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Mening 'face to face' because the chairs face each other. Well, not really, but the variety I know doesn't have a table in between, so you're close enough to almost face each other. We don't have an article on tête-à-tête and actually bench is just a stub, so I added something about the tête-à-tête. I'm no expert, so correct me if I'm wrong. DirkvdM07:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Male Orgasm
Is it true that the more frequently a male has an orgasm, the less pleasurable the orgasm will become. On the contrary, is it true that the longer a male goes without an orgasm, the better an orgasm will feel?
I'm sceptical about the sperm count thing. The volume of semen may be in proportion to the time since the last orgasm, but the sperm count is a measure of sperm per a given volume and sperm are being produced continuously. Our article makes one bald assertion about this, without a citation, and I'm far from convinced. JackofOz02:42, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I added that assertion and now you make me doubt. Sperm donors have to abstain for a few days before donating, and I assumed that was because of the sperm count, but it could also have been the total amount of spermatozoa (irrespective of the amount of 'cum' - what is the official word for that?). DirkvdM18:10, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, I just saw the WTC movie and during the credits it sates that Jimeno and McLoughlin were survivors 18 and 19 out of 20. Who was the 20th survivor and what is his or her's present status?
Here's your edit count. Anyone can propose policy; if the system is working seniority shouldn't be a big consideration, although in practice, it probably is. The best way to start is to create a sub-page of your userpage, i.e; Courtney Akins/Proposal1 and do the work there before presenting it. You might want to show a draft to a couple of trusted Wikipedians for critique.--Anchoress02:21, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See Special:Contributions/Courtney_Akins. This can be accessed by click the "my contributions" link that is at the top right of the window. (between preferences and log out). While you, as a Wikipedian, and discus and vioce an opinion on policy, I personally do not think you are ready yet for adminship. Give it a few months. Just have fun, don't worry about anything. User:Zscout370(Return Fire)02:23, 14 August 2006 (UTC) (edit conflict)[reply]
Maps from Nationalatlas.gov
Hi,
can someone tell me how this [1] was made? I canf find the parameters eg how to hide the information from states around. --Huebi05:25, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Should you shave before you get the clit hood pierced? And should you keep it shaved during the healing process? Shaving seems both logical and illogical at the same time... ¡70.56.173.5205:36, 14 August 2006 (UTC)![reply]
Shaving before might be a good idea, but shaving after would probably cause more irritation than it would save. The hair isn't dense enough to be unhygenic, and I'd think that - apart from gentle cleansing and turning the stud - leaving it alone would be best. --Anchoress05:53, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Please research this and ensure the person doing the procedure is highly qualified. Messing anywhere near the clitoris seems completely illogical to me. --mboverload@07:45, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have a Yamaha g360 accoustic, my father bought it in 1959, it is still the best accoustic i have ever played on, she is my baby, Alan is here name, can anyone tell me what she is worth,not tat she is for sale, but yamaha seem to have no records of her ever being made. ThanksAnton10:16, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds like a lovely guitar (far better than my 20-year-old cheapo special!). I can't find any reference to a Yamaha G360 on Google at all, unfortunately. I found an FG-360 [2] that looks pretty well known. You might correspond with the fellow who set that site up and see if they have any further info on earlier guitars than the one they're discussing. Good luck! Tony Fox(arf!)15:57, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Alexander Graham Bell
I was once told that Bell (inventor of the telephone) said that his invention was so important that eventually all major cities would have one. This is a great quotation, but I need it verified before I can use it. Can anyone help?
The version I remember has one Englishman saying "it may catch on in America but here we have plenty of messenger boys" and another replying "on the contrary, I can imagine a day when every village will have one." —Tamfang06:19, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I used to watch this series in 1981 at 11pm on a Monday night back in 1981, I have tried to get these tapes but they have been a condensed version with other actors in them. I am looking for help on how to get these tapes, it ran for quite some time so there would be a few tapes here.
Here's the IMDB info for anyone interested: [4]. I found these videos at Amazon.com[5], but they're out right now. You might consider eBay as another option to keep an eye out on, as well. There's another show called "The Gangster Chronicles" that has some DVDs out that doesn't look to be the same show, so be cautious. Tony Fox(arf!)16:03, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Physics of a bullet
If I shoot a bullet to the air, the physics of it say that it will come back down at the same speed that it was shot at first. This is assuming of course that the initial conditions at the time of the shot havent been altered, like wind, for example.
Assuming that the above is true, my question is if its rational to think that if I shoot a bullet to the air it will not fall back at the same speed it was shot because the initial conditions are changing constantly? If the answer is no...is it that Im overrating the effect of the initial conditions?
Wind resistance will limit the speed with which the bullet will fall. See terminal velocity. Note that this applies whether there is "wind" or not. In fact, it would be better to say "air resistance". I suppose if you were to run the experiment in a total vacuum, then the bullet would either return at the same speed it left, or achieve escape velocity and not return at all. But I am not a physicist. –RHolton≡– 14:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Small bullets will start to tumble, and come down relatively slowly. Larger bullets can maintain their stabilizing rotation and come down very fast, and kill people. The whole idea of bird shot is that the little pellets slow down significantly before they hit ground. (Anyway this should be in Science.) --Zeizmic16:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What is this obsession with shooting bullets into the air? Someone obsessed with gulls is one thing. Many questions about orgasms I can understand. But people regularly asking about shooting bullets into the air makes me rather suspicious. Especially when it's about shooting inside a car. That can't be purely academic, can it? DirkvdM07:36, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It has been a while since my last physics class, but I don't think physics says that the bullet will come down at the same speed. At least assuming we are in a gravity well and we are shooting against the force of that well. The initial force is more powerful than the gravity for a period and the bullet slows to a stop as the energy dissipates. The gravity then pulls the bullet back down at a constant rate until it reaches its terminal velocity. The terminal velocity has nothing to do with the bullet's initial velocity. In one the gunpowder provides the energy in the other gravity provides the energy. Nowimnthing20:56, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
For the pedantic among us, the reality is a bit more subtle. At the moment the bullet leaves the barrel, the bullet begins to decellerate. Some portion of its kinetic energy is transferred to potential energy (it is higher in the gravity well), while the remainder is transferred to heating itself and the surrounding air. This process continues until the bullet's kinetic energy is completely transferred at it's apogee (this may be a mis-application of the term apogee, but it is close). Then the bullet begins to fall, transferring potential energy into kinetic energy (in the opposite direction) and heating itself and the surrounding air. Assuming the apogee altitude is high enough (i.e. the bullet went high enough), the bullet will eventually reach a terminal velocity, and will fall no faster until it hits the ground. The terminal velocity an object reaches is a function of several variables, air pressure being one of them. At very high altitudes, the air pressure is very low. Therefore, as the bullet falls its terminal velocity decreases. So the speed of the bullet as it falls rapidly increases to a terminal velocity, then slowly decreases as the terminal velocity is reduced. RussellKent22:42, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
T.E.A.M.
For which words does this abbreviation stand in englisch?
Dr. Jan Kruse
Two possible meanings for that acronym are "Together Everyone Achieves More" and "Teach Everyone About Motivation." Both of which make me want to vomit. I don't think "T.E.A.M." is in common use such that there is a definitive answer. It might help if you provided some additional context, such as where you saw the acronym used. --LarryMac15:12, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If Sam Walton had never died, and Bill Gates had never given money to charity, which would be richer? Just idly curious, thanks.
According to the Sam Walton article (sigh; it's always worth reading them - they often answer your question...) If alive today, Sam Walton would be the world's wealthiest person, twice as rich as Bill Gates. --Tagishsimon(talk)
If Sam Walton was alive, then he wouldn't have permitted Walmart to get rich off Chinese slave labor, at the price of American jobs, and so he would have to be content with less than $100 billion. StuRat02:23, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe (s)he is asking if we have any more questions about his surname. As far as I know, we didn't ask any questions in the first place. --LambiamTalk18:05, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed. This is where YOU ask US about your surname. If you have some information you want to contribute, create a page about the surname Bencko and watch what happens. JackofOz20:17, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Gentlemen never threaten. Like the earth, a gentleman ".. does not argue, Is not pathetic, has no arrangements, Does not scream, haste, persuade, threaten, promise, Makes no discriminations, has no conceivable failures, Closes nothing, refuses nothing, shuts none out" (Walt Whitman). JackofOz20:44, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have a top hat made by Huthaus Heissen in Bocholt in Germany.
It has a refernce number ruf468.
It is as new condition in its box, appears to be made from Beaver skin and silk.
Can't complain; beaver felt hats helped drive my country's existence. The beaver probably doesn't mind someone else using it now...
Mike: I can't find any reference to the actual maker at all, but the value of the hat would depend on the actual age. There are some here for new hats that run for upwards of $200; I've got someone selling one over here for a whole bleedin' lot, and there's this gent who's got a Chicago-made hat for sale that might be a good resource for you to work with. Another one on eBay that went for $130, but doesn't have much detail as to when it was made or anything. That should give you a start, anyhow. Good luck! Tony Fox(arf!)02:39, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
pounds to dollars
About how much is £500 in American dollars? KeeganB 1:11 pm
He's not being a smartass; he's letting you – and anyone else who reads the question – know how he got his answer (why should you believe some random person on the 'net?) so that you and others will be able to find this stuff out in the future. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:41, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm sorry. I reacted too quickly. I've deleted the offending remark.KeeganB
Found this sightseeing product on-line, and wonder if anyone can offer feedback on it. Seems too good to be true, which generally means it is. If you have used it, I would like to know if it really worked. Thanks!!! -- Greg W - Lubbock, TX
From scanning the Google hits on that, it would appear to be very effective, and I see one page [6] that indicates Madame Tussaud's accepts it, which would indicate legitimacy to me. (Never been to NYC, though, so that's just from a quick poke around.) Tony Fox(arf!)20:52, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The song name, both in its filename and the track name that shows up in Winamp, is 'Neapolitan'. It has no attached artist or album name, and a Google search for 'neapolitan' was totally useless. Wikipedia appears to have no article about the song, so it's either non-notable or was mislabelled.
I'm not very good at describing music, but most of the lyrics are sung clearly and the singer is clearly male. There's not a lot of accompanying music, but it picks up in the chorus.
A portion of the lyrics are as follows:
When the waitress walked by
She must have caught his eye
And at that moment, he was mine
A little sleight of hand, and I had poisoned his bowl of Neapolitan
What else can I say man [chuckle]
Enjoy your ice cream
Murder is such an ugly word [But/I'll] use another if you so prefer
Me, I like to call it art
Art is its own reward
Just ask buttwad
Years of livin' in the shadow of the bat
But we'll come back to that
Right now let's roll this little [memo/pebble] out to the big boss
Next time you think I'm goin' soft
Send some punk to knock me off
Here's a reminder, you fuckin' hind-grinder
With a cherry on top
Is this enough? I'd rather not transcribe everything now (particularly the apparently-nonsensical chorus), but I will if I need to.
I had seen a large white apparatus (looking like a very big telescope) in a vehicle (suv type of thing). Anyhow, about 3 months later I saw the same thing in a war movie. I thought it was called an uzi, but its not. I wondered if anyone with military experience would know what it is called. Thank you. Have a nice day.
If you mean a large white tube, I would guess that's a missile launch tube. Whether it's an anti-tank missile, a surface to air missile or some other type, I can't tell without a better description. An Uzi is a machine gun, so no, that doesn't sound like it at all. StuRat02:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It was a large white tube - a missile launch tube seems about correct. Thanks for the answer.
I recently attended my first cricket match. Had I not read the relevant Wikipedia article beforehand, I would have been lost. I do have a couple of questions, though:
What is the point of the rule that no bowler can bowl two consecutive overs?
I'm not sure why law 22 prohibits consecutive overs being bowled by the same bolwer. Some possible reasons - bowlers get tired, the wind/pitch conditions makw one end more suitable for one bowler than another, mixing up bowlers stresses the team aspect of the game (you can't just rely on one uber-spinner to bowl all afternoon). As to your second question I think declaration bowling only makes sense at a competition level - ie in some (rare) circumstances in may be in a team's interests to have the other team declare and possibly secure a result rather than letting the match end in a draw. Lisiate03:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I understand why teams would want to change bowlers. But what's the point of a rule forcing them to do so? Was there once a bowler so good, they changed the rules so he could only bowl half the time? -- Mwalcoff23:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It may have something to do with minimising the advantage to a team of having a superb bowler. Or there may be no point at all. The thing about cricket, is that many of its rules have little or no point - like playing a game for up to 5 days (!!) in the full knowledge that there may be no result at the end. Cricket makes pointlessness an art form, and that is its great and enduring legacy. Besides, it makes a great excuse for doing nothing for days on end and drinking lots of beer. :--) JackofOz23:59, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You see "declaration bowling" mostly in county cricket matches in England. The point system is so structured that a team gets a lot more points for a win than a draw (At the moment, team gets 14 points for a win but only 4 points if the match ends in draw (and obviously zero if they lose)[7].) So if the match is likely to end in a draw, teams often agree with each other to force a result.
The most common way of doing this is for the team batting third to score very fast (with help from the bowling team in the form of fulltosses and longhops - the so called "declaration bowling"), declare their innings and set a reasonable fourth innings target for the other team. Since all the teams play 16 matches in a season, an odd defeat here and there doesn't have too much impact.
The worst instance of "declaration bowling" this season happened in the Sussex v Middlesex match last month. Sussex scored 379 runs in the second innings in only 56.5 overs, with active help from Middlesex bowlers, Murray Goodwin reached 150 in only 47 balls. Middlesex barely managed to avoid defeat at the end. Tintin (talk) 06:30, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Pipe Dream
I was impressed by the Pipe DreamAnimusic CGI animation. My question is would it be possible to create something similar in reality? It seems that the balls would be too out-of-control, but surely the speed/direction/velocity/ricochet could be controlled? After seeing this animation, I want specifically a self-playing giant circular vibraphone for my living room. Hyenaste(tell)02:41, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I remember seeing this sort of thing on TechTV years ago... Yes, in reality, this is almost impossible - the bouncing would be just too impossible to predict. You might be able to make asome sort of approximation using piping and guiderails all over the place, however... humblefool®Deletion Reform06:12, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am looking for a new car to replace my old one. Since this is my first time buying a new car, what questions should I ask in purchasing a new car? --Blue38703:43, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also, research it online and decide exactly what you want and are willing to pay for before you go to the dealer. Then go to the dealer and TELL them what you want. [www.Edmonds.com] is one site for this. StuRat09:45, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
24 May 2006 – Practice match: Rest of the World 3-7 Scotland legends (Craven Cottage Stadium, London)
Good morning,
Can you please give me the line-ups between this 2 teams.
Bold textHow can we recycle and use vegetable/kitchen wastes?i would like to know some simple methods regarding the above as i am interested in doing some simple projects related to the above.
thank you,
yours truly,
Nagarajan.A(a college student)
Also pigs are excellent recycling factories. I've noticed that people in the West throw away much food that can still be used to make excellent broths and stocks. These don't keep well unless you can freeze them, which takes energy, but they can be used in so many ways (as the basis for sauces and soups, for simmering veggies and meat in) that you can typically use them up before they spoil. Other left-over vegetable bits, including (washed) peels, can be added to dough and baked into bread or cakes, like carrots and squash. --LambiamTalk08:20, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I grind up almost all my kitchen scraps and feed them to my dog. Everything but coffee grounds, teabags and eggshells. As a result I have only 1 little shopping bag worth of garbage every two weeks and it doesn't smell! :-) Anchoress08:24, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Beware. Next to coffee, tea and chocolate, also grapes (including raisins), walnuts, macadamia nuts, avocadoss, green parts of tomatos and potatoes, turkey skin, garlic and onions, and most of all mushrooms, are poisonous to dogs. It can kill them, or else cause irreversable liver or kiney damage. --LambiamTalk06:02, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No offence, but I'm not wading through all the sources on that article to find what Lambiam should be using to back up his alarmist warnings. Also, the article only covers 5 or 6 of the foods s/he mentioned, and all but 1 are already on my banned list. --Anchoress07:52, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
""The council here provides every house with a food waste box which they collect every week. No idea what happens to it though. Jameswilson23:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
24 May 2006 – Practice match: Rest of the World 3-7 Scotland legends (Craven Cottage Stadium, London)
—Good morning,
Can you please give me the line-ups between this 2 teams.
Why do American people participating in swimming competitions write text on each other's bodies? I've seen from photographs on the Internet that at least girls and young women do so. Is it some cultural thing? JIP | Talk08:09, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
From my experience at swim meets, it all started with the horrendously complicated heats. The kids started writing their heat numbers on their arms. Some kids could have a half-dozen or more numbers. After that, why not write decorations, slogans, school names, etc.? --Zeizmic11:38, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The above sounds like a general thing to do at sports events. So why does it seem to be limited to Americans, to swimming, and apparently also to girls? JIP | Talk12:02, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
it's really sexy.
magic
why do ppl say if u believe in magic, there it will be; while if u don't it doesn't exist?
Such is the nature of a belief system. It works for god, magic, faeries, technology & may other things. Can I ask, do you have strenuous objections to typing out words in full? --Tagishsimon(talk)
No, not really. It does not save the reader's time, unless the reader is familiar with the abbreviations; indeed to the extent that it wastes their (my) time, it is a rude, inconsiderate and ultimately insulting thing to do (as in, you're saying "you must travel the distance to me because I cannot be bothered to travel the distance to you"). To be honest, I cannot be bothered with you if you cannot make the effort. --Tagishsimon(talk)
I was being sarcastic, of course. I really can't stand people who try to be "clever" or "up to date" or "colloquial" or "down with da d00dz" by writing "u" and "ppl" and "2" and "w/" every single time. (Well, I did know one American woman who wrote otherwise perfectly grammatical English, but she kept writing "w/". That's OK with me.) JIP | Talk17:39, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They say that in order to make a non-falsifiable, non-scientific statement. Since "magic" (the ability to... uh... transform toads in princes by saying abracadabra and so?) does not exist (according to empirical evidence subjected to scientific reasoning), believers in magic try to "defend" themselves from intelligent beings by saying that magic exists ONLY if you believe it exists, kinda recursive, huh? For more details, see the link provided. Hope this helps. GTubio10:10, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hello. My sister needs to make a matchbox (Box for matches) car that runs on batteries by the end of today (maybe 2 hours). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks all.Cuban Cigar08:51, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hi all, Ive recently bought The Da Vinci Code PS2 game CD,and must mention the begining was pretty good, but now I am stucked in the middle of the first level, where the french girl is trying to find a clue from the monalisa portrait by using the UV light, just wondering if anyone could help me out solving this mystery.FOZ
You can probably find a walkthrough at GameFAQs. If they don't have an acceptable one for this particular game, you might want to post this question on this game's message board there, as I'm sure more players of the game frequent that message board than the Reference Desk. -Elmer Clark10:43, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Typists
I can type really fast. Which work positions require mindless (or close to) speed typing?
It's just the way the article is organised. I was confused at first as well. You have to look down about 3/4 of the way to the 'mechanised stenography' section or something. I guess shorthand and court reporting all fall under the umbrella 'stenography' because they're both forms of speed writing, although I was surprised as I had only known court reporting as 'stenography'. Also, forgot to add that if you look at your link, to court reporter, it calls court reporters stenographers in the first sentence. Second addendum: Now I see what you mean, the article is actually called 'shorthand'. I don't know why that is. Maybe someone whose expertise is shorthand. Anchoress05:02, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What is considered to be best practice when parking a manual car on a level (i.e. no slope) surface? Is it leaving the car in first, reverse or neutral gear? Being somewhat fussy, I'd prefer some kind of notable ref in answers, rather than personal opinions! Thanks in advance. --Dweller10:28, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In which 'parking position' is presumably neutral? I've always heard neutral for short term, a gear if you're going to leave the car for a long time (weeks). But no cite here. Skittle11:48, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
From [8] a site to help people pass their test in the UK:
Q Should you change down the gears whilst slowing down in traffic or to stop at the side of the road?
A No, you don't have too. The simple rule is the gears are for going and the brakes are for slowing. Brake down to the speed you require, then go into a gear suitable for that speed. If you have stopped at the side of the road, the gear will be neutral, if in traffic with the prospect of moving almost immediately, it will be 1st gear.
