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June 4

Selling bought/downloaded music

As far as I know, it is illegal to burn a CD with iTunes-bought music and sell it for money. But, I see regular, purchased CD's for sale all the time by people who bought them. The only difference is they were CD's when purchased as opposed to sound files. So, why is one illegal and the other (seemingly) not? 70.105.164.43 (talk) 00:49, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Much of the answer to the question probably lies in the First-sale doctrine article. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:54, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes....it does. Thanks. 70.105.164.43 (talk) 01:02, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Kodansha Afternoon

Is it possible to subscribe to Kodansha Afternoon magazine in the US? If yes then how? Thank you, --E2718281828459045 (talk) 01:16, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Where do you live? If you live near Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Houston, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, London, Toronto, Honolulu, or anywhere else with a Japanese market or bookstore (not just a generic Asian market), you may be able to subscribe by going there (and some of them may even just carry the magazine regularly). There are also subscription services available via mail from stores such as Kinokuniya, Sasuga Japanese Bookstore, J-List, and so on. I order through my local market. (support the local economy!) ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 19:22, 4 June 2008

Japanese magazines like dealing through bookstores. I am unfamiliar with the one you name, but I subscribe to three others, and the only way to get them here in Honolulu is through the bookstore. My favorite Japanese bookstore offers twenty percent discounts if you settle for by-boat shipping and agree to pick the mags up at the store (rather than have the store mail them to you). In fact, since the store does mail titles, if you're in the United States and will use a credit card as security, I'll bet my local store will mail to you wherever you are. Leave me a message on my talk page if you have no luck otherwise, and I'll put you in touch. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 21:03, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Sasuga has it; and Kinokuniya may have it, too. Thank you very much for your help! --E2718281828459045 (talk) 23:11, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

About Journalism

I want to know about the scope of Journalism and Mass Communication in Future. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Keerat4u (talk • contribs) 05:20, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Just a guess, but is this for an essay entitled "The scope of journalism and mass communication in the future?" ~ mazca ^talk 08:25, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Banks in Cagayan De Oro City

how can i get a list of all banks and contact info for Cagayan De Oro City,Philippine--119.11.96.182 (talk) 08:18, 4 June 2008 (UTC)john de oros

Looks like a homework question. Anyway, try here [1] manya (talk) 09:35, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Orientation

Is "girl falling for girl" more common in girls' school than coeds?? This seems to happen a lot at mine (which is a girls' school) 117.194.224.17 (talk) 08:23, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Infatuation? Crush? Hero-worship? It's not sexual as such, and I don't know why, but yep seems common in all-girls schools. An example in a period film The Getting of Wisdom from the novel by Henry Handel Richardson. I'd guess (very OR-ly) that the same thing happens in all-boys schools too. It's usually about the younger person attaching to an older person and wanting their attention though it varies. The articles Puppy love (temporary) and the longer-lasting idea of Limerence (closer to it in some ways) cover it though more generally. Julia Rossi (talk) 10:13, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Puppy love is not to be confused with Pup-play. Edison (talk) 14:30, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Robert Graves wrote about the same thing in boys' schools, and I'm sure there are dozens of other examples. Adam Bishop (talk) 11:49, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

You might want to consult our article entitled lesbian until graduation ("LUG"). (WHAAOE!)

Atlant (talk) 19:51, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

The articles on Class S (the Japanese word for this sort of relationship) and Romantic friendship may also be helpful. Laïka 22:08, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Ah, my first crush was on a girl at my school. Yes, I'm gay and happy with the fact now, but if you're in this situation it doesn't necessarily mean you're gay. It might just be a crush, hero-worship, anything. Chill. And neither does it mean all you're friends are gay either! -- _{Escape Artist Swyer} ^{Talk to me} _{Articles touched by my noodly appendage} 23:13, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Book

I have a Japanese-learning book called Kimono. I can find about 150 mentions of this book on the Internet, but I can't find any mention of any content of the book. Anyone have a link? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 11:01, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

If you have the book, why are you asking for the contents? That aside, if you are trying to learn Japanese, throw that book away and pick up Yookoso! as it's a much better book and will teach you a lot more than Kimono. Kimono isn't worth the paper on which it's printed. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 01:21, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

We used Kimono in early high school. It wasn't too bad, but it was a very slow pace, unless you want to go through the whole book quickly. If you want something slow paced, it could be OK, but if I remember it correctly (it was almost 15 years ago) it is best used with a teacher, as I don't remember much explanation of grammar. Steewi (talk) 04:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

My wife had to use it when she was teaching high school Japanese, and she hated it. Most of the time, she just made up her own lessons instead of using the book. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 06:05, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I am planning to be a Japanese teacher at my primary school. My plan is to use Kimono the whole time. Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 10:00, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Interior Decoration

I have been tasked to re-design an anteroom and also suggest suitable interior decoration ideas. Can anyone suggest me an idea/ I am clueless as to how to go about it sumal (talk) 11:32, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Sumal, how did you get yourself into this one? You'll need to have some mockups. Think compatibility with the other rooms or the building (e.g. minimalist style or post-modern utilitarian). There's a simplified process here[2] at Interior Design and what kind of anteroom – a vestibule, foyer, client waiting room, reception area? For style I guess you will find a similar premises and spy on their results with pics or for examples drag some images off the net. If no-one has relieved you with their designer friend/contact by then, you can source these things or maybe pick some brains at your local interiors store. Best of, Julia Rossi (talk) 12:08, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

interior design —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.18.33.2 (talk) 21:42, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

One of the important parts you need are the requirements. You need to ask yourself (and your client) at each stage "what is it going to be used for?", "Can that be done here?" and "is this what the client wants?". Other important questions might be "what is the over all look I want (i.e. theme, concept, style - business chic? welcoming family environment? jungle tribal?)?", "Can it physically be done?" and very importantly "How much will this cost?" Steewi (talk) 04:47, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

about countries

I want to know the population,capital,no of literates,illiterates,no of men women economy of the countries of asia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Prajwal palasamudram (talk • contribs) 14:13, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Try the CIA World Factbook which has extensive demographic information. Fribbler (talk) 14:17, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Performance vs. Behavioral Based Interview Questions

Is there a difference between these two or are they two words for the same subject? I understand Behavioral Based Interviewing as a way to predict future behavior by understanding past behavior, but lately I am hearing the words Performance Based in relation to interview questionsFarmer13 (talk) 16:27, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Until someone more experienced comes along, they both sound like "track record" to me. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:52, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

If you Google 'Performance Based Interviews' you will be offered a vast choice of articles and refs on both performance and behaviour based interviwing. Why didn't you do this before asking here?86.209.156.25 (talk) 14:33, 5 June 2008 (UTC)DT

Geography question

Are there any instances on our Earth where the geographical shape of something smaller looks like the shape of something larger, scaled down? For example, a district looking like a city, a city looking like a country, or a country looking like a continent? JIP | Talk 18:27, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

I know one. See County Monaghan. (Better map here.) Then take a look at Iraq. :-) Fribbler (talk) 18:31, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

There are a few states in the Western United States that all look similar because they're all roughly rectangular... But I doubt that is what you were looking for.... Dismas|^(talk) 19:31, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

No, it isn't. I am specifically looking for similar shapes in different sizes - in this case, city or county vs. state, or state vs country or continent. And a rectangle is too simple a shape to be of interest. JIP | Talk 20:02, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Tuscany versus Bosnia and Herzegovina? Fribbler (talk) 20:20, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

How about the Polynesian Triangle and the Bermuda Triangle? Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 20:51, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

No, this won't do at all. They are too loosely defined, and the triangle is too simple a shape to be interesting. The County Monaghan and Tuscany exaxmples mentioned above are much better. JIP | Talk 20:57, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

I am a math teacher and consider the triangle to be the second-most interesting shape in the universe, after the circle. But okay, I see what you mean. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 21:07, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Sorry; I just read what I wrote and can't let it go, lest people think I meant that. The triangle is the THIRD-most interesting shape in the universe, after Catherine Zeta Jones. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 21:18, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

But even she´s got two circles and one triangle. What pity my math teacher never commented on his subtle libidinous geometrical fixations as honestly as Mitchell... --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:03, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

we have anarticle some where that tells of a rock at machu picchu that has the same profile as the mountains behind it so when you look at it from the correct angle, you will see...er... some thing —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.18.33.2 (talk) 21:45, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

For everyones perusal, an article on the Monaghan-Iraq debacle. Fribbler (talk) 23:07, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

It's artificial, but there is always The World.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:21, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

If you are happy with artifial examples, see our article on miniature parks a.k.a. model villages. Gandalf61 (talk) 11:47, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Many counties in Nevada look like U.S. states, for example Lincoln=UT, Humboldt=NM, White Pine=AZ, Lander/Eureka=VT/NH, etc. Dave6 ^talk 20:33, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

It's always struck me as more than just coincidental that, if reversed laterally, the Australian coat of arms, particularly the original 1908 version, would make a very nice approximation of the shape of the mainland. They even had the kangaroo's tail hanging downwards so that Tasmania wasn't forgotten. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:06, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

And here I'm thinking Australia looks like it's been drawn by Leunig with a big nose on the left and a smile at Port Augusta. Julia Rossi (talk) 05:51, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Nah - it's an old man lying on his back - with his nose pointing up at PNG and a big underbite. BTW, I note with some surprise that no-one has mentioned the World islands in Dubai that have been deliberately shaped to look like maps of countries. Grutness...wha? 06:29, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Spammers

I am getting more and more curious about why spammers bother with their increasingly more clever filter-evading ploys. I, at least, have an instinct that the more someone tries to trick me into reading an advertisement, the less honest he is, and the less legal the product he is selling is. Surely everyone else thinks this way too? Surely they cannot be anyone who sees an advertisement for penis enlargement pills disguised as an account suspension notice from a bank, containing several kilobytes of random word salad solely to fool Bayesian filters, with a hyperlink to a random throwaway URL at the end, and thinks "Oh! This is just what I need! I'll better check this out than consult a reputable doctor and pharmacist!"? JIP | Talk 20:20, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Email is, for now, free, so all they need to make it worth their while is one sale. Just one. From the millions/billions of spam mails sent, for it to be economically viable. And as they say "there's always one". Fribbler (talk) 20:23, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

In that case, that one must be either really stupid, or really sad, or both. What sort of person would do that? JIP | Talk 20:34, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Would spam, or be taken in by it? Fribbler (talk) 20:36, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Taken in by it, of course. JIP | Talk 20:44, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Lots of reasons. Naievity, desperation, those unfamiliar with the internet etc. Fribbler (talk) 20:55, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

You gave one option yourself: they could be really stupid. You can buy a million addresses for $40, so you should be able to turn a profit with a one in 100,000 success rate. 1 in 100,000 people have an IQ of less than 40. Algebraist 22:01, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

That would just be abusing the mentally handicapped (the limit is around 40 right?). I would assume the target is the elderly, who have stereotypically have little knowledge about how the internet works. Some would assume that it is genuinely someone trying to help out their love life. That would get you at least the 1 in 100,000. Paragon12321 (talk) 23:02, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Maybe anyone who's vulnerable – someone who's desire is stronger than their reason, or who lack critical awareness. Especially people who at heart seem to believe there's such a thing as easy money, miracle hair results, and other solutions to feeling needy. I don't think iq comes into that somehow. And then there's the meeting point and the bait: Hello, pigeon, meet Shark. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:48, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Also, there are two additional factors at play here: first of all, someone is always getting their very first piece of spam. I (and, I suspect, most others here) get hundreds of them every day, so they mean nothing to me. There's really no way I could ever get taken in by a generic spam message that is obviously designed to bypass filtering. And I'm not expected to, because like most recipients, I'm not in the target audience; I'm too educated, too familiar with the internet and generally too experienced with this stuff to fall for it. But that doesn't apply to a lot of users -- there are plenty of people out there who never really follow the news, who don't understand how the internet works, who are kind of naive, etc. They just aren't suspicious or careful enough. Of course, most of them still have the sense to avoid spammed products or services, but as a group, these are the kind of people who fall for obvious phishing attempts, Nigerian scams or virus e-mails.

Secondly, especially when it comes to attempts to cell Viagra or Cialis or "herbal supplements" that supposedly give you larger penis or bigger breasts or allow you to lose massive amounts of weight in just weeks, there's a simple rule of thumb: we should never underestimate the insecurities of people, especially when sexuality is involved. I would be shocked to hear that at least a few people reading this, for example, don't have pretty serious self-esteem issues and really, really wish they looked different or were thinner or had a larger penis or whatever. A lot of the spam is expressly designed with that in mind; the attempts to manipulate the reader tend to be really cheap ("Try it today - you have nothing to lose, just a lot to gain! Impress the ladies with the new tool in your pants," says one fresh piece of spam in my mailbox.), but if you're lonely and especially if your sexual experiences haven't been that great, the idea that with a bigger penis you'll be more self-confident and have more success in relationships is obviously attractive. It's stupid and completely false, of course -- but if you're in a certain mental space, it's attractive. The same goes for, oh, the spam that sells Rolex replicas or "university degrees"; they're not so much selling a product as the idea that you, too, can look like a wealthy or educated man, and all you need to do is pay a little bit of money for it.

Now, I'd like to think that most people reading this are smart enough to face facts and recognize that just because they're insecure, that doesn't mean a spammed product is going to solve their problem, but a lot of people are really willing to do pretty stupid things in order to make themselves feel better about themselves. I mean, how many people are paying for "miracle products" sold on TV shopping channels? Or how many people are willing to give their money to "psychics"? It's essentially the same principle: the exploitation of people who're vulnerable. Taking advantage of the weaknesses of the people who have needs and insecurities. No sensible person is going to fall for spam, but sensible people just aren't the target audience. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:03, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I find it hard to believe that "Impress the ladies with the new tool in your pants" is not a veiled insult against the kind of people who click on spam emails... Laïka 12:53, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

(outdent) I have two examples of people who would fall for spam. One was a girl who I saw on an episode of Judge Judy. Although the eBay auction that she won specified that she was bidding on just a photo of a cell phone, she thought she was bidding on the actual phone. Second, a guy I worked with thought that he had just won another eBay auction for a $5 laptop. He had actually won an auction for a list of places that sold discounted laptops or something like that. Dismas|^(talk) 02:31, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Ah, yes. That's not spam exactly, but it's certainly scam. I saw one like that on eBay: it looked like an auction for a house in Romania. Actually, it was an auction for a copy of an ad for a house, but it only said so in English, with the glowing description of the house all being in Romanian. - Jmabel | Talk 18:04, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I have seen some experienced email users believing in some SPAM mails and discussing the topic like 'You know, tonight Mars will look be as big as moon!' manya (talk) 04:19, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

This applies to the above topic, so...has anyone here ever gotten a spam text message on their cell phone? I have gotten two, and the cell phone company actually charges me because I do not have a texting plan. They consist of URLs to dating websites or a company website. No one I know has ever gotten one but me, and it is freaking me out. Thanks, The Reader who Writes (talk) 17:20, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I have gotten a few spam text messages on my work cell phone. Also, regarding who would ever respond to spam - I work in a public library, where we offer free internet access to anyone who comes in, regardless of their ability to understand what they're doing. I've actually had people ask me for help responding to spam and those annoying pop-up ads, believing they had actually won something. Shuttlebug (talk) 20:03, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I got a spam/scam voicemail message on mine. Not since *crosses self hastily like the mafia do* Julia Rossi (talk) 05:56, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Ray Island

In the days leading up to WW II, the US Army transported a crew of soldiers, redesignated as something else (civilian) to an island within about 2,000 miles of western Panama. It was called Ray Island, but I think that was code. Nothing comes up using the name. They built an air field for five P-40's. It was serviced by small ships and C-47's with additional tanks of fuel inside. Your article on the C-47 shows such tanks. They were waist-high and about five feet long. I think they held about 250 gallons each, which ought to have taken the safe range out to about 2,000 miles. An elderly friend of mine was stationed there, and apparently went in the second group of converted soldiers. There had been a small Japanese base on the island, but it was disposed of. They built a large radio tower that was hinged and could be lowered. The island was in radio contact with a base in Central or South America. The P-40's carried drop tanks and always returned to the island after long solo aircraft patrols. They probably were there to protect the canal as early warning of the rumored Japanese attack on the canal.

