Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

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

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

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

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

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

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

October 26

Actual Rating

Does anyone know what an actual rating for a plane is? Thanks.92.4.224.251 (talk) 00:14, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Can you give us some context to work with (like a link to a document where the term appears)? Are you talking about an aircraft, a flat surface, or a tool for shaving wood? FiggyBee (talk) 02:31, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

I was talking about an aircraft, but I've worked it out now. Thanks anyway. 92.3.202.106 (talk) 20:55, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Go (the game) and Nets

When an opponent plays a net around your stones, is there any way to block it or prevent being captured?CalamusFortis 00:35, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Well, sometimes. It depends on the position, unsurprisingly. Do you have anything in mind specifically? Algebraist 03:06, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

No, I was just wondering if it were possible. I suppose the person being surrounded would need another stone very close to the stone that forms the first part of the net, right? (Did that make sense?)CalamusFortis 04:06, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

US Combined Statistical Areas

I believe that the Portland Or/Vancouver WA CSA has been left out of the table and map of the US Combined Statistical Areas page. Thank you, <email removed to prevent spam> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.196.155.251 (talk) 01:59, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

The Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas article specifically says that the "Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MSA [does] not have a defined CSA". Is that information out of date? FiggyBee (talk) 02:53, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Reagan Park?

Could someone tell me where the most famous one is located? Thanks --Crate3940 (talk) 04:51, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

List of honors named for Ronald Reagan offers several possibilities:

• Reagan Park, Tampico (named 1985, formerly Railroad Park).
• Reagan Park, Medina, Ohio.
• Ronald Reagan Park, Diamond Bar, California.
• Ronald Reagan Park, in Gdańsk, Poland.

Google found another one in Lawrenceville, GA, another in Palestine, TX...I'm sure there are lots more. I have no idea which is the most famous through.

SteveBaker (talk) 05:11, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Colleges

I simply would like a list of colleges with a good philosophy dept. Filosojia X Non(Philosophia X Known) 06:51, 26 October 2008 (UTC) --Earthan Philosopher

Which country? Schools from the major anglophone countries are ranked here. Rockpocket 07:32, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

I know from experience that Yale University is trying to rebuild its philosophy department. To do this they have hired large numbers of outstanding faculty, trying to draw students in. The offshoot being that until the department starts attracting droves of students it will enjoy a very favorable student:faculty ratio. Plasticup ^T/C 17:08, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

St. John's College, U.S. in Santa Fe, NM and Annapolis has the best bookstore I've ever been to. Philosophy based, teaches dead languages. Very trippy. --Moni3 (talk) 19:22, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

By the way, are we talking about graduate studies, or undergraduate studies? Plasticup ^T/C 20:01, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Astoria, Oregon

(non-question removed by User:SteveBaker)

The ref-desk is not a soapbox. If you have a question, feel free to ask it and we'll try to answer. If you want to appeal to people - you might also try using a few capital letters! SteveBaker (talk) 19:37, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

My Chances of Being Accepted into Cornell?

Hey everybody! I'm a student from Vancouver, Canada doing a full load of IB work. But I scored poorly on the SAT Do you guys think I can get into the Cornell College of Arts and Sciences in Early Decision? Will be applying for financial aid.

• Female
• White/Caucasian
• 17
• Blonde

• GPA: 92.9% unweighted, weighted I don't know but I'm doing IB.
• SAT I superscore: 1970 (CR 660, W 620, M 690) I know, terrible!
• SAT II: Haven't taken them yet- taking 3 in Nov 1.

• Predicted IB Marks: 42/45

• Taking currently:
• Higher Level English
• Standard Level Spanish
• Higher Level Math
• Higher Level Chemistry
• Higher Level Biology
• Standard Level Geography
• International Business (non-IB)

• GPA has steadily risen by 0.5 - 1% from freshmen to junior year.

• Extra-curriculars:
• School Yearbook- Head of Photography, Senior Editor, Chief Layout Designer
• School Newspaper- Head of Photography
• Reach for the Top- a fast-paced general trivia competition against other schools
• Grade 9 and 10 Science Fair winner at the City level
• Did various graphic and logo design for the school and sports tournaments
• Volunteered at a hospital for 54 hours during summer
• Peer tutor for school from grade 10-12
• Member of various activist groups: SAVY, Amnesty International.

• Sports:
• Varsity Girls Basketball team- Grade 9-10, local tournament MVP, assistant Captain
• Varsity Track and Field- 1500m provincials qualifier, various gold at lower level competitions
• Varsity Cross-Country- Co-captain. No prizes
• Tae Kwon Do (out of school)- 2nd degree dan black belt- 7 years

• Awards:
• Honor Roll- grades 9-12
• Science Fair winner- grade 9 and 10
• National math contest- 25th percentile and higher grade 9

Do I even have a chance at Cornell? I want to go into medicine later on. Please help!!! ITGSEETest (talk) 19:08, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Why don't you e-mail Cornell's Admissions Office and ask them? (I don't think they will care about your hair colour though.) Adam Bishop (talk) 19:15, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

While you're at it, email the track coach. If one of the sports teams really wants you they can put in a good word with the admissions office. Plasticup ^T/C 19:57, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Also, unless you are completely sold on Cornell, apply to every Ivy League school plus Stanford (and maybe Duke). They are all very competitive, and for even the best students it is a bit of a lottery, so enter many times to increase your chances. Plasticup ^T/C 20:00, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Just curious. Why did you think mentioning you're a blonde would be relevant to this question? -- JackofOz (talk) 21:10, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Or your "race"? Itsmejudith (talk) 21:53, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Many schools, Cornell included, will give an under-represented minority applicant a greater chance than an over-represented one. It's easier for African Americans to get in that it is for Asians. ITGSEETest (talk) 22:42, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Whites and women, making up disproportionally large portions of the application pool, both suffer discrimination in the admission process. Plasticup ^T/C 01:11, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

It's been 20 years since I took the SAT, but if that's out of 800 maximum (I know it was in the U.S. last I heard) I wouldn't be too worried. Not everyone tests really well, and as long as your GPA and other things are good, you will defeinitely get looked at. (I don't know what the averge SAT score of a Cornell grad is.)

I agree with what others have said about applying to others, the track team, and would even see about basketball, though since you're presently in track they'll be better able to gauge your ability. The number of activities you have been in show that you're able to handle a hevy load and be a very well-rounded person.

So, while I can't say anything with certainty, I would say that they will defeinitely look at you, and you should apply for a variety of schools. A lot has to do with the luck of the draw, too, as far as how many very similar students have applied.Somebody or his brother (talk) 23:23, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Your grades/activities strike me as probably pretty standard for Ivy Leagues, which probably would make you a borderline case. If you write an essay which really sparkles—makes you look like a good fit without appearing to be trying too hard—you'll probably be pretty safe. If not, then it looks 50/50 to me. What you need is something to distinguish you from the other A-, lots of activities, good-but-not-stellar test score kids out there, of which there are many. Most have no personality. Not all schools care about personality, but I'm fairly sure Cornell does. Draft your essay early, run it by a LOT of people. You want it to be about as engaging as an essay in the New Yorker, if you can. ;-) (My judgment of this comes primarily from conversations with someone I know who worked for many years in admissions at a number of top-tier US schools. Not all US schools do admission this way but the Ivies generally do.) --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:57, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Don't beat yourself up over the SATs. They're certainly not everything. Also, certainly don't focus everything on Cornell. That fact is, few people will get into their absolute-number-one-no-other-option school. (Unless your last name is Rockefeller or if your family is in the Social Register.) Nor do you have to focus on all Ivies, either. That fact is, schools like Berkeley or Michigan may well be better than a school like Dartmouth or Brown. (And if you're interested in engineering, MIT and Caltech are each better than any Ivy.) So your SATs are lower than those of some Cornell applicants, that's sure, but write a very good (that is, *distinctive* - you don't have to be a great writer, just set yourself apart from others) essay and you'll have a much better chance. zafiroblue05 | Talk 02:27, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Doug Hall

Doug Hall was a judge on American Inventor, and on there it said that the average American home has 18 of his inventions in it. I have looked on google and have found websites that say this, but none of them say what the 18 inventions are. Does anyone know? Thanks. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 22:28, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Sounds spammy. The "18 inventions in every home" claim is no longer in the article. Consider WP:AFD. Edison (talk) 03:38, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

That claim was actually made on the television program, although no where is there any evidence of this (that I can find) such as a list of the 18 inventions.W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 03:49, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

If we assumed it was correct, it's probably a chemical or chemical process. Which is not as interesting as "18 inventions" sounds at first (the light bulb! the phonograph! the motion picture camera!), but could be legitimate. Though I will note that I don't find very much obvious "Doug Hall" patents in Google Patents—certainly not 18. Which makes it a little more dubious unless he was not the primary inventor. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:00, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Since he worked for Proctor and Gamble, I'm guessing that what he 'invented' were new kinds of shampoo or cosmetics. Since he was appointed "Master Marketing Inventor" he may also have included new product packaging or something like that. If he also took the credit for innovations that were produced under his supervision it's conceivable that the average home does indeed have some high number of products he was in some way responsible for. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:15, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 18:44, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Time

[question and debate deleted --Anon, 05:58 UTC, October 28, 2008]

We have a rule that says: "The reference desk does not answer requests for opinions or predictions about future events. Do not start a debate; please seek an internet forum instead". This whole thread seems to be in clear breach of that. If we don't abide by our own rules, how can we reasonably expect our users to do the same? Sorry if that seems uncool, but we regularly send away users who arrive with these sorts of questions, so it seems a little unfair to be indulging one of our own. -- JackofOz (talk) 04:54, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to start a debate. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 15:31, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

So, putting the question in the form of a question, "Are there documented economic benefits or costs, and are there demonstrated differences in accident rates (such as school children being hit by cars while going to /from school in the dark) due to datlight savings time? Edison (talk) 18:42, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

October 27

Infant Mortality Rate, Under-5 Mortality Rate, and Death Rate (cont.)

I mean, what was the infant mortality, under-5 mortality rate, and death rate before the health improvements of modern times? And stop giving irrelevant answers! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.166.196 (talk) 00:43, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

When? Where? "Before modern times" is not specific enough. Adam Bishop (talk) 00:56, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I was thinking that aswell, how do you define "modern times" and where? Sorry if this is an "irrelivant answer." W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 00:59, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I looked in the archives and I see you are looking for the infant mortality rate in ancient times and the Middle Ages. I also saw the hideously irrelevant answers/comments written for which I feel a duty to apologise on behalf of my fellow Wikipedia contributors.

I'm not sure how much reaserch you have done on this but this shouldn't be your first point of call (I'm not assuming is was). A quick search on google gives good results, but if you don't wish to use google there are many search engines out their that give good results (e.g. ask.com).

After a bit of quick reaserch I have found that the highest estimated percentage is about 50% death rate, although 30% is the more common figure. These figures include the high number of infants who died within days after birth from little-understood and wholly unpreventable illnesses that modern science has now overcome. I suggest you take a brief look at this, it seems very helpful. For peasants, 5% of infants died during birth with another 10-12% dying in their first month! See this

There are many other sites that offer a lot of information, these are just two I picked out, but I seriously suggest you search "infant mortality rate in the Middle Ages" in Google. There are many sites out there offering the information, but it would take me ages to sum them up for you here and provide links.

I seriously hope that was helpful, and just ask if you have any more questions. I learnt a lot in my search, so I'm happy. :) W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 01:23, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

What was the death rate before the health improvements of modern times? When you said 50% or 30%, did you mean under-5 mortality or infant mortality? Whichever one you mean, what about the other? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.166.196 (talk) 00:53, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Please, "Google" Your question, click infant mortality rate in the middle ages or under 5 mortality rate in the middle ages. You can also use any other search engine You prefer (see List of search engines). CapitalRSL (talk) 07:44, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Pissarro the Impressionist Painter

What is the name and date of painting of the Pissarro painting of a young woman which appears on the first page of the Pissarro entry; being the painting at the top of the block containing three paintings? Thank you in advance. Malcolm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.162.100.79 (talk) 02:25, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Pissaro has painted many young women, could it be...

• Young Woman Washing Plates
• Young Peasant Girl with Stick
• Young Woman Bathing Her Feet
• Two Young Peasant Women
• Portrait of a Young Woman
• Young Woman and Child at the Well

The titles pretty much describe what is in the paintings. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 03:02, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Presumably the questioner means the top painting in the article Camille Pissarro (see right). It's called "Café au Lait".

It is much more helpful with this picture, but in my defence before that I didn't know where to find the picture to find it's name (as he didn't say to go to the Camille Pissarro article), so I just named a few of the many pictures of Pissarro's with a young girl.W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 04:36, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Not that anyone cares about your defence, but – What did you think was meant by "the Pissarro entry"? —Tamfang (talk) 05:11, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I thought it might be a book or something, that's why when I googled it I came up with nothing so just listed a few of Pissaro's painting that matched the description of having a young woman. The idea that it might be a book seemed to make sense because he said "the first page". Usually if talking about an article on Wikipedia, one would write "the Pissaro article" or "Wikipedia's Pissaro article". Also it isn't hard to link to an article, so that is what I would have expected when referring to one. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 15:19, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Artists and thier movements

I have been reading about artists recently, but have exausted my knowlege, I would please like a list of artists and thier movements. I have read Picaso, Gaugan, Pissaro, Turner, Mattis, Surealism, immpresionism, post impresionism, cubism (not so good) Realism. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 12:03, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

If i might be allowed to clarify, I would like a list of art movements cronologically listed. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 12:54, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Art periods gives what you desire. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.172.19.20 (talk) 12:56, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Cheapest way to heat water.

I am going to move my washing machine into my non-house-attached garage (UK) where there is currently no water supply or drainage but there is an electricity supply. So, I have the option to either install ONLY Cold water or Hot and Cold supply pipes. Question, and leaving the plumbing considerations to one side, given that my domestic hot water is heated by a storage-tank-free mains gas combi-boiler (meaning I only heat what I immediately need), will it be cheaper to heat the washing machine water from cold to my usual washing temp. of 60 degrees by Gas, or Electricity? Thanks. 92.23.178.75 (talk) 12:36, 27 October 2008 (UTC) 92.23.178.75 (talk) 12:36, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about the efficiencies of different heating methods, but I do know it's rarely necessary to do laundry at 60deg. You'll save far more energy by washing at 40 or even 30 than you ever would be using a more efficient heating method. --Tango (talk) 13:23, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I have always been under the impression that you should use gas as it will be cheaper. Now this was true a couple of years ago, but the recent rises in the cost of fuel might make that belief outdated.

Also, just to repeat Tango's point, you really shouldn't wash your clothes at 60. I've never used a washing macine so I don't really know much about washing machine water temperatures, but most things (if not everything) should be able to wash at 30 to 40. Without trying to advertise, Ariel Excel can wash clothes at 15 degrees (although I don't know if you can only wash certain things at this temp.). W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 15:04, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I don't know muchg about washing either... but my wife for years has only used cold water and Persil. Her results are sparkling clean.86.197.168.115 (talk) 16:31, 27 October 2008 (UTC)DT

• I'll echo the answer other people gave. Washing at 30-40 degrees centigrade will give a fine results unless you've been rolling through the mud and let it dry for three weeks. What kind of washing machine do you own? I could be wrong, but I think the one in my house imports cold water and does the heating itself. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:09, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Certainly gas ...but: Regular washing machines do not intake warm or hot water except you have a model which is 40 years+ old. And yes, 40°C is enough if using an appropriate soap. --Scriberius (talk) 17:13, 27 October 2008 (UTC) modified --Scriberius (talk) 18:54, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

How would the hot water pipe (presumably buried) be insulated? I would expect a lot of lost energy in a long run of pipe, since the garage is not attached. A small tankless electric heater next to the washer with only the cold line sent to the garage seems like the best idea. Even with electric being more expensive per BTU than gas, there would likely be a saving due to not sending hot water through a long pipe. "Warm" or cold water wash is adequate for most things, but for white cotton washcloths or other things which may be hard to get clean and which I wish to sanitize, I still use hot water and chlorine bleach. Edison (talk) 18:39, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I know that there are grey foam tubes that are used to insulate pipes. I don't know what these are called, but they are often used to insulate hot water pipes. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 21:59, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I'd call them "insulating foam tubes" personally. A more technical term would be "foam lagging". --Tango (talk) 17:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Truck driver who likes to drive in stocking feet

I am a truck driver who likes to drive in stocking feet; is this legal to do? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.147.28.1 (talk) 13:18, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Could you tell us what jurisdiction you are driving in? and how this is a language question? Dismas|^(talk) 14:48, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Weird Al Yankovic has a song like that. Adam Bishop (talk) 15:27, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

We can't answer legal questions here anyway. —Angr 19:28, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Who would ever know? The X-ray-equipped fashion police? Clarityfiend (talk) 19:42, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

If he gets stopped by the police for something else, and is in his stocking feet when they ask him to step out of the truck, he could get in additional trouble if it turns out to be illegal. At any rate, I'd consider it a bad idea, even if it's not illegal in your jurisdiction. —Angr 20:05, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Me too. The core question has nothing to do with socks, sockings etc. It's really about whether the driver is wearing footwear or not (e.g. shoes). I was taught to always wear shoes when driving ( I sometimes ignore this advice), but it was more a question of safety than being illegal per se. That's in my jurisdiction; the law may be different where you live. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:36, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

"a question of safety than being illegal" - why would it be less safe to drive without shoes? I would have thought it would be just as safe unless you're wearing unusually slippery socks. Bare feet can easily grip the pedals, and if you were to wear socks that couldn't grip the pedals and expected to do this often, you could get grips for the pedals. - So I don't really see a safety issue...or am I missing something?

