== To Write Love On Her Arms,Love or A Publicity Stunt? ==
To Write Love On Her Arms,Love or A Publicity Stunt?
Why this organization... have Business Behavior and Publicity Stunt? Why this organization... have commercial exploitation? Love or just like a singer - Lady Gaga? What is real... <small><span class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Whatisrealis|Whatisrealis]] ([[User talk:Whatisrealis|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Whatisrealis|contribs]]) 02:10, 19 July 2012 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
Why this organization... have Business Behavior and Publicity Stunt? Why this organization... have commercial exploitation? Love or just like a singer - Lady Gaga? What is real...
:I suggest you write your question in your native language, and somebody will translate it into proper English for you. [[User:StuRat|StuRat]] ([[User talk:StuRat|talk]]) 02:29, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
:I suggest you write your question in your native language, and somebody will translate it into proper English for you. [[User:StuRat|StuRat]] ([[User talk:StuRat|talk]]) 02:29, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
To Write Love On Her Arms,Love or A Publicity Stunt? 到底它是爱还是只是在炒作呢？非盈利性组织为什么会有商业活动和炒作行为呢？这些天读了一些关于这个组织的报道，尝试去了解这个组织，为什么它给人的感觉就像娱乐圈一样呢？它不是一个非盈利性组织吗？什么才是真实的? 我不知道答案，有谁知道呢？
Revision as of 03:01, 19 July 2012
Welcome to the miscellaneous section of the Wikipedia reference desk.
The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.
This question has always puzzled me. You could ask it of various forums, but let's take Wikipedia reference desk as an example. I read somewhere that there are 536,000,000 English-speaking Internet users. Suppose that 1 in 100 has heard of the Wikipedia reference desk. Suppose each of those asks one question per year. That would make 14,700 questions per day. In fact, to arrive at the 50 questions per day that might be typical across all the boards, we need to make some assumption like 1 in 1000 has heard of the ref. desk, each of whom asks one question in 30 years. Obviously those numbers can be cut in various ways, but the point is that the activity has to be incredibly minuscule and rare, and yet still non-zero. I would expect that any tremor of activity at all across a potential user base of 536,000,000 would instantly swamp the desks. I would expect either nothing, or a flood. The fact that the number is say about 50 per day, and hence non-zero but manageable, strikes me as being like one of those physics conundrums where a phsyical constant is exactly the right value for the universe to exist, and if it was different at the eighth decimal place then nothing could exist, and no one can explain why it is that way. 86.179.4.226 (talk) 02:23, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This is a bit like the Drake Equation, but it seems to me you missed some important factors, like the portion of those who have heard of Wikipedia who ever go there, the portion of those who know of the existence of the Ref Desk, the portion of those who actually go to the Ref Desk, the portion of those who know how to ask a Q here, and the portion of those who would ever want to. StuRat (talk) 02:28, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Right, but however you express it, the degree of fine-tuning necessary to get a non-zero yet non-overwhelming volume seems to me to be remarkably improbable, yet it happens. It would be a bit like saying there are five instances of life in the universe, when most people™ think the answer is either one or countless billions. 86.179.4.226 (talk) 02:32, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This shows a limitation of such formulae. They really are useless to predict anything, since there are so many unknowns. It's far better to just measure the results. StuRat (talk) 02:34, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
An interesting question.
I don't know whether there is any way to test this, but I have a suspicion that the number of questions in such forums tend to be regulated - or at least held within reasonable limits - by the number of people available to answer them. A forum where few questions show signs of being answered will attract few new questions, whereas one that seems to respond quickly will attract more - and given that there are relatively few people active in answering questions on a regular basis here, if the volume gets tooo great, the number that get answered quickly must decline. One could describe this as conforming to a rule of 'supply and demand' were it not for the fact that it doesn't explain why anyone would answer questions in the first place, given that there is no obvious reward. There are probably several feedback mechanisms at work here - but trying to figure it all out might be rather difficult. Anyway, it works - like Wikipedia does in general - almost in spite of what simplistic logic might imply. And if it works, don't fix it... AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:39, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm sure we've all had conversations with non-Wikipedians who insist it couldn't possibly work if it's organised the way we describe it to them. They know best, of course. I'll be resigning my wiki-membership any day now. -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ [your turn] 03:02, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A lot of the questions are generated by people who frequent the desks as answerers, so you've got to take that into account too. I think it will tend to regulate the number of questions as they are more bored and likely to ask questions themselves when there's few questions on the desk, and less likely to when there's a steady stream of questions being asked to keep them occupied. 203.27.72.5 (talk) 06:13, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
That's not how it works with me. Most often a Q here makes me think of a related Q I'd like to ask. StuRat (talk) 06:22, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The big problems I see in those assumptions are: 1. presuming that 1/100 users on the Internet have heard of the Ref Desk (this seems absurd to me; I imagine it is more like 1/1000 or even 1/10000 or even less). This is probably responsible for most of your error, and I'm sure the analytics are out there to tell you how many people actually access the Ref Desk on anything more than an accidental basis. 2. Modeling it on the idea that each user who knows of it posts one question in 30 years. This seems radically divorced from behavior, in which a relatively small number of heavy users ask a great deal of the questions. There are certainly more sophisticated (but still rough) models for how users actually use sites of this nature (e.g. what % are heavy users, which ones are one-timers, which ones are occasional askers, etc.).
