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October 13

TV commercial credits

Does anyone know any source for finding specific data on actors, directors, etc. for television commercials?--Fuhghettaboutit 00:45, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If you're talking about a database or compendium of commercials, I highly doubt it. If you're thinking of a particular ad or actor, it should be pretty easy. OTOH, since I am the Wikipedia Google Queen, I should actually check google before posting. Database of Television Commercials. Google results for 'database of television commercials'. Anchoress 00:59, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the effort. I am quite the Google king myself and have found bubkis for specific actor credits for many nationally broadcast commercials. Databases such as the one you posted are not generally helpful. There must be at least a source that those in the industry use. I'm not necessarily looking for an online source. An industry book I could send away for would fit the bill.--Fuhghettaboutit 01:15, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The thing is (this was my original thought), I don't think they'd bother. Unlike movie directories, there would be no economic benefit to justify the work. I think the best approximation would be that talent agencies probably keep records of all the commercials their representees (is that a word?) participate in, and PR agencies probably do the same for their clients. Networks might also keep catalogues, but I doubt they'd publish them. But, I may be totally wrong. :-) Anchoress 01:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe. However, think about it from an actor's perspective. Being able to cite your previous work is everything, so they'd likely want such memorialization. Also I have noticed a number of actors who appear in multiple commercials but whom I have seen nowhere else. Plus, there's huge money in commercials and actors who specialize in it. I bet it exists (but both of us are flailing in the dark). Hopefully and insider will come along and we'll both get an answer:-).--Fuhghettaboutit 02:16, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

There is (used to be) a UK magazine called "Advertising" I think, a sister to "Computing". Not a database, but if you can find a searchable archive of that or a similar mag ("Campaign"?) you may have some luck. Also some actors have listed (passive or active voice) their ad work on IMDB. Rich Farmbrough, 11:34 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Lactic Acid Pain

I don't really understand the article on Lactic Acid where it says where the muscle pain comes from. The article states that lactic acid is not directly responsible for the pain in your muscle and states other reasons. I didn't really follow the reasons, so could someone break it down for me in simple step-by-steps on why lactic acid is related to muslce pain in sprinting and what really causes the pain? Thanks a lot. --Jamesino 00:48, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

On an largely unrelated note: if you get lactic acid pain from drinking milk, stop drinking milk for a while. In fact, you may want to go off ice cream as well. Sooner or later you'll feel like eating ice cream again. Do not fight this urge! Eat ice cream again! Later, you'll feel like having milk again. Do not fight this urge! Drink milk again.

I'm not going to bother providing a 'scientific explanation'. Just give your body a break from milk for a time, and you'll feel much better as a result.

I apologize for the staggering irrelevance of this info. Chris 16:43, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

To simplify the article's explanation, lactic acid is produced during anaerobic respiration, which produces ATP more quickly than aerobic respiration. ATP is synthesized by hydrolysis, a by-product of which is water. The buildup of the hydrogens from these newly-produced H₂O molecules produces a more acidic pH, which is the cause of the pain. Generally, by the way, you'd get a faster response to this type of question by posting it on the science reference desk. -Elmer Clark 22:46, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Most embarassing way to die?

What do you reckon, guys? What would be *the* number 1 most emarassing circumstance for your loved ones to find your dead corpse in? Death by autoerotic asphyxiation? Death during a homosexual act when they thought you were straight? Death from pushing too hard on the toilet? Brain haemorrhage during masturbation? Opinions? --Kurt Shaped Box 01:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

look up the darwin awards, there full of embarassing/stupid people dying. one of my friend grndads was a finalist cause he urinated on an electric fire place and died.

It would never happen to me personally, but being found dead with one's genitals attached to the hind end of a sheep would be pretty high up in my estimation. Electrocution due to trying to stimulate one's prostate with a cattle prod would also figure prominently. Anchoress 01:04, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah, how about the guy who was fucked to death by a horse? Just remembered that one... --Kurt Shaped Box 01:08, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

That raises a very interesting question: How many peoples prostates have you tried to stimulate using a cattle prod? BTW I thought all corpses were dead! --Light current 01:11, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I think Stephen Milligan died in one of the worst ways imaginable for a British Conservative party MP... (it's just hard to remember that he had a promising political career in a party just kicking off a 'Back to basics' drive when you know that he was found by his secretary, hanging from electrical flex, wearing only suspenders, with an orange segment in his mouth...) Although horse guy might be pushing him for a winner...--Mnemeson 01:14, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

For the Americans reading this..."suspenders" in Britain means a garter belt. A frilly garter belt, in this case. (I understood he was also wearing pink satin knickers (panties for the Americans)). Charlene.fic 01:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I dont understand the orange segment bit! Any explanation?--Light current 01:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

A dildo ? StuRat 01:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't think that anyone else did either. --Kurt Shaped Box 01:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I thought they found him with a whole satsuma in his mouth? --Kurt Shaped Box 01:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe he was a fan of The Godfather. Anchoress 01:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

From memory, the point of the orange segment is that it was a popular method for self administring amyl nitrite at the time. I'm not exactly sure how - I thought the idea was that you buy a small glass phial of amyl nitrite from your local sex shop, wrap the phial in some orange rind, and once all your other preparations are complete (you might not have to go as far as Stephen Milligan), bite down on the orange rind to break the phial and release the poppers. However, on checking some online sources, an alternative might be to inject a segment of orange with the amyl nitrite then chew the orange to release the vapours when ready. -- Solipsist 13:40, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

What about replicating a Darwin Award winner? I could cope with my relatives thinking I was some kind of perv; but I'd really prefer not to have my heirs convinced I was dumb. --Robert Merkel 01:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The guy who decided to play Russian roulette with a semi-automatic pistol [1] has got to be a contender. --Kurt Shaped Box 01:38, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Wasn't there a woman that ended up with a womb full of mud shrimp after using a lobster to masturbate with? Then she died of an infection or something? I can't remember her name now but theres probably an article on her.

Yes, there was. In the twisted fantasy world of the email hoax. Anchoress 01:37, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I was trying to post that when I got an edit conflict. You ever notice how 90% of urban legends about masturbation are about horrors that happen to women when they do so? Gee, I wonder why... --Charlene.fic 01:44, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Probably because most of the funny/embarassing stories about guys who have accidents whilst masturbating are true. :) --Kurt Shaped Box 01:48, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

List of people who died in the bathroom. List of unusual deaths. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:35, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Per the article Nelson Rockefeller die in the saddle, so to speak, and it took a couple of hours to get him dressed before medical personnel were summoned? Not really that embarrasing. I expect that many em-bare-ass-ing demises are covered up.Edison 04:57, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I've heard that Stalin died because when he was in agony, no-one dared touch him for fear fo doing something wrong. This has happened to quite a few other autoritatian leaders, including some Roman emperors, I believe. DirkvdM 08:44, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Based on the above examples, I think Im going to go for Stephen Milligan. I mean thats pretty extreme in lots of directions at once. I can only think of one thing that could make it worse. And no, Im not going to say what (but it could involve a donkey or horse). 8-)--Light current 14:00, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

For my grandmother, it would have been to die with a house that was less than pristine.Edison 14:29, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

or die in a car accident with dirty underwear... --Zeizmic 15:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah that's the one that's most embarassing for your mother! People may think she never washed 'em! 8-)--Light current 15:23, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This one didn't make the papers, but I'd rank it up there: about ten or twelve years ago I was Rollerblading in Central Park one weekend when an ambulance and some other emergency personnel came in. This was more than the usual someone-broke-his-leg fuss so I got the skinny on the situation. Down at the southern end of the park some horse carriages offer romantic rides, usually to out-of-town tourists. Now those romantic horses produce some rather unromantic waste. This produces an organic obstacle course of sorts for everyone else who traverses the same pavement. Given that thousands of people worked out in the park, I suppose it was only a matter of time until someone slid on the stuff, hit his head against a curb, and died of the head injury. Of course you could just say this whole story is a pile of manure since I don't have a source to prove it. Durova 19:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Gutting, somebody who actually slipped in shit and died. Philc _T^E_C^I 19:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Well thats not embarassing at all for his relatives etc. It wasnt his fault. Surely someone should only be critisiced for some thing they consciously intend to do or do do (no pun)--Light current 10:46, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Mining claims

What is the difference between a patented mining claim and an unpatented one?

According to this [2] you have to file a mining claim in order to eventually get a patent (applies to the US Wild wild west). I take it to mean you can pan gold on a standard claim, but if you really want to destroy all the land, you need a patent. --Zeizmic 17:00, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Miss Washington Pic

Hello, I am the current Miss Washington USA, and I was wondering how I can change my picture on this site to a more updated one? Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Tiffany Doorn Miss Washington USA 2006

Wikipedia:Uploading images -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

We'd all be happy to do it for you! Although Washington is a bit far for me to go with my camera ... ;) --Zeizmic 14:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

High quality video website?

I am looking for a website where serious people upload videos they've created. I hope to find a site much more sophisticated than YouTube. Does anyone know of such a site? Thanks for ideas. --70.231.133.238 04:53, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If you're at all interested in videos created within video-game settings, check out machinima.com.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

You're going to have to be a little more specific than "serious people" and "sophisticated". What kind of content are you looking for? Sports? Video games? Indie Films? Politics? youTube has a vast amount of content out there, some that might appeal to you, other stuff that might not(I'm guessing kids lip-syncing pop songs isn't your thing). —Mitaphane _talk 09:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, there are some good stuff at YouTube (as long as the movie isn't longer than a few minutes) like old music videos and cartoons. You could try a search engine for interesting topics... 惑乱 分からん 11:16, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Try Revver at http://www.revver.com/ ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 14:53, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your responses. I'll go back and explore youTube a little more, but what I'm looking for is a site where people "workshop" their videos with other people in a respectful and collegial way. The content is not so important to me, but documentaries or indie shorts ARE probably more appealing than lip-synching music videos. Thankx again.

How to post our question into mediawiki site

Hello, Any one please tell me how to post a question in midiaweki site. Thank You, Your's Friend

Anyone (including non-registered users) can post questions on talk pages within the help section of the community portal. First click on the button at the top if you are a user, system administrator, or developer.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:45, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Are There Bachelor Degrees In Landscape Architecture?

Danke.100110100 07:27, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Google is your friend. —Mitaphane _talk 07:52, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Danke schön.198.166.59.152 10:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

You already asked this if I remember correctly. I posted images of a thermometer and said something along the lines of "there are almost 100 degrees on this landscape" edit: Ah found it. Nice reply dirk I never saw that :D --froth^{T C} 20:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Distribution Centers

How would you select a location to build a distribution center?

Find out where the geographical center of your customer base is, put up a building or lease one. Not a good answer for your essay question since you'd probably want something longer but I'm sure you can find more to back it up in your text book. Dismas|^(talk) 09:39, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Seems like you would want to consider the lowest overall cost. Depending on the goods, you might want to have rail access. You must distribute the goods, so factor in putting it near the location from wich distribution costs will be lowest, minimizing distance to the retail locations. But the cost of the land is a variable to consider, so maybe put it in a location which is not at a premium. You have to have workers available who will work tirelessly at low pay and not organize to demand high pay. Edison 14:35, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Somewhat depends on how your product line is distributed. If quick delivery is important, then you might want to locate near an air hub of one of the major logistics companies. As Edison said, if your product will be delivered by rail, then you would want to choose a centrally located rail hub that would minimize your transport costs. If your product will be delivered by truck, which is probably the case for most products these days, then you want a central location close to a major highway. If your product is imported from overseas or exported overseas by ship, then locating close to a major port would make sense. In any case, you want relatively cheap land, so a declining industrial district might be sensible, particularly if it is vacant or if you can reuse the existing buildings. Marco polo 17:46, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

historical item

Hello i just do not know where to start i find myself suddenly in possesion of an unusual item and do not know how or where would be best to have it identified/explained etc . It is or appears to be a walking cane spindle like with a whole through at top presumably for a strap then various carvins such as the german nazi symboland ss also a tank skull & cross bones also the word Friesenwall 1944 .Please can anyone enlighten me or perhaps point me in the right direction i would be very grateful, Thank you for your time and trouble. Kind Regards Andrew

Sounds like the stick a Nazi tank commander would have. Look up Panzer--Light current 13:05, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

There's nothing about sticks in the panzer article. And nothing to suggest that others in WW2 Germany might not have had sticks. There seem to be abunch of people interested in nazi memorabilia, doubtless ranging from auction/clearance houses, to right wing idiots. I'd take some photos of it & start talking to them. (Actually, I'd probably toss it into my next bonfire, but there you go.) --Tagishsimon (talk)

Whats that thing on the table in front of the officer? looks like the top of a stick to me! 8-)--Light current 13:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

You must have a better monitor than me. or something. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Yeah if you load photo into a viewing program and zoom in you can see that the white thing resembles a cylindrical ribbed object (probably carved ivory) like the handle of an umbrella or stick. THere also seems to be a strap attached to the top, but its very difficult to be sure about that.--Light current 17:21, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This babelfish translation of a German wikipedia page may explain Friesenwall 1944. --Tagishsimon (talk)

coughing and weezing? asap

What does this mean? That you have a serious cold? Cursa 14:34, 13 October 2006 (UTC) asap

That you have a respiratory tract illness. Could be a cold or flu. Could be bronchitis (sp). Could be all sorts of other things. Could be air pollution or the inhalation of particulate matter. Always check with a Doctor if you have concerns, never rely on the interweb. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Willy on Wheels

Who was this guy and what did he do. I know he was notorious, but I can't find any records of things he has done. THL 14:40, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Did you Google? 64.198.112.210 15:22, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah, thank you. THL 16:08, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

See WP:DENY. User:Zoe|(talk) 04:27, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, that explains why there are no records. Obviously the community feels that it was necessary to remove almost all records, but that seems really outrageous to me, especially making the page histories available to Sysops only. Then again, I wasn't here when he was around, so who am I to express an opinion. THL 07:12, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I think that is so that no one can recreate the pages, but I may be wrong.--Light current 10:32, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• Page histories are available to everyone. You're talking about deleted page histories. They're not available, those are deleted because they violate rules and if everyone could read those, it would defeat the use of deleting them in the first place. Blatant adverts or attacks on people that get deleted would still be visible. It would make Wikipedia a mess instead of a work in progress. You can always ask a sysop to provide you with a copy or a summary if you really need it. - 131.211.210.14 10:12, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I just wanted to know what exactly he did. The google results gave me all of the info I need. Thanks everyone. THL 13:08, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Credit Card Offers

I understand you can send letters to a group of organizations (US), and the credit card offers will stop. (Experian Target Marketing, Equifax Options, Trans Union Corporation, I believe.) What, exactly, are you supposed to send them? Should it just be a piece of paper saying "Stop sending stuff"? Should I include both my mailing addresses? Do I need to give them my name, social security number, some kind of proof I am who I say I am... What? Black Carrot 16:10, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

What you would want first, is concrete proof that any of this actually works. --Zeizmic 17:02, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Take a look at https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ -- considering its support, I suspect it actually works. I'll let you know in a few months... --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 17:10, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

In a few months you will already know if it works? How many of those things do you get? I suppose this is a US thing. I once saw in a film that if someone gets hold of such a credit card they can start using it *there was some trick involved) and the addressee gets billed even though they never did anything. Is this true? DirkvdM 07:34, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I get several of those offers a week. No big deal, just work for the shredder. The addressee can get pretty badly messed up via identity theft somehow, is my guess. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 08:25, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Usually the method of validation is to call them from your home phone and they'll check the incoming call number against the number they have on file for your address. So I guess you could break into their home and call, then take the card, or maybe a skilled phreaker could do it --froth^{T C} 19:18, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah, yes, I think I recall now that in the film they rewired the phone lines or something. But this is ridiculous. If a company thinks up a spamming scheme that goes wrong, then how can they expect the person they spammed to pay for it? How can this be legally possible? DirkvdM 06:31, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

When you make the call you agree to their terms of service (ie you'll be charged for purchases). Yeah, they make it as easy as possible to get into crushing debt --froth^{T C} 19:43, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

How can a phone call replace a signature? That could be anyone on the other side of the line, especially if it is not the company that makes the phone call. DirkvdM 04:09, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• Check snopes.com first. I've heard about scams that mask as such services but actually spread the info you're trying to stop since you are a confirmed target when you respond. On my email I use filters to get rid of such offers, when I get them in paper through the mailbox, they'll go straight to the paper recycling bin. It will take a while, but eventually they'll stop because you're not useful to them. - 131.211.210.14 10:08, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

But you are still useful to people who sell mailing lists. Rich Farmbrough, 11:46 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Problems trying to goatse

I've been trying to goatse for about a month now and am considerably more able now than before; however, I am beginning to experience pain during defecation. Any ideas on what it is? P.S. I will go to a doctor, but I still would like some advice.

You're probably trying to do too much too soon. Rome wasn't built in a day - the Goatse Man probably took years to work his way up to that diameter. --Kurt Shaped Box 18:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Btw, to prevent such accidents to happen in the future, is there a manual at Wikibooks? @_@ 惑乱 分からん 19:02, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

For the love of God why? --froth^{T C} 19:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Behind every legend there is a thousand followers. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 19:39, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Because they can! --Kurt Shaped Box 20:43, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

How much money will you have if each living person in the world gives you ONE unit of his/her own currency (dollar, euro, pound, yen, RMB, ruble, won, ...) -- Toytoy 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC

This is actually not as hard as it looks. Take a population estimate from a country and insert it on http://www.xe.com (my favorite) and select the country and to change it into your currency. Do this with every country (which may take a while), and then add. This is your answer. Reywas92^Talk 19:55, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Several hundred million from america alone. Latin america and japan would probably add up to like a thousand dollars USD. EU states' money is worth a lot but I don't think they have as much population as america. not sure about china and india's currency exchange --froth^{T C} 20:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Derail - the population of the EU is half as large again as that of the US - you would get the most money from the EU as they have the 3rd largest population and the strongest currencies (Euro and GBP). Natgoo 08:14, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean with "derail", "half as large" and "3rd lardest population"? Also, you might lose some of the money trying to find a good way to get rid of your millions of North Korean Won. 惑乱 分からん 12:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

'Derail ' indicates a tangent - it's a sort of a shorthand for apologising for posting something somewhat off-topic (derailing the thread). 'Half as large again' means 1.5 times as large, as in the population of the EU (~450m) is 1.5 times that of the US (~300m). Taken as a whole (which is appropriate in this context), the EU is the world's third most populous geo-socio-political entity (after China and India). Natgoo 16:05, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

OK, I didn't know about derail, but still wonder whether "half as large again" really is correct English. It sounds rather weird to me... =S 惑乱 分からん 17:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

"Half again as large" is more usual. Tesseran 02:53, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Not in my experience. Rich Farmbrough, 11:48 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Chess - must say check?

I can't seem to find it anywhere, is a chess player required to say check when he moves into the position? Thanks! Reywas92^Talk 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Only one dissenting (wrong) view on the entire first page --froth^{T C} 20:14, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The rules of chess seem to say so. AMP'd 20:23, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

No they don't. They actually say the opposite. Anchoress 20:29, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Go easy on the newbie! I was assuming that he wasn't playing professionally! AMP'd 22:00, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Are you the newbie? Because I was replying to you. The OP asked if it's required to say check, and the article you linked to says no, it isn't. Anchoress 22:05, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I am, and that was what I got out of the article on chess. Sorry.AMP'd 22:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

LOL How is it being hard on you to point out that the article you linked to doesn't say what you indicated? I'm sorry if I've seemed harsh or if you took offence, but I really don't understand. Anchoress 22:13, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I quote from the linked article "In informal games, it is customary to announce check when making a move that puts the opponent's king in check. However, in formal competitions this is not only unnecessary but may be considered annoying or distracting." -- SGBailey 22:39, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. In other words, it is not required to say 'check'. Anchoress 22:49, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Glad we've established what I said two hours ago --froth^{T C} 19:12, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Considering his asking about Chess rules on wikipedia id say its fairly certain his not in any formal competition, and therefore it would be "customary to say check". Joneleth 00:44, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, but look at his question. He actually italicised required. That's what he's asking. Is it required. Anchoress 02:44, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Sidenote: speed chess (5 minutes or so each) is often played with the rule that moving the king into an attacked position isn't illegal. Nor is it required to say 'check'. So you can actually take the opponent's king. But if you fail to do so, they can then move the king out of harm's way. All this because the warnings would take too much time for speed chess (which happens to be my favourite version of the game). DirkvdM 07:39, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• In formal tournament chess, saying "check" is not required. In a friendly "skittles" game, the rule is whatever the two players say it is (the default being that there is no such requirement). Saying "check" (and "guarde" when the Queen is attacked) went out of fashion with the advent of the chess clock in the late 19th century. B00P 09:42, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Quotation mark usage

I am in an argument with my teacher about this. Does an individual letter in writing or a list need quotation mark around it?
I say: . . . . My teacher says:
Lunch B . . . .Lunch "B" . .(it is specifying one of the different lunch times at my school)
I earned an A on the test. . . . I earned an "A" on the test.
It says nothing about it on the article (Quotation mark), leading me to probably be right. Which is correct? Please be definite. Thanks! Reywas92^Talk 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This is a perfect question for the language desk :) But I think you can do it either way. --froth^{T C} 20:20, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Your teacher is wrong. You only need the quotation marks if you are discussing the letter as a letter. In the examples you gave, you are not actually discussing the letter itself. If teachers were all that intelligent, they would have better jobs. --Nelson Ricardo 01:19, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

There is an implication that something unnecessarily placed in quotes is questionable. That's why it is funny to see a menu that says "Enjoy our 'fresh' salads."Edison 22:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Tom Monagahan

Hi, Can you please tell me how I can reach Tom Monaghan (ie)e mail address or any other address, thank you for your help on this matter. Kind Regards Diarmuid Scullin

Who's Tom Monagahan? We don't seem to have an article on him and you don't give us any clues as to where he lives/works/etc. So the best I could offer is trying the phone book. Dismas|^(talk) 21:59, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Spelling counts, dearest Diarmuid. Tom Monaghan—the Domino's Pizza guy. Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If you reach him, tell him my pizza too arrived cold. TIA  --Lambiam^Talk 00:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Tell him my pizza arrived a solid brick of grease with no distinguishable pizza features --froth^{T C} 19:16, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

October 14th

is there some reason all the questions under October 14th have disappeared?--66.65.155.117 20:33, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• That was odd--66.65.155.117 20:36, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

dewey decimal system

What is the dewey decimal system?

See Dewey decimal system Reywas92^Talk 20:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

who's dewey?!! --froth^{T C} 20:22, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Same answer - see Dewey decimal system B00P 09:30, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you ever see that episode? :) The whole arthur gang was singing about how having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card. One of the lines in the song is about the dewey decimal system. Throughout the episode D.W. demands to know who's dewey?!! A bit esoteric I guess. --froth^{T C} 19:14, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Dr. Jekyll Hyde, Dr. Hyde, Hyde, Jekyll! --JDitto

How many countries are poor and consistently getting poorer?

The heading is my question.

Basically most countries in Africa. --69.51.87.130 20:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Most are getting richer. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Globalization is pretty much making all poor countries richer with the exception of various african countries because of their continious state of war between the local tribes. Joneleth 00:41, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

52 .THL 04:56, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Depends very much how you define 'poor'. Do you measure GDP or something more realistic like the Human Development Index? But those are about the averages. If you focus on just the poor people in a country, Human Poverty Index makes more sense (alas the article only shows rich countries). And at what level would you put 'poor'? I'm fairly sure I once saw a map on Wikipedia that answered your question, but I can't find it right now. But very roughly speaking 'most of Africa' just about covers it. DirkvdM 07:52, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Depends very much how you define "poor". If you compare GDP or GNP, you would not go much further than the obvious.

For example, I think people in the U.S. are getting poorer and poorer despite of the obvious. Let's see, if you see mass transportation as important as clean water supply, many U.S. towns and even cities are without a usable mass transportation service. You may drive a car. You may buy each family member a f**king huge SUV or a military surplus M-1 main tank. You may also provide old and handicapped people free buses. These things cannot replace a mass transportation system that works.

Many people in the U.S. are also unable to afford medical care, because of high wages for medical workers and lack of insurance coverage. Many could not afford a plumber. You can import cheap DVD players manufactured in China. You can import butchers from Mexico. But how do you import all your bus drivers, garbage collectors, chefs, florists, dentists ... from India, Yugoslavia, Gabon, Albania, ... ?

Many children in the U.S. are unable to receive enough parental care. Either their parents are spending countless hours driving to and from work, or their parents are watching TV, or all of them are watching TV. Families could not afford to go to a show with live performers. These kids may also receive no wholesome education other than a cheap calculator that replaced basic math training.

A great majority in the U.S. cannot afford wholesome food. Either they have too much soda or they have to eat canned and frozen food. Many do not buy beef or pork and cook at home. Most do not even go to a restaurant with a chef who really cooks. Instead, they have miserable fast food. They eat too little greens and too much fried potato and fat.

In many places, personal safety and privacy are also becoming more difficult to obtain. In many U.S. cities and towns, jobs are more difficult to find nowadays because local business owners are closing their doors. People would drive to a far away Wal*Mart rather than walk to the main street to buy their food. As a result, more people are jobless and hopeless than ever. They may not survive a winter without strong U.S. dollar, cheap oil and dirt cheap importation from the 3rd world.