I have tried several military sites, but only found two references to Ray Island. They came from a graves registration list at a hospital near the west (or south) end of the canal. The bodies were brought to the hospital and their dates of death were the day before the record was created at the hospital. One was listed as a supervisor. I cannot find my notes, but the deaths seemed to be accidental. My friend left after about a year, and no one died while he was there. He joined the service after Pearl Harbor, was trained as an aircraft mechanic and was stationed in Panama for about six months before he was asked to volunteer to convert to the apparent civilian status. I'd like to find his island for him. Thanks for your help. Joseph Jordan (email address deleted) 72.17.181.190 (talk) 22:31, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Have you or your friend tried asking the Army about this? (Or possibly the Air Force, in case this was considered an Army Air Force operation and the USAF inherited the records.) --Anonymous, 23:29 UTC, June 4.

Mayonnaise

Every once in a while I'll here in one place or another that mayonnaise spoils quickly; that it shouldn't be left out for more than a moment or it'll go bad; that hollandaise sauce must be used quickly because the mayonnaise will spoil quickly, etc. In my house (all my life) we don't even bother refrigerating mayonnaise. We keep it in the cupboard. Not only doesn't it go bad quickly, it's quite shelf stable. Oh, I don't mean it'll last forever, But a good month or two without refrigeration is not a problem. So why is it falsely thought—even singled out—that Mayo is especially delicate and prone to spoilage?--70.107.9.159 (talk) 23:17, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

I suspect it is the difference between mass produced and home produced Mayonnaise; the understanding grew with home made stuff, and is incorrectly applied to the manufactured stuff. There's some minimal comments at Mayonnaise which support this thought. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:21, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

(after edit conflict)I find the same thing with butter and cheap bread. These thing used to spoil easily. Hence the keeping-in-the-fridge carry on. But science has given us preservatives (for good or ill), meaning these products now have much, much longer shelf lives. Fribbler (talk) 23:23, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

That must be it, or at least it fits very well. Thanks to you both.--70.107.9.159 (talk) 00:18, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

IMHO, preservatives are part but not all of the story; the bigger factor was raw eggs. Anything, anything made with raw eggs was and is potentially infected at the source. [Homemade mayo is just oil and eggs, right?] Refrigeration remains the only good way to keep that kind of "situation" under control.

-- Danh, 63.231.153.176 (talk) 01:06, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Thing is, though, that mayonnaise can now be kept out of the fridge and still not turn rancid. Fribbler (talk) 01:12, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Commercial mayo hasn't been made with raw eggs for a couple of decades now. (Hmmph -- I'm sure I meant to post that as part of the previous comment!) Ergo, store-bought mayo doesn't carry that risk any more.

-- Danh, 63.231.153.176 (talk) 13:35, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I heard that the myth about mayonnaise going rancid quickly started because it is often added to things which can go bad quickly if unrefrigerated such as deli meats or fish. The irony is that mayonnaise, because of its acidity, actually helps preserve foods. --D. Monack | talk 23:30, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for all the answers and discussion. By the way, I do know the difference bwteen here and hear; I just looked at my opening post and was embarrassed.--70.107.9.159 (talk) 03:12, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Weird fish or "Weird ?!"

Someone sent a pix of a weird looking fish to the Rense homepage, and a link just below the pix claims it is a BATFISH. The pix of this thing is HERE. It was caught off of Cuba and the link that is below the pix can be accessed, so that the claim of this being a "Batfish" can be checked out. I was going to send it to the Paranormal Project guys and the Project Cryptozoology guys as well. Really, WHAT is this thing?! 65.173.105.197 (talk) 23:49, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

The link doesn't work. Fribbler (talk) 23:50, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Fixed rotten link. 65.173.105.197 (talk) 23:53, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Looks to be the cubifrons species alright. Hardly paronormal or cryptozooilogical. Many marine creatures appear to be weird. It's an unusual environment to us. And the term Batfish, is often used to describe fish that we think odd looking. Then again imagine a fish seeing a platypus or an elephant. They would think they were absolute abominations. Fribbler (talk) 00:03, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

June 5

toaster oven settings

What do the keep warm, broil, bake, and toast pizza settings on a toaster oven do? There is already a timer and a temperature dial, so what else can you control? --MagneticFlux (talk) 02:50, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Some (I'm particularly thinking "keep warm" and "toast pizza") are likely shorthands for common operations, much like the "popcorn" button on microwaves. "Broil" and "bake" suggest basic functionality in line with time and temperature -- on standard ovens, these terms represent use of top and bottom elements, respectively. I'm not up on my toaster oven anatomy, but I would expect these to represent either the same basic functionality or some approximation thereof.

(Some) toaster ovens can also vary which heating element they switch on for specific tasks. For example, "toast" might energize both the top and bottom elements whereas "bake" only energizes the bottom elements and "broil" or "top brown" energizes just the upper elements.

Atlant (talk) 11:37, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Also, some toaster ovens have a convection feature. When you utilize the "bake" setting, a fan is activated that circulates the heated air from the elements. (great feature for reheating eggrolls).10draftsdeep (talk) 19:05, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

"Keep warm" probably alters the activation pattern of the heating elements, either by running them at low power or by rapidly switching between on and off, in order to keep radiated heat from browning whatever is in the oven. It probably also keeps the oven temperature at a level below the low end of the temperature dial. --Carnildo (talk) 21:37, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Good to see a toaster oven question again, its been a while. Mhicaoidh (talk) 10:01, 7 June 2008 (UTC) Indeed it was 23 May 2007, the great international toaster oven / milk packaging conference. Mhicaoidh (talk) 10:07, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Metrix

What is a metrix? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.28.116.1 (talk) 02:53, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Umm, I don't know what metrix [3] is. I wonder whether you are actually looking for Matrix or Metric? manya (talk) 04:34, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Are you talking about Met-Rx, the nutritional supplement? Many people say they're having "a Met-Rx" when they mean a shake or smoothie made up with one of the supplements, as Bridget Fonda does in Jackie Brown. Remember when Samuel L. Jackson leaves the apartment, and Fonda asks DeNiro if he wants a Met-Rx? He follows her into the kitchen, and...well. It's a good movie. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 06:28, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Or are you referring to Metrics which is a way of quantifying several things. Dismas|^(talk) 11:49, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Nextdoor painters got paint on my car, cost $125 to remove now they won't respond.

It cost $125 to get the paint of my car. The apartment manager said she talked to painting people and that they would send me a check in the mail. It has been almost 2 months since the incident, still no check. Apartment manager said company told her they sent the check a week ago. She gave me the guys number and he won't return my calls. What is the next step to getting my money? Who should i contact now because I am pretty sure they are avoiding me and are hoping i just forget about this and let it pass. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.7.126.152 (talk) 06:17, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Forget the painters. Go for the building owners. Berks911 (talk) 07:03, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

"The cheque is in the post" is one of the world's oldest excuses. Ask your lawyer for advice. Astronaut (talk) 11:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Wouldn't many lawyers cost more than the $125? Not legal advice, ( I have no idea if you have a case or not.) but Small Claims Court might be the right place to pursue something on this level. APL (talk) 12:44, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

There are lawyers that charge a smaller rate (possibly for a short amount of time, I'm not sure) that might also be able to advise you. I've seen ones that charge $50 or so for a short session to settle stuff like this. But yea, a small claims court might still be a better idea. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 19:51, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

There's no way any lawyer (in the US at least) is going to deal with any case for a possible payout of $50. Small claims is your best/only option, aside from just asking to be paid again. Well, actually, your best option might be to do nothing at all. Is it worth tons of hassle to (hopefully) get back $125? Maybe, maybe not. The law is not well-equipped to deal with matters so small. Mangostar (talk) 21:14, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

+44999

Would the phone number 0044999 connect to the UK emergency services? ----Seans Potato Business 12:39, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Nope, I just tried it, and before anyone complains, I would have hung up before I got an answer. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:45, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't know how it might work in the UK, but I know from personal experience (OR alert!) that hanging up after accidentally dialing 911 still resulted in a call from the police, checking to see if there was an actual emergency. --LarryMac | Talk 15:03, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I tried it too, from my mobile. "The number you have dialled cannot be reached at this time, please try again later". Hopefully the UK's emergency services aren't taking a break :-) so I'd have to say it's not possible. Fribbler (talk) 12:50, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

There are categories of phone numbers that can be dialed only within a country. Presumably, 999 in the UK and 911 in the US are in such a category. Marco polo (talk) 12:55, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

So how do you phone the emergency services from another country? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:33, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I can't imagine you'd need to, but the embassy could probably put you through to that country's police service if need be. Laïka 15:43, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Maybe I am missing some vital clue here, but what would be the purpose of calling the UK emergency service from the continent?

"Hi, it´s me! I am wandering here in the middle of the Black Forest - which is in Germany, just in case you don´t know - and there is this nasty Big Bad Wolf stalking me! Can you send a bobby quicksmart to my rescue or surely I will be eaten alive..." --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:51, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Well, I can imagine a situation in which you wanted to report an emergency to the UK police—for example, if you were engaged in a phone conversation with someone in the UK and something awful befell them while you were talking to them (and they were in a situation where they obviously couldn't call emergency services themselves). I don't think we should assume that everyone calls emergency services for themselves (I've called them a few times, never for me, always for others). In a world as networked as ours is today, I can imagine a lot of scenarios in which someone might need to do so in such cases (chat rooms, etc.). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:52, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, exactly. This does happen in real life. It could be any form of rapid communication. What you do in such situations is to call the telephone operator where you are (long-distance operator if that's a separate number) and explain the situation. "This is an emergency. Something has happened to my sister and I need to contact the police in London, England." --Anonymous, 22:59 UTC, June 5, 2008.

Where is there a list of operator numbers for different countries? --Seans Potato Business 13:02, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

You should probably use the number 1-1-2. That works all over the EU, including the UK. Richard B (talk) 14:27, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

In many countries, 1-1-2 just redirects you to the local services, though. Laïka 14:53, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Light switches and wiper blades

For the last 14 years, I've driven Jeeps, so my experience is a bit one sided. The windshield wiper controls have always been such that if I push up on the stalk, the wipers turn on. First intermittent and then on constantly. If they are on intermittently and I turn a little inset dial upwards (from my perspective as the driver) the frequency with which the wipers go back and forth increases. Although on my wife's Toyota, pushing down on the talk turns the wipers on. And turning the inset dial upwards doesn't increase the frequency of wipes but instead increases the amount of time in between wipes. So, this got me thinking (strange thing to think about, I know) about whether this is a standard American vs. Foreign car thing or if it has something to do with light switches. Here in the States, up turns the lights on and down turns them off. So are light switches in Japan opposite of those here in the States? Dismas|^(talk) 14:33, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't think it can be broken down that cleanly. My Chrysler's wipers behave the same as the Toyota described, which is not only an American car but part of the same corporate conglomerate as Jeep. As for light switches, that convention only holds if the electrician is careful. — Lomn 14:50, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I've seen both types of controls and other variants too. My Saab has down for intermittant, up for speed 1 and up again for speed 2, and the little dial goes up to increase the gap between intermittant wipes. IIRC the Peugeot I had before that was like the jeep, but the intermittant control moved left to right and long ago my father's Honda van had the wiper control on the left side of the steering wheel (a bit freaky when the wipers go as you turn down side streets!). As for light switches, I don't know about cars having an American vs Foreign "thing", but American household light switches appear to work upside-down compared to our switches here in the UK. Astronaut (talk) 16:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Among the cars my family have we have a Vauxhall (UK GM brand), a Mercedes and a Honda - all three have wipers with roughly the same function direction as your Jeep. ~ mazca ^talk 21:49, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

100% rule

In a Wikipedia article about Gnatt charts there was a reference to the 100% Rule; what is the 100% rule? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rita Barbara (talk • contribs) 16:29, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

The article Gantt Chart links to this. But business-speak scrambles my brain, so I physically can't read it to decipher what it means. :-) Fribbler (talk) 16:34, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

In short, the "100% rule" means that your schedule needs to account for all of the activity related to the whatever-it-is, and none of the activity not related to the whatever-it-is. 100%. No more, no less. — Lomn 16:45, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

do people in some cities have a specific personlity?

For example, are people in NY less polite or people in the South more open? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.58.205.37 (talk) 16:57, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I heard that people from large cities are ruder than those from the countryside. Astronaut (talk) 17:21, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

As with all such generalizations, this sort of thing should be defined carefully. Do all inhabitants of NYC have a specific personality? Of course not. NYC as a general culture, though, is distinct from rural Mississippi. Getting into "more or less polite" is difficult -- what defines politeness? If person A is more polite in one regard than person B but less polite in another, who is generally more polite? Articles such as demographics of New York City raise the question of whether its feasible to even define an average New Yorker. — Lomn 17:51, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

One survey revealed that people in New York were the most polite in the world. Corvus cornix_talk 18:00, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

"Polite" is, of course, a cultural matter. In much of America, it is considered polite to tell someone they look marvelous no matter how they look. In NYC, probably not, especially if you know them at all well and whatever makes them look sub-marvelous is fixable. In much of America, irony is inherently sarcasm and inherently "negative". Many New Yorkers use it almost continuously in their speech. In much of America, it is considered impolite to speak while anyone else is speaking. In New York, if you don't do that, you'll never be heard, because someone else will have started talking before the first one stops. New Yorkers, as a rule, don't find each other rude because of any of these things; it's people from other cultures who find them so. - Jmabel | Talk 18:16, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

And politeness depends on who you are as well. Black women in the South get treated pretty differently by white men than they do in New York City, for example, in my experience. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:29, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

As a contributor from across the pond. In what way are they treated differently? Just to ask. Fribbler (talk) 22:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Increased willingness to treat them as stupid, to use the term "girl" with them more than they would with white women, increased likelihood to blame the messenger, etc. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:06, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Ya wanna know what's rude? Slow-moving gangs of tourists spread across the entire sidewalk so that honest, hard-working New Yorkers can't get by them without having to walk in the gutter. We're not rude. We've just lost patience with annoying out-of-towners. --Nricardo (talk) 02:15, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Art Carney pretty much summed it up for me with one of his quotes from The Honeymooners: "Life is like a sewer: what you get out of it pretty much depends on what you put into it." I've been to a lot of places that are allegedly "rude" (Paris, New York City, etc.) and never found the average person to be rude. But that's probably a reflection of how I approach folks, smilimg, engaging them in appropriate small talk, and the occasional self-deprecating joke. Not unlike how I approach the Reference Desk, when you come to think of it!