Fermi problems can certainly get you interesting and useful answers but if your initial assumptions are not at all correct then it's just garbage in, garbage out. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:06, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I think some of your reply is rather missing the point. It is easy to put together numbers that multiply up to the correct answer according to some model, and clearly the numbers that give 14,700 questions per day are wrong. That was just an example of how minisculely fine-tuned the numbers have to be to give an answer in a feasible range for the desks to be practicable, which is where the interest of the problem lies, no matter how you model it. 81.159.106.86 (talk) 19:29, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The RD is not very interesting for most people. There are lots of things that are not acceptable here: medical and legal question, offenses, political discussions, and much more. Most people will tend to prefer to go to Yahoo Answers instead. OsmanRF34 (talk) 16:50, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A lot of people prefer to just lurk and read, or answer the questions instead of asking them. 92.233.64.26 (talk) 19:44, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You ended with: "The fact that the number is say about 50 per day, and hence non-zero but manageable, strikes me as being like one of those physics conundrums where a phsyical constant is exactly the right value for the universe to exist, and if it was different at the eighth decimal place then nothing could exist, and no one can explain why it is that way".
I don't think there is anything special about having a "manageable" number since the range for this would be large in practice. If more people knew about the reference desk then there would probably both be more people asking and answering questions. And we can set up our pages to each get a manageable size by changing the number of pages and the archive time. We have seven reference desks for non-Wikipedia questions and many help pages for Wikipedia questions. If activity was much lower then everything could be done in one page and seem the "right" size to the users. I'm guessing there are foreign language Wikipedias like that, if they even have a common page to ask questions. If activity was much higher then we could make dozens or hundreds of specialised reference desks, or place each question on its own page like Yahoo! Answers. The experience for people answering questions might be a little different but it would still seem "manageable" to most if they can just search for their main interests (we would need faster search indexing). For example, I often search Yahoo! Answers for recent questions about prime numbers. This is pretty specialized but lo and behold, there is a "manageable" number for me to read all of them and choose which to answer. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:22, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I think the most important factor missing from this equation is that there are also something like half a billion websites on the internet, many trying to get a slice of your attention pie. Vespine (talk) 00:08, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This is a very important question. I have, sporadically in the last 6 months or so, asked friends is they have heard of WikiPedia. Atleast 90% say yes. I have then asked if they use the articles to find out things. Atleast 80% say definately yes. If yes, I then ask if they are aware of Ref Desk. I have only 3 say they are aware of it - I think this is because most people land on an article from a Google search - they never get to see the Wikipedia home page. Maybe Wikipedia should promote Ref Desk - say by a banner at the top of every 1,000th article service. You don't want a sudden flood we can't yet handle. I tell each person who tells me they use Wikipedia, and is a technocrat like me who should at least see value in Science Desk and Misc Desk, as a reference to have a look at Ref Desk, & maybe give it a try. I have had 2 come back to me and say more or less "The question are an odd mix of interesting, esoteric (eg astrophysics), and the stupid. Some answers are excellent, but many answers appear to be the first thing that came into someone's head, or they went off on a tangent, or even got into a debate unrelated to what the question is. So we don't think there's much point in submitting intelligent questions." I largely agree - that about sums it up. Ratbone120.145.168.216 (talk) 15:59, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have suggested that the section How to answer a question be amended to include clause "Don't rush in and answer a question unless you know the topic - allow time for a knowledgable peron to answer. However, if nbody has answered within a few hours, by all means, please contribute. I aslo think the How to answer guide should be included in Project Page so you have it in front of you when answering. I think if these two changes are made, answers will be temporaily a little slower to come, but they will be better quality. Better quality answers will both encourage more questions, and encourage a larger pool of people willing to answer. Ratbone120.145.168.216 (talk) 15:59, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
today in the morning i asked some questions regarding the 'Big Bang' theory but forgot to write my name and address. so i am repeating the questions. my questions are:-
1. where was the 'tiny ball'? kept on something? floating some where? or hanging over something?
2. where from the 'tiny ball' came?
3. how is it possible that a 'tiny ball' had so much of matter of billion of galaxies with billion of stars?
4. who had created that 'tiny ball'?
5. if the universe is expanding like a balloon it must has a starting point and an ending point or an edge then what is there out of the edge or within which or where the universe is expanding?
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.201.105.197 (talk) 12:21, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Lily, I've removed your name and address because we don't need to know them and you don't want your address visible on the Internet, believe me. Your questions are being answered on the Science desk, where your original question was transferred to. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:43, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Lily, pick the first link, right under the title, to go there. StuRat (talk) 23:53, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Has anybody ever claimed to have seen the ghost of a caveman?