Now tell me how many countries are getting poorer and poorer because they follow the footsteps of the U.S.? -- Toytoy 12:28, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

If you define poverty based on a fixed set of reasonable criteria, we are getting to be poorer and poorer. For example, you may afford to watch 1000 hours of programs on TV and 50 computer graphics SciFi movies in theaters a year, but how many quality live performance shows can you see?

You may have a zillion downloaded MP3 songs in your hard disk. Can you play an instrument such as a flute like a poor farm kid in India?

If you change the items in your basket of goods, you may find yourselves getting richer and richer. But otherwise, you are getting poorer and poorer. For example: in the 19th century, you could walk to the shops and talk with the person behind the counter. Today, you can drive to a Wal*Mart and ... whatever. You get machines and machines but you lose yourself and friends. -- Toytoy 12:47, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

somebody's jealous of america :) --froth^{T C} 18:50, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

And obviously it's not Toytoy. DirkvdM 06:39, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Toy-toy, your idea of 'wealth' and 'worth' etc. is your own. Mine is mine. Do not look down on my idea because you believe live-performances beat tv, or playing an instrument beats listening to one played. One man's rubbish is another's treasure. Be careful not to fall into the trap in believing your treasure is more worthy than anyone elses. ny156uk 21:01, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that I saw in the Economist and table which showed that almost everywhere in the world had increased its wealth. Disparity of wealth across a nation, however, will lead some to quesion wealth based purely on a whole naiton. If by poor you mean little possessions then there may be more poor than you think, if by poor you mean few of the vital requirements for life (food/water) then fewer than realised. Whilst it is extremely sad that some will have more than others, envy shouldn't be displayed at those more fortunate. A A Gill said when he visited Africa that the thing that scared him most was the laughing and flirting, and fun that children had. I believe that across the world almost everybody has benefited from global trade but many will disagree - unfortunately wikipedia doesn't have a 'debat forum' i know of so here's not really a place to detail why. In short depending on the timescales you compare (poorer than 50 years ago?) and the definition of poor, you will get different results ny156uk 09:34, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I have also noticed that the poorer people are, the happier they are (provided they are not starving, of course). It seems weird, but is may have something to do with the point Toytoy seems to try to make. Poverty is not just measured in physical wealth. There are also values like a good community and friendship. The basic necessities of a human are enough to eat and drink, protection against the elements, preferably good health care and good companionship. Wealth can actually get in the way of good companionship. The best example I can think of is Cuba. Cubans are possibly the happiest people I've ever met. They're not rich, but they've got enough to eat, proper drinking water, a much better health care system than other poor countries and some of the best music in the world. What else could they need? DirkvdM 04:19, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Happiness is almost impossible to define, even harder to compare across nations. Surveys rarely work as cultural differences have a big effect (or is it affect?) on people's responses. Some national identities mean they will rarely say they are much more than just 'ok', others never less than 'great'.

I agree money is no guarantee of happiness, but neither is the 'simple life' - which is what many people seem to yearn for. I am sure many Cuban people are very happy, but I am also sure they have their fair share of social problems. I guess the answer is nigh on impossible. In real wealth terms someone can answer who has become more poor, but when people begin to put a value on that which is not monetary based then it becomes opinion. As Toytoy notes it could be live-performances/time with children/etc. etc. or as I tried to say it could be almost anything. I think overall happiness is a state of mind, not a state of circumstances, but said circumstances will influence how easy it is to feel happy. Good chat everybody ny156uk 07:09, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

This is an interesting question and I have data showing that the answer is very few countries have lost per capita purchasing power over the past decade including the majority of African countries. You need to look at inflation-adjusted dollars and an excellent data source is the Real Per Capita Income table here. While a few countries have had a consistent string of decline years, the overall trend over the past decade is growth. Few countries lost more than $100 in real purchasing power though for some this was a devastating drop (the West Bank lost $1k...almost half of their 2000 purchasing power). So more the % loss of their real purchasing power in 2000 is the correct place to look. Countries that lost more than 10% during that period include Haiti (13% drop), Iraq (10%), West Bank (50%), Yemen United (40%), Cote d Ivory (10%), Liberia (22%) and Zimbabwe (33%).

Lots of potential here for more systematic research. Also I didn't check whether they use a median or mean, which makes a significant difference.

I think a lot of people confuse 'absolute level of poverty' with 'level of global inequality'--the first is what is important from a humanitarian perspective and the latter makes good headlines because greed (like sex) sells. Antonrojo 03:46, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Colonization

What are the most likely candidates(places) for future colonization? --18.85.18.23 20:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

On Earth or elsewhere? As far as somewhere on the Earth, basically every landmass large enough to sustain a population of people already has a population of people there. As far as off world goes, we may see colonization of the Moon or Mars within the next ~50 years but that's about it for the near future. Dismas|^(talk) 21:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I would expect to see orbital colonies at about the same time as colonies on the moon. --WhiteDragon 19:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

The presence of a population has never been a disincentive for colonization.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Due to global warming, areas now covered by glaciers, like northern Canada, Greenland, and Antarctica, may become habitable in the future. StuRat 00:02, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

We can try to colonize Bikini Bottom.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

And lower ourselves to Krabby Patties? I'll take the moon, the Toast King and Insanity Prawn Boy live there.AMP'd 00:15, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Iraq? (Oops, that's present, not future.) DirkvdM 07:55, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

You'll not have much luck in colonising melted glaciers in Canada as only 2% or 200,000 sq km in the whole country. What might be more likly is that if global warming continues then more people might be tempted to move to areas that currently support only a marginal number of people. However, that would probably be a gradual mirgration north through the provinces rather than a sudden move to Nunavut/NWT/Yukon/Alaska. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:09, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

If global warming gets worse and the oceans recede, you've got a whole new waterfront to expand onto. --froth^{T C} 19:07, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

You've got that topsy turvy. Global warming will cause sealevels to rise and potentially inundate most of the Netherlands, Florida, Bangladesh and the Seychelles, to name just a few of the worst struck places. But a much bigger problem here is that all over the world most people live in narrow strips very close to the sea, preferable in the more fertile lowlying areas, exactly the places that would get flooded. So colonisation of other areas (with less sustainability) will become a necessity. DirkvdM 06:41, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Texas has a big, empty spot its western region. That could hold a lot of people, probably. A huge number of people could migrate to Africa; there is a lot of empty space there. I forget the name of it, but there was this kind of ice invented during WW2 that takes ~1000 years to melt. It is a frozen mixture of water and wood slurry. America and the UK were going to build an aircraft carrier the size of an island out of this ice for use in a future invasion of Japan. They abandoned the project because they were winning by more conventional methods, and the atom bomb was coming along nicely. They did build a scale model, and they sank it just off the coast of Canada, it has barely begun to show any signs of melting. We could use this ice to create our own islands if necessary; I don't foresee us having to colonize other planets. THL 20:21, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

We have articles on this. Pykrete takes a long time to melt but not that long. See Project Habakkuk for more. The 1000 ton scale model took all summer to melt. Lisiate 21:33, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes it was Pykrete, thank you. Your correct, on its own the Pykrete doesn't take 1000 years to melt, but when they run coolant through it does take that long. I saw this on the History Channel a while ago. They run pipes throughout the Pykrete that run coolant. The coolant can keep the ice from melting for ~1000 years. The reason the scale model melted that quickly is that they stopped running coolant through the pipes. THL 04:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Health Symbols

The symbol for low carbohydrates is a diamond with a ckeck in the middle, the symbol for low fat is a triangle with a check in the middle. What is the symbol for low calorie?

I have never seen these symbols, and Google isn't very friendly today. Perhaps this is only on the box you are looking at?AMP'd 01:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

It's not exact, but the Heart Smart symbol often means low calorie. Anchoress 04:29, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, that is low cholesterol. I don't think low calorie has a symbol, but a pentagon with a check in the middle would look awesome. THL 05:01, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh, I didn't know that lol. :-) Anchoress 05:20, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The Goatse Man

Does anyone know if the Goatse Man ever made any money from his online fame and unusual talents? I'm guessing that there'd be a niche market for 'Goatse' branded videos, for one thing - there would be a heck of a lot of people who'd buy Goatse T-shirts too (I know I would). --Kurt Shaped Box 20:49, 13 October 2006 (UTC) $Insertformulahere$

What? And make a really big asshole of yourself? 8-)--Light current 21:54, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

That would be the general idea. :) There has been a fair bit of unofficial Goatse merchandise over the years - but why would I want to help someone who takes credit for someone else's work get rich? --Kurt Shaped Box 22:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Simplified baseball rules

I put a couple of questions on Talk:Simplified baseball rules back in June. Whilst the article is good, those questions haven't had answers added either in talk or the main article. Could someone answer them (either here or on the talk page or even the article page). If they are clear enough I'll add them into the article. Cheers. -- SGBailey 22:32, 13 October 2006 (UTC) (PS, I presume "Sport" counts as micsellaneous - I was surprised that it wasn't explicitly listed on the reference desk starter page.)

Actually, sports are considered to be a subset of humanities. StuRat 23:45, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

What part of "History, art, politics, literature, religion, philosophy, law, music, fashion, culture, and society" includes sport? -- SGBailey 21:24, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The article describes both of those situations. Specifically the questions were: 1. When is a "Strike-out"? Is it after 3 failed attemnpts to hit the pitched ball? 2. "Ground-out" Is this hitting the ball whilst on the ground or hitting it in the air but so that it strikes the ground after being hit?

1. A strike out occurs as the result of getting three strikes. A strike is either a complete miss of the ball or hitting the ball out-of-bounds (a foul ball). Except that a foul ball cannot be the third strike. (A foul ball ball after two strikes is simply not counted for anything) 2. The batter cannot hit the ball while it is on the ground (nor would he try as it is out of the strike zone) (also I don't think that the ball can hit the ground before reaching the batter even if it returns to the strike zone.) A ground out specifically means that the hit ball lands in fair territory, a fielder then catches it either off the ground or in the air off the bounce/s and throws it to the first baseman before the runner reaches the base. Neither of those is exactly a simple explanation, though, for the article. Rmhermen 07:04, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The are some minor exceptions to Point 1.

A foul ball does count as a third strike if the ball was bunted.

A foul ball also counts as a third strike if the pitch was merely brushed by the bat without altering the trajectory greatly (a "foul tip") and the catcher catches it as if it weren't touched at all.

It should be noted that "hitting the ball out-of-bounds (a foul ball)" if caught by a defensive player before it hits the ground, is an out. B00P 09:57, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Thnaks all - that clears up the strikeout well for me. I remain confused about ground out - which doesn't seem to be mentioned in the main baseball article. It would appear that "hitting the ball whilst it is on the ground" is not what is meant by ground-out. So I assume it is the latter when the ball lands or bounces and is picked up from the ground or caught after the bounce and thrown to first base in time. If you can confirm that I'll bung something into the artcile about it. -- SGBailey 21:21, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. -- Mwalcoff 23:25, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The Green Green Grass (BBC 1)

Hi, first of all I apologise if this is the wrong place to ask this. If anybody knows who the actress was who played the French Exchange student in tonights episode then I'd be greatful. I've already google and had a look-a-round on here but to no avail. Thanks.

Melmer 22:37, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, TV is considered to be a subset of humanities. StuRat 23:46, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Have you checked the links at the bottom of the Green Green Grass article? IMDb is also a good place to look. Anchoress 23:50, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I hate to argue with Anchoress again already, but none of those external links told me anything about this exchange student, who apparently only appeared at the end of the episode...AMP'd 00:09, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I didn't say they would have the info, I just asked if s/he'd checked them. It's useful to know if s/he checked them, because undoubtedly other people will wonder. And I didn't know we were arguing before. Anchoress 02:27, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

According to this page, Beatriz Romilly is the actress who played the French exchange student.LondonSE16 09:23, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks alot :) Melmer 15:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

October 14

HOFFSTEDE STUDY

What is "Hoffstede Study"? What is its importance in International Business?

It is to do with national culture. See Geert Hofstede. BenC7 07:17, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

news headlines in present continuous

why news headlines are written in present continous form instead of past tense? I think it's because news stories are often still happening. There are commonly headlines saying things like "Local Woman Wins First Prize in Pumpkin Growing Contest" stating things that have already happened. Ask Anchoress for her opinion.AMP'd 03:54, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

From what I've seen, Spanish language newspapers use past tense in their headlines. User:Zoe|(talk) 04:30, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

This seems to be largely an English-speaking phenomena. I haven't seen any Scandinavian newspapers use such headlines. Indeed, I've come to hate short, attention-begging headlines that drag things out of context. But that's O/T. :) 81.93.102.3 11:40, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

In English-language headlines I see mainly the present simple: The New York Times: "U.S. Hits Obstacle" • "Leader of a Georgia Mosque Pleads Guilty"; The Times: "Army throws weight behind chief" • "Ministers say general was out of order". Looking at today's headlines of the German newspaper Die Welt, I see likewise mainly the present indicative for things that already happened: USA messen Radioaktivität • Aachen genießt den Moment • Agenten führen Mädchen aus Schulunterricht ab. In Le Monde, on the contrary, I find mainly (but not exclusively) the perfect tense. Apparently there is no simple rule like English versus the rest or Germanic versus Latin.  --Lambiam^Talk 12:42, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I suspect it's done intentionally to make the news seem more current. That is, people would rather know what is happening now that what has happened in the past. BTW, this question belongs on the Language Ref Desk. StuRat 16:52, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Just a nit: They don't ordinarily use the present continuous, aka present progressive, tense, but just the plain old present tense. The present continuous would be where the verbs end in "ing". --Trovatore 16:58, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

What's the Average Weight?

hey I was just wondering what would be the average weight for someone in the U.S. about 5'6"-5'7"?

According to this CDC study, the average body mass index for males 20 years and older for 1999–2002 was 27.8, which for a height of 5'6" corresponds to 172 pounds. —Keenan Pepper 07:31, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I am only European, and have problems with the unit lbs, but.... isn't that very fat? 81.93.102.3 11:37, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

BMIs over 25 are considered overweight, so yes 27.8 is. At 30, they are considered 'obese'. --Mnemeson 13:08, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I think thats just under 80Kg, which for someone 5'6" is rather overweight. That would be a suitable mass for someone around 6' possibly taller. Englishnerd 13:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

what about like 15 and u weigh like 120lbs i dunno how much that is in like kg or ne thing just 120 lbs??

Depends on your height. Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:10, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

5'7" hows that?

What is the Meaning of Life?

What is the meaning of life? THL 07:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Meaning of life. I believe in the view that we're just around because we havn't figured out a way to destroy ourselves yet. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:17, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Some great philosopher once opined that it is: "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations" and also, that people aren't wearing enough hats.--Fuhghettaboutit 08:29, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

And who told you that it has a meaning? B00P 10:01, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I have to wonder about the seriousness of questions like this. But I will (naively?) assume that there is some degree of actual desire to know behind it. If you ask me the meaning/purpose of life is to live in relationship with God. Not God as defined by an individual ("I think God is like this"), but God as he has revealed himself through the Bible. BenC7 10:30, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

THats oK if he exists. But if not...?--Light current 10:40, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

And if It exists, how do we know It revealed Itself through the Bible, and not through the works of H. P. Lovecraft? As to the original question: I'd say, the meaning of your life is what you choose it to be. So choose well.  --Lambiam^Talk 12:15, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Is there anything to make you think that God has revealed himself through said person's books? Has he made numerous prophecies which have subsequently been fulfulled literally and accurately? Has he performed miracles? Has his work changed billions of people's lives significantly? In fact, what book has ever done this, besides the Bible? BenC7 01:17, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Obvious answer. 42! Englishnerd 13:08, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Well if it takes 7.5 million years for the computer to come up with 42... and we are probably about 7.5 million years away from building a computer of that magnitude... i would say you have to come back and ask that question in 15 million years. Good Luck in your quest! Croat Canuck Go Leafs Go 17:51, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Man doesn't have much of a purpose unless you bring religion into the mix. Many many philosophers (theistic and atheistic alike) have commented that life is pretty bleak without a god, though of course it takes some wading through philosophical red tape (more like red concrete thanks to voltaire and nietzsche) to come to such a position --froth^{T C} 18:48, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Notice how the previous post shifts the point of the question in three ways. (1) It goes from "meaning" to "purpose." The latter implies a goal, while the former does not. (2) "Man" is being substituted for "Life." Obviously written by a believer that "Man is the measure of all things." (3) Nobody asked whether things might be "bleak." Our Poster, however, constructs his reality so that he gets his desired outcome, and answers on that basis.

Notice how the parent post tries to look smart and intelligent while belittling the previous poster. His arguments have no merit. I will demonstrate why in three ways: (1) "What is the meaning of life" is often asked in the context of purpose. Also "meaning" is a concept very closely tied to "purpose". Meaning is often described in terms of purpose. For example "What is the meaning of spatula?" "Spatula is a word representing an object that flips eggs and pancakes". Asking what is literally the meaning of life (in a biological concept for example) is a more specialized meaning.. not to mention that this is historically an attractive place to post mystifying questions. The biological definition of life isn't considered nearly as mystifying as the purpose of life and reality. In other words, almost every time someone asks "what is the meaning of life" they really mean "describe the cosmology of the universe" though they might know that exact term. (2) I wasn't necessarily answering his question; rather I was providing follow up information that was related to the topic. Look around on this page; you'll see it's a common practice, especially with more general or controversial questions. (3) When Protagoras wrote that "man is a measure of all things," he was saying that man is ultimately the only thing in the world of value. How can you say that I obviously believe that when I just said that in fact man has little value or purpose without a god to serve? Our good Flamer therefore constructs his reality so that he gets his desired outcome, and replies on that basis. I wish I could end this with something funny but I can't think of anything that's not directly insulting... --froth^{T C} 04:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Englishnerd has, of course, come up with the most viable answer. But for you, 41.95.

B00P 21:54, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

"Many many philosophers (theistic and atheistic alike) have commented that life is pretty bleak" Yeah. It has been said that life is like a restaurant where every day you have to eat a chicken sandwich for lunch. But some days it is chicken salad, and other days it is chicken shit, and you have to eat it all the same. Then you get old, then you die. Or there is a God, and he likes you, and you get pie in the sky, bye and bye, and live happily ever after. Cheers.Edison 05:57, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Life is mean? Clarityfiend 06:45, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Why does religion have to wreck everything? This was a joke, and I was hoping to get some BS answers that I could have a good laugh about, but what do I find when I return, a theological debate. The best answer I got was 41.95. Dang it religion, wasn't causing almost every war in human history enough? I'm very depressed now, I'm going to go and slit my wrists. THL 07:05, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

A-ha, I was right! "not to mention that this is historically an attractive place to post mystifying questions [that they don't really want an answer to]" By the way if you're God how can you kill yourself? --froth^{T C} 17:50, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I didn't die. I was just so depressed that I inflicted pain on myself. Also remember when I posted this comment I still had amnesia from Darwin's chair shot. That hurt, he was way stronger than he looked. THL 19:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Uhh..I don't get Englishnerd's answer...is that a wikipedia inside joke? Oh well, just to add to the conversation, the Bible outdates Lovecraft's writings.--JDitto 05:22, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

See wikt:life. Confusing Manifestation 11:39, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

what about like 15 and u weigh like 120?

THATS NOT FAIR....I ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE AND I GOT A 1 SENTANCE ANSWER AND THATS ALL LOL!

a band with no original members

I'm scearching the answer to the following question: which band had already no original members, when releasing the first album? that means that no original member of the band participated in the creation of the first album, they all left before the releasing, but the name of the band stayed the same. i would appreciate any help thank you in advance kat

riddle

1.what has to be false to be true?

• Q. "Are you going to answer NO to this question?" JackofOz 07:15, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

2.what is the capability of a nuke?whats all the hype bout n.korea having them.can it really destroy the world?how?

I'm not sure if you're asking a standard riddle with a set answer, but for a lie to indeed be a lie it must be false for it to be true that it's a lie. Something like that?. As for the second, I suggest reading the articles Nuclear weapon, Nuclear warfare, Nuclear winter, etc. In short though, a nuclear bomb can have a capacity of 50 megatons, meaning that the explosion is equivalent to 50 million tons of TNT exploding and yes, enough nuclear bombs exploding can destroy the world. As for North Korea, please see 2006 North Korean nuclear test.--Fuhghettaboutit 11:24, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

One nuke won't destroy the world, but it could do pretty serious damage to a city: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only cities ever to be attacked by nuclear bomb, were almost completely flattened by the blast, although isolated buildings did survive, and those bombs (Little Boy and Fat Man) were tiny by today's standards (but not by North Korean standards; the DPRK bomb was ~ 1 kiloton, which is ¹/₂₀ of the Fat Man bomb). Laïka 13:57, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

One nuke could destroy Tokyo or Seoul or Los Angeles, which sounds bad enough to me. StuRat 16:04, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

That would be a very high-yield weapon.. are you sure about that? Think of a nuke as an unusually powerful bomb- they don't have any strange power to "destroy the world" but while a normal bomb might destroy a building, a nuke could destroy much of a city. Also there's nuclear fallout, which inhibits rebuilding and may affect surrounding areas --froth^{T C} 19:54, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The center of the Greater Los Angeles is more than 100km from any point on the border of the area. The most powerful nuke the US has ever detonated is Castle Bravo, a 15 megaton yield. This page says that for a 20mt yield the maximum range for any damage at all (first degree burns on exposed skin) is 50km. --froth^{T C} 20:09, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, StuRat didn't say "Greater LA", but LA. Speaking as a former Angeleno, Greater LA is definitely not LA. In fact not all of LA is LA (for example, the Valley is not LA). --Trovatore 21:50, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I believe the biggest nuke ever detonated was the Tsar Bomba. As long as the LA suburb of Woodland Hills survives (where they make porno movies), then I'm OK. :-) StuRat 23:40, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Tsar Bomba doesn't count it's too big for actual warfare. --froth^{T C} 04:16, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Any nuke could destroy the world once fired, because MAD would occur. --JDitto 05:26, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Or at least cause significant damage to the surface dwelling flora and fauna. Rich Farmbrough, 12:47 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Car's main shaft producing power

Why should a car's battery EVER run flat? Can't one simply fit a sort of magnet onto the shaft somewhere between the gearbox and the rear wheelshaft? (Not sure about the nomenclature for these parts)

Even if that would lessen the structural integrity of such a shaft, which is quite important of course, can't one just duplicate the solution which makes the engine shaft run the shaft of the cooling prop? Surely a lot of the potential for energy from a car can be used by fitting magnets/coils of wiring onto a part of the shaft (ANY moving shaft), and harvest the energy that 3,000-5,000 RPMs can produce? 81.93.102.3 11:35, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Batteries run flat when you leave the headlights on. Newer cars all have things to prevent that, which is good for me! Also, batteries more than 6 years old lose their capacity to hold charge, and many people notice that when winter starts to bite. The final problem is that the alternator rusts out (for Detroit cars) at 7 years. --Zeizmic 11:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Most cars do have generators attached to the axles, and some have regenerative brakes. However, the big problem is that any dynamo will generate massive resistance when a current is flowing. This is fine for braking, where you want to slow the wheels down, but a pain when trying to drive. Laïka 14:47, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

There isn't any problem generating electricity when the car is running (unless the charging system fails, that is). The problem is losing charge when the car is off. This happens slowly over time, which can be a problem for a car in storage. It can happen more quickly if there is an electrical short somewhere, which converts the charge into heat. StuRat 15:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Also, if trying to generate electricity from some new source, try a source of energy which is currently wasted, like braking (in most cars) or excess heat from the radiator and exhaust. StuRat 15:57, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

In a dynamo like you're suggesting, energy is taken from the shaft and converted into electrical energy. You don't want energy taken from the drive shaft while you're trying to drive. --froth^{T C} 18:41, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Lots of interesting responses here, but not a single one mentioning the increased fuel consumption associated with placing ANY additional energy draining device to the propulsion system??????

Energy produced by burning fuel is turned into electrical energy to re-charge the battery, by the alternator. This happens whenever the car engine is running. There's three main reasons for a "flat battery", battery failure (often due to drying out or age), electical drain when not running the engine, and failure of the charging system (alternator burn out, diode failure). I've had all three. Also I had one car where the alternator/battery did not provide enough power for radio+heater+wipers+lights. Energy is conserved, so when you turn on your radio the car slows down, or burns more fuel, albeit not noticeably. Rich Farmbrough, 12:54 19 October 2006 (GMT).

scarborough

local address

I think there are several places called Scarborough across the world. I know about one in South Africa, for instance... 惑乱 分からん 13:48, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Are vague questions about Scarborough Fair ? StuRat 15:43, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Scarborough, Ontario Ontario? --The Dark Side 01:54, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know where Joe Scarborough lives. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:28, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

space, empty?

is space really empty or is that a matter of opinion 205.188.117.68 14:41, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, Intergalactic space is really the closest we know of to a perfect free space, and even that contains a few hydrogen atoms. Even in a perfect free space, some virtual particles might pop in and out of existance and, if too close to a large source of gravitation, become real particles. Laïka 15:01, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know who the source was – if someone knows, I'd appreciate hearing about it – but it was once said that the Universe is made of five things:

1. nothing;
2. nothing;
3. nothing;
4. a bit of energy; and
5. a little dirty hydrogen.