Also if he gets stopped by the police knowing that it is illgal, he could quickly slip on some loose shoes before they even get out of their car or tell him to.W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 23:12, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

I've driven with and without shoes, but either way feels safer than with slippers, btw. —Tamfang (talk) 01:53, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I think it depends on what type of shoes you normally wear. Sometimes, it can be a better idea to take them off and just wear socks. I once knew a Japanese girl who was short even by Japanese standards and she wore platform shoes. She had to take them off to drive.--ChokinBako (talk) 01:26, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

But there is a difference when it comes to women because they wear platforms (as in your picture) and high-heels. They don't drive in these shoes because it wouldn't be practical so they usually take them off in their car and put on driving shoes, that's why a woman driver at a petrol station wearing high-heels won't just get in her car and drive off(after paying), but will take 5 minutes before she pulls away. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 01:51, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Moved from language desk. I expect it also depends on what kind of truck you drive, and where. I'm sure a lot of sites' H&S demands that all visitors wear safety boots (or at least enclosed footwear), even if they never alight from their vehicle. FiggyBee (talk) 14:02, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Wouldn't wearing shoes provide a bit of protection to your feet if you were to have an accident? I guess that would be a pretty odd reason to wear them but I suspect they would provide at least some protection. Personally I used to always drive shoe-less (and I still do if I'm wearing shoes without backs/flip-flops). I doubt there is a law requiring you wear shoes to drive, but you never know. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 14:42, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, this kind of is a language question - does "stocking feet" mean "bare feet" or "with stockings"? I thought the latter but everyone else seems to think the former. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:45, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I would have thought the latter to but it is just easier to answer the question as if it were about driving shoe-less. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 14:53, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Isn't it typical - when a person asks an unusual question which clearly and obviously contravenes the RD guidelines ( "is this legal" ) everybody and his brother bundles in to answer it with a variety of guesses. Luckily the trucker didn't ask 'is this healthy as well', otherwise we would have had censors out.

Now my guess is that there are few laws that restrict the type of footwear used by the driver of any vehicle but there are probably laws that forbid the use of any clothes or footwear that restrict the ability of the driver to properly and safely control the vehicle. This would be classed as driving without due care and attention or in a more extreme scenario, dangerous driving. (in the UK) But the final judgement would be in court as the driver defended his/her conduct and ability to control the vehicle. Richard Avery (talk) 14:55, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Although there are laws that say what you can't wear whilst driving, this varies from place to place. If this truck driver drives through different countries, I wouldn't suggest he do things that may be illegal in a country he drives through or the country of his destination. W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 15:09, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

See http://tafkac.org/legal/driving.barefoot/driving_barefoot.html --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 16:15, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I happen to know for sure that it's legal to drive without shoes in Texas but that it's illegal in Oklahoma - so for sure it varies from state to state. SteveBaker (talk) 01:35, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

What's your source for that? The link offered just above your post says it's legal to drive without shoes in Oklahoma and the author claims to have written to the relevant authorities to find out. --Tango (talk) 16:59, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

It was a cop who pulled my wife over (for speeding) - noticed she had no shoes on and wrote a ticket for that too. This was in Texas - and when I checked the laws and complained to the officer's supervisor, she got off (they waived the speeding ticket also). The cop said that he'd been working in Oklahoma before he moved to Texas and was unaware that the law here was different. I guess he could have been wrong when he was in Oklahoma too - but that seems less likely.

Cops quite often pull people over for infractions that aren't actually infractions. A friend of mine who was driving a Mini Moke down a Texas freeway - breaking no laws - was pulled over because the cop basically didn't believe the car could possibly be street-legal. It was - despite having no seatbelts and no windshield wipers - because it was built without seatbelts and the windshield can be folded flat...and it's more than 25 years old which exempts it from a whole bunch of other laws. The cop checked it over and wrote up a ticket because (he claimed) the car was "too small for Texas roads"...there is no such size restriction - so that ticket got overturned. SteveBaker (talk) 16:47, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Proposition 2

I have a voter's guide that I got at the library but it is unclear on one thing. It says under the heading, "The way it is now", that state law makes it illegal to be cruel to animals. For example animal in enclosed areas must have shelter, food, water and room to exersise. People who break these laws my be fined or sent to jail or both.

If there are already laws in place, why is there a Proposition about farm animal cruelty?--76.176.143.54 (talk) 15:15, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

You're not clear about the jurisdiction that Prop 2 will affect, which makes it hard to address the question. Perhaps, though, it relates to (presumably expanding) the scope of animal cruelty laws? — Lomn 15:20, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm guessing its this proposition. The article explains the proposed legislation's scope. Fribbler (talk) 15:27, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I agree with the guess; "The way it is now" is a standard formula in California official voting guides (prepared by a neutral authority). —Tamfang (talk) 02:52, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Amazing that we have to guess. Californians in America behave exactly like Americans in the rest of the world: they assume that you know everything about their lives, laws, politics, history etc. --Lgriot (talk) 04:31, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I would guess that the proposer believes that the current laws in place don't deal with animals' welfare correctly, or aren't strong enough. Also, this proposition is about farm animal cruelty where as the laws already in place just deal with cruelty to animals in general. Maybe it is believed that farm animals experience more cruelty than other animals, and so this proposition is there to revise that section of the laws already in place.W.i.k.i.p.e.d.i.a - Reference desk guy (talk) 15:27, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

positive Sci Fi

I am a Star Trek fan because it is one of the few shows or books that give a positive futuristic view of human civilization. Another might be the Dune series of books. These are different from say, Escape from New York, Terminator. what other shows or books depict the future of humanity in a positive light? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:30, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Isaac Asimov's books present a complex version of humanity's future. I wouldn't necessarily call them positive or negative, but I would highly recommend them. Maybe start with the collection I, Robot which introduces his Three Laws of Robotics. From there, the Elijah Baley series is a good jumping off point. The Foundation series is also a great read. Good luck! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:53, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Definitely read Iain Banks' Culture books. Recury (talk) 17:15, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Ender's Game ... the three books in the series that immediately follow it (i.e., not the "Shadow Quartet", which is still kind of a bummer vision of the future, if you ask me) are kind of optimistic. Near-light speed travel, faster-than-light communications, people generally happy. Although, each race/creed seems to have gotten its own planet à la Star Trek, which always strikes me as being a bit unfortunate... Dgcopter (talk) 17:57, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

The Culture books aren't set in humanity's future, though, if you're set on that. Algebraist 18:04, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Jack McDevitt's "Engines of God" series, EE "Doc" Smith's (quite old now) Lensman_ series, Peter F. Hamilton's "Pandora's Star", Doug Weller (talk) 19:01, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I seem to recall, from reading a few 15-20 years ago that a college friend loaned me, that Ben Bova tended to predict a generally positive view of the future of humanity. (I read "Voyagers" and a couple others.) He has also higly recommended the Mars Trilogy, which is complex but he said tends to be positive; I have never had the time to read it, however.Somebody or his brother (talk) 19:25, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I loved the scenery of RGB Mars but found the characters dull, the plot incoherent and the economics idiotic. I recommend Robinson's earlier (and shorter) Icehenge, though. —Tamfang (talk) 01:35, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

hm, never heard of Culture.. will go to the library tomorrow and pick them up :o 71.176.156.86 (talk) 01:49, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Of them, I recommend The Player of Games. —Tamfang (talk) 06:20, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I'd say you're much less likely to find rampaging monsters in a random sf book than in a random sf movie. — Many of Jack Vance's works are set in a vague period where humans occupy a large mostly-peaceful region of space; the plots tend to be about crime rather than war; though, since it is a large diverse region, some settings are dystopian. — Greg Egan's newest book Incandescence has an appealing setting (I haven't seen it but his website has a story in the same setting). — Ken MacLeod's works might please you. —Tamfang (talk) 01:35, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I think that in broad strokes it's fair to say that science fiction has separate "optimistic" and "pessimistic" tradations, and that by and large (though certainly not exclusively), the authors who are more left-wing politically write more in the pessimistic one, whereas the libertarians write more in the optimistic one. (There isn't much science fiction written on the anti-libertarian right.) It's certainly not a hard-and-fast rule; Roddenberry as you note wrote generally in the optimistic tradition, whereas Niven's stories set in The State (starting with World out of Time are kind of bleak, but in my observation this is the general tendency. Of course this could be colored by what one thinks would be a good future -- I wouldn't want things to go the way of The Foundation Trilogy, so I count them as pessimistic, but it's certainly possible that Asimov thought it was something worth hoping for.

Anyway some of the best optimistic SF comes from Heinlein, Niven, and Poul Anderson. --Trovatore (talk) 01:24, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Ah yes – Heinlein's optimistic future: a place where dirty old author-avatar men get to have intercourse with young sex-obsessed women (who are sometimes their mothers who they've tracked down through time travel). Aside from the Freudian bits, I suppose that counts as optimistic.... :D TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

See 'Utopia' Avnas Ishtaroth _{drop me a line} 05:26, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

But then, Avnas, much Utopia literature is about the end of Utopia and its destruction and impossibility. Steewi (talk) 01:12, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I'd recommend The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock for a liberating view on a possible evoluion of humanity. The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter does the trick too. 190.220.104.35 (talk) 16:03, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

The master himself, Robert Heinlein, should not be missed. Stranger in a Strange Land, Time Enough for Love, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Podkayme of Mars, Farmer in the Sky, and the entire Lazarus Long series are delightful. DOR (HK) (talk) 08:29, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Engineer who design household items

What type of engineers design household items such as cups, plates and chairs? Material engineers? Acceptable (talk) 23:47, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I would say that such items are designed by industrial designers, not by any kind of engineer. FiggyBee (talk) 23:59, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. Engineers are likely to design the factory where such items are made, but designers generally create individual products. The same relationship exists between chemists and chemical engineers; between architects and civil engineers, etc. etc. An engineer's main job is to take the designs of others and make them realized in a practical manner. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:14, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

...or game designers and software engineers/artists...yes - there is almost always a job-title split between those who design and those who arrange for production and those who actually do the producing. However, in many small organizations, the same person may bear multiple job titles - so it's actually not that uncommon for the designer and the engineer to be one and the same person...especially when what drives the design is a technical matter rather than an artistic/aesthetic matter. SteveBaker (talk) 12:40, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

October 28

Which African country recently implemented price controls in an attempt to control inflation?

Which African country recently implemented price controls in an attempt to control inflation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.195.250.2 (talk) 00:28, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I would say that its the same one your teacher told you about in class... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 00:50, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

This could be a quiz rather than homework. --Tango (talk) 01:10, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Start with our article on inflation and see if you can find your way to the answer. I can do it in 2 clicks. --Tango (talk) 01:10, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't work, incidentally - it just temporarily moves the burden from consumers to shopkeepers, who, having sold their stock at a loss, let their shops sit empty. FiggyBee (talk) 01:18, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Zimbabwe ftw! NByz (talk) 02:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

We don't usually give the answer to questions like this... --Tango (talk) 11:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Indeed, you would have to implement price controls on the suppliers as well, all the way down the chain. You can only do that if you control the entire chain, which means no imports. If your economy has any imports, then price controls won't work. --Tango (talk) 11:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Anyone who had been following the news anytime in the last year would probably have at least been able to *guess* Zimbabwe, simply because their inflation has been running a at a ridiculous pace for a long while. I mean, the American news media has to be covering something beside the election, don't they? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.244.30.221 (talk) 11:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

While we don't know if this person is American, I agree; *think* a little. World events are important so you can learn what does and doesn't work when you vote or run the country someday. I mean, even the classic comic strip about the teen culture today, Zits, has the students having to know stuff like that and actually following some world events. (Though jeremy is likely to have learned about it on YouTube. :-)Somebody or his brother (talk) 11:54, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

We don't know whether he's American, but given that he's posting from Scotland, my guess would be probably no. --Trovatore (talk) 00:05, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Company Credit Card

Section removed; We really can't give advice on things like this. You'll need to speak to an accountant or a lawyer. FiggyBee (talk) 00:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

If you can't give advice then say you can't give advice. Don't remove the question.. 71.176.156.86 (talk) 00:57, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually - the official guidelines for the reference desk says: "Questions that ask for medical, legal or other professional advice may be removed and replaced with a message...". So yes, we DO remove inappropriate questions. We do this because it has been clear that doing so tends to cut off exactly this kind of annoying debate and is reasonably effective in preventing people from answering the question in contravention of our clearly stated rules. If you don't want your inappropriate question deleted - don't ask it. SteveBaker (talk) 01:25, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

May I point out that a guideline is not a policy? --Nricardo (talk) 03:48, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

You may - but it's irrelevant. If it were a policy - we could conceivably get in trouble with the admins if we didn't remove an inappropriate question - but since it's "only" a guideline, it's merely considered OK for people to remove inappropriate questions. Hence it was OK for FiggyBee to remove it per the guideline. I don't see how that makes any difference. SteveBaker (talk) 16:33, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia talk:Reference desk would be the place to do so, not here. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:51, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

In answer to the perfectly legitimate question: we have no way of knowing. Presumably, you signed a document when you received the card. Consult that document. The answer is there, though probably not clearly. --Nricardo (talk) 03:52, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Pest Control

How do I keep pidgeons off the roof of my home? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Peppersmommy (talk • contribs) 00:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

BB gun?--Jayron32.talk.contribs 00:49, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You could get those little spikes you see on the top of signs and overhangs, etc. It would require a lot of them, though. --Tango (talk) 01:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You could try one of those fake owl thingies, though my experience has been that their effectiveness is fairly limited. 38.112.225.84 (talk) 01:15, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Flamethrower? Or a sprinkler? 71.176.156.86 (talk) 01:47, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You might be interested in reading Bird abatement. --Lenticel ^(talk) 03:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I cringe to see the spike thingys because just a roll of wire drawn out into loops and fixed at both ends keep pigeons off window ledges and the like without a drop of blood or lamed feet. Poor pigeons, they only "home" after all. Julia Rossi (talk) 07:28, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

obscenity

How can you be sued for selling something obscene? If hardcore pornography is perfectly legal then how can selling a poster of penises be illegal? Yeah the charges were eventually dropped in that example, but why didn't their lawyers just say "lol what, free speech. /trial" 71.176.156.86 (talk) 00:56, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

In what jurisdiction? Algebraist 00:57, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Judging by the example given, the US. Hardcore pornography is restricted in the US, for example I believe there are age restrictions on who can buy it. Selling hardcore pornography to a minor could well be illegal, so including it as part of something that could be sold to minors might be too. --Tango (talk) 01:07, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Also, it should be noted that "In the U.S." is an impossible to determine factor. The Supreme Court has ruled, on multiple occasions, that obscenity is not covered by free speech, and that it is defined by "community standard"(aka the Miller test), thus it is not an issue for the federal government to determine. Also, while Congress can pass laws to restrict "interstate commerce" of obscene materials (such as transport of pornography accross state lines) it cannot, under its enumerated constitutional powers, directly legislate against the sale of pornography within any state. Basically, this function is left up to state governments; what is legal in one U.S. state may be illegal in other states. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:09, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You would not be "sued" for selling obscenity, you would be arrested for it and taken to trial on a criminal charge. Lawsuits are civil matters between an aggrieved individual and the person who is being accused of committing the aggrievement. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 23:14, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Presidential lifespan

What US president has lived the longest after their term ended? Nadando (talk) 01:14, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Herbert Hoover, with (i believe) Gerald Ford (the oldest ex-president) as runner-up. —Tamfang (talk) 01:49, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Could Jimmy Carter be third? Warofdreams talk 12:15, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Not any more. —Tamfang (talk) 03:34, 1 September 2023 (UTC)

For those that care, the following all lived in excess of 20 years after leaving office. (dates are end of presendency - death year):

• Herbert Hoover, 31+ years (1933-1964)
• Gerald Ford, 29+ years (1977-2006)
• Jimmy Carter, 27+ years and counting (1981-present)
• John Adams, 25+ years (1801-1826)
• Millard Fillmore, 21+ years (1853-1874)
• Martin Van Buren, 21+ years (1841-1862), a few days less than Fillmore
• Richard Nixon, 20+ years (1974-1994)

A few died within 10-20 years of leaving office, but most died within less than a decade after leaving office. Also, 8 presidents (out of 42, slightly less than 1 in 5) died in office. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:50, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I can't help thinking it'd be relevant to know how old the president was at the end of his term -- Ronald Reagan's life expectancy would have been far shorter than Richard Nixon's or Teddy Roosevelt's. --- OtherDave (talk) 02:28, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Closed-circuit wiki?