Atlant (talk) 21:56, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Having grown up in the south of England, but living in the North, I can say that what is considered polite varies even in this range. So things which are strongly ingrained in me (like avoiding all eye-contact with strangers in public and the straight-forward-to-me-and-yet-quite-complicated-when-I-think-about-them rules about when it is appropriate to acknowledge or talk to strangers and what it is appropriate to say in that case) can come across as cold or rude up here, as they seem to be less strongly applied. But I have to consciously remember the difference to not feel people are being rude when they break these rules towards me. So we both strike each other as rude when being as polite as we can be :) 79.74.56.70 (talk) 04:56, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Its rude to look people in the when meeting them? I always thought that was polite! Crystal eyes17 talk

It is easier to be rude in big cities, since probably you will not meet a stranger again. GoingOnTracks (talk) 17:40, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Well no, if meeting them in the sense of actually talking to them, eye contact is required to an extent. But if walking through town, or riding public transport, or otherwise simply being in a public space, I would not expect anyone to make eye contact with me except in particular circumstances, and I myself avoid doing so. It feels shocking to me every time someone violates it; almost as bad as a stranger approaching you and striking up conversation outside 'acceptable' circumstances. 79.74.56.70 (talk) 17:52, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Baseball v. Basketball

In high school i played baseball and hated basketball. I found basketball to be uncilivised, gauche, and suffering from a low-class image that attracted the wrong characters. I remember i was in the distinct minority in H.s. as most students thought basketball was the "cool" sport and baseball was passé. My question is do high schoolers feel this way today? JeanLatore (talk) 19:14, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I currently attend high school and I can say that basketball is one of the cool sports, but certainly not the "coolest". Football and baseball rule high school sports in my experience. However, this may have to do with geography, so...I live in the U.S. Not sure about anywhere else.69.251.130.210 (talk) 19:19, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

As of 2006, US high schools saw approximately 10% more participation in boys basketball than baseball.[4] Given that a baseball roster is larger than a basketball roster, that suggests that basketball holds a distinct popularity edge. The discrepancy between basketball and softball for girls is even larger. Notions of whether or not sports are seen as uncivilized, gauche, or passé are likely beyond the verification of the Ref Desk. — Lomn 19:21, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Thank you. I am also asking about those that are 'fans' of professional basketball and baseball as well as playing it. Most of my fellow students that didn't play on the basketball team at least played pickup basketball on a regular basis and rabidly followed the NBA. I myself tried to have nothing to do with the sport or the NBA. It just really seemed low-class. JeanLatore (talk) 20:39, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Pardon my impertinence, Jean, but I suspect these notions of "class" and "the wrong characters" would definitely place you in a rapidly diminishing minority. My recommendation is to like or dislike things based on criteria that have nothing to do with the perceived "class" of the participants. -- JackofOz (talk) 20:54, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes. I'm not sure what you mean by "class" but, in your world, what sport would someone from a higher "class" play if he/she were really good at basket ball and not-so-good at baseball and they had to choose one? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 22:22, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Just as a matter of interest, what class of person would generally be interested in "Anal Sex with Sluts"? -- JackofOz (talk) 22:39, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

In case anyone shared my initial shock at reading that, I think Jack's referring to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 May 17#Anal Sex. Right? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 22:50, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

It's certainly relevant, but my query related to the first item mentioned here. -- JackofOz (talk) 00:57, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

JeanLatore, were you at high school when the basketball cards were big? Julia Rossi (talk) 06:28, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

yes i was, why? JeanLatore (talk) 12:33, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

(econ) I'll just pop it here though to answer, because other people have said a similar thing with basketball being so dominant and other sports being backgrounded, even eclipsed. They were annoyed with the um, commercial popularity and marketing that went on but if they liked basketball they went for all that – cards, shirts, signature shoes and hero worship. It was world wide. And I don't know, but it does seem as if basketball was relatively down-classed before that rise. Julia Rossi (talk) 13:20, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Do remember that the popularity of different high school sports depends on the location of the high school. Football is huge in Texas. I do not know the geographical distributions of the sports controlling for popularity, but surely there is some variability there. From Eastern North Carolina, yes, basketball was more popular than baseball (if we judged based on attendance at the games).--droptone (talk) 13:10, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Robins

Why are Robins so bold and able to approach an area where people are working in the garden when all other wild birds like blackbirds and starlings fly away? 86.154.171.134 (talk) 19:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

From the European Robin article, "[A Robin is] relatively unafraid of people and likes to come close when anyone is digging the soil, in order to look out for earthworms and other food freshly turned up ... Robins also approach large wild animals, such as wild boar and other animals which disturb the ground, to look for any food that might be brought to the surface." D0762 (talk) 20:00, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

An American robin approached within 3 feet as I was hoeing and rototilling a garden. Then he chirped at me a bit, not with any apparent hostility, just like a neighboring gardner saying "Hot enough for you?" I have seen them make a nest in a small tree at a height of 5 feet (less than 2 meters) next to a busy sidewalk. It is amazing how fearless they are of humans. This is despite reported human eating of robins during famine. Edison (talk) 03:00, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Edison: do you believe that robins know it? Should we tell them?GoingOnTracks (talk) 15:52, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Oh, they know. They know. Fribbler (talk) 18:08, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Like pigeons, really. They won't even fly out of the way of an approaching car, preferring to walk. Plus, if you've ever been to Trafalgar Square, which is more famous for its pigeons than it is for Nelson's Column, you'd know what it's like to be covered in the blighters when you are trying to have a sandwich.--ChokinBako (talk) 21:04, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi. One time we were having a picnic, and this sparrow came by. Even if it would shooed, it would hover and fly right back, sometimes approaching within inches. Hope this helps. Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 22:16, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

What is the absolute simplest, easiest, and cheapest way to pop and individual popcorn kernal.

Easily, inexpensively, and simplisticly pop one individual popcorn kernal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.191.102.55 (talk) 21:45, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I'd probably just stick it in a microwave for short bursts until it pops. ~ mazca ^talk 22:03, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Microwave popcorn packets contain more than just popcorn. There is also a layer of oil in them. So I'm not sure if microwaving a single kernel would work or not.

Also, with just a single kernel in the microwave, it is mostly empty. Using a microwave when it is empty can damage it. --Bavi H (talk) 02:14, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Do you have a reference for the claim that a microwave would be damaged by operating it empty or with one grain of popcorn? What is the minimum safe load, in grams of water equivalent? Edison (talk) 02:56, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Not sure how this source is, but I remember the same thing mentioned before on the ref desk about empty microwaves. However, I wonder if there is a minimum safe load. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:10, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Next easily, inexpensively could be a lighter under a spoon or tinfoil with the said kernel and oil drop. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:39, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

I'm not an expert on microwaves, but I don't think you're supposed to put silverware or aluminum foil in them. Oh, with a lighter. Gotcha. That'd probably work. Useight (talk) 07:37, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Actually, spoons are safe in a microwave. Tin foil (aluminium foil, or whatever you want to call it), is what makes the sparks. Don't you watch Mythbusters?--ChokinBako (talk) 20:26, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Edison: I remember reading the manual for one of the microwaves that we've had saying it could damage it if it's used while empty. I did a quick search of microwave oven manuals online and they seem to agree that you shouldn't use them while empty. I don't know if having a single kernel of unpopped popcorn in a microwave is enough to prevent damage to it, but thought it might be wise to err on the side of caution. --Bavi H (talk) 02:05, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I believe the issue with empty microwaves has to do with the properties of microwaves(the actual waves themselves). They tend to be reflected from metalic object and absorbed in other things. Thus, when you have food in the microwave, the food is able to absorb the rays, and no damage is done. However, when there is nothing in the microwave, the rays bounce off the metalic walls and eventually reach the microwave emitter. This can damage it, causing it to become inoperable or to explode.

On a side note, anyone ever considered an air popper? I don't go shopping for popcorn poppers every day, but I think they still sell them. It would easily pop one kernal of popcorn(the kind that comes in a bag with nothing but kernals). Leeboyge (talk) 05:49, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I Wonder if you could use the Sun and a magnifying glass.--APL (talk) 03:20, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

nvidia quadro nvs 140m

Will I be able to play Spore with this graphics card?--96.227.101.82 (talk) 22:01, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

The system requirements for Spore have not been released. According to the article, you will easily run the creature creator. I would guess that you'll manage the real game. Paragon12321 (talk) 22:14, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

June 6

geography

When does a hill become a mountain? At what height? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dubczak (talk • contribs) 00:28, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

See The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. — Michael J 00:42, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

That's fiction; if you want the Entertainment reference desk, it's over that way. In real life, as both the Mountain and Hill articles say, the answer is that there is no answer -- there's no particular height where the word changes. --Anonymous, 02:07 UTC, June 6. 2008.

Are there hills/mountains whose status is disputed? Edison (talk) 02:54, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

In my city we have a Mt Rogers, a Mt Taylor and a Mt Ainslie, but none are higher than 800m above sea level, and are mostly no more than 100m higher than the rest of the city. The distinction often depends on the place you're talking about. In Australia we don't have many high altitude areas, so some things are classed as mountains that would barely be hills in Bolivia, Nepal or Switzerland. Steewi (talk) 03:23, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Um, Bob Avakian at Oklahoma State is more certain in his 2000 feet or over above mean sea level (answer here[5]). My teachers used to like definitions like that, though living in Steewi-land, I'd need to have my calculator for levels of mean seas to be sure, Julia Rossi (talk) 06:35, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

That'll be a Graham then. The division into Munros, Corbetts and Grahams is rather more useful. In Sussex there is a Mount Harry which is 195m high. I'm sure it's not the smallest mount though.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:43, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

It can differ according to geological composition, also. For a quick NZ comparison, take the Auckland volcanoes: Mount Eden is the tallest (mainland), yet only 196m (643 ft). The non-volcanic Takaka Hill, on the other hand, is 760m (2493 ft), and the Rimutakas (highest point 940m - 3084 ft) are almost always referred to as the Rimutaka Hills. I suspect that anything over 1000m is called a mountain by most. Gwinva (talk) 08:22, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I remembered the film and just bought an old copy. The question was asked of me by an English lady who moved to CA from Wisconsin. In Wausau there is Rib Mountain which is 586 ft. according to my Nat. Geo atlas. Thanks everyone - Dubczak. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dubczak (talk • contribs) 00:35, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Geographers may come up with definitions, but locals have their own pride and ways of naming things. Steewi is certainly right about topographical context. Even within Switzerland, my city sees the Üetliberg as "its" home mountain, and calls it a mountain too (Berg is German for mountain). A friend of mine from the Engadin said this molehill of shabby 400m above civilization wouldn't even have a name where he grew up. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:41, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

We just discussed this, probably on this very reference desk. Please take a look back in the archives for the last several weeks.

Atlant (talk) 14:00, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Well remembered! See Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008_May_12#Mountains. ---Sluzzelin talk 15:53, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Yep.. and to add to my earlier comment about there being no authority enforcing something like this, remember that most peaks were named long before their heights were known. Even if the namers had some standard in mind, which is unlikely, they wouldn't have been able to adhere to it in anything but a vague way. Bob Avakian at Oklahoma State might be interested to learn about the many mountains in Oklahoma that are under 2,000 feet tall. Like U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bull Mountain, Choctaw County, Oklahoma -- 837 feet tall. There are many many others. Pfly (talk) 18:18, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

There's Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, "with hills over 60 feet (18 m) high" (!). --LarryMac | Talk 18:34, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Mount Trashmore? Surely with a name like that it HAS to be a landfill! Bit blatant, isn't it?--ChokinBako (talk) 21:06, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

According to the article, it was a landfill. Now it's a mountain! Fribbler (talk) 21:09, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Land of opportunity

Nowadays what is the equivalent of America in the beginning of the XX century? GoingOnTracks (talk) 00:51, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

I believe the term Land of opportunity is likely still fitting for America. We pay some of the highest wages, we do have a lot of job opportunities for people from the poorer countries and we have okay immigration policies. Then again, all of those could be improved but I don't necessarily think another country would be called that reasonably. After all there are still an enormous amount of immigrants coming to America, so they likely think it's the Land of opportunity. Chris M. (talk) 03:54, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Land of opportunity refers to the ability for anybody to make money/a successful living. So what you are looking for is a nation whereby social-class isn't hugely important to your chances of success, where formal educational level isn't a major barrier to stop you being a success and where your colour/creed/nationality etc. is not a barrier to success. The USA is not alone in being able to claim the above criteria are met, but it is certainly still a good example country of one that can. I'm not sure whether the emerging economies of China and India would be able to state the above entirely, but certainly there are many people in these nations that are making a (relative) fortune who have no formal education and are from a lower social class than the traditional business-world. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:41, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Resignation of T. Michael Moseley

Recently, the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Gen. T. Michael Moseley and the Secretary of the Air Force have been forced to resign over a variety of mismanagement issues in the branch. A central issue was the accidental fly-over of a B-52 with 6 live nuclear warheads. But suppose the B-52 crashed with the 6 live nukes on-board, would it really have been that much of a danger to the public? The detonation of nuclear warheads is an extremely precise sequence, so aside from spewing radioactive materials, how likely is it for the nuclear warheads to have exploded? Acceptable (talk) 01:05, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Would "spewing radioactive materials ... really have been that much of a danger to the public?". Ever heard of the Chernobyl disaster? - "In the aftermath of the accident, 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness, of whom 31 died within the first three months". -- JackofOz (talk) 02:01, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

A more realistic analogue would be the Palomares incident. There was a significant risk to people due to the spilled radioactive materials, but it was certainly not like the huge fire that spread a much larger amount of contamination at Chernobyl (probably the materials at Chernobyl would have been more radioactive, too, but I'm guessing on that). --Anonymous, 02:15 UTC, 2008-06-06.

They would not have gone off in a nuclear blast if, say the plane had crashed and burned. A "dirty bomb" would have been the worst result. If the pilot and bombardier had gotten an "itchy trigger finger" and learned they were nukes and tried to nuke a city, they could presumably not have done so due to the lack of codes (check me on this: supposedly a ballistic missile sub can but an air crew can't without codes the President or designated command authority carries). That leaves the problem of cancer deaths or radiation poisoning from the "dirty bomb" if a bomb had crashed/burned, and the problem that there were several nuclear warheads withoutthe usual level of security, a chain link fence at an airforce base, rather than a guarded bunker. If Party A had placed a load of nukes on a plane, which neither the crew nor the base authorities knew were there, and Party B were so inclined, they might be able to get their hands on enough nukes to take out six major cities, if their people had the expertise to eventually bypass the security measures. Edison (talk) 02:52, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

The Palomares incident was minor compared to some others listed at List of military nuclear accidents; however, even the release of radioactive materials is quite unlikely in a crash. Several similar accidents have, in fact, occurred. Rmhermen (talk) 14:28, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

If the airplane had crashed, the most likely result is that the plutonium in the bombs would have broken free (they're solid, dense objects that can easily punch through the bomb casing and the airplane's skin), and the military would have been looking around the crash site for a while with shovels and geiger counters to find all the bits. --Carnildo (talk) 21:05, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Not likely - see the list I mentioned. Rmhermen (talk) 00:12, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Physicians setting own work schedule

I heard that physicians in North America can set their own working hours. Is this true? Is this only applicable for physicians in a private practice or will public hospitals also allow this practice? If true, to what degree of flexibility do they have in doing so? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 03:46, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

If you're a private business of course you can set your own hours. Although I doubt you'll maximize the profitability of the doctors' office if you worked from midnight - 8am.--droptone (talk) 13:13, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

On the other hand, that specific shift is relatively lucrative if you're in veterinary medicine, judging not only from the number of emergency vet clinics that are only open evenings and weekends, but also on what I've had to shell out to have my cat repaired during those hours :-)} .

(Those hours are also attractive to those veterinarians who don't want to bother (or be bored to tears) with the more mundane aspects of running a practice, such as routine shots, toenail trimming, and so forth.)