Forget the hydrogen atoms; there are gobs of neutrinos everywhere. The current estimate in our article is that there should be a few more than fifty neutrinos per cubic centimetre of space left over from the Big Bang. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:19, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Just because there's a lower concentration of mass doesn't mean we should call it nothing. What if a hydrogen atom out in interstellar space was talking to his friend and said "I heard the earth was made of Solid matter, Solid matter, Solid matter, Solid matter, and a little bit of empty space. He would be equally wrong --froth^{T C} 19:01, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

He might be wrong, but as a gendered hydrogen atom that could talk, he would be very, very valuable;-) --Mnemeson 00:11, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

In this context the value of a hydrogen atom is assumed to be irrelevant >:| --froth^{T C} 04:15, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I echo the neutrino thing. So, no space is not empty, just the things taking it up are not stuck together and are so small they are transparent. THL 11:29, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

And then there's the seething sea of quantum foam, the vacuum fluctuation that (in the absence of aether) keeps space from not existing.  --Lambiam^Talk 19:50, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I had a lengthy argument with one of my sciennce teachers about this. I was kicked out of class for a week. Funny thing was, I was right. Яussiaп F 11:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Is this illegal?

A man bumped into me on the street and caused my coffee to spill. So I followed him to his apartment, and beat his skull in with a baseball bat. I want to know if it is legal for me to do this, since he violated my rights first.

Yeah, turn yourself into the police; they can't touch you. --Zeizmic 15:05, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Well it probably depends on where you live. The law will probably exist in almost any place, but may not be enforced in some countries. In the US it would almost definately be prosecuted and you would probably lose for the gross over-reaction. If it was, say, tthe other way around, the man came to you to bash your skull in and you threw coffee in his face and the coffee had some infectious disease in that infected an open wound and he died, you would probably get off on self-defense. schyler 15:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I didn't kill him though.

I sure hope this is all theoretical. If it really happened, you are seriously out of control and need some anger management training immediately, and possibly some meds, too. If you won't get those things on your own, hopefully the courts will order them as a condition of your parole, once you are released from prison. StuRat 15:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Did you not think that the baseball bat thing was a trifle disproportionate to the initial minor mistake? Anyway, do you always walk down the street carrying a baseball bat? You could be arrested: its probably seen as a weapon of man destruction! 8-)--Light current 18:29, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

It's illegal in the United States and many european countries. See you in 5 years --froth^{T C} 18:38, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Try 15 to 25 for felony assault. Martial Law 05:34, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Rich white kid who's lived most of his life in a gated community.... what do you want? --froth^{T C} 17:48, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

It depends on the size of the baseball bat, and what brand it is. THL 11:26, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

And whether it's wood or aluminum, and what type of wood. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:29, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

A few words of advice - Don't drop the soap. Night, Night. Keep ya' butthole tight. -- Sturgeonman 19:13, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

fastest spring

what's the fastest spring ever?205.188.117.68 15:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

this page says about 800 cubic feet per second, though that's only in florida. See Spring (hydrosphere) or possibly Spring (device) or even Spring (season), which did you mean? --froth^{T C} 18:56, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The big bang was pretty fast--Light current 02:26, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

No, too hot. Definitely summer. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 02:38, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I was going to suggest 1752, but turns out the Gregorian calendar reforms took place in early September, making this the fastest summer. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

That was in the UK and its dominions, which were relative latecomers to the Gregorian calendar. The calendar was first adopted in Italy, Spain, Poland and Portugal in October 1582, making it the fastest fall. JackofOz 07:12, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism

Somebody vandalised Britney Spears article.

Did they add false info, like that she has any talent ? :-) StuRat 15:29, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Do not upset yourself too much. Our policy concerning such acts are lengthily explained here : Wikipedia:Vandalism. And I imagine that, while we answer, some reacted and reverted to the truth : The amount of her talent, according to (1), is ... -- DLL ^{.. T} 18:23, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Longest Professional Wrestling Match

What is the longest professional wrestling match ever? Also, what is the longest WWE Match ever? Thanks.

Look here for some information but be aware that they are not talking about the type of wrestling that you see at the WWE or Olympic style wrestling. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:14, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

As far as thw WWE goes, I know it was a ladder match, Shawn Michaels was in it, and it was at a Wrestlemania. See Shawn Michaels, it should be in there. THL 15:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

girl in whale rider.

whats she up to? --Cursa 16:41, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

According to the Internet Movie Database Keisha Castle-Hughes is currently filming "Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger". She's also pregnant. -- Arwel (talk) 17:08, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

She's PREGNANT? SHE'S 16! -- Toytoy 12:00, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

That's the biological reason why people enter puberty, you know... It's rather young, but we shouldn't judge her beforehand, I'd guess... 惑乱 分からん 13:34, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Are you kidding, she's 16! --froth^{T C} 19:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The age of consent in New Zealand is 16 (and many other places). In many US states it would be legal as well. Don't get so huffy. --Fastfission 21:36, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Huff huff! --froth^{T C} 03:24, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

The age of consent in Sweden is 15, by the way... 惑乱 分からん 04:33, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

And in Spain, 13. --GTubio 07:12, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Lost

I saw the first half of season 1 and all of season 2, but I don't own a TV so could someone tell me what's going on in the 3rd season? Or at least direct me to a website with a synopsis? --froth^{T C} 18:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Try Lostpedia. Laïka 19:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

You can watch season 3 episodes online, I think on the show's website.

Two rugby union questions from an American

1. Since you get more points for a try than for a kicked goal, and there's no equivalent to "fourth down," why would a team ever kick instead of keeping the ball and going for a try?-- Mwalcoff 23:33, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Because kicking for goal is often an easier and more certain way of scoring points than always going for a try. Many games between even sides are won by goal kicks. When you are playing for a try you risk losing possession and scoring no points. BlueValour 01:16, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

OK, but how does a team decide on a given possession whether to kick it or go for a try? -- Mwalcoff 04:01, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

There's no equivalent to downs at all - play runs until the ball goes dead and a scrum, lineout, penalty or points are awarded. As Blue Valour points out it's often in the teams interest to take the 'sure' three point penalty rather than gamble on a try. Lisiate 21:45, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

OK, let me rephrase. Let's say my team has the ball 30 yards from the goal line. How do I know whether to keep running or to drop-kick it? -- Mwalcoff 21:56, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, it would depend on how many opposing players are between you and the goal line (or just behind you). If there are few or none, you'd keep running, since your chances of scoring a try are pretty good. If there are plenty of opposing players in the way, you'd likely go for the kick. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:03, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

2. Some rugby union competitions, such as the Super 14 and Air New Zealand Cup, seem to have teams assigned to territorial areas, such as provinces or regions. Does that mean that players have to play for their home territory (like in national-team competitions)? Or can teams sign players from anywhere, as with other sports? -- Mwalcoff 23:33, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

In New Zealand players can and do move around. The provinvial system is basically an historical thing and predates the National union by a decade or so. Lisiate 21:45, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

October 15

Is it illegal?

Is it illegal to reach your hands down a woman's pants on the street if you're wearing a mask?

Maybe not illegal, but they would probably arrest and sue you for sexual harassment, regardless if you're wearing a mask or not. bibliomaniac15 00:13, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

It'd be illegal in most places. --Robert Merkel 00:48, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The mask has nothing to do with it as you well know!--Light current 02:24, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Its not illegal if she wants it. Otherwise, you'll go to prison and be raped for the next 40 years. THL 11:23, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Where I live it's illegal whether she wants it or not. Something with indecency.  --Lambiam^Talk 13:30, 15 October 2006 (UTC) disguise

Right, on the street. Yeah, that's illegal. Whether or not they charge you depends on how cool your mask is. THL 15:00, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

LMFAO Chris 19:35, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It's assault in many jurisdictions. (If unwanted.) --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:37, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Dress like Jushin Thunder Liger when you do it. Then you've got nothing to worry about. THL 19:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Not if they're your pants. Clarityfiend 02:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Of course! Well done for seeing thru that. Two Americans walking down the street. On is the father of the other one's son. What the Relationship?--Light current 10:20, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Parents of the same child. Possibly married, but not necessarily. And if married, not necessarily to each other. JackofOz 19:48, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes but the important point is: its one man and one woman. Its tempting to apply the male gender by defualt to indeterminates like 'someone', American, Russian etc.

Still not necessarily. Mary and Bob get together and have a son, Bruno. Mary and Bob split up, and Mary marries Frank. Mary and Frank adopt Bruno. Somehow, Frank and Bob get to walk down a street together. Bob is the natural father of Frank's adopted son Bruno, and Frank is the adoptive father of Bob's natural son Bruno. JackofOz 08:42, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeerrsss....well thats the most convoluted expalantion Ive ever heard! KISS!--Light current 01:52, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Simple does not necessarily equate to providing the answer the questioner had in mind. I can think of at least one other correct answer too. It can be a heavy burden being a Big Picture person, but sometimes it's fun too.  :) JackofOz 02:48, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Is it illegal to reach your hands down a woman's pants.... We assume (not necessarily correctly) that the 'your' in this sentence refers to another person, probably male.--Light current 21:51, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Is someone wearing the pants? Philc _T^E_C^I 21:53, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Exactly! Another assumption. The pants could be in a shopping bag-- in which case I think it would be OK to rummage around inside as much as you like.! 8-))--Light current 21:55, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Any way, enough beating around the bush, to be on the safe side I think its better not to try it 8-)--Light current 21:59, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps that's why he WANTED to try it---to beat around the bush! :) Lemon martini 09:56, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

That pun should be illegal. --Charlene.fic 15:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

It is! So sue me 8-)--Light current 01:49, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

A letter

Dear Reader,

Let the bells of randomness ring! If ignorance is bliss, then I am certainly joyful right now. You should join in on this jubilance; seriously, it very much can change your life if you think about it. Continue to read this monologue; it is very confusing; yes, it is; yes, this is, no? It may contain a very, very mysterious subliminal message. Maybe, when you read this, you can see a visible sign. I beg you to look at the moral of this; your life may be changed as a result. If you can name any trace of mystique inside this monologue, mull it over. Under these warnings, you should consider these messages. Understandably, all of this must be done with great secrecy, so sneakily should this letter be read. After reading this, I pray, you will understand. Don’t be feeble, and refuse to acknowledge this letter’s contents. I reveal all this for your amusement, therefore you should feel obligated, this is a special privilege. I hope you will unlock this code. Ring the bells, should you feel that this is your duty.

bibliomaniac15 01:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

No. Vitriol 01:46, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

When I read that, my ears started ringing. I have no idea what you are talking about, but I love how you try to confuse us. I can't understand those sentences most of the time, but nonetheless I'm not into books. =D Hyenaste^{Ring me!} 04:27, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

By the way, I'm removing one word. The word possibly really broke up the message in the seventh sentence. Seventh? Eleventh? Ha! Hyenaste ^(tell) 04:27, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm scared. Even though that letter clearly had no meaning, I understood it. Am I God? THL 11:21, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

This sounds like the stuff I read in my Viagra spam e-mails. The random texts they insert to fool spambots are at most times a lot more interesting than what they advertise... 惑乱 分からん 13:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

You read those? THL 19:09, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

You don't? Hyenaste ^(tell) 19:42, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Why would I? THL 19:56, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know, but if bibliomaniac15 doesn't return, I'm going to reveal the code. We have an article about it. Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:24, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I didn't realize this was a sad occasion. (If you don't get it, read a few things by Daniel Handler.) --Grace 03:11, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Legal in US?

Is it legal to beat somebody to death with a cactus as long as you make it look like they were eating the cactus? If not, then what if you wear a mask? If it still isn't legal, what if you bring your friends?

I'd like to vote that we delete any and all future questions that ask the legality of things that are obviously illegal, especially if the question refers to wearing a mask. All in favor? Dismas|^(talk) 03:56, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm just curious- how do you beat someone with a cactus? --froth^{T C} 04:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The same way in which porcupines have sex? Dismas|^(talk) 04:56, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't that defeat the object of beating them to death?

I agree with Dismas. There's far too much crap on the misc desk; we should rv stupid questions in future. Anything that doesn't have an answer likely to be in wikipedia should be removed from the desk. Talk page discussion. Howard Train 05:07, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

"Likely to be in Wikipedia" is a little harsh IMO. There are a number of questions asked that don't have to specifically do with an article but are legitimate. The "roaches in cold" question isn't dealt with here but there should be an answer somewhere. And the user has already done their homework by searching google first. In short, they've looked here, googled it, and are now hoping that one of us might have some knowledge which isn't already in an article. I've often heard it said that the only stupid question is the one that you already know the answer to. In the "Is this illegal..." questions, the poster should be intelligent enough to know the answer if they're intelligent enough to be able to get on the net and post here. Dismas|^(talk) 05:15, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Alcohol is good in moderation and even a little beyond, but please refrain from posting questions when beyond moderation.Edison 06:01, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I've made a proposal on the talk page; the sort of question I'm really on about are those like this. Questions that don't have factual answers, dumb comments, patent nonsense and trolling. Howard Train 06:07, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

We don't need a proposal for that. It's common sense. - 131.211.210.14 09:55, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

The amopunt of detail in the question suggests that it refers to something that actually happenened. Either that or the questioneer is a total whacko. DirkvdM 06:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Look around, he's asked several such questions. I doubt he's still on the street if he's actually done all of this. --froth^{T C} 17:45, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

It is only illegal if they figure out he wasn't trying to eat the cactus. Whether or not they charge you depends on:

1. How cool the mask was

2. How cool you and your friends are

3. (This only matters if you, your mask, and your friends are cool.) If they are pathetic loosers who would be jealous of you, your cool mask, and your cool friends. THL 07:39, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

A woman was arrested the other day for hitting her boyfriend with their baby. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:41, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Dang! THL

Cythoria, Troop and Jarron!? haha, what the hell! Philc _T^E_C^I 22:03, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Roaches and cold

Several sources on the web (Google) say that coldness prevents a cockroach population from increasing. Unfortunately, they never say how cold cold is. A cold day in Alabama is completely different from a cold day in Minnesota. How cold is cold when dealing with a population of cockroaches? Hyenaste ^(tell) 04:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Average temperature here is 44 degrees, and we never have roaches. Florida, which has an average temperature of 80-something, is the most roach-infested place I've ever seen. So yes, cold will keep their population down. --172.198.40.82 07:58, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Arizona has a fair roach population as well, though not as large as Florida's. THL 11:18, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Roaches like humidity and water. Durova 14:39, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

They live in our very humid sewers. I wouldn't drink that water though. THL 14:41, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

They certainly can't do anything but hibernate when it's below freezing where they are. However, if they are inside a nice warm building, the outside temp shouldn't matter. The effect on their rate of reproduction relative to temperature would need to be shown on a chart, in any case. StuRat 02:46, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

History Channel's Mega Disasters

Why has'nt the History Channel done a "Mega Disaster" about alien contact ? Should there be alien contact, the whole planet could erupt into rebellion, and/or that the aliens could blow up the planet. Imagine that you're watching the news, etc. when it is announced that aliens have found us. Would that be a disaster, especially if the aliens are hostile ? They've done speculation on all other disasters, incl. what'll happen if a asteroid were to hit the planet. Why not one about aliens ? Those who are religious will assume it is the Devil, other evil comming to Earth, thus they'll revolt, while others will rebel because of the ridicule initiated to stop people from reporting UFOs, aliens as persuant to the CIA protocol, the Robertson Panel, related protocol I've found in, of all places, a issue of the Popular Mechanics magazine. It would be interesting to see what will really happen, should aliens find this planet. Will the discovery of aliens/alien contact be a disaster ? Just asking a question that would be asked eventually. Martial Law 05:27, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The copy of the magazine I have has a color pix of a UFO on the cover. Martial Law 05:31, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Doesn't the program cover only natural disasters? I wouldn't count hostile first contact as a natural disaster, but I admit it would be a nifty idea if done right. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 05:46, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you ask essentially the same question just three days ago? I don't know what makes you emphasize the notion of revolt so much. Few people have even heard of the Robertson Panel. The topic of alien invasion has been extensively covered from many angles in science fiction books and movies during the Cold War, rarely involving scenes of rebellion or revolt.  --Lambiam^Talk 13:56, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes I did. Someone else wanted to know about why the History Channel will NOT cover this matter. Martial Law 23:52, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Why do you assume that aliens would blow up the planet? It would take far less energy just to bathe it in high-energy radiation until everything on it dies. Since we have no planetary shield, a Death Star attack is just a waste of power --froth^{T C} 17:59, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I've seen info that suggests we may be a threat, due to "our"(humanity's) hostile nature. Of corse some aliens may take advantage of that and we end up as "shock troops". I have met peopel who are devoutly religious who will revolt, should there be alien contact, while others will revolt, due to being ridiculed as persuant to certain govt. protocol, and I've met these people while I was travelling all over the US. Martial Law 23:52, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

If the planet was blocking them from something, then they would blow it up. However, I did not create life on any other planets, so no worries. THL 19:52, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Any aliens that could travel to Earth from distant solar systems or even galaxies would be so advanced over us they would not see us as a threat, but perhaps a curiosity, at best. If we knew there were some strange ants that lived on a remote island, would we go there to kill them ? Why bother ? The only justification to go there at all would be to study them. StuRat 02:26, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

DOF Glass

What exactly is a "double old-fashioned glass", as compared to an old-fashioned glass? Is it just generally twice as large, or what? Daltonls 06:22, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Not twice as large, but larger according to these links: OF glass and DOF glass. Natgoo 11:43, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe twice as thick (see double glazing). But what's the new fashion in glass, anyway? Simon A. 09:31, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The Old fashioned glass is a glass for a single serving or shot of whatever, like an Old Fashioned or a single wodka on the rocks. Presumably the double variant is then for a double serving or shot.  --Lambiam^Talk 14:18, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

A game I can't find

I spent hours in front of the PC when I was younger, playing this game. It was an RTS, named "Dark ---", I can't remember the last part of the name. One could be either aliens or humans. The humans were really robotic, with all kinds of weapons and vehicles, while the aliens were all-organic, with artillery units who launched big balls of death from their behinds. The camera was situated relatively close to the ground - closer than Starcraft, anyway. There was blood in this game, with lots of fun effects when the aliens got smashed up by fire, even the humans' heads blowing straight off. There were a few really cool video snippets in between the single player game's missions - but there was also MP possibilities if I don't remember incorrectly. It might have surfaced around 1996-1999... Any help would be greatly appreciated. Maybe this goes into Humanities, I can't tell. The BASE structure, that is the HQ, was always a single platform. When enough resource was gathered, a dropship could come down, and plant a module on the platform, enabling the possibility to make Rambos or two-legged gunrobots and whatnot. 81.93.102.3 11:45, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Lol, I know exactly what game you mean I just cant remember the bloody name of it. Joneleth 13:53, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

For a list of games whose name starts like "Dark—", see List of computer and video games: D-H. I didn't spot one that seemed to be what you described, but have a look for yourself. I see we're lacking in historical perspective, or else the arcade game Dark Invader would have been listed.  --Lambiam^Talk 14:08, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Dark Reign perhaps? Great game, I loved it back then. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 17:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Aw yeah, I played the demo for that dozens of times when I was like 12, and I've been casually looking for it for a couple of years. Great game :) --froth^{T C} 17:40, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I eventually found it. :) Dark Colony was the game! 81.93.102.3 19:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah, Dark Colony... I wouldn't have remembered of it, since I never could get the damn thing to run in my computer. :P ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 22:25, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Linking to Wiktionary

Is it possible to link a word in a Wikipedia article to the corresponding word in Wiktionary (assuming, of course, it does exist there). (The idea is to allow the reader to make a quick check on an unusual word.) If this is possible, what is the exact syntax of the expression to be used? Honti 12:48, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

[[wikt:word|Link]] produces Link. You could do it with other language wiktionaries too, I think, but I forgot the expression, now. 惑乱 分からん 13:05, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

If you don't want to change the word, you can use the pipe thus: "[[wikt:word|]]", resulting in "word".  --Lambiam^Talk 13:16, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• Yes you can, but remember that links to other Wikipedia articles are preferred if it's possible to make an article instead of linking to an external one and that you shouldn't go around mass-linking to Wiktionary without extensive discussion. - 131.211.210.14 09:51, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Musical by Janov???

This is a serious question, believe it or not. In my copy of a book by Arthur Janov, The New Primal Scream (1991), there is on the first page inside the soft cover, the following: "He is concluding a musical for the stage called Scream! and is in the process of creating a film video series , The Universe of the Mind." I have been unable to find any reference to these in Wikipedia or through a Google search, but I ran across a mention of the musical some time back in an interview with Janov which I found on-line somewhere but have misplaced the link and it doesn't come up in any of my searches. Any clues would be most welcome. -GrahameKing 13:54, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• There's a bit of weirdness. One site I found says the Celine Dion song, The Colour of My Love, comes from that musical; however, both our article and All Music Guide give the credit to Arthur Ganov, not Janov. I think those are both mistakes, though; read this interview with David Foster. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:30, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• Well, that is very interesting! Thanks very much.-GrahameKing 21:20, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Anyone with the DVD of The Rules of Attraction?

At 46:00, there's a trumpet solo in the background where Mr. Lance Lawson (Eric Stoltz) and Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon) are. Can anyone identify it?

Thanks.

Harwoof 13:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• Does the soundtrack list offer any help? --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:13, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Can you buy The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask in any store in Orlando,Florida?

Is there any place near Orlando, Florida where you can buy Majora's Mask? Please it needs to be new.The game was released in 2000.The name of the store and price would be greatly apperciated. Thank You. -Millie Ramos

If you want to play it with an N64, you'll need to get an Expansion Pak too. If you merely want to play it, and don't matter what console it is on, and you have a GameCube, you could endeavor to find a The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition disc- however, it's likely not to be new. For the cartridge, try eBay or similar, but again they're likely not be new. I don't think you'll be able to get a new one at all easily. Vitriol 14:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

What has labelling got to do with media? On my list it says Editing Procedures: Labelling! help

I bought this game in 2003 and I had a lot of trouble finding it. $60 for the game and $20 for the expansion pack. It's a very good game -on par with ocarina of time- so it's worth the price. I'd recommend searching ebay for the zelda collectors edition disc. It's pretty expensive (though not the $80 I payed for it) but it also includes every other zelda game up to wind waker, including link to the past which is the best zelda game IMO so yeah definately worth it. --froth^{T C} 17:36, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

You mean "excluding A Link to the Past" which isn't on the Collector's Edition disc, since it was released on the GBA. --jh51681 18:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Gasp you're right! :( --froth^{T C} 18:53, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I got the collector's disc in the used games bin in my game shop for cheap :D I don't like Majora's Mask though; it's tricky and it's never clear what you have to do. Vitriol 21:27, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Well it's the only challenging zelda game besides A Link to the Past. I get all nostalgic over woodfall, I love the idea of snowhead (literally bringing spring to the area, plus the dungeon was very cool not to mention tricky), I had a great time in the gerudo fortress, hated the water temple but the bosses were great, and ikana / stone tower is some of the best that nintendo has ever done. So many amazing memories.. yeah that game was great. So many memorable areas like the deku palace, the zora concert hall, the beavers dam, the goron city, and above all clock town --froth^{T C} 23:06, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Setting up a company in UK

Hello, I may set up my own design company in UK. I am under 18, and wouldn't require any additional money etc. What pages are good for reading up on setting up a (very) small business IN UK (ENGLAND)?

Thanks

As an individual you can just do business (as what is called a "sole trader"). You don't need a licence or to register for VAT and you certainly don't need to incorporate (that is, to properly set up a limited company). You can even call the business something (and have premises, or advertising, or business cards or whatever in that name), so long as you make it clear that you're not really a limited company. So you could call your business "Incredible Designs", but you have to have (at least on the premises and on receipts and contracts and tax declarations) "Timmy Smith trading as Incredible Designs". Don't use "inc.", "ltd.", or "plc." in the name of your business, as they mean it really is a company. I don't know what the tax and National Insurance situation is for traders who are under 18 - call the "new business" helpline at the HMRC - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/home.htm . And keep records of everything you take in or put out. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:23, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• I don't think you can legally run a business's financial site if you're underage/a minor. You'll probably want to get an adult in to avoid legal problems. - 131.211.210.14 09:49, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

You can. There may be problems with gettign credit, as debts mayb not be enforcable against a minor, but anon says credit not needed. A company can be set up cheaply (<< £100), but I don't know age restrictions for shareholders. Advantage, limited liability. Finlay's advice is good. Rich Farmbrough, 13:07 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Homework

I know that the referance desk is not a place to ask homework questions. I am not doing that. I am asking a question about homework. So don't chide me for that.