I know there are several wiki engines available for free on the internet for those wishing to create their own wikis, but is there a way to create a sort of closed-circuit wiki, in which the contributors are limited to registered participants? I'm thinking of an encyclopedia on a specific topic, available for anyone to use to obtain information, but only moderator-approved account holders could create or edit pages. Is there anything like this out there? I've searched for something like this, but haven't been able to find anything. - James —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.215.227.218 (talk) 01:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You can turn off open registration in mediawiki, and you can restrict edits to registered users. Then manually create accounts for editors. 71.176.156.86 (talk) 01:48, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Microsoft Sharepoint Services includes a wiki. It's easy to set up, but it's really terrible. I'm pretty sure that the mediawiki.org wiki engine is free. I think it runs with a php front end and a SQL backend. You'd need a server to run it on (any computer would do for an "intranet" site, but I'm pretty sure there are plenty of internet sites that will host it) and someone who knows php and sql well enough to go through the setup.

As for access control, the most secure would be to host it on your own server, and only provide access to people in your network. It looks like the mediawiki engine allows the creation of user-level permissions though: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgGroupPermissions NByz (talk) 02:08, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I would strongly advise you to use MediaWiki - just like Wikipedia. You can indeed set up the permissions so that the only people allowed to edit have to have accounts - and you can limit account creation to the admin class - then make yourself be the only admin. Then, the only people who can edit are the ones for whom you, personally, created an account. Of the other Wiki's I've used - not one has come even close to being as good as MediaWiki. This should come as no surprise - any piece of software that can survive the pounding that Wikipedia gives it must be pretty solid. However, setting up a general-purpose encyclopedia using such a closed Wiki is kinda silly - you'll never come close to the depth and breadth of Wikipedia. The interesting areas to attack with private Wiki's are the extreme niche topics that don't pass Wikipedias' "notability" guidelines. An example of a completely locked-down Wiki would be my own - http://www.sjbaker.org/wiki ...it's not an encyclopedia - it's just the way I organize my own web site - and only immediate family members have accounts. You'll notice that there are no 'edit' tabs on any of the articles because you aren't logged in - and the 'login/create account' button doesn't in fact let you create an account (hmmm - I should probably change the label on that button). SteveBaker (talk) 12:26, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Not everyone wants to "come close to the depth and breadth" of Wikipedia, and in some settings the edit wars, trivia, and emphasis on pop culture give Wikipedia a bad reputation. Also, the typical organizational or corporate wiki is not open to just anyone; it's tailored to a specific group. MediaWiki is an excellent but complex system; another alternative is PBwiki, which can be set up within a firewall. --- OtherDave (talk) 02:34, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Drugs and kissing

If I made out with someone who turned out to have used some kind of meth or speed earlier would the drugs have been transferred to me, even a tiny bit? This is not a request for medical advice, this happened months ago... --124.254.77.148 (talk) 02:13, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You could probably count the transferred drug molecules on one hand 71.176.156.86 (talk) 02:15, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

If you're worried about testing positive, it would only be your hair that still contained any traces after this long. It's almost impossible that it would be detectable by any means. [[1] for some info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by NByz (talk • contribs) 03:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

If your kissing partner had taken a liquid or loose powdered drug orally, and it was immediately before you locked lips, yeah, there'd probably still be enough of it lingering in his or her mouth for at least a "tiny bit" of transfer to have taken place. Whether or not this would have had any effect on you depends on the type and potency of drug, the amount present, your own sensitivity, and the duration and intensity of contact (trying to crawl down your partner's throat for five minutes is going to have a bigger impact than a little light tongue-teasing). If the drug was smoked and you could smell it on his or her breath, that IS transfer (definition of "secondhand smoke"), but not enough to cause intoxication (unless you kissed your partner just seconds after he or she inhaled the fumes, but before he or she exhaled, which obviously isn't the case here) or lasting damage (assuming no frequent repeat exposure). However, if the drug was injected or taken in capsule form (or taken in liquid or powder form long enough before your kiss for trace in the mouth to have been washed away), there's no reason for there to be any significant amount of the drug in your partner's mouth. Not enough to harm you, and certainly not enough to register positive on any drug test. - Lethe —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.215.227.218 (talk) 20:05, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Thank you. I feel a bit better now. Still angry at the boy though... --124.254.77.148 (talk) 04:57, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Pakistan potato patty/pancake

One of my co-workers -- I think he is from Pakistan -- sometimes brings in this delicious snack food that his wife makes. I would love to know a name for it that will let me look up the recipe (he just calls it potato pancake) and/or how to make it. Unfortunately, when I asked, he said he'd have to ask his wife and what he reported back didn't give me enough detail to figure it out. But it seems to be made with mashed potato and cilantro (the leafy herb), green chili (maybe) and coriander (the spice), and he said that there is also egg in it-- that must be what binds it together. And they appear to be pan fried. They are slightly smaller and flatter than a typical hamburger patty. I've tried to find a recipe on the web that sounds like it would make something close, but I've had no luck, and there don't seem to be any cookbooks on the cuisine of Pakistan in my local library. Anyway, does anyone know what this dish is? 68.251.61.102 (talk) 02:32, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Oh, and if it helps, he is Muslim, not Hindu. 68.251.61.102 (talk) 02:34, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

This sounds very similar to smaller version of a Spanish Tortilla, however, as I have not have specifically seen the dish you have described, I cannot say with any level of certiany how similar they are. --70.156.13.172 (talk) 03:33, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

No, it isn't anything like as eggy as that-- it is much more potato than egg. 68.251.61.102 (talk) 03:42, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

It is Kuku (pronouced exactly like cuckoo the bird) and it has different sorts, including potato kuku and vegetable kuku. --Omidinist (talk) 04:59, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You may be right, though that dish (based on a quick google search for recipes) also seems to be an egg dish rather than a potato dish-- I wouldn't have realized there was egg in the dish had I not been told. This thing is more like a potato croquette, and the potatoes in it are almost the consistency of very lumpy mashed potatoes. But at least now I have a lead! 68.251.61.102 (talk) 05:56, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

We have an article on Potato pancakes, aka Latkas, which focuses on the Eastern European/Israeli version. However, as simple as potato pancakes are, I can't imagine that these are all that different from the Pakistani variety (like Polenta/Grits, its all in the name, the recipe's the same)... The article also contains external links and if you follow some of these you may have success. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

The polenta and grits articles disagree with you there, Jayron. Rmhermen (talk) 15:12, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Not really, there's nothing in either article that indicates that one is indistinguishable from the other. Both are essentially a cornmeal porridge or mush, and any variation on the basic recipe in Italian cuisine is likely to have the same variations within the Southern U.S. cuisine. There aren't too many different ways to mix cornmeal and water and boil it. Subtle seasoning differences may exist, as well as the exact coarseness or fineness of the grind or variety of the maize, but really, mushy boiled cornmeal is mushy boiled cornmeal. Same with potato pancakes. There are likely to be regional variations on the basic recipe, but there aren't too many different ways of frying a flattened disc of mashed potatoes... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Polenta and grits taste very different. You should quit reading the articles and actually try them — the differences are not subtle at all. Both of them can be really excellent in their own way, but no one is going to confuse the two. --Trovatore (talk) 23:29, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I have eaten them both, quite often. Some varieties of polenta taste very different from some varieties of grits, though others are closer. I have had different grits which I would describe as more different from each other than either was to certain varieties of polenta, and visa-versa. There's a striking difference between regional cuisines even within larger ethnic traditions. There isn't some singular "grits" recipe, nor is there a singular "polenta" recipe. Its all in how "grandma" used to make it, and my grandma probably did it very different than your grandma... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 04:13, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I would call it Potato bhaji or pakora. --ColinFine (talk) 20:48, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Seconded. Maybe leaning slightly more strongly towards pakora. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 01:11, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Sounds a bit like a Cutlet to me. See the vegetarian version under the Indian Cuisine section. --Zarfol (talk) 00:23, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Egg Patties? There are so many different ways to make it. See [2], [3] -- manya (talk) 03:52, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Dry Ice and Alcohol

What would happen if one was to drop a few cubes of dry ice into a glass of whiskey? Would the whiskey freeze? Would it still be drinkable? Acceptable (talk) 02:39, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I'd say something like this would happen. bibliomaniac15 02:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I suggest in the strongest terms that no one experiment with it, but at one time college chemistry grad students would make a punch called "rocket fuel" which consisted of "Everclear" grain alcohol, sherbet, pineapple juice, and dry ice. It would bubble and foam and cause inebriation if consumed. It had more "punch" than its taste implied. Edison (talk) 03:12, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Adding dry ice to a punch bowl can be perfectly safe if one takes care. Note that it is essential to get food grade dry ice; it's made from the same purity of carbon dioxide that is used to carbonate soda pop. Handle the dry ice with clean gloves and store in clean containers. Use only in a well-ventilated area. Don't add dry ice directly to a warm, empty, glass bowl; the thermal shock may crack the glass. Read the MSDS. Your mileage may vary. Etc. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:07, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

At parties in my youth, I sometimes drank orange juice with Irish Mist and dry ice. Did the job; didn't kill me. —Tamfang (talk) 21:11, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I saw a short section of a travel show about a (Japanese?) restaurant that specialised in food served with dry ice as a gimmick - your soup comes steaming cold. Steewi (talk) 01:16, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Series of specific Japan-related questions

I might be traveling to Japan soon, and I wanted to find out a few things about Japan:

I am a US Citizen, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish. I am planning on participating in the JET program, if they would be kind enough to invite me to teach.

I have a three questions:

1. How hard is it to get a long-term living visa in Japan?

2. It is possible for a foreign resident in Japan to work as a police officer? (Assuming I am entirely fluent in English and Japanese.)

3. How hard is it to get a job in USA - JAPN diplomacy? What kind of jobs are available?

I appreciate it, --70.156.13.172 (talk) 03:26, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

The answer to the question #2:No. You have to be a Japanese citizen to be a police officer. Oda Mari (talk) 15:02, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

1. By 'long-term living visa' I assume you mean 'Permanent Resident Visa'? It is not hard to get, but you need to be continuously resident in Japan for ten years before you can apply for one.

2. You can actually become a police officer even if you are not a Japanese citizen. The testing procedure, however, is very difficult, and more often than not you will be failed, with a different reason given, other than the one that you are a foreigner (I worked for the Police).

3. Diplomatic work should be sought through your own government, and has nothing whatsoever to do with Japan.

Hope this helps.--ChokinBako (talk) 23:43, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

2:No. Working for the Police and becoming a police officer are different. Only Japanese citizens are qualified for the test. That is written at the bottom of the 3 受験資格 section on this Metropolitan Police Dept. page Oda Mari (talk) 06:46, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, I was not clear enough. I did not mean that because I worked for the Police anyone can, I meant, in my capacity as an interpreter for the Police, I did actually meet several Police Officers from Brazil, none of whom had Japanese passports or dual nationality. All you need to be able to do to be a Police Officer in Japan is drink coffee and write parking tickets once a month, anyway.--ChokinBako (talk) 08:39, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

ChokinBako, you answer is still not very clear. You're saying you "worked for the police" while at the end of your paragraph you are talking about very loose requirements to be "a Police Officer." I would be inclined to believe Oda in regard to wether or not a non-citizen could become a police officer as I have read the page reference. Anyway, could you clarify what are you saying?

If time is infinite...

moved to Science desk ~ mazca ^t|c 07:54, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

The "one vote" candidate

I remember reading an anecdote a long time ago of a candidate for a lower-level political office who received just one vote. He didn't win, but it came out that obviously not even his wife and close family voted for him...the one vote he received was his own. Does anyone know A) if this was a real incident and if so, B) who it was? --Kickstart70TC 05:27, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

It's better than that. In a December 1860 UK election, the Temperance Chartist candidate F. R. Lees of Ripon, Yorkshire, received no votes at all. Not even his own. Which makes a kind of sense: if even he didn't think he was worth voting for, why would anyone else? A manifestion of the ultimate lack of self-esteem, really, and I wonder why he even bothered becoming a candidate in the first place. -- JackofOz (talk) 05:47, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I don't believe UK election law requires you to be a registered voter in the constituency you're standing in, so maybe he just didn't have a vote there. --Tango (talk) 11:48, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

That'll teach me to comment gratuitously. I withdraw my remarks unreservedly and I apologise to the estate of the late Mr Lees. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:48, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

F R Lee's failure is described in United Kingdom by-election records#Lowest share of the vote, which says "his supporters mistakenly believed that he had withdrawn". A candidate getting no votes has also happened more recently in the UK, in the 2007 English council elections. According to the Daily Telegraph, "A Conservative candidate made history by failing to attract a single vote ... Shirley Bowes, 72, was even unable to vote for herself because she lives outside the New Trimdon and Trimdon Grange ward that she was contesting on Sedgefield district council."[4]--Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 11:55, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

For a more recent example of a candidate who won just one vote, see Catherine Taylor-Dawson. Warofdreams talk 12:06, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

JackofOz, in India, when you are candidate for some types of elections, you become eligible to get some services (like new telephone lines) faster (in few days). Ordinary people generally have to wait for weeks/months to get it. manya (talk) 08:55, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Thank you. Are you saying that people become candidates purely to get these quicker services, without any intention of pursuing their campaigns, and don't even vote for themselves? I could believe that, but with the numbers typically involved in Indian elections, it's hard to believe that not a single other person would vote for them, even accidentally. -- JackofOz (talk) 20:19, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I have not heard of zero votes so often in India, but it does happen sometimes (e.g. Out for a duck in Mohali poll). Couple of decades back, waiting period for some services was so long that it was worth becoming a candidate for election and get services with priority. Such candidates don't care about the money they deposit for election which they lose because they cannot get minimum number of votes required to claim back the deposit. And when intention is only to get the services, whats point in voting for self when candidate actually wants other deserving candidate to win and therefore votes for him/her. (It is obvious that, in such cases, the constituency of candidate is typically the residence area where candidate is registered voter.) manya (talk) 03:43, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Wow. Thanks. -- JackofOz (talk) 04:34, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

death toll

overall how many people died in WWI

overall how many people died in WWII

overall how many people died in the second Congo War, or the Congo wars in general

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 11:03, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

See List of wars and disasters by death toll. Algebraist 11:14, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

(Edit conflict): Our articles on World War I, World War II and the First/Second Congo War should help. Check out the "infoboxes" - the table on the right-hand side of the page that summarises key information. Booglamay (talk) - 11:15, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Thank you, and for any one elses benefit,

WWI 19,11000 WWII 70 000 000 1+2 Congo 4 100 000

Please see my next questio below some where Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 14:48, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Ancient Egyptian Pottery

Can anyone provide some links to some useful sites about Ancient Egyptian Pottery? I've been looking through here trying to finding an article about it but so far there hasn't been any luck. Thanks in advance

BlebBlebBlebBLEB (talk) 11:22, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Hmmm - I don't see a lot of stuff about the subject but:

• Egyptian faience
• Canopic jar
• Ancient_Egypt#Technology
• Ancient_Egyptian_technology#Glassworking
• Art_of_Ancient_Egypt#Pottery