-- Danh, 70.59.116.253 (talk) 23:01, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

1930s USNavy Semi-Ridgid Diridgeables

Back in the 30s, the US Navy owned and operated a small fleet of Zepplin type aircraft. ALL were eventually lost in weather related crshes! Among them were the "ACRON"(Sp.?), the "MACON" (Sp.?), the "Los Angeles", and at least one more .... PROBABLY at least two or three more !!

I'm now 86 years old, and remember well having seen both the Acron AND the Macon fly gracefully over my home in Buffalo, NY, each on seperate occasions. Both had their own fighter escort fighters in a hanger deck on board. They would launch those 'planes while in flight (using a trapeze device), then retrieve the planes using the same trapeze. I'M SURE there was AT LEAST one more, named (as I recall) after some mountain range, and could well be more that I don't recall.

I want to pass on this bit of aviation history on to my Grandkids, but want give them the entire story, with airship names. Can you help me .... PLEASE !! THANX !!

JIMCAV —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.204.23.148 (talk) 04:40, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

USS Shenandoah (ZR-1). See also List of airships of the United States Navy.—eric 05:39, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

What is e to the power of i pi equal to?

Someone told me about this mathematics equation, but I don't understand it. Can you please help.--Un poisson pour manger a la bouche, s'il vous plait. (talk) 08:14, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

−1. See Euler's identity. Algebraist 08:26, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

For future reference, the reference desk does have a mathematics section. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 08:27, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Work Visa in UK

A Japanese friend of mine, living and working here in the UK for a year, just had a short 5-day holiday in Italy with his family (also living here with him). When he arrived back in the UK, he was told at the airport his work visa was now invalid and that he had to apply for another one.

I find this strange as he has been to other EU countries before and this has never happened before. He has always been able to return to the UK on the same visa, after all there is no restriction on movement for workers throughout all EU member states.

Could it be on account of the fact that during his stay in Italy he also visited Switzerland (not an EU member state) for a few hours and this cancelled his work visa?--ChokinBako (talk) 14:34, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Most visas have an expiry date. I presume your friend has checked that his visa hasn't simply run out. ៛ Bielle (talk) 18:40, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, but I know for a fact that he had a one-year visa. Perhaps it's just over-zealous immigration officials at Manchester Airport not understanding that Europe is all one state. I myself was turned away recently from Manchester Airport by staff for Flybe telling me I needed a passport to travel to Frankfurt, when I've never needed one before, being a British National.--ChokinBako (talk) 20:16, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

You do need a passport for Frankfurt surely? Germany is in the Schengen Agreement area, but you and I are not, being in the Common Travel Area? Fribbler (talk) 20:21, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

I've been there and never needed it. I've also had visitors come over here (from Stuttgart) and they've never needed a passport.--ChokinBako (talk) 20:29, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Hmm. I've always needed it going to continental Europe (from Dublin), and they were quite strict about that, stating that photo-id was all you needed for the UK but a passport was needed for Schengen countries. Fribbler (talk) 20:32, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

It's pretty foolhardy to travel anywhere by air and not take your passport. I would take it even on an internal flight because you never know what type of "incident" might happen. As for work visas, different visas come with different rules for various nationalities, your friend should check those rules carefully to see if he is allowed to leave the country, leave the EU, go home, and/or return on the same visa. If in doubt, contact the British Embassy at home or the Foreign and Commonweath Office here. Astronaut (talk) 08:12, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps your friend had single-entry visa. So after he left the UK he had no visa more. BTW, there are some restrictions for workers within the EU. Jobseeker from the Poland, for example, should apply for a visa if they want to work in Spain. And last: the EU is not a single state, it is a federation of states.GoingOnTracks (talk) 12:38, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks everyone. But like I said, he has been to the continent many times before (since coming to live in the UK) and this has never happened before. Also, he had a visa to last the full year, so why it has become invalid suddenly is a total mystery. So, I was wondering if it was because he visited Switzerland for a few hours last weekend. Anyway, his company will sort it out. Thanks for the replies.--ChokinBako (talk) 13:26, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Arab Street hookers

Is arab street hookers videos are shot in Arab world or in America? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.30.202.29 (talk) 14:48, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

America. They are produced in america for an american audience in Miami, FL by the same company that does the "Bang Bus" vids. JeanLatore (talk) 17:17, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

London Underground from a foreigner's perspective

I'm curious to know what you yanks think of the London Underground. How does it compare to American urban underground travel? Abwischbar (talk) 18:30, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Heres someones opinion (click the second result, it's blacklisted for some reason so I can add a direct link). Fribbler (talk) 18:44, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

(ec) The D.C. Metro is nice enough, but you would be horrified at the state of the Philadelphia and New York subway systems. Dark, filthy, noisy, smelly, confusing, teeming with element, the Tube is like a carriage ride in the park in comparison. But don't listen to me, I love the Tube. Long live Mornington Crescent. Mind the gap. Way out, man. --Milkbreath (talk) 18:49, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

This is not really a reference desk question, and I'm not a "Yank", but I am a transit fan and I'll answer anyway.

• I think the Underground is excellent for the way it covers so much of the city -- only the New York system is comparable in North America. (In both cases, the reason is that the systems have been around for over 100 years and were largely constructed at a time when labor was cheap. In both cases there is a large chunk of the city with little or no coverage [South London, Staten Island], but the city center and other parts are well served.)
• The downside of an older system is that it can be prone to breakdowns and parts of the system may have been designed for out-of-date traffic patterns or other out-of-date constraints. London has both problems. For example, many of its older interchange stations have very poor layouts, such as King's Cross and Bank, compared to say Washington where every interchange station was designed as an interchange station. And then there's the silly layout of stations at Heathrow — this one not a relic of the 19th century but of the airport authority changing its mind as to the location of Terminal 5. (On the other hand, some newer interchanges in London have been well designed with convenient same-level layouts. And several North American subways don't serve their cities' airports at all.) Chicago also has both problems (two derailments a few days apart just recently); New York seems to do better these days, despite the age of its system.
• Some Underground stations are attractive; some are ugly. The renovation program in recent decades has generally done a good job. New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago are way behind here, partly because their station architects seem to think that the station stops at the platform edge and anything near the tracks should look black. Newer systems like Washington, Toronto, and especially Montreal do better.
• Signage in London Underground stations is generally excellent. The use of consistent names for lines, with the American system of compass points for directions (ironically not used in New York), is a big win. On the other hand, the idea that a line can fork to different destinations (and that some trains don't run all the way to the terminus) is confusing to the newcomer. If New York methods were used, the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow and to Uxbridge would have one color on the map, but different route letters or numbers.
• The Underground is way better than New York as to seating comfort, but New York has air-conditioned trains and London doesn't. Some of the smaller systems, such as Washington, do well in both respects.
• Trains on the Underground are small compared to most North American systems, and on most of the system they don't move very fast either. One large problem is that when they get full, station stops become very long, further slowing things down. Also, the way you typically have to step up or down to board an Underground train is a source of inconvenience and must lengthen station stops. North American subways have the platforms level with the train floors or very nearly so.
• Underground fares are high by North American standards.
• The use of zonal fares means that ticket checking at exits is required, whereas the flat fares on most North American systems mean it's possible to pay your fare at the entrance and then not carry anything. (However, on farecard-based systems like New York and Chicago you'll probably be carrying a card anyway, and Washington has some distance-based fares and tickets are checked on exit.)
• Underground fares don't include free transfers to buses. Neither did New York until recently, but now it does, and at least some other North American systems do. (I really like the system in Toronto, where I live: at many subway stations the buses come into the fare-paid zones and open both doors and you can just walk freely from one vehicle to another.)
• New York has express trains on many lines, and 24-hour service; London has only a couple of lines with any sort of expresses, and shuts down around midnight. But most North American systems shut down overnight too.

--Anonymous, 19:36 UTC, some bits added 22:08 UTC, 2008-06-06.

But the problem with Toronto is that there are only two lines. The buses and streetcars enter fare-paid zones kind of randomly, and they are much, much slower than the subway. How many times has the streetcar broken down, seemingly always at the stop prior to the one at which you are standing? I've never been to London or New York but at the very least their subway maps are more interesting to look at. Adam Bishop (talk) 03:11, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

You can reduce both the cost and the bother of ticket-checking by getting an Oyster card. Algebraist 09:43, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

The lack of air conditioning is not a problem most of the time, but with global warming in some heatwaves it has been no joke. It reached 47 degrees Centigrade (116 Fahrenheit) in 2006 [6]. I was travelling to Kings Cross in rush hour and the train stopped between stations for five minutes, with everyone packed in. This was really scary, because I felt that if the train broke down or something there would have been casualties. When I arrived I was absolutely drenched with sweat, had a splitting headache and a real thirst, I must have sweated half a litre at least in five minutes! People were leaving the Underground before reaching there destination to stop and recover from the heat. I should say that this is very rare, and except under extreme prolonged hot conditions the underground is comfortable. -- Q Chris (talk) 09:47, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Why do you specifically ask people from the only developed country whose public transport systems are even worse then the UKs?195.128.251.158 (talk) 22:46, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

Heat Wave/ Heat Storm

A Heat Wave/ Heat Storm has just started. Sources are the news weather outfits and the Weather Channel. Got temps in the upper 90s, humidity is really bad, got a drought going on as well. Heat indexes are in the dangerous range. A persistent High pressure cell has entrenched itself in the Southern US and it has caused temps to skyrocket. Can someone write a article about this ? 65.163.115.204 (talk) 21:28, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Not unless it becomes notable. Wikinews might have something on it though. -Eron^Talk 21:31, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Breaking news, summer is hot! Adam Bishop (talk) 03:05, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi. Meanwhile, in the central US, thunderstorms are poping up with tornadoes. A tornado was also reported in Alberta, and severe thunderstorms with hail occured in Ontario and Michigan. My original research predicts in 600 years in the southern US, air temperatures of 120+ Farenheit in June will be not unusual. Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 22:24, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

FWIW, at about the same time as all this was going on, Canterbury received its first major snowstorm of the year... Grutness...wha? 12:27, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Shark vs. Lion...

Who of them is stronger in a possible confrontation? 190.49.95.223 (talk) 21:53, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Piece of cake. If the confrontation takes place underwater, the shark will have a significant advantage. If it's on dry land, the opposite will be true. Friday (talk) 21:54, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Aah, but what if it's a landshark? Clarityfiend (talk) 23:38, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with Friday. However, I think it would be a more plausible scenario if the shark confronts a crocodile (shark swim upriver or an encounter in a river delta) or a crocodile confronts a lion (Lion goes to a croc infested waterhole).--Lenticel ^(talk) 00:54, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I bet the croc could take the shark, any shark. *Checks the internets...* discovery channel says salt-water alligator would lose to a great white, though nile croc takes lion. Chris M. (talk) 06:29, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Although I think the troll might have won this particular encounter. Richard Avery (talk) 07:42, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

If a shark can beat a crocodile and a crocodile can beat a lion, then surely a shark can beat a lion. See Animal Face-Off. --Russoc4 (talk) 01:10, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Some sorts of sharks aren't as dangerous as others though. And you have to take into account the possibility that they might not both be perfectly average members of their specis. What about a lioness though, they're the real hunters in the lion's family, the males just look big and dangerous to frighten everyone off, but don't seem to spend much time actually fighting.HS7 (talk) 18:22, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Hostage Scenario

Frequently in the movies we see a pistol-wielding hostage taker behind the hostage and putting the gun to the side of the hostage's head, threatening to shoot if the police do not drop their weapons. In real life, how likely is it that the hostage taker be able to squeeze off a round should the police to choose to fire on him? I'd imagine the range has an effect on this because if the police fire from a long distance, the hostage taker is able to see the gun flash before the bullet hits him and respond accordingly.

But suppose the police officer approaches to within several feet or metres from the hostage taker and fires. Would the hostage taker be able to pull his own trigger in that split second? Acceptable (talk) 22:34, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Daylight or night, that guy will NOT see a muzzle flash. Military and SWAT weapons have flash suppressors on them. A sniper team could take the guy out easily. 65.163.115.204 (talk) 23:11, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Also do NOT count on the guy spotting any smoke either. Smokeless ammo has been and is still used, since World War I. 65.163.115.204 (talk) 23:14, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

As for noise, forget that one in a urban setting, too damn noisy, also, govt and some SWAT outfits use weapons that have silencers on them.

The only way your guy will know he has been hit, especially in a head shot, is that he got hit by a sledgehammer, sees blood, gore comming out of him, as he is dying from said shot. 65.163.115.204 (talk) 23:18, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

But does he/she have enough time to pull the trigger the instant he/she feels the bullet on his/her forehead? Acceptable (talk) 00:02, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

The most important risk to the hostage in such a situation must be that the cop's shot won't hit where it's meant to. The cop might not be a perfect marksman, the criminal might unexpectedly move just as the cop fires. If the criminal notices a bullet passing an inch from his head, he just might pull his own trigger. Or if he gets hit in a place that kills him but not instantly, he can recover and shoot the hostage. Or for that matter, the cop's shot might itself hit the hostage. In Hollywood the principal good guys almost always hit where they're aiming and the bad guys hardly ever do -- reality works a little differently. --Anonymous, 01:55 UTC, June 7, 2008.

I don't know if this is a myth, but isn't there the trigger-squeeze reaction that happens when you get shot that is involuntary? I thought that was the mail rationale against sniping the hostage taker. Chris M. (talk) 06:32, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Whether there was a muzzle flash or not, the guy would not have enough time to react before the bullet hit him. Police operate at close range. We are not talking about artillery from 25 miles away. As for the 'noise factor' that someone mentioned, a bullet travels faster than the speed of sound. If he was hit in the head and killed instantly (again, this rarely happens), he would never hear the shot. However, there is always the possibility that he would squeeze the trigger at that moment or in the split second before he falls. It's not recommended practise to shoot a hostage taker in this situation unless it is imminent that the hostage is going to die.--ChokinBako (talk) 13:36, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Couldn't you shoot the gun out of his hand then reload and shoot him again?--Serviam (talk) 19:42, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

If you did do that wouldn't you be shooting an unarmed opponent! I suspect there would be a real risk of the impact detonating the bullet in the hostage-taker's gun, so this is probably not a good idea. -- Q Chris (talk) 09:50, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

It's possible that the bullet might detonate, but more likely the gun would be blown apart, because snipers use high powered rifles. This itself could possibly injure both hostage taker and hostage. Take a look at this.--ChokinBako (talk) 11:56, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

June 7

Hospital chain of command

I've searched all over the interwebz, seriously, and could not find a list that makes sense. What is the chain of command in a hospital? I know it might be different for teaching hospitals, but I'm just asking for the typical, like who's the absolute number-one head-hancho, who's under them, and so on... All I've found is confusing paragraphs that make no sense and don't really answer a whole lot. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.164.111.148 (talk) 00:34, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

In the UK their is typically an Executive Board which is responsible for the management of the hospital. If you link here[7] you will see the Trust Board chaired by the Chief Executive who is the 'head honcho'. You will see that the board is composed of various senior members of the hospital and several members (Non-Executive Directors) who represent the local community which the hospital serves (these latter are elected for a fixed term). Each of the Senior Hospital Members of the Board will have a cascading hierarchy below them which they represent. Richard Avery (talk) 07:36, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

International payments

Say I'm European but living in Argentina and sell drawings on my website to the US and Europe. What would be the easiest way for customers to pay me? I have bank accounts in France and the UK. Thank you. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 01:47, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

PayPal, perhaps. --Nricardo (talk) 02:06, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

For your European clients, I would use the bank account. GoingOnTracks (talk) 12:40, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

US League of Savings Institutions

What was the US League of Savings Institutions? (see http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/1989.html) Salinay (talk) 01:46, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

This page says it was "a former national organization representing the thrift industry" and that after a merger and a name change it became part of "America's Community Bankers" (ACB), another group that Wikipedia doesn't have an article on. Then last year there was another merger and ACB in turn became part of the American Bankers Association. --Anonymous, 02:07 UTC, June 7, 2008.