I have a sizable dilema. I cannot understand my math homework. I looked in the textbook, I do not understand it there either. Everyone I know that has the same homework is not home, or will else not answer their telephone. I cannot go to my math teacher before, during, nor after school (for lack of a study hall and time). I must do this assignment, for I do not want to put a dent in my grades. What do I do? Musli Miester 20:13, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

It's not true that you shouldn't ask homework questions here. People are (rightly) chastised for asking Wikipedia just to do their homework, but if someone asks for pointers to information on a specific topic or asks a reasonably general question, it's very likely that someone will be helpful. So asking "Factorise this quadratic equation" isn't going to work, but saying "I'm having trouble understanding how to factorise quadratic equations" is fine, and people will point you at stuff to read and non-wiki tutorials. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:18, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Well what is the work you are tuck with? 172.201.152.4 20:21, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you meant to say "stuck". :-) StuRat 23:30, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Hehe, Looks like I forgot to sign in too, not a great post... Ahwell, hehe. Philc _T^E_C^I 21:36, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

And remember to ask it at the math reference desk ;-) —EdGl 20:33, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Maori Legend

Hi, When i was young i remember hearing a legend of a maori giant that had fallen in love with a maiden and had somehow died and when he died his body became part of the countryside i also remember a Picture and Photograph coming along with this legend

Can someone tell me what the name of the legend is or even better provide me with one of the pictures or the photograph

Thanks Catman503 20:59, 15 October 2006 (UTC)Catman503

Could it be the legend of Te Mata written about here (or for a text in HTML, see here)?  --Lambiam^Talk 21:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Hedge mazes

Anyone know where to find a list of the top "n" longest hedge mazes in the world with their years of accession (planting) and dethronement. I read elsewhere that Longleat had the title from 1975 but has since been outdone. -- SGBailey 21:29, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

From our article Maze and various other sources:

• Longleat, Warmimster, England: 2.72 km [3]
• Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, Bristol, England: with 3.2 km said to be the longest hedge maze in the world, planted 2003. [4]
• Peacemaze, Castlewellan, Northern Island: 3.15 km, planted during December 2000 [5]
• Klaas Voogds Maze, Soekershof Walkabout, Robertson, Western Cape, South Africa: 13870 m² net area, October 2001 [6]
• Wandiligong Maze, Wandiligong (near Bright), Victoria, Australia: 2 km according to a cached page of their web site [7], although you'd never say so from the image on the Ovens River page.

I did not find a consolidated list (but did not look hard). In ant case, a Google search for [longleat peacemaze soekershof noah] gets 0 hits.  --Lambiam^Talk 22:19, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

This page has collected information about the "World's Largest Mazes", using also the Guinness Book of World Records 2005. It does not confine itself to hedge mazes, and I can't tell in all cases what we have.  --Lambiam^Talk 22:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. It appears to not be a simple answer - with much of the problem being the definition of largest - path length, maze area or ... I had wanted to add a section to (or order the existing info in) hedge maze, but it looks like it will take more effort than I expected. -- SGBailey 09:45, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Potatoes

In terms of nutritional value, do potatoes count as a Fruit and Vegetable serving or a Grains serving? Jamesino 23:19, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

In the U.S. new Food Pyramid, potatoes are vegetable (sub-type starchy along with peas and corn) Rmhermen 00:18, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Looks like they were counted as vegetables under the "Four Food Groups" plan as well. Rmhermen 00:26, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Since starch is a complex carb, I would count them as a grain. StuRat 00:32, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Potatoes are starchy vegetables. -THB 12:00, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

In practical terms I'd say it depends on whether or not they're served with the skins, since nearly all the nutrition is in the skins. It also depends on whether they're fried. Durova 15:34, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

They aren't vegetables, but rather are tubers. Since there isn't any category on the food pyramid for tubers, that leaves open the question of where to place them. StuRat 15:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

If you were wondering, potatoes do not count as one of your 5-a-day. Englishnerd 17:53, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

October 16

college basketball

what is the biggest stadium capacity for college basketball and which school has it? also, if its not the same school, which school has the largest average attendance?

Doing a google search for "largest college basketball" had Marriott Center as the second or third result. That page says: "...would remain the nation's largest basketball-specific facility on a college campus until 1987, when the University of Tennessee opened Thompson-Boling Arena. Previously, the Cougars basketball team played at the Smith Fieldhouse." And the article for the Thompson-Boling Arena states: "In terms of seating capacity, Thompson-Boling is the largest facility ever built specifically for basketball in the United States." Dismas|^(talk) 00:11, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

As far as attendance goes, this gives date for the 2004 season. Dismas|^(talk) 00:17, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

You're assuming, of course, that the football stadiums used for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship don't count - probably a fair assumption, though. --Maxamegalon2000 02:32, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Doléen

How do I find the town of Doléen in France, near Brest?--Filll 00:16, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Find the town how? Find the Doléen article? That will literally only tell you it's on the west coast of France. Or do you need lat/long coordinates? Dismas|^(talk) 00:50, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I asked your question on the French Wikipedia reference desk (here). Maybe somebody there will know the answer. Philbert^2.71828 01:25, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I used multimap, which has good detailed, interactive online maps of France (and the rest of Europe), searched extensively around Brest, and found nothing. I searched Doléen using their search function and got nothing. Then I tried strings similar to Doléen. The closest approximation I could find is Doëlan, a tiny village, on the coast of Brittany southwest of Clohars-Carnoët, near Quimperlé, but over 100 km from Brest. The fact that the tiny village, or hamlet, of Doëlan, is searchable in multimap, but Doléen is not, makes me suspect that "Doléen" is misspelled or has been renamed. Marco polo 02:37, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It is quite possible that Doléen and Doëlan are the same town. The reason is that in this part of Brittany, they do not speak Parisian French and there can be considerable differences in some words, place names, pronunciations, etc. The reason I am interested is that the first few submarine transatlantic telegraph cables went through Doléen/Doëlan I believe, but I have not established it yet to my satisfaction.--Filll 03:14, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Dear all, here is a translation from the french-speaking help-desk : “A friend of mine from Brest proposes Déolen, hamlet included in the town of fr:Locmaria-Plouzané, neighbouring Brest ([8]). It seems to match better and is confirmed by this book.” HaguardDuNord. The reference is a journal article: Jean-Francois Douguet, Locmaria-Plouzané: a mad dream, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Les Cahiers de l'Iroise, no. 188, pp. 59-60 (2000). — Jérôme Borme 09:50, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Again from the French-speaking reference desk. More information from this document (in French). Relevant excerpt: “On the French side, the first cable, installed in 1869, was ending at the north of the fr:Goulet de Brest on a beach under the fr:Petit Minou lighthouse. In 1879, a place away from Brest was chosen to build the terminal installations. The Déolen bay at the north of Petit Minou lighthouse was chosen. However, the extension to Porthcurnow ended at fr:Brignogan to avoid a long detour around Ushant island.” — Jérôme Borme 12:40, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It appears that the first cable of Déolen was installed the 20 June 1869, according to an exposition about transatlantic cables presented last Febuary at Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. — Jérôme Borme 12:52, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

CSI Miami Commercial

Does anyone know the song that is played during the commercial to the episode that will air on Monday, October 16th? Deltacom1515 02:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• In what country? - 131.211.210.14 09:45, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh sorry, it's the US commercial. Deltacom1515 00:18, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Is it not just the teme tune to the series? Won't Get Fooled Again? Kilo•T 16:52, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Notable Siblings Marrying Siblings

I’ve just been to see Hephzibah, a documentary about Hephzibah Menuhin. I knew she was married to an Australian for a time, and I knew her brother Yehudi’s first wife was also an Australian, but I didn’t know the 2 spouses were themselves brother and sister (Lindsay and Nola Nicholas). Does anyone know of other cases where notable siblings married siblings? JackofOz 05:16, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Chang and Eng Bunker. Clarityfiend 05:50, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Thank you. It does seem to be a very rare phenomenon. JackofOz 02:50, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Truck sales in Antananarivo?

Hi I am looking for truck sales in Anatananarivo Madagascar. I need to contact a dealer for information but not sure how to reach someone who can help. To be more specific I am look for Nissan Diesel sales.

Try this, in Mozambique: [9] -THB 12:05, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

According to the Nissan Diesel website, the distributor in Madagascar is "Ocean Trade Compagnie." The website gives a phone number to dial. You will probably need to speak French. Marco polo 19:55, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

suicide

whats the best,cheapest n least painfull way to commit suicide...not that am thinking bout it

Trying watching the Fox News Channel. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 10:23, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Are you reccomending Fox news because they often report suicide, or is the channel really that boring? :p Яussiaп F 12:04, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I would hardly call that painless. User:Zoe|(talk) 18:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Drowning has no pain or cost at all, except transportation to a large body of water. "Best" is subjective. -THB 12:07, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Jumping off the top of a tall building head first is quick, cheap, and painless. Not that I would recomend any form of suicide. THL 13:03, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Best and most painless way is 12-gauge shotgun in the mouth (pointed upwards, of course). Click. Bang. Dead. Not cheap unless you already own a shotgun though (EDIT: DON'T DO IT!!!!). --Kurt Shaped Box 13:24, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Librarians have refused to stock the suicide how-to book, Final Exit, not because they object to the contents, but because nobody ever seems to return the book. :-) StuRat 15:09, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Razors pain you.

Rivers are damp.

Acids stain you

and drugs cause cramp.

Guns aren't lawful.

Nooses give.

Gas smells awful.

You might as well live. - Dorothy Parker Durova 15:31, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

You should probably talk to a doctor, counselor, psychologist, friend, minister, teacher or crisis hotline about your feelings and what is going on in your life if it occurs to you to ask this question, (not that you are thinking about it). Wikipedia is not the best place to seek guidance with questions of this sort. Edison 18:17, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Falling asleep in the snow would be painless, or so I've heard. User:Zoe|(talk) 18:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Just like going to sleep. 207.70.37.9 18:13, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Wait. Rich Farmbrough, 13:11 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Ecopave

Why is it that Ecopave Australia article page was deleted recently without it being given a proper opportunity to have it descussed in the same way as Eco-cemet did? Eco-cement article page is absolutely no different to Ecopave Australia so why were we dealt with differently?? Does this mean that Wikipedia follows its own guidelines when it comes to the deletion criteria, or is this a case of bias?

Why is it that Ecopave Australia article page was deleted ruthlessly without it being given a proper opportunity to have it discussed in the same way as Eco-cement did? Eco-cementt article page is absolutely no different to Ecopave Australia so why were we dealt with differently?? Does this mean that Wikipedia follows its own guidelines when it comes to the deletion criteria, or is this a case of bias? 144.137.45.71 10:31, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

What article is this exactly? Ecopave Australia does not seem to have ever existed. You can check who deleted it and why at Special:log. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 10:33, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Exactly, our articles on Ecopave Australia were sitting fine for 2 weeks when 3 admins decided to attack it, see this link [10]

Oh, yeah, and the place to ask this would be Wikipedia:Help desk. The Reference desk is for asking about all things not Wikipedia-related, the Help desk is for help with the Wikipedia itself. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 10:40, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It was deleted by community consensus at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ecopave Australia. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 10:57, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, never mind me. I typo'd when I entered it into the search box, and did it properly up above. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 15:35, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Starbucks

Why is Starbucks so expensive in the UK? In the US, it only costs $1.80 for a coffee; whereas in the UK it costs a little under £3 ($5.60). Thanks, 81.131.56.242 11:52, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Most things are more expensive in the UK than in the USA and most of continental Europe, in my experience. The answer usually given is that companies' fixed costs are higher in the UK than elsewhere. See Rip-Off Britain. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:31, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I think it's simply because people are willing to pay that amount. It's the same with a lots of products, certainly books and electronic equipment are cheaper in the US than in the UK, houses and cars are cheaper on mainland Europe, etc.--Shantavira 12:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Is there much competition in the UK ? Are there any other coffee house chains ? StuRat 13:17, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, plenty. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:29, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Because that's the right price for a cup of coffee. I'm serious! If the cup is overprice then noone would buy it. If it is underprice then lots of people would buy it. It has been priced just right. If you think it's overprice then you should not buy it. 211.28.178.86 13:29, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

What you are saying is that the price is set by the market. I agree, but this begs the question of why the market sets a different price in the UK than it does elsewhere. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:31, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget that the coffee Starbucks use comes from South America. This is the difference between a 3 or 4 day lorry journey to the US and a 2 month bulk freight to the UK. Plus, maybe the UK charges VAT on coffee and the US doesn't (I'm not sure on that one). Also, see Rip-Off Britain. Laïka 15:17, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I already linked to that article. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:13, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Sorry about that...silly me. Laïka 17:14, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

One day a Starbucks tall latte will replace the Economist's Big Mac Index. This measures comparitive purchasing power. Basically, if a commodity locally-made item (used to be a loaf of bread) costs way more than anywhere else in the world, then that currency is overvalued. However, I think Starbucks is a novelty in some parts of the world. Wait until it's on every corner! --Zeizmic 17:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• Could there be any taxes involved? In the United States, the only taxes on a cup of Starbucks coffee are the standard sales taxes, if any, of whatever state you happen to be in at the time. The UK, like the rest of Europe, does like to use taxation as a means of social control, after all (e.g. making gasoline/petrol cost ~$5 per gallon purely to prevent citizens from being able to afford to use much of it). --Aaron 19:31, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

If taxes on petrol were purely social control, they would be considered a monumental failure - we pay $6/gallon because in exchange for that if I suffer a heart attack tomorrow, an ambulance will be here within 8 minutes of being called to take me to whatever treatment I need, at the end of which I wouldn't have to pay anything. Incidentally, our sales tax, which is included in the price, is 17.5%. --Mnemeson 14:18, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Transport costs should not be too much different between the UK and the US. In either case, it travels thousands of km by ship from South America, Africa, or Indonesia. There are no roads between the US and South America! If anything, the greater per-mile cost of truck (lorry) transport from a port in the US to an inland city 1000 km or more away would be greater than the transport cost to a UK location, which can't be much more than 200 km from a port. A couple of things that might contribute to the difference: 1) Wages are higher in the UK. In some parts of the US, you can pay low-skill people like Starbucks staff as little as $5.15 (£2.77) an hour (the minimum wage). Even in New York City, they are likely to make less than $10 an hour. 2) Commercial rents tend to be higher in the UK than in the US, with the exception of Manhattan. (Incidentally, I don't think that you will get much at Starbucks in New York City for $1.80.) 3. The pound sterling has been driven up relative to the dollar (and the euro) because sterling interest rates are higher. That means lots of international investors are selling dollars and buying sterling. So prices will look higher in terms of sterling than in dollars, even if their purchasing power is the same. Marco polo 20:10, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

The National Minimum Wage in the UK is £5.35 ($10.00) an hour for 22 year olds and older, £4.45 ($8.32) for 18-21 year olds. No doubt this is a partial explanation. -- Arwel (talk) 15:15, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

In the US price, did you include tip you're supposed to give? And the tax that for some weird reason is usually not included in the listed price in the US? DirkvdM 06:20, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If I walk into a Starbucks and order a paper cup filled with coffee from someone standing behind the counter, I'm supposed to tip them? –RHolton≡– 11:22, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know, I thought that in the US you were supposed to tip just about everyone because they are underpaid. I got several nasty looks in various places and assmuned that was the reason. DirkvdM 18:59, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I have lived in the US most of my life, and the general rule about tipping is that you are expected to tip for table service (i.e. if there is a waiter or waitress) but not for counter service. People who work at counters will often have a jar for tips, but tipping at counters is completely optional, whereas at tables you are expected to tip unless there is a grave failure of service. People debate whether to tip 15% or 20% at tables. (I tip 20%.) Most waiters and waitresses earn most of their pay from tips, and the difference between 15% and 20% can be the difference between meager pay and decent pay. Marco polo 00:53, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Slightly off topic, but I heard a word expert the other day on BBC Radio. He was saying that he hates Starbucks (and their ilk) for making the word "grande" mean average size. --Dweller 11:37, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Could this be to do with the Short cappucino? I'm not sure about the US, but Starbucks UK have a 'secret' short cappucino which is not only cheaper, but tastes better (if you like your coffee strongish).[11] Possibly, in the US, the Short is more widely advertised (could someone verify this, please). Laïka 15:19, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Lol. I didn't know about that! No, he meant that a "grande" coffee is actually just average sized, compared to what you'd make for yourself in your kitchen. They're kidding you that it's large. --Dweller 10:22, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

news

any news on the court case of fred boyle australia

check google news. Jon513 16:35, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

'edit' tag

Is it my imagination, or does the 'edit' box/tag/thingy keep moving from the right to the left of the page and then back again?--Light current 14:08, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I know it was doing this a couple days ago. I went on IRC for the express purpose of finding out, and apparently it was some sideffect of other changes someone was doing to the Mediawiki software stuffs. The Right-to-left projects all had their edit links switched to the right (the wrong side for them) after this was "fixed", so I'd speculate that you might have seen them in the process of fixing that. Or not. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 15:40, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

My question is, why the heck, then, do some of the special graphics (like the category bar) sometimes move upward in animation while I view the bottom of the page? E Liquere 03:37, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

how to open up a restaraunt

i would like to know how to open up a restaraunt. as in the steps involved and things to do before once can open up a cafe or restaraunt. as well as how to run one.

If you buy into a franchise, then it's far easier (although potentially more expensive). If you don't have any experience running a restaurant, this would likely give you the best chance of success. The company you buy the franchise from will do a number of things for you, possibly including the following:

• Scout out a good location for the restaurant.

• Construct the building and furnish it with their standard decor.

• Provide food in a form suitable for cooking.

• Provide you with a menu and cooking instructions for each item.

• Provide advertising.

• Provide training for employees and management.

Why do they do all this ? For money, of course. They will want a substantial up front payment (possibly in the millions) and may want a yearly cut of the profits, as well. If you don't have the funds for this, I suggest you start small, like a food kiosk in a mall. StuRat 15:28, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• Work in one first,this should either give you some idea or put you off completely.I'm being serious.(82.138.214.1 16:51, 16 October 2006 (UTC))

I agree that it would be foolish to try to open a restaurant without having worked in one so that you know what is involved. Assuming that you have worked in a restaurant, and you don't want to purchase a franchise, then you need to plan out your marketing strategy. A big part of that is location and decor. Think about who your customers will be and what will appeal to their taste aesthetically. Where are your customers geographically? Do they get around by taxi, on foot and by city transit, or by private car? The first answer calls for an upscale shopping district. The first two answers call for a location on a major commercial street with lots of foot traffic. The last answer calls for a location with parking on a major suburban street or highway. Once you have your concept, you need to find a suitable location through a (real) estate agent, negotiate a lease, and purchase all of the necessary kitchen equipment and tableware. Depending on where you are located, you may need to obtain a number of permits from your municipal and/or state/provincial government. You will then need to renovate the location with the appropriate decor. Part of the renovation should be an attractive exterior that will get noticed from the street, or signage if you are set back from a suburban street behind a parking lot. You need to hire a skilled kitchen staff, crucially a chef, who can present the kind of food that your clientele will want. You will also need to hire waitstaff who present the right image. Finally, you need to market your restaurant. You might want to hire a designer to work with your chef on a menu. You should then send copies of the menu and an announcement of the restaurant's opening to reviewers from local print, online, and perhaps broadcast media. You might try offering discount coupons, either to passers-by, or along with an advertisement in a local media outlet, to bring in new customers at the beginning. Then you have to hope that your plan was successful and that you draw new customers by word of mouth. Marco polo 20:23, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

A restaurant is a very tricky business. Other alternatives for the inexperienced are to buy an existing restaurant or to become an investor in a restaurant. Durova 03:01, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

no more ghosts? ASAP Please

what song has this in it's lyrics? Thanks Heynow07 15:41, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Any of these? http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=lyrics+%22no+more+ghosts%22&btnG=Search&meta= Benbread 18:31, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

My kitten is sick

I don't think it is feline distemper, because the symptoms aren't there. The kitten started with "yucky" eyes, which eventually dried the eyes closed. Now that I can get a hold of this kitten (mama is wild!), I washed the eyes enough to get them open and put in some penicillin eye ointment. Other than being "goopy" in the eyes--and a bit underfed and underwatered from lack of sight--the kitten seems fine. I'd like to know what this might be so I can deal with it better. Any recommendations for specific medication and/or treatment would also be welcome. Thank you so much! KT

The best advice anyone here can give you would be to take her to a vet. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:13, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Yucky eyes? Get more fresh air into the house, or allow your kitten some time outside. If you feel this would be dangerous, so is keeping your cat inside for months on end. You might not notice the steady, gradual decline of an indoor-only cat, like you would notice a cat torn apart by panthers, but it's the same effect regardless: bad.

Fresh air will cure all sorts of maladies, but most immediately, things like eye, nose, mouth, gum, throat, lung, and skin problems.

If you buy cat food for your cat, you may want to give it some human food too. Things like stir-fry chicken, beef, even nice soft bread. Cats can and will eat almost anything a human eats, if it's good food of course.

If you want to make sure your cat lives longer than you, give it fresh-from-the-restaurant sushi. Cats just love fresh, raw, salmon, crab, virtually anything made by a Japanese man. Chris 19:41, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• Have to disagree with almost everything Chris has said.See if you have a local charity which can deal with what appears to be a feral cat.(82.138.214.1 16:57, 16 October 2006 (UTC))

Likewise, the first advice is best: take the kitten to a vet. Durova 17:29, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Definitely go with the vet visit. A young animal may have worms, fleas, ear mites, and any number of other problems. Edison 18:20, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, we must keep the vets in business. If pets don't continually get sick, vets have no money coming in, then we'll have horribly sick vets instead of horribly sick kitties. Yes, disregard all my advice. Don't let your cats get a breath of fresh air. Feed them canned food, exclusively. Cats exist purely for your amusement, and to filter your air. God bless America! Chris 19:38, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Human food will make animals quite fat, it is not formulated for their bodies but instead for fat human bodies. Not all animal foods are equal of course (this is one area where going for a higher quality and thus usually expensive product is often a good idea) but a well-formulated animal food is much better for pets than are human scraps. Humans are allowed to make awful choices about food and nutrition when it comes to their own bodies but they shouldn't force their own lack of knowledge about nutrition onto their animals. And I am not sure that "fresh air" as the cure-all is really a claim that needs addressing. Kittens' eyes don't get goopy to the point of drying shut because of a lack of "fresh air". --Fastfission 23:36, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Chris, I really don't like that sarcastic reply. The mortality rate among kittens is rather high and this animal is in poor health. While fresh air is generally good it's also questionable advice to put a sick juvenile animal outdoors where it might contract an additional illness or get attacked by another animal. A less pressing priority is that cats and humans do have different dietary needs. Dry food is healthier for a cat's teeth than canned food, but the cheap dry cat food can cause kidney stones in male cats. Cats also develop their tastes in food during the first six months of life. So one decision each owner needs to make is what foods to introduce their kitten to: is it really kindness to give them human foods as treats when it means they'll either have a poor diet or smell things they want but rarely get to eat? One solution is to keep two or three different mid-priced dry foods and serve a different one each day for variety, occasionally offering treats in the form of human-quality meats or fish that aren't regular items on the household's human menu. First and foremost, have a licensed professional look at the kitten. This might be an eye infection that could cause permanent vision damage if it remains untreated. Durova 02:57, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

How to contact David Gilmour of Pink floyd?

Please help,

I need your help in finding/writing to David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. I'm not happy with him at all at this point, you will have to see the DVD "Pulse" in the tune "Money" where he is singing and when it comes to the part about buying a Lear Jet he steps back away from the Mic and says to the other band members "Maybe two" with a shit eaten grin on his face. I don't know why but it has upset me with him more than I can stand and I just need to let him know for some reason.

Gary

Well, you could try contacting him via his website, but the chances of a megastar like him reading emails sent to a website are very slim. Especially if it's the kind of message you outline, which sounds like it would be abusive. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 19:26, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Would it help if I pointed out that he sold a house of his and gave the proceeds to charity? I've been a Floyd fan most of my life and have no problem with the guys enjoying their money since they've probably given away more money to charity than many other celebs. They don't always make a big deal about it but they do give a lot away. Dismas|^(talk) 06:47, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

write the letter but don't send it. Jon513 13:25, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

To me it sounds like he is just kidding around. He might not even have been serious. And how long ago was this? --Filll 13:28, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

• Ermm,irony dude!(hotclaws**== 14:11, 17 October 2006 (UTC))

A little confused?

I sorry for being so idnorent but I don't understand he reason for open editing. I was confused when I stubbled on your site and I hit edit just wondering what would happen. I typed some random useless words and you posted it. I quikly relized what I did and delated it. But my question to you is. How do you guys control all this information? Can't any one just delate everything or post anything? Maybe I still don't understand.

Try reading about Wikipedia.

Long story short, the thing that makes Wikipedia Wikipedia is the fact than anyone can edit it. If it wasn't editable, it would be just another boring encyclopedia that, first and foremost, rich old white men make money off of.

Also, an article is only as important as how many people read it. So, the more people who read an article, the faster any garbage is spotted, and the faster it gets fixed. Wikipedia is self-healing. Chris 19:49, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Rich old white men, a bit racially vindictive isnt it, do coloured people prefer not to invest in information technology? Philc _T^E_C^I 21:39, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, as I am both white and male, I find it appropriate to use that particular epithet. Much like black individuals are allowed to use the n-word.