It does seem to, but in a 'of course, when you've stopped you'll go into neutral' kind of way? Flat-surface parking I was always told neutral, and I passed my test, but that isn't cited. On a slope, you of course use a gear, but you know that. Skittle13:29, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The UK Highway Code makes no mention of gears when parking (section 214) but does mention gears when parking on a hill (Section 226). All here. But given that gears provide a secondary system providing redundnacy in the event of a handbrake failure, it is surely sensible to consider their use. I've had a van with handbrake on roll down a very very very gentle inclined plane. The driver of the van hit by my van was not over impressed... --Tagishsimon(talk)
I'm not really sure it matters what gear it is in when parked. What is more important is checking you are in neutral when you restart the engine so you don't lurch forward or backwards. MeltBanana16:05, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Putting the car in Gear is NOT a replacement for the parking break. On a slope the engine will still turn, albiet slowly, while in gear. This is because it will build up enough pressure to complete a stroke simply because of the weight of the car. At this point the engine will turn and the car will move a few inches. So you might return to a car which has moved a number of feet since you left it. --DarkfredTalk to me16:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When I took my driving test several decades ago, the correct answer was to leave the car in gear, since due to the gear ratio, the pressure of the gear train on the engine was not capable of causing the engine to move. This is a suppplement to the hand brake. Hand brakes have cables which can break. Children can easily release a handbrake. (They can also depress a clutch.) Another rule was to leave the wheels turned when parking on a slope, such that the car would roll against the curb if the brake failed, not out into the street. A car left in neutral on a hill with only the handbrake holding it has a good chance to go where you would not want it to go.Edison18:09, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Experts suggest there's no such thing as 'spot reduction'. If the rest of your body is 'normal', then you've just got muscular legs, and maybe doing some bodybuilding to beef up your upper body is in order (to even out your look). If you do have more body fat than you want, exercise is always a good way to make your flesh hang off your bones in a more attractive way, but apparently spot exercise will not make much of a difference to specific body parts if you're overweight. If it's any consolation, some women (like me) prefer men with meaty legs. Anchoress12:44, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well accually yes, my limbs are pretty muscular not fat... but my upper body is a bit smaller so I overall look strange, and I have muscular hands too. Just look strange wearing a jeans... :)
And big thanks to you people for the fast reply, it is much appreciated.. thanks!!
It also may help to do more aerobic exercises if you like to work out. Cycling or running are good choices. If you train yourself to this end, you will hav less muscle mass, and you will be burning calories and building lean muscles with more endurance. Best of luck, AdamBiswanger115:15, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
swedish meatballs
What can I add to a swedish meatball tv dinner to make it more authentic?
The Finnish stereotype of Swedes is extremely unlike the Anglo-Saxon one. But I don't want to offend any Swedes here. I've never heard anyone in the Nordic countries eating meatballs with lingonberry jam. Now sauteed reindeer meat, it has to be eaten with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, it can't be eaten with anything else, but as for common-or-garden meatballs, we eat them the same way as everyone else. (Disclaimer: I'm Finnish, not Swedish). JIP | Talk17:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Concerning the featured article on the death of the Moari Queen today, I was wondering if someone could write an article on how the position is transfered from one Queen to the next. as if you are to read the article after clicking on her name, it will tell you that it does not nessesarily go to the next person in line. I would write an article on it myself but i have no idea and thus would like to read it rather than write. Thanks dudes. and dedettes lolAnton16:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There should be a section in Māori King Movement on the appointment procedure rather than a new article - I'll go add it now. To answer your question, the position is chosen by the tribal leaders associated with Kingitanga, although it is usually at least semi-hereditary (not Primogeniture necessarily). There is some debate over whether the position will continue. See this news article for more. Ziggurat21:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Strictly speaking, I would consider the image, link, and description of your product to be an advertisement--the rest is either the product itself or the venue of sale. AdamBiswanger117:41, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It should not be any different than a classified ad, though it is uncertain which advertising laws would apply, those of the sellers location, the buyers or the hosting company. Nowimnthing20:33, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
request for articles needing editing
is there any that anybody knows of that are easy to edit (don;t require much knowledge)? thanks
I'm sure you can always start out by experimenting with the Sandbox. I gave you the talk page, which explains what the sandbox is, and how to use it. There is a link on the talk page that you can click to start editing it. Have fun! P.S. Remember to sign your name by typing four tildes: ~~~~. --71.98.8.4220:08, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I would get you hence to Wikipedia:Cleanup, where there are more unfortunate articles in need of a subedit than you can shake a stick at. --Tagishsimon(talk)
Well I just added cleanup tags to Barbara Walters and The Cave (film). Babs needs copyediting (missing spaces and inaccurate punctuation), while The Cave needs an aggressive pruning/re-write for clarity of its detailed, rambling plot synopis. Neither needs knowledge, per se, although if you've seen The Cave it might help (I wasn't able to make headway editing because I couldn't understand what had already been written). Anchoress04:59, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Surely there is something you know something about for which there is no decent article yet. Scientific and technical stuff is fairly well covered on Wikipedia. It's the rest that is still largely lacking. Maybe where you live, if it's a small town. Or you could upload images for articles that need illustration. Maybe your car or some other product you have. Look it up and if there is no photo, take one and add it to the article. Or maybe notable buildings in your town. Is there a list of wanted photos? DirkvdM08:58, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Stereotyping
(moved from talk page)
I have this problem. I keep stereotyping. I've been reading a lot about what stereotyping is and trying to fix my stereotypical remarks, but for some reason I can't find out how to fix my negative behavior. Are there any articles in this? I would like some help in this, because I am trying to be a positive person. Time: 4:43 P.M Tuesday August 15 2006 ~Hannah
Stereotypes are usually the result of outgroup homogeneity bias and trait ascription bias, basically, the (often incorrect) connection that someone does something *because* they are some way. That is, "I get angry because 1. I had a bad day, 2. they annoyed me, 3. I had too much to drink today" vs. "They get angry because 1. they're [insert 'angry' race here]". Correlation implies causation has more on this; just because two things occur together does not necessarily mean that they are in any way connected. Ziggurat21:36, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
On a more serious note, stereotyping is unavoidable. It's the way the mind works. In order to make sense of the wild variety is sees in the world, it classifies things, lumping them together, despite individual differrences. If you don't do enough of that (like I try to) you're likely to go nuts. Oversimplifying things is a lot easier, which is why most people do that. And as long as they stay in their own little circle of likeminded people (such as a small vilage) that constitutes no problem. But as soon as they step out of that little world and possibly even get confronted with the people they stereotype about they often either ignore the problem, in which case they're prone to be labelled racists or such, or overcompensate, in which case they're being politically correct, which is not really good either. It's a fine line. Not really an answer, but solving a problem starts with recognising it for what it is. DirkvdM09:22, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Stereotyping is the external application of tribalism. I find it most prevalent in monoculture small towns (or the US!). It is usually cured by working and living with many cultures, as found in blended cities such as Toronto. I find that (for example) you have bad experiences with crazy Italian drivers, then you would assume all Italians are crazy drivers (when it's actually the shaved-head guys!). Only by being involved with a lot of Italians (like I am), would you realize that they are only slightly crazy (like me!). (I am aware that there might be some stereotyping here..) --Zeizmic12:17, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you avoid absolute words like "always", "all", and "never", you can turn pretty much any stereotype statement into a true one:
"All Italians love garlic." (FALSE)
"Italians always eat food with garlic." (FALSE)
"Italians never eat meals without garlic." (FALSE)
"Many Italians love garlic." (TRUE)
"Italians frequently eat food with garlic." (TRUE)
"Italians sometimes eat meals without garlic." (TRUE)
I may be totally out of the loop of things, but I think Wikiversity will be creating learning materials in addition to the textbooks Wikibooks started. I've heard nothing about them actually giving any lectures. - Mgm|(talk)08:55, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'll take a punt at it, though the Lord alone knows whaat goes on in the recesses of Lambiam's mind ;). The key is anything follows from a contradiction. Lambiam's saying that if you could revert the death of Walton, then anything is as likely to occur; under the principle, Lambiam is as likely to be the richest man as Walton is. The principle says "there's no model to follow in this post-walton-death situation, and so no way to predict what will occur". Something like that. --Tagishsimon(talk)
It's just saying that having an assumption both true and untrue at the same time cannot form any valid basis for logical deduction. There doesn't have to have any element of time. The details of the "proof" of this principle have always seemed pretty silly, to me. In English and using concrete statements:
We assume that Walton is dead and that he is not dead.
Thus, "Walton is dead" is a true statement.
Also, "Walton is not dead" is a true statement.
Therefore, the statement "Either 'Walton is dead' or 'I am the richest man on earth'" is true.
(The point being you can put ANYTHING after the "or" because the first part is true)
But, we said above that "Walton is not dead."
So if this "or" statement is true as we claimed, then "I am the richest man on earth" (or whatever else!) is true.
i ain't calling. They'll laugh in my face. That's like going to a Bentley dealership and asking them how much a custom model's going for. If you have to ask, they're not going to give you a straight answer.
If they're the sort of people who'd laugh in your face, it's not the sort of organisation you'd want to be a member of anyway. No? JackofOz01:43, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
who said I wanted to join?? Look, I just want to catch someone lurking who's a member or knows a member and find otu the prices. Jeeeeees
Looking for a serious article from the "feminist revolution" which interprets the Caryatid
(I'm hoping to find one condemming it as the objectifying invention of an ancient male-chauvanist architect...but we can only be so lucky). Wjlkgnsfb23:21, 15 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I feel sorry for straight guys. Chicks don't know how to take a compliment. Caryatids celebrate female beauty. Dames should appreciate that. --Nelson Ricardo03:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Found a German link [9]referring to Die Akropolis von Athen by Ulrike Muss and Charlotte Schubert.
Louky Bersianik, Le Pique-nique sur Acropole:
They want to reerect the antiquated patriarchate it seems, says Xanthippe, raise again the primacy of the Erection, says Ancyl, restore the Caryatids so that they can continue to bear the unbearable, says Aphélie as she strikes some dissonant chords on her dancing-hall accordion. Haven't they had enough of this fare of colonized columns, supports for a system they know to be alien and hostile? It's understandable that the Atlases continue to carry the world on their shoulders since the world belongs to them, but the caryatids! What are they waiting for to slip away, the time is certainly right.
Decades ago I was watching a live wrestling program on a local tv station. The usual wrestlers did much the same things as WWE does: fake blood, all kinds of throws and "choke holds," grudge matches, managers outside the ring hitting a wrestler with a folding chair and "knocking him out" etc. But that day a young college wrestler champ who wanted to enter pro wrestling took on the local champion. The two men circled each other for several minutes, with occasional sudden attempts to trip the other or to throw the other, with intense grappling, but nothing spectacular at all happened. Real unscripted wrestling to see who was best. No fireworks. No fake moves. I was impressed that the local tv wrestling champ could actually wrestle, and that real competitive wrestling did not make good tv entertainment unless the viewer was pretty knowledgable about the actual sport.Edison15:11, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Lots of pro wrestlers have some sort of amateur wrestling background, as they do use many of the techniques in some manner or another in the ring. Of course, there's Kurt Angle, Olympic gold medalist, and NCAA champ Brock Lesnar who obviously have that skill, but the one that shocked the hell out of me was when Stone Cold Steve Austin, after an injury some time ago, broke out a vast repertoire of "mat wrestling" techniques. I didn't know he knew how to use anything besides his fists and feet. Yeah, wrestling's scripted, but the guys generally have a lot more skill than some folks give them credit for. Tony Fox(arf!)16:11, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Real wrestling is done in the Olympics, and it is so boring that you probably need the super sports satellite package to see it. --Zeizmic15:21, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Awesome? This sounds a bit like that Belgian sport in which people have to guess where a cow is going to shit next (bets are actually placed on this). "No wait, if we look at enough matches they might actually start wrestling. Awesome!" DirkvdM05:09, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The article says it's a tradition, but it doesn't say where. Jeremy Clarkson once showed this being done in Belgium to make fun of teh Belgians. How dare he. That's a Dutch privilege. DirkvdM06:30, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No its not, its all fake, the moves are so fake its untrue. None of the wrestling is real. You can tell from the moves they do, everything they do is so blatantly fake, and usually its done so badly, that it is clear that the person having the move done to them is actually letting the other person do it. PhilcTECI22:52, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Introduction
What Philc referred to was a "false lie with no background at all" as too 'all wrestling' being fake. (FreeStyle=Real, Catch can=Real romogreco=real).
The styles of wrestling I have mentioned here are also known as hand-to-hand combat, troops in the navy have used the above Free-Style and Catch Can in training for real situations, to prepare men for combat duties.
Secondly if wrestling was all fake then it would not be an Olympic sport, wrestling is the oldest forms of combat that we have record of today.
Show wrestling (this is what fake wrestling is called)
But some wrestling federations take the advantage today to turn wrestling from a combat into a so-called " soap opera/acting-entertainment business" this is known as "Show wrestling".
Fake wrestling = Show wrestling
In most sports there maybe someone or people faking / fixed the matches.
Finally I want all people lay off wrestling, its taken a lot of criticism over the years since "show wrestling" came on the seen and destroyed its respect as a combat.
Today people see wrestling as show wrestling, this upsets me because wrestling has become a culture for people allover Europe and Asia and so on, and wrestling was designed originally as real not fake.
I myself can't even say I am a wrestler due to "show wrestling", so I have to say that I am a "free-style fighter",
I have wrestled at real wrestling schools, where people here also do jujitsu and kick boxing, my style is "FreeStyle".
Also some of the fighters at the UFC use real wrestling styles.
I hope this post will gave you the real background on wrestling and the truth, that needs to be out there and wrestlings respect that needs to be restored too.
[Leo]
Question (Pieter Botha)
Hello,
I hope you can help me. Does Pieter Botha have more than one son? I believe his youngest son is the musician, but I also believe that there is another son who is older, but I can't find any information about him online at all. He should be about 10 years younger than Piet, the musician. I dated a man who said he was the son of the UN Ambassador to the United Nations in 1965-66? and they lived on Park Avenue. I would just like to email him. If you know how to contact him, give him my name which is Susan Gamage Stanton (Stanton is my married name and he would know me just as Susan Gamage). His friend, Donato Muzich and I have tried to find him for decades. He and Donato were at Columbia University together at the time. Thank you for your attention.
Susan Stanton
e-mail address removed to prevent spamming
Running methods.
Hello everyone, I have another question that has been on my mind for a long time.
Why do alot of ANIME cartoons have their characters running leaned forward with their hands back! Example NARUTO. Does anyone in real life run like that? And does it give any good speed boost from the aerodynamic?
Thanks for any reply
Best Regards,
Marekso!
Anime can be really cheap on the animation costs. You see a lot of panned stills, crude drawing, etc. Animating running is much cheaper if you fix the top (hands back), and just blur the legs. --Zeizmic13:45, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I believe speed skaters use that stance. However, runners would risk falling over forward if they hit a rock or something, so the aerodynamic advantage isn't worth the risk. StuRat21:09, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You can get some of your friends together with a stopwatch, a marked distance and perhaps some obstacles and test this. Don't forget to thoroughly document the experiment and post outtakes on your userpage. -LambaJan04:13, 25 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
symbol on food packets
I often see a symbol on packets of food looking like a stylised lower case letter e. It usually appears next to the weight of the product. What is this? Something to do with European weights and measures? Thanks. --Richardrj11:43, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's called the "'e' mark". The average box of that product weighs that much, there are certain tolerances, etc [10]. I guess it's "e" because it is the european standard. Google for the directives "76/211/EEC" and "75/106/EEC" for the actual standards. Oh, and if you look into it the article 'e' mark is just begging to be written! Weregerbil12:12, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Amazing! Not only do we have an article on it, but someone else asked the very same question just a couple of weeks ago. --Richardrj12:25, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Mean Sea Level 0 metre
Where is the Universal MSL 0m i.e where is the benchmark for the MSL situated ?
Does anyone know where I can find a photoshopped mockup of a DVD cover for the new Curious George film?
See Curious George (film) where there is a movie poster. And if you follow the IMDb link on that page, there are lots of other sites for the film. If you need help to create a bootleg DVD cover, call (914) 378-0800 on the daytime, and those people will help you out. --GunnarRene12:25, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hi,
I found a site called PESWiki [[11]] it uses the Wikipedia main page setup but I couldn't find it in the list of Wikiprojects on Wikipedia. I neither find articles found in PESWiki on Wikipedia.
Much of the information I found today on this site seems rather little creadible. Also, once you click on an article the pages contain advertisments.
I would like to know, does this PESWiki have anything to do with Wikipedia or is it a (commercial) scam put together by someone?
None of the above. It is someone's wiki, using MediaWiki software (the same as Wikipedia runs). It is not part of Wikipedia. And it's (probably) fine - the mediawiki software is released under the GFDL meaning other people can use it. --Tagishsimon(talk)
Yes, but it may increase in size considerably whilst in your alimentary canal, causing severe discomfort. It would also be, how to say, somewhat crunchy in the eating, non? --Tagishsimon(talk)
Ok thanks
GasAdvance.com
Is there a article about this website on Wikipedia ? Saw the ad on TV. It claims that "Big Oil" is suppressing all manner of discoveries, such as claiming that H2O w/ gas will get a car to do 100mpg. The Ad appeared to be a conspiratorial type of website.
The website is www.GasAdvance.com. Can the response be placed on my talk page. Excuse the sig. I'm on a malfunctioning Satellite ISP. Martial Law 18:53, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
This has been on TV many times, since gasoline hit $3.00 per gallon in the US. Martial Law 19:00, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
I would not recommend putting 80% water in your gas tank. I just wouldn't. And if these people had really discovered a way to run a car for 100 miles with NO POLLUTION as they say, they wouldn't be running a shifty online site that tries to get you to order something online, not quite sure what. --Bmk03:02, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for that, that's probably the funniest thing on tv I've heard of for a while. Sad, but funny. — [Mac Davis] (talk)
Considering they explain nothing about the process and give no indication of it actually working, I would recommend NOT sending them your money. --Fastfission20:36, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They sell you the ordering instructions for $99
but the kit is something like 2,000 dollars or more it some uses the heat from the exhausts to heat up the gas but who knows if it works.
rock and roll music
Dear Whoever
I was on this site yesterday, doing some research on some old vinyl records that I have. I found the perfect site for what I needed, but stupid me, I forgot to write it down. The site listed every group from a -z and the years they were out. Can you tell me where it is? The genre is rock "n" roll and the years are from the 1950s to the present.
I'm not sure what page that might be, but do you have a viewing history icon at the top of your browser? It might look like a little sundial.--Shantavira19:43, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
FWIW, I'd point to allmusic.com as a fine source of information on bands & records. I did a search for a List of page which might be on the wikipedia, but cannot find one. --Tagishsimon(talk)
naruto epidoes season 8
Recently I heard the news that episodes tittles 200 and over where released so I posted that on the narrator season 8 page. Then someone deleted my post and said it was vandalism. I don’t understand how that’s vandalism.
Could you please tell me what breeds of dogs are safe to be owned by asthmatics? Thnx. T.
All dogs send nasty dander proteins at a far less rate than cats (who also shed stomach juices). I'd go with a more oily-coat dog, but it is possible that you are so sensitive that no dog is good. You should see some friends' dogs and take a big sniff in their coat, and see if you die (just kidding!). If you go for dog, because you really, really have to, then make sure you have hardwood floors, and an air filter in each room. I have a dog, and I was technically allergic to them at one time. --Zeizmic23:59, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Try reducing the volume of dog hair, by picking a small, short-haired dog. Also, a dog that sleeps in a doghouse instead of the home will reduce the level of allergens inside. You would need to spend some time and money setting up a doghouse that's comfy year round, though. StuRat05:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I know this probably isn't the right place to ask this, but can I access past weeks of TurboNick? I believe I did it once before (though I'm not quite sure), but now, when I do the same thing, it won't work. Can anyone help? -- TheGreatLlama(speak to the Llama!)22:55, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
August 17
1902 Baltimore Orioles/1903 New York Highlanders
After the 1902 American League season, were the remaining Baltimore Orioles players transferred with the franchise to the New York Highlanders, or were the remaining players free to sign with other teams as free agents?
(edit conflict) "Asian" is neither a language or a country. Within each Asian culture, language and country there will be different names for female monarchs or consorts. Consider: the tennō (reigning empress) of Japan and the Rani, for example, of Nepal. Rockpocket01:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Is there anything I can take to increase chances of dreaming when I sleep?
Is there any drug I can take, food I can eat or exercise I can do to guarantee (or at least increase the chances of) dreaming when I go to sleep?
I really have no idea what you can do to increase your chances of dreaming other than visiting the dream article. I am sure that that will have a whole bunch of wonderful resources to help you with your dreaming problems. I hope that helps!!!--Chili1403:41, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
One of the best ways to increase the chance of dreaming is to wake yourself up very very early, and then fall back asleep; the aim is to induce an REM state. You may also want to check out the article on lucid dreaming, as some of the strategies for inducing a lucid dreaming state (e.g. Wake-back-to-bed and the cycle adjustment technique) also work for regular dreaming. Ziggurat03:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That is the easiest way. Nothing else has been found to effectively increase dreams/recall (DR). Really, your problem is you have a tough time remembering your dreams. They go out the window as soon as you wake up. "Dream recall"—The best way I've found to do this:
Make it important to you to have dreams, and remember them.
When you wake up, don't move runover your dream in chronological order, from beginning to end. Remember as much as you can.
When you do remember a dream, write it down immediately in a dream journal, with a special pen. Write down everything in as much detail as you can
I find that when I take Diphenhydramine hydrochloride (the active ingredient in an OTC sleep aid) or Dramamine (anti-nausea medication) I have very vivid dreams. IANASR (I am not a sleep researcher) but I've always assumed it depresses REM sleep while the drug is working, so your brain crams a lot of REM sleep into the time that remains between the drug wearing off and waking, and since you're more likely to remember dreams that occur right before waking... :-) Anchoress03:57, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Related question, may sound silly. When you dream, is it like in books/movies where it seems like it's actually reality? Because when I dream it's not even remotely realistic, kind of an imagined haze like remembering something. It doesn't feel like I'm looking or hearing things at all. Didn't know if this was normal or not, because lots of people say they had a "totally real" dream and I never have.