There are plenty of television shows about people claiming to be haunted by ghosts. Has anybody ever claimed to see the ghosts of primitive cavemen? I'm just curious as to why I never hear such claims. Why don't ghost hunters search in caves? Thanks for any and all info. InforManiac (talk) 21:15, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Without even looking I can guarantee that somebody has claimed to have seen the ghost of a caveman. I will now go and look. Looie496 (talk) 21:32, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Anybody claiming to have led "an army over 2.5 million strong" would be far more advanced than any caveman I was thinking of. I'm thinking more about primitives like mentioned in the above article Looie496 posted a link to. But thanks. InforManiac (talk) 00:12, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Good luck looking for a psychic consistent with science or known history. What I'd like to know is , why has no psychic translated our texts of the Etruscan language or Linear A?μηδείς (talk) 04:46, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Is that "Stig" character the source of the mystery driver's name, "The Stig", in the TV show Top Gear? ←Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→ 16:35, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Some say, he lives in a cave, and that he is actually a ghost. All we know is, he's called the Stig. 90.214.166.145 (talk) 17:11, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Our article (The Stig) says that the name comes from the name given to first years at Repton - the school that Jeremy Clarkson went to. I guess that would be like a fag at other public schools. Trouble is, although that's the story that Clarkson gives for the name's origin, I can't actually find any confirmation anywhere of young boys at Repton being called Stigs. I suspect that it does actually come from the book, which would have been published just around the time Clarkson was growing up. The naming is probably also influenced by Stig Blomqvist - a famous rally driver not know for being particularly talkative. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 22:03, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Bear in mind, the Daily Mail article says that the face appears to have a helmet with a noseguard, which is hardly representative of palaeolithic culture, so this apparition cannot be a caveman in the most commonly held conception. IF it is a ghost, it would be one from the Anglo-Saxon or Viking era, or later. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 12:25, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
July 15
Common/Best Uses for Secret Rooms
Dear Wikipedians,
If I were to have a hidden room built into my house I'd like to think this was a great thing (the inner child in me says it would be too cool not to have, for starters). But I'm stumped as to what I'd do with it afterwards. Can you help me with legal and good ideas for such a space? It seems like having an area in your house not known about would be a benefit, but I can't work out what. 86.163.45.70 (talk) 17:58, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A panic room is one use to be sure, I'm just not convinced there's much likelihood of me being sufficiently closer to it than an intruder for it to be of much use in a home invasion. That's even assuming I'm the right side of the intruder to get there, I could be asleep at the time or in the wrong room of the house. Still, I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, but any more for any more? 86.163.45.70 (talk) 19:36, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It'd be a safe place to store your valuables. Further down the road, it might be an interesting feature to attract a buyer for your home. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:54, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict)Do you have any collections? Baseball cards, guns, art? Think of it as a panic room for your stuff rather than you. If you have something a bit larger than a safe deposit box that you want to keep secure, it might be just the thing. Dismas|(talk) 19:56, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If that's the case, maybe you need to sleep in the secret room?
You could use it as a hiding place, to emerge from unexpectedly when people think you are elsewhere - surprise family members, cleaners, or nannies in the midst of affairs, drug deals, inappropriate sexual behaviour, unauthorised wild parties, or similar!
You could use it as an oubliette? (Wikipedia's article does a very poor job explaining what that is.) --Demiurge1000 (talk) 20:00, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There are two traditional uses for secret rooms. The first, already mentioned, is to store your treasures. A bank account and safe deposit box are better ways to store most treasures, but possibly you have large items for which a safe deposit box is not a good choice. The second is as a hiding place when the house is being searched. For example, secret rooms were used in the United States as part of the Underground Railroad, and the real-life House of the Seven Gables has a secret room (not included in the novel of the same name) that may have been meant as a hiding place during the Salem witch trials (although our article seems to say that it was added in the 20th century). Having a hiding place is a legal use, but it's obviously of greatest value when used in connection with illegal activities.
In practice, if you just want a secret room but don't have any great need for it, it may make the most sense not to keep it that secret, but instead to let it be a conversation piece to show your friends and a place where your children can have a clubhouse. John M Baker (talk) 20:11, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A bomb shelter, in addition to being able to withstand bombs, is often kept secret, to avoid having everyone in the neighborhood show up when the bombs start to fall. In a modern context, you might want to make a place to escape a terrorist attack, say a dirty bomb. There it's not the blast that's the major concern, but breathing contaminated air. So, it would need to be sealed off, and have air tanks to extend how long you can stay inside, along with other necessities like water, food, and a bucket (use your imagination). StuRat (talk) 06:21, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If it's on the ground floor or in the basement you can use it as the base for a secret network of tunnels, like the mole man of Hackney.--Shantavira|feed me 07:27, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If you are into gaming (Call of Duty) etc it would be a nice place to hide away and play undisturbed (no need if you live alone of course) but should also provide you with silence to be able to hear the tiny noises that give away movement of other gamers near you (in the game!). Obviously the lack of natural light and potential lack of fresh air MAY impact your quality of life if you stay in there for prolonged periods, but personally I would love a little hideaway like that! Yes I'm single....... gazhiley 10:44, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Soemthing to keep in mind: Well before digital cameras became available, I built a house with a home darkroom for film and print processing, complete with vestibule so I could leave the room while processing was in process without light getting in. The outer door of the vestibule looked like a built in cupboard, so it would be unlikey a visitor would bother opening it. To build here (Western Australia), you need to submit plans to Local Government and obtain a Building Permit. They weren't too happy about it, but eventually, after much negotiation about ventilation, drainage, and other haggling, they allowed it. That's problem number 1. When I came to sell the house, the real estate agents I consulted looked upon it in horror - they thought it would discourage purchasers, and advised me to ask for a price about 10% lower than it would otherwise be. Problem No. 2. Ratbone120.145.168.216 (talk) 16:14, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Fair points those, as well as the suggestions above. I'll probably check out the cost of slapping a normal door on it when I sell the house and see if it isn't too daunting. Planning permission (the UK equivalent of Building Permits) are a bit of a kill-joy aren't they? They're probably for the best though. Thanks all! 86.163.45.70 (talk) 17:57, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
George and/or Hannah Hartsell
Do you have any records for George and/or Hannah Hartsell who lived in Telford in the late 1700's and established the Indian Creek Christ Reformed Church. George died in 1784 and Hannah moved with her sons to Tennessee after his death. Their son, Jacob, was a Captain in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812.