As to your question... who knows. Chris 22:29, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

And like in that case many from that racial group still find it deeply offensive. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I believe it is because more people associate rich old white men with information technology investing. The sentence wouldn't make sense if "rich old white men" was replaced with "young black city-dwellers" or "Italians nuns". Hyenaste ^(tell) 23:38, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Also, it's based on fact. Of course encyclopedias can be owned owned by poor young blacks, but how many are? Why 'white'? Well the key word is 'rich'. Look around the world and see who have more money, whites or blacks. Do we have an article on this? Income by race? Another title perchance? DirkvdM 06:25, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Blacks are poorer on a global scale, but only because they have a majority of the population in some of the poorest countries, there is no reason why blacks in the west should be percieved as any poorer. Philc _T^E_C^I 17:29, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Firstly, I didn't know this was specifically about the west. Secondly, I didn't know blacks were suposed to be percieved as not being poorer. Are you suggesting they actually aren't any poorer? Which west are you talking about then? DirkvdM 19:02, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Brochure Templates

Does anyone know where I can find some good brochure templates at? I just need them to look good, as I will provide all of the content. I want complete control over it, not like at my brochure maker where one cannot edit it freely. Any help to find some brochure templates would be greatly appreciated. A quick Google search didn't weild any usable results. --205.213.6.3 20:05, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Most such templates are associated with a particular program, like MSWord, MSPublisher, PageMaker, etc. Do you have any of those? Anchoress 01:22, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Ahh, sorry about that. Microsoft Word and/or Open Office.org templates would be very useful and appreciated. Like I said earlier, I just need the template to be artsy or just to look good. I will supply the content and a few of the pictures. --71.98.27.234 02:43, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Reccomendations

Quick! Reccomend comics/anime/manga that are based in actual mythology (not one made up for the purposes of the comic/anime/manga)! 64.198.112.210 20:12, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Marvel Comics has a series called "Thor," based on the Norse god of thunder. — Michael J 00:53, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Amar Chitra Katha for a non-Western example.---Sluzzelin 01:29, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Saiyuki (and, to a much much lesser extent, Dragonball) is based off the legend of the Journey to the West. Confusing Manifestation 02:55, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

God or god

Should the word 'god' when used of the christian deity have a capital 'G' or is it acceptable to simply write 'the christian god'? And surely there should be a set standard across all articles? The Crying Orc 22:15, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

The usual rule for capitalization in English is that proper nouns, or names, get capitalized, while common nouns do not. In the phrase you quote above, "the Christian god," "Christian" should be capitalized, because adjectives derived from proper nouns, such as "Christ," are usually capitalized. However, "god" should not be capitalized, because the phrase is referring to one of many possible gods, the Christian god. "God" should be capitalized when it is used as the name of the Christian god. For example, "They prayed to God." But, "They prayed to the Christian god." Another example might be, "They prayed to the Roman god of the seas." When referring to that god by name, we capitalize: "They prayed to Neptune." So when the word is referring to a god as a type of thing ("the Christian god"), it is not capitalized. When the word is referring to the Jewish or Christian god by name, it is capitalized. Here is another example, which is oddly worded, but makes use of these principles: "They prayed to the Christian god, God." Marco polo 22:38, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Well more we don't say his name. When you are the only example of a type do you need a particular name as well? Rmhermen 00:33, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Marco is right. This question was asked before, and editors discussed the confusion that results from having a god named God. I remind myself that there's a guy named Guy, and a god named God. Hyenaste ^(tell) 23:02, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

No, it is not acceptable either way. You must write the common noun as "g-d" and the proper name as "G-d" or you will incur His holy wrath and spend the rest of your life in eternal torment. JIP | Talk 07:43, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

In case anyone else is in doubt, JIP was joking. --Dweller 12:13, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Weird looking dog

My friend has this dog that he got from a foster home service thing and he doesn't know what type of breed it is. It looks more like a fox than anything and it is black and has a bushy tail, pointed ears, yellow circles around its eyes and it usually acts mildy retarded. It will charge people but stop short and then start barking at them. Anyone know what kind of dog this is? T REX_speak 23:22, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

A Schipperke or a Lapinporokoira, or perhaps a Finnish Lapphund? Then again it could be a black Spitz or a mongrel.---Sluzzelin 23:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It looked like the Schipperke but it had shorter hair. T REX_speak 23:49, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Light blue uniforms

Why baseball teams like Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals had to wear light blue uniforms during the 80s and what was for? Was it for road or home games?

Those were their road uniforms. Adam Bishop 03:57, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

• And for the love of fluffy little kittens ,why did the Astros wear THAT uniform in the early 80s(hotclaws**== 14:15, 17 October 2006 (UTC))

Terrorists

Why does Al-Quaeda attack USA? If it's because they hate USA, then why do they hate USA. Jamesino 23:37, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Have you read Al-Quaeda, which discusses this in some detail. Primarily, they want foriegners to stop interfering, as they see it, in Muslim land and Muslim affairs. --Robert Merkel 23:55, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

But how did it all start? Jamesino 23:58, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It depends on how far back you want to go. Some Islamists argue that it goes back to Christian aggression in the First Crusade, but this is probably not accurate. Relations between the Christian powers of Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire, which dominated the Muslim Middle East, were fairly peaceful by the 1800s. After the Ottoman Empire joined Germany and Austria-Hungary as one of the Central Powers in World War I, however, the victorious Allied Powers, France and Britain, occupied mainly Muslim Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia (Iraq), and imposed mandates, a form of colonial domination, in those territories, which lasted for more than 20 years.

The British encouraged Jewish immigration into Palestine under the Balfour Declaration of 1917. When European Jews sought refuge in British Palestine after the Holocaust and World War II, they founded the state of Israel on territory that many Muslim Arabs felt had been taken from them. This remains a main source of grievances for Islamists, in part because Israel controls Muslim holy places in Jerusalem, the third-holiest Muslim city, and the Arab-Israeli conflict continues to this day. Many Muslims, not just Islamists, resent U.S. support for Israel, particularly in the context of Israel's occupation or domination of the mainly Muslim West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli's establishment of settlements in the West Bank, some of them on land confiscated from Muslim Arabs, and Israel's perceived denial of the rights of Arabs in these territories. Despite these Israeli policies, Israel is by far the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, receiving at least $3 billion per year from the United States. (See Israel-United States relations.)

After World War II, Western nations and oil corporations attempted to maintain control of Middle Eastern petroleum resources. This was probably one motivation for the British- and US-backed coup that toppled the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran. During the same period, western powers formed alliances with the House of Saud, the royal family that rules Saudi Arabia, in return for access to its vast oil reserves. Within Saudi Arabia are the two holiest cities of Islam, Medina and Mecca, which all Muslims face when they pray, and which all Muslims are supposed to visit on a pilgrimage if they can. During the Gulf War, U.S. and other western troops were allowed to set up bases in Saudi Arabia. Some Islamists considered this a violation of the sanctity of the Muslim holy land.

In 2001, al-Qaeda said that it had attacked the United States in effort to force it to give up its military deployments in the Middle East and its support for Israel. Since 2001, al-Qaeda and other Islamists have also objected to the bloody U.S. campaigns in mainly Muslim Afghanistan and Iraq.

Marco polo 01:11, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Every story has at least 2 sides. Marco Polo just outlined Western interference in Muslim countries in the last century. Muslims like to complain as well of the 4 relatively brief expeditions (crusades) to free a small area from Muslim conquest about 9 centuries ago. What they don't like to be reminded of is that the other 12 centuries of Islam have been characterized by nearly continuous attempts to conquer their neighbors, including multiple bloody invasions of Europe that stopped only when Europe became stronger. Is there a single country that was converted to Islam peacefully rather than at the point of a sword? Is there a single Islamic country that actually grants full freedom of religion and first-class citizen status to people of other religions? Has there ever been an Islamic country that was stronger than its neighbors but left them alone? What other religion was started by a "prophet" (pox buh) who led armies to slaughter those who resisted? It is hard to listen to Muslim complaints about the crusades or about their "peaceful" religion without being amazed at their hypocritical historical ignorance. Dalembert 02:55, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

While Marco gave the reasons that al-Qaeda gives, I don't believe that is the true reason. They really wanted publicity to draw more recruits, and attacking the "big dog" (the only remaining superpower) is the way to get this publicity. If they had instead attacked Madagascar, there wouldn't have been much publicity at all. StuRat 04:40, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

To paraphrase Dalembert, has there ever been a country that was significantly stronger than its neighbours but left them alone? Countries tend to bully each other around if they can. If this leads to an invasion then the locals tend to use whatever means they have to fight back. Since this is not an organised regular army and the methods are by necessity unorthodox, they're called terrorists (not because they spread terror, because orthodox organised regular armies do that too, just to a higher degree and more effectively). At the moment the top dog and therefore big bully is the USA. So it meddles in the affairs of other countries (in today's globalised world no longer just neighbouring countries). So people in those countries use whatever means they have to fight back, as they always have. If we compare the US to the toppest dog the world has ever seen, one might see Al Qaeda as today's equivalent of the Germanic hordes that sacked the Roman Empire. It's always different and yet always the same. The big difference here is that Al Qaeda is nowhere near as effective, but then revolts rarely are (so that bit is the same). But it's also true that every empire in the history of mankind has crumbled, usually within a few centuries. How old is the US? :) DirkvdM 06:49, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Has there ever been a country that was significantly stronger than its neighbours but left them alone? Sure. The US has left Canada alone since the War of 1812, at which point Canada wasn't yet a country, but rather a British colony. StuRat 12:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

So it was British. Are you suggesting the US was significantly stronger than Britain? DirkvdM 19:09, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Just the opposite, the British were stronger at the time (although their ability to project that power into North America was limited). So, this is an example of a more powerful country (USA) never bothering a less powerful neighbor (Canada). The war of 1812 isn't applicable to this example for the reasons given. StuRat 21:37, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Eh? If the US wasn't significantly stronger, then this doesn't apply. I often disagree with you, but usually you make sense, logically speaking. This time you don't. DirkvdM 06:43, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

OK, I will explain it slowly, just for you:

• You asked, Has there ever been a country that was significantly stronger than it's neighbors but left them alone?

• I responded that yes, there were.

• I offered the case of the US being significantly stronger than Canada (the country), but never bothering them, as an example.

• I anticipated that somebody with a weak grasp of history would then say, "The US did too attack Canada, in the War of 1812 !".

• Rather than wait for this remark, I explained, in advance, that the War of 1812 does not apply, because, at the time, the country of Canada did not exist, even though the British possessions north of the US were called Canada.

StuRat 16:20, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

To which I replied that, therefore, a war with Canada would have been a war with Britain, which was no significantly weaker opponent. So your counterargument doesn't apply. There was no case of a weaker neighbour. Sorry, I don't know how to say that any slower. :) DirkvdM 19:28, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Just because nations are more warlike than peaceful doesn't mean that there can't be especially violent or agressive nations. And islam has proven time and again to be fundamentally a violent religion, which fuels (or is fueled by?) dangerous islamic governments --froth^{T C} 05:45, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Ever heard a speech by a US president, calling the nation to war (they tend to do that a lot), in which they didn't refer to God? And talking about terrorism, the most famous (for a reason) terrorist group was the IRA, with a 'legal branch' in politics. Religion suck, absolutely. Like I said below, it is often used as an excuse for warfare. But don't limit that insight to islam. DirkvdM 06:43, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

A lot of evil was done in the name of Christianity during the crusades or whatever but a lot of evil is being done in the name of Islam today. More than any other religion right now (though the satanists are trying their best!) --froth^{T C} 14:25, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I meant that the US is doing most of the evil, and God is used as a standard in speeches about plans to do that evil. Of course the first bit has about as many opponents as it has supporters. DirkvdM 19:32, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

The US has only SORT OF left Canada alone. The US has military bases all over Canada. And there was that great US Presidential campaign slogan of a few years back "Fifty Four Fourty or Fight"--Filll 13:34, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I might also mention a couple of other reasons why the Islamists are upset with the US. The Islamists are upset with western culture which is not particularly respectful of Muslim values (such as Bay Watch) or for that matter even aware of Muslim values. Western media and influences pervade the world and these corrupt the youth and erode the foundation that Sharia law and Muslim morals and ethics and traditions have laid for Muslim society. I also understand that some of the more radical beliefs of the Islamists are only a couple of centuries old, such as the prohibitions against the depiction of the prophet or other people or even animals. There are many korans in museums that were commissioned and have beaUtiful paintings and artwork in them. --Filll 13:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

"Because they hate our freedom." But wait: doesn't that mean they would be attacking Sweden too? Never mind.Edison 15:18, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Of course they dislike Sweden too, but how much impact on their world does Sweden have and represent?--Filll 15:30, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

At the end of the day, there's only three reasons to fight: food, mates, and territory. The ideological trappings are purely symptomatic of underlying scarcities of food, mates, and territory. -- Chris 17:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I'd make that money and territory, with religion often trown in as an excuse or to mobilise people. US cultural influence can be easily blocked if a country wishes so. US military presence is a bit harder, and that is what so-called 'muslim terrorism' is all about. Territory. Their own teritory. So they returned the favour 5 years ago. DirkvdM 19:09, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Let's make sure we all understand what you just said, Dirk. The murder by al quaida of thousands of Americans going about their own business in their own city was justified because the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait allowed US troops to have bases to protect them from Iraq and Iran? That is some sort of moral equivalence? That is a justification for mass murder? That has to be one of the most contemptible opinions expressed here. Ever. You wouldn't dare say that face to face with most of us, you moral jackass, you contemptible excuse for civilized person. If your opinion is widely held in the Netherlands, you deserve the Muslims and you are welcome to them. Just don't express any disagreeable opinions to them: unlike the barbaric Americans you hate so much, they are likely to kill you for them. Dalembert 03:03, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

His distasteful arguments spoke for themselves, now you've gone and ad hominemed him and made yourself seem the fool. It's like insulting the gay director of Springtime for Hitler. No offense dirk :p --froth^{T C} 05:49, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Don't put any hate into my mouth. I hate US politics, not the people. And the US forces I referred to were in Iraq, not Saudi Arabia. DirkvdM 06:43, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Boy - am I glad that I am about to enter my 60's next year. I can see humanity in all its variety and glory imploding sooner rather than later; when in fact, there is an abundance of land, food, sexual partners, technology and freedom of speech/religion, fresh water, etc., etc. to go around everyone several times over. To me, it proves that God, Allah, Jahweh, Buddha, etc., has a great sense of humour - and all his children - us - are just the comedians. I am looking forward to the great belly laugh in the sky when my time comes; plus of course the camels and the virgins. The ladies of Manhatten and Morningside? Well Dahling, they will be doing their Pilates Classes when Armageddon comes so they will be too pre-occupied. pbuh.

Marijuana

Generally, if I smoke one regular sized joint, will I notice any severe long-term effects? eg. loss of intelligence, loss of memory, stupidity? Assuming as well, I am in a country where marijuana smoking is legal and I have never smoken it before. Jamesino 23:58, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

You mean a single one for your entire lifetime? In that case: no, it's extremely unlikely that you will notice any severe longterm effects (unless you choose to go motorcycle racing or rock-climbing that one time you're baked e.g.). Or do you mean one regular sized joint per week, per day, per hour? In the last case I'd be more careful with my answer. Though you might not, your environment may in fact notice some changes. Finally, to quote Paracelsus, "All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." If you're a novice smoking with veterans, keep in mind that they, unlike you, have probably built up a considerable tolerance toward the weed. ---Sluzzelin 01:14, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Sluzzelin that you are very unlikely to have any bad long-term effects if you smoke a single joint, as long as you don't try to drive or do anything requiring physical coordination while you are under its effect. However, I would say more clearly that smoking joints habitually over a period of years can have severe, long-term harmful effects. If you are considering more than a single use, you might want to check out Health issues and the effects of cannabis. Marco polo 01:26, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Right -- one joint isn't going to harm you (unless you drive while smoking it or something). But why bother? Pot isn't addictive, but if you do like it, then you might want to try it again, and next thing you know, you're spending your hard-earned savings on dime bags and stinking up your apartment building. -- Mwalcoff 01:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I made it sound ambiguous, but I agree with Marco. More importantly, so does science. Incidentally, for almost ten years I smoked more than one regular sized joint a day on average, and, though I quit another ten years ago, my brain still feels sticky. I have always had trouble concentrating, but this stickiness is a different sensory/cognitive quality I don't seem to be able to shake off completely and I would rather do without. But this is just one individual's experience; I also know two medical doctors who smoke several joints a week and always appear lucid, alert, and witty and whose careers are thriving. As Marco said, regular consumption can (but possibly needn't) have undesired long-term effects. ---Sluzzelin 01:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

o_o hopefully not surgeons --froth^{T C} 14:22, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

No, there will be no long-term effects; the "problems" you cite will be short-term. If you're only going to smoke one joint in your life, make it a big fat one and really enjoy it. -THB 03:05, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Weed is a bit weird. It's not like other drugs. Of course all drugs are not like other drugs, but weed is really different. For one, tolerance can oddly work the other way around. The first tiem I smoked it was about a gramme of hasjisj. Now I smoke a gramme of marijuana (much less potent) per week. The effects also differ strongly from one person to the next. And I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true for the long term effects. But if you smoke only one joint, any effects will be negligible. The biggest effect will be having had a completely different experience, that may change your view of reality (not quite the Doors of perception, but something along those lines). There's a HUGE difference between trying something and making it a habit. Weed isn't physically addictive, but anything that is nice is potentially mentally addictive. If you mean smoking one joint per day or so, then it becomes very relevant how potent the weed is, how much of it you put in the joint (do you mix it with tobacco?) and how big the joint is. And of course whether you share it with others. If you smoke a big pure joint of Dutch quality weed per day I wouldn't be surprised if there were long term effects. In the Netherlands there is now talk of branding some Dutch weed as a hard drug because it is so incredibly potent. But, as was pointed out before, the real difference is not between hard drugs and soft drugs, but between hard use and soft use. DirkvdM 07:17, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

• WARNING! Not everyone is o-kay with weed,I have a huge paranoid reaction to it( and I know this is unusual but not unknown) and have to be careful of passive smoking round dope smokers.(hotclaws**== 14:21, 17 October 2006 (UTC))

Go ahead and smoke all the pot you want; you may well experience memory loss, but it need not be permanent if you grow and evolve out of habitual drug use. -- Chris 17:39, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

October 17

Tigers

I want to know if a full grown tiger can kill and eat a water buffalo. I know that it takes at least 2 to 3 lions to take down a water buffalo but since the tiger hunts alone can it take down a buffalo by itself?

Since there are only 300 lions left in one forest in water buffalo territory perhaps you are thinking of African lions eating Cape buffalo which do not live in tiger territory? Rmhermen 00:30, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

In the film based on Max Havelaar, there is a scene of a tiger attacking a water buffalo and getting disemboweled. Of course that's a film, but the book is based on a true story and if it describes this, that sort of thing probably happened. If a tiger cna get it's jaws around the buffalo's throat, the buffalo is as good as dead, but it has to get past the horns first. So the coorect answer would probably be "yes, but it will only do so if it can't find easier food". DirkvdM 07:36, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

first college football game

In 1860's, there were two teams from New Jersey that played the first ever college football game. What schools were they?

Your answer is here. -THB 03:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

"Grangsvild joke article"

I was curious: does anyone know how long the Grangsvild article lasted on Wikipedia before deletion? E Liquere 03:39, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Looking at the records, it was created on the 27 April this year and deleted on the 2 October. Warofdreams talk 12:52, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Help...

I accidentally stumbled across a child porno site at a web adress I will not disclose. I alerted Yahoo! and Google that thier search engines were dredging up this page, and filed an online complaint with the FBI detailing exactly when, where, and how I happened across the site. I am still disturbed by the content, so I have two questions to ask:

• Is there anything else I can do about this? Anyone I can notifiy I have not notified, any other reports I should have filed, anything along those lines?

• I am going to get in trouble for finding the site? I do not want to go to jail, and I know that possession of kiddie porn in the US is a Federal Offense, so I am concerned that I could be arrested and/or prosocuted, and I know from watching CourtTV that even though I deleted absolutlely everything regarding that site and its contents a certified comnputer guy could raise the content again easily.

I am litterally beside myself over this, to the point where I feel that even reconciliation from the church couldn't forgive me for finding this site. Anything you could recommend or suggest would be apreciated. Thanks. --The anonomous usual

Quite frankly, that is not really going to help if the Feds really want to find out what you have been looking at previously. Besides, if it was an innocent mistake, covering his tracks shouldn't be a priority.

If things went down as you have explained, you have nothing to worry about. No-one is going to arrest you over a single, accidental (brief, i would presume?) visit to a single kiddie porn site. For some perspective, read about Operation Ore and Operation Avalanche. These people gave credit card information to subscribe to child porn sites and, in the US, only "100 people were charged from the 35,000 US access records available". So if the US authorities don't have the resources or inclination to go after them, you have nothing to worry about.

However, this is all assuming you are being entirely honest in your description of your situation and that the authorities have no other, related or unrelated interest in you. If there is more to it than you have explained, then who knows when they could come knocking on your door... Rockpocket 07:07, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I wasnt suggesting he 'cover' his tracks as a solution to (not) being traced. I was suggesting he change to Firefox so he can remove any accidentally downloaded illegal or offensive material from his machine. Anyway Firefox is much faster on WP! 8-)--Light current 07:17, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

You're missing the point - experts can easily find what you've downloaded, Firefox or no Firefox. It's very difficult to delete files from your hard drive completely - a reformat might work, but I wouldn't know about that. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:22, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

You'd have to zero your hard drive which takes hours. The real incriminating evidence though is sitting in your ISP's server farm so the only way out of it is to burn down your ISP. Go quickly before the feds get you! just kidding --froth^{T C} 14:18, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Opera is even faster and more secure. Why not suggest it as well? ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 07:24, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't think you could get into serious trouble just by accidentally entering such websites. It's not like they're tracking your internet connection at all times, waiting for you to get into a website so they can arrest you. There are serious and long investigations to pursue the real people who make child porn. So as long as you don't keep those images in your hard disk and don't pass them around, I don't think you're getting into trouble. And yes, I would recommend getting a better web browser (such as Opera or Firefox), since they can safely clear your browsing history, although, like Richardrj said, if the feds really wanted they could find this stuff anyway. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 07:24, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If you really want to see whats on your computer, there is a shareware program called rescue.exe designed to undelete files. Its quite illuminating what can be recovered.[12] 8-)--Light current 07:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, a normal removal of files really just deletes the links to them and frees the hard disk space. So the photos remain on your hard disk. But eventually, they will probably be overwritten. I'd actually advise you to keep on using the same browser for the time being, because that might be more likely to use the same hard disk space and overwrite the photos (although I am not sure - any other program might do that). The easiest way to be absolutely sure is to format the drive or partition the photos are stored on. Since that is most likely the one with your operating sustem on it, you'd have to format that, erasing the operating system. So you'll have to install it again.

If you have a very full hard drive, defragmenting might move some files around over the deleted data --froth^{T C} 14:20, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

As for the chances of you getting 'caught', they're probably minute. If the files are found and you've erased them (making them inaccessible for normal use) it would have to be a rather pathetic court that would still convict you. But then again, it's a controversial subject and in the Netherlands there was even a proposal to make the visiting of sites that have a terrorist technique manual illegal. Of course the law didn't pass (the ones who proposed it obviously didn't know what they were talking about) but it is an illustration of how paranoid people can be about these things. Having said this, I once stumbled on a child porn site too, years ago, and I haven't a clue on what hard disk those photos might be now because I use many different operating systems and make backups of them regularly. Damn, you've got me worrying now. :) DirkvdM 07:53, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Re: doing more, the one thing you can do is to look up the name and location of the server being used (through WHOIS), and a) alert the host to the illegal content, which is ultimately their legal responsibility, and b) contact local authorities in the region where the content is hosted. This is the fastest way to get the content off the net. Anchoress 08:27, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I would say you definitely did the wrong thing by reporting it. You basically told the authorities that you are in possession of child porn (on your hard drive). While I doubt that they will do anything about it, if you were running for political office against the party in charge, they might very well accuse you of possessing kiddie porn in the campaign. BTW, are you sure it was porn, and not just pics from a nudist colony ? Those would mostly be legal. As for shutting down the site, it likely is in some country with weak enforcement. If that site is shut down they will likely just open up a new site. Also, I doubt if enforcement of kiddie porn laws is much of a priority for the FBI now, considering the threat of terrorism. There might be an exception if some politician wants to show they are "tough on crime" so directs the FBI to make some easy arrests. Personally, I think the laws should be changed to ban the production and funding of kiddie porn, not the possession, to avoid your situation being illegal. StuRat 12:34, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Threat of terrorism? What threat of .... oh, you mean the percieved theat of terrorism. I was starting to get worried again. DirkvdM 19:14, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

There is a lot of material on the internet about reporting child porn; Just do a google search. It is a good idea to report it to get it removed. You think that the government will go after you for just reporting it? They even set up websites and toll free lines to allow people to report it (although I might be more inclined to report it to some other entity and let them report it to the government).