Question

Why do some females have masculine middle names? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 10:54, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

maybe they're named after someone? i have a feminine middle name and i'm a male. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.1.186 (talk) 13:54, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure it's a masculine name instead of ones much more commonly used as male names when they are for both sexes, such as Alex and Andy? Which names were used for their middle names, if you're ok with reveiling. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 14:10, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

It's an insidious plot by the supersecret female cabal within the WP:CABAL to grab all the names for themselves. Look what they did to Beverley, formerly a man's name, e.g. Beverley Baxter, Beverley Robinson. Clarityfiend (talk) 18:03, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

It's not just first names. Anne Rice was born Howard Allen O'Brien, and Barack Obama's mother was born Stanley Ann Dunham. Corvus cornix_talk 19:18, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Middle names can be a way of absorbing other family lines, an inherited name that isn't part of the family name even if you're female, and sometimes turn up repeatedly, sometimes not. Carson McCullers b. Lula Carson Smith, might be an example. Julia Rossi (talk) 01:34, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

In Latin-America, it's not uncommon for a girl to be named Maria Juan or Maria Jose because there are so many Marias, or a boy to be named Juan Maria because of all the other Juans. There is often also a religious aspect to the choice. Steewi (talk) 12:34, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

As in Carlo Maria Giulini and Archbishop Patrick Mary O'Donnell. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:43, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

In predominantly Catholic countries (including much of Latin America) it is common practice for a person to be christened with their saint's name as a middle name - i.e., the Saint on whose feast day the person was born (IIRC - any Catholics care to, erm, confirm this?). So someone christened Maria Juan or Maria Jose is likely to have been born of St John's or St Joseph's feast day. The same is common with French names (I personally know a Marie Paul). And, of course, the two examples just given by Kangaroo Jack are Italian and Irish - and there are few countries with more prominent Catholic populations. Grutness...wha? 12:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

United States Of America

Q:When is the national blonde brownie day celebrated in the U.S —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.194.193.239 (talk) 12:28, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Copied from science desk by CycloneNimrod

January 22 — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 14:26, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Can we assume that blondes were involved in assigning a date for national blonde brownie day ? :-) StuRat (talk) 18:36, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I must have. Kept reading it as natural blonde brownie. Gah. Julia Rossi (talk) 11:10, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Friend contemplating suicide

I need serious help. A friend of mine last night told me he was going to kill himself (on AIM). I have no idea where else to go. I really could not tell if he was joking either, I've never known him to be so serious and still end up joking. He's not some loser with nothing going for him; he's smart, has a lot of friends, is a moderately good athlete, and has a bright future, but I can't convince him of those facts. There always is a chance he's joking, so I don't want to get physciatric help for him. When I told him "cya monday" (several times), he never responded in the affirmative? How do I help him? I'm really scared. 70.105.164.43 (talk) 13:23, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

if you think that he's serious, the best thing to do would be get psychiatric help for him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.1.186 (talk) 13:38, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

If you refer someone to him for help, at worst he'll think you overreacted. If you don't refer someone to him for help, at worst you'll blame yourself if he does do something. So I think finding a way to call attention to him is probably best for everyone. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:58, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

If he is a teenager, it would also be appropriate to tell his parents what he told you. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 21:01, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

eggs

well, i really enjoy eating eggs, but my dad said that eating too many of them is bad for you. i only eat 2-4 eggs a day though, so is it bad to eat a lot of eggs daily? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.1.186 (talk) 13:35, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

(EDIT CONFLICT)--::Eating "too much/too many" of anything is bad for you. Ask him what he means by too many, and if the answer is something like "5,000/day", then you are still well within the limit. 2-4 is not bad at all. Many people have two eggs for breakfast, an egg sandwich (or two) for lunch, and something at dinner with eggs in.--ChokinBako (talk) 13:44, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

You might suffer from flatulence eating too many eggs. sumal (talk) 13:42, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Wow, no on linked the egg article yet? According to studies, eating two eggs a day doesn't increase your risks of heart disease. Even if you eat more than that, the results are debated. Eating 2-4 a day isn't that bad, especially if you don't eat every yolk. For example, scramble 4 eggs by discarding two of the yolks, and you're intaking a lot less cholesterol and fat. I knew people who used to eat half a dozen hard boiled eggs and discarded every yolk, for example. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 14:05, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

This link from the English food standards agency says "There is no recommended limit on how many eggs people should eat." However, as Wirbelwind pointed out eggs contain cholesterol and high cholesterol levels in the blood increase the risk of heart disease. This link also makes for an interesting read. D0762 (talk) 15:42, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I've noticed the flatulence phenomenal too. Why does eating too many eggs increase flatulence? Acceptable (talk) 22:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Because they are rich in polysaccharides.--ChokinBako (talk) 01:02, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

A little to much information there, Acceptable. 79.76.195.209 (talk) 14:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I was taught that I shouldn't have more than four a day. Or it might have been four a week. I forget why, but I'm quite sure it wasn't just cholesterol. Or maybe it was. Is this one of those things that's less of a problem if you build up to it gradually rather than never eating any then suddenly having half a dozen in a short time?HS7 (talk) 18:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I disagree with all the previous advice. This site lists one large hard-boiled egg as containing 71% of your daily cholesterol intake limit: [8]. That only leaves 29% left for all the other food you eat in the day. And fried eggs are even less healthy than hard-boiled eggs. So, I'd keep it down to just one egg a day on average. If you wish, you can have 2-4 eggs once or twice a week instead of one egg each day. StuRat (talk) 19:04, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Global warming

I do practice environmental safe practices as far as possible. Will it make a difference in any way, particularly when I see many flouting such practices? sumal (talk) 13:56, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Not on your own. One out of billions! But if we all....86.219.37.202 (talk) 14:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)DT

It's a tricky question. If you're the only one doing it... no. But if you are one of millions... maybe. But even then, environmentalism is one of those things that suffers from scale—it's easier to pollute that it is to conserve. It's easier for one person to do more damage than it is for another to prevent. I can be very careful with my disposal of motor oil, but it only takes one guy with a big enough drum to pollute a fairly large area. Personally, and this is an opinion, I don't believe anything significant can be done by small, individual initiative except for making a social and political climate acceptable for real, large-scale initiatives (like setting emission caps). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:55, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Personally, I save plastic bottles and reuse them. My fridge has about ten bottles of tap water or orange squash in it, using bottles I have bought in the shop and reused. I do this for economic reasons as well as environmental ones. It's cheaper to use tap water than to buy so-called 'mineral water' in the shop. The tap water is safe where I live, too, so it's not a problem. Obviously as my 'collection' of bottles gets too big, I throw some out, but it's not as if I am buying and throwing away two or three a day as I would if I wasn't do what I am doing now. Basically, if you don't think your contribution will make a difference environmentally, think about what economic benefits there are to recycling and saving energy, and go that way.--ChokinBako (talk) 15:19, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with .46: the main effect of individual-scale environmentalism is get people used to the idea that it's not madness for societies to be less rapacious than they could be, even if that means some loss of convenience. I personally try to minimize how much plastic I consume because thinking about things like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch make me feel physically ill and humiliated as a member of this society. --Sean 17:20, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Some measures which you can undertake can make a difference to your immediate surroundings. For example, using organic rather than chemical pest control will probably make a difference to your garden. Warofdreams talk 00:57, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

You can avoid pesticides on the whole by making your garden inviting to birds, small spiders and lizards. Using green/er products boosts those kinds of businesses. I wouldn't be put off by being one of millions, y'know anything big begins with one small step and all that. Other people will catch up with you eventually. Go with the awarenes imho, maybe even join/start a local group, it can bring communities together. Julia Rossi (talk) 07:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Don't forget that if people see you do it , they may copy you, so the goodness spreads.The more people who behave in an environmentally friendly way, the more "fashionable" it becames and the more polititions and big buisness will respond to it.Locally, our supermarket has started recycling plastic bags and using less packaging.This has all been brought about by consumer demand. You could be the one person who is the one who makes the change.hotclaws 08:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Until recently, my local supermarket was giving away free plastic bags, which were quite large, sturdy and durable. We had a choice of one of these or the usual little plastic bags that you end up throwing away. I got one of these better ones and I use it every time I go there. They have since started charging 10p for these bags, but a lot of supermarkets are charging 5p each for the smaller, flimsy ones, so it's a good deal cheaper, uses less plastic, and leaves less waste. The UK government has been thinking of charging people for leaving 'too much' waste, which is silly, really, because I can see a future where people with too much waste will either be dumping in the public bins or in their neighbours' bins to avoid the charges.--ChokinBako (talk) 10:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia's first article?

I'm just wondering what the very first article on Wikipedia was, and if it's still around.--Aervanath lives in the Orphanage 17:34, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

See the archives. Dismas|^(talk) 17:41, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

...which links to WP:OLDEST — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 17:43, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

British Special Forces

Do the British special forces require members/recruits to be able to see well without glasses or contacts? --212.120.247.132 (talk) 17:56, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Most national special force units require their recruits to have 20/20 correctable vision. I'd imagine the British special forces would expect the same. Acceptable (talk) 20:16, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Do you mean correctable to 20/20 (6/6) as in if their vision was ok with galasses then that's fine? Fribbler (talk) 20:22, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, we can all look forward to a day when there will be just as many galasses in the military as guyasses. :-) StuRat (talk) 23:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Damn alcohol-induced-question-answering. Im such a galass! :-) Fribbler (talk) 23:44, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Suppose their vision is 20/40, for example, and they are wearing glasses. The candidate's eyesight must be able to be corrected to 20/20 through laser eye surgery- usually PRK. The eyesight of some people may be so bad that even surgery will not be able to correct it and some people's eyes may not be suitable for surgery. In either of these cases, the candidate would usually be disqualified unless they already have perfect 20/20 vision. Acceptable (talk) 22:37, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Men's fashion: T-shirt-under-polo problem

A popular casual fashion in my demographic is a T-shirt under a polo shirt. The problem is that, just about every time I wear this combination, the sleeves of the T-shirt eventually drop down past the sleeves of the polo, thus giving the getup a haphazard quality. I never see this happen to anyone else (unless I'm not looking hard enough)...is there some special fold I should give the T-shirt sleeves, or some other fix, that could prevent this? --zenohockey (talk) 19:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

cut off the t-shirt sleeves —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.227.104.166 (talk) 19:52, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I've had similar problems with various short-sleeved attire worn over a T-shirt. I get around it by folding the sleeves of the T-shirt into the T-shirt. It bulges a bit on the shoulders, but with a little practice you can fix that.--ChokinBako (talk) 21:14, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I typically wear two layers too (one undershirt, the t-shirt, and another shirt on top), but this never happens to me. Even when I wear very tight overshirts, I've never had this problem. It sounds to me like the undershirt you're using is too big. Try getting a smaller size that fits more tightly. --71.98.7.54 (talk) 07:56, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Shorten and hem the Tshirt sleeves.hotclaws 08:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

For this task, most men would use duct tape -- Danh, 70.59.116.253 (talk) 21:29, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Seriously, you can get various "iron on" hem tapes that even I can use [9]. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:01, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Chuck Palumbo making Chavo Guerrero Jr. a motorcycle

Is it true that Chuck Palumbo is building Chavo Guerrero a motorcycle? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 23:31, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

June 8

Smoke Detector

I have a wired smoke detector here with a 9V DC backup and it beeps twice roughly every 20 minutes. It happened last night, I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it stopped. Now it's repeating the beeping tonight. Now, it says on the back that if it beeps every minute, then the battery needs changing. It's definitely not the battery, because I removed the smoke detector and took it out and tested it with my tongue as I do with 9V's. Something also peculiar, after I took the battery out, then it started to beep once every minute. Seems strange that it could beep without a power source, unless there's a capacitor still charged. Any thoughts on this double-beep every 20 minutes? --Russoc4 (talk) 00:48, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

If you have 'wired' it and are using the 9V DC as a backup, then taking the 9V out is not going to cut the power source, is it? You'd be best checking that out.--ChokinBako (talk) 00:57, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

By 'wired', I mean it plugs into a 120VAC source, but even after I unplug it from the ceiling, remove the battery, and wait, it still beeps. But that's not the point. The point is that it beeps while it's up on the ceiling. --Russoc4 (talk) 01:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Right, well, by 'beep', do you mean a single beep or the actual alarm going off (mine is a beeping alarm, this is why I ask about the beep). In answer to one of your questions, though, I do think many modern smoke alarms do have a charger inside so they can still work during a power outage.--ChokinBako (talk) 01:08, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

A single, short beep every minute while the battery is out. Two short beeps every twenty minutes while plugged in. If we're talking morse code, then you can call them dots. I've made a clip with Audacity. It's almost identical to the smoke detector: [[10]] --Russoc4 (talk) 01:15, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I could only imagine that there is something wrong with the power source. Either that or it is actually set to give you a notification that it is working, which is HIGHLY unlikely. Mine just has a little light for that, and that keeps me awake sometimes, but a beeping noise like the one in the sound clip would drive me insane. You'd be best contacting the manufacturer.--ChokinBako (talk) 01:29, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I'll ask around. I looked on the manufacturer's website and they say nothing about double beeps like that. I'll keep looking into it. Thanks. --Russoc4 (talk) 01:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Why not phone the manufacturer? It could be an error signal, meaning that you need to replace the detector. --Anonymous, 09:10 UTC, June 8, 2008.

Right. I'd also read the manual to see whether there isn't a switch that controls whether it reassures you that it's on by beeping or flashing. --Milkbreath (talk) 15:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Many smoke detectors will continue to give an "attention required" beep for a considerable time after they are depowered. The usual reasons for the beep are;

• The battery has gone flat
• Mains power has been lost
• A recent smoke detection is now cleared

You seem to have eliminated battery as a problem and proved that the battery fault beep is different from the one you are hearing now. Given that, you need to check that the 120V ac power is being supplied. Most usual reason is that the breaker has tripped. Most houses have a separate breaker for the smoke detectors so you will not necessarily have noticed the power going off. So go check your fusebox/consumer unit. If you have more than one detector in your house, you can also try swapping them around. If the fault moves with the detector, then get a new smoke detector head, if the fault stays at the same position, then you have a wiring fault. Other than that, get in a qualified electrician - don't mess with the wiring yourself. SpinningSpark 17:53, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

You said you tested the battery by applying it to your tongue; but did you actually try a fresh, new battery? Acceptable (talk) 22:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, it may have some voltage, but does it have enough ? Can your tongue tell the diff between 9V and 8V ? Use a proper battery tester. StuRat (talk) 23:58, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I have not tried a new battery. But I think I've ruled out the battery being an issue. I will check the circuit breaker when I get a chance. In all honesty, I am living on a college campus this summer doing research and I this is really a job for our maintenance workers. One of the campus police officers I asked said unplug it and plug it back in. If it continues, tell them on Monday. We'll see. --Russoc4 (talk) 02:18, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Medical dish

Is there a name for those kidney-shaped metal dishes that doctors put things in after pulling them out of the human body? I've mostly seen these on TV, but I have seen it once or twice in real life, so it seems to be pretty standard procedure. Therefore, I figured there must be a specific name for them. Is there, and what are they called? 137.186.173.69 (talk) 01:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

A quick Google Image search suggests that they are called kidney trays [11]. --Russoc4 (talk) 01:38, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Kidney dish has pics and Emesis basin doesn't. cheers, Julia Rossi (talk) 02:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I've always known them as kidney dishes, and google likes that also [12] Gwinva (talk) 02:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

math tutor

Where is the best place I can an online math tutor (paid)?