I have totally real dreams. They're not always lucid, but sometimes. I've composed songs and poems in dreams, I've died numerous times, cavorted with ex-boyfriends & famous people, been visited by dead relatives, gone on travels, met people in dreams I have no recollection of in real life. Anchoress15:19, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You may be interested to learn that a similar, but opposite question was also recently posted on the Humanities reference desk ([12]). I'll reverse my advice there and suggest that traditional British wisdom has it that eating cheese before you go to bed should do the trick. Cheap, legal and not overly dangerous. --Dweller17:02, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When people think they did not dream, it may be the case that they dreamed during one stage of sleep, but slept on long enough to forget the dream. The dream articvle says the average person dreams 2 hours per night. Sleep studies were done seeWilliam C. Dementin which volunteers were woken up during various stages of sleep, and dreams were very common in certain stages. Thus you are most likely to remember vividly the dream you were having just when the alarm went off of something woke you during the night.Edison18:06, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I would assume that any halucenigenic compound would work, but that option is illeagal many areas. ;)
Train wheels
58.104.33.8904:48, 17 August 2006 (UTC)It's probably very obvious and 99.99% of the human race already know it but why are the flanges on train wheels on the outside and not on the inside. I would think that the effect would be very much the same wherever they are.Joe Blow[reply]
Er, I thought that the flanges were on the inside. To respond to StuRat, having flanges on both sides could cause a few difficulties that I can see. First, the rail would tend to bind between the flanges when the train entered a curve. Second, it would raise the cost of the wheels; the manufacturing would be more complex, require slightly more material, and would probably have to be done to closer tolerances. (Tracks, for that matter, would suffer a similar problem—rails would have to be a consistent width so as not to bind on the flanges.) It might also make casual inspections of the wheel more difficult. Finally, switches (points) would have to be redesigned – and probably made weaker – to work with double-flanged wheels; the second flange would cut across one of the rails in existing designs.
On the inside-versus-outside question, similar reasoning is at work. For ease of inspection, it's more convenient to have flanges on the inside of the wheel. Perhaps most important, switches and other equipment are designed to work with flanges on the inside only. Once people started constructing railroads with wheels flanged on the inside, it became too costly and complicated to switch over to anything else. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 05:29, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Section 54 NZ HASE Act 2004 post Cave Creek Commission1995 (Part 1 Evidence)
17-8-06 I regret this is my first question within Wikipedia, as I have some serious questions
such as: the real "Systemic Failure" re Cave Creek Commission of Inquiry,
I am included as making written submissions to part 1 evidence, and the / the needless death/and injury of
many students ( and a doc worker) as they fell together of this 3mx3m poorly restrained timber platform.They were there for a real 'learning experience' it has deeply concerned me. I know with adequate attention, it could have been prevented. I attended the commission late 1995, and followed 'Accidental Falls to NZ School Children from 1991 (IPRU Otago University), subsequently in a like manner before the tragedy of 28-4-95 ( I approached my profession 17-9-93 12-10-1994 and many in parliament. Subsequently attended a day of the Cave Creek Commission in late 1995 and lately filed this report towards the last amendment to the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
( I met Ruth Dyson MP during Helen Clarke's election debate late 2007. Ruth remembered my attendance,in the T.I.R.S.C 2001 and or put children in a better position being in a place of work while at school.
Can one make a real contribution to this
sincerely harrynetnz.
My qualifications are BE Civil 1974 Auckland University and late: Registered Engineering Associate 2002
You're referring to the Cave Creek disaster, yah? I'm not sure what you're asking here - do you want to edit an article? Anyone can do so, as long as they keep their additions factual and encyclopedic. If you're asking what else you can do, I'd suggest you talk to a lawyer, or someone who knows about this situation. Ziggurat07:25, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I suggest you talk with the press and other media. They would be glad to have an expert interviewed on a topic of interest to people, since that's what sells. And, in the process, you could help to increase pressure on politicians to actually do something, not just cover it up. StuRat07:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I would love to see some pictures of the flimsy thing. But if the stupid students were bouncing, that puts a horrendous load on the platform. --Zeizmic12:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No. You design things to accommodate the stupid things that people do, not so as to kill 13 of them and then call them stupid. --Tagishsimon(talk)
I would call people doing stupid things stupid people. Almost any hiking footbridge could be destroyed by 17 stupid people, and put them in the Darwin Awards. :) --Zeizmic14:17, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And ignore the fact that it was an ill-designed and ill-constucted accident waiting to happen. Blame the victims; why not. --Tagishsimon(talk)
I blame both. Most of the victims have already been killed, however, which is sufficient punishment for them. Now let's punish those who authorized and built the defective deck. StuRat19:35, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How very magnanimous of you to decree that death is a sufficient punishment for irresponsible behaviour exhibited by children. I assume you're not a parent, and it's probably best you don't become one just yet. JackofOz23:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
One day, I plan to write a doctoral thesis entitled On the Detection of Clues to Satire. It will be a best seller in the Wiki community, I'm sure. Maybe they'll even make a movie out of it. I will be played by Brad Pitt (naturally), and someone like Lily Tomlin will play you. :--) JackofOz02:28, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Brown Thomas
Does anyone know where the chain department store, Brown Thomas is from? The reason I ask is that on the article it hints (possibly says outright, its not too clear) that it's Irish. But the reason I doubt this is, for some inexplicable reason the one on Grafton St., Dublin, has an Irish, then EU, then Canadian flags. I can't think of any other explanation other than "it must be Canadian" but the brownthomas.com seems to be the Irish site. Since two sources suggest it's Irish, that's what I'm leaning towards, but does anyone know why the Canadian flag is, or might be there (there's no others other than the 3 mentioned). - Рэдхот10:29, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
you can read what the history section of their website says (I did't read it, it was a bit long). If that fails you can ask them. Companies often love to answer question like that. Jon51312:20, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I read it earlier, but from reading it again, it definitely suggests that it's Irish. Although I didn't think of contacting them (so stupid!). I'll try that, thanks. - Рэдхот12:36, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm a brand new Wikipedian :) I work with the Royal School of Library and Information Science, Denmark, where I teach Information retrieval. This semester I am going to teach - among other things - Wikipedia.
Somewhere I read that Wikipedia has made a specific website where you correct errors in Encyclopaedia Britannica (spin off from the article in Nature December 2005, I presume). Can anybody tell me where to find this site?
Hey there! I think its great you are teaching about Wikipedia in the classroom. By the way, we ask you to sign your username, with a —~~~~. — [Mac Davis] (talk)
Archive problem
For the last week or so whenever I've answered an existing question on the reference desk (even one from 15/08/2006) once I hit save it goes to the archive page & saves my change in the archive for that specific day. Is there a reason why its doing this as its quite annoying as I have to go back to the main ref desk page from the archive & try to find where I was. AllanHainey11:51, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Questions from other than the current day at the reference desks are moved to a subpage, but still appear on the main page by transclusion. When you click the "edit" link from the main page, you are (automatically) taken to the subpage for the heading you want to edit, but you're really editing the subpage, not the main page. When you submit your change, the software displays the subpage you've edited, not the main page you started from. You could report this as a bug (see wikipedia:bugzilla) or, as a workaround, do your edits in a different window. -- Rick Block (talk) 13:47, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I find this practice quite annoying, myself. I finish editing an entry, then I have to find my way back to the main page. Basically, Wikipedia has moved me into an archive page without my knowledge or consent. Where is the discussion page for this "transclusion", so we can voice our dissatisfaction with this practice ? StuRat16:04, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Erm, it's pasted across the top of the page in big black letters. I don't see why you need to know or give your consent to it anyway. Does it really matter if you're editing the transcluded page? They're archived for easy reference and to stop the ref desk from bloating. A good thing, at least in my opinion. - Mgm|(talk)09:55, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Everybody should voice their opinion on this topic. What exactly is the advantage to doing it ? The disadvantage is as follows:
1) To see if anyone has responded to my numerous posts on each Ref Desk board, I go to the board, then do a search on my screen name, then look for responses.
2) When I find a response, and want to respond in turn ("I thank you for your comments, but wish to inform you that my parents, were, in fact married at the time of my birth, and alas, I must decline your invitation to partake in that suggested activity, and further consider it to be physiologically impossible"), I then click the edit button.
3) After I finish the edits, I am dumped on some damn archive page. Now I have to navigate my way back to the main page.
4) If I start searching for my screen name again, the screen find feature will start back at the top of the page. Now I have to go look through the huge page to try to figure out where I stopped the search, then continue from there. This takes a great deal of time.
The process of transcluding pages began because the size of the Science Reference Desk got to a point that it could no longer be archived by bot. For the last few weeks, I've been manually transcluding while we're trying to get a new bot to do this regularly. If the number of questions increases (as it has in recent times) and the page is not transcluded, then someone will have to do this manually indefinitely. The alternative is to arhive after 2-3 days and not allow people to continue to answer questions for the full seven days. Further discussion on the talk page. Join in! -- C. S. Joiner (talk) 01:24, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the info. Which talk page ? The talk page for this page is empty. If the archive bot can't handle large pages, why don't we fix the archive bot, so that it can ? We could also have a different page for each Ref Desk Board day right from the beginning, to make each page small enough to handle. StuRat06:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Where can I ask for Russian Wikipedians to help with a soundbite to Russian Wikibook?
Thanks.
I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. If you speak Russian, try ru.wikipedia.org, but since you posted here, it would suggest you don't. You could look through the Babel categories for native speakers. While they might not be able to help with this, I'm sure they could post it on the Russian version in Russian for you. Try Category:User_ru-N to find native speakers. - Рэдхот12:42, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Identifying snake in the Hi-Desert of California.
Yesterday, I came across a beautiful snake just "basking in the sun" and enjoying himself. I have searched Wikipedia and cannot identify the snake. He was measured at 4'6" long and the underbelly is completely pink and the upper markings, for the most part, are horizontal banding and are light brown (tan)with a slight pink coloring from the tip of the tail up to about 4" within his head where the markings are black including the head. The snake is approximately 1" in diameter.
The snake is very docile and I began to pet him and ultimately picked him up which he did not mind at all and I caressed him for about fifteen minutes and then released him where he remained so I got a camera and took some pictures.
With my limited knowledge of the Reptilia Class of species I feel that he may be a King Snake but I do not know. If so this would explain why I have only caught and relocated only one Pacific Rattlesnake as I do know that the King Snake feed on other snakes. It is a waste of time to inquire of the local residents as they fear "any" snake for their own reasons?
I live in Landers, California at 3500 feet elevation which is located in the Mojave Desert approximately an hour and a half from Joshua Tree National Park.
I dont know how to do this but i would like to nominate the above link/picture for one of the best on wiki. Wow, what a beautiful snake, and picture. stunning mate well done.
greetings! can anyone tell me if ergot is a concern for me? info ive found seems to only discuss the growing/harvesting of grain; not about longterm storage & use.
i store my rye & grind for bread; do i need to watch for ergot? if so; what do i look for to determine if its bad? ive had it stored thru the winter now, & am concerned about using it!
any help is appreciated!! thanks! Onecrone14:15, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, since this is an encyclopedia, I just typed 'ergot' into the magic box, and got an answer. From my reading, I have determined that if you grow and eat rye, you have a good chance of being burned as a witch.... --Zeizmic14:58, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Korczak Ziolkowski doesn't mention any.Since he was orphaned at the age of one,it is extremely unlikely there are any younger siblings unless his parents hopped straight into bed after his birth.Given the lack of reference to any older siblings in the articles,it looks pretty much like he was. Lemon martini16:29, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How bad are really cheap guitars?
I saw an advertisement for a (new) acoustic guitar, going for AU$40 (that's US$30 or so). How bad is it going to sound? How large is the difference between the finest guitars, the average ones, and the cheap ones? (I can't play, I just enjoy messing around with them, so this sounded like a good choice for me.)
It's going to sound pretty rotten, in my view. Paradoxically, it might also be more difficult to play than a more expensive model. You say you can't play, but you also sound interested in playing, so I would recommend you get the best sounding guitar you can afford. Go to a musical instrument shop, tell 'em your budget and let them advise you. The people who work in those shops are usually really friendly and helpful, in my experience, and they won't try and sell you a guitar that's more expensive than the one you need. --Richardrj15:23, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I learnt on a cheap one and graduated to better ones later, but I was lucky with the sound. Definitely don't buy one without having a play around with it first, and don't get it shipped to you or it could arrive broken. There's not a lot to go wrong with them apart from the fact that cheap ones fall to bits rather too easily. Check that all the joints are solid before buying it, and that the tuning keys turn easily.--Shantavira15:30, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with you to a point, Richardrj, (especially about poor quality guitars being more difficult to play (and tune)), but IMO it's not a good idea to invest in the 'best sounding guitar you can afford' until you're pretty sure you're going to be playing it enough to make it worth it. And you know enough about how guitars sound to know what kind of sound you want in a guitar. Sure, buying the best you can afford is great, but there are so many different sounds once you get into quality instruments, 'the best you can afford' doesn't really narrow it down much.
I learnt on a Yamaki that my stepfather bought from a pawn shop, and if he'd gotten me the all-mahogany L'Arrivee that I'm playing now, that sounds like a harp dipped in molasses (in a good way), it would have been a waste. It's kind of like love; most people don't marry the first person they fall in love with because we just don't know enough to either a) appreciate our first love, or b) pick a good one. We all have a couple of practice swings, so to speak. ;-) I think it's the same with instruments.
My advice is to get a good quality beginner instument, second-hand if possible. Guitar teachers and musicians are often good resources for second-hand, and with instruments 'second-hand' does not equal worn out or inferior. A well-cared for instrument is often better than new. So get good quality, but don't spend a bucket of money until you a) know what you want, and b) know how much time your're going to devote to your craft.
After edit conflict... To add to Shantavira's post, another problem with cheap guitars is that they're often very difficult to tune. Imperfections in the wood can cause the harmonics and overtones to be off, or make the sound muddy and difficult to tune even to a pure note, and can make them lose pitch faster. Anchoress15:39, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
a) How do we know what a harp dipped in molasses sounds like? Have you ever played one?
b) Most people would marry the first person they fell in love with if they were dipped in molasses :) Lemon martini16:31, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Re: b) Gawd, I wouldn't. I wouldn't marry any of the men I've been in love with if they were dipped in 24 karat gold and then rolled in diamonds. Anchoress16:49, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The worst thing about a crappy instrument is that you'll develop bad habits to compensate for the poor quality. It's not the sound that's the problem, it's the playability. A cheap axe that's really easy to play but sounds marginal is a far better choice than a more expensive one that's harder to play but sounds better. I played a lousy guitar for years, and when I started using better ones, it was like I'd been wasting my time for decades. Price is something of a gauge, but there are some pretty remarkable inexpensive guitars coming out of China these days. There are also some pretty awful ones; it's a crap shoot unless you have some guidance. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆17:02, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What online resources can I use to enhance my computer-related knowledge?
I'm a young teen with a lot of free time. I thought I'd put it to some use and learn something related to computing, a field which will probably grow a lot in the next 10 years. Is there a free, online resource I can use to enhance my knowledge of terms and things related to computing, like setting up networks, general terminology, differences between processors, the functions of a cache on a processor, etc etc? I have just been randomly googling and it isn't very efficient.
I've always found this website to be pretty useful. By the way, it's good etiquette here to sign your posts by typing --~~~~ at the end of them. You could open an account, too. --Richardrj15:25, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This About.com website is essentially a database of sites about computer networking, HTML, JAVA, terminology, processors, and so on. It has lots of links to every topic, and briefly glancing over some of them, they appear useful. Also try our Computer network article, and the articles on various processors. Srose(talk)15:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the link. By the way, I was looking for something that teaches things from the basics, a lot of the Wikipedia articles assume a certain level of technical prowess (at least when looking at pages about processors, etc).
If you live in the UK and are on any sort of benefit the Open University can offer everything from biginers to degree courses which are free or near enough as makes no difference,-hotclaws**==(82.138.214.109:27, 18 August 2006 (UTC))[reply]
Ship or boat?
Big vessels, liners etc are SHIPS. Smaller vessels are BOATS.
Is the there a definition where a boat gets so big it becomes a ship? A submarine is generally a boat but I have heard the really big nuclears referred to as ships?
The lead paragraphs of ship and boat mention a definition or two. In everyday speech it's not a clear division, while in specific context it could be defined (e.g. your local maritime law might draw the line somewhere so that it can say "this rule applies to ships, that one to boats.") Weregerbil17:43, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am a management student in HR. I want to see some research report on recruitment process by others' done before. It can be a detailed project work describing about a specific industry or company. Where can I look for such project works? Any website or link.
Unfortunately organizations don't tend to make recruitment information publicly available. You might want to contact a large organization and ask for the specific information you want. If you can't do that (it would be time-consuming and possibly fruitless), you could spend time looking at some journals for a specific industry - e.g., type into a journal search engine "recruitment and manufacturing", and see if there are any articles with titles like "Recruitment Processes in the Manufacturing Industry" or similar. If you find something that is close but isn't exactly what you want, you may be able to get something useful from the reference list of the article. Also try looking at relevant parts of textbooks that talk about specific organizations/industries and see if they reference anything that is useful. BenC700:34, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
International Trading Place
Please could some one tell me more about ITP (International Trading Place) ? They have a web site offering jobs to US citizens using their bank accounts to trade money for their clients, this is done so that the (VAT) a UK tax is avoided and in return you are paid a commision70.227.9.19520:31, 17 August 2006 (UTC). But is this legit or a scam
help?[reply]
It's either a scam or its an invitation for you to participate in an international money laundering scheme. Sounds like a career making license plates and sewing mailbags beckons. Middenface20:32, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If they ask you for your bank account details (and it seems they do) then they are a scam. Always remember the first rule of internet trading - never ever give anyone your bank details unless you are completely sure who they are. DJ Clayworth20:37, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Place to learn languages for free
Dear Sir,
I would be glad if you told me an on-line resource for learning foreign languages for free. Thanks:
Be careful with those FSI courses. They're rather old, and can be out of date. Their Chinese course, for example, teaches you to address everyone as "tongzhi" ("comrade"), which is likely to get you some funny looks in today's China. Ironfrost13:53, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Forgive my ignorance, but I was under the impression that China is still communist. Therefore, wouldn't "comrade" be an appropriate thing to say? --WhiteDragon16:06, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Our article on Spider-Man (film) answers that in the trivia section:
Director Sam Raimi answered the protests of comic fans saying that it was more credible to have Peter shoot web this way than for a high school boy to be able to produce a wonder adhesive in his spare time that 3M can't make. It is noteworthy, though, that Peter is able to read Norman Osborn's work on nanotechnology with understanding while only in high school; even so, much of the comic book characterization of Peter Parker as a scientific prodigy was eliminated from the film version's portrayal, making it much much unlikely for the film version to be capable of inventing both a miracle adhesive and a high-tech yet compact delivery system, not to mention being able to manufacture such things on his family's limited budget. Interestingly, the comic version of Spider-Man grew organic web-shooters as well a coulple of years after the movie's release. The Ultimate version of Spider-Man refers to the classic character in that he utilizes a mechanical web shooter and artificial webs. The discrepancy of a high schooler cracking such a complex formula is resolved by having Peter complete a formula that his father had begun the research on, eliminating the conflict that resulted in the change for his movie incarnation.
Define Fact
I was just thinking, if Encyclopedia Brittanica stated something incorrectly, and it was cited on wikipedia, and used in other encyclopedias, it would quickly spread as accepted fact, with all major reputable sources copying it off of Brittanica, and all the mirror sites repaeting wikipedia, and soon, there would be hundreds of sources stating a mistake as fact, how could any source overcome this, as what possibly could trump all of these sources. Especially if it is an obscure thing, which is not recorded. PhilcTECI22:00, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Just follow the sources. If one reference material cites another and another and the original one goes back to the first one, there is a problem. It is circular reasoning and it cannot be considered a fact because we do not have an original source. The orignial source should be some type of peer reviewed publication or fall under common knowledge. We can argue about the validity of common knowledge as a source for facts, but that is a different topic. Nowimnthing22:54, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This sort of thing does happen, and is well recognised. See the discussion of "The Carroll Myth" in the Lewis Carroll article, for instance. Looking at the other side of the coin someong (and I can;t find the article right now, but it arose out of the Brittanica versis Wikipedia stuff that's been going on over the past couple of years, that an answer is that encyclopedia's may, post wikipedia, change their meaning and become a repositary of the community consensus on "facts" rather than the "expert" version of facts. Clay Shirky, I think, or maybe Richard Stallman. --Tagishsimon(talk)
A few months ago I found a joke lab report on the internet that was really funny. It was about how a guy had bad equipment and had to start over and more things of that sort. I thought I bookmarked it, but I can't find it now. Does anyone have a link to this thing? --Think Fast22:26, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have just found out that Ico was re-released in Europe earlier this year. I was wondering: what are the differences between the old version and the new version? Are the graphics better? Also, where could I get one of these re-released versions? Thanks. Russian F23:07, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's the exact same game, they just printed a number of new copies due to the success of Shadow of the Colossus, its spiritual sequel.
