk!" as "Don't Forget to buy milk!" or as "Don't forget to Buy milk!"

Getting back to mentioning competitors in ads, I doubt that you'll find Pepsi running ad copy reading either "Forget Coca-Cola!" or "Don't forget Coca-Cola!" — either way, I'm coming away from the page thinking about Coke. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:56, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

How many lines do the actors have in an average coke commercial? :) KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:11, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

The keyword you're looking for is comparative advertising. (Unfortunately, our article needs some work.) The laws regarding the use of other company's brand names, trademarks, symbols, etc. in advertising vary quite a bit by jurisdiction. In the United States, it is permissible to directly and openly compare one's own product to those of one's competitors (c.f. Pepsi Challenge). However, the claims in such advertising (and in all advertising) are governed by the rules and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission; misleading or dishonest comparisons are barred. Other countries and cultures will have different rules and/or attitudes regarding comparative advertising. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:25, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with the commercial you're referring to, but FYI Coke and Pepsi have crossed over in the past. There was a Pepsi commercial featuring a Coca-Cola delivery driver stopping to sate himself with some forbidden Pepsi (IIRC, it may have been vice versa; this was more than a decade ago). Matt Deres (talk) 01:17, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Pepsi did this with the Pepsi Challenge adverts years ago. Also, the "I'm a Mac" adverts did the same. Linux came up with the novel idea of using that advert itself to promote its own product, having three characters on the stage. It's not illegal. It's probably illegal to actually show the rival's product's logo or packaging, but certainly not illegal to mention them in some way. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:08, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Can we please not engage in off-the-cuff speculation about what is legal and what is not? The article on comparative advertising which I linked to yesterday touches on the legality of using other companies' trademarks in advertising. This varies by jurisdiction, but the use of other companies' trademarks is legal (with unsurprising caveats on uncertain, misleading, deceptive, or untruthful claims) in advertising in the U.S. and the U.K. and probably many other places. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:53, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Collectible plates

Hi folks! I have been searching for references and any known knowledge on a set of colletible plates that I have recently came across. They date back to the early 1920's and were put out once yearly up to and including 1986. They may possibly still be put out to this day I am not sure. On most of them it says: Lake Shore Pioneer Chapter NY Central Veterans around the lip of the plate then on the bottom it says Cedar Point and the year such as 1955 then a few are commemorative of such things as End of the Line 1908-1979 with the same around the lip of the plate. Can you help me? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rooster914 (talk • contribs) 20:34, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

There's a few for sale on ebay - a guess something produced for employees/enthusiasts of the railway line? Lake_Shore_Limited New York Central ---- _nonsense ferret 23:48, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Generally speaking, what is the cheapest color to produce?

I have searched on the Internet to see if I could clarify this doubt of mine but I have found different opinions. Some say black, others red, some gray, others green... Hopefully you can provide me with a definite answer to this question. Thanks in advance. --190.19.95.159 (talk) 20:36, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Colour of paint? Itsmejudith (talk) 20:40, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Color of crayon? Light? Ink? Ketchup? M&M? Money? Dismas|^(talk) 21:26, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Fairly obviously, the natural color of whatever material we're talking about here! SteveBaker (talk) 00:21, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps my question was not clear enough. I am not talking about any particular material, but rather about all of the colors that can be produced using any means. --190.19.95.159 (talk) 05:14, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Your question is most certainly not clear enough - even with this clarification! Are you talking about paint colors? Dye colors? Light source colors? The answer is dramatically different depending on what you're asking about. We can probably tell you whether white paint is cheaper than red paint (although the answer might be complicated by whether you need a very precise shade of red - or whether it has to be glossy or flat) - but if you're talking about coloring cloth, then bleaching it white might be cheaper than dying it red. Making white plastic might be more expensive than red plastic...but that's not related to whether red is cheaper or more expensive than white in a paint or a dye. The material that's being colored (and how, and why) is a critical part of the answer. We really need a clearer question here! SteveBaker (talk) 14:21, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I believe that, historically, red paint was cheapest, which explains why it was used on things like barns, which needed a lot of paint to protect the wood, but which weren't exactly fashion statements, so the farmers used the cheapest paint they could find. Don't know if it's still the cheapest color, though.