Ruth Boettger, Revelstoke, BC Canada```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.114.167.17 (talk) 19:58, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
We're not actually a genealogical site, which your question seems to suppose. You can search yourself using the Search window. I did this and found one George Hartsell, but he seems to be a different person. No Hannah Hartsells at all. Sorry. -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ [your turn] 20:49, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A quick search on Ancestry.com's international edition provides a Bucks County, Pennsylvania naturalisation record for a George Hartsell in 1740. The final entry in "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Volume I: Arnold-Hertzel", indicates that this was Hans Georg Hertzel Jr, alias Hans George Hartsell (born at Reihen in the Upper Palatinate in 1714), whose wife Catherine (born c 1713) had given birth to their first child in 1737. This Hans George Hartsell is recorded as having drowned at Easton on 21 January 1762. Given the relatively late date you give for Jacob's service as a captain, is it possible that your George Hartsell was the son of Hans George Hartsell and Catherine? Failing that, perhaps a nephew? Hans George Hartsell was the eldest son of Pennsylvania pioneer Hans Georg Hertzel Sr, and his wife Anna Margaretha Conrad - they had several other sons.
There do seem to be some other Hartsell/Hartzell/Hertzel families around, but this is the only one I've found in Bucks County. It's worth noting that I initially thought your question was about Telford, and that Telford, Pennsylvania was in those days called County Line. AlexTiefling (talk) 20:56, 15 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The church lists a different founder[1]. Rmhermen (talk) 04:38, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
July 16
business brush-up programs
Some business (such as economics and managment) text books claim that it will help by serving in adult education courses or "business brush-up programs". Here what is the meaning of "business brush-up programs"? And how can that text book helps by serves in brush up programes? Thanks in advance--180.234.71.178 (talk) 06:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The act of "brushing up on" something refers to reviewing it, in a way that implies that the person reviewing it already is familiar with the topic, but may have forgotten things / need more practice with the topic since they last studied it. Someone who is brushing up on their algebra has learned that kind of math before, probably through a class, but needs a bit of extra practice, perhaps because they have not used that kind of math in a while, or because they are not confident in their skills. So, in this context, the book is claiming to be helpful for someone who is already familiar with business and economics, but would like to review what they have learned before they continue with more advanced studies. dalahäst(let's talk!) 07:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Also, "brushing up" could include learning a few new things, such as exciting new ways to cheat and deceive customers, or the latest new business slang (maybe "change" is now "reimagineer", as in "we need to reimagineer our business processes" ?). :-) StuRat (talk) 08:35, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
What is the difference between gas insulation and air insulation
In power distribution industry,there are gas insulation and air insulation,what's the difference? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Qyowen (talk • contribs) 06:53, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm no expert on this, but I assume this is because different gases have different properties that make them more (or less) suitable for insulation than plain air, depending on the situation. While this isn't exactly the same application, I know that argon is preferable to plain air for the inside of a light bulb. Light bulbs are filled with argon instead of air because the filament is less prone to oxidation in that environment.
Like I said, I don't know much about your particular field, but I'm sure there is someone else here who can give you a more specific answer than I can. For now, maybe that'll help a bit. dalahäst(let's talk!) 07:52, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Another obvious difference is that air is free, and you don't necessarily need to contain it, so can save money that way (although there's always the risk that a squirrel will crawl in and create a short circuit with his nuts). :-) StuRat (talk) 08:28, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
"create a short circuit with his nuts" sounds very, very wrong. dalahäst(let's talk!) 22:43, 16 July 2012 (UTC) [reply]
Also, one reason to pick another gas is that you presumably won't have any oxygen in it, so that will starve any sparks of oxygen, and prevent fires. StuRat (talk) 08:30, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This Siemens promotional material explains the alleged benefits of gas-insulated switch gear. Gas-insulated plant can be significantly smaller, and is commonly used in urban settings for this reason. --Colapeninsula (talk) 08:46, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
We have an article on switchgear but it could do with improvement if anyone has more info. --Colapeninsula (talk) 08:56, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Haunting at GM&O Train Station, Mobile, AL
Where can we find info on the historical haunting the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railway Building in Mobile, Alabama?