They tend to show as few or as many images as the person putting it together wanted to put on the page; por as many as they have found. They're a relatively recent addition to Wikipedia - at least in terms of their adoption. I tend to think folkds are still learning how to use them effectively in articles - Cathedral architecture of Western Europe, for instance, seems quite advanced in its use, where banana slug looks a little more as if someone had a bunch of photos and fancied putting them on the article. Ditto Lossiemouth: have pictures, will put them on site. In fact, there's not always a great virtue in sticking every image you have on an article; though equally we're not quite organised enough yet, I think, to make better use of the categorisation of images to links to obviate the need for galleries. btw, I can see all three of the banana slug images - problem is probably at your end, not in page. --Tagishsimon(talk)
In an article about Pakistan and terrorism [13], Benazir Bhutto writes that democracies do not go to war with other democracies. How many wars in the twentieth century have been fought between democratic countries ? Tintin (talk) 05:56, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Depends on how you wish to define democracy and thus which types of democracy you wish to include (the figure, for example, shows Electoral Democracies). Then you have to ask, how do you define war... does it have to be declared as such, or does military action suffice? Rockpocket06:27, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
For the sake of argument, we can use a loose description for "war". The link of 'exceptions' above answers my question anyway. Thanks, Weregerbil. (I was under the impression that Russia is a democracy now). Tintin (talk) 06:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry. The CD "Where's Neil When You Need Him?", by various artists. Songs based off the works of Neil Gaiman. (I'd been on fansites all day when I asked, so didn't think it would be unobvious.)
Assuming it is the same guy from the television commercials, then I can't find his name either, but the advertising campaign is called "Unboring" and there are at least two commercials, "Moo Cow" and "Lamp", the latter of which was directed by Spike Jonze. I have found various pages of production credits but they don't say who provides the voice; it could be some guy on the production staff, since I don't think the voice is actually Swedish. Adam Bishop17:05, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That'd explain why those commercials were so cool. There's definitely a specific voice actor who handles the Swedish guy, though - it's been consistent for quite some time. I seem to recall seeing something suggesting they didn't want his name out, though, sometime quite a while ago. Tony Fox(arf!)20:37, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Insert non-formatted text here
There is a discussion with my friend about the height of Tom Cruise. Can you let me know at my address <--email removed-->? Thank you
Gustavo Orsini
Sony Vegas - Transition from black & white to color
I have a short film in Vegas. I have decided that I want the video to slowly shift from black & white at the beginning of the video, to full color by the end of it.
I don't know the specific abilities of Vegas, but what you want to do is affect the saturation of the clip; 0% is black and white. I assume there's some sort of a way to specify a saturation value at the start and the end of the clip, and have the software do a smooth transition. If you can't figure that out, a possible (but labour-intensive) way would be to divide the clip into a number of short sections, and adjust the saturation for each of them for a slow transition. (For example, if you have a 3-minute clip, with 4320 frames, you could make the first 43 frames at 0% saturation, the next 43 at 1% and so on.) --ByeByeBaby16:46, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
User:Courtney Akins asked if she is hot. Yes, you are, although I'd do something to make your hair more interesting and look less like it was hairsprayed or dyed. Plus I'd dress more fashionably, although this seems to matter less to people in the US than in the UK.
Courtney's question made me wonder if I would be hot to Courtney. I'm older, but I've got more money. So in hotness rating, how much money would a 35 year old, or a 45 or 55 year old for that matter, need to have to be equally attractive to the average 22 year old woman compared to a 25 year old man with no money?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.253.52.95 (talk • contribs)
When women marry as a result of money, I dont think it because it increases their desire for you, just they have an increased desire for your money. Its not because it makes you more physically attractive, but because they like money. PhilcTECI14:04, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Whoever those people are in the picture (assuming it is not really Courtney Atkins, not that it matters if it is), they are not attractive at all. Adam Bishop15:32, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was thinking of the 84 year old multi-billionaire who married the twenty-something stripper shortly before passing away. He must have been red-hot to her. I think she's been in court ever since. I had hoped someone would come up with a real formula - for example a 35 year old is equal to a 25 year old plus $X. Or maybe it should be money/age or hot= x.age + y.money
Our article on Age disparity in sexual relationships might be of interest. The so called Trophy Rule of male/female relationships (divide the male's age by two then add seven to get the female's) could be used as a starting point. Then, empirically, you might wish to compare deviations from this rule and see if those correlate with trends in income. This trend (if one exists) would be the basis of the "money" variable in your equation. However, the major problem with this is working in the "X-factor" of attractiveness - a poor Brad Pitt is always going to be hotter than a rich, um, me. Perhaps another variable, relating to Facial symmetry could be encorporated. So here is my equation (note i am not a mathematician and this was thrown together in about 2 mins, so its probably total crap):
F = [(M/2)+7] - [N x d$] - [A x F]
Where:
F = females age
M = males age
N = slope of income trend discussed above
d$ = difference in salary from national average
A = variable reflecting how much a woman values "physical attractiveness" (0 = average)
F = value for facial symmetry (greater symmtery = higher value)
The German user http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Nightflyer searches for the German article on ANSI/EIA/TIA-232-F-1997 the text of the standard (free of cost). I know that ANSI is selling the text but there are hundreads or thousands people and institutions in the world which have the text and can give them away free of cost (although copyrighted). --Historiograf14:42, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't understand "there are hundreads or thousands people and institutions in the world which have the text and can give them away free of cost". How could they do that legally if it is copyrighted? Do you mean, they might have a spare printed version they purchased and don't need? Notinasnaid15:35, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This is at least the third time this request has been posted. It doesn't appear that any positive result will be forthcoming from posting this to the Reference Desk. --LarryMac15:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm. If I understand the user's talk page correctly, they have chosen to use the word "copyright paranoia". Well, calling "copyright law" instead "copyright paranoia" might make one feel better about asking for an illegal copy, but it doesn't change the law. In my view. How about doing that most old fashioned of things: visit a specialist library to read the text? Notinasnaid06:48, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
(b) You may install one copy of the Product on, and permit access to it by, a single computer owned, leased or otherwise controlled by you. In the event that computer becomes dysfunctional, such that you are unable to access the Product, you may transfer the Product to another computer, provided that the Product is removed from the computer from which it is transferred and the use of the Product on the replacement computer otherwise complies with the terms of this Agreement. Neither concurrent use on two or more computers nor use in a local area network or other network is permitted. You shall not merge, adapt, translate, modify, rent, lease, sell, sublicense, assign or otherwise transfer any of the Product, or remove any proprietary notice or label appearing on any of the Product. You may copy the Product only for backup purposes.
In the above mentioned article, it states that the ashes left over used to be used as fertalizer, which seems like a good green thing to do, but now they go into a land fill, why is this?
It says that when they burned chicken litter, the ashes were used as fertilizer but now that they burn meat and bone, the ashes are landfilled. I don't know - but fear of mad cow disease comes to mind. Rmhermen16:11, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
After listening to to much Sytem Of a Down, i was wondering, is it possable and/or advisable to pull a tapeworm out of your ass?
If you don't have a tapeworm there in the first place, then no — if you do, please go see a doctor about it. There are very effective medications these days for that sort of thing, but, as a matter of policy, we don't offer medical advice here on Wikipedia. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 21:18, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This is not a medical question as i dont have worms. I was just wondering if it would be possable and/or advisable if, lets say you woke up and felt something laying its eggs around you anus.
Nationality
And one last question: If you are, lets say Canadian and so is your wife, and you are on an Air germany flight from england to Usa, and your wife gives birth, right over the ocean, eg international waters, what is the nationality of the baby?
Canadian. The nationality of the plane doens't matter. Now if you gave birth over U.S. territory, the baby would probably be a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen. Rmhermen16:06, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Now why would it have dual nationality? Because it was born over somewhere does not make it a citizen of the place unless either of the parents were naturalised there. Snodawg21:35, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's definitely wrong. If being in a country's airspace matters, then it matters regardless of naturalisation. I suspect that in jus soli countries it's treated as being in the country, so someone born on a flight from Dallas to New York is as American as someone born on the ground in Dallas. HenryFlower21:42, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Remember though that this doesn't apply to every country, because there are lots of countries (most, probably) where being born on the country's 'soil' doesn't guarantee citizenship. Japan is one example, I think Saudi Arabia is another. Anchoress05:04, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
COURSE ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
I want information regarding a short course on public diplomacy in new york during the months of Nov,2006 to Feb 2007. please giude me203.101.182.7116:49, 18 August 2006 (UTC)IRFAN[reply]
Bush show
I remember there was a show about a guy who look like George W. Bush. What was the name of that show?
I saw a thread above with another link to another thread about seagulls and masturbation ( i'm getting hot already). so, to entertain the preson who referred to that article I ask what are the six degrees of seperation between seagulls masturbating and the George Bush administration (this should be easy, not much difference)~—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.29.78.229 (talk • contribs)
How altrusistic of you to defend all members of the government equally, despite their apparent unrelatedness to the question being asked, while we're on the topic, I'm sure you have many nice things to say about Bill Clinton as surely, members of the government are all targets of useless blaming--71.247.125.14415:07, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I can do it shorter:
Some people have called George Bush a "seagull president" (google for it).
Other people, in turn, think the aforementioned people are wankers.
I would like to point out this isn't quite right. Check masturbation. Also, animals that do not reproduce sexually do not masturbate. Many animals cannot. Can you imagine a whale trying to masturbate itself? A fish? A mosquito? — [Mac Davis] (talk)
I see - your friend's uncle was killed by George Bush in Iraq, so the Bush Administration is equivalent to a seagull masturbating. However, I, being a disabled war veteran, have no right to call "opinion" questions in a "reference desk" useless? I've said it before and I'll say it again... if I were ever told that I had to choose between saving Wikipedia from being permanently deleted or the life of some random stanger who gets his kicks off asking stupid opinion questions in the reference desk, I'll choose Wikipedia. --Kainaw(talk)16:45, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Just a point of reference, since this is a reference desk, and we may as well get something out of this question, typing only one ~ does not produce a signature, you need four of them, like this ~~~~ otherwise all you're doing is putting a tilde at the end of all your posts--71.247.125.14415:58, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's not like seagull masturbation is a new concept to the reference desk, or even stupid crap in general, I thought it would be intresting to see how people would respond, though69.29.78.22918:17, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Our original article begins with acquaintances between people. The problem is that you may imagine that the chain exists, but it stays difficult (NP ?) to find it. It is easier with WP pages, as Clockwork demonstrated (using seagulls, as we lack a section about their sexual uses.) -- DLL .. T18:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Building in Baghdad
This may be vague but I've been wondering for a while and hoped someone here could answer. I've seen a building in Baghdad and was wondering if someone could tell me what it was so I could search for more images. It seems to be shown a lot on the news in stock footage of the bombing of Iraq in 2003. From what I can see from the images it seems close to the Tigris. I've only seen the building from one angle and it appears to only have four sides, with each other Trapezoid shaped. This may be a really tough question but I'd appreciate if anyone could name it. --Kiltman6721:51, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Are there any legal requirements (specifically in the uk) that surround any company that declares items 'on sale'. Do they have to have first had the items at full price? Must these items have been at full price for a minumum duration? Or can any company proclaim a 'half price' sale without ever having had the items at full price.
Regarding Canada, that type of information is right on the govt of Canada website, so it might also be on the UK equivalent. Anchoress05:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
BB Song
What was the song playing during the higlights at the end of Big Brother 7. When it ended and they were interviewing pete, and they showed highlights of the whole show, thank you. PhilcTECI22:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was only paying a little attention but it seemed like a song from the new Snow Patrol album. Probably best to start with the singles and work through. --Kiltman6722:45, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yeh it was your right, but I'm not sure if I can remeber the tune, but I remember it if you know what I mean, its horrible when you get a song stuck in your head and you cant remember how it goes. Argh. PhilcTECI22:54, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What is the best way to keep my neighbor’s chickens out of my yard? As much as I would like to turn them into Sunday dinner, I would like to do it without making my neighbor mad for killing his hens.--67.172.248.20723:10, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the ideas. I've tried chicken wire, but holes always appear. The chickens also jump over the wire by climbing the trees. Yes, I have chickens in my trees, just like the song. A cat would increase the ammount of fecal matter in my yard.--67.172.248.20723:44, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Funny you should ask that, but two of my neighbors have chickens. I have no idea why anyone would want a chicken, but I assume that it is for the eggs, which the hens leave conveniently stash in the garden; after they rip up the plants. That or they want the blasted rooster to go off every 4:30 a.m.--67.172.248.20700:08, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
But cats can be trained to poop in a specific place, like a sandbox. You can probably get a cat from the Humane Society which is already sandbox-trained. StuRat00:23, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are cats, also not mine, in my yard. They don't seem too interested in chicken chasing. Would shock-collars fry a chicken? Is it even legal to put shock-collars on animals that aren't yours?--67.172.248.20700:33, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What I do is just keep a tesla coil running in my backyard. chhhhhhh.... ZAPP!! — [Mac Davis] (talk)
Cubase users... how do you access a midi event list? My tracks are out of sync with each other. It's because im using various sound sources... vst guitars , midi connected drum machine and general midi keyboards. Any help appretiated!
openCanvas Networking
I have openCanvas (the free version) and I've been trying to network with a friend, but we can't figure out how it works. Can anybody help us? Thanks :)
Dear Reader,
Is the E-Corps an eliete group of Marines or something??? I am wondering because our acedemic group at our school is called the E-Corps, and no one seems to know what the E-Corps is. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I did a little search on Yahoo and most references to E-Corp either seem to be related to Klingons or online communities. --Kiltman6703:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Jesse Martin page?
Hi, was looking for information on Jesse Martin, the Australian teenager who became the youngest person to circumnavigate the world. Couldn't find a page for him...can anyone else find it? I really did try hard--Jacintah03:51, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You appear to know more about him than any of us, so why not start one? A few sentences will do - just explain why he's notable (in this case, being the youngest person to circumnavigate the world) and find a reputable source (this page looks good) to back up what you say, and others will take it from there. --Howard Train03:57, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Someone once said "China is like a sleeping tiger, take care when it wakes up". This may not be completely accurate but you get the gist of it. I would like to know who said it and about when. Joe Blow
Napoléon, 200 years ago: "Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera." (When China awakens, the world will shake.) Mao on the other hand, 50 years ago said he believed the USA was nothing more than a paper tiger (unable to withstand the wind and rain). No clue whether this helps or is what you were looking for. Sluzzelin05:36, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you Google "China is like a sleeping" and "China is a sleeping" you'll get at least seven variations (bear, giant, dog, dragon, lion, tiger, even elephant!), all attributed to Napoleon. The most popular wording by far is as a giant. The different wording of the quote in different sources makes it sound like one of these phantom quotes that sounds cool, especially since it comes from someone important (and powerful), but may not ever have actually been said, at least not in the way it is here formulated. I have found a very similar formulation in JSTOR from 1925 (not attributed to Napoleon, but it doesn't mean it wasn't derived from him): "But China is a sleeping giant. The four hundred millions of its population, tireless, patient, uncomplaining, are a force that some day must be reckonded with." (Austin F. MacDonald, "Foreword to a Special Issue on The Far East" Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Vol. 122 (Nov., 1925), p. v.) All this means is that wherever the quote is from, it is not necessarily of recent vintage. --Fastfission12:52, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, why are corn pops the only type of cereal that comes in a silver paper bag thats inside the box? Corn pops are the only cereal i have seen come in this silver bag.
Old fishing boats (centuries ago) used wind power if im not mistaken. Am i correct in assuming that a)these boats would have been stopped by an anchor b) and they could have 'started up' (begun sailing) immedeatley with suffiencet (realstic) wind speeds?Cuban Cigar06:46, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's not completely clear what you mean by "would have been stopped". The normal way to "stop" a sailing vessel is by turning against the wind, thereby reducing the speed to zero. Then you must quickly lower the sails, or you will be blown away again. The anchor is for keeping you in the same spot once you have brought your speed to (close to) zero; it is more like a parking brake. You don't want to use it to halt a boat while it is sailing; you might seriously damage the boat or break the chain. To sail away you hoist the sails and then raise the anchor. (You could also do this in the opposite order, but only if you have a lot of free space behind you.) It depends on the type of boat (and the strength of the wind) how quickly the boat reacts and starts picking up speed, but think seconds. --LambiamTalk09:07, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes when i said stop i meant come to a rest (stop moving). The 'boats' were small ones, maybe three crew or something like that. Anyway thanks!
According to my friend, fruits such as orange and mandrine are not original fruits, rather they are hybrid of other fruits.If this is true, what are the fruits which makes orange and mandrine?
Read our article on Orange (fruit), it gives the answer for oranges. Our article Mandarine does not resolve the issue for mandarines, but given that oranges are hybrids, it seems at least plausible that mandarines are also hybrids. However, a side box in our article on Citrus, the genus containing both, lists mandarins under species, and oranges (and lemons!) under hybrids. But then the main text states that "there is genetic evidence that even the wild, true-breeding species are of hybrid origin." So for mandarines the best we can say is: probably a hybrid, but the origins may be lost in the mists of history. --LambiamTalk08:45, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) Your friend is correct. As our article Orange (fruit) says:
The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and tangerine (Citrus reticulata).
The tangerine itself is a type of mandarin orange and a tangor is a sub-hybrid of a tangerine and orange. Since citrus bearing plants can hybridize so easily, its very difficult to distinguish between true ancient species and hybrid species. Rockpocket08:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
1st producer from africa
which countries from Africa are the first 3 countries which produce more Gum Arabic(Gum Acacia)?
Is there any truth to the rumour that if you bend over and the wind changes you stay like that forever? Where did it originate? --Adam13:57, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Good, I was afraid I might have to ask you to eat some extremely hot salsa and see if the answer comes to you in, say, 24 hours or so. :-) StuRat04:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
On a related note, I remember a lawsuit (thrown out of court IIRC) filed against a bar by a patron who'd managed to successfully consume a plate of 'hot wings' per a promotional giveaway, only to end up in the emergency room. Turns out the bar (like many, many others apparently) drenched its 'promotional' super-hot wings with pepper spray, rendering them virtually unconsumable. But apparently it isn't a crime, because pepper spray is considered safe for human consumption (lol). Anchoress04:59, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure. The song by that name is still under copyright, but a ring of volcanoes around the Pacific rim also has that name, so you could argue you were naming it after the volcanoes, not the song. StuRat23:27, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Pacific rim Are you yanking my chain? Anyway I dont think anyone can be prevented from using a song title. No, what I was concerned with was whether people would associate it with, well, you know.. effects of too much salsa! 8-)--Light current23:30, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There is a TV ad out now that goes something like this:
"Hebrew National brand Kosher hot dogs are only made
from the finest cuts of beef...no ifs, ands, or butts."
(Note the spelling of butts.) A diagram of a cow with a red X over the butt is also shown. If this is considered acceptable, I think "Ring of Fire" salsa would be fine. After all, it's only a suggested meaning, and you have plausible deniability with the Pacific Volcano ring as a cover. I'd even put an erupting volcano on the label to help with the cover story (and because if might increase sales over a pic of an inflamed anus). :-) StuRat06:44, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yea, sounds like the concept was invented by a 4 year old boy doesn't it ? "So there's like all these snakes, you know, and they're like on this really big plane, and with lots of people too, and they're like biting people and hissing and stuff, and the plane's flying like really fast and it's like really cool, you know ?" Perhaps all Hollywood execs should be replaced by 4 year old boys, they couldn't do any worse, now could they ? StuRat19:08, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Since the US Department of Homeland Security does a really poor job of checking cargo that goes on planes, it's certainly very possible. User:Zoe|(talk)23:28, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Financial investment liquidation options in the UK
In a potentially falling stock market,an investor in the UK may wish to rapidly sell many of his/her investments and hold the proceeds in cash. This is quite easy with PEPs and ISAs. For other investments there appears to be an unavoidable penalty arising from Capital Gains Tax incurred during the tax year when the sales are made. This applies especially to investments made some years ago which have gained considerably in value, and are now vulnerable to a possible recession.
Apart from taper relief, is there any solution to this problem where an investor is "locked in" to investments by the considerable penalty of CGT being levied at up to 40% on capital gains in excess of the investors UK CGT tax free allowance?
hatari
The EMH or Efficient markets hypothesis, which has been backed up by a lot of academic research, suggests that it is practically impossible to forecast the stock market to any worthwhile extent (although there are some minor market inefficiencies like small companies, low p/e ratios, possibly high yields, January effects, Monday effects, and so on). This implies in turn that there is no such thing as a trend in the market (apart from perhaps a very long term gradual up trend over the decades) as if there was a trend, you'd be able to forecast the market.
Thus it is wrong to suggest that there is a "falling market" trend that gives people time to sell out before things get worse. From the theory, and from what I remember of actually drops in the market, they happen suddenly and often reverse rapidly, so if you do sell out, prices rise afterwards and you're worse off. The stock market moves at random - if there seems to be a trend, then this is just the chance shape of a random line.