Another issue is coverage. When painting with white paint over a bright background, some would likely show through, unless you used multiple coats or primer. Darker colors, on the other hand, could be used with fewer coats. This would affect total cost. StuRat (talk) 04:24, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Black, because soot is free? Dbfirs 07:47, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Rust is also "free" - and Iron Oxide is what was used to paint those red barns. SteveBaker (talk) 14:21, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Ochre is also free.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:47, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

But red dye for clothes was expensive. According to Cochineal it was used for dyeing the clothes of kings, nobles and the clergy. So I don't think that there's a general answer to the OP's question. Sjö (talk) 10:17, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

By amount of colour I'd say - Blue for the sky and the sea. Yellow for the sun. Black for space. Just to go up in increasing sizes of areas covered. Dmcq (talk) 12:07, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Green. Just leave whatever you want to color green in a damp spot in the woods and wait until mold and moss have covered it. Cost=zero. Sjö (talk) 14:43, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

But waiting involves time, and time = money. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 18:50, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Indeed it does. Einstein proved it.[18] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:19, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Historically speaking, the most expensive colors were blue and purple, because the dyes used to create them were expensive to manufacture. In ancient times, purple dyes in the Mediterranean region typically originated from Phoenecia, where shells of the Murex sea snail were processed by the hundreds into small quantities of Tyrian purple. This is why people in the West sometimes associate the color purple with royalty: it was a costly color to use, and only the aristocracy could afford it. Blue has a similar history: blue pigment is not common in nature, and certain hues became symbols of status in and of themselves in the ancient world. Perhaps most notably, ancient Egyptians often used blue pigment created from Lapis lazuli stones for decoration, though the import was so costly and the color so important to their culture that they eventually developed a synthetic replacement.

However, in modern times, pigments are generally industrially produced and are often synthetic, so the price between different colors doesn't vary much. In addition, colors that were pricey in Europe at any given time were more available elsewhere and vice versa, so economic globalization brings us a much wider range of colors at a lower cost, unlike the ancient Greeks, who had to pay big money for a little tint. —Rutebega (talk) 03:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

The royal houses of Europe must have been seriously miffed when a clever German boffin worked out how to make purple dye from coal. Alansplodge (talk) 11:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Most people these days associate the color purple only with Hollywood royalty, not real royalty. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 05:27, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

February 4

Slough rail accident

4th Feb 2013

Rail accident at I beleive the Slough area UK in about 1959-61

Trying to find details. I was a passenger on a following train and my friend was on the accident train. we were both in the RAF. I believe only a few persons were hurt. I rememeber passing the site and noted that several coaches were lying on there side and the rail were twisted like bent pieces of wire.

Do you have any details of this event? Just curious.92.24.225.134 (talk) 09:16, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

The accident was on 1 May 1959, and the official report is available online at [19]. There doesn't seem to be anything on Wikipedia; with just a few injuries, it may not be serious enough to merit an article. Warofdreams talk 10:09, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

philospohy

Is it right that dead people still have power over their intellectual properties and tangible ones? Does it mean that if it is unclear or unknown to whom the owner passed an intellectual property the property is itself owned by the one who will find or get it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.97.111.151 (talk) 12:29, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

This is a very similar question to that in Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013_February_1#ETHICS and I believe the answers there are a pretty complete answer for this too. Dmcq (talk) 12:58, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

A few subtle differences here, the question is should dead people have power over property after death - opinions differ on this point, what do you think? In some cases legal systems will carry out the wishes of the deceased, in many cases too they will set aside to some extent those wishes and give preference to creditors of the estate and family members in distributing those assets.

Secondly, to whom will property pass if the deceased did not provide a will - that is a question regarding the rules of intestate succession which would be specific to the legal jurisdiction in question - generally it would be the spouse or children of the deceased in first preference, followed by parents or siblings, then more remote family members, and perhaps all else failing such as the example of the UK it will be the property of the state. In order to claim such property you would generally have to show that you had a claim based on some blood relationship generally, or could provide evidence of a will written in your favour by the deceased. ---- _nonsense ferret 14:20, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

I suppose it could be taken as 'should' rather than 'is it true that'. As has been said before and here dead people are not people but ex-people as far as most systems of law are concerned. They do not feature in any convention on human rights that I know of.