I'm finding absolutely nothing about that on the net, even on Google Books. It doesn't appear to be more than a local legend, if that. Unless the story became famous, or it proved the existence of ghosts or something, Wikipedia probably would not bother carrying an article about it. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:23, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
July 17
ANTIQUE (VICTORIAN?) HOTEL LOBBY FURNITURE AND THE LIKE
I am looking for the name of a piece of furniture that I have seen in movies and photos. It is an upholstered circular sofa/bench with an upholstered pier in the center that everyone uses as a common back support. I think they are usually one large piece although I have seen one that was a sectional. Along these lines there is a piece of furniture that I have only seen once. It was in the movie "KEEPER OF THE FLAME" with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It was in the scene where Spencer went to see "old Mrs. Forrest". In her "sitting room", Spencer sat on this piece of furniture to talk to her. This also was an upholstered piece of Victorian period but it was made for 4 people and the back supports were convex to the center. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.100.8.123 (talk) 07:15, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Here's a pic of one: [3]. Apparently it's called a borne (def 2), but many just call it a circular sofa or circular settee. StuRat (talk) 09:47, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
finding someone
So, a friend of mine has had a parcel of theirs mislaid, the item was delivered, according to the USPS tracking system, to an R. Eldridge in Sydney, Australia, all the information we have to go on. having contacted the company, they assure us that there is noone on their customer records with that name or in that city, showing that it arrived there by mistake. Is there any way of finding this person and seeing whether they can help clear this up?
You would probably be better off getting the postal service to find your parcel than trying to track down the recipient yourself. I'm assuming that you posted an item in the US to an address in Australia - otherwise something has gone seriously wrong!
The USPS website says: Each international destination country has its own postal system that is independently operated. Once the mail leaves the United States, it is handed over to the postal system for that specific country. USPS has specific service providers for Global Express Guaranteed. Global Express Guaranteed service is the result of a strategic alliance with United States Postal Service and FedEx Express. FedEx Express provides the international transportation, commercial customs clearance, and delivery of every shipment while the Postal Service provides mailing labels and packaging to create the shipment, payment options, and acceptance of the shipment. For all other mail classes, we do not keep a listing of other specific postal operators around the world.
So, unless you sent the package by 'Global Express Guaranteed', the final delivery will have been by Australia Post. On the subject of missing items, they have a webpage where you or the intended recipient can enter details of the package and initiate an enquiry into where it ended up. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 17:28, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
we've tried that, though, been in touch with the australian post a lot, but they've been looking for something posted to my friend and it seems to have been sent somewhere else, not sure what they can do in that case, we don't even really have proof that this is the same package as he should have gotten. Kitutal (talk) 17:32, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, so, to get this straight, the following events have taken place:
You posted something in the US with USPS, correctly addressed to your friend in Australia
You were able to track the item with USPS, which showed the item to have arrived in Australia
Your friend didn't receive the item
You contacted Australia Post, who initiated an enquiry about it
Australia Post informed you that the item was delivered to R Eldridge at some address other than your friends', but gave no further information. They now refuse to do anything else.
Is that right? Frankly, I would get back on to Australia Post (or, preferably, get your friend on to them - as a resident he will be able to do more) and get them to sort it out. They have procedures for finding lost items, or getting compensation if they can't. I apologise if I missed some details about why that's not possible in this case. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 17:49, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Yep, pretty much, other than that he had been contacting the post for weeks before that, when it never turned up, with them unable to do anything then, and hasn't since then, but he has gotten in touch with paypal, seems there's nothing they can do any more. I'll get him to contact them again, and see what's going on, maybe they can find out what happened now. thank you. Kitutal (talk) 17:59, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You mentioned Paypal - was this something ordered off Ebay? If so, as well as contacting the postal service, you should contact the seller for proof of postage. (Sorry, I thought you were the person who posted it). I would also recommend that your friend documents all the contact they have had with Australia Post in case this comes to a compensation claim. If they are claiming that there's nothing more they can do, compensation might be the only way forward. I don't think I can advise any further than that without giving legal advice (which we don't do here), so if you need more assistance you might want to contact a lawyer. Best of luck! - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:06, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Paypal can't do anything more than 45 days after the transaction, and he's waited longer than that in case it turned up some time. He has plenty of records of what's been going on with the postal service and the seller, emails, receipts, whatever else. claiming compensation then, I guess it is. good luck to him. Kitutal (talk) 18:24, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Postal and parcel carriers dont normally delivery stuff to the wrong name or address, just a thought but did you have the right tracking number? MilborneOne (talk) 18:36, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Postal services have a duty to deliver items to the right place. If they have failed to do that, then they need to sort it out. If they refuse to do so, then I suggest you seek legal advice. Trying to track down the item yourself is very unlikely to be effective. --Tango (talk) 23:57, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, if you're up for a bit of Sherlockian fun, you could try hiring a private investigator and working with them to find out where the thing actually went. Obviously not the most expedient course of action, and possibly quite expensive, but at least it'd give you something to do for a few days, if you're bored. dalahäst(let's talk!) 02:55, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