Click on any little blue numbers in square brackets embedded in the text to find references and links to other sites. I hope this helps. SteveBaker (talk) 12:15, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Drinking beer through a straw

Is it true that drinking beer through a straw makes you drunk more quickly? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.158.197.100 (talk) 12:00, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

No, unless you drink faster through a straw. Darkspots (talk) 12:03, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

There are lots of myths out there on what can make you drunk faster. The actual thing is, the only factor that matters is how much ethyl alcohol you ingest in a given time period. Say beer is 5% alcohol, and you consume a pint (roughly 500 ml), you will have consumed 25 mL of ethyl alcohol. If you take a 50 mL shot of whiskey that is 100 proof (thus 50% alcohol), you also get 25 mL of alcohol. If you drink, say 1 beer every half hour, or drink one shot every half hour, you will get drunk at exactly the same rate. The difference between beer and hard liquor is that generally you drink beer slower, since it has a higher volume, and since you often have to piss quite more often, so under equivalent drinking conditions, you tend to get drunker slower. However, if you are guzzling the beer, and sipping the whiskey, you will definately get drunk faster on the beer than the whiskey. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:24, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You go a bit far in saying that ingestion is all that matters. Absorption matters a lot, too, as anyone who's done any drinking on an empty stomach will attest. --Sean 13:35, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I agree - it's not the amount of alcohol you ingest it's the concentration in the blood - which is determined by the rate at which it's being absorbed against the rate at which it's being metabolized. If you consume alcohol at a rate slower than your body can metabolize it - you can drink as much as you like and never get drunk. That's why you get less drunk if you eat food while drinking - the digestion of the food slows down the rate of alcohol absorption which means that the peak blood-alcohol concentration will be lower and you'll get less drunk. SteveBaker (talk) 14:09, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

. . not forgetting that when you're eating your blood glucose is going to be higher. The effect of drunkenness is enhanced with a low blood glucose. Richard Avery (talk) 14:28, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Concerning the OP, despite all your well doctumented scientific knowlege, that I am sure is in good faith, I have tried the beer through a straw trick, and it does get you more drunk than just drinking it normally, Cider works better though. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 14:53, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You think the straw thing works, try a liter of beer in a large funnel with a long enough piece of wide aquarium tubing attached to the narrow end to let gravity force the beer into your stomach in a few seconds. Repeat once or twice, depending on your tolerance to alcohol. Be sure to try this in a crowded room full of people chanting your name. Surprisingly effective. Darkspots (talk) 17:59, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Just don't do it with water! A friend of an old teacher of mine tried that (everyone else was doing it with beer, but he didn't drink) and ended up being rushed to hospital. Of course, doing it with alcohol isn't entirely wise either since it allows you to consume it fast enough that you've already consumed a fatal dose before you're drunk enough to pass out and stop drinking (which usually saves people). --Tango (talk) 18:50, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

It should also be noted that beer is also mostly water, so any such effects would be equally present in funneling beer as well as pure water, amd this is compounded by the fact that beer also contains alcohol... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:04, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Blood is mostly water too. It's drinking a lot of something more dilute than blood that is the problem. I'm not entirely sure where beer falls in the range of concentrations, but it's certainly more concentrated than water so you would need more of it to dilute your blood to dangerous levels. --Tango (talk) 19:30, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Also, alcohol is a diuretic which is going to help. --Tango (talk) 19:31, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Oh, beer funneling is insanely dangerous. But so is drinking beer in general, if you're not careful. Hundreds of thousands of people die a year, worldwide, because of alcohol and the things they do while under the influence. Moderation is the key to safety, not wanting to get drunk. Darkspots (talk) 19:49, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

The plural of "anecdotal evidence" is not "data". Darkspots' answer has the original question covered in full. — Lomn 14:57, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I've heard stories of people getting drunk on non-alcoholic wine and beer (without knowing it was non-alcoholic). If you expect something to get you drunk, it probably will - it's a very subjective thing. While you may not get the blurred vision, bad balance, etc. (or the hangover!), it can still function as a "social lubricant". --Tango (talk) 15:43, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually, Tango, you are quite likely to get all of those physical effects, if you believe yourself to be getting drunk. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:16, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Not everything is susceptible to the placebo effect, are you sure sobriety is? --Tango (talk) 18:45, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

According to this paper, published by the NIH it certainly is, and such placebo effects call into question whether control groups in alcohol-effect studies can be trusted as control groups, due specifically to what is termed the "alcohol expectency effect", that is some people receive social cues from other, actually drunk people, and thus themselves start feeling drunk. It isn't merely that the participants are knowingly "acting drunk" to "fit in". They may genuinely feel the effects in a real, tangible, physical way, akin to the placebo effect. This simple google search turns up enough scholarly papers to verify the basic principle. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:58, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Death Toll II

How many people died in the 20th century due to war. Total, civilians and military. A tuffy, but you guys can do it!! Thanks in advance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 14:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

P.S. how many people died overall during the Napoleonic Wars, as a direct result thereof Civilians and Military personel? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 14:57, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

We will provide an accurate and well referenced response as soon as all the data are available and tabulated. Please have patience, since it will be something over 325,861 days. (Note: the question originally asked for total deaths in the 29th century)Edison (talk) 15:04, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

HAHA, sorry, type o, i have corrected 29th to 20th. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:14, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You might want to take a look at List of wars by death toll.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:27, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

1. The first question is impossible to answer definitively, due to whether you include famines and diseases connected with wars, genocides during wars, forced population relocations after wars, etc. So I suggest you work out what you want to include before doing any calculations.

2. Napoleonic Wars casualties. Wow, that was difficult to find. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 17:38, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

According to War, 20th century deaths were between 131.2 million and 217.6 million. Exclude WWI and WWII, and it drops to 51.2 million – 75.6 million. Curiously, our List of causes of death by rate lists suicide but not war . . . DOR (HK) (talk) 09:07, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

just out of interest

in the uk and/or does a solicitor or lawyer or some such person need to be part of a law firm to practice? does a doctor need to be part of a practice or hospital to see patients on a regular basis? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:25, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You can be a self-employed solicitor or doctor. In fact, I think pretty much all GPs are self-employed. Solicitors often form firms together, so they join own the company, but I don't know of any rule that says they can't work alone. --Tango (talk) 15:47, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

There are also arrangements where each practitioner is self-employed but a group shares facilities. —Tamfang (talk) 20:13, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Many solicitors, and ALL Advocates (aka barristers - ie those lawyers who have traditionally enjoyed exclusive rights of audience in the Higher Courts) practise in isolation (note the spelling). Professionals such as lawyers and doctors practise in a practice, though you wouldn't think so if you saw how many mis-spell the word! In England, those Barristers who choose to do so join a set of Chambers headed by a senior of their number supported by Clerks who "find" work for them to do. But in that scenario, members of the same set of chambers can and do represent opposing sides in both civil and criminal actions. In Scotland, Advocates are members of the Faculty of Advocates wherein they enjoy support services, but again, they are self-employed. 92.21.140.152 (talk) 20:44, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Re practise (v.)/practice (n.), I agree with you for Commonwealth use, but I believe "practice" (v.) is the norm for the US and its sphere of influence. Not sure where "practise" fits in over there, if anywhere. Since we're talking about spelling, general references to barristers, advocates, chambers and clerks are not capitalised. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

To answer the second sentence: The spelling practise simply does not exist in usual American English. We use practice for all meanings. Arguably this causes some information loss, but then so does the British spelling vice for both what we would call a vice (opposite of a virtue) and what we would call a vise (a gadget for holding things tightly). --Trovatore (talk) 05:45, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

UK spelling seems quite appropriate per WP:ENGVAR in a thread dealing with people who are lawyers in the UK. Edison (talk) 05:29, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I think that's taking our policies too far. In an article on UK legal matters, certainly practise (v.) should be spelt practise, not practice. But if an editor from the US asks a question on the Ref desk about UK legal matters, he's entitled to refer to barristers "practicing" if that's the spelling he normally uses for this word. Friend 92 was right to draw the UK use to the editor's attention, though, and I certainly wasn't quibbling with that. If I were asking a question about US defence spending, I'd spell defence "defence", even though I know the Americans spell it "defense". But if I were referring to the Secretary of Defense, I'd defer to the US usage because that's a formal title and it's properly spelt only one way. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:40, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I read both versions of English so often I sometimes forget which is native to my country. Edison (talk) 18:59, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I liked that - Friend92 - I think I will adopt that as my nom-de-plume. BTW, I pointed out the UK convention because the OP specifically asked about UK solicitors and lawyers, though lawyer is a UK term mainly used in Scotland. Separately, I make no apology for capitalising Barrister etc., as I was keen to draw attention to those terms, given they are not generally used terms, certainly not "Clerks" in the Barristers' Clerk context. Friend92. 92.8.5.97 (talk) 20:26, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I believe the godfather traditionally has the right to name a child. In lieu of this, I will accept payment for your new name, Friend92. If you don't send me money, I'll be forced to make you an offer you can't refuse.  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 22:34, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I can refuse anything on offer - except temptation!!!! Friend92 92.8.5.97 (talk) 23:18, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Oh, I can provide plenty of that ... -- JackofOz (talk) 06:13, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

When is an article actually posted?

I wrote an article in the sandbox and debugged it. Then I hit the save page button. This seems to be as far as the instructions take one. When, if ever, can I actually see the article on wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cw010000 (talk • contribs) 16:24, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You don't actually create articles in the sandbox, that is just for your own testing. You create the article in the real article's space. Best way to do this is to type the article's name into the search box, click 'Go' and then (assuming no article comes up) click the 'Create the page' link and go from there. Also have a look at Wikipedia:Your first article. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:29, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You can also create an article in your personal sandbox, User:Cw010000/my sandbox, by typing the complete string User:Cw010000/my sandbox into the search box, then clicking "create the page" when Wikipedia says it can't find an article called User:Cw010000/my sandbox. Now you have a subpage which is your sandbox for developing an article. You will be able to edit it, saving your work, add references, and when it is ready, move it to article space by clicking the "move" button at the top of the page. Use the desired title for the article where it says "To new title." This greatly reduces the chances of an admin or editor with an itchy trigger finger for deleting things seeing your article when it is one sentence long and tagging it for speedy deletion. It lets you develop the article incrementally without accidentally deleting a lot of typing while you are editing it, since each versions is permanently saved when you press save. An article should include reliable sources which have substantial coverage of the subject as references and should make some claim of notability for the subject of the article. There are some exceptions to this, like towns and villages, and members of legislatures, who have been judged inherently notable, and only need to be verifiable by a reliable source. Edison (talk) 18:29, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

One such page of mine was adapted by someone else into a real article! —Tamfang (talk) 20:16, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

There is nothing whatever wrong with doing that - your sandbox doesn't "belong to you" in any particular way. Everything you post here is under GFDL - and AFAIK there are no policies or guidelines asking people not to do that. If you really want to keep something out of the hands of other people until you're ready - set up your own private MediaWiki and do your preparation work there. SteveBaker (talk) 16:22, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

There is something wrong with it – it's discourteous. Whether there are "policies or guidelines" or not, I would say that it was rather impolite to take stuff from someone else's sandbox and post it in mainspace, if (as Tamfang implies) there was no communication prior to doing it. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:28, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

An article developed in one's sandbox may include contributions from others, as did the Archie Frederick Collins article. If someone did a cut and past of a draft article in your sandbox, and used it to create a new article, GFDL is violated because the contributions of any prior editors, including the one whose sandbox it was in, are not acknowledged. It looks like a case of stealing and taking credit for the work of others. That would be grounds for deletion so that the article could be properly created, by "moving" it from the sandbox to article space, as I did for the Collins article. Are there other ways to bring in the history, such as by a merge of the sandbox article and the mainspace article? Edison (talk) 18:55, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I wasn't bothered, apart from temporary alarm that the creator of the new article told me he had "moved" my page. When someone overwrote my shiny new Vampire (Buffy) article with a load of clutter, that got under my skin. —Tamfang (talk) 01:29, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

To the OP: Which sandbox did you use, and when? If you are concerned that you have lost an article you spent some time writing, then don't worry: it will still be there in the history. You weren't signed in under User:Cw010000 (I checked your contributions), but you may be able to find your contributions from your IP, if you use the same computer. Otherwise, look at Wikipedia:Sandbox history or Wikipedia:Tutorial (Editing) Sandbox history. The history is by date and time, so you should be able to locate your article. You can then create it in your own sandbox, or as an article as mentioned above. Note, however, that all new articles must meet WP's notability guidelines. Feel free to ask at Wikipedia:New contributors' help page if you need further advice. Gwinva (talk) 21:43, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Party

if you throw a party and some one brings drugs, the party is then stopped by the police for to much noise, can you be held responsible for the drugs that they then find there. also, if you throw a party and have drugs there, could you just say that they are not yours and that the party got out of hand and you dont know whose they are. or who is now at yor party that started out as a small get-to-gether. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

We can't give legal advice and it probably varies between jurisdictions. I think a lot of jurisdictions have laws against allowing drugs to be dealt on your property, but I'm not sure what would happen if they were just being possessed and taken, but not dealt. It may also depend on whether or not you knew it was going on. --Tango (talk) 16:55, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Again, this does not constitute legal advice, but you can be held liable for things that go on at your party, since it is your property, you have a reasonable expectation to control what goes on there. This reasonable expectation does not allow willful negligence, that is being ignorant of a situation you should have control over. In many, many jurisdictions in the U.S., bars and restaurants have been successfully sued by victims of drunk drivers for allowing said people to leave the bar, in a car, in a legal state of intoxication. In many other cases, parents are held legally responsible for parties their children throw, where people who leave that party cause problems. This is held to be true, even if the parents don't actually know about the party. The owners of the property are legally responsible for what goes on at their property. If people are bringing drugs to a party at your house, you can and will be held liable for those people and those drugs. If you don't want people bringing drugs into your house, don't allow them to come. The test is not whether you can be shown to actually know about them; its whether it is reasonable that you should know about them. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:10, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

And of course you don't have to let the cops in. You can just apologize and say "I'll take care of it, thanks" and refuse to let them enter. 71.176.164.70 (talk) 18:31, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Unless they have a search warrant, of course, but they aren't likely to get one just for a noise complaint. In fact, I can't see why they would even ask to enter if they were only there about the noise. --Tango (talk) 18:44, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually, they can enter without a search warrent if they have probable cause to believe that a crime is in progress. Minors consuming alcohol would qualify as such a crime, and having large numbers of people who appear to be minors packed into a house and making lots of noise is probably cause to believe that such a crime is going on. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

You're making assumptions about jurisdiction there - in the UK, there is nothing illegal about minors consuming alcohol in a private house (assuming they're over 5, anyway). --Tango (talk) 18:53, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

True, but so aren't you. There are many jurisdictions in the English-speaking world where it is perfectly permissible for police to enter a residence for any reason... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I never said they couldn't, I replied to someone saying they couldn't with one way in which they could. I never said there weren't other ways as well. (I may have inadvertently implied it, I suppose.) --Tango (talk) 19:27, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Um, Who's on First? --Jayron32.talk.contribs 20:47, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Does saying "We can't give legal advice" or "this does not constitute legal advice" mean that the rest of the paragraph does not contain legal advice? Is this a lawyers trick to be able to break the rules? Phil Burnstein (talk) 22:23, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

For the millionth time:

"legal advice is the giving of a formal opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law by an officer of the court"

Legal advice is distinguished from legal information which is the reiteration of legal fact. Legal information can be conveyed by a parking meter, sign or by other forms of notice such as a warning by a law enforcement officer. Printed legal materials, such as directions and how-to manuals, are generally not considered legal advice. Accordingly, directions on how to fill in a motion form and other court documents do not constitute legal advice

--72.236.192.238 (talk) 22:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Globespan Flight from Glasgow International Airport

When did the Globespan flight from Glasgow International airport to Hamilton International Airport, Canada which was scheduled to leave Glasgow on 30th JUne 2007 (the day of the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport) actually take off from Glasgow and when did it arrive at Hamilton Int Airport? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.41.230.184 (talk) 17:19, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Call them and ask? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.21.140.152 (talk) 23:41, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

fog machine

I have a fog machine I just bought for halloween. However, the small tank you poor the fog juice in does not have a hole anywhere where the juice can flow into the main part of the machine. I don't want to waste fog juice so can someone tell me if it's meant to be like this?--76.176.143.54 (talk) 19:14, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Different fog machines work differently, so it's hard to say. I suggest testing it with just a little of the "juice" and see what happens. Perhaps it's meant to turn into fog and then escape from the top of the tank. --Tango (talk) 19:25, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Typically the fluid in fog machines lasts a long time. What's the manufacturer and model number of yours? Darkspots (talk) 19:29, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