Having a lot of GCT building up is a good thing - a simple simulation on a spreadsheet will show you that you are far better off accumulating CGT to pay in one go after many years than you would be if you sold and re-bought every year paying CGT tax every year.
That's all fine and good in theory. But in reality there are trends in the markets which may range from days to decades, depending on the time frame used. If you don't believe it, talk to someone in the oil industry. —Mike01:32, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The beginning of a fast may very well show a large weight drop (several pounds), while, if you continue to fast, the weight loss will slow down. You take in a few pounds of food each day, and expel the same amount as waste each day. The first day you fast, you will likely defecate yesterday's food. After that, you will have nothing more to expel. In other words, you are lighter by the weight of the contents of your digestive tract, which is now empty. StuRat18:58, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Plus: your body will have got rid of a lot of fluid. For instance, in the mornig you are a couple pounds lighter that when you go to bed due to expiration of moisture. A pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter: so weigh that up!--Light current19:09, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmm, Sturat, I'm not sure if your answer is supposed to be off-beat, sarcastic, or indicate that you misunderstood the question?
Anyways, there are two issues: one is that if stop eating after dinner and you're usually a late-night eater, you might just eat less, resulting in probable weight loss. Two is that there are conflicting studies on the topic of 'eating late at night is more likely to cause weight gain than eating the same number of calories earlier in the day'. Or, to put it another way, some studies have shown that late-night calories are somehow 'fatter' than those taken earlier, either because of metabolism, enzymes, etc. But other studies say that's rubbish, it just depends on how much you eat overall. Like I said, there are conflicting studies.
There's also the issue of 'fasting'. When you don't eat for a certain amount of time, your body goes into 'fasting' mode which can cause your metabolism to lower, which would result in fewer calories burned. And, to add to that there's the issue of people with high/low blood sugar, who are supposed to eat small, regular meals and not to go too long without eating. Anchoress19:13, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It sounds like you read it as "not eating after 1800 hours", which is military time meaning 6 PM. That's not how I read it. I read "not eating for a period of 18 hours", or a short-term fast. StuRat01:02, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I thought that might have been it. But since s/he said '18 hundred hours' I am pretty sure s/he means eating after 6pm. Anchoress01:45, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Oh weird lol. When I read your previous reply, I thought, 'Hmm, I thought it said 18 hundred hours, better check', and I checked, and I seriously thought it said that. LOL. Sorry. Anchoress01:58, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think there's a lesson here about how our preconceptions shape our perceptions. I hope the questioner will tell us which of us read it correctly. :-) StuRat02:19, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for clarifying that. Do you always use military time ? If so, you need to write it as 18:00 hours instead of 18 hours, to avoid this confusion. StuRat14:56, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Of course not, you just imagined the missing part right in. For those of us who only see what's actually there, though, there was some confusion. :-) StuRat23:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When I went to the dietician a couple of years ago, I asked the very question about late night eating. She said it didnt matter when you eat. What was important was the actual number of calories consumed within any 24 hr period. But perhaps shes wrong? --Light current19:29, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I really don't know how anybody is supposed to believe any dietician or any other source of nutritional advice these days. They'll all tell you something different, based on their own studies and "the latest research". Add that to all the conflicting "information" we're swamped with about what's good, what's bad, food combining, when to eat, when not to eat, etc, and what we now have is a casserole of theories, facts, and bunkum, except we don't know which is which because all the experts disagree with each other. We have far more information about nutrition now than at any time in history, yet the western world is more bloated and obese than ever. Is there something wrong here? JackofOz04:58, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you ignore people selling diet books, and go with neutral scientists, you do get a consensus. It's rather boring, however, so doesn't tend to sell books:
1) Keep your total calories low.
2) Get a balance of calories from protein, carbs, and fats. Some calories from alcohol are also allowed.
3) Get "good fats" from fish, nuts, avocados, vegetable oils, etc., and keep "bad fats", from meat and poultry, to a minimum. Avoid trans fats completely.
4) Eat plenty of "good cholesterol" and keep "bad cholesterol" to a minimum. Try to limit egg consumption, since they are high in bad cholesterol.
5) Get lots of fiber, particularly from a variety of whole grains.
6) Eat lots of fruits and veggies.
7) Stick with low fat dairy products.
8) Get lots of exercise, especially aerobic exercise.
Some particularly good foods to eat are blueberries, grapefruit, broccoli, and oatmeal.
While I agree with pretty much all your 'advice', I have to disagree with you on your assessment of scientists; they are as much in the dark as anyone, IMO. Up until a few months ago they were saying coffee was bad for you, now they've discovered that actually it's good for you. Up until a few years ago any unsaturated fat was better than naturally saturated, now all of a sudden polyunsaturates and hydrogenated fats are bad. Whether or not eggs contribute to serum cholesterol is still under debate, and some very modern 'science' says that low-fat dairy is actually unhealthy. It's furthermore debatable whether or not any of the RDA values are accurate; the ideal fat percentage and required grams of protein have been going up and down like yo-yos over the past 20 years. Not to mention the whole kerfuffel (sp?) about essential amino acids. The problem is that nutrition and the human body combine to make such a complex system that the study methods up til very very recently have been inadequate to properly analyse results. Also the fact that it's not a very lucrative field of study, so a lot of the studies are 'sponsored', and while they are not necessarily biased, they are designed to either prove or disprove a single theory, something that often just doesn't work with nutrition. Anchoress05:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
While there are always slight "tweaks" to the nutritional advice, the core group of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients which humans need have been agreed upon by scientists for decades now. You're not going to all of a sudden hear scientists say vitamin C is bad for you and should be completely avoided, for example. Unfortunately, bizarre "fringe" theories get far more press than the scientific evidence justifies. Thus, this leaves the impression that scientists are all over the map, when it's only a small group of highly vocal paid advocates for some diet plan that deviate from the accepted scientific dietary advice. StuRat14:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I have to disagree with that as well. Vitamins F, K, Beta Carotene, lots of phytochemicals etc have not been 'agreed-upon' for decades. And it's not just vitamins and minerals that make a healthy human, and lots of issues, like number of calories (even now, there are doctors and nutritionists who say that the average woman only needs 1400 calories per day), amount and type of fat, which carbs are low and high glycemic index, no. of grams of protein, how much salt is bad for you, etc. are being discussed, argued, conflicting studies showing up, etc. Anchoress20:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know, I'm not saying anyone's calling it bad. But it's an example of a nutrient whose place in human nutrition has only recently been agreed-upon. And as for 'tweaks', that's exactly the problem. Scientists have been 'tweaking' nutritional information constantly for the past 100 years. Every time something new comes out it's like, 'Oh yeah, we've finally figured it out. This is the truth,' then a few months or years later, they're retracting their assertions and saying something else. Anchoress02:20, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Anchoress has hit the nail on the head. And for every "expert" who claims to have "the truth", there's a horde of other "experts" who say something different. Just who are we supposed to believe any more? JackofOz06:34, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Again, I fear your "experts" are just people hawking a diet pill in some infomercial. The silent majority of nutritionist don't have any wacky theories, and are in agreement on all but a few fringe areas of nutrition. StuRat07:01, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Maya (software)?
I read about Maya (software) and I read that is often used in movies and video games. Where can i find a list of popular uses of this software?? or do any of you know some movies or games made with this software?
You can click "What links here" on the side of the article under the words "toolbox". This gives a list of articles on wikipedia that link to this one. There you can look for movies or games. Look at the article to see if they use it. This is not that easy to do since many article are linking to it for other reasons, and there is no reason to think that this list will be complete. Jon51319:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm surprised Google doesn't find a list, but nothing turned up there in the first few pages. I certainly remember it was used for the rendering in the 'Final Fantasy' movie (Lightwave was used for the modelling), which was entirely computer-generated, and if it's not the most popular 3D software for movies it's certainly one of the most popular. Mark Grant12:59, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
1917 1dollar bill
who is in the image on the left hand side on the face of a 1917 series 1 dollar bill?
it looks like a picture of the pilgrims coming to america. Am I right?
GENERALLY, are Formula One's faster, in terms of acceleration and top speed, than Le Mans prototypes- LMP1's and LMP2's? Jamesino21:40, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Traditionally, Le Mans prototypes have a higher top speed down the Mulsanne Straight than the highest top speed that Formula One cars reach, up to 400 km/h in the old days before they introduced the chicanes. However, I haven't been able to find any statistics on what they currently do down that straight.
Acceleration, particularly at low speeds; no contest. The Audi R8 puts out about 630 horsepower and weighs about 900 kg; the current F1 cars put out around 750 horsepower (maybe a bit more) and weigh about 600 kg. --Robert Merkel05:45, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How to file away stuff quickly and effectively?
Filing is the bane of my life. Without having to do it, I'm sure my life would be richer and more fulfilled.
What are the best ways of filing away things such as bills etc., which keep coming through my letterbox? I also have many other things to file away - things which I think might be useful knowledge to me in the future, and various documents relating to business.
I have always used the heap filing method - I have heaps of unfiled odds and ends on every flat surface. When its time to fill in my tax returns, I go through all the heaps and put them in order.
I am seeking a proven-in-practice method or system that someone actually uses, not just a system someone has just thought up. Highest priorities are speed and least effort (hence the heaps!). Thanks.
I am a former hyper-organised non-filer, and I am now a somewhat organised filer. I like being the latter.
OK, so my advice has two main parts. Part 1:
There's a tried-and-true system for sorting papers that I really like, it's RAFT, I think, Reading, Action, Filing, Trash. I add an S to the end, 'Sentiment', for stuff that has no practical purpose but I'm keeping it anyway (things like business cards, pages out of the Readers' Digest with URLs on them, coupons, restaurant reviews for restaurants I want to visit, lists of 'top 500 gangster movies' to watch, etc.) Getting in the habit of doing 'the basic sort' (however often you do filing - it's once a year for me, not kidding) will help the process a lot.
Keep the reading somewhere convenient, recycle/throw the trash, have a prominent 'action' pile for the stuff that needs attention, and have either a drawer, an accordion file, a binder full of plastic sleeves, or a scrap book you can paste or staple things into for the sentimental bits ('sentimental' does not include old love letters and your High School grades, you should file those).
Part 2:
As for bills etc. After years of letting my paperwork pile up forever, because my 'system' required meticulously filing all my bills etc by type, spending hours and hours making new files, sorting and organising, etc etc etc, I finally figured out that almost all my business correspondence goes to my accountant, and why on earth should I bother filing it in individual folders only to rummage through the drawer at tax time and amalgamate it into one package? My accountant doesn't even like me to sort my tax paperwork lol. Now all I do is create one file for the current year put all my bills and receipts in it, sort them ONCE, at the end of the year (or not), and then stick the whole batch along with my tax return back in the filing cabinet after taxes.
I now have about a dozen folders in my business drawer (and six of them are tax returns; the rest are misc correspondence, letters of reference, and a couple of others) and a dozen or so in my personal drawer (love letters etc.) :-)
I usually let my mail pile up, dealing with the urgent stuff, and then take heaps of bills to open and staple, and do them in front of the TV.
I can't find any clue about the show because I only have a scetchy memory of it. It may have been made in the 60's or 70's. It was on a ship in space. One of the alien crew members was a shape shifter......I think she became a cat a lot? I saw it on weekend mornings when i was very young. Any help would be great. Thanks! 71.79.17.13201:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Series Two: Maya wasn't in Series One (which, frankly, was vastly better). That said, it was on the Moon rather than a space-ship, though that's a minor distinction when the Moon is floating around the universe visiting a new planet every week :). Mark Grant01:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmmm I don't think it was space:1999 i came across that when I first started looking. The cast in mine was alot smaller. I think it didn't have much of a budget.....you always heard the battles but never saw them. They were always trying to keep enemies off the ship....
I do have vague memories of another space show with a character who changed shape, but can't remember what it might be. As mentioned below, Red Dwarf may another possibility, but it was decades later and the character was permanently a cat/man, not a shape-changer. Presumably it was live-action and not animated? The latter would open up a lot more possibilities. Mark Grant12:55, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Red dwarf had a character who had evolved from a cat, and someone else who was a hologram, but that was 80's or 90's. There is also Blake's 7 which was too cheaply made (£60000 budget per episode) even for me to watch. The Blake's 7 article mentions Battlestar Galactica. Try also Category:Science fiction television series, although I cannot get the link to work. 62.253.44.14609:00, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
does anybody know why there is such a large RV industry in the south bend-elkhart area in northern Indiana
Probably about the same as how cars started to be made in the Detroit area. One company started making RVs there, then that made it in the interest of other RV companies to locate there, since the infrastructure of suppliers, dealers, etc. was already in place, and a regular supply of customers was showing up there looking for RVs. StuRat19:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Who is the largest employer in the U.S.
Who is the largest employer in the U.S? I would think its the federal goverment
I've decided to make a model of a house out of balsa wood. It will be a weatherboard house, and I am wondering what is the best way to join the pieces of wood. I would like it to look as detailed and precise as possible (with stumps, joists, studs, etc.). I have studied up on the construction of a real house, as well as talked to an architect. I have already done the planning required to start and it will probably be on a piece of chipboard which is 500x500mm.
A model of a house would not normally show the interior construction of a wall, with studs, rafters, joists, unless you propose to build a cutaway model. Even then, you would not build the whole house exactly like a real house, just the exposed section. And what kind of house construction uses "stumps?"Edison19:47, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, weatherboard houses generally do not have a foundation of solid concrete, rather, they are elevated from the ground using stumps. The stumps can be either timber or contrete. And yes, I was thinking of starting from one corner, with that fully finished, and then as I move away from the corner, it is less 'finished'. I will do my best to show all the components involved in the contruction of a real house. It will be similar to what university students need to do to gain their degree in Architecture (in Australia at least). And glue seems to be the best thing to use really, but i would like to see if there is any other methods.
I asked someone who recently received an architecture degree and built numerous models. Recommendations: They prefer thin basswood for the type of model you propose. It comes in all thicknesses as well as long thin square pieces. To cut it, you could use an Exacto knife or a utility knife, but an Olfa knife is preferred. To stick it together, Sobo glue is recommended. Make a small pool of the glue, then use a tiny scrap of the basswood or chipboard to apply a thin line of glue. It will be tacky, allowing you time to adjust. Hot glue is not recommended: too little adjustment time. White glue (Elmer's) is not recommended: does not become tacky quickly enough. Some use Gorilla Glue. Cyanoacrylate (Crazy Glue)is likely to stain the wood dark, and so is not recommended, but it gives considerable strength as for building bridges in physics class contests. If you want to show the overall form but also the interior construction of joists, rafters, etc, you might build a "half model" if it is symmetric, so the cutaway part reveals the structure. Allow lots of time and probably more than one version to get it right. By "stumps" do you refer to a foundation, or is a house on posts like in the Louisiana bayou? Edison18:58, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Guitar question.
I saw an ad in a local trading post for a cheap used guitar. I'd like to grab one, just to mess around with (I can't play and aren't interested in seriously learning). Can anyone tell me if this guitar has everything I need to use it (so I don't have to buy any extra amps/equipment/etc), if it's a decent guitar, and if I can listen to it on headphones (you know, so I can hear the guitar normally but noone else can)? It reads Electric guitar, session stage series, stratocastor style solid body with 3 pickups. Includes tuner, $50. Thanks!
You will need amplification, because the guitar pickup is not powerful enough to make any sound in the headphones. You might buy a cable to go from the guitar to the "aux" input of your stereo, then you could play it over the loudspeakers, or use your headphones. I also seriously doubt that somebody in their right mind would sell a decent guitar for USD 50. --N·Bluetalk12:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
AUD 50, which is USD 37.
Actually you don't need an amp to play an electric guitar, they make a fair bit of sound on their own. For a performance or something, though, you'd naturally need one. digfarenough (talk) 17:10, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'd just be using it in my bedroom, so I wouldn't need it to make much noise. I'd like to confine all sound to my headphones if possible, though.
A solid body without amplification doesn't quite produce enough sound unless you're in a very quiet room and are only interrested in practising for 'the real thing' (which obviously isn't the case). Playing over a hifi sounds dodgy to me. I'm not sure, but I think it might ruin the amp and/or the speakers because of the wide range of sounds and volumes an eletric guitar produces.
The 'clean' sound of an electric guitar is slightly boring (though many would disagree). So you might want to invest in some effects too, especially if you want to sound like a specific guitar player. But there are loads of effects and deciding which one(s) to buy is difficult. A cheap way to produce distortion (one of the most popular effects) is to do the real thing - buy a crappy, low-power, overused combo (amp + speaker) and crank it way up (I say low-power for the well-being of your neighbours). Don't expect it to live for much longer, though. Then again, the effect might improve and reach perfection just before it dies. :) DirkvdM19:22, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I really echo DirkvdM's caution about mixing your guitar directly into your stereo. Even on low volume, you could damage your speakers. It's fine to go the other way, though. :-) Oh yeah!!!! Anchoress22:10, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, Dirk and Ancoress, but your responses clearly show that you have never actually tried to do this. I have, and it certainly is possible, although the signal from the single coil guitar pickup that you would find on a strat style guitar is so weak that you have to turn the amp up quite loud to get much sound. See [15] for further confirmation. Dirk is quite right, however, in stating that the sound will be flat and uninteresting. A good solution is to buy a "virtual amplifier" such as this one which I use. You plug both the guitar and the headphones into the box, and get beautiful sound (provided, of course, that you put a little more than AUD 50 into the guitar). --N·Bluetalk21:23, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Tacky Duck Tape
I put some out-of-date duck tape on a boat gel coat surface, and when I peeled it off, the tacky part of the tape remained. Is there any product that will remove it without damaging the gel coat? Thank you!
Poor duck! Did you tape it to your boat? Or are you talking about 'duct tape'? In these parts that is called gaffer tape, but the real stuff that gaffers use shouldn't leave any 'tacky stuff' (it's actually designed for that purpose), so I suppose you got the cheap stuff. I know thge best stuff to remove glue is turpentine, but I don't know what that would do to the surface. Another trick is to use more gaffer tape (the real thing preferably this time), put that on it and peel it off again. repeating this several times should at least get rid of some of the stuff. DirkvdM19:29, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
My apologies. It seems that gaffer tape is not the same as duct tape and that the latter was originally called 'duck tape', so I was wrong to make fun of you. You may wrongfully make fun of me now. DirkvdM19:33, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Unfortunately, no. However, you can copy a friend's file or download 100% Completed saves from GameFAQs to get your unlocked characters back.
Well, I'm probably going to get an Action Replay in a week or so, anyway.I know there's a code for unlocking every trophy, but are there codes for unlocking individual trophies so I don't get the 30 that I hadn't gotten yet? -- TheGreatLlama(speak to the Llama!)21:44, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Where can I download videos of people completing popular RPGs?
I've heard from various people that DVDs exist depicting people completing popular RPGs like Final Fantasy X, cutscenes intact. I'd be interested in downloading some of these (not speedruns, which don't include cutscenes). Where could I find them? I'm mostly interested in Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy IX, Xenosaga and Silent Hill.
nacho libre soundrack
Where can I find the song I am by a band called mr. loco, and i want the song not to have a virus with it?
Yesterday I visited a WalMart in New England which has a gun shop. I was spechless to see them placing live ammunition on the shelf. I opened a box and took a buckshot shotgun shell from it and no one asked me to put it back. What's wrong with these people? Don't they know there are kids running around in the WalMart? Don't they know people with a hammer could easily detonate a whole box of bullets? -- Toytoy20:13, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think the questions are the sentences that end with question marks. Sure, a hammer could detonate the bullets, but that's far from the only dangerous combination of items that you'll find in a Wal*Mart. I do hope you put the shotgun shell back, because asking "What's wrong with these people?" after saying you stole ammunition would be pretty ironic :) digfarenough (talk) 22:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I actually found ammo on the same shelf with children's toys, right at ground level, at a K-mart. I complained, and they told me they had no intention of changing anything. I picture a kid shoplifting some ammo, thinking it's some kind of toy, then detonating it with a hammer or rock. There really should be laws saying ammo must be locked up at all times. That K-mart is now out of business, as are many others. Perhaps it had something to do with their careless attitude. StuRat04:21, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How dangerous is it to detonate a loose bullet by hitting it? In a gun it gets accelerated because the explosion can only go one way. Outside a gun it would be like detonating a firecracker. How much gunpowder is there in there? What size fire cracker would it correspond to? (There;s a real question for you, light current :) ). DirkvdM06:52, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why me. What've I done? No . dont tell me! We dont have guns over here so I couldnt even guess!