I can't offer much advice, except this:

"Seen through the eyes of compassion, there is no one to be disliked". Even people who create and host child porn. See Hagakure for the source of this quote. -- Chris 17:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If you did find it by mistake and then reported it, the chances are that IF ( and its a big IF) you end up in court or any sort of trouble with the police it will take about 5 mins for any qualified computer expert to find out that you geunienly stumbled across it whislt looking for somthing legal and above board. Your internet service provider will back you up here as they will have a record of precisly how long you were on the site and what you did. If you only looked at pictures before throwing up and didn't do any more (I.E. downloading a film and watching it)then your borwser will delete all the information about after the set period (MS Internet Explore and Mozilla Firefox defualt:30 days) I very much doubt that your situation IS illegal in the first place no matter what country you are in. Nudist colony? Children at a nudist colony? Be serrious. They are not even close, there is yawning gulf between the two. From what I understand of your situation, your in the right and you have done the honest thing by reporting it and trying to get somthing done, legally you are in a strong position. Basically you've no need to worry unless you went back for more. -- AMX 19:16, 17 October 2006 (UTC)AMX

Yes, there are family nudist camps. And the law says that ANY possession of child porn is illegal, it really doesn't matter if it was accidental or not, the law makes no exception for that. StuRat 21:29, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

• AMX is right. You did everything you could to get rid of the site. Prosecuting you for trying to put down a kiddie porn site would make running such sites too easy. No one could report them, because they'd have to see its contents before being able to report it. If everything is as you described, I see reason you should worry. Run the site past Alexa to see if you can get details on their ISP to get it shut down. -- 131.211.210.17 11:01, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

• You have to consider the motivations of prosecutors. Many don't actually want to prevent crime, as that would put them out of business. Instead, they want to APPEAR to be working to prevent crime, at the lowest possible cost. Convicting somebody who admitted to having kiddie porn on their computer is the easiest and cheapest way to accomplish this. StuRat 16:02, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually I'd say that reporting the site to the authorities immediately is among the wisest and most ethical things to do in this instance. Use whatever software the techs recommend to detect and delete any files from your computer and keep a record of the law enforcement reports. I don't think it's necessary to remove all ghostly traces of such files from your hard drive - in the very unlikely case you get accused of misconduct it's probably sufficient to prove that you alerted law enforcement and didn't collect the images for your own use. Durova 16:44, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Fair point, StuRat, about the workings of those in power and politics, but I still don't think that such a small case will land any1 in trouble with the law. Further more as I said before, if it does go to court it will take about 5 mins for any computer professional to find out that you looked at the site , realised what it is , became horrified and reported. Somthing which will make any prosecuter look very stupid. Hence I am willing to bet that nothing will come of it in that regard and I offer this advice to "The anonomous usual"; go to church/confessional/whatever it is you feel you need to do to be absolved and forget about it, you did the honest thing and more. On second thoughts it might be very safe to confide in the clergy as around 60% of them are kiddie-fiddlers - thats my opinion based on current and past affairs so I am willing to retract it for libel reasons. --AMX 16:58, 18 October 2006 (UTC)AMX

I have to agree with some of StuRat's points above - but first, let's look at the original pleas for help 1)He asks if there is anything else he can do(re notifying the authorities), and 2)Is he going to get into trouble for finding the site?) Answer 1) No, he seems to have done everything any like-minded individual could have done, and Answer 2) Yes, if his crime is discovered. The US and UK Laws on this matter have very cleverly incorporated the act of making an obscene photograph involving children as including the word 'virtual'. So once the image has been called down from the internet and seen on screen, whether deliberately or accidentally, the crime has already been committed. And no amount of deletion, overwriting or other cover-up attempts, is going to turn the clock back to a time before the crime was committed. Whether or not the crime is ever ultimately uncovered by the authorities is immaterial and irrelevant. As an aside, even if it isn't uncovered by the authorities, the crime (and the image seen in its commissioning) are stored indelibly for all time coming (before death) in his brain. So he is already suffering a life-sentence for his crime. Cruel? Unfair? Appropriate? Fitting? Deserved? Maybe. But in this particular area of the law, we have entered the Witchburning era all over again i.e. no legislator is ever going to campaign for the reconstruction of those badly drafted child crime laws under discussion here (have those Witchburning laws ever been repealed by the way?) The problem here as I see it (and so I think does StuRat) is that internet crime of the nature under discussion is always focused for wider effect on the end-user rather than the real maker/distributor. Why? Because of the indelibility of the end-user's electronic fingerprint. I believe that if the limited political, policing and prosecuting agencies were to change and apply the law and the political/prosecutorial, and judicial approach to it (fat chance), and statutorily re-define the difference between making(as in filming, videoing, recording, editing, distributing, selling, copying to other media etc. etc., as opposed to making as in seeing an offensive image on screen, those limited resources could be far more effectively used in attacking and halting this heinous and unforgiveable crime of perpetrating the commissioning of and profiteering by the production and distribution of internet (and hopefully other) child crime. But hey, what politician is at this late stage going to stand up and say that whilst watching child crime on the web is wrong, it isn't so wrong that we can now decriminalise it? I rest my case. It isn't going to happen. It seems to me that hard-drive crime is forever to be punished exceedingly severely, whilst mere hard-core crime is more easily covered and therefore more readily forgiven.

Venom

A recent question on the science desk prompted me to think-which organism (bird insect animal fish etc) has the deadliest venom, and which venom is the most destructive to living tissue (There is a difference I believe).203.122.84.26 07:00, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Check out these deadly beauties for some candidates. However, its widely said that poison arrow frogs or Dendrobatidae produce the most potent neurotoxins. Batrachotoxin, produced by Phyllobates terriblis (Golden Poison Frog) is the pick of the bunch, beating curare and pufferfish toxins hands down. I'm not sure these qualify as venom, though. (edit) actually they don't - there is a difference between a poison and a venom, apparently. Rockpocket 07:15, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

• Apart from the fact there's a difference between venom and poison, there's also a difference in how either affect different people or organisms. What can be lethal to a rhino can be nothing to a human and viceversa. If you want to know what is deadliest, you need to be more specific and ask "to who?" and "in what dosage?". - 131.211.210.17 10:53, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm asking about the effect on humans, and in the biggest does you can get! (Also, not specifacially looking for 'deadliest', i'm also interestied in the most 'destructive' (which can still be deadly).203.122.81.222 11:31, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Saw something on the discovery channel or something where there's some horned fish or snail or something that will kill you within seconds if you touch it --froth^{T C} 14:14, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

loosening elastic waistbands

Friends, due to medical problem, i have been advised to wear loose pants. So I purchase elastic baistbanded pants. Do please suggest me as to how to loosen the elasticity in the waistband without any tailor work.Hoping to hear from u wikipedians. bye. Signed: Kutuwa.

You can't, unless you cut the elastic. One option might be to get waist extenders, which can add an inch by supplying a button and a button hole, connected together, about an inch apart. Another option is to buy some bigger pants. StuRat 12:13, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

THat answer sounds familiar ro me 8-)--Light current 13:27, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Elastic that is consistently stretched will loosen. Either stretch them manually or mount them on a form with wider dimensions than your waist. Anchoress 17:46, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

A clarification is needed here. Say you have an elastic waist that varies from 30-40 inches (and is quite tight at 40). You can damage the elastic in many ways, like exposure to chemicals, heat, or UV light, or by over-stretching it. This will not change it to a 40-50 inch waist, but perhaps a 35-40 inch waist, with it being less tight at 40. If you manage to completely destroy the elastic, you will then just have a 40 inch waist pair of pants. There is a disadvantage that, when this happens, the elastic becomes "crunchy", which is unpleasant. You might want to remove the elastic, instead. StuRat 15:54, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

edison

i posted a question on suicide and i saw that the guy who cud understand what am actaully goin thru is edison.how can i get in touch with him?i need some advice

You post a message on his talk page: User_talk:Edison

user:amists

Most of us have gone through suicidal phases. It comes with the territory of being a thinker. If you are naturally low on serotonin, you dwell on a lot of things, some of which lead you to dark conclusions. If you are naturally high on this, you have wonderful full-colour dreams, and you are too happy to think! For most people, the difference between one state and another, is a simple little pill, which you can get from a doctor. --Zeizmic 14:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't that make the body produce even less serotonin and thus make you an addict? If not, I'm interrested. DirkvdM 19:17, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Sticking your hand in a Venus Flytrap

What would it feel like to put one's hand in a Venus Flytrap and trigger it so it closes on your hand. What if you left it there for a bit? Yuck! --user:amists

It wouldn't be a problem, it might even tickle. The "spikes" that hold the fly in wouldn't hurt your hand, and the digestive juices would take hours to damage your finger. StuRat 12:02, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks stu!

• You can barely feel it at all,I've done it,the "Spikes" are not sharp.(hotclaws**== 14:26, 17 October 2006 (UTC))

Human skin is very resistent to all sorts of injury. It's basically flexible armor. A Venus fly trap shouldn't pose any threat, if you have a healthy array of skin. Spill some concentrated hydrochloric acid on your hand and it's limitations are revealed, though. -- Chris 17:43, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Yuck --froth^{T C} 18:33, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I would suspect the digestive juices are similar in strength to the normal hydrogen peroxide solution you buy in a store. That is, you wouldn't even notice them unless they touched a cut or hangnail. StuRat 21:22, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I was yucking at the idea of a carnivorous plant, not particularly putting my hand in it. That's the kind of plant I'd shoot instead of prune :p --froth^{T C} 14:07, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Not me. If I had a plant that would kill off any flies that got into the house, that would be a good thing. StuRat 15:42, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Stock exchanges in India

I need the name and venue of all stock exchanging centres situated in India,so please can you provide it to me?

Category:Stock exchanges in Asia might be of use to you. Also have a look at Economy of India#Financial institutions. By the way, next time you ask a question, please give it a title and sign your post by typing --~~~~. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:12, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Maps

Why are maps so friggin' expensive? All I want is a 6X4 world map, no frame or anything else, and most of the places I look, it costs $100.00. Mongol Man 11:59, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't think they are always so expensive. National Geographic magazine regularly gives away free maps, for example. You can also do a Google image search for "world map" and find hundreds of thousands which you can print for free. If you want a nice laminated map, it might cost a bit, but shouldn't be that much. StuRat 12:06, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

The big 6-foot school maps are printed on special glossy stock, most likely laminated, and produced in small volume. This adds up to big money! --Zeizmic 12:12, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I just want a regular paper map, no laminated cover or anything. The problem is, my printer, like most other people's, only prints 1 sheet of paper at a time. I cannot print a single 6X4 sheet of paper. Mongol Man 15:42, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I think you're putting more energy into complaining than looking for online sources. This, for instance, has large maps from about £30, which is about $50 in your dodgy currency. I'm sure there are more sources. --Tagishsimon (talk)

6x4 what? DirkvdM 19:20, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I thought they meant inches, but apparently they mean feet. In that case, $100 doesn't seem so high. They can always print it out in sections and tape them together, if they really can't afford to buy one. StuRat 21:16, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Hey, I paid more than that for a map that was about 6 by 4 inches. :) But that was a Janssonius/Mercator map from 1624 in fine condition, and actually a very good deal, if you're into that kind of thing. It cost me almost as much just to have it framed though. But seen as an investement, it's almost free, given that I could sell it for as much or nearly as much as I bought it for. --BluePlatypus 00:31, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

In a city of any size a lithography or print shop where you could bring in the file and have them print it for you. Durova 16:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

After a bit of web searching, I suggest that 6x4 feet is simply somewhat larger than most people want for a world map, which raises the price. At http://www.maps.com I find a National Geographic 69x48 inch map for $44.95 US, which is better than $100, at least. At Federal Publications Inc. (in Canada) I find a range of world maps including a similar-size National Geographic map at $50 Canadian, and a 39x56 inch Michelin map at $15 Canadian. Rand McNally similarly has a range of world maps including what may be the same Michelin map at $12 US, and their own 50x32 inch one at under $5 (but folded, not rolled). --Anonymous, 01:10 UTC, October 19, 2006

Who profits from meteorites?

This article got me wondering who owns meteorites. I guess it would depend on the jurisdiction but if a meteorite was found in someone's field, would it be their's to sell? Or how are these things worked out otherwise? Dismas|^(talk) 12:09, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Different countries have different rules. In Canada, the property owner owns the meteorite. If you leased the field with the express contract that you got to keep found meteorites, then they are yours. --Zeizmic 12:14, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If the stone is undergroud, in France, there's a saying that under some feet it belongs to the State. -- DLL ^{.. T} 18:55, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

What is the difference between the term 'world' and 'universe'? A student of mine once asked this to me. i did reply, but i would like to know it more correctly and precisely. say with a proper definition and explanation. eager for the reply.....happy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sukanyatrivady (talk • contribs)

Generally, World = Earth, Universe = everything. See World and Universe. World can mean Universe, but that's less common. Dictionary.com helps as well. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 13:17, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

In some contexts the words are used interchangeably to refer to "everything material around us". In other contexts, world refers to earth and universe refers to all the known and unknown galaxies, stars, and matter in space, including our earth and solar system. alteripse 13:14, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

An old dictionary at my grade school defined "universe" as the Milky Way Galaxy which annoyed the hell out of me. I would ask (rhetorically and only to myself), "So what the hell is all the stuff outside the Wilky Way Galaxy?Edison 15:43, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

A small, mostly-irrelevant point: the word 'Universe' is of course formed from the word 'verse', i.e. words, language, speech.

People love to talk about 'the universe' as if their speech places some real restrictions on what actually occurs. For the most part, I would say that such conjecture, whether by respected scientists, or respected priests, or unqualified quacks, are vain delusions at best, lies and deceit at worst. -- Chris 17:48, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, no, it doesn't. Universe comes from the Latin universum, which, according to dictionary.com, derives from "use of neut. of ūniversus entire, all, lit., turned into one, equiv. to ūni- uni- + versus (ptp. of vertere to turn)] ". See folk etymology. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:46, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

An interesting corollary to this is for example 'finding your place in the world' or 'for all the money in the world'. Would you use this expression if the galaxy or universe was your backyard and you are an interstellar traveller?

Women Surgeons

Once a male doctor has trained and qualified to become a surgeon he drops the title of "Doctor" in favour of "Mister" (or so seems to be the case here in Australia). I'm curious as to what general title a female surgeon goes by once reaching that same level?Intervale 13:14, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I believe its 'Miss' according to a programme I saw on TV about a female surgeon. OTOH, that could have been coz she wasnt married.--Light current 13:31, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

A friend tells me that it is traditional, in the UK at least, for female surgeons to be called "Miss", whether or not they are married. Warofdreams talk 13:56, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Can anyone tell me why that is so? IMHO "Doctor" is a more prestigious title than "Mister" or "Miss", at least because it is an academic rank that has to be actually earned, whereas pretty much everyone can be called "Mister" or "Miss". JIP | Talk 14:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It's because, in times of yore, surgeons weren't doctors - they were barbers. The physicians (the doctors) didn't want a bunch of knifewielding nutters being confused with their scientifically-valid leechings, purgings, and potions. So physicians were Doctor but old Sweeny Todd was a Mister. Davy the Dolite 15:25, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I thought they were butchers! Some people say they still are! Or is that dentists?--Light current 23:52, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

In a more modern context, it's professional one-upmanship for the surgeons to demonstrate that they're not mere drug-pedallers. Not to put too fine a point on it, but a lot of surgeons reputedly have massive egos (not entirely unjustified, mind you, given the skill and self-confidence required to do what they do). --Robert Merkel 02:45, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I think all persons skilled in surgery should be called 'surgeons' (as in Dental surgeon). All other medical 'doctors' should be called physicians. THe word 'doctor' I believe means a teacher.--Light current

Worth mentioning that unless a British physician takes a doctoral degree of some kind such as M.D. or Ph.D., etc, he/she uses the medical title of Doctor as a courtey one. In those circumstances the usual double degrees awarded to medical graduates are M.B., Ch.B. (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery). The usual qualification in the UK that would then be pursued by potential general surgeons would be FRCS (Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons). Clearly, a budding gynaecologist would pursue a FRCG and/or FRC. Obst., but would still be addressed as surgeons i.e. Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms. or Doctor (their choice). Dentists by the way are usually awarded a B.D.S. sometimes followed by their University as in B.D.S. (St. Andrews), and are now, though since only very recently, also allowed to be addressed as Doctor, though very few as far as I am aware, do that here in Scotland. On the separate subject of Barbers acting as surgeons, it's worth mentioning that those activities account for the traditional Red and White Barber's pole (White Bandages on a Bloody Stump). 13:50, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Trivia

Is there a place on wikipedia that is more focused on trivia?--Filll 13:43, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

More than the reference desk? A lot of trivia comes up here. Warofdreams talk 13:55, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

There is a page of Lists of trivia; but Wikipedia is not a repository of trivia. Howard Train 14:02, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Sillypedia?--Light current 23:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Take a look at Did you know Tintin (talk) 10:58, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Try Category:In popular culture. Durova 16:29, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Rope bridge

How are rope bridges constructed? How does one get the rope securely anchored on the other side of a gorge? The article on rope bridge (inca) does not help, thank you

The first rope always involves some crazy guy scaling the gorge, or some way to throw and hook a rope. --Zeizmic 14:38, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

You can attach a long string to an arrow and launch the arrow across the chasm. Then use the string to haul over the rope. If you try attaching rope to the arrow, you'll reduce its chances of making it across the gap. (Same would go for throwing a stone etc attached to string). --Dweller 15:19, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It would always help if the people on the other side also wanted a bridge, so they could catch the rock tied to the string which pulls the little rope which pulls the big rope. I suppose that often you could scale the heights until the gorge was a small ditch higher up and climb down until you reached the other side, or go down the slope to the bottom and climb back up from the sea or whatever on the other side, if it is infeasible to go directly down, swim the croc infested river, and up the other side.Edison 15:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Note that it makes sense to get someone with a small rope across first, with which a thicker rope can be pulled across, and with that a thicker rope still, until you've got something strong enough to walk on. I once saw some old footage of how Pygmees got such a first rope across a river. They attached a strong rope to a high branch near the river, let a guy clib a tree further away, holding the other end, and jumping from the tree, swinging to the other side. The didn't quite meassure the length right, and the guy scoured his butt (is that the right expression?). DirkvdM 19:30, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't think that is the right expression, as I have no idea what it means. StuRat 21:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Not that the former necessarily follows from the latter, but what about 'scraped his bottom', then? DirkvdM 19:34, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Try "fell flat on his ass". StuRat 01:25, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, he didn't (and had there been an ass, they might have sent that across). He did make it to the other side, but he had to pull in his legs but even that wasn't enough, so he, ehm, grated his behind? DirkvdM 07:13, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I would think whale hunting harpoons, fired from a canon, would be any excellent way to get the starter rope over to the other side. StuRat 21:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

The question to the answer that I think you're asking is someone has to get across the hard way or else at another location. To put a rope bridge across a gorge, someone could climb down, swim across, and then climb up; or go 10 miles upriver and ford. -THB 22:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Or, of course, in modern times they could fly across in a helicopter and pull a rope with them. StuRat 01:13, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Modern navies encounter a similar challenge when they refuel at sea. The solution is to fire a "shot line" at the other vessel, which is basically a piece of string. Then people at the other side haul over the heavier piece of line (rope) attached to it. The effort is coordinated through a series of gestures with signal paddles. The Incas probably used the equivalent of a shot line attached to an arrow, which is far faster and less expensive than any of the other speculations on this thread. Durova 16:28, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

The questioner asks how the bridge is anchored. The article says that rope cables were secured to "stone anchors" or "pylons." Presumably, these were very heavy stones set in filled-in pits on either side of the gorge. The rope cables might have been tied to these pylons but I would expect that they were probably woven around them. Marco polo 01:20, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I have seen them anchored to a very large tree. An alternative is to anchor it to a buried log (so it doesn't slide into the canyon" which is sometimes called a "dead man." A very big rock, which cannot possibly get moved by a bridge full of people, is another possibility.Edison 05:54, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Latin meaning for confidence

Does anybody know the Latin derviation for the word confidence? I have searched and searched the net but cannot seem to find it! Thankyou in advance for any replies! nena :)

[Origin: 1625–35; < L confīdere, equiv. to con- con- + fīdere to trust, akin to foedus; see confederate, fidelity], from dictionary.com --Tagishsimon (talk)

And the path was via French confidence from Latin confidentia, meaning "(self-)confidence", which comes from the verb confidere as described above. The Language reference desk is a better spot for this kind of question.  --Lambiam^Talk 15:59, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Tuna Fishing

I have heard that tuna's can become quite agitatated while being caught that their blood temperature can rise so high as to spoil the surrounding flesh which can render it unfit for comsumption. This in turn, as I am told, has led to the expression "tainted tuna". Just wondering if in fact this is indeed correct and if there is some reference to these statements.

'Tain't so.Edison 15:51, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Though, tuna does have high levels of mercury. Kilo•T 17:26, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

To measure their temperature, probably. DirkvdM 19:32, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I have been told by an experienced chef that this is the case with halibut; that they must be caught with care, respect, and tranquility, or else their meat is unpalatable. I wouldn't be surprised of this is the case with other fish, too. Generally, stressed-out animals produce stressed-out meat, which is probably not going to be as tender and delicious as it could be. -- Chris 17:52, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I've heard this with turtles in turtle soup, they must be killed quickly or something they do spoils their flavor. Then again, they boil lobsters alive, wouldn't you expect that to cause a bit of stress ? StuRat 21:03, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I read (Cookwise by Shirley O. Corriher ISBN 0688102298) that it is important for the meat to be in a state of rigor mortis in order for it to have the best taste (this is true for both fish as well as cows and chickens). The mood of the animal at the time of death can adversly affect the rigor mortis, and lead to worst meat. However this will not spoil the meat, it just won't taste as good. Jon513 22:03, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

But remember, that although you can tune a file system, you can't tuna fish. JIP | Talk 08:21, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Crash test marker

What's the story of the wheel-like symbol that can be seen on this happy man? Is there a name for it? I suppose it is used for easy tracking of different points, on for example a crash dummy, during a crash test, but is there an explanation for why it looks just like it does? Is it standardized, and if so, is that with or without the black border seen on one of the marks in the picture? —Bromskloss 15:51, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It's used to make measurements of position from the high speed camera recordings of the crash. It is easier to measure than a finely drawn cross would be but is still measurable precisely. I don't know the name of the mark but it is probably called soemthing like a target. RJFJR 15:58, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

The pattern used to measure turbidity is very similar, by the way. —Bromskloss 16:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

WP's article on crash test dummies calls them "calibration marks". ---Sluzzelin 17:21, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

No it doesn't. The article on Crash test dummy is far more appropriate to this context :P. Howard Train 21:32, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

LoL, that one slipped my attention, I was happy seeing a blue link (of course a purple one would have been even better). Thanks for pointing it out.---Sluzzelin 22:13, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Note that the same symbol is used to denote a center of gravity (CG) point. I suspect that they were first used on crash dummies to show CGs, but then became used to show all critical points. StuRat 21:00, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah, that's true. Didn't even think of that. —Bromskloss 22:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

financials

I will be doing some company financials. I was just wondering what that job entails and Is it hard to do with little or no experience?

139.142.184.65 16:51, 17 October 2006 (UTC)kk

It depends on the size of the company. A public company would require the services of a CPA. A small sole proprietorship or partnership might be handled by a beginner with a good book. RJFJR 20:03, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It will be difficult for you because a company that would hire someone with no experience to do their financials is likely quite lax in bookkeepping. -THB 22:32, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

FOOTBALL

Did Northern Island beet Spain the other day in a Euro 2008 qualifier. I know that Scotland beet France LOL but i think i heard that Spain was beeten by a, lets say, not so good team, as well...im i right? (also i know about England loosing to Croatia, if any one heard the joke on "have i got news for you" it was a good one LOL)--84.64.46.61 19:33, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I always turn bright red when somebody beets me. :-) StuRat 20:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

They did beat Spain and, funny enough, this information can be found on the Northern Ireland national football team page...

They also beat Spain at the 1982 World Cup in Seville. It was a brilliant game from what I recall!Downunda 23:30, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

You can find all the results from Euro 2008 qualifying at 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying. -Elmer Clark 23:49, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

What is the longest answer to a question asked at the reference desk ever?

--84.64.46.61 19:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

try querying a db dump? dab (ᛏ) 19:53, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

WE are NOT DEAF!! Please dont shout. You may wake up some editors.--Light current 23:47, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Huh? Wha? DirkvdM 06:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Se! youve woken up Dirk now 8-)--Light current 12:44, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, at least we know he wasn't asleep at work, don't we ? :-) StuRat 01:10, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

What's in our brain that makes us addicted to world records ? Pure logic should say "I don't care!". -- DLL ^{.. T} 18:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Logic cannot explain why you are interested in Wikipedia but 6 billion other people aren't. The fact is people are interested in all manner of things both tangible and intangible - otherwise this Ref Desk would not exist. Logic would say "Ignore that fact at your peril". JackofOz 20:39, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

A closed circuit where I can actively determine the amount of Hz

I am trying to find out the FPS of the eye. I need a power source, a lightbulb, some wiring, and something to control the amount of hertz by. Is there an easy way for doing this, putting the amount of Hz in the 12-30 region? That excludes manually using a dynamo and stuff, at least so far as I can see... any ideas on this? Very appreciated! 81.93.102.3 21:09, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Suspect you would be more likely to get a response to this over at the Science reference desk. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 21:19, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Assuming that by "amount of Hz" you mean the frequency; I'd suggest using an electric motor to drive something (eg a disc with a hole in it) that will obscure the lightbulb. Sit on the opposite side of this mechanism and use a rheostat to control the Hertzage. When the light stops flickering, you've got your result. Depending on what you're good at, you could alternatively write a computer program to simulate such a circuit by flashing the screen white-and-black. In pseudocode:

1 DRAW a big white box

2 WAIT n milliseconds

3 DRAW a big black box

4 WAIT n milliseconds

5 GOTO 1

Make n the inverse of the frequency you want to test, multiplied by 1000. So to try 10 Hz, n should be 100 msHoward Train 21:29, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Just a note here, the flicker fusion threshold of the human eye is not an absolute measure, not even for the same person. It depends of several factors such as the luminosity of the light and ambient in question, where the light is being visible (the corners of the eye can perceive a much higher frequency than the center of vision), and even how tired you are. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 22:54, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes. No doubt that is the purpose of the questioners experiment.--Light current 23:45, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Build an episcotister. [13] [14] [15] Then ou can use an DC powered light. A bulb for such study must not be a large incandescent one, because of its high thermal inertia, which will prevent it from going out during the very brief periods the current is off. Tachistoscopes used dc powered fluorescent tubes with electronic controls. Neon lamps were used in the early 20th century. Today, LEDs would be a possibility, because of their quick rise time. A signal generator, square or sine wqaves over the frequency range you are interested in. plus an amplifier which covers near-dc through audio frequencies, plus LEDs of a wavelength you wish to study, should do nicely.Edison 06:05, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Don't use your own eye if you have a family history of epilepsy, even if you've never shown symptoms :) --froth^{T C} 14:05, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Excitement about the Veil

I notice that in the media in the UK, there is a lot of discussion about the Muslim veil, or "nikab" (sometimes spelled niqab). Previously, France and some other European countries went through this. Living in the US, I do not think anyone would care if someone wore a veil. I see women wearing veils all the time (which I find sort of sexy, myself). No one gives it a second thought. And why should we care? (although there was a lawsuit some years back when a Florida women wanted to appear veiled in her driver's license photo, if I am not mistaken). She lost her case, and an appeal as well, I think. However, if I am not mistaken, women cannot appear veiled in driver's license or passport photos in places like Turkey or Saudi Arabia.