They use a VERY small amount of juice - the hole you're looking for is obviously there - it's just that it's too small for you to see - you might well be looking for something the size of a pin-hole. SteveBaker (talk) 20:11, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

have fun with it, but be advised that those things can fill up a house with fog rather quickly! I enjoy mine outdoors for the most part. As Steve said, they do use a very tiny amount of juice so the hole may be hard to see. cheers, 10draftsdeep (talk) 12:31, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Selena Vega 215

I own an radio named Selena Vega 215 and I wanted to know from what year it is. I searched on google and wikipedia and i didn't found it. 85.220.105.7 (talk) 19:46, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

My very first effort was to type "Selena Vega 215" into Google and I got a screenful of useful-looking hits. Halfway down I saw "Selena Vega B-215 Model about 1975. Minsk Radio Works. Belarus."...I don't think you searched very hard! SteveBaker (talk) 20:08, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

As SB says above, model B-215 seems to have been produced from 1975 onwards . In 1979 it was replaced with B-216 which looks identical. Another site says: Made in USSR in 1980 - traditional multiband radio, 8 bands on SW and broadcast bands - it employs 24 USSR Germanium & Silicon transistors - supply by 6x D cell for 9V - all electronic parts are USSR made all of good quality, nice radio of good electronic quality, it has good sound and reception - case is made of good quality plastics and wood and the dial is backpainted in many colours. Texts are in English, inside almost all texts are in Russian. This radio has no SSB reception on SW. --62.47.152.186 (talk) 21:34, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually - it starts to look like there were maybe two versions - the "Selena B-215" for the Russian domestic market - and the "Selena Vega 215" for overseas sales - but they seem to be almost identical except for text on the dials and such - so it's pretty certain that 1975 to 1979 is still the right answer. SteveBaker (talk) 16:17, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks great to know my radio is 30 years old. 85.220.101.206 (talk) 06:57, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Many people assume these radios are "Russian" but in fact most of them were made in Latvia # or Belarus. The performance of these sets was excellent but the build quality while very good overall was let down by variable quality soldering and bits falling off. The design dates from the late sixties/early seventies but they were produced (with small variations) up to the late 1980's The VEF 206 (no FM but additional SW bands) was another popular model. Models sold on the Domestic Soviet market lacked the bands above 12 MHz.

October 29

Font

what type of font is used for the lettering of this?

Image:GNRchinesedemocracy.jpg — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.21.172.115 (talk • contribs) 01:22, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Difficult to tell in all caps, but it looks like a version of Garamond to me. I'm sure that some typographical experts will be along to correct me before long, so wait for them. Deor (talk) 01:58, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

What makes you say Garamond? I'd guess it's a fairly recent design, i.e. since 1984. —Tamfang (talk) 06:14, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

WhatTheFont listed Congress SB-Light, Congress Light, Congress T Light, Skopex Serif-Reg Caps, and Skopex Serif-Reg TF as possible matches, but I'm not at all sure how reliable the tool is... --Onorem♠Dil 12:54, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

It's not very reliable. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:11, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Not one I'm familiar with (and I have a lot of fonts, and a pretty good knowledge of them). Definitely not Garamond (or Congress or Skopex). It has some distinctive features, like the tail of the R and the lack of a serif on the center of the E. I haven't found anything that really matched up to it. It reminds me of the serif font that engravers sometimes use for those cheesy trophies and paperweights. --98.217.8.46 (talk)

Please remove four-letter word in one of your articles...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_City

Under Cebu City, under History:

"As early as 3,000 years ago, Cebu is the fucking city, Zebu, Zzubu or Sugbu, was already shito a prosperous settlement before it was colonized by Spain."

The use of the "F" word needs to be changed and this needs to be corrected, immediately. Other errors may be present. You can check. Thank you.

Fixed. And thank you. Dismas|^(talk) 01:57, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

just wondering why couldn't the poster of the question fix the article?

Mix Lord (talk) 08:02, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Dear Poster, thanks for finding what is vandalism (I'm imagining it's by someone who thought their hometown was a "hole" – dictionary meaning is informal for: a small or unpleasant place : she had wasted a whole lifetime in this hole of a town). Be bold and change back anything like vandalism you come across. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:09, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

See vandalism and in particular Wikipedia:vandalism. I'm afraid it happens all the time. It is a pain in the phrase removed. Dmcq (talk) 08:13, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

While the word was inappropriate here, do note if the word is used appropriately, e.g. if it's a direct quote from someone that is valid and important to the article, then it is unlikely it will be removed since wikipedia is not censored Nil Einne (talk) 12:54, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Nationalism in India and Europe

what is nationalism in india and europe? when was it started? give brief description on nationalism in india and europe —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.244.18 (talk) 03:42, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

We will not do your homework here. Try searching for the answers yourself by typing a key word or phrase (hint: "india nationalism") in the search box near the top left of this page (click Search instead of Go). -- Tcncv (talk) 04:03, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Vegetarianism

As a rule of thumb, are most lacto-ovo vegetarians okay with eating ingredients made from animal byproduct (such as gelatin or fish sauce), or not? I would actually be glad to "poll the reference desk" on this one. Please mention if you happen to be a lacto-ovo vegetarian. The Jade Knight (talk) 10:31, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

If l-o vegetarians don't eat fish or meat, why would they eat associated by-products of these animals? Dairy products imply no animal dies in the process of producing them. Julia Rossi (talk) 11:21, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

A complex issue this. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (as is the rest of my family). We personally do not have issues with consumption animal products as those you mentioned, not even from a religious point of view (I'm from a family of Hindus). I do suspect, though, that religions that shun strictly the killing of animals, e.g. Buddhism or Jainism will forbid consumption of products as those mentioned by you (afterthought: Buddhists or Jains may not consume eggs in the first place). Bottom line is, that if one is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, chances are that he will be so by his own volition, as most religions which forbid consumption of animal meat also advise against consumption of eggs. A Christian lacto-ovo vegetarian may not have such issues; on the other hand, there may not be an entity as a Jain lacto-ovo vegetarian.Leif edling (talk) 11:39, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Buddhism does not shun the eating of animals, it is considered wrong to kill animals. But if they are already dead and the meat is offered to the temple, the monks will take it. After all, it is already dead, and eating it fulfills the purpose of its death. Just throwing it away would make its death pointless.--ChokinBako (talk) 20:00, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

To respond to Julia Rossi, the vegan concept of not consuming dairy products also stems from the fact that, occasionally, male calves are killed in preference to female ones in dairies in order to lower costs and optimize output. While this: [5] may be overkill, such stuff does happen for fulfillment of economic ends.Leif edling (talk) 11:33, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Leif – didn't know there was a hidden statistic death factor in there. Julia Rossi (talk) 11:37, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

It's worse with chickens, where the boys are generally sent directly to the chipper as soon as they're sexed. --Sean 13:29, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I think Sean's post wins the award for the scariest piped link of the day. All ovo-lacto vegetarians I know avoid jello but that's 100% anecdotal. Darkspots (talk) 14:51, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

In my experience, attitudes towards the consumption of animal byproducts vary among vegetarians. Most vegetarians I know avoid items such as gelatine, cochineal and usually rennet, whereas far fewer avoid products clarified using isinglass. I suspect this is largely down to the relative difficulty in determining whether these byproducts have been used, the availability of alternatives, and perhaps because the isinglass should not be present in the finished product. Warofdreams talk 16:59, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I am vegetarian, bordering on vegan, and like most vegetarians I know, I avoid most processed foods so additives are not usually an issue. I certainly avoid eating animal products as much as possible. In the UK, many processed foods that are suitable for vegetarians will have a notice stating this, which saves a lot of time trying to read the small print. I suspect there are a large number of people who think of themselves as vegetarian but don't realise that animal products are used in the manufacture of many foods.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:40, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks to the heads up on vegetarianism, until now I've been shilled! Julia Rossi (talk) 09:01, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Hi. I have a friend who is a vegetarian, and can eat eggs and milk products, but cannot drink milk. He does not eat gelatin, rennet, food dye made from insects, nor any food or candy product that is made by a company known to do animal testing. Not sure if this applies to other ovo-lacto vegetarians, however. Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 21:25, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Money

Seeing as you can get money by using your credit card at a money machine, why don't people ever just use their card indefinitely? 58.170.198.49 (talk) 10:37, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Credit cards have a limit. The amount of that limit is based on your personal circumstances. Additionally credit-cards/bank-cards usually have a daily-limit on the amount that can be withdrawn using them at ATM machines. This is incase someone finds our your PIN and takes your card - additionally it will help prevent cash-machines having too much money taken from them, which helps decrease the amount of time between replenishing the machines (which obviously is less of a problem for ATMs attached to banks than it is for ones that aren't). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:04, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Also, you have to pay the money back, or else the credit card company may be able to declare you bankrupt, freeze your bank accounts, dock your salary, repossess/sell your goods, or even put you in jail, depending on local laws and practices. If you have a card with a large limit, that is probably because the company considers you trustworthy, and even so the amount of money you can withdraw is unlikely to be enough to let you flee the country and set yourself up for life; although some people do make a living from credit card fraud, they will typically use large numbers of cards.

While many card issuers do not require cards to be authorized for small payments in stores, they are very likely to check all transactions in networked ATM machines. They also devote a lot of effort to credit monitoring to check for non-standard spending patterns, which will allow them to identify stolen cards, identity theft, or someone trying to rip them off, and many issuers will rapidly suspend cards at least until suspicious behaviour is explained. Finally, many credit cards charge higher than normal interest rates for cash advances, so when they do catch up with you, it will be really expensive.--Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 11:45, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Apart from interest rates, CREDIT cards are charged a fee for a cash withdrawal. SGBailey (talk) 12:22, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm not aware higher interest rates is the norm here in NZ. But they do charge interest from the moment you receive a cash advance rather then ~25 days after your bill (bill due date). Interest rates on credit cards are bad enough as it is anyway. And yes, you also get charged a fee. Nil Einne (talk) 12:50, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Funeral

Suppose someone dies before they have a chance to say what they want to happen to them after they die (burying, cremating etc). What happens then? 58.170.198.49 (talk) 10:37, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

The family members/individuals organising the funeral will decide. If there isn't anybody then the government will no doubt have procedures for people with no next of kin/significant others. As an added bonus...I used to wonder about cremations and ashes - whether or not you got all that person, and whether there might be other people's ashes mixed in...Apparently in the UK after a cremation everything must be cleaned out in preparation for the next cremation, you get all the ashes, but things such as pacemakers etc. are removed. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:07, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

On a related note, when animals are cremated, several of them are generally put in at the same time and you get part of your animals ashes along with parts of other people's pet ashes. Unless you pay extra, then you can get just your animal. This is in the US. I don't know if it differs elsewhere. Dismas|^(talk) 12:34, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

It's worth noting that even if you specify your wishes for the format of your funeral in advance, this is not legally binding in many jurisdictions.[6] Although there may be additional laws governing pre-paid funerals, in many places the relatives can do what they like.

Generally authorities will try to find some relative to pay the funeral costs, but if nobody can be found to take responsibility for the body, then generally local government will bury them. In the USA these are commonly called indigent funerals/burials and are left to individual counties to organise and pay for[7][8]; in the UK, public health funerals funded by local councils[9]. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Maltelauridsbrigge (talk • contribs) 12:02, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I've heard from several sources that's it's physically impossible to completely clean out the refractory. At best, most of what you get back will be who/what you expect, but a small percentage will be from other remains. In a very simple example, consider how perfectly clean you get your barbecue or oven - after every single use. Even if you wanted to get your oven completely clean every time you used it, there's no way you'd be able to guarantee it was 100% clean with no possibility of commingling. My understanding is that most crematories state as much explicitly, though tactfully. Matt Deres (talk) 14:02, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

In Ontario, Canada, if someone dies having made a will and having named an executor in that will, the executor decides what happens to the body. Even where the will or other document stipulates what the testator wants done with his/her body, the executor may override that wish, though to do so without the agreement and/or co-operation of the (rest of the) family is likely to bring a lot of unnecessary grief to the executor's job. If there are no such instructions, the executor has the final say about the disposition of the remains. From this site [10] comes the following:

Funeral and Burial

The executor has control over the disposition of the body. The executor does not have to follow the instructions of the deceased as to funeral or burial arrangements, even if they are written in the will.

៛ Bielle (talk) 15:23, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Who gets the pacemakers?

Following the last section, are pacemakers and such things donated as are organs of deceased people? Julia Rossi (talk) 11:17, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Uninformed reply. I doubt it. My mother in law is on her 3rd pacemaker, the others wore out in some fashion. I cannot imagine that they would want to reuse one in someone else, even if it had only been fitted the week before. -- SGBailey (talk) 12:19, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, my equally-uninformed opinion is similar - I would suspect that the costs of installing the pacemaker and treating the patient in the case of problems dwarfs the material cost of the pacemaker itself - so I doubt reusing them is remotely cost-effective due to the inherent unreliability of a used one. ~ mazca ^t|c 14:49, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Well, apparently it does happen: Survival and Mortality in 3,701 Pacemaker Patients: Arguments in Favor of Pacemaker Reuse: "Two pacemaker populations were compared; those having a new pacemaker and (hose implanted with a reused pacemaker. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, either in terms of indications for implantation or in terms of actuarial survival of patients. In addition, there was no significant change in survival of the pulse generator. The reutilization of pacemakers appeared to be in no way detrimental to patients.". Rmhermen (talk) 16:47, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Pacemakers are purely electronic - right? No moving parts. So I don't see how one could 'wear out'. Failure of electronic parts after an initial 'burn in' period is essentially random. So a used pacemaker ought to run (on average) for just as long as a properly burned-in new one. Of course if they don't do the 'burn in' period properly prior to implantation then a used pacemaker would last (on average) longer than a new one. SteveBaker (talk) 18:42, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

That's only half the bath-tub curve! Everything wears out eventually; yes, after the initial 'burn in' period there's a random failure period, but eventually it will wear out. I don't know how long it is before the average pacemaker reaches the wearout period, and from Rmhermen's source it sounds like people are still determining it. Without that, the increased risk can't be determined. 79.66.32.150 (talk) 19:41, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

My son-in-law was for a short time a crematorium attendant and he told me that "burned-out" pacemakers, knees, hips, shoulders etc. are scrapped due to the utterly destructive intense heat generated during the cremation process, not forgetting the reluctance and sensitivities of families and friends, both of the "donor" and any potential recipient to the concept of any re-engineering and re-use. However, I think my understanding of "Burn-in" in this context differs from that of Steve Baker in his!!!