I looked this all up. The biggest danger from handling loose ammunition is from the lead compounds that coat everything. In a fire, they just pop and can't penetrate anything. If you made a point (ha, ha) of firing one right beside your head, you would get serious eye injuries. In Canada, ammunition has to be signed out. --Zeizmic12:53, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Different types of bullets have different amounts of gunpowder. This is one of the reasons that certain types of bullets have more penetrating power than others. The higher the amount of gunpowder ("grain") the more often you have to clean your gun, if I recall. The best part about going to a shooting range in the United States is that they make you sign a waiver attesting to your mental health. --Fastfission13:30, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No, you wouldn't, that's how they recognise you. Just like all the nutters in the institutions have acknowledge they're nutters to get out, you have to declare you're a looney to actually get into a shooting range. DirkvdM17:33, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The problem here would be that the people who are selling guns and amunition baltanly dont care about human life, or they would not be selling these things in the first place, and please, i dont need a Rifle association Yankee trying to justify a semi-automatic assault rifle with night vision scope and silencer for hunting.193.115.175.24714:16, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's right, we need to legalize thermonuclear weapons for hunting. Why should I be happy with killing one animal at a time when I can get a million with one bomb ? Let's get legalized nukes on the NRA agenda at the next meeting ! :-) StuRat17:42, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am looking for a location in Arizona concerning the name Maggie or Maggi or Magi, this could be the old name of a towne, a indian tribe, or someone who was very important in that the Arizona area. My searches have lead me no where and I could really use some help so please let me know if you can find anything on the subject.
On a lot of buses and vans, I've noticed these strange spinning things. They are slightly larger in diameter than an outstretched palm, and appear to be driven by air movement, as they slow down when the bus stops. I can't find any images of them on Commons (perhaps it's just a British thing), but there's an image of one quite clearly here; it's the strange protusion with a black square on it towards the rear of the bus. What the heck are they? smurrayinchester(User), (Talk)21:14, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They are wind-driven or turbine ventilators. I always thought they were a scam, but I did an extensive search and couldn't really find any authoritative. Some new designs have the advantage of not allowing rain penetration under high winds. They have a tendency to start squeaking after a few years. --Zeizmic23:53, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I dont mind the squeaking, I do mind the gut churning, joint dislocating ride we get on our local buses (51/53). Im sure SMurray will attest to that. --Light current00:12, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
kissing bugs habitat
hi,
i was on you site looking for where the kissing bug is found in the world,but i cant seem to find it on the web page about kissing bugs.I live in Australia and was wondering if we have the kissing bug here?
The name "kissing bug" is given to some members of the family of insects called Reduviidae. That article doesn't say where they live, but googling for "Reduviidae Australia" finds stuff like this, which says there are 30 genera (kinds, roughly) of insects from that family native to Australia. Also our Triatominae article (the Triatominae are a subgroup of the Reduviidae) says that some live in Australia. If you're particularly concerned about Chagas disease, a disease carried by kissing bugs, it seems to occur only in the americas. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk22:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
SANZAR contact details
Hi, i used wikipedia to find the contact number for SANZAR, the controlling body of the super14 rugby competition.
I was unable to find any contact numbers or email addresses.
If you could assist me in any way it would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Philip Bakos
That article doesn't appear to contain contact information. The three unions linked to on SANZAR all have links to their official sites, though. You can most likely just contact one of the three. digfarenough (talk) 22:55, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Faking one's own death
There's loads of conspiracy theories about anyone from Elvis Presley to Bruce Lee to Andy Kaufmann faking their own deaths so that they can live in peace/return some day, but has anyone actually faked their own death and gone on to live a new life? If so, were any of them particularly notable for any other reason? Sum023:34, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I've successfully downloaded a temporary internet file for an episode of a Jimmy Neutron. The sound works fine, but whenever I try to play it, it shows those weird, random textures that are shown when music is playing, instead of the picture for the episode. How can I fix this? -- TheGreatLlama(speak to the Llama!)00:02, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Do you mean it's showing a music visualization? Windows Media Player seems to think it's an audio file not a video file. What is the file extension/media type? If it's MPEG2 (.MPG), it might be because WMP won't decode MPEG2 or DVD movies without charging you extra for a decoder plugin. --Canley04:32, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You are missing a required codec used to decode the video. There a few bundles of common codecs on the internet that you can find; one that I installed a long time back at the recommendation of others was the DefilerPak. I don't know how current it still is. If you install that, though, it should work. --Fastfission13:24, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I installed DefilerPak, and it did work, so thanks for the help. By the way, this was the first time I used Windows Media Player, so that's why I said "weird, random textures" (which probably sounded pretty stupid). -- TheGreatLlama(speak to the Llama!)16:30, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I definitely appreciate them making progressively lighter computers. That makes it far less likely that I will pull my back when I toss the damn things out the window. :=) StuRat04:13, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When I was having some battery problems with my MacBook, one of the support people I got on the phone asked, "How are you using it?" "On my lap." "Your warranty can be voided if you use it on your lap!" "But it's a laptop." "We don't call it that!" (I don't use it on my bare lap anymore; these suckers run HOT.) --jpgordon∇∆∇∆05:24, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
"First 'personnel administration' arrived, followed by 'personnel management'. then came 'human resource management'. now they say it is time for 'strategic human ersource management'. in my point of view, this is all just about semantics. in practice, the role and tasks remain the same. today, as one or two decades ago, same people are doing the same things, performing the same functions to acheive tyhe same outcomes, when it comes to the management of people and people related aspects in organisations"
can u please help me in elaborating the difference in the concepts of the 'human resource management' and 'strategic human resource management' now in any feild e.g., telecom, cellular etc. and also how these can effect the organisational performance and competitiveness.
The different answers are probably because the News of the World is a weekly, not daily, newspaper. So the best selling daily would still be The Sun. Ironfrost11:51, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, Charles. BTW, when you're linking to other Wikipedia articles, you don't normally put the full URL - it's usual to just put the title of the article within two sets of square brackets, like this: [[Portsmouth FC]] gives Portsmouth FC. --Richardrj10:05, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Roman Counting
Why we use Roman counting as suffix of famous personalities ? Like Pop John Paul II or Queen Elizbeth I etc?
Just tradition, I imagine. We use it for non-famous personalities too if you get beyond Sr. and Jr. This is probably a question better posed to the Language desk. Additionally unlike Jr. and Sr. the dignitaries with the same name are usually not related (and in the case of Popes, it is not their birth name). One could imagine doing something like "Queen Elizabeth, the one who was born in 1853" but that seems a little clumsy (and a lot harder to remember). --Fastfission13:21, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
My Holy Father went to on a bunch of trips and all i got was this lousy map
Is there some who been to every country in the world? I know this might be quite a difficult question to answer because it impossible to judge but maybe some person set out to go to every country and got plenty of media coverage. Thanks for all the help Joel— Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.129.18.250 (talk • contribs)
What is good etiquette regarding one's choice of whether to take an aisle or window seat on a bus (or train), when both seats are currently unoccupied? I prefer the aisle seat, because it allows me to stretch my legs out into the aisle, so I always sit there on the first-come, first-served principle. But when the bus begins to fill up, I get stares and sighs from the person who has to ask me to step aside in order to claim the vacant window seat. The suspicion persists that, by taking the aisle seat, I am somehow trying to discourage him from sitting next to me. Yet that is not the case at all; I simply prefer the aisle seat. Is this bad etiquette? Should I always take the window seat, regardless of my personal preference and the fact that I was there first, so that people who arrive later - that's later, please note - can easily slip into the aisle seat?
The thing that really bugs me is when people leave their bags on the seat next to them, and don't remove them until someone asks them to (and even then, it sometimes seems, with reluctance). Now that is a clear case of discouragement from sitting down next to one, and should be outlawed. --Richardrj11:24, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I always thought that traditionally people prefer the window seat. If I'm not alone in this, perhaps other people can't understand your preference for the aisle seat.
I don't know why you see putting your seat on the bag next to you as worse than sitting in the aisle seat. It's much easier to reach there than in the overhead racks or underneath your seat, so if no-one's sitting next to you, I would say it's perfectly reasonable to keep it there until someone needs to sit down. --Sam Blanning(talk)12:25, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
IMO its poor form to sit in the aisle seat and leave the other unoccupied. It does seem like you are trying to stop people sitting there, as it is very difficult for people to get into that seat, especially if you have long legs. If you see getting the aisle seat as an advantage or privilege of getting on first, then maybe sit down next to someone who is already in a window seat, or at each stop stand up so someone can get into the window seat next to you without having to ask/glare. I do agree with you on the bag thing, however, unless it is ridiculously heavy, it is equally easy to put it on your lap instead of the seat... – AlbinoMonkey(Talk)12:51, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
But if I sit down next to someone who's already in a window seat, when there's a pair of unoccupied seats elsewhere on the bus, they will think I'm a pervert and glare at me even more. As Anchoress says below, it's up to the later person to say 'excuse me' if they want to sit in the window seat. I will always let them sit down without hindrance.
Re bags, my favourite incident was when I asked a woman to move her bag so that I could sit down next to her. She huffed and said "look, there's other empty seats over there". As though she could prevent me from sitting next to her! I said "Nevertheless, I would like to sit here, if you don't mind," and waited patiently until, with great reluctance, she moved her bag. --Richardrj14:18, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Personally I think it's perfectly OK to sit in whatever seat you want. I think it's rude of people to presume you're trying to hog two seats, but it's understandable since I know people sometimes do so. Frankly I also think it's OK to put bags etc on the other seat, although if it's standing room only I always pick mine up. People do not have the right to take up more than one seat (unless they are hindered in some way physically), and IMO anyone has the right to politely ask people to pick up their stuff so a standee can sit. And frankly if you're going to ride public transit that kind of assertiveness is necessary and not rude. I've never been shy about asking people to pick up their bags so I can sit down, and I don't even bother asking to sit in the window seat if someone's in the aisle, I just smile, make a gesture towards the seat, politely say 'excuse me', and step over them if they don't move over. I guess to sum it up, if there's an 'empty' seat on the bus or train and I'm standing - unless there's someone more needy than I am - no matter if there's a coat, groceries, a TV, a backpack, a giant potted palm or half an ass on that seat, I'm (politely) sitting down. And I don't assume the worst of people or give them grief for having their stuff on the seat. I just ask them to move it. :-)
A humorous reversal to that though; when I was backpacking in the UK, I frequently found it easier to stand and put my backpack on the seat. It was better for numerous reasons, ease of re-mounting, not snagging stockings or taking up room in the aisle, not whacking people in the face with it behind my back, etc. People really used to give me dirty looks over that though, lol. But I'd say, hey, I get one seat, right? If I want to give it to my backpack there's no reason to complain, right? Of course I gave it up to more needy people. Anchoress12:50, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why? Sometimes there weren't luggage racks, and sometimes even if there were it was a) inconvenient to use them, or b) too far from the seats, I feared theft. If I had used the luggage racks, I would have still been taking up a seat. So what's the difference? Anchoress02:44, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If no racks, fair enough. If racks available it would make one more seat available. Any way , I thought you werent talking to me! Have you forgiven me now?--Light current03:01, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
OK, so if there is a rack, I should use it why? You say it would make one more seat available. HOW? I'm already using only one seat. Are you saying I should put my backpack in the rack and then stand up, giving my seat to someone else? As stated above, I already do so when a more needy person is present. And no, I haven't forgiven you. Not now or ever. Don't expect me to be 'talking to you' much, because it isn't going to be happening. Anchoress04:58, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes there would be an extra seat that either you or someone else could use. Now why dont you forgive me?. PLeeease! Ive said sorry for unintentionally upsetting you. Have you not read my apologies? --Light current15:23, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And I would choose to use it by putting my backpack on it for the reasons stated above, and that leads us back to the beginning. And no, I'm not going to forgive you, not now or ever, as I said. Anchoress00:27, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I once managed to get a seat on an "redeye" airplane flight with two empty seats on one side. I put the armrests up and actually was able to lay down to sleep ! Unfortunately, everyone seemed to bitch about me having extra seats, but I just figured "that's their problem" and went to sleep. I always take an aisle seat, because then I can get up when I please. It seriously annoys me when I have to climb over somebody who refuses to get up to let me out. The only downside to an aisle seat is when the plane lands. At this point everyone seems to feel the need to cram themselves into the aisle, like sardines, and wait for 10 minutes to exit, versus just remaining seated until the rows in front have exited. I like to sit calmly and read a magazine, instead, but with an aisle seat the people next to me feel their right to do a sardine imitation is being abridged, LOL. StuRat16:39, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
On (Dutch) trains I hang my coat on the window side (hooks are only there) sit in the aisle seat next to it, put my feet up on the opposite seat and put my backpack on the seat next to that one. Thus, I (sort of) occupy four seats. Then again, I always ride during quiet hours and go to one of the ends of the train. Most people are lazy (or stupid) and don't walk far from the stairs and get on the train through the nearest door. Consequently, the middle is often cramped, while at the ends of the train there is plenty of room. I never get any nasty looks. If it gets crowded I keep an eye out for people looking at 'my' seats and a few friendly looks solve the situation. And if I don't because I'm too engulfed in my literature (or thoughts) then people simply ask and I oblige. Ony once in over a thousand train trips did someone react in a rude way. If everyone is relaxed about this there is no problem. If everyone worries too much about upsetting others then the others will be more easily upset, which makes people worry even more, etc. Relax and (very important - this solves most situations) SMILE! Not an obligatory smile ut a genuine one. I've learned that that is the best problem solver in the world. It works miracles. DirkvdM17:56, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I certainly cant agree with you putting your feet on the seat opposite. THats one thing that really gets my goat! Its dirties the seat that someone will eventually have to sit on and wears ou the cloth that we must all pay for to get reparied. In this country, there are large penalties for this crime. I think it should be made a hanging offence actually!(but then agian Ive always been too soft) --Light current18:05, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
My feet, not my shoes. I take those off (the shoes :) ). If they're smelly I put a plastic bag or something under my shoes. Don't assume too much. :) DirkvdM03:34, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I think it is unwelcoming. But that doesn't mean I think you shouldn't do it. It isn't the job of anyone riding public transport to be welcoming. Personally I LOVE people who sit on the aisle seat; first because I personally prefer the window and don't mind the inconvenience of getting there (I don't expect people to stand up or even shift over to let me by), and second because I derive perverse satisfaction from thwarting people who think they can hog two seats by sitting on the aisle (not you, I know). I strongly believe you should continue to do exactly what you want. As long as you are not actively hindering people from sitting in empty seats, I don't think you are being discourteous or doing anything worthy of criticism. People who can't bring themselves to budge past a pair of knees or politely ask someone to pick up their coat deserve to stand, IMO. Anchoress02:08, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Court order to attend AA
I read in the paper that Mel Gibson received a fine and a court order to attend AA (Alcoholics Anonymous not the Automobile Association) for his drunk driving charge. In situations like this how does the court know if he turns up or not? as I thought the a major part of AA was that they won't tell anyone who attends their meetings. AllanHainey11:59, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have to wonder whether, when the papers say "sentenced to AA" it's just a lazy way of saying "sentenced to a court-approved alcohol program". Frankly, if I were a volunteer attendee at an AA meeting, I don't know how confortable I'd be bearing my soul in the company of a bunch of boneheads who're there only to escape some jail time. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk12:16, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
...
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We're entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
...
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Turning over wills and lives to God? Admitting our sins in hope of divine admonishment? Praying for better contact with God? And, given that a conservative 5 / 12 steps (go on, look at them for yourself) involve God, it seems to fall well within the bracket of a 'religious movement'. Abednigo14:03, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
God and religion are as different as eggs are from cake. In order for an organisation to be a 'religious' organisation they have to be connected with some religion. Which religion is AA associated with? Anchoress03:07, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, regardless, it's not any sort of violation of separation of church and state. Deals like this are worked out between the prosecutor and the defendants lawyers (and I imagine Mr. Gibson can afford his own), and if he didn't like AA, he would have agreed to some other equivalent. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆14:06, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This has been an issue of separation of church and state. I believe there was an episode of Bullshit! just about this topic. That's a cable TV program starring Penn and Teller debunking, well, bullshit. AA tries to walk the line and claim they aren't a religious org, by doing things like replacing the word "God" with things like "a higher power", which are sufficiently vague that they can get away with it. In the US, under the Bush admin, though, the separation of church and state has been so eroded that AA can just leave "God" in and have nothing to worry about. They don't really publish a success rate, but from what info has gotten out, it doesn't appear much better than any other method. I believe in many areas AA is the only treatment program available, so the courts do sentence people to AA, specifically. StuRat16:16, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If there is a court order to attend AA meetings, the court gives the person a card to take to the meeting. An official at the meeting signs and dates the card once for each attendance. And it is possible to be court-ordered to attend AA meetings and a court-approved alcohol treatment program; in my county with clients I've worked with, it's common. 69.56.96.11618:43, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In the UK and Australian Parliaments, and no doubt in other legislatures, each day's proceedings open with the Lord's Prayer. That does not make these bodies religious institutions. You can tell they're not by the open hostilities that happen after the prayers are over. JackofOz06:24, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Magnets, oriental men, and scant clothing
Can anyone tell me what on earth this is all about? Googling for various combinations of "semi-naked men", "magnet", "red blue" and related terms leads to some interesting results, but not an explanation. Abednigo13:08, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have no idea, but thank you so much for posting it. I can't stop laughing, particularly at the facial expression of the guy on the right. At a guess, it looks like some kind of version of It's a Knockout. --Richardrj13:59, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ahh one man(?) is south and ones north I see. But they both have a magnet which naturally has a N and S pole each??? I think the scientific advisor should be fired.--Light current15:04, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are several reasons for a Wikipedia to be big. One is number of speakers (native or not). This is the main reason the English one is the biggest. Then there is pride, which probably explains the sizes of the Esperanto and Catalan ones. And internet penetration probably explains the size of the Dutch one - there are only about 22 million Dutch speakers (native or ... well, native) and many (like me) will be more active at the English Wikipedia. There are 46 million Polish speakers and I supose many will be good enough at Eglish for normal conversation, but not to participate in Wikipedia. So they put their effort into the Polish one. DirkvdM18:14, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
After listening to to much Sytem Of a Down, i was wondering, is it possable and/or advisable to pull a tapeworm out of your ass?
If you don't have a tapeworm there in the first place, then no — if you do, please go see a doctor about it. There are very effective medications these days for that sort of thing, but, as a matter of policy, we don't offer medical advice here on Wikipedia. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 21:18, 18 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
OMG LOL Thats so funny Ilmari 8-))(not if you dont have one there in the first plalce... classic)
There there, don't you be having a fit now. It was a nice one but not all that funny. Here, have a virtual glass of water. Feeling better now? DirkvdM18:22, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This is not a medical question as i dont have worms. I was just wondering if it would be possable and/or advisable if, lets say you woke up and felt something laying its eggs around you anus.
OMG LOL Are you sure we dont have to pay for this entertainment? The above two posts (taken together) are hilarious! Dont split them on pain of death!--Light current14:52, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Oh dear, you're calling out to your god again and all that. Maybe you should lie down for a minute, to catch your breath. Think about your heart. DirkvdM18:22, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Come on ppl, lets say you did wake to find this, not that it is too common i hope, but lets say you did, should you pull it out?
What you mean? A worm sticking out your ass or a load of eggs in the valley? Are you yanking our chains? (or just pulling our worms)--Light current15:11, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You know, some of our patented Ring of Fire brand salsa should send those tapeworms running for their lives (or slithering, as the case may be). :-) StuRat18:08, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I believe that the active ingredient in hot peppers, capsaicin, was indeed used to clear parasites out of the intestinal tract. This does, however, cause significant discomfort and diarrhea, so other means are most often used. StuRat18:30, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I wonder what would happen to a dead tapeworm (the article doesn't seem to say)? Wouldn't one shit it out? In that case a bit might indeed be sticking out. DirkvdM18:27, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Really Dirk, cant you use the word expel rather than S**t (Ive just had my tea). I think when they die they break up into pieces and detection of these is one of the tests to see if you have worms. BTW.are there more than one alive at any one time in the gut?--Light current18:36, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you have reason to believe that you have a tapeworm, see your doctor immediately. Given sufficiently early detection, he will have an effective regimen that will expel the parasites before they kill you. B00P08:39, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Jeez guys, can't anybody give him an answer? The answer is no, to all your questions. Tapeworms hang around too deep in your large intestine, and never come out to lay eggs. That's other kinds of parasites, and ones that are around a millimeter thick. You could not pull one out unless you can stick your whole hand and much of your arm in positions physically impossible, and you had been doing this for years so that your intestine would be able to stretch to your hand size. — [Mac Davis] (talk)
This reminds me of a family story. In the days before drug treatments, a friend of my aunt's had some sort of parasitic worm which he'd picked up in West Africa. The only advice the doctors gave in those days was to tell him that if it ever got near his eye, he should get someone to pop his eyeball out so the worm could escape through the empty socket. So whenever his neck started pulsating and it looked as if the worm was getting close to the eye, everyone would crowd round and watch anxiously wondering if this was the big moment. Unfortunately it never was; the worm always turned back and was eventually buried with him. Jameswilson23:08, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If we're telling stories now I might as well join in. Once in Indonesia got a worm in my foot that is really 'meant for' dogs and cats and can't fully penetrate the human skin. So it kept on searching for a spot just under the top layer of skin. After a few weeks I could see a whole network of (lighter coloured) corridors in my foot. It itched like hell and luckily I had clove oil with me, because I wouldn't have been able to sleep. I finally went home and they made an ointment for me at the hospital which got rid of it. Anyone know what this worm is called? DirkvdM07:03, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What is the most common meaning for opa? Like in the movie, "The Terminal" with tom hanks he said opa a couple times. Does anyone know what it means?