USPS tracking shouldn't ordinarily say to whom it was delivered, but where. There appears to be an Eldridge Road in Sydney or the Sydney area. Your friend should contact the local post offices in Sydney - both his, the one it should have been sent to or the one the USPS says it arrived at ( on Eldridge Road(?) ). Make sure the USPS tracking says it went to the correct postcode / Australian post office & that the seller addressed it correctly - an erroneous digit could have helped cause the non-delivery. And as MilborneOne says, make sure you have the right tracking number. The USPS site should tell you the date it was sent - if that's wrong, the tracking number can't be right. The US post office, especially the one it was sent from, especially if you ply the clerks with enough donuts, might be able to help more, if provided with the tracking number - at least they could give you a lost mail form, or find their copy of the customs form if they haven't destroyed it. John Z (talk) 05:55, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe this experience will be useful to you. Not long ago I had occasion to reschedule a delivery. When I checked on the website using the number I'd been given, I found the parcel had gone to Aberdeen, some 500 miles away! However, when I contacted the company to find out what was going on, I discovered that the rescheduling had the effect of cancelling the first number and issuing another number. Meanwhile, the first number had been reallocated. Maybe, somewhere in the trek between US and Australia, something like this happened and the number you were given originally is no longer valid? --TammyMoet (talk) 08:29, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I somewhat disagree with Tango in that if you actually read the terms and conditions you'd find their guarantees often are rather limited although it varies greatly from country to country and depending on the service you use. Perhaps consumer laws will provide additional protection but postal services are widely used enough that I personally doubt it's common their T&Cs don't comply with consumer law. Anyway my main point of replying is to point out that you may want to ask the sender to initiate a query with USPS. Although Australian Post may have been the delivery agent, it's fairly normal for the sender to be the one to initiate claims for lost parcels, they are normally the ones who directly paid for the service and know all the details, and of course this is whoever they sent it with (i.e. USPS) not who the final delivery agent was. USPS will of course need to contact Australian Post but this is also normal. Depending on the service used and the norms, you may get a signature (the fact there's a name suggests to me this was collected) and perhaps time and address of delivery. Of course if you don't trust the sender and believe they may have sent you a tracking number for something else you're fairly SOL. I admit I'm a bit confused why your friend waited so long for delivery. I don't live in Australia but I'm pretty sure at least in the urban areas things aren't much worse then NZ. An item sent from the US even with the normal airmail service should arrive within about a 1 week, at most 3. If things haven't arrived by then, it's time to ask the seller what's up (remember with eBay whatever the seller may say, they're actually required to ensure the item is delivered to you). (For the record, I've ordered plenty of things off a variety of sellers off eBay and elsewhere, the longest to arrive was something that got 'lost' during the volcano disruptions a couple of years back and was about 60 days, the next longest was well within 45 days.) Since they had a tracking number, I'm even more confused what happened, if it supposedly arrived but hasn't that's the time to tell the sender there's a problem and let them make inquiries. (If an item is missing or the parcel is damaged it may be you to initiate the claim since you have the evidence to show them although it's usually best to tell the sender first, particularly for missing items with no evidence of tampering to ensure the sender didn't just forget it or whatever.) Nil Einne (talk) 16:05, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Documentaries about sewage
I am looking for documentaries about sewage in the UK, dealing with such things as pipe infrastructure, transport, treatment, sewage farms, sludge beds, water reclamation, effluents, etc. The closest thing I have been able to find so far is episode 18 of the 90s children show Come Outside[4] but it is only 10 minutes long and not very detailed. Something like this but longer and more in-depth and technical would be wonderful. Thanks
Thanks, I'll definitely look that up. Just to clarify though, I was hoping for documentaries about more recent sewage projects and technologies such as from the 1950s to present. 75.87.101.44 (talk) 19:33, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
BBC News Radio ran a detailed ~10 minute segment on the origins and history of London's sewage system about a month ago. I'm sure you can find it athttp://bbc.co.uk75.166.200.250 (talk) 02:52, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I seem to remember some episodes of Modern Marvels dealt, at least in part, with sewage. Looking through List of Modern Marvels episodes, episode 7-40, about plumbing, may have some good informagtion. There are a couple titled "Bathroom Tech" that may have something along those lines as well. --Jayron32 05:02, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal. How do I get these posted on this web site? I can send these documents if I have a email address or address. You can also contact me on this site mlcatcdog10 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mlcatcdog10 (talk • contribs) 00:48, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This is probably not the right place, unless you're intending to merely post pictures of examples of those awards. ←Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→ 01:39, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You added a name here to the Navy and Marine Corps Medal article. Please note, in order to add names to that list, the subject should have an article here first and then their name can be added. But to have an article here, the person must first be notable enough for an article. We don't simply list every recipient of those medals. If we did, that list would be far longer than the 19 or so names that are currently listed. Dismas|(talk) 01:50, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. In simple terms, you must be famous to be listed in Wikipedia. StuRat (talk) 06:02, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This was asked [5] and answered [6] at the Help desk. Dru of Id (talk) 07:51, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You don't expect hardened combat veterans to just give up at the first hurdle, do you? -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ [your turn] 08:22, 18 July 2012 (UTC) [reply]
education
which u.s. city has the most colleges and universities?