Don't point me to the Math RD please, it's nice for a couple of questions, but I need someone who goes through my exercises and tell me what I am missing, what I have to learn.

GoingOnTracks (talk) 02:36, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I can't recommend any tutors myself, but people should be able to give much better answers if you indicate what mathematical level you're at, and what sort of exercises you'll be doing. Teaching GCSE maths isn't like teaching finals. Algebraist 07:21, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I am interested in all pre-collegue topics. Even if I don't need them, it will also be nice learning in advance. Is there any eBay of tutoring out there? GoingOnTracks (talk) 12:02, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Probably everywhere on the internet you will find someone who can teach high-school maths. There are certainly thousand low-pay Russian mathematicians with a good level of English hanging around.

How much would you be willing to spend per hour of tutoring ? Were you thinking of e-mail, IM, or bulletin boards ? StuRat (talk) 23:51, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

8-9 would be cheap for me. I was thinking only of virtual interaction IM, skype or similar. GoingOnTracks (talk) 01:08, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Any particular currency? Algebraist 01:32, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Dollar, what else? GoingOnTracks (talk) 17:38, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for clarifying. You should expect to spend several million dollars per hour of tutoring. -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:44, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Not everyone here is from the US, you know. While I'm sure we have all guessed correctly that you meant USD, why did you feel the need to leave us guessing? -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 12:47, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Twilight hack

Does it work with the gamecube version? --The Dark Side (talk) 13:31, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Since the gamecube does not have an SD card reader, no. Thomashauk (talk) 23:12, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I meant does it work on a Wii if I'm using the gamecube version of the game. --The Dark Side (talk) 02:18, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Alien sex pic question

I'd like to know, if its at all possible, what film or show this picture and this picture of a woman having sex with an alien is from. Can it be bought in the shops? Paradoxer (talk) 14:42, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure they are having sex? The alien looks dead to me. SpinningSpark 17:37, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

It's an "artistic" photo shoot by a guy named Terry Donovan. Here's the original one that the first blog got it from; here's more on Donovan's website. Not safe for work. (Note that all this required me to do was to check the original Wired.com blog post and figure out what it was linking to.) It is not from a film or a show. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 19:06, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Apparently, aliens drink PBR. haha. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.188.121.45 (talk) 05:31, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Horses - mucking out stables

In relation to the above subject, what does to 'set fair' mean? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.151.8.57 (talk) 14:49, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't know much about horses, but here's a link that mentions the term and it's meaning. Fribbler (talk) 22:54, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Disposing of the evidence

Hi, this is a oddball question. After I've masturbated, I usually hold my foreskin closed tight at the end of my penis to keep the cum from seeping out, then quickly run to the toilet where I deposit the load and flush. Is this what most guys do, uncircumcised of course. I can't imagine cuming onto a tissue or something, but do people? What is the most common method? Wasy Ples (talk) Wasy Ples (talk) 17:53, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

That's a good question, because it demonstrates a lack in Wikipedia. The masturbation article suggests nothing more than a tissue (like you're going to spend your moment of ecstasy manipulating a little tissue?), and we don't have an article on inflatable sheep or wank sock. Yes, some men use a sock, some use toilet tissue (plenty, so you can thoroughly wrap it round percy), some use a (dedicated) small soft towel. Whatever you use, make sure it it is clean and is soft enough that you don't get sore. If you're in the bath you don't need anything. Enjoy!--Mrs Wibble-Wobble (talk) 19:34, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I do the holding on to the end bit and then empty it into a tissue when it's all over, which I throw out the window for the rain to wash away. This avoids having a mess to clean up afterward and walking around the house where I might be seen by other people. Before I came up with that idea, I just positionned myself over an unused corner of the carpet, and rubbed it in thoroughly afterward, which was very messy, so don't do that unless you have no other alternative. You can't do it in the bath though, it would be all floating around in there with you. Not sure how a sheep would help though either. 92.21.134.11 (talk) 20:05, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

You could always use condoms.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:23, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Looking for work

I know, this isn't an advice site and I really should find somewhere a bit more appropriate to ask about stuff like this, but I can't be bothered.

Anyway, the thing is, I've been trying to find a job for a while, but there are some things I'm not sure about and thought maybe people here could help, what with many of you being normal people, who have seen more of the world than me. the first problem I'm having is with writing a CV. I'm not sure I'm doing it right. are there any things I have to do, stuff I have to write about, specific ways of doing parts of it, or can I just write about myself for a while, like an essay? And would they want to know what sort of person I am, what books I like, what I do in my spare time, stuff like that? I did read the article, but I'm still confused, it didn't help much. And secondly I'm having trouble finding any vacancies to apply for, they've all suddenly disappeared a few days ago. I tried a few websites but none of them were much help, especially as almost every job they find needs some sort of previous experience, which I don't have yet. Is there anywhere I can go or anything I can do to find jobs that don't need much experience? A final problem that I'm going to have soon and might as well prepare for now is that I am moving half way across the country in a few months, and would like also to apply for a job there, but I'll not be able to visit anywhere there until I actually move. Would that be a problem? is there any way of arranging everything before, so that it's almost all sorted out by the time I get there?

HS7 (talk) 18:02, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Your best information will come from people located in England, as you appear to be, based on the information on your user page. Resumés (CVs) tend to have a prescribed form or forms depending on where you live and what kind of job you are seeking. An essay is not a format I have ever seen for a CV. Your local employment bureau will likely have examples of good CVs posted and may even have free workshops in how to prepare a good one. If you have absolutely no experience at all -no jobs during the hols, no babysitting, no grass-cutting, no volunteer experience, no membership in clubs or other interest groups where you took a leadership role- it's an uphill battle to get your first one. As for moving "halfway across the country", you have the options of a few cheap day-return bus or train trips to look around. Most big cities carry newspapers from across the country, and, if they don't have hard copies, such papers are often available on line. Good luck! ៛ Bielle (talk) 18:59, 8 June 2008 (UTC) P.S. "I can't be bothered" should never appear where a potential employer might see it. If you can't be bothered to do some research for the beginning of the rest of your life, how likely are you to be bothered to go that extra bit on the job? Just a thought, that. ៛ Bielle (talk) 19:02, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

There are many places on the web you can look for jobs in another part of the country. The most well known is Monster[13]. They also have a CV advice page[14]. There is also the government run site Jobcentre Plus, which lists vacancies here[15]. There are many other sites and agencies which specialise in particular kinds of work, if you are looking for a particular kind of work try Googling for it. I agree with Bielle, negative comments like "I can't be bothered" are a definite no-no, I almost couldn't be bothered to answer your question. SpinningSpark 19:22, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

If you don't have any work experience, your CV should probably just include your education so far, a list of any extracurricular activities that would be relevant, and a list of skills (even really basic skills are worth listing as long as they aren't ridiculous. Can you type? Are you familiar with the Microsoft Office suite? Any other software of note?). Here's a nice model CV. Keep it simple and to the point. Do not "write about yourself for awhile." Don't talk about the books you like to read. Languages are a good thing. A few hobbies might give you a little character but leave off any that could have negative associations (playing video games is not something most employers consider attractive). Consider that the people reading it will just be skimming it. If you have no work experience, the best thing you can do is appear capable, professional, and a quick learner. And be prepared to work for cheap, at first. In the US, getting your first job is about applying, and then calling back cheerfully in a few days to see how things are going, and being prepared to not hear back from anyone for awhile, but eventually something usually comes through. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 19:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Obviously I'm not going to tell employers how lazy I am, but here, where I'm nicely anonymous, I can be myself.

Other than that, it seems all really useful advice, like usual, which is mostly why I've never bothered to find a different site to ask questions like this on.HS7 (talk) 19:56, 8 June 2008 (UTC) How to do a CV, by Serviam (talk) (Include headings):

Personal details

Name
Address
Telephone

Education

Years in primary school and name which school eg "2000 - 2005 in ballybackwater primary school"
Years in secondary school and name school

Exam results

English - A
Maths - C
...

Work experience

June-September 2006 in the tasty cafe, Bradford
...

Interests and achievements

I like swimming and won a race, and complated a life saving course

Referees

School Principal
School
Town

Mr. Johnson
Tasty Cafe
Bradford

ALWAYS PUT YOUR SIGNATURE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE FOR HANDWRITTEN CVs, AND ON THE LEFT FOR ONES YOU TYPED -Serviam (talk) 20:06, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

What now? I have never seen a signed CV or resume at all. Typically your signature should appear on the cover letter, not on the CV. --Trovatore (talk) 22:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

What if I can't remember some of what I did? If I really hated my school, and don't want anyone else to pay any attention to their oppinions of me, do I still need a reference from them? And what is a covering letter and do I need one of them too?HS7 (talk) 22:07, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

A covering letter is essentially a letter of introduction attached to your résumé - keep it brief. See Cover letter. You probably shouldn't include any referees who would speak poorly of you but your prospective employer may find it "strange" that you conspicuously omitted certain parts of your school career in your referees section. If you were ever in a position where you held responsibilities then mention those. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 22:20, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

The purpose of the covering letter is to explain why you want this particular job and point out the parts of your experience/qualification found on your CV are particularly relevant. What the employer wants to hear is that this is the perfect job you have really yearned for all your life. What they do not want to hear is "oh well ok, it will do until something better comes along". Do not leave out your school, employers are very suspicious of any gaps that are not accounted for. They expect to see all your time accounted for in reverse chronological order. If you leave gaps you will most likely not get an interview at all. At the very least you will get some very difficult questioning at interview. All they are likely to check up on with your school is that you did attend for the years you claimed and that you left with the qualifications you said you did in your CV. Not likely to try and get your teachers opinions of you. Not sure I like the idea of hand written CVs, some places that might be ok, but others won't like it so why limit your chances. SpinningSpark 22:32, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

While I don't want to minimize the importance of convincing the employer you want the job, I suspect that most employers understand that that part of the letter is often less than entirely sincere, and do not pay much attention to it beyond seeing that you cared enough to go to the trouble and that you can handle this sort of conventional social hypocrisy in a graceful and grammatical manner. But cover letters also serve a more functional purpose, which is to indicate which opening you're applying for, and what evidence you're including to show that you're qualified for it. Remember that the letter will not be opened by the person who decides whether to interview you, but by someone who has to decide who is the right person to forward it to. Anything you can do to reduce the chance that that decision will be the wrong one will improve the effectiveness of your search. --Trovatore (talk) 00:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Afaik, schools can issue a standard reference, not personal but says you were there, went whatever distance and they usually wish you well (no matter what).

And the jobs have probably been taken for the summer, but go to an employment agency and talk to them about applying anyway. Sometimes just walking into places, asking for the boss (of the cafe, discount store, MacDonalds or wherever) and giving out your cover letter, cv and a couple of ref letters clipped together (with your phone number), in a polite and friendly way is a good start. Julia Rossi (talk) 05:34, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Do I need to get my references first and take them all with me, or should I be trusting my vague memory that I just tell the employer who to contact to get them? What if my work experience place has closed down and I can't use them as a reference? I had been hoping I could just print lots of copies of my CV and then hand them out, but it seems I'll have to find out every place I want to apply to and write a seperate cover letter for each of them. Is there any way around this? what if I just visit each place and ask them about it first?HS7 (talk) 20:04, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi HS7, I'd say have things on paper: you could list the people who know you etc and their phone numbers on your cv page. If you haven't worked yet, two or three contact numbers can be enough. If you have a hard copy one from say, school or the work experience place or other contacts willing to write it down, then a couple. The idea is to photocopy/multiprint your cover letter, your cv, and a couple of refs you like, put them together and hand out the file as you go. One friend of mine spent the morning walking from place to place every day of the week until he got something out of it. He started in MacDonalds's then stacking in a discount store and later a trade apprenticeship. Another would just lie (this one was getting into hospitality): "You waitered before?" "Yes sir, I have." Even if he failed, he used the track record to say he had experience. Best not to think about it too much after you get organised and keep in touch with the local youth skills/employment body and maybe do any training courses they offer if they get your interest. Best of, Julia Rossi (talk) 07:20, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

PS I just realised that every place I've waitered for went out of business, but saying I have experience is still okay.  : ) Julia Rossi (talk) 07:24, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Cherries

Why are cherries so expensive? Also, is there a way to ask a question such as this to the author(s) of the Cherries article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Scottmarks (talk • contribs) 18:08, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Personally I didn't even know that cherries were unusually expensive. I would have guessed this was due to the general worldwide increase in food prices, but this response to the question on Yahoo! Answers suggests that storms have damaged areas where they are grown.

There's no way to ask "the author(s) of the Cherries article" because it doesn't have a single author - that's the nature of Wikipedia.--213.94.148.138 (talk) 18:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Well you can find out the main author(s) of an article from the articles history page and then go to that users talk page. But there is no guarantee that they are either still editing Wikipedia or interested in answering questions. Here at the Help Desk is the best place for questions of that sort. SpinningSpark 19:28, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Or you could ask at that article's talk page, on the assumption that experts on the subject are more likely to go there than here.HS7 (talk) 19:51, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I do know that if there is too much rain then the water will just sit in the little divet on the top of the cherry and that water will quickly split the cherry. If there's too many rainstorms, too many of the cherries are split and aren't sold. Therefore, following the laws of supply and demand, when the demand stays constant but the supply decreases, the price rises. Useight (talk) 00:08, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Where I live at the moment (San Francisco), non-organic cherries are actually relatively inexpensive (last week 79 cents/lb, this week 89 cents/lb in my middle-of-the-road neighborhood). Mangostar (talk) 18:59, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Medicine Desk

Why is there a Medicine Desk when wikipedia can't give medical advice, and why is that desk never used? What is its purpose then? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rhodopsin drinker (talk • contribs) 19:16, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

It looks like it was created by a one-time-user without anyone noticing. It will certainly be deleted. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 19:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Tagged as such, an admin should be around to it soon to delete.--Serviam (talk) 19:54, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Volunteering

How can I become a Wikipedia volunteer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.67.136.39 (talk) 19:25, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

By going to a page on the site and editing it to make it better. Just make sure it actualy is better though. reading the rules first sometimes helps with this.HS7 (talk) 19:44, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Click the "Sign in/Create account" button at the top right corner. You will have to create an account. All this requires is for you to make up a username and a password, and if you want you can put in an email address though that's not required.--Serviam (talk) 19:52, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia does not require you to have an account to edit, although it is recommended. SpinningSpark 20:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes that's fairly self-evdent, as the ip just asked a question...--Serviam (talk) 21:29, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

You said "You will have to create an account.", which is not true. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 22:00, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Take a look at Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia which has a list of things that need doing near the bottom. Welcome to Wikipedia!, don't hesitate to ask questions if you need more help at Wikipedia:Help desk. SpinningSpark 20:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Bulls and Steers

Do bulls and steers act any different from each other? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 22:51, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

A steer is a castrated male cattle. A bull is not castrated. --Russoc4 (talk) 02:26, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

And consequently bulls act more aggressively, are more territorial and also more determined to stamp over whatever stands between them and a cow. Steers are more docile in general. See castration in veterinary practice---Sluzzelin talk 02:28, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Besides bulls being more aggressive than steers, dairy bulls are generally more aggressive than beef bulls [16] . Temple Grandin says that a bull raised without the company of other bulls can be more aggressive toward humans, and that the development of this aggression can be decreased by raising him with older, heavier steers. [17]. Edison (talk) 14:45, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