If that is so I'd interpret the question as whether we think a person's intellectual property should become public domain when they die. As far as the reference desk is concerned that can be translated into do we know of any debate or movement to cancel intellectual property rights on death rather than have them pass to the heirs. Personally I think most such rights except things like trade marks which are part of a continuing work or trade should only last thirty years irrespective of death or non-death but the article Societal views on intellectual property is probably the best place to go to about these questions. Dmcq (talk) 15:36, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Turtle Wax

I know it probably wouldnt be allowed now but did Turtle wax used to be made from real turtles?--92.17.48.43 (talk) 20:45, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

No. μηδείς (talk) 20:58, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Here is a quote from the company's web page, which I think should answer the question: "With a knowledge of chemistry and fascination of cars, Ben (Hirsch) mixed-up his first batches of PlastoneTM in the family bathtub in the late 1930s. Ben’s wife, Marie, bottled the auto polish as Ben traveled by streetcar to gas stations in the Chicago area to market and demonstrate his product. On a sales call in Wisconsin, Ben Hirsch passed by Turtle Creek. In a moment of inspiration, he realized the protective hard shell of a turtle was just like the finish produced by his auto polish, so he renamed his company Turtle Wax." Looie496 (talk) 20:59, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Like the jingle: "Turtle Wax gives a hard shell finish... Turtle Wax!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:17, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Analog wrist watch with altimeter and compass

Is there any on the market? OsmanRF34 (talk) 23:56, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Does this count [20] ---- _nonsense ferret 00:21, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Yes. And something less ugly? Maybe some Timex? OsmanRF34 (talk) 00:38, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

maybe [21] - or you could always ask for a fishing rod ---- _nonsense ferret 01:09, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

For the feature set of {Timex, analog, altimeter, compass}, it appears to be a case of "choose 3". That is, no case of an analog Timex with altimeter and compass, but you can strike any one of those terms and find a watch that matches the other 3. Google quickly returns all such combinations. — Lomn 15:54, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Is this a request for a reference? μηδείς (talk) 01:04, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Of course it is. — Lomn 14:21, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

A simple Google search won't deliver the results that I asked. As said, it had to have both altimeter and compass. Add to it that it has to be analog and don't look like a toy. OsmanRF34 (talk) 13:38, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Your last criterion is subjective and therefore beyond the scope of this page. However, given what you say, you might strike it lucky by perusing Google images, rather than "a simple Google search". --Dweller (talk) 15:19, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

February 5

Last monarch to be killed in battle?

The recent recovery of the body of Richard III of England has got me wondering who was the last monarch to be killed in battle. After Richard I know of James IV of Scotland and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, but are there any later candidates? -- Arwel Parry (talk) 13:48, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

The last king appears to have been Charles XII of Sweden. If we were to include executions during civil war or tribal/non-state kings there are likely lots more recent examples. 88.112.41.6 (talk) 14:32, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Remarkably, Wikipedia has Category:Monarchs killed in action. Unfortunately, it is not sorted by date, nor can I vouch for its completeness. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

I haven't screened the entire category, but Yohannes IV (Emperor of Ethiopia, died 1889 in the Battle of Metemma) could be a contender. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:26, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

That was indeed the last one anyone could think of last time we discussed this. - Jarry1250 ^{[Deliberation needed]} 13:40, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

AICPA Practice Bulletin No. 14 Limited Liability Companies

I am trying to find the original AICPA pronouncement "AICPA Practice Bulletin No. 14 Limited Liability Companies" does Wikipedia have it anywheres? Can Wikipedia get a copy? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.74.196.58 (talk) 13:48, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

No there is no copy on Wikipedia and I doubt that we could get one. Do any of these, these or these look like what you want? If not then try going to the AICPA and searching or ask them. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 13:58, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Michael Jackson's Neverland

outing people notable only as victims is against WP:AVOIDVICTIM policy
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I know that Michael Jackson is thought to have molested children in Neverland, but I have tried many Google searches to try to find a list of the children's names. I have found several articles about Eva Chandler's son, but never a list of names.174.131.64.182 (talk) 16:39, 5 February 2013 (UTC) It's common practice for newspapers and TV stations to omit the names of victims of sexual abuse, regardless of the age of the victim at the time of the incident. Only those children (who would now be adults of course, and free to make such a decision) who wish to make their stories known will do so. Other victims may wish to remain anonymous to avoid publicity or have moved on with their lives and want to put that event behind them as best they can. --McDoobAU93 16:45, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

norman appreciation society/register

Can anyone tell me if the Norman Appreciation Society is still extant? If not is it likely to be re-started?81.100.37.46 (talk) 17:17, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

There's a Norman Gunston International Appreciation Society. That may or may not be useful to you. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 20:19, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Yeah we're gonna need a bit more to work with here I think - Norman Wisdom? Norman, Oklahoma? The Norman invasion of Britain in 1066? ... ---- _nonsense ferret 21:52, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Well perhaps they were looking for the Dormansland Ruth Norman Appreciation Society. I have no idea what to say about that group. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 13:33, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Sitar

Hi, is anyone here familiar with the sitar?