Pacemakers are removed before cremation as they may present an explosion or radiation danger (see Cremation#Burning and ashes collection) Rmhermen (talk) 20:35, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Some dishonest morticians may steal them (I knew one). This, however, is illegal. The Jade Knight (talk) 06:44, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Claire Daines

In the TV show My so called life, who was the guy she fell in love with, who was the actor, and who was the character, and most importantly, what was the song that he wrote for her.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk)

Have you seen our article on My So-Called Life, you'll find all of the answers there. Nanonic (talk) 14:51, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

food

is there a product on the market, or how feasable is it to produce a product that conyains everything one needs to survive. eg all the vitamins, minerals, protiens, ect, much like a yogurt or actimel type thing. This could be used for the military, hiking, poor people, famines, lazy cooks ect. basically all one needs is air, water and product x. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk)

Probably not, the main issue is that everyone is different and thus needs different amounts of vitamins etc to stay healthy. Then there are the problems raised from the use of Multivitamins where a concotion/mix of vitamins can be dangerous to some groups at certain times in their lives or those with medical problems. In addition to this, there is the very real risk of a user overdosing if they take more than the required amount (usually Vitamin A, D or Iron overdoses). Finally, taking a pill or eating one item will not cause the bodies hunger pangs to cease. The human body has been conditioned for regular eating for so long that the brain will find it hard to stop the reflex, thus people who have received their daily nutrition in one hit will still crave something to eat at some further point in the day. Nanonic (talk) 15:04, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Milk seems to do the job for babies. Gandalf61 (talk) 15:38, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Sure people need different amounts of things - but that just means that 'product X' needs to contain enough of everything to cover the worst-case needs of 99.99% of the population. Some people would get more of something than they need - but that shouldn't be a problem over relatively short periods. Military rations (such as the US "MRE" - Meal, Ready to Eat) seem to do this - but their problem is to avoid boredom...and I guess it's technically not just one homogeneous product - it's a bunch of different things. But take an army ration pack and stick it into a blender - and you should come pretty close. It's said that if you eat all of the food in every pack then you can survive for very long periods on the stuff. SteveBaker (talk) 16:09, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Boost? Or Ensure or Jevity etc. Tomdobb (talk) 17:14, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

My understanding is that total parenteral nutrition can sustain a person indefinitely. --S.dedalus (talk) 18:24, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like you want something like "Purina People Chow" (which I do not believe to be an actual product as yet). I knew impoverished grad students who would eat Purina Monkey Chow. Or consider "jail loaf." It is served up to prisoners who violate the rules in small ways, as by flooding their cell, throwing food at guards, or refusing to return eating utensils. It is supposed to be nutritionally equivalent to the general diet. The recipe varies from place to place, but typically ii includes "grated carrots, dehydrated mashed potatoes, canned spinach, beans, white bread, cheese food, powdered skim milk, some sort of sugar, some sort of meat and vegetable oil, blended together and baked hard." [11] . Another recipe includes whole wheat bread, cheese, carrots, spinach, beans, vegetable oil, potato flakes, tomato paste, skim milk and raisins. [12] , [13]. It actually sounds pretty tasty. I think I will make some and let you know how it tastes. Edison (talk) 18:36, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Heh, this was making me think of the "Bachelor Chow" from Futurama. ~ mazca ^t|c 20:20, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

What about Plumpy'nut? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:01, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Prostate orgasm

If a man has a prostate orgasm does that mean he cums without anyone touching his penis? How can I give a guy a prostate orgasm? 66.63.184.3 (talk) 18:33, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Please see our article on prostate massage. Good luck.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:48, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Maybe you could ask the Prime Minister of Australia. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:24, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Well spotted Sherlock! :) Titch Tucker (talk) 22:37, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Elementary, my dear Titch Tucker! (or might that be more appropriately "Fundamentally, ..." in this case?)  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 02:00, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Elementary, though he never said it in the Holmes canon anyway. bibliomaniac15 02:04, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Holmes says 'elementary' all the time, actually. It's 'Elementary, my dear Watson!' that never occurs. Algebraist 08:05, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Though, as Jack said, the more appropriate word is "Fundamentally..." which is a joke that no one seems to have gotten (look at the roots of the word "fundament"). For the record Jack, I rofled. Though only a little. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 13:00, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I ROFLed on the inside. --Sean 13:28, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

If you hadn't linked that it would have sounded kind of smutty! Titch Tucker (talk) 17:42, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

And for anyone still lost, see wikt:fundament, definition number 2, which is probably the closest to the original meaning of the word.--Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:37, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Who is Toby anyway? 66? Nil Einne (talk) 12:43, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Why aren't there any F6 tornadoes?

Is there a meteorological/atmospheric reason why? I notice the enhanced fajita scale tops out at 322/mph and the old one at 318/mph. Why these exact numbers? Is 322/mph the absolute cutoff nature will allow? How did they determine this? I hate to see people lose thier homes, but from a scientifically anamalous standpoint, a tornado in excess of 322/mph(or much greater!) would be kick ass! Seriously, who wouldn't want to see a tornado so intense that it digs into the ground deep eneough for it to throw bedrock and molten lava around!?THE WORLD'S MOST CURIOUS MAN (talk) 21:36, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

According to the article on Enhanced Fujita Scale, the highest category EF5 is >322mph, so it doesn't top out, although the old Fujita Scale did (at least in more recent versions). The articles make the point that the scale isn't based on exact wind-speed measurements, but on estimates based on the damage. (I'm sure I read somewhere about practical limits on the size of hurricanes and I suspect there are limits on tornadoes, but no idea what.)

Even if an F6 is physically possible, only one tornado in a thousand is an F5 - the chances of an F6 forming would be pretty tiny. But I suspect there are even more significant reasons why they top out at that speed. The air is going around in a circular motion - so there are centrifugal forces acting on the wind - those forces have to be counteracted by lower air pressure inside the tornado than outside. For a small diameter tornado, the centrifugal forces are bigger than for a large diameter one where the air is moving at the same linear speed. But there is a limit to how low the air pressure can be - you can't get lower pressure than a vacuum - so there is obviously a limit beyond which the tornado can't spin any faster and still stay "together". But bigger tornadoes can have higher strength winds without blowing apart because there is less centrifugal force on the air. That means that the fastest tornadoes also have to be big. This means that to get up one more step on the scale doesn't just require the energy to make the air go faster - but also much more air has to be spinning. That double-whammy means that the difference in energy between each step of the tornado is HUGE. As rare as it is to get up enough energy to make an F5 - to reach the mythic F6 may really be beyond the energy that a tornado can muster. SteveBaker (talk) 01:49, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I just wanted to note that the EF5 rating is > 322 km/h not mph. --LarryMac | Talk 12:32, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I think it would be pretty awesome if tornadoes really were measured with a fajita scale. (Sorry!) Adam Bishop (talk) 02:30, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Sort of related: Category_6:_Day_of_Destruction

October 30

Paul Wellstone

Which of the candidates would former US Senator Paul Wellstone support in the current presidential election if he were alive today, and why? 75.174.159.100 (talk) 01:44, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

We don't really do speculative stuff here. Our guidelines (above) say: "The reference desk does not answer requests for opinions...". Sorry. SteveBaker (talk) 01:52, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Ah, sorry. Allow me to rephrase the question; which one of the presidential candidates has views that line up closest with those of the late Senator Wellstone? 75.174.159.100 (talk) 01:57, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

He describes himself as a "Liberal with a conscience" here[14] an informative section covering his activism in our article Paul Wellstone. You can make the (time consuming) comparisons unless you need further help or a political history buff comes along. :) Julia Rossi (talk) 08:52, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

He was a Democrat, and according to our article, the Green Party had considerable sympathy with his views, so I'd suggest that a comparison of his views with those of Barack Obama, Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney would be the best place to start. Warofdreams talk 10:44, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

sexual question

I was thinking of shaving my pubic hair for my boyfriend, but I wondered if anyone else could offer insight as to whether or not men enjoy seeing a girl with no pubic hair and whether I would notice any difference in sexual intercourse if I did shave my pubic hair off. Can anyone offer me some suggestions about this? 76.243.164.199 (talk) 01:56, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Ask 4chan's /r9k/. I believe the answer is 'most people do, but some like it with hair'. I guess your boyfriend would like it, but I dunno. Not sure if this is the kind of question for RD. As I said, ask on 4chan. Avnas Ishtaroth _{drop me a line} 04:06, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like a question of personal preference, and there is no arguing with taste. See Landing strip and Bikini waxing. Edison (talk) 04:22, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

It's easy enough to try...it does grow back! SteveBaker (talk) 04:25, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm reminded of an observation that Peter Mayle made in one of his books, that a man who smokes cigars should select a cigar that fits the size of his face. Churchill would have looked ridiculous smoking a panatella. I guess that's a little oblique, but any decision like this should be made in light of your overall look/attitude. Darkspots (talk) 05:28, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

If I were your bf I'd say: don't do it for me. —Tamfang (talk) 06:08, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

• It would of course be nice to surprise him with something he likes, but the only one who really knows is your boyfriend. Why not ask him? - Mgm|^(talk) 08:04, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

To answer the second part of your question, there is less chafing and rubbing this way, and one tends to not get hairs in your mouth. I like it half way between the two, shaved at the bottom and round the sided and neatly trimmed on top.

There's no answering the first question; it just comes down to taste (ahem), though pubic hair will obviously trap some of the odours associated with any part of the body not routinely allowed to air out. Pubic hair that's shaved off will grow back. That's a good thing, in that any choice you make is quite temporary, but it's less of a nice thing when the stubble appears (complete with white heads, etc.). He may think the clean-shaven look is sexy, but how will he like the pimply "5 o'clock shadow" stage that shows up after a couple of days? Matt Deres (talk) 12:59, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

That assumes that the OP would shave once and then never do it again. If the shaving is kept up with on a daily basis, then the "pimply 5 o'clock shadow stage" will never be an issue. Dismas|^(talk) 19:37, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

In theory, but the pubic area would likely be more difficult to keep clean-shaven. I've never tried it myself (no OR!) but my face couldn't take getting shaved every day and I imagine that a woman's pubic area would be at least as sensitive as my face... though how we go about testing that would likely be a good candidate for the Journal of Irreproducible Results ;-). I have no clue whether shaving alternatives like sugaring and waxing would be recommended for a complete removal of pubic hair (I know "bikini lines" get done), though again that doesn't get done every day. Matt Deres (talk) 20:15, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

OR here, but I've known several women who shaved daily. As for a complete removal by waxing, that would be referred to as a Brazilian waxing. (Caution, the image at that article may not be work safe depending on how liberal your workplace is) Dismas|^(talk) 20:22, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Personally, I like long hair on a girl. Short hair can be like sandpaper on the lips (*ahem*). If you do want to remove the hair, get waxed. It lasts far longer and you won't have the fuss of poking around with a blade in a sensitive area. -- _{Escape Artist Swyer} ^Talk _{Contributions} 00:41, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

google images

hi,are all the images which are put on google free of copyright?can we use them as we like?

No. Absolutely not. They are in the main copyrighted. Google uses them under a fair use doctrine. That fair use would not extend to us or, in general, to anyone's use of them. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:31, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Agreed! Google only acts as a search engine for images - there is most certainly no way you can use 99% of them. For free-to-use photos - check out our very own WikiCommons. Every single photo there is OK to use (although technically - they aren't copyright-free - they are licensed in such a way that you can use them with almost no restrictions. SteveBaker (talk) 00:21, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

What is Rose Pepper?

I see it listed as an ingredient in perfumes.... --Emyn ned (talk) 13:40, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Schinus terebinthifolius. --Sean 14:26, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

European community

I am trying to find a picture of a European comunity that I found on Wiki a few months back. I cannot remember which country it was in or anything like that, but heres what I can remember. It seemed like a very small town that is directly on the coast, it is very mountainous, and the community's buildings are on cliffs that fall directly into the sea. It seemed like a place for very rich people. very green place, very lush. any ideas? I have trolled through the articles on every city mentioned on all the articles on all the provinces on the coastlines of Italy and France, but to no avail Please help. Thanks

Sounds like Positano in Italy to me.

File:IMG 1004.JPG

Santorini, Greece

Maybe Greece - there are a bazillion little islands that fit that description. Santorini is utterly amazing - I went on honeymoon there. If you want mountainous and on the coast - that's the place. WOW! SteveBaker (talk) 00:18, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Ah, so now we know what was responsible for the apocalyptic and cataclysmic eruption on Santorini.  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 04:29, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

cartoons

why are cartoons dipicted with only four fingers on each hand? when did this start and why?

I have no source for this but what I was told long ago was that it's simply easier to draw figures with three fingers and a thumb. And after giving it a try, I agree. Dismas|^(talk) 17:32, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes - that's it exactly. Also, you'll see that in early cartoons, the characters often wear white gloves - and that's because the animators wore white gloves to avoid smudging the images with their hands - when they needed to draw a character's hand in a particular pose - they'd look at their own hands...and (for some bizarre reason) they'd draw the same white gloves on most of their creations! SteveBaker (talk) 00:10, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The article Mickey Mouse explains Mickey's first gloved appearance in 1929[15]] to distinguish the character's hands from his body and were designed with three darts in the fashion of kid gloves at the time. Julia Rossi (talk) 00:52, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The three 'darts' (and sometimes two black buttons) were common on animator gloves at the time. SteveBaker (talk) 16:46, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Especially bizarre when Bugs uses a nail-file on his gloved hand (as in one toon with Yosemite Sam as a Confederate irredentist). —Tamfang (talk) 00:53, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Interestingly enough, God is always depicted on The Simpsons as having four fingers and a thumnb. - Akamad (talk) 02:34, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Not always. In Homer the Heretic, he is depicted both ways. Matt Deres (talk) 14:39, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Bugs has a nail-file!? Now that's bizarre. Julia Rossi (talk) 05:02, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Sat Nav Ambulance Misdirection.

This morning I had to call for an ambulance (Scotland UK) for my mother-in-law who is 84 and who was suffering chest pains - I DO NOT WANT MEDICAL ADVICE. Two ambulances were dispatched, the first with a solo paramedic, the second a full blown emergency vehicle. Both were quite delayed by their SatNav systems which directed them to a country lane at the rear of my back-garden that passes my house but which has no access to the street I live on. In fact, the lane eventually meets up with a cross-Scotland canal and low vehicles pass beneath the canal through a low tunnel. The ambulances however were too high and had no option other than to reverse about 2 miles as the lane has no passing places or turning places. I don't know who supplies the ambulance service with their SatNav systems but clearly, someone should be told of the potential for a serious emergency not being attended on time (police, fire, ambulance etc.). But who should I tell? Neighbours have told me of similar situations wherein parcels and other delivery vehicles have been mis-directed so it is not just an ambulance problem. Any advice greatly appreciated - and Thanks. Friend92. 92.22.195.63 (talk) 17:27, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I imagine the best way to get the maps fixed would be to contact the main manufacturers of SatNav systems, e.g. TomTom or Garmin. It may be also be advisable to contact your local emergency services so that at least they know that SatNav maps in your area are unreliable. -- Arwel Parry _(talk) 17:45, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

And you could raise it with Scottish Ambulance Trust since it must be of material importance to them, and they might have slightly better contacts with their GIS supplier. --Tagishsimon (talk) 17:52, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Along with your neighbours, try asking your parish council to erect a "Do not follow Sat Nav" sign or something similar. The problem is not unusual, and several communities have had to do this, as you will see if you Google the phrase.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:14, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually, the problem is probably not a SatNav (aka GPS) problem, really. The road is really there, and compact cars can fit down the tunnel. Its the low clearence of the tunnel that was the problem. Rather than erect a "Down with SatNav! They Suck" sign, you could get your community to erect a "Tunnel Ahead, and its only 2 meters tall!" sign at the head of that road. While SatNav systems are not perfect, they are certainly better than no system at all! Imagine what ambulance drivers used to do when they depended on print maps (which were likely MORE inaccurate and out of date) or had to rely on memory of the local road system. Its not that SatNav is perfect, or even meant to be, but these errors in judgement aren't the fault of the system. If the system wasn't being used at all, the ambulance drivers would have likely made the same mistake. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:33, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I found a street which is incorrectly mapped in my town, and had no success gettin gthe online map companies to correct their maps. The error would lead to emergency vehicles or anyone else being directed to the wrong street. There does not seem to be any accountability for landbase GIS companies who put errors in their maps, which are then used by all the mapping services. No contact person, and no willingness to correct errors. You can sens an email to MapQuest or Google Maps, but they rely on computerized maps created by others. Edison (talk) 19:20, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Ordnance Survey have always included deliberate errors in their maps so that they can prove other parties have breached their copyright. Kittybrewster ☎ 20:30, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

And we have an article; Trap street. The references suggest that the OS doesn't do this, although other publishers do. FiggyBee (talk) 21:26, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Regardless of the height of the tunnel, that road didn't lead to the OP's house. That is a problem. I could give you many other examples of Sat Nav causing chaos on UK roads: sending cars through fords, lorries down country lanes and light vehicles over farm tracks. Of course, Sat Nav systems are based on printed maps, so it's not that they're exclusively wrong: I think people just blindly follow instructions rather than making critical judgement on the colour and wiggliness of the roads on a printed map. In the case of ambulance drivers, they shouldn't be relying on maps. There's no reason why they can't learn their patch. London cabbies have to sit tests, as do other corporate taxi/cab companies around the world. If I can expect my cab driver to know every back street, traffic island and alleyway, then it's surely not too much to expect an ambulance driver to know such things as well? Gwinva (talk) 22:24, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

And in my area they certainly have the time! -hydnjo talk 23:49, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks to all above - but especially Gwinva who plainly understood the problem as I described it. I have contacted the ambulance service and they are to address the problem - I have contacted the other emergency services who DO NOT rely on SatNavs instead using a central despatcher who uses radio contact to direct traffic from online mapping systems - I have contacted my local council who immediately sent an officer to drive along the access roads and surrounding area and he agrees the seriousness of the situation and has undertaken to improve signage. But I am worried that other respondents above have failed in their attempts to have SatNav companies address reported problems. So thanks again to all. But I can't help wondering if - God Forbid, my mother-in-law had died as a result of the ambulances being misdirected, would I be suing either the ambulance service or their SatNav providers? No legal advice required. But thanks again. Friend92 92.23.17.196 (talk) 11:35, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Seeking a recipient of a high decoration of the United States military who was an African American

I'm looking for a African American soldier who was awarded a high decoration of the United States military without citation. That was a long time ago... What's the name of that soldier? --77.4.61.143 (talk) 18:40, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Where is this?