June 9

Unique City

City names can be repeated in the US, with Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine being perhaps the most notable case. Can a city name be repeated in the same state ? How about for other countries, do they reuse city names, too, as long as they are in different states or provinces ? StuRat (talk) 01:34, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Certainly, Stu. In Australia, there are Brightons in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania; and Armadales in Victoria and Western Australia. Many other examples. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:49, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Frankfurts get distinguished by river, though they also lie in different states. Without specification, we usually mean Frankfurt am Main, but Frankfurt an der Oder is a notable German town too, and the article calls it a city. The Italian province capitals Reggio Calabria (from Greek Rhegion) and Reggio Emilia (from Latin Regium) are both just called Reggio when the context is clear. ---Sluzzelin talk 02:14, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

The UK has exactly 66 cities, none of which share a name, so the problem doesn't apply. For smaller settlements, disambiguation is not necessarily by region (e.g. Newcastle upon Tyne versus Newcastle-under-Lyme versus Newcastle-on-Clun). To me at least, the construction 'cityname, regionname' sounds very unEnglish, but I have heard (for example) 'Ashford in Kent' used. Algebraist 02:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

We also have Gillingham in Kent and Gillingham in Dorset, which are distinguished from each other by the way they are pronounced (with a soft G for the one in Kent and a hard G for the one in Dorset). --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

California has two Brentwoods and two Westwoods, though only one of each is technically a city (the non-city ones are neighborhoods in Los Angeles; I think they may have been cities at one time before Mulholland built his water empire). --Trovatore (talk) 03:33, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

In the UK we have 40 towns called Newton, 22 called Sutton, 16 called Clifton, 15 Waltons and 15 Bridgends [18]. -- Q Chris (talk) 09:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

And that excludes places with those as part of their name (e.g., King's Sutton and Sutton Coldfield). FWIW, here in New Zealand things are far closer to unique... it's extremely rare for two places to have the same name unless one of them (or both of them) is/are suburbs of larger cities. There are a small handful of these suburban anomalies, but other than them as far as I know there are no duplicate names. It was New Zealand Geographic Board practice for many years to insist that if two places had the same name, the more recently settled one had to append either "North" or "South" to the end of the name - which is why there's a small settlement in the South Island called Palmerston and a big city in the North Island called Palmerston North (much to the chagrin of the latter's residents). Grutness...wha? 12:08, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

That does seem like a good idea, though, as duplicate names would likely cause much confusion and many mistakes. Imagine an ambulance being dispatched to Main Street in the wrong city, for example. StuRat (talk) 12:33, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

What would you do if your boss said "Quick, send this package to Springfield!" ? --LarryMac | Talk 19:46, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

The disambiguation page for Springfield also illustrates the first case - there are several entries for towns named Springfield in the state of Wisconsin. Rmhermen (talk) 00:21, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, there are two unincorporated communities on the map named "State Line." Edison (talk) 14:27, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

The US Postal Service will not name two post offices the same in the same state. If there is already a post office with that name, they will suggest that the new place change is name. Corvus cornix_talk 16:43, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

NCAA data question

I was reading threw the NCAA men's basketball media guide looking at records. When I was looking at team's all-time records, I noticed the data doesn't span all the years. When I looked at the school's media guides, I saw different sets of data, over a larger span of years. Is the NCAA still researching data on these teams, and doesn't have the complete data yet?76.194.67.13 (talk) 06:28, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Can you cite specific examples? It may be a case of years considered ineligible by the NCAA or simply a case of omission, but it is not likely a case of ongoing research. — Lomn 12:55, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

cosmetic

which cream can be used as an altenative to dermovate nn cream Manoj kc26 (talk) 09:10, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Dermovate is a prescription-only medication, therefore it's up to your doctor to decide what to replace it with. Fribbler (talk) 10:13, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

In that case I suggest that this topic is getting pretty close to asking for medical advice, and I agree that any alternatives for prescription-only medication should come from a Doctor and not Wikipedia. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:16, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Thank you, Fribbler. Until I got to your response, I thought that "dermovate" was a typo and I was rather confused as to what could have been misspelled. Dismas|^(talk) 10:40, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

A deep, dark question...

Well, there had been some stuff I saw that scared me. I saw some videos on YouTube where people talk that Barack Obama, now the democratic Presidential candidate, could be the Antichrist. They said that he could be the Antichrist because the name of the Antichrist was in his name, Barack "Hussein" Obama. They said that he had a Muslim church with his reverend who said "God Damn America" as the pastor. They also said that they perceive whites as the Devil, which worries me because that might mean that blacks and other minorities might be bad people, and they were set to destroy Israel. Also, I saw a video where they talked that Jesus hates the democratic party because they don't obey the first commandment, which worries me because I support democrats. So, here's the question that might be controversial: Does all this talk mean that Barack Obama might be the Antichrist? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sirdrink13309622 (talk • contribs) 09:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

No, Obama is not the Antichrist, he's just a politician. This sort of thing is routine scaremongering and smear tactics by those who would not like to see Obama in the White House. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:38, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Out of balance here is someone who thinks that McCain could be the antichrist [19]. Of course this rubbish too. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:10, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Bush was labelled the Anti-Christ at one point. So were Hitler, Bin Laden, Emperor Nero, and plenty of others. Oh, and Jesus can't possible hate anyone, according to Christian tradition, as he teaches love and forgiveness. Don't listen to the Christian extremists or you'll be as bad as extremists all over the world and from every 'faith' that has them. Oh, and don't listen to the scare-mongers. They are there to get attention, not to provide valuable information.--ChokinBako (talk) 11:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

If he does turn out to be the Antichrist,we will gladly accept these folks were right whilst we're dodging fiery hail and brimstone from on high... Lemon martini (talk) 12:03, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Whenever you hear rumors like this, check them out at Snopes.com. Here is their investigation into the "Obama matches the Biblical description of the anti-Christ" e-mail, which, of course, is all lies: [20]. The "Christians" who send out and forward such e-mails are all breaking one of the Ten Commandments, incidentally: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor". "Christian Conservatives", in the US, contrary to the name, seem to be among the most un-Christian people in the world, being pro-war, denying charity to the poor, bearing false witness, etc.; "family values" which are the complete opposite of those values taught by Christ. Most of the country has stopped listening to them, and I suggest you do the same.

Obama's former pastor is quite radical and did say "God damn America", but Obama has now quit that church as a result, so it isn't fair to say he believes the same things his former pastor did (although joining such a church in the first place does show poor judgement). StuRat (talk) 12:07, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Great point StuRat :-)--Serviam (talk) 15:06, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

As an evangelical Christian myself, can I say that StuRat ... has a very good point. May I be the first to apologize on behalf of my fellow evangelicals.

I find it interesting that there are Christians out there who assume that any preacher who teaches that America might be wrong about anything must be evil. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Hussein is not the name of the anti-Christ. Saddam Hussein, while a brutal dictator, was nothing close to the anti-Christ—he was a secular Baathist who imposed a particular type of pan-Arabism on the Middle East, the worst of which took the form of oppressing his own people and a brutal war against Iran (in which the US supplied him weapons). The name Hussein is just a common Arabic name meaning "Handsome." That's it. Please, please, please—don't let something as silly as a common middle name determine who will run your country. Learn about the issues. Learn about the candidates personal leadership abilities and styles. Determine who would be a good person to run a major superpower for the next four years based on that. Not on the fact that their middle name happens to be a common Arabic name that happens to have been the last name of an Arabic dictator. That is not a way to choose a leader. Be suspicious of propaganda you receive by e-mail—the people who wrote it are using you, they are trying to exploit your ignorance for their political gain. Be suspicious, be skeptical. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

"Jesus hates the democratic party because they don't obey the first commandment"? The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before Me." That can't even apply to a secular political body. --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 00:23, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Non-English Wikipedias

Here, on English Wikipedia, we meet a lot of religious fundamentalists on talk pages like Evolution, Criticism of religion, Atheism, demanding to change articles' contents. Well I think it's due to high religiosity of United States. But what about other major Wikipedias (e.g. German, Japanese, French ones)? Do fundamentalists hang out there criticizing articles that do not suit their beliefs? It's interesting to me, as as far as I know, population of Germany, Japan, France is not highly religious as American folks. 89.236.214.174 (talk) 12:25, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

A quick glance at Discuter:Évolution (biologie) and Diskussion:Evolution suggests that it's not happening nearly as much. However, to guess why, I think you should also remember that the dominant denominations of Europe are not necessarily strongly anti-evolution. For example, see the Catholic Church's at-worst ambivalent position. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 13:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for answer. But what about other (other than evolution-creation) "hot" topics, articles, in which "clashes" between science and religion are highlighted? 89.236.214.174 (talk) 14:08, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes Pope Pious (Can't remember what number Pious he was) actually endorsed it in a speech in 1950, and the Archbishop of Vienna last year labeled Creationists as madmen, I live in Europe and creatrionism is banned in school,s tew have no fundamentalists.--Serviam (talk) 14:50, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Not teaching Young Earth Creationism in schools doesn't mean that there are no fundamentalists. I can tell you for sure that there are Young Earth believers in Europe; enough to form some organizations. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:18, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

And whether they choose to vent on Wikipedia also depends on the status of their language Wikipedia in their overall media. My understanding is that none of the language Wikipedias have anything like the pull of the English one, so that would logically be the sort of place that would draw more of the contentious people for debate. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

This is slightly older data, but given the results of this survey, you may want to check the edit history for the evolution page on the Turkish Wikipedia.--droptone (talk) 18:58, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Which is here. A little hard to find as it interwiki links not from Evolution but from Introduction to evolution. (made me initially think they didn't even have an article on it!) Fribbler (talk) 13:48, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Fixed. Algebraist 13:54, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Thank! I looked and was unable to find a link and gave up prematurely.--droptone (talk) 17:36, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Chris Martenson, PhD.

Is there a way to check out the scholastic credentials of the above person?

Thank you. - nre43 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.253.192.138 (talk) 12:45, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

If you mean this Chris Martenson, I guess you could contact Duke University to ask. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 13:12, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Usually completing a Ph.D. means completing a thesis, which is then usually deposited in the university's library system. In this case, that seems to check out fine with the information on his page:

Martenson, Christopher Hamlin, 1962-

Acrylamide neurotoxicity : effect on neuronal growth cones and axonal fast transport / Duke Theses 1994

Location/Request: University Archives: Library Service Center (Reading Room only) | Ph.D. M377A 1994 LSC

So there ya go. Ph.D. in neurotoxicology, why not. Harder to check things like the MBA from Cornell online, as that doesn't produce a thesis. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:28, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Question about Terminal 5

Does anyone know if there are any designated smoking areas in/near the terminal building? Thanks in advance. Scarian^{Call me Pat!} 13:44, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

As far as I know, there is no smoking at ALL UK airports. You have to go outside to smoke.--ChokinBako (talk) 13:59, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

This was certainly the case in Terminal 3. Once you go through the security to the departure lounge there is no smoking until you get out in your destination airport. -- Q Chris (talk) 14:31, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, but at Heathrow there are designated smoking areas where smokers can smoke. I was looking for an area near T5 where this was possible. Scarian^{Call me Pat!} 14:56, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Under new laws introduced last year, it is now illegal to smoke in any enclosed public place or enclosed work place in England. You now have to go outside if you want to smoke. If there is a designated smoking area it will be signposted.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:25, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Okay, thank you for that. But what I was asking was where, if any, would they be? Scarian^{Call me Pat!} 15:28, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Good day. Where you ask? Wherever they put the sign, but I doubt they would put a smoking section in the airport. It is just to closed in and I'm sure no one wants to smell the fine smell of a recently lit tip. I hope I have helped. Have a positively wonderful day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 16:24, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

I don't know the situation in the UK, but in many parts of the United States, smoking is banned in all public buildings, including workplaces, such as an airport terminal. A few jurisdictions in the United States are starting to ban smoking within 10 meters or so of a public entryway to a public building. However, everywhere in the United States it is still possible to smoke outdoors as long as you are not close to the doorway of a building. If similar rules apply in the UK, you should be able to light up anywhere outside Terminal 5. If the UK bans smoking near doorways, you will just have to walk 10 meters before you light up. As others have said though, once you enter the building and head for your gate, you won't be able to smoke again until you reach your destination (and depending on your destination, until you leave the airport there). Marco polo (talk) 17:47, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Yup, it's outdoors. I have smoked there. William Avery (talk) 21:19, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

All enclosed workspaces and outdoor ones with a roof are no smoking areas in the UK. Doorways are not yet, but there is talk of making them no smoking areas, and some establishments have already implemented the idea (actually because the doorways end up full of people blocking the way out, and also full of fag ends, but not for any other health reason). You'll have to just have a fag before you go into the airport, stick a nicotine patch on for the length of the journey (you can get them free from your GP), and chew lots of gum to help you with the habit, then smoke your heart out (or your lungs) when you get to your destination. That's what I do, and I regularly travel on plane journeys of more than 14 hours. Good luck!--ChokinBako (talk) 10:24, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Before the ban came in the forward-looking thinkers at London Gatwick Airport designated a Smoking Area... in the centre of the Non-smoking Area and with absolutely no barrier between the two areas. Brilliant!86.202.30.131 (talk) 17:47, 10 June 2008 (UTC)DT

Fantastical Fantasy

Good day sirs and ma'ams. There had been something on my mind. I would like to create my own fantasy world, but I'm finding it hard to find heroes. The problem is simple really; dwarves, giants, etc. have all been done before. But then if I try to create something new it makes me look like a freak or it sounds just retarded. How could I overcome this? Is there any links to fantasy creating that could help me? Thank you in advance. I really appreciate the answers and the time taking to answer this question. Have a positively wonderful day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 16:21, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Here's a suggestion: it doesn't matter if they are dwarves or giants or whatever. The creatures themselves have never been the real basis of the fantasy world. Tolkien's elves and dwarves would be nothing had he not carefully thought out the characters, the way they interact with each other, their deep histories. The analogy, from Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is with a superhero: the question is not what the hero is, or how his powers work, but why they do what they do. That's what makes them a person, what makes them "real". If I were you, I would focus less on the population of your world from the perspective of "what D&D characters do they make up" and focus more on what the underlying driving tension is, and how that underlying tension is going to create all of the complexity that will make the world interesting. Once you've got that, populating it with peoples is not so hard. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:00, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I can understand where you are coming from. That is true and I agree. I was thinking of a war against man and elves. And the reason for this war to start was because of the negative thoughts of men. The men believe the elves are being greedy not sharing ever piece of their knowledge. The elves have other thoughts. They have always like the they only fight in self-defense. The problem is this sounds unoriginal and so I get stuck.Rem Nightfall (talk) 17:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Without wanting to be overly presentist, think about the world we live in today. There are many factions, some more powerful than others, some in weak alliances with others, some in strong alliances with others. They are dealing with both their internal interactions and the relations between their group and the outside world. There are underlying desires for certain resources. There are even some on-going wars—over resources, for political gains, for internal reasons as well as external ones, with multiple actors at all stages. In every group there is a strong range of opinion—there is no homogeneity to be found, even in the execution of policy by a single entity. That's the sort of richness and complexity that you want your fantasy world to have. Are the "men" all banded together, all thinking the same thoughts? Have we ever heard of human civilizations like that? Don't make them "the men". Make them a specific group of men. Perhaps united under the same culture and flag, but not the only men in the world. And not homogenous—not thinking the same thoughts. Not willing to stay in a costly, dangerous, and disruptive war if there is no end-game in sight, no obvious reason to be in it. Then, when you've fleshed out this kingdom of men, with all of the rulers and those with their eyes on the throne in place, do the same thing, more or less, to the elves (just because they are foreign does not mean they are not as complex). Make the fantasy world you create mirror the type of world we live in—complex, confusing, but mostly coherent. Just my two cents. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:56, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