1. According to Sitar, "A sitar can have 21, 22, or 23 strings, among them six or seven played strings which run over the frets", so does that mean that all the remainder are "sympathetic strings", so there would be 14 to 17 sympathetic strings?

2. According to http://www.joerizzo.com/sitar/index.htm, which seems to be written by someone with good knowledge of the subject, "Most sitars have between 18-20 strings (my particular sitar has 20 strings - 7 main and 13 sympathetic - other sitars often have 11 sympathetic)." Those are different and not even overlapping number ranges. Which is correct?

3. Down the neck of the sitar are lots of what I understand are tuning pegs, most of them for the sympathetic strings. I'm wondering how these pegs actuslly connect with the strings, and I cannot find a photograph or diagram anywhere that really shows this clearly. Do the sympathetic strings pass through holes in the fretboard? I'm wondering if the white dots on the fretboard in the picture at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sitar_taraf_pegs_layout.jpg, are actually these holes??

86.171.43.12 (talk) 20:49, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Challenging an anti public ordinance passed by a county.

Sorry, but Wikipedia's policies don't allow us to give legal advice. Looie496 (talk) 22:40, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
County of Sacramento has been giving an Exclusive rights contract to a group of 80 Taxi drivers for the last 20 years and recently renewed it for next 5 years. There are about 500+ cabs in the city of Sacramento. This policy violates many equal rights of other drivers. I want to challenge this policy in court. Please advise. Also send me some similar court cases as an example for my reference. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.54.5.206 (talk) 22:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

We can't offer legal advice, but the request for info on similar cases we could do, if anyone can find any. StuRat (talk) 06:50, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

(You'd have to ask for information on specific similar cases - if we look to see if we can find any similar cases then that might constitute a legal opinion as to which cases would be considered sufficiently similar under the law.) SteveBaker (talk) 13:27, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

February 6

Russian place names.

Can anyone tell me what the following towns in Russia are now called: 1888 - Roschistsh, Russia, and 1890 - Walynian, Russia. Please advise? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Eagle Eye Genealogy (talk • contribs) 01:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Well, there is a town called Rozhysche in the Volyn Oblast of Ukraine, part of the historic region known as Volhynia (Wolhynien, in German). In 1888-1890 this place was in the Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire, not far from the border with the Austrian Empire. "Roschists" is a fairly plausible German-influenced transcription of the town's name. There is a fairly large article about the place in the Ukrainian Wikipedia, uk:Рожище, and there is also the town's web site (in Ukrainian, of course): http://www.rozhysche.com.ua/ -- Vmenkov (talk) 02:24, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Changing the natural landscape

as noted, we can't give legal advice, sorry
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
CHANGING THE NATURAL LANDSCCAPE 3 years ago my neighbour built a retaining wall all the way across my property line. Since this point and never prior in the 14 years I have been here, it has caused water to come in an unusual fashion onto my property. The first attempt to fix this was to install a pipe accross the driveway to collect and reroute the water at a cost of $700.00. This stopped nothing except now we have water coming down the other side of the cottage which we attempted to fix at a cost of $500.00 Currently we have had a heavy rain and melt and we have water coming down the original side and into the basement.. Question! Is the neighbour responsible for changing the natural lay of the land and waterflow ? Question2 What can I do if he is responsible. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.92.32.62 (talk) 02:50, 6 February 2013 (UTC) The Wikipedia Reference Desk cannot answer requests for legal advice. You may wish to contact a lawyer or your local bar association with your questions. Regardless, asking these sorts of questions on open internet forums is not generally advisable, as your answer is more likely to come from a random stranger on the internet making his best guess, than it is from a Canadian lawyer with the relevant experience. Someguy1221 (talk) 02:57, 6 February 2013 (UTC) It sounds like your rainwater and melt-water was draining into his property, and the retaining wall prevents this. If that's the case, your legal options may be quite limited. We can possibly make suggestions as to how you can improve drainage, though. Do you have sewers ? If so, you need to drain into the storm sewer (not the sanitary sewer). If not, then you need to build a dry well. If you need to lift the water over a hill to dispose of it, then you will need a sump pump. StuRat (talk) 03:05, 6 February 2013 (UTC) On the other hand, the law where you live may be different from the law where StuRat lives, so you should speak to a lawyer licensed to practice in your province (if you are in Canada), who will know your options under local law. Marco polo (talk) 17:16, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

the old childerns home in bush/hurst, il.