Why do the Europeans worry about such a ridiculous thing? Who cares if they want to be veiled? Is this evidence of some sort of societal difference between the US and Europe? --Filll 21:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It's something of a moral panic, and it's no accident that it's happening when British Labour Party politicians are jockeying for position in the wake of the forthcoming resignation of Tony Blair, with the politicians competing to see who can be the toughest. That said, in the wake of the London tube bombings (which, unlike 9-11, were conducted by home-grown terrorists) the British body-politic seems to have lost faith with its previous policy of multiculturalism. The US is generally rather better about integrating immigrants (and their children) into general society (to the detriment, one might argue, of their language and culture and tradition). The veil has become, clumsily, a rather arbitrary locus around which this discussion has condensed. So really it's not about veils at all (veils that no-one seemed bothered about a month ago, and likely won't be bothered about in a month from now). Politics in Britain (as elsewhere) has a nasty habit of hanging large and complex issues on such trivial hooks, perhaps in the vainglorious hope that if the "veil issue" can be resolved, the whole cultural relations issue (which has been a bubbling problem for ages, long before the tube bombings) might fall magically into place. A similar (and similarly daft) discussion ensued in the dying phase of the last Conservative government, when they proclaimed all the country's ills were the doings of "single mothers", spamming the welfare state with their horrid feral sprogs. This too was a serious discussion wrapped in baloney (this time about the family and crime and welfare). The fundamental point is that politicians think we're thick, and can't discuss complex matters - so they over simplify it into a brain-morsel. I have to go now, as myself and my fourteen veil-wearing ASBO-breaking children are going to spend a nice evening in drinking alcopops and watching Driller Killer which we've illegally downloaded off utube. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:18, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

• Well, first: It's not really a European issue. Most European countries haven't bothered to pass any laws on the matter, and it's not really being debated all over the place either. It's worth pointing out, though, that the French position has been somewhat misrepresented, in particular in the US. To understand it, you need to understand that the French are hardliners when it comes to separation of Church and State. So the main argument of the proponents on a "veil ban" in France, weren't talking about a ban on veils specifically, but rather a ban on the wearing of all religious symbols in public schools there. (That isn't to say there wasn't racist undertones to the debate, though). But there's really no pan-European consensus on what separation of C. and S. should mean in practical terms. While most Americans would find the French position on separation overly harsh, some Europeans would find the US position overly harsh. E.g. most Scandinavians have not considered separation of Church and State as necessary for freedom of religion as the Americans and French have. -Scandinavian countries have had constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion much longer than a constitutional separation of C&S. Norway still does not have a full separation. --BluePlatypus 00:19, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I must admit that I, too, fail to see why Europeans feel that it should matter to anybody but the woman choosing to wear a veil that she is wearing a veil. Why do Europeans feel that it is anybody else's business? The United States, like France, mandates separation of church and state. Yet we do not prohibit women from wearing veils in public schools or anywhere else. It is such a restriction on personal freedom. The principle, in the United States, behind separation of church and state is that no state body may establish or impose a favored religion. Allowing Muslim students to wear a veil, especially when they are in the minority, certainly does not establish or impose Islam on the other students, so long as the other students are free not to wear a veil. To an American, the French rule about veils violates the separation of church and state, because the state intervened to ban a religious symbol in a way that made members of one religion uncomfortable and forced them to violate what they saw as the tenets of their religion in order to receive a state service. Yes, I know that "all" religious symbols were banned, but somehow the only people affected by the ban seemed to be Muslims, since crucifix necklaces were ruled acceptable. While I am critical of many U.S. policies, I can't see what motivates European opposition to the veil other than bigotry and the idea that everybody must behave like the descendants of the people who lived in those countries 200 years ago. Or is there something I am missing? Marco polo 01:38, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

See French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools and Islamic veil controversy in France. Several points are missing in the debate here, but they're best described in the articles.---Sluzzelin 02:21, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's main criticism; that the ban affects certain religions more than others. Again, I'd urge not to extrapolate a French law to all of Europe. Most of Europe do not have any similar law. Nor is it any less controversial in most of Europe, or uncontroversial in France. That said, I'd be very careful about making the argument you're making: Public schools in the USA have dress codes as well, and in my experience (having attended public schools on both continents) they're not necessarily less strict than European ones. (Or to be perfectly honest, I felt I had a lot less personal freedom in the public US schools I attended.) --BluePlatypus 02:43, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

When I listen to the BBC debates and UK politician statements about the veil, I just have to shake my head in amazement. There are many horrendous bigoted things about the US, and a lot of things that I think the US does wrong. But worrying about a woman wearing a veil or not just seems silly. There are all kinds of speeches being made about "these people do not want to be part of our way of life...blah blah blah". It just sounds sort of comical from the perspective of someone in the US. My impression is that even the big bad ugly Americans here could care less about such silliness.--Filll 02:22, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

• If I've understood correctly, the consternation is over the full-face-except-eyes veil, not the "headscarf"-type veil. If so, perhaps folk feel uneasy speaking to eyes... (seems a little Beckettian!)  It was a complaint about a veiled teacher that triggered the hubbub, wasn't it...?  If so, I know I'd feel uneasy if my children were being taught by someone unwilling/unable to recognize the crucial role of facial gestures in communication...  Regards, David Kernow (talk) 06:45, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

It's not that Europeans worry about it so much. It's some Europeans and they're rather loud mouthed and the media love that kind of thing. DirkvdM 06:57, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

It is indeed about the face-covering veils. It started because Jack Straw said that he often asks women who come to talk to him 'face to face', who are wearing such facial coverings, if they will remove them for the discussion. He says this is ever since a woman wearing a face-covering veil remarked how much it meant to be able to talk to him face-to-face. He doesn't insist on it, he asks, because he feels it helps them both if he can read their face, as they read his. After he said this, there was a lot of furore. Later, a teacher got in trouble for wearing a veil when teaching, I believe, primary school children. Others were of the view that facial expressions are very important at this age. Around the same time, a woman was suspended from her job at an airline for refusing to comply with uniform codes by tucking a cross inside her top. Since the blowing up of all this stuff, there have been attacks and unveilings. These are clearly bad. This doesn't mean there is nothing to discuss. Skittle 10:52, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

A UK point of view. Since Jack Straw said what he said I actually feel that he has said what alot of ordinary people want to say. It does seem to me that Muslim women are subjected to terrible double standards, not being allowed to show them selves and dress how they want BUT I can understand there reasons, if they chose to do it as a symbol of faith then let them, its a free country. The idea that "they come over here and do what they want and expect us to bow to their every demand and need 'becuase of their culture'" is held by very few people and most saidly of all it is popularised by the British press. --AMX 17:29, 18 October 2006 (UTC)AMX

Before Americans get all preachy about the Europeans and their arguments over veils, let's remember that we Americans don't face the kind of issues they do. Muslims are now a huge minority in France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, etc., and while the vast majority are normal people just trying to make a living, enough of them are radical Islamists to make the European way of life seem threatened. Theo van Gogh was killed for insulting Islam. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has to live under armed guard. Now a French guy who wrote a newspaper column critical of Islam is in hiding. There have been dozens of honor killings among Muslims in Europe. Ilan Halimi was tortured for three weeks by a group of Muslims in France while the other Muslims in the building did nothing. So many Europeans find their way of life under siege. I think the veil is just a visible symbol of this insecurity to latch on to. And let's face it -- the veil is a very striking thing. We're not talking about a hijab here -- we're talking about black veils that cover everything but the eyes. When I first saw a woman wearing the niqab, in Prague, I was somewhat frightened. My immediate thought was that someone who would go as far as to wear that is as dedicated as a cult member and would be the kind of person who would be willing to blow people up for a cause. Then again, if this was the time of the Crusades, and I saw a nun for the first time, I might think the same thing. -- Mwalcoff 23:32, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Freedom of religion in the US

Every time I hear about the US having "freedom of religion" and "separation of church and state", I am immediately reminded how, in practice, dominant Christianity is in that country. During the last half a century or so, mentions of God in official documents and statements have only increased, not decreased. Many US families seem to take weekly visits to the church for granted. Every time anything even remotely hints at poking fun at Christianity, picket groups arise from everywhere to oppose it. The Bush government is openly supporting Intelligent Design as a valid, scientific theory, while downplaying the theory of evolution at the same time. Why does the US differ so much in theory and in practice? JIP | Talk 11:10, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I suppose the U.S. could look that way from a distance. Part of what's at work here are some rather deep cultural differences between different parts of the country. By no means all Christians belong to the religious right. In fact the U.S. sees many different varieties of Christianity in common practice. Especially in urban centers, nearly every type of organized religion (Christian or otherwise) has houses of worship. Religious conservatives do tend to maintain a high profile in the media, somewhat out of proportion to their actual numbers and overall power. Durova 16:18, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

You are right that there are a lot of religiously motivated conservative political activists in the United States and that many more U.S. Americans are religiously observant than in other developed countries. You are also correct that the Bush regime publicly espouse a religious point of view and say supportive things about religious doctrines. However, a line is drawn between officials, as individuals, espousing religious points of view and government agencies enforcing religion. The U.S. Constitution forcefully prohibits state imposition of religion, and lines have been drawn in court battles preventing the state from imposing religious viewpoints or policies based specificially on religious teachings. This is what is meant by "separation of church and state" in the U.S. context. It is different from the French concept of official secularism but arguably more protective of individual freedom. Marco polo 20:02, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

My guess is the US has remained more religious than other Western countries because the US never had a state church. No one denomination has ever dominated America the way the Catholic Church dominated France. So we've never had any tradition of anti-clericalism. In America, if you don't like your denomination, you can always switch to another one. There's no need to get down on religion in general. -- Mwalcoff 23:06, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Bush may be the president, but he is also a citizen of the United States; as such, he has the same freedom of speech as everyone else. As long as he doesn't force his religious views on the government, he can say whatever he wants. THL 23:26, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Dragon page problem

I am having a problem editing the page on dragons. For some reason, someone put a odd clipon link , using a misspelling of dragoness. This link leads to a interesting monologe that appears to have no actual purpose. When I go to remove this offending clip, it tells me that i am trying to remove the whole article. I feel that the link is useless, but I can't be sure that i won't ruin the page. Should I just try to delete it? --68.250.176.40 21:55, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Are you saying the dragon article is full of nonsense? I just reverted it back to a better version. If you ever go to a page that seems dodgy, click the "history" tab at the top of the page and click on the recent versions (indicated by date) to find a better version. Thanks for alerting me about the vandalism! Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:00, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Although the Dragon page was vandalized, I can't find anything resembling the above description on the vandalized page – no link, no dragoness, misspelled or otherwise.  --Lambiam^Talk 15:50, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

naked baking

hi i asked ths before but someone took it off im serious where can i find pics of naked baking. naked baking is when women gather naked and bake pastries.

If you want to be taken seriously, you will sign and date your posts. You will also learn how to spell, punctuate and form proper sentences.--Light current 23:28, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If you want to find anything on the Internet, including pornography that satisfies your own personal kink, search engines such as Google and Yahoo Search are your friend. Beyond that, I don't think many regular contributors to the reference desk are interested in running a pornography referral service. --Robert Merkel 02:41, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

You may be interested in http://www.bunnybunns.net/ Bunny Bunns , and her Nude Cooking Talk Show. She is a devotee of the avatar of God Adi Da. Remeber, "Safety First!". As seen in her video, she wears an apron when deep fat frying. --GangofOne 03:28, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah that would be to avoid frying the deep fat on her belly presumably? 8-)--Light current 12:49, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Shelf life

Does anyone know the shelf life of Saki?

Depends on how high the shelf is 8-)--Light current 23:29, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Well H.H. Munro is still very entertaining and readable but he is not in fashion and not so frequently read. He's had short stories published only this year although he is a bit of an acquired taste. The perfect accompaniment to his works? rice wine that stuff is always delicious. :-) MeltBanana 00:42, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

The sake article states that most types lose the flavor in presence of light, air, and heat, and that sake is generally not aged, and is best consumed within a few months after purchase. So I guess the shelf life of most sake shouldn't exceed a few months. Of course there are exceptions, and aged sake is mentioned under Sake#Storage.---Sluzzelin 02:08, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

"The open window" is still a fine story. See [16]Edison 06:07, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Ok, sorry for being daft, and I enjoyed reading Saki too, but was the questioner actually asking about the author's shelf life? If so, apologies to the original poster for misreading a typo into the question.---Sluzzelin 07:12, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Schmoo cake origin

What is the origin (city of, or whatever) of the Schmoo cake. It is a common dessert in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but when, why and how did it start?--####

Schmoos were charcters in the lil'Abner cartoon strip. Maybe that is relevant.--Filll 23:33, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

That's Shmoo, not schmoo.  :) User:Zoe|(talk) 02:50, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, Schmoo is a mispronounciation of s'mores. What does a Schmoo cake look like? --JDitto 05:08, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't have a flatbed scanner or I'd show you a picture of a Schmoo torte/cake from an old Five Roses cookbook I inherited from my mother. They're not like smores *at all* - smores weren't known in Western Canada at the time schmoo cake became popular in the 1900s. (I don't even know if one person in a hundred today would know what they were.)

A schmoo cake is typically a very rich traditional nut cake. It's made in an angel food cake pan and after baking is cut into three layers. The bottom and second layer are spread with a very thick butterscotch sauce, the cake is reassembled, and the cake is covered with a thick rich icing made out of whipping cream, sugar, and usually beaten egg whites (like a meringue, but heavier).

I just checked in my other old Canadian cookbooks - all of them have recipes for Schmoo "tortes", not cakes, except the 19th century cookbook and the cookbook from Quebec. This makes me wonder if this isn't a Central European recipe brought over to the prairies by immigrants. "Schmoo" could be a slurring of some German, Yiddish, or Slavic word. If the word "schmoo" originated in Western Canada in the 1900s, that's extremely likely.

Anyway, it looks like an angel food cake with white icing when uncut and like a nut cake with horizontal butterscotch layers when cut.

Here's one recipe.[17] --Charlene.fic 15:33, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Intelligence and wealth

How much intelligence does some one need to become a millionaire? And if so, why aint I one?--Light current 23:56, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It does if you're a contestant of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? --Agester 23:57, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Not sure about intelligence - but the *easiest* way to become a millionaire? Marry a millionaire or be born to parents who are millionaires... :) --Kurt Shaped Box 01:06, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

In my opinion, wealth has little relationship to intellectual capacity. As Kurt S B points out, it has a strong relationship to inheritance. As for "self-made men," they are seldom intellectuals, but often good schemers and con artists. They succeed in meeting the right people (those who have inherited money) and winning their trust (convincing them to invest). They may also have good intuitions about what will sell and how to sell it. This is a particular type of intelligence, but not the same type that is usually featured at Wikipedia. Marco polo 01:44, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

George W. Bush has got to be a millionaire. Need I say more? You're not one because you spend too much time here! Clarityfiend 02:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Does your family have a lot of money? That may be a limiting factor.Edison 06:08, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I suggest taking up study in economics. Or if that's too much, learn to at least differentiate between assets (money in the bank) and liabilities (time lost putting emoticons in the Wikipedia ref desk). Anyways, you don't need intelligence to be rich--you just need to create a demand for something (ex. Apple created IPods).

Plus, there is an increased amount of individuals that report that joining up with God's family leads to an increased amount of granted wishes.--JDitto 06:25, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Money makes money. Does anyone know of any statistics for millionaires showing their average intelligence and the average wealth of their parents? I'm sure some such study must have been done. DirkvdM 07:02, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

A good amount of money has been made by people able to take what others have discovered and use it to their advantage. It isn't necessarily what you know, but how well you can research. THL 23:20, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

"The Milionaire Next Door" shows that many wealthy people make (and more importantly look after) their own money. Rich Farmbrough, 13:55 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Grey teeth?

I have a strange discoloration in my teeth. This discoloration isn't really yellowish or any type of "color". It's more of a greyish than white color but the teeth that have this property isn't completely grey just maybe grey in blotches. Anyone got any info. or links to any posibilities this might be? Thanks! --Agester 23:56, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I couldn't really say; our article on teeth doesn't seem to mention colors at all. If you really are concerned about it, it would be wise to see your dentist about it. --71.117.44.145 01:04, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

You know, we had listed "dentist" on the heading for this page as part of the medical/legal advice disclaimer for so long, and then some one removed it, presumably because no one ever asked for dental advice here. Maybe we need to put it back. --Maxamegalon2000 02:45, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Is this something that has just happened recently, or is it a chronic condition? Tooth discoloration can be the result of minerals in the drinking water. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know. I didn't think it is a problem because i have regular check ups and my teeth have been like this for a majority of my life and I was just curious one day when looking in the mirror and lowering my self-esteem watching teeth bleaching commercials and figured why my teeth didn't look like that. My dentists have never mentioned or prescribed me anything for this strange discoloration so i don't think it's malignant. (last time i saw a dentist was approx 3-4 weeks ago). In addition, i've seen several different destists in the years of my life. In response to the drinking water, i doubt that since my family and I drink from the same source and they seem to have normal teeth. --Agester 03:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Get it checked out. Seriously. One of my teeth turned blue-grey; six months later I had the most diabolical toothache, and it had to be removed. Now I have a gap in me gob, which is a handy place to hold pencils when my hands are full but looks and feels ridiculous. Howard Train 03:59, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Well I did some extensive reading on the teeth article (i poorly skimmed it before) and came across the Dental fluorosis article and the picture there (of mild fluorosis) sortof looks almost exactly as what i was thinking of only there is more of the brighter white than the darker white on the surfaces i checked. I think that maybe what it is and believe me i will go see my dentist about this. However, like i mentioned i've had teeth like this for a large portion of my life and have been recieving regular check ups. I doubt it's anything malignant. --Agester 04:10, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Tetracycline is said to cause teeth to be gray, especially if you got it in childhood. Othrwise wine, coffee, and cola drinks can darken teeth.Edison 06:11, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

October 18

chess rice?

Hey, I'm looking for the origin of chess where it shows this guy asking the evil emperor for the same amount of rice of the chessboard he made for him-except that the rice is supposed to be multiplied by 2 for every square. I can't find it in Wikipedia's chess pages right now...does anyone know where I can find it? Thanks. --JDitto 04:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Don't know the origin but this is the fable. And here are the Wikipedia links Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple and Second Half of the Chessboard. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:30, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Dude!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (Wow, I thought that this was widely accepted as fact, thank you for saving me from mass embarrassment!) --JDitto 05:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I've certainly heard it ascribed to Sissa who is mentioned on the Origins of chess page but the earliest written reference to the fable I can find is this in the works of Nasir al-Din Tusi illustrating population growth. MeltBanana 14:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

It seems that someone deleted the whole story you mentioned from the Origins of chess page, however :( --JDitto 07:33, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Are The Songs '8th World Wonder' & 'Wrong' By Kimberley Locke Covers?

Is '8th World Wonder' Vanessa Carlton's song but covered by Kimberley Locke? Thanks.100110100 08:04, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Geese

Whenyou see several geese flying over you in the sign of a V does this have a meaning?

It probably means that they are migrating, see vee formation. If you're looking for an augural interpretation, I have no clue what the meaning would be.---Sluzzelin 08:41, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Do we have a n article on V formation?--Light current 13:42, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

When geese or any bird for that matter flies long distance in groups of more than 4 then often fly in "V" formation as it creates slip streaming for the birds behind making it much easier for them on the long haul, the air here is at the optimum turbulance for natural wings. Althought I have never observed it with my own eyes, I have seen film of the front bird slowing down so that it can take up place behind a new leader. You'd have thought that they would fly directly behind each other for this but thousands of years of eveolution, as always, have found the best method. --AMX 17:09, 18 October 2006 (UTC)AMX

qiuz using letters and numbers

hello,im doing a quiz and would like help it all relates to letters and numbers eg;88 k on a p=88keys on a piano ,101 d =101 dalmations,8d a w-t b =8days a week-the beatles.

• 5 w o a c i t s - Five wheels on a car including the spare --froth^{T C} 14:02, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• s w a t 7 d - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 惑乱 分からん 13:27, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 32 c i t l e – 32 capsules in the London Eye  --Lambiam^Talk 21:16, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• b c s 49 g f e - Bobby Charlton shot scored 49 goals for England. Solution added by Sluzzelin, 20:39, October 18, 2006 (UTC). I'd say "scored".  --Lambiam^Talk 20:53, 18 October 2006 (UTC) Much better, corrected. ---Sluzzelin 23:58, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 60 p f p f s - 60 pounds fixed penalty for speeding -THB 03:25, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
• 3476 k is t d o t m - kilometres is the diameter of the moon
• 100 l t i s – 100 letter tiles in Scrabble. To be precise, in the standard English edition there are 100 tiles, but only 98 have a letter. Several other languages have 100 tiles bearing a letter; see Scrabble letter distributions.  --Lambiam^Talk 21:12, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 4626 f i t s o t h b – 4626 feet is the span of the Humber Bridge  --Lambiam^Talk 15:06, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 27 i t t o t c b i s – 27 is the total [value] of the coloured balls in Snooker – not counting red as a colour, that is.  --Lambiam^Talk 20:18, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 1 s s f m - One small step for (a) man?---Sluzzelin 20:39, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 9 s i t t t – 9 squares in Tic Tac Toe  --Lambiam^Talk 20:13, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 9 c i t w l - 9 contestants in the Weakest Link. Hyenaste ^(tell) 21:26, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• 12 m o a r c t in g
• c w ti 235 m h - Canary Wharf Tower is 235 meters high. ---Sluzzelin 22:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• a a c h 24 d - An Advent calendar has 24 days. ---Sluzzelin 22:36, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• b w 9 s - Beethoven wrote nine symphonies Hyenaste ^(tell) 21:10, 18 October 2006 (UTC). So did Bruckner (if you don't count the Symphony No. 0). JackofOz 23:29, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• j n w 18 m g c(i think this has something to do with golf) - Jack Nicklaus won 18 major golf championships –RHolton≡– 13:24, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
• p m w n 61 t p – Is it possible that "61" should be "6 i"? Then it is: Patrick McGoohan was Number Six in The Prisoner  --Lambiam^Talk 19:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

and

• 6 c i t p – Perhaps this: Six colours (or categories) in Trivial Pursuit  --Lambiam^Talk 20:11, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

thanyou to anyone who may be able to help

These quizzes are often based on cultural and social norms that vary from place to place, so it would be helpful to know which country you are in. It's also helpful if you sign your posts with four "tildes" (~~~~). --Dweller 10:29, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

This sort of puzzle is called a 1Ditloid, based on the book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. "27 is the times of three cubed by its self" would fit, but seems so clumsy, and the maths seems iffy. Laïka 13:20, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I googlead for : 32 (teeth ?), 235 (uranium ?), 61 (highway ?) ... no luck. -- DLL ^{.. T} 17:23, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

How can you be sure your answer is "correct"? 惑乱 分からん 18:30, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Looks like "12 m o a r c t in g" is the stumper here. Ditloid star for whoever solves it! ---Sluzzelin 09:56, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

12 months on a regular calendar (t-something) in Gregorian? Laïka 15:31, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Easyjet Baggage/Box

My suitcase is damaged (hole). Will easyjet be likely to allow me to check a large box made from cardboard into the hold? I rang easyjet in the Netherlands and the lady said it "should be ok" but that's not reassuring. Maybe someone here would know - does it have to be a bag? --Username132 (talk) 13:44, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Airlines normally have a supply of stout platsic bags in which they deposit dodgy looking luggage. Meanwhile there's no a priori prejudice about cardboard boxes; it does not have to be a bag. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I've often seen Pinoys checking in their cardboard balikbayan boxes at the check-in counter. I don't know your destination, but it wouldn't hurt to line the box with a sturdy large labelled garbage bag, in case your box gets stuck in the rain on the tarmac.  --Lambiam^Talk 15:26, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Easyjet is not your normal airline. They are cheap as &^*%^$%^ and don't have a lot of extras. You would be better off calling them to check. -THB 03:07, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Dung Spreader

In the UK, i was was to take a dung spreader trough a town and blast everything in sight with said dung (shops, cars, etc), what laws if any would i be breaking? Theoretical question of course, we just can't seem to determine what law this might be breaking, illegally dumping waste? Cheers :) Benbread 13:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/975012.stm ... answerblob

How about vandalism ? It requires clean up, just like spray painted walls with gang signs. StuRat 15:24, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Probably a prosecution under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 as amended by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. And possibly under any of the following:

• Public Health Act 1925 and Byelaws
• Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 S.25(5)
• Motorway Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982 R.15(1)(b)
• Highways Act 1980 SS.137, 138, 141, 145, 148, 150-153, 155 and 156

or

• Public Order Act 1986 S.4A as added by Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994 Part 1 S.154
• All sorts of other public health acts --Tagishsimon (talk)

--Tagishsimon (talk)

Thanks for the answers :) Damn that was some appauling spelling on my part in that question :| Benbread 21:09, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Appauling = Spelling so appallingly bad that even Paul would be ashamed of it ? :-) StuRat 21:40, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Interestingly (?), there was some farmer who, having been refused plannig permission on a structure he had already built, took revenge in the local council by plastering the front of the the council offices with dung from his muck speader. It caused quite a stink in the town. I can't remember what he was charged with: It may have been 'shit stirring' or possibly 'Pebble dashing a building frontage without proper consent'. 8-)--Light current 02:12, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh Ive just seen the above link. Perhaps it was a Bank he was arguing with.--Light current 03:09, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Of course, politicians would never pass a law specifically banning the dispersal of bullshit in a public area, as they would be the first to be brought up on charges. :-) StuRat 04:46, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

No, no. If they're brought up on chargers, that would be horseshit! 8-)

Question on animal horns

I have cut the horn from a male goat and now I need to know how to prepare them - take away the flesh and marrow parts and how to get rid of the smell. Where can I find such information?