how many colleges and universities are in philadelphia — Preceding unsigned comment added by Immsbee (talk • contribs) 07:10, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You need to be more specific. Largest total number of colleges and universities ? (If so, how would you count a single institution which has several "colleges", as in a college of law, college of medicine, etc.) Largest total enrollment ? Largest total enrollment as a percentage of total population ? And by "city", do you include colleges and universities in the suburbs ? StuRat (talk) 07:19, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This table has data on a per-state basis. California has 454 "degree granting institutions", making them the most, while Alaska has only 7, making them the least. This is for the 2010-2011 school year. This website hosted the above table. They may have more information availible, including what the OP is looking for, on a per-city basis. Cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago have a lot of universities within their borders and/or metro area; so it may be one of those four. Not every large city has a lot of colleges (Houston, for example, doesn't have as many as the above, despite having a comparable population). --Jayron32 13:13, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
New York City has between 88 and 130, depending on how you count institutions with multiple campuses. I doubt anything else beats that, especially because if you take into account the greater metro area, it is going to be even more. (The Philly metro area has 69; the Boston metro area has a "mere" 52. Chicago seems like a lot less.) --Mr.98 (talk) 14:02, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Deleting contact details from Wikipedia
Last year, just before Wikipedia's tenth birthday celebrations, I gave my contact details in the site http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai . The site's now closed to editing, however, my contact details are still displayed, and there are other websites now using that page as a mailing list as sorts, which has led to me getting calls from confused people who think I'm some sort of contact for the various websites displaying the mailing list... How do I remove my name and number from that page? Any ideas? Thanks in advance. LaAlquimista 08:09, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You can't. In most number systems (eg, those where 1+1 does not equal 0), 2 is defined as what you get if you add 1+1. It's axiomatic, and I'm not sure what other sort of axiom you'd expect to derive it from. (For what's worth, one of the axioms of Peano arithmetic is that every number x has a successor sx. I guess you could go about proving that 1+1=s1.) AlexTiefling (talk) 09:55, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) Huh indeed. Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell set out to do just that in Principia Mathematica. The full text is available from the University of Michigan here, and the relevant section dealing with the proof you're looking for is on page 378. If you can understand a single word of it, you are a better man than I am, Gunga Din. You might also like to take a look at this blog, which discusses the proof and why it might not, in fact, be a complete proof. Again, I don't profess to fully understand the reasoning! - Cucumber Mike (talk) 09:58, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not familiar with the notation, but I'm pretty sure that proposition is "given two sets of cardinality 1, their intersection is empty iff their union has cardinality 2." Russell and Whitehead were more interested in sets than in numbers. -- BenRG (talk) 00:27, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
OK, here's my attempt at a proof using the Peano axioms:
1. Let's start by defining terms: 1 is represented as S(0), and 2 as S(S(0)).(Peano axioms 1, 6, and 7)
2. Under the second part of the definition of Peano addition, a + S(b) = s(a+b). So 1+1 can be represented as S(0)+S(0), which is equal to S(S(0)+0).
3. Under the first part of the definition of Peano addition, a+0=a. So S(0)+0 = S(0). We susbtitute that into the outer brackets at the end of the previous step...
I have quite often asked a similar question - prove 2+2=4. I find that only small kids around 5 years old are really capable of proving this. Older people treat it like an axiom. But AlexTiefling's proof will do for me! Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:10, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's fair to say that the 'axiomatic' answer and the proof given show different things about the statement "1+1=2". To say it's axiomatic is to say that the symbol '2' has no intrinsic property of being '1+1', and that we normally do arithmetic with sets of more than two elements. To prove it is to show that the integer ordered following unity is the same as unity added to unity.
I'm curious, though - how does a five-year-old prove this? AlexTiefling (talk) 10:29, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
E.g., if you have one thing and you add another thing then there are two things so one plus one equals two. 75.166.200.250 (talk) 23:03, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This is partially why I am glad I am not a mathematician.--WaltCip (talk) 12:55, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You might enjoy theorem 2p2e4 at Metamath. Note that Metamath defines 2 = (1 + 1), though, as AlexTiefling said, Peano arithmetic doesn't.