IM TRYING TO FIND SOME INFO ON THE OLD CHILDERNS HOME IN BUSH/HURST, IL. IT CLOSED IN THE 70'S. BEFORE IT WAS THE CHILDERNS HOME IT WAS A PLACE FOR THE RAILROAD WORKERS TO STAY AT. IM LOOKING FOR ANY INFO ON THE BUILDING. CAN YOU HELP ME? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dreamchild2 (talk • contribs) 03:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

I removed your e-mail. Any answered will be provided here. RudolfRed (talk) 04:46, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

It looks like Bush and Hurt closed down in the 1970s as well. The two villages have a combined population of around 1000. Your best shot would be to contact someone in Williamson County, Illinois and inquire about local historical societies or libraries which can help you with your research. There's a phone number at the bottom of this page for the Williamson Tourism Bureau, they may be able to direct you to someone who can help. Here is a list of important numbers in Williamson County, which includes "vital records" and "county clerk", which may be able to help. I also found This website for the Williamson County Historical Society Museum. The website is a bit of a mess, I can't find a phone number or an address for the place, but if you can locate it, it may prove to be useful in your research. --Jayron32 04:56, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Podcasts on healthy debates

Hi All, Can anyone suggest me where i can download podcasts on debates or discussions on iomportant topics relating to anything but serious ,i mean not the ones interrupting each other but something healthy and can learn somthing out of which.. Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.72.144 (talk) 10:09, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Not sure exactly what you are looking for - there is a reasonably high quality of debate on various BBC Radio 4 podcasts, see for example The Moral Maze ---- _nonsense ferret 13:12, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

You might want to look more for interviews than debates, as "debates" often seem to involve people yelling over the top of each other, these days. Interviews by Charlie Rose, for example, are usually respectful, yet still get the the meat of the question. Charlie often presents the opposing side, after saying "Some people argue that...", for example. StuRat (talk) 15:52, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

See "List of podcatchers" and Category:Podcasting

and PodcastDirectory.com | The big directory for you

and Podcast Directory : Podfeed.net

and PodcastAlley.com -- The place to find Podcasts

—Wavelength (talk) 16:35, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Things libre but not gratis (or near gratis)

What are some things that are libre but not gratis (to the point where nontrivial amounts of people only can't get it because they can't afford it)? 67.163.109.173 (talk) 11:32, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Have you read Gratis versus libre? Lots of things are libre but not gratis. I'm not sure I understand the point you're making in the brackets, as it seems to imply you think that both terms relate to money. The embrace of a prostitute may be freely available to all, but free of charge to some or none. --Dweller (talk) 11:43, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

The parentheses were to imply that I am mainly interested in monetarily expensive (a subjective term) things (not services) that are libre. And I didn't see many examples of expensive libre things at Gratis versus libre. 67.163.109.173 (talk) 11:53, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Ah, I see what you mean now. --Dweller (talk) 12:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

OK - so we're looking for something that costs a lot of money to obtain - but once obtained may be used without restriction?

How about a car? It costs a lot of money - but I can legally re-sell it, repair it (often with unauthorized 3rd party parts), modify it, drive it whenever and wherever I like and I can get a workshop manual for it that describes all of it's internal operations.

This fulfills *some* of the "libre" meanings - but there are other aspects to this - the ability to legally make exact copies, for example. You can't (legally) make an exact copy of your car because you'd be infringing on any number of patents and copyrights.

For that sense of "libre", how about buying a racehorse? You could have to pay a small fortune to buy a good one - but you can breed it and even (in principle) clone it to make copies without legal restriction.

Perhaps a better example would be my custom-built house - I paid an architect to draw up the plans - and I own those plans. I can pay a builder to make an exact copy of my house - or I could do it myself if I had the necessary skills.

The trouble with the racehorse and custom-home examples is that only I have the right to make copies...although I do have the right to confer that right on others by giving them a sample of my racehorse DNA or a copy of the plans of my house. But not just anyone can copy those things legally. But arguably that's true for things like OpenSourced software which is widely agreed to be both gratis and libre. You can't make copies of a GPL'ed piece of software without downloading it from someone else who gave you the ability to do so. They can (and often do) prevent you from downloading a copy. My website has a copy of "Apache" running on it - but I don't allow you to download it from my site. That's a necessary part of the GPL'ed model because the act of giving it away is entangled with the requirement that you affix the "copyleft" license to the copies. If I give you a copy of some piece of GPL'ed software WITHOUT the copyleft agreement - then I'm breaking the terms of the GPL and that's not legal.