71.209.74.8115:00, 21 August 2006 (UTC)daniel[reply]
In greek/italian, a general purpose non-offensive expletive, like "Oops" or "Horray". In german it is a casual way of saying grandfather. Could be others meanings too. --DarkfredTalk to me16:02, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I haven't seen the terminal, but perhaps you are referring to the exclamation used by (I think) greek people when taking a shot? The equivalent of "bottoms up", I guess. And wasn't the character in the terminal from a fictional country? -Bmk16:12, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It was indeed a fictional country (which we oddly have an article on: Krakozhia), which spoke a combination of fictional Krakozhian and Belarusian. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk)16:45, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In Greek restaurants, such as the ones on Halstead Street just west of downtown Chicago, Illinois, they serve "flaming saganaki", a dish with heated cheese. A heated high-alcohol liquor is poured on it and lit. Flames go up to the ceiling, and everyone yells "OPA!" Sometimes the waiter will have four such plates stacked up along his arm, with even greater inferno. (Not to be confused with flaming Nagasaki).Edison20:48, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Tooth location in human mouth
Is there a location where I can find the basic location of theeth in the mouth?
Remove the image, because only a copyright holder can grant permission for the use of what they own, and copyright owners are absolutely entitled to stop publication. The webmaster is responsible for obeying copyright law. Or wait for a takedown notice. Though the notice might be acted upon by the ISP hosting the site; it would be as well not to let things get that far. See Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act. Notinasnaid16:41, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
By the way, Wikipedia doesn't give legal advice, but the webmaster should be under no illusions: this is a legal matter. If they are determined to keep it, and believe they have a legal (as opposed to moral) right, then they should consult a lawyer immediately. Notinasnaid16:43, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I say take the card out. Due to the fact that the image is indeed art, he has no right to put it on his website. If he were allowed a second image of the pokemon, or even a rip of the card itself by the creator, it'd be fine. Locke Yggdrasill
warning I am not a lawyer. I think it might fall under Fair use since he is talking about the card itself not using the card to illistrate something. Jon51321:24, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
born 1990, died 2003
I remember there was an article about a girl who was born in 1990 and died in 2003 because she commited suicide in the girls' washroom in her school. The article was in Category:1990 birth. What was her name and how come the article is here in the Wikipedia?
Brntoutchef17:08, 21 August 2006 (UTC)I had my black walnut trees trimmed. I am in the process of stripping the leaves and removing nuts. I have been feeling really weird. Are the leaves toxic, just as the roots are? brntoutchef[reply]
Ha, ha. Black walnut roots, leaves, and husks contain juglone, which is powerful stuff. You can be allergic to it, and it has some sedative properties. --Zeizmic17:26, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ignore this question I contacted the school and found the answer. "St George's school, Ascot" school founded or established
The school website http://www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk gives lots of information about the school but it says nothing about when the school was founded.
I can find nothing on the web about when the school was founded. All that I have found is that the school was founded at the end of the 19th century and that Winston Churchill attended the school for two years in the 1880s as a young boy.
I think the most common method is to burn to rich of a mixture of gasoline and air, which sends unburned gasoline vapor through the exhaust. A spark plug can then be mounted at the end of the exhaust pipe to ignite the gasoline as it mixes with the outside air. However, this sounds dangerous to me, so I wouldn't recommend it. StuRat18:23, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not if you spell it as back-fire. Well, what do you know ... "For some engines, backfiring may be considered normal." Was that article written in the early 20th century? DirkvdM18:35, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In many online videos and in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, cars that spit fire out of their exhaust for a splitsecond are displayed before accelerating away. Jamesino21:02, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You guys all assume we're working with "normal" cars. Nobody has ever made a jet engine and attached it to some kind of vehicle before? — [Mac Davis] (talk)
Many, many, many, many times before. People have also strapped rather more crazy things to cars, such as rockets. And for truely crazy, some guy decided to "reupholster" his car, which included giving it a wood burning oven which, if memory serves, also burst into flame. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk)18:18, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The Pandyas
A clan of pandyas migrated from South India (Trichi) to Gujarat.
These Pandyas - whose roots are in Trichi migrated to Gujarat possibliy because of Famine and then shifted to MP in search of Gems.
Do you have any infortmation about it ? Where else shold I look for the information?
Federal Guideline for computer labs.
At my college, all the computers are locked starting this semester and require a student id to access. When I asked why, they made some vague reference to being in compliance with a federal mandate. Is this law something new. Where can I find out more about this?--God Ω War21:14, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You could check out CIPA but that should not apply to colleges. Colleges make up their own rules about this. Most use IDs and Internet filters to prevent unauthorized use of equipment:
by non-university people (homeless monopolizing the Internet computers.)
for non-eduaction related work (bandwidth problems related to file sharing.)
Why is it called a near miss when it's really a near hit?
I love these sort of observations, but does anyone know of a collection of similar
comments/observations? I think they'd make great reading :) Thanks very much Benbread22:46, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
"I could care less" comes to mind. Intending to declare indifference by meaning to say "I couldn't care less" says just the opposite. ;-) --hydnjotalk22:51, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That has been discussed before. It depends entirely on what you mean. If you are bored to death on a subject it's quite possible you could not care less. - 131.211.210.1107:33, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And, "the same difference" clearly means that the diference between two pairs is the same. It gets used "all the time" to indicate the difference between two things. Six vs half a dozen: it's "the same difference" (not). --hydnjotalk23:07, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A lion is a cat, and ooh, it is big, isn't it? So it is a big cat. So if you have a shot that was a miss, but ooh, that was near!, it is a ... --LambiamTalk23:15, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I think that Benbread knows how to use it properly. But, it is often misused as in two planes nearly colliding and nearly hitting each other being called a "near miss" when in fact it was a "near hit". --hydnjotalk23:31, 21 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think "hitting on" someone is somehow related to "hitting the showers". They're not meant to be interpreted as having anything to do with anybody literally hitting anything. Even when 1 person goes to the only shower in their home, they seem to call it "hitting the showers". Go figure. JackofOz06:13, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
So, back to the original question, we're looking for examples of "flirting" with language and common sayings that screw around with literal meanings and have come into everyday usage anyway. Any ideas? --hydnjotalk00:59, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Now, if we continue this discussion much longer someone will suggest that we "get a room". Literally, that may suggest that we become intimate but what it really means is that this discussion has become two-sided but, it should not be interpreted literally. ;-) --hydnjotalk01:17, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Back to the original question: There are different types of misses, a near miss, a moderate miss, and a far miss. The confusion is caused by people reading "near miss" as "nearly missed", which doesn't have the same meaning at all. StuRat02:10, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's not nearly a miss, it's a miss (i.e. not a hit), but it was near, or close as opposed to far or way off. So if you on a shooting range, and you're in lane 1, and you hit lane 3's target, that's way off, but if you're aiming for a perfect bullseye and you're 1 mm outside the circle, well that is near, but it's a miss as far as your target is concerned: "Wow Miss, that's a near miss, Miss; pretty good for a girlie though." --Seejyb07:31, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Very very funny, thanks everyone for your answers. Howard Train for your useful answers, and everyone else for your less useful but very funny answers. Seems Wikipedia hasn't become boring and nasty after all :) Benbread12:50, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Simpsons
Have there been any episodes of the Simpsons in which one or more of the Simpson five were not in the episode? Reywas92
Maggie does always appear in the opening credits couch scene (except for in Halloween episodes), but I don't suppose you're counting that. And, of course, there are many episodes without Grandpa Simpson. StuRat02:04, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
did Woody Allen and either Diane Keaton or Mia Farrow signal each other from the windows of their apartments across central park? Wjlkgnsfb01:22, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The Japanese name basically means "I am there now" (more literally/awkwardly, "Now, the me that is there"), there meaning specifically the place where you are, and since it doesn't sound nearly as cool in English to say that as it does in Japanese, they rearranged the words in what they felt was a cool way, and they were left with "Now and Then, Here and There". Then again, they may have been trying to say "There and Then, Here and Now". freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ 16:42, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Wow. Okay. I understand. I just got fustrated because 'Now and Then' in English means 'every once and awhile', while 'Here and There' means that someone or something isn't in any one specific place. I couldn't understand how that applied to the story in Now and Then, Here and There. Your explaination makes sense of it, though. --69.138.61.16818:16, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Tingle
Is there any reason why Tingle from the Zelda series exists? I quote the following from Nintendo Power v207's Pulse: "If there's any mercy in the video game world, and Tingle is a playable character [in Super Smash Bros. Brawl], his only move will be to spontaneously combust." -- TheGreatLlama(speak to the Llama!)02:00, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
He seems to be relatively more popular in Japan than elsewhere; a DS game even exists, so it is not unlikely he is seen as profitable for a reasonably sized part of the gaming population. Yesitsapril07:30, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
He appears as comic relief from Majora's Mask onwards. As Yesitsapril said, he is more popular in Japan, where an androgynous appearance and fairy references don't have the same implications as they do in the West. The same thing happened with Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2.
Will any sort of lighter fluid work in Zippo lighters?
Lighter fluid redirects to butane, which suggests there is only one kind. It is, however, only a fluid under pressure, which requires a closed container, which a zippo doesn't have. DirkvdM04:05, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Outside of the USA, the Zippo type of lighter is called a "petrol" lighter, presumably a British term. I've heard them called "trench lighters". They work with any kind of highly flammable fluid, but the smell and residue of some would be unacceptable. What would someone from USA call a "petrol" lighter, since they do not seem to use the term there? A "gas" lighter for me would mean either one which is used to light a gas appliance, or one burning butane or similar liquid contained only under pressure. --Seejyb08:57, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Butane lighters are pressurized, and it's a real bitch to try to fill them without sniffing a lot of fumes. The old lighters use a highly volatile fluid that is full of nasties, and is real close to white gasoline. Here is a link to genuine zippo fluid. Do not use it to light your barbeque! [19] --Zeizmic12:22, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the info guys, but what I meant was, Zippo lighters have their own special lighter fluid and I was wondering if I could just fill it with any kind I buy at Walgreens or something.
You also didn't split up the Netherlands Antilles. And Sint Maarten is one of the Netherlands Antilles. That the French also lay claim is no fault of ours. :) DirkvdM07:17, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There'll be water
A frequently said quote in the Dark Tower Series is "There will be water if god wills it". I am leaning towards this being a bible quote, but can anyone verify this?Cuban Cigar08:28, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think there is anything like that in the Bible. In any case, it seems more like an Islamic sentiment than a Christian one.--Shantavira08:59, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well as it happens i'm muslim myself, and even though we say "if god wills it" a lot, never the specific phrase i mentioned at the start.Cuban Cigar10:46, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think it was just something King made up himself, to show that generally people in his time and world are God-believing in some way, not purely absurdist and lost their religion. — [Mac Davis] (talk)
See the Biblical story of Moses bringing water from the rock in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, although this exact phrase doesn't occur.
I would like to know whether the stretch of the A46 between Lincoln and Newark in Lincolnshire, England is or is not duel carraigeway. I couldnt care less about it but it is annoying me because every map says a different thing!
Also why is the A74(M) in the Scottish Borders called the A74(M) and not the M74 as this is what it starts off like. Then magically in the middle of no where it changes into the A74(M) when it is the same motorway. I know why it changes at that point, they upgraded it to motorway in two stages, but why couldnt they call it the M74. Its annoying!
Is a duel carriageway (as opposed to a dual carriageway) a place where people shoot at each other from horse-drawn carriages ? :-) StuRat00:48, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
According to Google Earth and MultiMap satellite photos, the A46 is mainly standard single carriageway, but a short section between Newark and Winthorpe is dual carriageway. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk)16:33, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The Highways Agency seems to think it has upgraded the said A46 stupid road to dual carriageway: [21] --Tagishsimon(talk)
Forex/currency question?
I understand from reading through web pages the value of a currency increases when interest rates go up, but on the last interest rate hike the European Central Bank made, the Euro fell against sterling( 12 July 2006 @ 1.44 - 12 Aug 2006 @ 1.48 not sure the exact day the interest rate increase was but it was sometime in between these 2 dates.). So if for example I had £100 I would get 144 euro in July but in Aug I would get 148 euro after the hike make sterling stronger/euro weaker. Is it just a one time thing or what is the norm when interest rates go up?
There is no ironclad rule that a currency's exchange value rises when its interest rate rises. Often, the currency's exchange rate will rise in anticipation of an interest-rate increase, and then drop slightly when the increase happens, because traders are taking their profits by selling the currency after the increase. Also, other factors play into whether a currency rises in response to an interest-rate increase, such as whether the country is perceived to have stable or deteriorating finances, and how interest rates are changing for other currencies.
During the period you mentioned, the Bank of England unexpectedly raised interest rates on August 3. So there was not only an interest-rate increase for the euro but also for sterling. The interest-rate rise for the euro was probably already "priced in" by mid-July, because traders had already bid up the euro in expecation of the euro rate increase, which was widely foreseen. However, they had not priced in the British rate rise in early August, because the consensus was that the Bank of England would leave rates unchanged. When the BoE unexpectedly raised rates, sterling rose. The sharpness of the rise was probably partly due to short covering. See short squeeze if you want to learn more about how that happens. Marco polo14:05, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
9/11 Death Toll
Hi,
Is there any information about the 2752 deaths in the 9/11 terrorist attack that break down the deaths into religious groupings? I know there were 243 foreign people killed, but cannot find a religious split. My question comes from the view of many in the Moslem community that there was "not one Jew killed so the claims about 9/11 are doubtful".
Regards,
James
9/11 conspiracy theories touches on this, as one might expect. On the nationality side, there were five Israelis killed (of whom four had dual US citizenship). For religion/ethnicity, various samplings of the lists of dead suggest 10-15% of casualties (~400) in the World Trade Center were Jewish (see that page for methodology) which correlates to what you'd expect from the demographics of New York. There's no overall breakdown I've seen, but claims like the one you mention mean that the Jewish percentage has been looked into specifically. Shimgray | talk | 14:19, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Even if it were the case that no Jews died, the perpetrators can hardly take credit for that. It would have been impossible to control who died and who survived. Such is the nature of terrorism - they never really know, or care, who their victims are. JackofOz00:42, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think the idea that folks are referring to here was the anti-semitic claim that Israel perpetrated the 9/11 attacks and framed Islamic extremists in order to incite the US to go to war against Islamic extremism. It's complete nazi hogwash, of course, but anti-semitism is one of those funny poisons that humanity can't get enough of. --Bmk03:14, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, I was wondering about that. The question was not quite suitly emphazied. Which muslim community, by the way? There are loads all over the world and none I've met where 'many' would think something like that. And if 15% of New Yorkers are Jewish, that would be over 1 million. So 10% of the world's jewish population live in New York? Israel was started in the wrong place. :) DirkvdM07:29, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's kind of like a message board, but not really. It's intended as a way for other Wikipedia users leave messages to you about your contributions to Wikipedia. It's sort of like an e-mail system, only all the messages are publically viewable. You can also leave messages to other Wikipedia users on their talk pages. Please remember that all messages should be related to Wikipedia. Wikipedia talk pages are not a general Internet forum. JIP | Talk14:20, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I know that the ZIP+4 was first implemented in 1983 per the USPS web site. However, I want to know when it was first proposed to go with the +4 part. I remember programming in BASIC (1974) and my boss told me to map out an extra 4 for the extended ZIP. Nobody belives me, and I would like to be able to point to the legislation regarding this to make a point. Anybody? Joan Leftwich
"By the mid-1970s, however, it was clear that cheaper, more efficient methods and equipment were needed if the Postal Service was to offset rising costs associated with growing mail volume. To reduce the number of mail piece handlings, the Postal Service began to develop an expanded ZIP Code in 1978." USPS
"In 1978, the Postal Service decided to develop an expanded code of four add-on digits that would speed processing when coupled with new mechanization capable of sorting mail to small geographic segments, such as a city block or single building." about.com
Can't find any evidence for when they first started kicking around the idea, though - it seems 1978 was when they announced it, but the idea could well have been mooted earlier. Shimgray | talk | 16:17, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
American attitudes
I don't mean to be offensive and i also don't want to paint all americans with the same brush, but I've noticed that many Americans, and their government will support the U.S. when they send troops or agents to foreign lands to sort out what are often Domestic problems e.g. Iraq, Somalia and Chile among others. Even when troops are not required the Americans try to get involved, e.g. the northern Ireland peace processes, my question is to Americans and non-Americans who live, or have lived in America, Why do they do this? they are often not wanted and can create more problems than they solve. Does America see itself as some sort of World-policeman ,who has a responsibility to help when needed even if not rely wanted? Ken21:07, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Call it a mis-use of the reference desk, if you like. I really don't think this is the place for polls, even were there any worth in self-selected statistical data. --Tagishsimon(talk)
Well, that's your opinion, &c. Given that facts may be construed as collective individual personal opinions, I'm not sure where your remark gets us. I observe that a great many answers to questions involve the supply of these questionable fact things; entirely fewer questions and answers invite and involve opinion (save for my first caveat). You might refer to the rubric at the top, which has lines such as "# The Reference desk is not a soapbox. If further debate regarding a particular answer is needed, please move the discussion to the appropriate talk page." In my understanding, the reference desk is aimed at providing deterministic answers to suitable questions. We're not really in a position to debate the reasons Americans do or do not support their country's foreign policy. If anyone had pointers to good discussions of the subject matter of the question (such as the links above) then that would, for me, be legitimate. however if someone wants to natter with Americans about their views of foreign policy, I think there are 100 more appropriate websites. YMMV. --Tagishsimon(talk)
No one in America wants America to be the world's policeman. American politicians often make a point of saying they don't want that. However, many Americans seem to be OK with being part of an international campaign to "help" another country, as in the cases of the world wars. CIA involvement in Chile was covert and therefore not really a question of U.S. public opinion. The Somalia campaign was a US-led UN humanitarian mission that ran into unexpectedly fierce opposition on the ground. In Iraq, the Bush administration sought support for invasion by assembling the You Forgot Poland coalition, by getting exiles to call for the "liberation" of Iraq and by claiming Iraq was a threat to the U.S. Flimsy as those motives may seem, especially in retrospect, they were essential to getting congressional authorization for the war. Had Bush said, "We should go into Iraq as the world's policeman," no one would have gone along. -- Mwalcoff22:56, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Historically, the US has been more optimistic about the world, feeling that, with the proper help, the countries of the world can all become productive, peaceful, democratic nations, tolerant of others different from themselves. There have been some major successes:
1) Germany, Japan, and other genocidal nations have been transformed in just that way.
2) Most countries in the Americas are now democratic, while most were totalitarian a couple generations ago.
3) The Northern Ireland peace process seems to be going reasonably well.
4) The former Yugoslavia no longer seems to be committing genocide against it's neighbors.
5) Afghanistan isn't ideal, but does seem much better off than before.
6) North Korea is still badly messed up, but South Korea seems to have been saved from that fate by US led UN efforts in the Korean War.
7) The collapse of the Soviet Union brought democracy to many countries in Eastern Europe. This collapse was, at least in part, due to US efforts.
Some failures:
1) Vietnam. Although, it isn't really much worse off than before US involvement.
2) Somalia. Also still as messed up as before US involvement.
3) Israel/Palestine. Same comment.
4) Iraq. It might be too early to draw conclusions, but the early indications are that Iraq may actually be worse off than under Saddam. We will have to wait and see what happens.
These failures, however, pale in comparison to what has happened when the US has failed to intervene:
The conclusion, then, is that, while US intervention isn't always successful, it has the potential to do a great deal of good, while only a limited downside for failure. Nonintervention, on the other hand, can be disastrous. StuRat00:22, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There used to be the Monroe doctrine, but I believe WWII ended that. Also, the prime directive of Star Trek was probably inspired by this. One of the social criticisms in the series. So far that philosophy seems to have been appropriate in most cases.