File:PIC 0019.JPG

This image was uploaded to Commons about 2yrs ago but lacks any information about where it is. Since someone wants to delete it as a useless image, I figured I'd see if anyone knew where it was first. So... anyone got an idea? -mattbuck (Talk) 19:18, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

No idea. But I'd hesitate to use it unless the time stamp were cropped out of it. With the time stamp, it looks unprofessional. Dismas|^(talk) 19:30, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

True, but I figure that unless we know where it is, the timestamp is the least of the worries regarding usability. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:04, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

The odds of figuring it out are very slim indeed - and the picture isn't used in any articles - so what's the great loss? An uncategorized, unidentified image is useless to use - so I agree that it should be deleted. (The date-stamp thing could easily be fixed if we wanted to...but why bother?). If it actually mattered - I think I'd start by figuring out what species of tree is in the foreground - that seems an unusual foliage pattern - so it might narrow things down to a reasonably small area. Then, we can see that the lake in the background has a dead-straight line to it in the top-center of the image - which suggests it's a man-made lake such as a reservoir. That puts it someplace with sufficient technology to do that - and a need to store drinking water for some reason or other. Perhaps you could look at maps of the areas where that tree is native - and try to find a lake that would be a match for the shape of the shore that we can see. There appears to be some kind of a walled area - maybe a ruin just behind the big tree - that would be confirmation. Typically - you can just look to see who uploaded the picture - and go to their talk: page and ask them - but the 'claimed' uploader "Alexander86" only made a single contribution - which was this very image...so after two years, the odds are not good that this account is still being used. Ordinarily - this would be an interesting challenge - but to be honest, it would be quicker to drive to the lake near where I live and take a replacement photo that we could identify! Meh - delete the darned thing. SteveBaker (talk) 23:47, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Save the picture ! Q: If deleted is it gone for good from the wikiservers ? If it is - don't delete ! Boomshanka (talk) 04:27, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes - if deleted, it would be gone forever (unless the OP reloaded it) - but why worry? It's of no conceivable use to anyone. It doesn't have useful keywords and it's not used anywhere - why would anyone ever want it (or even find it) in the future? We're better off deleting those things to make the indexability of the WikiCommons servers improve gradually over time. SteveBaker (talk) 16:44, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I know it would never happen, but if a checkuser would find the uploader's country of origin that would really narrow things down. Short of that, I agree that the foliage is a good place to start. If you look at the higher part of the "lake" you can see two shape sticking oddly out of the water - possibly submerged trees from when the lake was created. Plasticup ^T/C 15:38, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Hmmm - trees sticking out of the water - good catch! That just reinforces the theory that it's an artificial lake. But it may not tell you much about when the lake was created. The lake near where I used to live has been there for over 20 years now - and there are STILL a lot of tree limbs sticking up out of the water - trees can evidently stay standing (although dead) for decades underwater. SteveBaker (talk) 16:44, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

But those trees don't look dead. . . I would guess mangrove trees. --S.dedalus (talk) 23:19, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

linguinine

what is the actual meaning of this word

Well, linguine means "little tongues". Linguinine seems to be a double diminuitive, and I don't ever recall hearing it, but I suppose they'd be tongues even smaller than linguine. --Trovatore (talk) 19:53, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

"-ine" as an ending usually means "like", so if something is linguinine, it could be akin to linguine in some respect. Fribbler (talk) 18:03, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The World's Dozen or So Great Cuisines

"TO OUTSIDERS, Latin American food may conjure up not much more than the smell of Mexican tacos. But Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines." -- The Economist

Assuming the oracle (The Economist) is correct. What would these great 12 probably be?

Hotcheetos (talk) 21:04, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm not an haute-cuisine afficionado, but I can without a doubt claim that French would be one of them. I have a guess that the magazine was intentionally being vague and not listing the others. Personally, I would throw Thai, Italian, Japanese, and Mexican food into the mix. The Jade Knight (talk) 21:41, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

German? Dismas|^(talk) 21:51, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Too meat-based and heavy for my taste (like most cuisines from cold countries), but de gustibus.... --Trovatore (talk) 21:53, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Indian, definitely. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:59, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

My picks (in no particular order): Cantonese, Szechuan, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, German, Basque, Arab. —D. Monack ^talk 23:03, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

"...the world's dozen or so great cuisines". Hmm, how about the top twenty or so? -hydnjo talk 23:34, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

For brevity's sake, how about the top one or so? —Tamfang (talk) 00:50, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Haggis, neeps and tatties, ye cannae beat it! Titch Tucker (talk) 01:15, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Tatties come from Peru! Graeme Bartlett (talk) 05:44, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Sure, you must have heard of the great Scottish/Swedish/Peruvian dish. Titch Tucker (talk) 09:42, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

To get back to the original question, Turkish cuisine would definitely be in the top 12, but there is no such thing as "Arab cuisine"; both Moroccan and Lebanese cuisines would be candidates however, and are very different from one another. I have doubts about German and Basque cuisines qualifying; Russian cuisine might, although a lot of culinary knowledge was lost because of communism. --Xuxl (talk) 13:38, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Then there's Hungarian cuisine! Julia Rossi (talk) 06:07, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Nescessity of putting quotes

What is the necessity of putting quotes while finding something in the google and when is it that we should put the search with the quotes? 220.227.88.91 (talk) 21:55, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

The quotes make it search for the string of whatever's in the quotes, otherwise it just searches for the words individually. -mattbuck (Talk) 22:03, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

To reinforce what Mattbuck wrote, the quotes make it search for exactly for whatever's in in the quotes (without case sensitivity) so an extra or missing word might overlook something. -hydnjo talk 23:05, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

If you'we worried about that, you can use * inside the quotes to represent "a small number of other words". So for example if you search for "big * man" (with the quotes) you will get hits like "big boss man", "big burly man", "big strong man", "big cat injures man", etc.; if you want "big man" as well, you would have to specify that separately ("big * man" OR "big man"). --Anonymous, 23:36 UTC, October 30, 2008.

Most of the time, you get the best results without using quotes - but there are some searches where the number of false hits with (for example) the words in a different order to what you asked for overwhelm you so badly that you can't find what you want. In those cases, putting the words in quotes to force Google to find that EXACT thing can help. But most of the time, you can leave them out. SteveBaker (talk) 23:32, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Instead of quotes you can also replace the spaces with dots or hyphens. With hyphens, rail-road will match railroad and rail road – an advantage if you're uncertain. —Tamfang (talk) 00:44, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Using quotes is handy when you're trying to find the title/artist of a song if you have a snippet of the lyrics. With the lyrics in quotes, you should get pretty good results on the first page. Dismas|^(talk) 02:41, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

IP address

I have this 92.2.210.94 IP address, can you tell me where it's from? Thanks92.2.210.94 (talk) 23:33, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Carphone Warehouse Broadband Service. [16] --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:39, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Sure, the United Kingdom . -hydnjo talk 23:42, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

That's wierd. I'm with AOL and according to your link the country for my IP address is the UK, but when I try to use BBC iPlayer it says my address is foreign!92.2.210.94 (talk) 23:43, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Carphone warehouse bought AOL UK in 2006 [17]. Can't explain the beeb - does it affect what you can do with the iPlayer? If so contact them & find out why you;re being denied access. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:47, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

And this beeb page is probably worth a visit - they're suggesting you'll need to talk to your ISP. That'll be fun for you. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:50, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Ah. Possibly better news. This beeb page recommends you use something other than the AOL-version of Internet Explorer, such as the version of Internent Explorer that comes with Windows, or Firefox. Firefox is available here.

I've been living without iPlayer for over a month now. Thanks to you guys 'THE PROBLEM IS FIXED. Thanks.92.2.210.94 (talk) 00:07, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Well that rocks. Well done! --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:09, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

What fascinates me Tagishsimon is just how you can determine an address from an IP number. I'd love to know please.--89.168.224.110 (talk) 08:58, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Whois and Reverse DNS are your friends here. Theresa Knott | token threats 09:00, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

So for example, this would be you (89.168.224.110 from Tiscali UK  :) -hydnjo talk 14:14, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Those services are decreasingly useful though - more and more people with static IP's lie to the DNS providers - others are shared (via DHCP) over such a wide geographical area as to be almost useless for telling you very much of use. However, sometimes you find something useful. SteveBaker (talk) 16:37, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Sour Jelly

I have an old receipe that requires 2 cups of sour jelly. I haven't found any information on how to make or come up with sour jelly. Just what is sour jelly. Thank you.

What kind of recipe do you have? Googling sour jelly[18] comes up with sour jelly beans, but mostly a "whiskey and sour" jelly, especially a green whiskey and sour jelly for St Patrick's Day. Julia Rossi (talk) 00:57, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I doubt it means jelly beans. It's probably jelly in the sense of the stuff you spread on toast (distinguished from jam by the absence of fruit pulp, seeds, skins, etc). --Trovatore (talk) 01:00, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I take it the "sour jelly beans" is just a novelty flavoured sweet, but the stuff on toast sounds sweet rather than sour. Is it tart as well as fibre free? (It really would help to know what the recipe is for.) Julia Rossi (talk) 01:03, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Ordinarily sweet, but you could certainly make it sour if you wanted to. Just leave out the sugar. (By the way, it's not really fiber-free -- the jelling effect comes from pectin, which is a so-called soluble fiber.)

Sour Jelly could be something like lemon curd. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:02, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Google books leads me to think it might be Aspic. Other google books lead me to think it might be jelly made from sour grapes. White grape juice seems to be a substitute in some cases. (And we'll just ignore the man who somehow contrives to make sour jelly out of milk.) It might be useful to know something more about the recipe. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:09, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

"Sour" is a kinda multi-purpose word - so it's hard to know exactly what it meant. I wonder whether it's intended to mean "vinegary" - in the way that Chinese-style "Hot and Sour Soup" is sour. SteveBaker (talk) 16:34, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

October 31

Is it dangerous to drive around without a gas cap?

My friend says it will splash out when I hit bumps and possibly start a big ol fire. But 1.Its only temporary til I buy a new one, and 2.I dont fill the tank up all the way, so I say it's safe. Am I right?Sunburned Baby (talk) 02:46, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

You are probably fine. The real reason for the gas cap is that gas is volatile, and so evaporates really quickly. The gas cap seals the system, and prevents excess evaporation from your gas tank. You have at least 3 safeguards beyond the gas cap, however, that will prevent much evaporation or splashing. 1) Most cars, at least those I have seen for the past 20 years or so, have a little spring-loaded flap that covers the opening under the gas cap. This spring-loaded flap will keep the opening closed adequately enough until you have a chance to run to Pep Boys. 2) Most cars have a door over the gas cap, so this door will also stop problems. 3) The tube connecting this opening to the actual case tank is fairly narrow, which will reduce evaporation and splashing problems. It should be noted that none of these three items is airtight, which the gas cap is, so you SHOULD run out to Pep Boys (or Autozone, or whatever your local Autopartsmegastore is) and pick up a new one soon, but you can safely drive the car without a gas cap, at least to get you to the Pep Boys from home. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:00, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

(EC) You increase the risk of a number of hazards, from spillage through to combustion, and so you are very definitely less safe. There is more than ample energy in a half tank of petrol being propelled along the road, to eject petrol from the filler. (And the car is probably not road-legal.) Whether the extent to which the risk is increased is of material concern to you is a subjective judgment. But I've always understood risk assessment to be composed of two factors: probability of risk; and consequences should the risk transpire. Since a remote consequence of splashed petrol is a potentially fatal fire, I'm uncertain what's stopping you from getting a replacement cap the next time you drive the car. (My cars have tended not to have spring loaded traps. They might be somewhat country specific.) --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:03, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I am sure that in the UK this is illegal!--89.168.224.110 (talk) 08:53, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I once managed to get an airtight gas cap, (I do not believe they are meant to be air tight - just a small controlled vent), and the power of the fuel pump was sufficient to reduce the pressure in the tank such that the tank collapsed on itself. This was only discovered when I tried to fill up and no fuel would go in. -- SGBailey (talk) 10:15, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I did that once too. At the car parts store where I bought it, they had two kinds of gas caps - one vented, the other not - one in black plastic, the other in red. I didn't realise this and I asked the guy at the checkout whether it mattered which one I bought. He said "If it fit's - it's OK" (which turns out to be VERY UNTRUE!) - so I picked the red one because it matched the color of the car. Then I started running out of fuel when the gas gauge showed "Full" and just 50 miles after I'd filled up! When I finally figured out what the problem was, I was able to sue the company that sold the gas cap to me and got the repairs and the cost of a rental car plus some remuneration for lost time at work and inconvenience. SteveBaker (talk) 16:31, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

You may get a check engine light, as the tank is part of the EGR system. If there is a door, you are probably OK, but if it is visible, you my be subject to vandalism as idiots stuff trash in the filler tube. Go spend >$10 on a new cap. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 11:35, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

You certainly should get a check-engine light if your car is less than 10 years old in the USA because the laws in California and Texas (and elsewhere, presumably) REQUIRE that there is an indication of loss of negative pressurization in the gas tank. Probably that means the same is true in the UK...but I don't know for sure.

Can I suggest that even if a little gas did splash (which I, like Jayron, find improbable), it's not going to just "start fires". Gasoline is flammable but it's not, in small amounts, explosive or anything like that. There are plenty more flammable things lying around in the world generally not catching fire at any given time. The movies overemphasize the flammability of gasoline—it can't be ignited by a smoldering cigarette, for example. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 13:30, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Really? I've never directly tried to light gasoline with a cigarette, but it surprises me. ~ mazca ^t|c 13:39, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

That is incorrect. Gasoline is very flammable and is quite capable of catching fire from a smoldering cigarette. Our anon friend may be thinking of diesel fuel, which is much more resistant to catching fire. I'm frankly tempted to strike out that comment as dangerously incorrect. Matt Deres (talk) 14:49, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Reference. My understanding, based on a number of such articles, is that the idea of gasoline bursting into flames around cigarettes is an urban myth. I'm pretty sure they did a mythbusters episode on this as well. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 15:46, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

My understanding is that liquid petrol doesn't do much, it's the gas you need to worry about. In an enclosed space (say a half-full petrol tank), that gas can be quite explosive. In the open, it's pretty harmless in small quantities. --Tango (talk) 15:56, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

That's my understanding as well. Yes, liquid petrol can burn if exposed to an open flame (not necessarily something just smoldering). But if you have open flames around you've already got a fire hazard regardless of whether there is a small splash of petrol. (There are plenty of things around that can catch from an open flame—dried grass/leaves, oil runoff, etc.) Gasoline gets really dangerous if you have it in a contained area where it can quickly evaporate—like a basement full of poorly sealed containers. Again, I don't see the "splash factor" as a serious hazard—even if it did splash a little here and there, it wouldn't seriously be increasing the flammability of the road area. It would be a million-to-one sort of event where your splash of petrol landed on an open flame which then caught onto something larger etc. etc. And again, like Jayron says, it's not like it's going to be necessarily just splashing around assuming it is a modern tank. Personally I would be more dubious about ad hoc temporary caps than capless—one can imagine making a temporary cap that causes damage, induces sparks, gets crap in the tank, whatever, that would be a lot more dangerous than just not having one for a short period of time. This is not to imply you shouldn't go get a new one fairly soon. But I don't think driving around with one off has any realistic chance of starting fires. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:07, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

You can probably make a temporary cap from cling film and an elastic band. It wouldn't be ideal, but it would be better than nothing while you're driving to wherever you intend to buy a new one. (As someone said above, you probably don't want it completely airtight, but I doubt that's an issue with cling film - the film will break before the tank will.) --Tango (talk) 15:56, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes - but the tank is under negative pressure - you might just suck the cling film into the tank and that would be "A Very Bad Thing". Really - our OP should not drive the car until a new gas cap can be obtained. They aren't expensive and every car part store and most garages have them in stock. There really is no excuse for the danger, the pollution and the risk of damage to the car. Gasoline can easily damage the paintwork if it splashes - it's obviously dangerous and all of those vapours going into the atmosphere is an ecological nightmare. You absolutely shouldn't do this. SteveBaker (talk) 16:31, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I was thinking if it's securely attached with an elastic band the cling film would probably break before it got sucked in - you would be better off making a small hole it in to start with (that also makes a weak point so it will break cleanly if the hole isn't big enough). There is one good excuse for driving without a fuel cap - you're on your way to somewhere that sells them. It make not be practical to get one without driving to such a place. Actually, on second thoughts, a piece of cloth (an old sock, maybe) would probably be better than cling film - it allows air in, but should stop large amounts of fuel or fuel vapour getting out. --Tango (talk) 16:51, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

You have considered that clingfilm & rubberbands are more than likely to be soluble in petrol? You're in chocolate fireguard territory, my friend. --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:16, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The rubber band won't be in contact with petrol and the cling film would generally only be in contact with petrol vapour and the occasional splash of petrol. Nevertheless, cloth would be better for that reason, too. --Tango (talk) 19:52, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I find it amusing that we so carefully avoid giving medical advice, yet we have exchanges like this one without apparent concern about liability. --Scray (talk) 02:13, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

That's because there are no laws (in any jurisdiction that I'm aware of) where it is illegal to practice car mechanics without a license. However, practicing medicine or law without a license is illegal nearly everwhere. SteveBaker (talk) 03:42, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Looking for poem or story

That begins with "It was a dark and stormy night" grandfather used to say this to his young grandson - who cannot remember any more than the opening lines, hopefully someone knows the answer thank you

We've got an article It was a dark and stormy night that says it was "originally penned by Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton as the beginning of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. And it grew legs from there... Julia Rossi (talk) 04:56, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

What country?

has the most llamas do you think? llamas like warm climate or cold also? thanks. btw this is not a joke question i really want to find out. --WarmVelvet (talk) 05:18, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried our Llama article? There are llamas in Australia and we seem to be closish in latitude with parts of South America like the Andes. Julia Rossi (talk) 05:32, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Researching Wikipedia as a place for my new website

Hello,

My name is Kevin Armstrong. I have recently created a free online search engine with a focus on "Restaurant Menus"

My search engine is a free service to restaurants and has a vision of transcribing "all" restaurant menus into data stores.