SteveBaker (talk) 13:17, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Generally speaking, if something is libre then it doesn't matter who owns it. That means it will be essentially gratis (why pay for something if you can use it without owning it?). Whether you can find any counterexamples will depend on exactly how you define "libre". --Tango (talk) 21:07, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Suggest bad guy names

Our company's HR director recently announced she is going to rename all twenty of our meeting rooms and is looking for suggestions. I figured I'd suggest naming them all after main bad guys from well-known fictional works. So far I have:

• Blofeld
• Harkonnen
• Megatron
• Moriarty
• Mumm-Ra
• Palpatine
• Sauron
• Skeletor
• Voldemort

That still leaves eleven. Please suggest more. The following rules apply:

• The bad guy must be fictional. For example Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini won't do.
• The fiction must be reasonably well-known internationally, even if the actual main bad guy is not.
• The bad guy must be known by the same name regardless of language. For example, Flintheart Glomgold or John D. Rockerduck won't do, because they're called "Kulta-Into Pii" and "Kroisos Pennonen" in Finnish.
• The fiction can be of any sort whatsoever. Books, comics, TV shows, movies, you name it.

JIP | Talk 19:20, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

• Lex Luthor, General Zod, Cthulu, Hannibal Lecter, Hans Gruber, Agent Smith, Keyser Soze, Dracula, Ivan Drago. --Jayron32 19:30, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Treadstone. Shadowjams (talk) 19:34, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Darth Vader. StuRat (talk) 19:36, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Goldstein 20.137.2.50 (talk) 19:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Um, O'Brien is the villain, Goldstein's a scapegoat. μηδείς (talk) 20:39, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

• Well, Medea obviously. There's also Morgan le Fay, although her villany is debatable, and the name is not one word. In any case, you sorely lack female names, and I would recommend sticking to the classics and avoiding cartoon villains. we have a list of female supervillains, but none of them rises above Catwoman. Internet searches almost all get cartoon villains. μηδείς (talk) 20:22, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

There are also Jezebel, Lilith, Tiamat, and Salome. Oh, and Kali, although that might be inappropriate if you have any thugs working for you. μηδείς (talk) 20:31, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

• • (edit conflict) Well, Medea isn't as villainous of a name anymore since Tyler Perry appropriated Madea for his series of cross dressing films. People are likely to confuse it. Catwoman is good; though mythology has other female villains to choose from Medusa and Lilith spring to mind. More modern female villains could include the devious Miss Havisham, or perhaps Almira Gulch, Cruella de Vil, Harley Quinn, Rosa Klebb, Nurse Ratched, Annie Wilkes, Bellatrix Lestrange for a few. Many of those come from literature or live action films, not necessarily cartoons. --Jayron32 20:38, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
    • Madea is not Medea is not Medeis. I thought of De Vil and Ratched but the OP seems to want one-name characters. Ratched's too wretched in my book any way--I* would not want to work in a place with a room named after her. μηδείς (talk) 20:42, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
      • No, Madea is not Medea, which is why I said they weren't. Still, trying to explain every time why the main character of Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a "villain", and then having to point out the spelling difference doesn't make it ideal. Yes Medea is a good villain from mythology. The potential for confusion, however, may not make it good for the application the OP has. I also don't see why the "Ratched" room or the "Klebb" room wouldn't work as singular last names. It would be plainly obvious who they were referencing. --Jayron32 20:46, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
        • I certainly don't oppose Ratched as not evil enough, but she's usually Nurse Ratched which seems to violate the implicit one-name rule. And imagining her makes me think of the suicide, and if I woprked in such a place I'd file a complaint for psychological abuse if I had to work in a room that called to mind that image. μηδείς (talk) 20:59, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Miss Havisham, Jayron? She was the victim, a jiltee the balance of whose mind was altered ever afterwards, and someone whose loyalty and faithfulness to him who done her wrong serves as a shining example to us all.

I'd nominate a pile of James M. Cain villainesses: Mildred Pierce and her daughter Veda; Cora Papadakis as played by Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946; not the trashy remake); and Phyllis Dietrichson as played by Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 21:05, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Boris Badenov Bus stop (talk) 20:35, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

And, for equal time, Natasha Nogoodnik. StuRat (talk)

• Servalan--best villain of any sex ever!!! μηδείς (talk) 20:39, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
• Jadis the White Witch from Narnia. μηδείς (talk) 20:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)