Let it dry? 惑乱 分からん 18:28, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

An animal horn used in judaism is called a shofar. here are some links I found after searching for "making shofar" [18] and [19]. one site suggests doing the following

1. Buy a “nerf” ball (soft and pliable), an ear plug (the squeeze and insert type available at most drug stores), some fish tank gravel (not sand and not very big) and some alcohol.
2. Plug the mouthpiece with the earplug. Pour in enough gravel that it can be shaken easily. Plug the bell end with the nerf ball.
3. Shake it hard for about 15 minutes.
4. Pull out the nerf ball and empty out the gravel. Pour about a cup of alcohol in and replace the ball. Shake for about a minute.
5. Pull out the ball. Pour out the alcohol. Remove the earplug. Let it dry.

There is more information on those sites. good luck. Jon513 19:23, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

It took about 4 reads and 15 minutes before I understood what you meant. Hyenaste ^(tell) 00:00, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

First you cut off a poor animal's horn and then you wonder what to do with it? What on Earth did you have in mind? Do you have any idea yourself? Or was the goat already dead? (That would change matters a fair bit.) DirkvdM 19:40, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Unless he killed it for the horn :o --froth^{T C} 00:29, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Do goats shed their horns?--Light current 00:55, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Professionals use Skin beetles. -THB 03:04, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

shau en lai

Do you know what or who shau en lai can be?

Could you be referring to Zhou Enlai? Marco polo 19:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Do you have any other information? Language? Context? SOunds like it could be Chinese to me... 惑乱 分からん 19:56, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

In Country Music...

Has any Country Music artist ever use the word "fuck" in any song?

72.24.89.164 22:19, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Probably. Mongol Man 22:39, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. See Nigger Fucker. -Elmer Clark 00:01, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Who are the characters in Cate Tiernan books?

who are the characters shown on the cover of the second book(the coven) of the wicca (sweep) series by cate tiernan— Preceding unsigned comment added by Skyathar (talk • contribs)

The articles Cate Tiernan and Sweep (book series) might help. —EdGl 22:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream- Birthdys and death dates

What are Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, creators of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, birthdays? I'm pretty sure they are still living, so I don't need death date, just their brithdays. Thanks so much.

-anon

For $10,000 in small bills in a paper bag, I can arrange for whatever death date you find most convenient. :-)

Hah. Very cute of you to state *rolls eye playfully* but seriously. Can you someone please tell me?

It seems to be pretty well known that Jerry's birthday is four days before Ben's, but I can't find any reference to what actual date that was. --Canley 02:09, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

facebook him

1951 is all I could find for Ben Cohen. :\ --Proficient 05:08, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

who would win the jaguar or the corvette?

anyone? Weaseljenkins 22:37, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm not picky. I would like to win either. Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:39, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

how fast can a jaguar and a corvette go? --Weaseljenkins 22:50, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

The corvette, since the jaguar can't run on its top speed for more than a few seconds. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 22:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

thanks --Weaseljenkins 22:55, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

chandler woodcock?

do you think he will win the election? --Weaseljenkins 22:59, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Is a woodcock related to a woodpecker ? I suppose knot. :-) StuRat 23:24, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

How much wood could a wood-cock whack, if a wood-cock would whack wood? =S 惑乱 分からん 15:34, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

when will cars fly?

when will cars fly? -- Weaseljenkins

As soon as hover technology is feasible. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 23:03, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

See future of the car as well. Hyenaste ^(tell) 23:04, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

If cars flew, they would be airplanes or helicopters. -THB 02:58, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

They already can: Supercar (TV series)--Light current 03:00, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

When we redefine the word 'car'. DirkvdM 07:17, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

See this utterly brilliant link --Dweller 10:33, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

It wasn't so brilliant, but I reformatted your syntax and now it's OK. Cheers. JackofOz 12:21, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

do you know the average land speed for a mini cooper?

My grandmother's name was Wilhelmina Cooper, and her friends called her Minnie. I would say her average land speed was around 3 mph. :-) StuRat 23:22, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Cars don't have a preset average speed. It depends on how fast you drive. Given that, it would be much more than the average water speed. -THB 02:57, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Spookily, this is also probably answered by the link I posted in the previous question. --Dweller 10:38, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

what is the smallest inamnate object? asap

i have no clue. --Weaseljenkins 23:10, 18 October 2006 (UTC) help asap

Are quarks or sub-protonic particles inanimate? Jamesino 23:12, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Well they certainly aren't animate. My guess is the up quark as smallest IAO. Hyenaste ^(tell)

From our article Classical electron radius: "In fact, modern particle physics experiments indicate that the electron is a point particle, i.e. it has no size and its radius is zero." You can't get much smaller than that. This property would be shared, according to the Standard model, with other leptons – which included neutrinos – and quarks. On the other hand, theoretical physicists think that the notion of length as having physical meaning may break down below one Planck length. A radius of zero is definitely less.  --Lambiam^Talk 08:41, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

But according to J. H. Conway they have as much free will as we do. Rich Farmbrough, 14:05 19 October 2006 (GMT).

the higgs boson which allows matter to interact with gravity.193.115.175.247 15:13, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

God real or not?

Does God exist? The Ayatollah 23:11, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

That depends on your definition of God. It is also hard to answer that question from the neutral point of view. THL 23:17, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Nobody can see God. Nevertheless, see God. JackofOz 23:18, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Also see Existence of God. --Allen 23:19, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Nice --froth^{T C} 00:25, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Does it have to? ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 00:43, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

How about this:

Let us have $God$ and $Devil$

Since they are opposite forces:

$God+Devil=0$

But they are also complementary entities. Good cannot exist without evil and vice versa. They together form everything there is, and there can only be one of that. So we have:

$God\times Devil=1$

Which gives us:

${\begin{cases}God+Devil=0\\God\times Devil=1\end{cases}}$

Solving that, we have:

$Devil=-God$

$(-God)\times God=1$

$-God^{2}=1$

$God={\sqrt {-1}}$

$God=i$

Therefore, God is not real, but imaginary. The same goes with the devil, $Devil=-i$ ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 00:43, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

No, it says that "God is I". But of course only when I say it. Also note that God's sense of grammar isn't up to scratch. DirkvdM 07:28, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

That's an interesting way of looking at things... However, I was under the impression that Faith was a matter of faith. No one (or at least no normal human being) can tell anyone God does or does not exist. Russia Moore 01:13, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Put that in the Mathematical jokes article. As for me, God's real. bibliomaniac15 01:42, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

He exists in your mind, if you're a believer. And in the mind of other believers, but the problem is that that is their God, so it's a bit confusing to use the same name. Every believer has their own God in their minds, but since everyone is their mind they also are their own God. As was already mathematically proven by Kieff. Now you have a philosphical proof. Everyone is their own God, so, yes, God exists. There's just loads of them. DirkvdM 07:28, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah... I believe that in Christian thought, the Devil is a fallen angel. As a fallen angel, he cannot be pure evil, but must be flawed with at least a semblance of good. Also, I believe that Christian thought says that God is stronger. So therefore your God/Devil equations would be imbalanced. Anyway, not everyone who believes in God believes in the Devil. --Dweller 10:49, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah yes. The Devil is always in the detail. 8-)--Light current 11:20, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

You sound like Kim Beazley. He's always saying that. (lol) JackofOz 12:17, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

whats your favorite eat out? around ny asap

--Weaseljenkins 23:17, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know what the food is like around nyasap but I enjoy a good meal at the Olive Garden --froth^{T C} 00:24, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I suppose I would too, if I ever got one there. --Trovatore 00:27, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

If you enjoy eating out, and are visiting NYC, I can recommend the Time Out travel guide, or the weekly Time Out magazines for NYC. They feature restaurants for every cuisine, crowd, location, opening hour, and budget.---Sluzzelin 00:46, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

What is the fastest computer in the world?

See Supercomputer#The_fastest_supercomputers_today. --Allen 23:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Here's a pic of the fastest computer in the world. It's circled in red --froth^{T C} 00:22, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Depends on what you call a single computer. Is a multicore computer one computer? Does it have to be in a single case? If yes and no then the Internet. It's just never used to its full capacity. DirkvdM 07:34, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

check [20] Sandman30s 14:23, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

October 19

White Wednesday

I can't find anything about White Wednesday. It's an American (in the south) tradition where high school students take toilet paper and roll anothers house with it in the night... It's done during Homecoming week on Wednesdays.

I finally found it.... but it really should also be called 'rolling' (as in "I'm going to roll your house tonight' or 'we are going rolling tonight.') and be associated with White Wednesday... as that's what it is.

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

cheapest international $$$ transfer

going travelling for 1 month. just found out my credit card charges 3% on all foreign transactions.

what credit or debit or atm cards charge a lower commission? (if a flat fee is listed, assume I always withdraw $100)

Not interested in travellers checks.

Thanks. -Bobby

Credit cards do tend to charge substantial commissions on foreign transactions. In my experience, ATMs are a better bet. Ask around at local banks in your area and find out if there is one that does not charge a fee for foreign withdrawals. Chances are that it will be a smaller, local, or regional bank, and not one of the big national corporate monsters. There is such a bank, Wainwright Bank, in Massachusetts. If you can open an account at such a bank and get an ATM card there before your trip, this would probably be your cheapest option. Marco polo 01:09, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

What country are you in and what country or countries are you going to? Marco polo's advice is good for a United States resident going to Western Europe, but not as useful for a Canadian or Australian, or anyone visiting a less developed country.

It'll also depend on where you're going. Some countries have very few ABMs and some have millions. In some countries ABMs charge a percentage fee per use: most Canadian ABMs have a $1.00 to $2.50 fee for each use unless you're a customer of the bank that runs them. --Charlene.fic 15:18, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Sexual harassment in high school

Now, sexual harassment is a crime in all of the US. But, my question is how serious is this offense at the given age? A high school male student groping, if you will, a female peer's breasts. Just curious, no implications here. 71.250.22.208 01:31, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

This is an interesting question as it relates to the age of responsibility of the 'groper'. If t5he groper is under 16 (ie a minor), Im not sure if it could be considered a punishable offence in the UK. Other countries may have different laws--Light current 01:39, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Alright, to be more specific, I'm going to say 15. 71.250.22.208 01:40, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

It's treated like any other sexual assault; in other words, as well or as poorly as is the norm for that juridsiction. In fact, regrettably, children as young as elementary school age have been indicted for sexual/indecent assault. Anchoress 01:42, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Sexual Offences Act may offer some insight--Light current 01:43, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

If only I could click on it.... :) 71.250.22.208 01:47, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Try now. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 01:51, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah thats an illegal page header (capitalisation)--Light current 01:56, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I think the questioner was asking about the U.S. In Ohio, groping someone would probably be considered sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor. A 15-year-old would probably be charged as a juvenile. However, I can tell you that when I was in school, this kind of thing went on all the time along with a lot of other stuff that is against the law, such as simple assault and menacing. -- Mwalcoff 02:14, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, apparently bullying is now against the law in UK, but it was rife when I went to school. How can it be stopped anyway?--Light current 02:23, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

It's assault and battery. The victim should call 911. -THB

Not necessarily. Verbal abuse is not assualt & battery.--Light current 03:38, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

What??? They said groping....breasts. -THB 03:48, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

If I were to hit my work colleagues, or make fun of their physical abnormalities, I'd be fired. But when it happens in school, it's passed of as "just kids being kids." -- Mwalcoff 03:19, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is. But is it? Or do they need educating that it is wrong?--Light current 03:37, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe if they're 5; not if they're 15. Anyway, school administrators are always willing to punish kids for swearing or being late for class. But they often ignore harrassment, or at least they did when I was in school. -- Mwalcoff 04:41, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

blue gene

why doesn't blue gene design us some hiv inhibitors or do something useful instead of modelling how metal solidifies.

What makes you think that's not useful? ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 01:54, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

If you write a program that's guaranteed to "design us some hiv inhibitors", I'm sure they'll be happy to run it. —Keenan Pepper 02:02, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

what guarantee? Instead of using guided (but random) assay tests like the pharmaceutical industry does, just simulate it all.

Why don't you help instead of whining about it: rosetta? -THB 02:47, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't have the technical ability, therefore I'm trying to influence people--and via representative politics--policymakers who can force, via monetary incentive, those with technical ability to help. so stfu

Name of essay by Mark Twain criticizing humans

I once read an excerpt from a Mark Twain essay (or was it a novel?) that criticized humans for killing more animals than they needed. He also talked about how humans are the only animal to blush and how we are actually at the bottom of the animal hierarchy. Does anyone know the name of this essay?--71.154.240.95 02:23, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Try thedamnedhumanrace.com -THB 02:42, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Alcholics Anonymous and religion.

Judges in the United States have sentenced people to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. As several of the twelve steps involve turning your life over to God, and acknowledging the existence of God, isn't this combining Church and State?

Yes it does seem to be draconian. Might as well just brainwash people and be done!--Light current 02:49, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Alcoholics Anonymous isn't a church or an organized religion. Their def. of God is "as you understand him". -THB 02:52, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

What if you dont understand him?--Light current 02:54, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Being required to attend a meeting is not the same thing as being required to fully participate in the procedures or to believe in what they teach. You can lead a horse to water etc ...... JackofOz 02:59, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

NO. I believe you have to say that you believe in GOD etc. Otherwise they throw you out.

I seriously dispute that. JackofOz 03:38, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Find a ref. Mine is quoted below.8-)--Light current 03:40, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Daily prayer and/or meditation, as suggested by Step 11: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out." --Light current 03:14, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

My understanding is they can't make you do something with a religious component, such as AA or (for juvy offenders) the Boy Scouts. But they can give you the option of doing it instead of another form of "punishment," such as a fine or jail time. -- Mwalcoff 03:17, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Even if the court could force a person to attend AA meetings, it can't force people to profess a belief in God if they don't have such a belief. AA meetings don't work by forcing anyone to do anything. JackofOz 03:43, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree that it's a violation of the separation of Church and State, as did Penn and Teller in their episode of Bullshit! that dealt with just this topic. They also indicated that AA isn't any more effective than secular sobriety orgs. StuRat 04:39, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Not only that, they showed statistics indicating that AA isn't any more effective than no treatment.

wikipedia

why is it call wikipedia why not webapedia wikipedia sounds unapealing

webapedia is unapealing too please follow the rules at the top of the page -THB 02:52, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

"Wiki" meant "quick" in a Papua New Guinean language or something, apparently... 惑乱 分からん 03:26, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

wiki alludes to teenage, goth "Wiccan" therefore it is unappealing.

Wiki is not an allusion to Wicca.See here: [[21]] or alternatively,read this from the same page:"Wiki Wiki" is a reduplication of "waka waka", a Hawaiian-language word for fast. The word wiki is a shorter form of wiki wiki (weekie, weekie). The word is sometimes interpreted as the backronym for "what I know is", which describes the knowledge contribution, storage and exchange function." Serenaacw 05:32, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I think that you need to read Wicca as it really has nothing to do with "teenage, goth". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:00, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Reading Wicca should also make it clear that Wicca isn't all that unappealing either. You could've found out why Wikipedia is called Wikipedia by reading the article we have on the subject. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:17, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

bad newspapering

Why does reuters allow these sloppy number reportings?

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-10-19T005604Z_01_N18292773_RTRUKOC_0_US-ECONOMY-USA-REMITTANCES.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

"Some 12.6 million, or 73 percent of all adult Latin Americans living in the United States, will send a total of around $45 billion to their countries of origin this year, up from some $30 billion in 2004, the report said.

The percentage of immigrants sending money on a regular basis has increased from 61 percent in 2004 to 73 percent in 2006, said the bank, and the average amount of each remittance also grew, from $240 to $300. "

45 billion / 12.6 million = 3,571 which is not 300

3,571 / 12 = 300 meaning it's a monthly rate. why is this not made crystal clear to the reader? Why is this sloppy reporting allowed?

Please explain what is confusing to you. Did you assume that each immigrant makes one remittance a year? -THB 05:11, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Not all people send money monthly; some send it more often, some less often. $300 is the average amount of each remittance. Laïka 07:16, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

why does bbc allow false reports ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6063386.stm

Look at the table at the bottom. They interviewed 27,000 people in 25 countries, likely evenly distributed becaues you need ~1000 people for good sampling. Then, they simply averaged all the 25 countries together to get their 30% support some tortue.

Then, they put out false statements like:

"Nearly a third of people worldwide back the use of torture in prisons"

This is a false statement because their poll is not weighted by country population. Israel's 48/43 is weighted equally with a 58/36 from the US with 300 million people!!! and what about the other top 10 largest countries: Brazil, Russia, Nigeria, Indonesia, China, India. what a worthless polll. it should be higher if nothing else.

Not really; they simply talk about people world wide, giving everyone an equal value. Weighting by country would mean that the opinion of an American or an Indian would be worth much less than the opinion of a Vaticanite(?) or an Andorran. Incidently, the reason that they haven't asked in many of these countries (China for example) is these tend to be countries with secretive or controlling Governments, and I'm not sure these Governments would appreciate a load of Westerners flying into their country and asking difficult questions about human rights. Laïka 07:13, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

In general, when it comes to journalists who screw up interpreting statistical evidence, see Hanlon's razor - assume a cock-up, not a conspiracy. See this web page for some interesting discussion of the exceptionally poor understanding of statistics demonstrated by most working journalists. If you look at a lot of political blogs put together by economists and scientists, this innumeracy is one of the most consistent and strongest criticisms of the working of the news media, and to a large extent it applies across the political spectrum (though, of course, which misuse they get upset about varies greatly depending on your political outlook). --Robert Merkel 07:41, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

First: "When did you stop beating your wife?" - Don't ask loaded questions. Second: Yeah, it's bad statistics and the article draws unwarranted conclusions. So do you. And so does every news agency in the world on every poll-based news story I've ever seen. (When did you ever hear "As of the latest poll, the change if any in approval rating remains unknown, but within statistical error!") So get over it, already. --BluePlatypus 07:43, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

After edit conflict:

Laika, China is on the list. And about the question, you assume they didn't adapt the number of people to the population size of the country. This anti-terrorims bullshit is driving people nuts. This is scaring me. People don't seem to realise how easily 'some torture for some reasons' can lead to 'any torture for any reason'. And they probably also assume it will never happen to themselves. People should learn a bit more about Germany in the 1930's. DirkvdM 07:49, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh, I thought he was saying "where are Brazil, Russia, Nigeria, Indonesia, China, India?", not "why isn't data properly weighted from Brazil, Russia, Nigeria, Indonesia, China, India?". My mistake, sorry. Laïka 14:57, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

QUESTION: The business world: Ocean/container shipping

What does a ship agency do? Do they simply receive freight from shippers and then pass it on to the line that they are agents for, or do they also provide some service to the ship while it is in port? Thanks. Ketsitsos--Ketsitsos 06:18, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

It's a broad term, can mean a business doing almost anything related to shipping. Things are done differently in different ports and different shipping companies. If you're talking about a major player like Maersk, they do just about everything within one company, the actual shipping, stevedoring, port ownership and management as well as port services. In other cases and places those tasks can be split over a whole bunch of different companies. --BluePlatypus 07:18, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I'll be more specific: I work for a freight forwarding company (logistics, air/land/sea transport, customs clearance, etc) and they want to become an agent for a ship line. This would give us certain cost benefits, among other things. But other ship agents that I've researched seem to offer certain services to the shipping line, such as port services. Can a ship agency simply bring in and process freight for the ship line, or do they have to be prepared to offer services to the ship in return?--Ketsitsos--Ketsitsos 08:37, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

By "ship line", do you mean a company that owns actual ships (the things that float on the ocean), or do you mean a shipping line, which is a completely different matter? A shipping line may own ships, but it also likely owns aircraft, containers, rights to ports, etc. They're different things. Charlene.fic 15:09, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Magazine 2006

Hey I was wondering if anybody knew when this magazine is going to be released in new zealand????

Thank you, Kieran.

I can answer your question! Not with 100% certainty, but pretty close. The answer is, yes, probably someone does know, or at least has a pretty good idea.

I get such a thrill out of helping people. --Trovatore 08:00, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

...and the only people who know for sure are the distribution dept at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Magazine 2006. I suggest you contact them--Shantavira 08:46, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

You could always buy it online, if you don't want to wait. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:44, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

NY Times archived article.

I'm researching a new Wikipedia article, for which I would like to read the article described here. Is there someone out there with a NY Times subscription who can provide me with a copy? Please use the Wikipedia email system to contact me about this. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:12, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Trio Mafuà

Hi,

I need your help. I have found a very great song on one of my Café del Mar Cd's. The song is named "Quente", the Band is called "Trio Mafuà". I didn't found anything useful in the net about them. If anybody knows something about this band, maybe the name of an full album, please tell me.

Jesse

best calzone?

? --Weaseljenkins 13:49, 19 October 2006 (UTC) Make your own. Rich Farmbrough, 14:11 19 October 2006 (GMT).

---

what if you drank draino?

would you have to go to the hospital? --Weaseljenkins 14:03, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Probably the morgue, but why don't you try it? --Charlene.fic 15:06, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah and give us all a rest 8-(--Light current 15:16, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Pancakes

I realize that objectively buttermilk pancakes are only different because they contain buttermilk vs. standard milk and also they contain baking soda (according to my cook book). But subjectively, what's the difference for the consumer? I don't really notice a difference between them. Dismas|^(talk) 14:06, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

butter+milk equals buttermilk --Weaseljenkins 14:08, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

For the love of God, Butter + milk does NOT equal buttermilk. Buttermilk is cultured whey - whey is the low-fat liquid left over after they take the butter OUT of the milk. Read the label: commercial cultured buttermilk is usually 0.5 to 1% MF, like skim or 1% milk, and is far lower in fat than regular homogenized/whole milk.

People see the word "butter" and assume without doing any research that it must be high in fat. Buttermilk is actually very good for you.

The difference between milk pancakes and buttermilk pancakes is that buttermilk is slightly tart and gives a slightly sour taste to the pancakes. Buttermilk and soda will also make the pancakes rise higher than regular milk and baking powder will. --Charlene.fic 15:05, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

homicide

who killed cockrobin

The sparrow Laïka 15:14, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Was it with a "little bow and arrow"... in the Dining Room? --Dweller 15:40, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Shazra syed amir ali

Asaloelkum! Sir, Aap ki bari mehrbani hogi k muja Syed Amir Ali (Al maroof Banno kohat wale main) Khandan Kawja Ghareeb Nawaz say talq hay.Aap sab say phaly Banno kohat main tashreef lai is k bad Alighar k zila athroli tashreef lay gay is k bad hukum howa to Ajmeer ga aur wahan say Jaypur gay aur waihn per wisal farmain jaypur ky bary qabrustan may peer matka shah k baraber may mazar hay Aap ka wisal 1920~25 may howa.ziyda murdeen Alighar k zila athroli may hain Aap Banno kohat wale main k naam say mashoor hain may pakistan rehta hoo aur inki Shakseat say mtaliq mazmoon likhna chahata hoon lakin maloomat na hona ky baraber hay. Aap say darkhwasat hay inky k baray may ksi qism ki maloomat hoto azrah karm mehrbani farmain ya koyee isi jga batadain k wahn per jaker malomat hasil ki jasaky.

Faqat Derkhwasat guzar. Mohemmedchishty@yahoo.com…

Public Assistance

What year did the phrase "public assistance" enter the English language?