These "trivial" questions are tricky only because a person asking such a question presumably isn't interested in the answer "it's trivial"—which would be a valid justification for assuming 1+1=2 in any other situation. It's the same reason "why is the sky blue?" is easier than "why is blue blue?". -- BenRG (talk) 00:27, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Statistics on earnings of UK graduates
I'm interested in the level of employment and average earnings of recent graduates in the UK. The exact question I'd like to answer is "for X degree course or Y university department, what percentage of graduates earn a basic salary (before any bonuses or perks) of at least £21000 two years after graduation?". Trouble is, I'm not a statistician and really don't know where to start. Does the available data even support answering something that specific, or is it all muddled together (and effectively meaningless)? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 163.1.25.35 (talk) 10:30, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There's no data for two years after graduation but there's data for six months after graduation, from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey. The level of employment, at six months, is readily available now on www.unistats.direct.gov.uk. The salary at six months isn't available in that format at all at the moment, but will be in the Key Information Set from September, for comparison in the same way that you see on unistats. A special government website is being set up to carry the information, and it is intended to be very visible. The performance indicators for universities were published today, and you can find them by clicking on links at www.hesa.ac.uk. Some surveys of employment after two years have been conducted, but not regularly and not for all universities. You would track them down by searching in Google Scholar. Finally, the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings has data on the earnings levels in the workforce as a whole, and the Quarterly Labour Force Survey asks about qualification levels and earnings, but handling the analysis is an expert task. Itsmejudith (talk) 17:02, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
tom cruise, katie holmes working together?
Did these actors ever work together? Ochson (talk) 21:43, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
So they can let people know they don't agree, presumably. The easiest way to do so is to state it explicitly, remove the tag, or do both. That said, I think anyone closing a question, whether by hatting it or marking it Done/Resolved, should sign their name, to take credit or blame for it. StuRat (talk) 23:42, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
That was exactly my point. It could happen that someone comes along and says: hey, these two worked as producers together in film such and such. Ochson (talk) 23:46, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Americans
The Terry Gilliam article states, "As a result of renouncing his citizenship, Gilliam is only permitted to spend 30 days per year in the United States, fewer than ordinary British citizens."
Does America really limit the amount of time a person can stay on holiday there? He really can't stay with his American family for more than a month a year?
A lot of countries, maybe most countries even, limit the amount of time you can stay on holidays. Otherwise, what would stop people just coming for a holiday and never leaving? The relavant article might be Visa. More specifically, the Entry and duration period section. Vespine (talk) 23:17, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I suspect that most Western countries (and indeed most countries, full stop) limit the amount of time that an individual can remain as a visitor on vacation without requiring extensive paperwork. Citizens of the UK can generally visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa: [10]. (In the other direction, U.S. citizens may visit the UK for up to six months without a visa: [11].)
I can't comment on whether or not the U.S. really has the punitive policy described towards their former citizens; it sounds spiteful, but I admit that it also sounds plausible. (The source linked from our article [12] only quotes Gilliam, so we don't have what I would call a reliable source for immigration policy.) TenOfAllTrades(talk) 23:46, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Not a reliable source, but as it boils down to taxation, compelling: this blog states (within the context of a discussion of renouncing citizenship, "a change of law in 2008 that means non-U.S. citizen, nonresidents can now annually visit the U.S. for 120 or more days without becoming taxed as U.S. residents (under the pre-2008 rules, visits to the U.S. for more than 30 days during any of the 10 years following expatriation caused the individual to be treated as a U.S. resident for that year)." --Tagishsimon(talk) 02:22, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Accountants confirm, in an article about Taxation and Renouncing Citizenship: "The expatriate could not be present in the U.S. for 30 days in any one year, or one would be treated for tax purposes as a citizen and taxed on all worldwide income." --Tagishsimon(talk) 02:26, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
And if so, then the sentence in the article is wrong & misleading. --Tagishsimon(talk) 02:27, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Why aren't Zeppelins viable?
Done
This seems like a splendid invention, why didn't it get more commercial? (ignoring that major disaster in the US, what else?). Ochson (talk) 23:44, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The answer to your question is likley contained in our article on Zeppelins and Blimps. Please review them. Hipocrite (talk) 23:47, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Once you take the hydrogen out, you're still left with the problems that such a light-weight object easily gets blown around in the wind, so you can only use them on calm days. The low passenger/cargo capacity combined with the need for immense hangars also work against them. Then, of course, they are slow, so not good if you want to get somewhere in a timely manner (although slow transport does have it's place, as on cruise ships). StuRat (talk) 23:57, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
July 19
To Write Love On Her Arms,Love or A Publicity Stunt?
Why this organization... have Business Behavior and Publicity Stunt? Why this organization... have commercial exploitation? Love or just like a singer - Lady Gaga? What is real...
I suggest you write your question in your native language, and somebody will translate it into proper English for you. StuRat (talk) 02:29, 19 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
To Write Love On Her Arms,Love or A Publicity Stunt? 到底它是爱还是只是在炒作呢？非盈利性组织为什么会有商业活动和炒作行为呢？这些天读了一些关于这个组织的报道，尝试去了解这个组织，为什么它给人的感觉就像娱乐圈一样呢？它不是一个非盈利性组织吗？什么才是真实的? 我不知道答案，有谁知道呢？
dalahäst (let's talk!) 02:55, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
![[3]](http://i0.bookcdn.com/data/Photos/OriginalPhoto/79/7905/7905849/Hotel-Victoria-photos-Interior-VICTORIA-BASEL-Lobby.JPEG){kind=link}
Done