And it is worth noting that even though Tolkien denied that Lord of the Rings was meant to be allegorical to actual historical events in any way, it seems rather unlikely to me that he could have not (even unintentionally) have been influenced in much of his approach to it by the events going on around him while he was writing it—World War II. Don't be afraid of taking a little from what you know and putting it into the broad structures of the plot—it's how these things are done. A radical thought: if Tolkien's epic was a WWII-style battle, and some of the later ones were clearly Cold War style battles (epic ideological struggle, fears of subversive spies), what does a post-Cold War (post-9/11?) fantasy world look like? What has our current world situation done to our understanding of military power, of the operation of nations, of the importance of culture and religion, etc.? Can these be integrated into a fantasy world? Do something like that, and you're out of the "unoriginal" territory... --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:00, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

You know, one thing you could consider is playing off the elves' belief in self-defense. In most fantasy stories, noble causes like self-defense are generally shown to be all-around supported and positive. But, in the real world, such heroic beliefs are also sometimes excuses by the leaders to keep their subjects in line (patriotism is another popular excuse by leaders: "You don't agree with me? Do you hate your country?"). This opens up whole new possibilites. What would happen if an elf spoke out and said they weren't truely acting in self-defense, but in miserly isolation? What would the general popuation think of this elf? Could he get others to agree? Is he even right? By casting the elves in questionable light as well as the humans, the charcters all become expanded. (On a completely unrelated note, when you sign a post, you don't need to put your name after the four squigglies, i.e. "~~~~Rem Nightfall". Just put the squigglies, and the name comes automatically.) --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 20:59, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Good evening. I've read both of your suggestions and I like them both. It gave me an expanded idea of my own. I thought this the humans are living in a condition in, which their leader believes in his own lies. So if he says the enemies have for an example a nuclear bomb (not likely in a fantasy world, but still) no matter what he will always believe there is a nuclear bomb. So the leader when his information is questioned he blames it on the coordinators the second in command, anyone who follows him. It's there fault they gave him the information. So the humans are living in a giant lie and have to follow the government even though the whole government system is a lie and is lying. While I'll take Ye Olde Luke's idea of the elves living in a self-defense control. A control in which they are forced by their own leader to do as the land ask. If you do not submit then you are considered a traitor of the land. Then of course there are other creature factions of course.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:40, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Sounds interesting, if you end up writing something, or doing something complete out of this, then be sure to let us know here. Chris M. (talk) 02:10, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Well I thought it would be interesting if you had two failing leaders just one on each faction. And each leader fails in a different way. That way it makes the humans and the elves almost on the same playing field. Except one has been created and shrouded by lies, while the other has been smothered in control. And of course there has to be some causalities in the middle...that is were the other creatures come into play. Of course there also will be the outside influence to stop the war with "peaceful" fighting. These of course would be the heroes.Rem Nightfall (talk) 02:32, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Samba carnival question

Having seen a samba carnival in Helsinki, I started wondering. Why are very nearly all dancers in the carnival women? Men only appear as music players. And why do the women dress so skimpily? In Helsinki they wear little more than bras and knickers and as I understand it in Rio de Janeiro they don't even wear bras. Not that I have a problem with that, but why is it? What does dancing have to do with (semi-)nudity? I would understand it if it were some sort of fashion or glamour show but samba is all about dancing. Is it because of more demand for seeing women, or because women are more interested in dancing than men are, or why? JIP | Talk 17:59, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Well. for part of this question I think George Bernard Shaws quote is appropriate: Dance is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire. :-) Fribbler (talk) 22:20, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I was so about to answer this question, but that quote trumps anything I could have come up with. Book me on the next flight to Rio de Janeiro! --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 00:14, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

I get the general idea, dancing in general is a romantic and kind of erotic activity, so it makes sense that dancers dress up attractively. But it still doesn't answer my question. I am singling out samba carnivals in particular. I have two points:

1. Why do only women dance in the carnival? I am pretty sure men dance samba too, in general. Is it some kind of tradition to only feature women, or are there simply too few men available?
2. Why do the women wear so little? Even given what I saw above, you don't see women going in bikinis or topless when they are dancing any other dance.

I hope I have made my questions clearer. JIP | Talk 17:41, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Get more information on a NY police report case number?

Im looking through this carfax report for a car im about to buy and its been involved in an accident and it gives you a police report case nnumber with it. Can i do anything with this number? are police case records made public? --Iownatv (talk) 18:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I gather that police reports are ultimately kept by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYS DMV). It appears that police reports are indeed public information and are available from the NYS DMV's web site: link. Their electronic search function requires "the NYS DMV accident case number of the accident (not the police agency number), or the vehicle plate number of a vehicle involved in the accident, or the driver license number (from NYS or from another state) of a driver involved in the accident." Searching their database costs $7, each report that you order costs $15 on top of that. I don't know how you would turn a police report case number into a NYS DMV accident case number, however. Perhaps you could contact the police department that produced the report...? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:20, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

NBA Team vs National Team

Suppose an NBA playoff team such as the Lakers, Celtics or Pistons was to play an European national team such as Estonia or Spain, who would generally win? It seems lately that the US Men's Basketball team is not as competitive as some of the European national teams, but how does a complete NBA team stack up? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 20:29, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I think a playoff-level NBA team with good chemistry and a couple of shooting specialists would fare pretty well. The last few US national teams were put together at the last minute, and the players just didn't complement each other (even though the collective talent was probably much higher than any other team).

Of course, most NBA teams have a few international players. Would the Lakers be allowed to keep Pau Gasol, DJ Mbenga, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Ronny Turiaf? Zagalejo^^^ 21:42, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

History of Willy on Wheels

Who is Willy on Wheels and what did he do to get himself copied by so many users? I'm fairly certain that someone has asked this before, so if there's any pre-existing pages chronicling this user, you could just link me to there. If not, I'd just like to hear a brief summary of what he did. --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 20:45, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Page move vandal. There's an archived question and answers here. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 20:53, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I knew there must be.--Ye Olde Luke (talk) 21:03, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

This might also be informative. Grutness...wha? 06:50, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Willy On Wheels? Sounds like a mobile male brothel! (drum roll)--ChokinBako (talk) 13:24, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

mortal combat deadly alliance

I would like to know if there is anyone that knows how to unlock the charactersBizzyb0007 (talk) 21:39, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Good evening. To unlock characters in Deadly Alliance you have to go into the krypt and use your money to buy characters. The characters are in coffins. I have a list of what characters are in what coffin, but it is a long list. So I drop by your user page and give you the list. I hope I have helped. Have a positively wonderful evening.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:44, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Game show judges

Here's something I've been wondering about: how does one become a judge on a show like Jeopardy? What kind of credentials do those people have? Zagalejo^^^ 22:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

It's likely to have almost nothing to do with credentials, but knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time, and doing very well at a screen test and with audiences, etc. It is not something you can train for—there are simply too few of such jobs around. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:07, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Zimbabwean_dollar

Why would someone want to use it? The inflation rate is between (official) 355,000% March 2008 and (estimated) 1,694,000% May 23 2008. GoingOnTracks (talk) 22:49, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I imagine having little choice would be a reason cited by people living in Zimbabwe. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:51, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Tagishsimon is right, it's neccesity. But people are already using stable currency where possible. Fribbler (talk) 00:02, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

The point is if someone offers you 100.00 Zimbabwean Dollars for your services, products or whatever, how do you know how much is it? Is a terribly instable currency better than barter or cigarettes? GoingOnTracks (talk) 01:18, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Well, I've kind of been in this situation before. Basically; small (a cup of tea, dinner) is dealt with in the local currency; With something a little bit bigger like clothes or a hotel room, the transaction is in a stable local currency (in this case the rand). And for life-changing transactions, a world currency is used such as the euro, or us dollar. Fribbler (talk) 01:32, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Hyperinflation is worth reading, too, BTW. Grutness...wha? 06:55, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

harmonics in metal

In what ways can harmonics affect the steel components of a large engine such as a 16 cylinder locomotive engine? Also, where do the harmonics originate from? The question derives from an injector I was shown at work today, I was told it split in half do to harmonics.Derulk (talk) 23:34, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

If you imagine that the injector has a resonant frequency which happens to be a frequency multiple, or harmonic of a frequency which the engine generates (e.g. an engine at 3,000 RPM generates a fundamental frequency of 50Hz, which has harmonics of 100Hz, 150Hz, 200Hz, &c) then you can probably imagine the vibration from the engine setting off the injector sufficiently to get it to vibrate itself to death. Successive impulses from the engine are picked up by the injector, each of which increases the vibrational energy in the injector because the two are vibrating at matched frequencies (just like successive pushes of a swing make the child go higher & higher). --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:44, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

June 10

Subaru Outback Sedan diecast toy

Has there ever been a die cast toy made of the Subaru Outback Sedan? This would include the 1999 Legacy SUS (the name was changed to Outback Sedan the following year)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.71.223.87 (talk) 00:50, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

What to say to an unknown girl?

If you meet a girl in the subway/pub/park and she makes eye contact with you, what do you say? GoingOnTracks (talk) 01:11, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Smile and say hello - unless you're looking for a fight in which case "wot you looking at?" serves well  :-)) Astronaut (talk) 01:36, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

"Hi" Chris M. (talk) 01:59, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

This question has been asked before, with the same peculiar wording. Don't have time for a link or a diff right now, but it seems fishy.--24.189.12.121 (talk) 02:06, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Well, it was not asked before by me. And I also don't find the previous question. It shows how important these matters are.

And after that I said "hello" what else? GoingOnTracks (talk) 02:11, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

You could try waving as well 87.102.86.73 (talk) 16:43, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Good evening sir. I would expect you to know what to say after "hello" a nice "how is your day?" or maybe something about the weather. Then after she answers and ask the same questions maybe introduce. Then say "It was nice talking to you." and leave. Or if you are in to her ask her to catch her some time. I hope I have helped. Have a positively wonderful evening.Rem Nightfall (talk) 02:30, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

You might want to ask her name and tell her name, followed maybe by what she does for a living, or what college does she go to (Warning: You probably will have to answer the same questions, so don't ask anything you wouldn't answer yourself) Both questions can open up to wonderful discussions if she's outgoing, which since she appears to have started it, I'm asuming she is. --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 05:21, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Of course, she may also think you're intrusive if you ask too much, too soon. · AndonicO ^Engage. 16:47, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Hemispheric Heat Wave?

I have seen discussions on this in Heat Wave, related articles. A hypothetical example is that the US has a heat wave going on, so does Europe, Asia, all going on at the same time. Would this qualify? I have read the article "Heat wave" and the different articles about various heat waves. That is why I had placed the 2008 Hemispheric Heat Wave there, since I believe it is possible to have heat waves going on in the US, Europe and Asia going on at the same time, setting up a Northern Hemispheric Heat Wave. Really appreciate the assisstance. 205.240.144.221 (talk) 04:37, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

There's no heat wave in the Pacific Northwest right now. Just the opposite. Pfly (talk) 05:07, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Carbon Footprint

Some large (and smaller)corporations, in the frame of their environmental policies,have set as a target to become "carbon neutral" by the end of 2008. Others intend to become "Carbon Positive" before 2010.

Could you please explain what this "Carbon Positive" mean, as opposed to carbon negative, because at first, one has the impression that carbon positive is rather bad, suggesting excessive emissions.

Thank you very much

Kyratso (talk) 06:29, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Carbon neutral, Carbon offset, and Carbon footprint should help you out. And this site has a glossary including the term Carbon positive which we don't seem to have an article for. Dismas|^(talk) 07:37, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Logically...Neutral means having no impact on carbon-output, Positive would be (in this context) a process that actually removes carbon-output (so instead of creating none, it uses the carbon and gives back out something that isn't carbon). That'd be my assumption. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:06, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Help Me Name This Club Song

This is probably better off on the entertainment desk, but more people frequent here so I'm going to try my luck.

I've been hearing this song or splices of it many times in clubs around Sydney and I have no idea what it's called. It's an electronic song and the line that's stuck in my head is most likely played on a synthesiser. The main line consists of 4 main parts:

1. note twice, then a lower note twice, then a lower note three times
2. same
3. note twice, then a higher note twice, then a higher note three times
4. repeat 1 (I think...)

I'm sort of tone death but I did scrap together an audio file [21] (caution, for some reason it's about 2 mb for a 12 second sample) which gives you some idea of what it sounds like (if nothing more than timing).

It sounds like there are some 4ths or augmented chords in it, but it's been a long time since I've done music so I really wouldn't know. This has been on my mind all day, so it would be great if someone could help me out. Thanks Guycalledryan (talk) 07:05, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

The file's that big because it's uncompressed. Algebraist 07:28, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

wood grain

How do I get rid of wood grain when i paint an oak door that has already been painted —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.66.62.130 (talk) 11:06, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Strip the door down, sand it and repaint it. Painting on top of paint tends to produce a not-so-nice finish at the best of times. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:09, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

You might want to see our article about "Sanding sealer" (varnish). But merely sanding your door may achieve a "good enough" result.

Atlant (talk) 12:42, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Headlights-on audible alarm on door sensor

When i open the drivers door, the audible alarm that lets me know i left my headlights on does not work. Does anyone have a reason why this is happening and any possible solutions? Car is a 2003 Audi A6. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnbg999 (talk • contribs) 12:13, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

First question: Does the dome light operate for this door switch? If not, then the fault is almost certainly the door switch. Meanwhile, Audis sometimes use a funny three-terminal door switch where one terminal (with a brown wire) is (say) grounded, on terminal goes to the dome light, and one terminal goes to the electronic logic that operates the alarm, headlight beeper, and so forth. Because the current flow in the logc terminal is low, the contact gets cruddy over time. If you remove the door switch (but leave it wired in), you may be able to test this theory using clip leads to simulate the operation of the switch contacts. If the beeper now works, you've confirmed it's a defective door switch. If you're lucky and skilled, you can take the door switch out, take it apart, clean the contacts and reassemble it. If you're not so lucky or not so skilled, you can replace the door switch. (My 1991 Audi 200TQ suffered exactly this failure and I was lucky-enough to fix the switch.)

Atlant (talk) 12:37, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

If the dome light does not come on either, it may be a fuse. Dismas|^(talk) 12:55, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Society that eats lots of different animals

I've heard of a society whose members get together to eat meals consisting of animals that people do not normally eat (badgers, puffins, etc). I think the name has some reference to Carolus Linnaeus, but I'm not certain. Thryduulf (talk) 17:04, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

There was a group like this on the David Letterman show a while back, wasn't there? DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:28, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

At Annual Ducks Unlimited functions I went to with my father as a youth there was always a variety of meats (various bears, snakes, etc, etc) available. I don't know if this typical for that organization or whether the local group my father was a member of was an outlier.--droptone (talk) 17:35, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Free Editing Software

Helllo,

If I was looking for some free, good video and photo editing software what would be my best options? I know how to use photoshop and premiere but they are far too expensive, and I am not risking my new computer downloading some virus ridden torrent.

Thanks.

84.13.41.179 (talk) 17:27, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Free photo editing: GIMP. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:46, 10 June 2008 (UTC)