Question: Can you please help me determine if my Rmenuz "idea" has a place in Wikipdeia?

I would appreciate any help/information that you can offer.

Regards,

Kevin Armstrong —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rmenuz (talk • contribs) 06:59, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

No, this really isn't what we do. Your website link doesn't open in my browser, but this information is not encyclopedic in my opinion, and I imagine a consensus of other Wikipedia contributors will agree with me. The internet's a big place; good luck with your commercial site. Darkspots (talk) 07:54, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

• See List of wikis or Wikipedia:Alternative outlets for places that might accept your entry. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:51, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Yep - I agree. This kind of thing is too ephemeral to be of interest here...and it borders on commercial advertising - which we strongly disparage. SteveBaker (talk) 16:19, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I've removed the repeated URL plugs for the website from the OPs posting, since they were setting off my SPAM detector. The description of the service is quite enough. --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:19, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Race and public schools in Charleston

[19]

"The public schools here are 98 percent African-American"

Considering it's a majority white school. How is this possible? Are vouchers given? Aren't some families unable to afford private schools? (so how can it be less than 2% white?)

Lotsofissues (talk) 08:21, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The title of the article also says "North Carolina school..." and the article itself is discussing a school in Charleston, South Carolina. I would say that the fact checking and editorial process is already in poor repute based on that solely. Accodirng to this report on a certain series end-of-grade tests given to high school students in the Charleston County School District, there were 1,399 African-American students out of a total of 2,513 that took this particular set of tests; that's only slightly more than 50% African American for the entire county school district. Even given that inner-city schools in the district are likely to have more African American students than this number, it won't be 98%. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over and over that schools systems cannot maintain a state of racial segregation, and must actively redistribute school populations so as to assure that no one school is that out of whack with the district average. Either the Charleston County school district is out-of compliance with this, or as I suspect (given that the first glaring error in the article is in THE TITLE of the article) that our journalist's fact checking is slightly out of whack... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:23, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The story is based on a New York Times Article, and according to my friend from Charleston, they are talking about a district that is 100% black.--droptone (talk) 16:12, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

(The following is very much "IMHO".)

Firstly - I'd bet good money that this is NOTHING to do with race. In almost every case where racism is suspected by virtue of some skewed statistic, you should apply the following algorithm:

1. Replace every occurrence of the phrase "African-American" or "Black" with the word "poor" throughout the article in question.
2. Re-examine the facts and see if they are still true (99% of the time, they will be).
3. If so, then stop worrying about racism in this context. Worry instead about why there is a bias against poor people. This is generally VERY easy to understand.
4. Find out why disporportionately many poor people are black and vice-versa.

The last step should probably be the first since the results of the previous steps are always the same - and all of the mystery in the original question vanishes in the face of this analysis. Sadly, I suspect the answer is largely historical. Poor people had poor parents and that means that the statistical warp that happened when racism WAS very prevalent is still having an effect even though it's largely not prevalent anymore.

In this case - the public schools are mostly inhabited by poor people and richer kids go to private schools (well, DUH!). Since there is a correlation between wealth and educational success (eg because the wealthy families have better nutrition and have lots of books and educational toys available) - the consequences are inevitable and in no way surprising.

So fixing the schools isn't going to eliminate the racial bias - because it's NOT a racial bias.

SteveBaker (talk) 16:10, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

In this that that is quite true: "Serving a student population of 99.6 percent poverty in 2007, Sanders-Clyde Elementary" [20]. Rmhermen (talk) 17:07, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Haunted

I have seen some whows on TV about ghosthunting, now I dont watch this kind of trash as it is very obviously faked, or nothing happens atall. My question is then firstly, if they really want to find ghosts why not go to a place that is more likely than any other to be haunted, such as Auschwitz. Secondly, is Auschwitz haunted? Happy Helloween —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 12:04, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Given that there is no evidence that ghosts exist...nowhere is haunted. They go to places that have 'history' (old homes, castles, settings of famous battles etc. If you were to believe in ghosts they appear to be going to the 'correct' places, plus I doubt it is cheap to get to Auschtwitz and film, and these shows definitely don't look like they have a big budget. The main stumbling block they have isn't location - it's content. 100% pure gibberish. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 12:20, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Agree with the above. Plus, whoever owns Auschwitz probably wouldn't be too happy to have the place taken over by screaming idiots and camera crews. -- _{Escape Artist Swyer} ^Talk _{Contributions} 12:35, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The reason they don’t go to Auschwitz is that if they did the families of people who died there would sue them out of business. Using that kind of a place for cheap entertainment would be disrespectful to say the least. The places these shows frequent is usually some kind of bland semi-anonymous historical place. As mentioned above, old houses (the owners of which are interested in making some quick money), old battlegrounds (where innumerable people died long ago), castles (where the “ghosts” are presumably hundreds of years old with no living relatives), that sort of thing. --S.dedalus (talk) 23:12, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

In the late 1970s I think, a nearby Catholic church wanted to put a large cross on the grounds of Auschwitz as a memorial to the Catholic Poles who died there. It generated so much controversy that the cross was removed and taken to the outskirts of the property; even that generated a lot of controversy. The Jewish survivors and their descendants protested the larger presence of Christianity at a place that was overwhelmingly oppressive to Jews. One of the definitions of "haunt" is to recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with. As long as there remains a human memory and a record of what happened at Auschwitz it will remain haunted. That is so blatantly obvious that television shows and psychics would be cheap gags. --Moni3 (talk) 23:46, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

and part two? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 13:54, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I think the comment "nowhere is haunted" should cover part two. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.111.82.226 (talk) 14:32, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

It's not haunted, because there is no place that is truly haunted. But if you search Google, you'll find that it's widely 'considered' to be haunted, which I'm assuming is what the OP was asking. Sarcasticninja (talk) 17:06, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

The only reason why there's no evidence is because most paranormal subjects are currently unproveable by the scientific method. ~AH1^(TCU) 21:09, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

If there is no evidence - how could you possibly know that? What possible phenomena could there be that proponents of the "ghost hypothesis" could detect that science could not detect? Occam's razor says that in the absence of evidence - we should go with the simplest explanation. Ghosts (as commonly described and "explained") would require almost every single law of science to be overturned. Matter, mass, energy, life-processes, DNA, transmission of electromagnetic waves, computation, thought, human vision, acoustics, thermal properties of matter, thermodynamics...not one of those things can be "correct" if ghosts exist.

It's possible we got one or two SMALL things wrong in our scientific laws. If sciences like physics and chemistry were like "economics" or "sociology" and didn't work well on a routine basis - then a total breakdown of all of our theories could reasonable be held to be remotely possible. But we routinely apply science as if we were 100% certain about it - day in and day out - we put our lives in the hands of Galilleo, Newton, Hooke, Einstein, Feynman and Hawkins. Somehow life works exactly as expected. So our scientific laws COULD be wrong - but not in any horribly serious way. If there is an error in (say) the propagation of light to allow spontaneously glowing "spirits" - then it's not a small mistake! If the idea that "thought" is carried by chemical propagation between neurons is wrong - and disembodied "thought" is possible without all that 'stuff' - then chemistry and biology is WAY off the mark! But they clearly aren't 100% wrong because they allow us to design drugs to combat depression or to help you give up smoking. So the idea that this much science is completely wrong is really a non-starter.

The alternative explanation (ghosts don't exist and some people are either mistaken or downright lying to us) is VASTLY simpler - pretty darned plausible actually because people pull that kind of shit all the time.

Hence Occam's razor says "No ghosts" (and "UFO's don't exist" and "religion is untrue" and "NASA really did go to the moon" and "creationism is not possible" and "homeopathy is a scam" and "you can't power a car on water") - and as usual, it's probably right.

Ghost hunters and proponents of this crazy theory go to a lot of trouble to make sure that the existence of ghosts is an 'unfalsifiable' hypothesis - which is definitely a "red flag" for any theory.

SteveBaker (talk) 00:41, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Older issues of the Guinness Book of Records had an "oldest ghost" category, which asserted that ghosts are not immortal and fade away eventually; the record for Britain was apparently a Roman legion still marching along some former Roman Road. On a related note, the guide when I visited the Colosseum said there were no ghosts there in spite of about one million having been killed in its arena. jnestorius^(talk) 02:45, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Non-American online brokerage service

Are there any online trading services (à la E-Trade and Ameritrade) that are not explicitly based in America? I have a social security number from back in my college days, but I don't have a US address nor would I want to pay American capital gains tax. Are there any online brokerage services that do not specifically tie themselves to one jurisdiction? Is that even possible? Plasticup ^T/C 16:14, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

There are such services in pretty much allow major jurisdictions. If there are any that work across different jurisdictions, they probably do so by having subsidiaries in each which all use the same name. I don't think there is any problem with using a broker in a foreign country, but there may be tax concerns when you repatriate the money. --Tango (talk) 16:53, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

See Category:Financial services companies by country. —D. Monack ^talk 18:55, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

It's not clear from your question: are you interested in investing in the US markets from outside the US? If so, you'll need to be largely self-directed, as all US-based financial advisors are pretty much prohibited from doing business with non-citizens since the passage of the Patriot Act.

Further, if your timeframe is short, now is not a good time to be trying this even though the markets are "on sale", so to speak. All advisors I'm associated with have just today (they always wait until the last minute :-)) completed their annual compliance course work, so it will be freshly instilled in their minds that anything even remotely resembling money laundering (or under conditions that might allow money to be laundered) is strictly forbidden.

But, if none of those conditions apply to you, have fun! --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 00:59, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

DESIGN WINS

What "DESIGN WINS" means? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.191.27.231 (talk) 18:49, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Possibly that there was a competition of some sort between different designs for something, and one of the designs was judged to be the best of them?!? Could you give more context please? --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:59, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

A "win" is generally just that. Some competition that you have won could be called a "win". The opposite would sometimes be called a "fail". Both of these are pretty colloquial terms but are gaining a wider acceptance as far as slang or jargon goes. So, a design win would be a well done job in some sort of design situation. Dismas|^(talk) 19:12, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Could you give use some context? Where did you see this? SteveBaker (talk) 00:15, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Here's a fail, if that helps.... [21] - 38.112.225.84 (talk) 02:55, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

"Design win" is a term used in the electronics industry. My understanding is that when a company has a design win, some component it designed is chosen by some device or system manufacturer to be used in the latter's product(s). --98.114.146.32 (talk) 03:33, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

To 38.112.... Dude!!! I am mildly disturbed by that... Srsly... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:39, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Google Earth images

What are the streaks shown on Google Earth (or Google Maps) at these locations: 36°19'57.37", 43°05'16.16" and 36°20'22.91", 43°06'05.33" Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 19:08, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure those are the right locations? I put them into Google Maps (satelite view) and all I see is a bunch of buildings at each location? It just looks like two random buildings in the heavily-built up areas of the city of Mosul in Iraq. If I zoom out, I can see yellow lines superimposed over the map which indicate the local highway system; it looks like these are numbered "Route 1" and "Route 2" and things like that... Other than that, I don't see any "streaks"... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:33, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I see the streaks but they look like light reflecting off something. Adam Bishop (talk) 20:21, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I have to admit, I'm not seeing the streaks; but does it strike anyone else as odd that the "roads" labeled 1 and 2 in the map overlay do not correspond to any roads visible in the satellite image? (They pass right through buildings, for pete's sake.) Is the U.S. military trying to confuse the "insurgents"? Deor (talk) 23:03, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

I can see some strange diagonal lines extending north-west to south-east from what appear to be cars on the road to the west of the first location and immediately to the north and south in the second location. Those lines appear to be aliased (they have 'stair-steps') which says that they are some sort of artifact of the imaging system.

If I had to guess (and it's really only a guess) then I'd suspect a situation as follows:

• Perhaps the photos were originally taken at an oblique angle rather than from vertically overhead. If you think about it, it's really impossible for the aircraft (or satellite) to be precisely over the top of every single building or tower - so a degree of slant is inevitable.
• It is likely that Google (or whoever supplied them with the photos) sought to remove that artifact.
• One way that they can do that is to use two photos of the same area taken as the aircraft passes overhead - just a second or two apart. By noting how the position of the roofs of buildings "move" compared to the roads - they can deduce the height of the building and they know the orientation of the aircraft and camera - so they can figure out how much to shift the pixels on the rooftops to fix the 'slanting' effect.
• OK - but suppose a car is driving along the road parallel to the path of the aircraft? Its position would move slightly from one photo to the next as time has elapsed between them.
• Put that together - and it's possible for a moving car to fool the 'straightening out the buildings' software into thinking that the pixels that make up the car are high up in the air...the 'roof' of a tall tower with the cross-sectional area of a car.
• But when they 'shift' the car pixels - instead of removing the slanted view of the walls of the building - they actually CREATE a streak in the opposite direction.

These kinds of artifacts are reasonably common in "corrected" photography - although I've never seen precisely this effect before.

SteveBaker (talk) 00:12, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

November 1

Freemason job boards

Do any Masonic lodges provide job boards exclusive to their members? NeonMerlin 01:51, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

They do, but the jobs are only availible for positions in the Illuminati and the Trilateral Commission. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:42, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Rod below barrel on WWII guns

Example on the Kar 98K: Media:En-Kar98k rifle.jpeg On the Arisaka: Media:Type99Rifle.JPG

What is the function of it? I'm thinking it's something like a cleaning rod. I've also seen some pictures without the rod below the barrel, so I'm guessing it's not critical for the operation of the rifle. 67.169.56.73 (talk) 03:31, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Yep, it's a removable cleaning rod. Most of the cleaning components are stored in the stock, but the rod under the barrel is a "style" thing dating back to the days when muskets had ramrods stored in that position (and, depending on the length of the rifle, may not fit in the stock). FiggyBee (talk) 04:25, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Photoshop

On photoshop the cursor doesn't do the function I have chosen for it (brush tool), and it just looks like the hand tool. I have tried making it do every function, but it stays looking like the hand tool and not doing anything. Does anyone know what I have done and how to fix it? Thanks. 92.0.148.25 (talk) 06:45, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm a hispanic guy in a white guy's body. What should I do about it?