StuRat, do you mean to suggest that those first seven points can be ascribed to the US? The US may have been involved, but there were more parties and/or whether that was for better or for worse is open to discussion. Also, you say that Vietnam is now 'not worse off' than before. I'd say they are (were) worse off in the sense that a few million died but better off in the sense that they now have their own independent country. They are certainly better of than they were before the French occupation, despite the US intervention. DirkvdM
Yes, I mean to say most of the first 7 points can be primarily ascribed to the US, with help from others. If Vietnam had been a thriving democracy prior to US involvement and was now as messed up as North Korea, then I would say the US had screwed up their country big time. However, it's no worse off than before, so my point is, even when US foreign intervention fails, the long term results aren't usually all that bad. StuRat19:09, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And following your last reasoning, the Netherlands 'failed to intervene' in loads of conflicts all over the world, so should we also participate in every conflict? Or is the US the only country with a right or obligation to do this? If not then all countries in the world would have to have military forces in all 'troublesome' countries in the world (by their own definition of 'troublesome'? - there would be lots of intervening forces in the US then). But suppose some of them have conflicitng interrests (which would obviously be unavoidable). like in Afghanistan right now, between the Netherlands and the US, should our countries then go to war with each other? DirkvdM08:01, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I very much wish that Europe would intervene in many places, such as sending troops to Lebanon, preventing genocide in Rwanda and Darfur, etc. The failure of Europe to help unless led by the US (and many times even then) could have disastrous implications for the future of the world. For example, if they "wimp out" and decide it's just easier to let Iran get nukes than worry about it, we may eventually get a nuclear war, as a result, between Iran and Israel. As for Afghanistan, the US is on the side of the democratically elected government, are you saying the Netherlands is on the side of the Taliban and al-Queada ? StuRat19:17, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
While I'm not American, I think it's not so much public desire, but more the people in power's desire. When you're the president (not directed at any particular one of course ;) ) of the US, you're the President of the largest economy in the world (except the EU, but you can only count that as a single entity in certain circumstances). Money is power. That makes you, in effect, probably the most powerful person in the world. But, I think, knowing that you're the most powerful person in the world, makes them forget that the world didn't chose them - the US did. But because they're the most powerful person in the world, they act as if the world chose them or that being in that position, gives them the right to fully excercise that position (which they shouldn't - they're the US's president, not the world's). I think they then try to sort out problems thinking it's easy and that no one has been smart enough to think of some simple solution yet, not fully understanding the situation. For example, in Iraq they obviously didn't realise the amount of power supports of Saddam had, and if they did, they certainly didn't factor that into plans. - Рэдхот14:46, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Saddam supporters are a very minor portion of the current insurgency in Iraq (if not, you would see many hostages taken and threatened with death unless Saddam was released). The insurgents are a mix of foreigners, like al-Queada in Iraq, just trying to mess up Iraq so the US can't claim victory, and local Iraqis fighting for their particular faction, like the al-Sadr Martyr's Brigade. As for the US thinking it's smarter, that's not it at all, but they do think they have the power and will, which other countries lack, to make real change. For example, the solution to the problem of Serbia making war on it's neighbors and committing genocide was obvious, Serbia needed to be attacked by a superior military force until it agreed to peace with it's neighbors. However, only a US led NATO effort could accomplish that, as the other countries lacked the military power and/or political will to do anything about the situation. StuRat19:27, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
StuRat - I find your list of successes quite incredible! i know you're not an "American imperialist" but I do think you must have unconsciously swallowed some of their propaganda. Just one example. Latin America only had so many military dictatorships in the first place because of American support for military coups. That the first President Bush stopped doing that is great but it was only stopping a previous American interventionist policy (the hundred-year-long policy of stopping the normal left/right swing of the pendulum in Latin America by supporting military coups every time left-wing parties got too strong). Of course left to their own devices Latin Americans are perfectly capable of electing their own governments, alternating between left and right just like the rest of us, but it was principally US policy that prevented them doing so before anyway (ditto in Spain, Portugal for a long time). Jameswilson23:44, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
StuRat, what you said about Vietnam is a really weird reasoning. It was ok to kill millions because it didn't have any negative effects..... ? And of course it wasn't a thriving democracy before US intervention. It was a French colony, or rather just recovering from that. Give 'm a break. What's more, Ho Chi Minh asked the US for help first and even based the new country's constitution on the US constitution. Only when the US didn't respond (not a rejection, but no response at all) did he turn elsewhere. And neighbour China was an obvious choice. That did finally draw the attention of the US. Too late. The US could have had an ally in stead of an enemy at only a fraction of the cost of the bombs dropped on the country. This must have been one of the biggest political cockups in the history of mankind.
I'm just saying that the long-term consequences of US intervention failures, like Vietnam, aren't that bad, especially when compared with Soviet successes, like the occupation of Eastern Europe, which oppressed hundreds of millions of people for generations. (Incidentally, "instead" is a single word.) StuRat10:14, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also, you say you wish that Europe would intervene in many places, and name a few. But Europe is present in Darfur (although the scale of the problem is just too big it seems) and is sending troops to South Lebanon, despite the US obstructing UN intervention. Europe also came with the only offers to Iran that they considered reasonable. The US was just being annoying and ignorant. If you think intervention in these countries is so important, then why isn't the US there? And concerning Afghanistan, the US is there to fight the Taliban, but that is not the goal of the Netherlands. The Dutch (UN) troops are there to build up the country. These interrests sometimes conflict. For example, the US destroys opium plantations, the livelihood of many farmers, which also reflects badly on the Dutch (the locals don't differentiate between foreign forces), making their job impossible. I wonder what would happen if Dutch troops would be helping a farmer and US troops then started destroying his crops. The Dutch would have to defend the farmer and therefore attack the US forces. Is that the kind of intervention you want? Also, the PvdA only agreed with the mission on the strict condition that no prisoners would be handed over to the US because that would make the Netherlands guilty of participating in torture. In other words, the US and the Netherlands (the UN) are both present, but not cooperating - more like getting in each other's way. Maybe if the US would stop interfering, Europe and the UN could really get something done. DirkvdM07:45, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Europe has sent wholly insufficient numbers of troops in all the cases I mentioned. In Darfur, they aren't doing anything to actually stop the genocide, but are only running refugee camps for the survivors. Why isn't the US in those places ? Lebanon should be avoided, as the US supports Israel militarily and thus any US peace keepers in Lebanon would be a target. The US could send some troops to Darfur, but is currently stretched so thin militarily that it would make more sense for other countries to do that. StuRat10:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The European offers to Iran were not seen as reasonable, but were rejected by Iran. They may say they are "considering a negotiated settlement", but that's just a delaying tactic so they can get nuclear weapons before Europe acts. Apparently Europe still thinks appeasement is the best way to avoid war, amazing how little was learned from WW2. StuRat10:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Now for your statement "Maybe if the US would stop interfering, Europe and the UN could really get something done". The US didn't "interfere" (by which I mean lead) in Rwanda. So, what did the UN and Europe do ? Absolutely nothing. The US didn't intervene in Lebanon regarding Hezbollah control of the South. What did Europe and the UN do ? Passed a resolution asking Hezbollah to disarm, but didn't take any actual action to make that happen. There are many other problems where the US has not intervened, and nothing has happened as a result, such as Zimbabwe. Can you name a few problems where Europe and the UN has solved much of anything without the US leading the way ? StuRat10:38, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And thanks for enlightening me that the purpose of Dutch troops in Afghanistan is to protect opium production. :-) StuRat10:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They gotta keep Amsterdam well supplied with drugs somehow! Hee hee. KeeganB
A Survey
I would like to know who watches Hogan Knows Best on VH1. Please leave your username if you do.
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.23.100.236 (talk • contribs)
I would like to know if there are any wikipedians who live in Peoria, Illniois. If you do, please leave your username and your real name (first and last).
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.23.100.236 (talk • contribs)
Hmm. Google is always your friend in these situations. Quite why anyone should wish to give you their real names is another matter entirely. You'd be better off explaining what you're up to, than expecting such favours to fall in your lap. --Tagishsimon(talk)
People, I am not trying to scam you, I just want to know. I cannot do anything with your real names anyway except for maybe call you after finding it in the phonebook and discussing wikipedia with you and setting up a successful communication between you and I on wikipedia. The only way you would be in any danger whatsoever would be if you gave me your financial and personal information over the phone, which frankly would be quite stupid. I am just interested in knowing if there are any fellow wikipedians in my city, because for all I know they could be my co-workers or friends and I could have been talking to them here on this site for a very long time and never known it.
Indeed. And I've pointed to all of those who have already volunteered this information (assuming good google coverage of wikipedia). Your chances of doing better than that by advertising here is negligible. There are more than 2,000,000 registered wikipedians, most of them dormant. Of the active ones, I hazard a guess that perhaps a percent or a tenth or a hundredth of a percent will visit this page whilst your question is posted here. But yes, good luck. --Tagishsimon(talk)
The question appears to be about a large cat, while that answer is about an African-American militant movement from the US Civil Rights era. StuRat23:48, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I assume we have one American politician in mind. I heard an interesting theory that the mispronunciation was intentional, sort of a badge of redneck credentials, allying himself with the masses rather than the educated. The political value of pandering to anti-intellectualism is a more depressing stereotype of american culture than the existence of a dialectal mispronunciation. But I am sure you Brits never held anyone's pronunciation against them politically, have you? alteripse00:42, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Just seen this link. Yes hes a poor speaker also! But he know how to say NEW CLEAR!!!--Light current 00:09, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
THis is not a political attack on any one. I just though that someone who has his finger on the big red button (and others) just might learn how to pronounce the word 'nuclear' correctly.--Light current00:51, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
clearly you understood what I meant, even though I spelt it "incorrectly" so why does it matter?
Understand that you're making a fundamental error on language, you have it all reversed. The dictionary is a reflection of the language that is being used, not the other way around . -Wjlkgnsfb02:21, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If we all pronounced things wrongly, we wouldnt uderstand each others speech. Would we? THats why it tells you how to do it in dictionaries.--Light current02:25, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I can't answer that. You've beat me and my silly theories on a "definitive" linguistics!! All I can do is agree with you and look back at my past self and mock my ignorance. How foolish was I to believe that publishing houses like Oxford University Press and Merriam-Webster shouldn't prescribe my words to me!?
Yeah I mean, whats so hard about NU and CLEAR? Its like people over here pronouncing 'drawing' as 'draw ring'. Why put extra letters in the word? THeres no 'R' in the word. Besides, a draw ring is something completely different, thus emphasising the importance of correct pronunciation.--Light current02:52, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If we're really going to get technical it's supposed to be 'Nu-kli-er' (3 syllables, no 'w') not the 2 syllables 'new clear' would get you. - Mgm|(talk)10:57, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Do you have a ref for that? If thats the case you can see why Dubya is having trouble. Its easier to make mistakes with 3 syllables rather than 2 isnt it?--Light current18:24, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Accoring to an article in the New York Times magazine (specifically William Safire's old column "On Language") mentions that the common switch from "nuclear" to "nucular" is an example of metathesis. (<== read) It's an example of people exchanging unusual phonemes for familiar ones. Safire argues that we are much more familiar with the formations found in secular, vascular, jocular and molecular than we are with "nuclear", and thus we unconsciously substitute. Of course it's a much more serious matter altogether when the substitution becomes foreign policy... --Bmk03:30, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with the 3 syllable pronunciation, "new-clee-ar", which goes nicely with "new-clee-us". Of course, we can avoid the whole issue by saying "nuke" instead, LOL. StuRat18:47, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
1)This picture of Sealand only exists on the English Wikipedia. If someone is invloved with more than one Wikipedia, please spread it around, I mean Sealand is only the most famous/infamous micronatiom (yes, I ment to missspell that, don't ask wy) out there and is a feature article on three Wikipedias.
2: wikipedia is a blizzard of special projects and initiatives that are old/archived/new/in progress with much overlap. Unfortunately, as you've found, there're no good links to any of them! Sort through the cobwebs and let us know what you find (in the form of a question of course, the reference desk is like Jeopardy) -Wjlkgnsfb02:35, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you want to see a picture used more, I suggest uploading it to the Wikimedia Commons, which makes it automatically accessible to all the various Wikipedias. Short of adding it to articles in other languages yourself, there's not really a good place to request inter-language dissemination. Ziggurat02:38, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The dot is not to scale; if it was you couldn't see it! Sealand's real location is in the top-left corner of the dot; That tiny, but more accurate dot, would be 1.5% the area of the "real dot". But we wouldn't be able to see that, would we! Go ahead, add the disclaimer, it's a good idea.--Porsche997SBS00:10, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
File:Sealand prince.jpegRoy and Joan Bates claimed Sealand as their own in 1967.On another note, what's with the picture? Has it been photoshopped? Or does His Highness really have manboobs so big he needs to wear a bra? Looks a bit chilly, Sire. Anchoress06:56, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
in the DVD of 24, they show the minutes that the TV showed the commercials, or they not filmed this parts??
Yes, the time ticks on in commercial breaks. That's why countries like the Netherlands have a timer that jumps a few minutes when switching between scenes normally shown before and after a break. - Mgm|(talk)10:53, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Is Wikipedia becoming Myspace?
Nearly a day does not pass when you read about some problem Wikipedia is having with users more interested in social networking than writing the encyclopedia. What have you seen of this trend? What do you think about it? And how does it make you feel?
Do you feel that there are people pretending to be something they are not? (Lying about sex, age, etc.)
And is there an increase in people using these fake "covers" to entice others, including children? What have you seen of this?
NOthing. In absolute terms, the number of people still dedicated probably doesn't change much. I think you're referring to an increase in flotsam outside of the core.
What do I think about it?
Don't care. Wiki's change.
How does it make me feel?
At first thought, sad, because wikipedia is about knowledge, but things change. That's the basis of the wiki, stuff changes it's never solid. So now I feel better about it.
btw, just about every college freshman lies about sex...
Why should those edits make her suspicious? Isn't it conceivable that Courtney is an intelligent young woman who just happens to enjoy talking about sex in an uninhibited manner? It's not entirely out of the question, you know. In fact, we should be encouraging more people like her to come here! --Richardrj07:23, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you don't see why they make her suspicious I don't think I can explain it to you. It has nothing to do with her being 'an intelligent young woman who just happens to enjoy talking about sex in an uninhibited manner.' I know it isn't 'entirely out of the question', since I happen to be one also. I don't appreciate you jumping to conclusions. Anchoress08:14, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
OK, I guess I'll have to remain in the dark then. I'm not sure I understand why you can't explain it, though. When I read your statement that those edits make her suspicious, it makes me think that you suspect her of being some kind of internet troll, or even a man posting as a woman for kicks. I can see nothing in those edits to support those suspicions. And BTW, I am totally in agreement with you on public transport seat etiquette :-) --Richardrj08:27, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
So you think I might suspect her of being a troll, but you still don't understand why I won't explain? You do know that accusing someone of being a troll is a blockable offence, right? Do you get it yet? But my opinion of her is based on more than just the two links I've posted. It includes some edits on the WP:AN/I page and some userpages, including a very weird discussion about underage editors and sex. Notice above that I didn't say it was exactly those edits that made me suspicious, I said 'edits like these'. Those were just the two I found without hunting. I'm a lazy, lazy woman, and sifting through the AN/I archives is a chore. Anchoress08:36, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
To respond to the original question, I would say no, and Wikipedia will never become Myspace. We're just not the kind of people that Myspace personifies. We're a bunch of smart guys (Anchoress is awesome!) that enjoy writing this free encylopaedia to share our knowledge (and others') to as many people as possible—that's what Wikipedia is. It is at heart a selfless act. Why do I spend hours on the commons, writing articles, on the Reference Desks, or vandal fighting? Conversely, Myspace is all about... oneself. It is even in the name. Sure it is for "social networking" but it is mainly young people that design their own page, and chat with "friends," of which almost none are actually friends. There are not really intelligent signs of life (I know Michio Kaku has a Myspace for publicity). Wikistress can sometimes affect users, from disagreements, pressures of adminship, or a sudden prolonged influx of vandalism, or a new vandalbot. It has driven people to leave Wikipedia entirely. :( — [Mac Davis] (talk)
I managed to find them using Google (you need to type in "Charles R Clark"), but no birth/death dates I'm afraid. I think the first guy is still alive. You may want to contact the publisher if it's really really important. BenC707:35, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The usual, and best, way to get information about authors is to contact their publisher, or to write to the author c/o their publisher.--Shantavira08:18, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Many years ago I saw a short segment of an old late 60's/early 70's action adventure movie similar to the Our Man Flint films. It may even have been part of that series. But I don't know the title of the film.
The scene I remember is of a large machine composed of several clear cylinders, each of which is a couple feet in diameter and maybe seven feet tall. Most are filled with a murky gaseous mixture, but one contains a person. That person may be the protagonist I can't remember. The scene plays as if the evil mad scientist character has captured the protagonist, and rather than swiftly dispose of him, is instead going to subject him to some long drawn-out ending. I specifically remember a certain part of the scene where a small object is clipped to the shirt collar of the person placed in the tube. Once that's done, the tube is sealed, and it then begins rhythmically oscillating up-and-down. The other tubes are all also oscillating up-and-down. It is clear that the longer he stays in the tube, the more danger he is in.
It's not The Prisoner because that's not an adventure movie, and the "orbit" tubes (which only appear in the final episode) seem to be quite benign and do not contain any sort of gaseous mixture, shirt collars, etc. This reminds me more of Austin Powers, but that's too recent (ignoring the time travel aspect).--Shantavira07:58, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
what is the difference between investment companies and normal companies?
thanks
Check out Angel investor and Venture capital. Basically, a normal company either manufactures something of use or provides a service of some description. An investment company buys shares in other businesses, providing them with the cash they need to grow in return for part-ownership of the company in question. --Howard Train07:34, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Star Wars Trilogy The Empire Strikes back
Can you tell me where I can purchase the above DVD please?
I purchased the item for a xmas present but unfortunately this disc was lost before it was even watched. We think it must have got caught up in the wrapping papers at xmas. It has left me with one very dissappointed husband.I'm not sure how to purchase or where to purchase another copy of just this single dvd.Here's hoping you can help.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.104.72.216 (talk • contribs)
My guess is that she bought the whole trilogy as a box set, has lost just that one disc and would like to replace it (no packaging, nothing) without having to buy the whole thing over again. I don't think any stores would do this, however. As you say, she'll need to buy the Empire Strikes Back DVD again. --Richardrj08:33, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting thought. I actually agree with you 100% - there should be nothing wrong with her downloading it from a file-sharing site if she has already paid for a copy and then subsequently lost it. But I doubt the MPAA would see it that way. I wonder what their counter-argument would be? "Tough, you shouldn't have lost it"? Harsh, if so. --Richardrj12:52, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Death Metal
There is a death metal song and the lyrics go, please excuse my language:
Nailed to the cross
Nailed to the cross
Nailed to the fucking crossss!
Can you tell me who it is by and on which album please thanks.193.115.175.24709:41, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No way! Nailed to the Cross? I never would have guessed! — [Mac Davis] (talk)
Thanks, amazon is my friend and so are you, listen to more slayer!
What are the ways for naturalization?
If i enter in japan as an alien, what are the ways to get naturalization(citizenship)there?
Depending on your age, you might have to hand in your current citizenship (according to this page. There's a little more info here (without mention of the age distinction btw), claiming that you also have to assume a Japanese name. It might be interesting to verify this with an official Japanese site. Though not unheard of, the described name-change policy is not very common among modern countries. ---84.75.129.15714:35, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you take the best you can do in transliterating "Martti Turunen" to the Japanese writing system – in particular the Katakanasyllabary that would be used for foreign names – and then transliterate the result back using the usual Hepburn romanization, then that's precisely waht you get. So it's not clear it's any more of a name change than if an Arab called أسامة gets the "American" name Osama. --LambiamTalk07:26, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yosemite Sam is a fictional, animated character...right? So he can't really be "from a state", but perhaps I'm missing something. Check out the link to find out more. --Bmk14:59, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A fictional character certainly could be declared to have originated or live in a specific state, province, or region. For example, most of the characters in King of the Hill are from Texas. However, to appeal to the broadest possible audience, most cartoons try to keep the location intentionally vague, as in the Springfield home of the Simpsons, which could be in just about any state (although it's fun to narrow it down using clues like heavy snow in the winter). StuRat18:57, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How do wrestlers avoid injury when being hit with steel chairs?
I know they get injured, but they're not out for a week. Oh, and if you're a ZOMG, WRESTLING IS FAKE!1!11!1 perosn, then please don't answer this. I'm looking for someone who really knows.
I used to know a pro wrestler. Wrasslers train properly to avoid injury when carrying out stunts. They know how to hit each other without causing serious damage. The "steel" chairs are not exactly the most sturdy items of furniture either. sʟυмɢυм • т • c 22:44, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They are careful to hit with the flat edge, so the force is distributed over a large area and doesn't do much damage. If, on the other hand, you were hit with just the point of one leg, say to an eye socket, it could do quite a bit of damage. StuRat23:19, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As was already said they aim to hit with the flat edge. In addition wrestlers will often raise their arms to take a shot which was aimed for their head (which is always blatant whenever The Rock took a shot to the head). Other then the head, the most common place to take a chair shot is the back which is a large enough area and "beefy" enough to withstand the impact. Of course not all wrestlers protect themselves from a chair shot, Mick Foley immediately jumping to mind as someone who, out of a belief that fans paid to see him take it properly, rarely protected himself. I've heard him talk about damage to his memory and speech which he believes was caused by the cumulative effect of all those shots to the head. --Kiltman6704:43, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Dodgers Captains
I was thinking about this today? Can somebody name all of the Dodgers' Captains both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles? Pee Wee Reese is a given, and I don't believe that they have one currently. Other than that, who would be on a "Dodgers' Captains" list?
Didn't the American League used to have a rule that no inning could start after 1 a.m.? In a recent Yankees-Red Sox game, the 10th inning started at about 1:04. When did the AL get rid of that rule? -- Mwalcoff04:22, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
fruits exported from india.detailed map of major fruit exporting states of india.
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.95.9.242 (talk • contribs)
ask specific questions.use full sentences.use appropriate capitalisation.don't expect people to do your work for you or read your mind.sign your posts. Anchoress08:10, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Stained glass
Those stained glass things in churches-what are they called? I looked in the church article and can't find what i'm looking for.
![[1]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/National-atlas-kentucky.png){kind=link}
