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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[1]). 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 [2]. 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[3] 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)

Yea, a "blonde brownie" does sound like somebody with brown hair who hair dyed it blonde. :-) StuRat (talk) 06:08, 11 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: [4]. 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 [5]. -- 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: [[6]] --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 [7]. --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 [8] 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)

Eight to nine dollars for good tutoring in mathematics is quite a deal, and you're probably only going to find that at a school's tutoring center. One small university in my city pays math tutors ten (US) dollars per hour; students receiving help, of course, don't pay anything outside the standard tuition and fees. I know this is not what you are looking for, but I mention it because my own rate is in the twenty- to thirty-dollar range, depending on the kind of help the student needs. My advice to you is to find archived video lessons, often posted by math teachers for their classes, or perhaps (if you're in the United States) check out the many courses offered on public access television. These courses don't provide interactivity for non-students, of course, but if you had any specific questions or problems, you could then bring those to the Reference Desk, where I'm sure people would be happy to help. You have to be aware that most qualified tutors have a million things to do, and eight dollars is not worth one hour of their time. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 20:21, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I know that 8-9 US dollars is not too much. I said that 8-9 would be cheap for me. I meant that I could pay more. The point is that in some places outside the US, 8-9 dollars can be a lot of money. Some people can live decently with that amount/day. That's why also I am searching online. GoingOnTracks (talk) 23:20, 11 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[9]. They also have a CV advice page[10]. There is also the government run site Jobcentre Plus, which lists vacancies here[11]. 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)

But doesn't a cover letter have to be specific to that job at that place? So how would I print lots of copies, especially as I'm just going to anywhere I can find and asking them, so until I do that I have no idea even where I'll be applying to.

I have no idea who to have as references. There's my old school and my current school, then that's it. the shop I worked in has gone, and I have no idea what happened to the guy that owned it. I really can't think of anyone else.

And do I just put the school, or is it someone at the school, connected to whatever i did there? Where I did A levels last year and a BTEC course this year, but both at the same place, could I have someone from each course on the list of references?

HS7 (talk) 15:22, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi again, no it doesn't have to be specific unless it's a specialty related to you (as in if you had training, then it applies). Your goal is to get a job, I take it any job for now. You are saying you're available to work so the letter format offered above looks good to me, with a line saying how much you'd like to start working soon. About school, someone usually signs on behalf of the principal, so you can ask them at the office of both schools, for a ref and take it from there and get a record of your levels. If you've worked at the shop, that's something concrete even if the shop's gone. Small businesses come and go, no reflection on you: retail experience, customer service, cash handling (if it applies)... Definitely include whichever institution for the course and the name of whoever ran it with records. Ask around the food chains – you never know what turns up. Julia Rossi (talk) 09:56, 13 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 [12] . 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. [13]. 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 [14]. -- 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)

But only one of them has the Springfield post office, and that's where anything addressed to "Springfield, WI" will go. --Carnildo (talk) 00:20, 11 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 [15]. 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: [16]. 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)

How about Nasser Hussain? Is he the Antichrist? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 08:57, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Nowhere in the New Teatament does Jesus even FART the word 'Hussein', never mind SAY it. He just preached love and forgiveness and occasionally went beserk in the market. He didn't predict anything or even talk about an anti-christ. That was John, who was stuck on an island going psychotic about Emperor Nero. Nothing to do with Barack Obama (whose grandmother incidentally, lives in England and is leaching off our social security system - bloody immigrants!).--ChokinBako (talk) 17:03, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Jesus didn't even say the word Hussein in the New Testament, much less the New Teatament. bibliomaniac15 17:12, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I really hope this was a joke question, please how can you be so nutty. And if you are serious, ill tell you a secret. There is NO omniscient God, thus there is no Christ, thus there is no Anti-Christ. So relax buddy. 137.111.130.108 (talk) 04:58, 12 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

Aye, well, the managers at Gatwick and Heathrow were never known for their organizational skills. Just look at the comic tragedy that T5 turned out to be! They couldn't organize a gang bang in a brothel, those guys!--ChokinBako (talk) 16:53, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

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)

Even if the creatures you put in your world have appeared in novels and stories before, it doesn't matter. There are elves in both Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings, but look how different they are. In the former, they are utterly slavish and docile, while in the latter they are proud and extremely egotistic. As long as you bring a different and unique flavour into your characters, it doesn't matter whether it's a talking mouse or an orphaned boy-wizard. Best of luck! 117.194.225.130 (talk) 07:27, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Not so long ago I read a piece by Terry Pratchett on this; it was in a printed compilation, and doesn't seem to be on the web, so I can't point you to it, and you'll have to rely on my memory for regurgitation. Anyway, on characters and plot devices, he mentions that they've all been done before, and will always be repeated (ie. there are always stories about elves, or time machines). But, they are merely ingredients, and good writers find new ways of mixing them, and occasionally add something new to the mix. Characterisation is as important in fantasy as in other genres: there is no excuse for cardboard characters. Let them live in your mind a bit, and you'll probably find they develop their own personalities and characteristics. Pratchett also pointed out that you need to know how your fantasy world works. Ask questions, such as how the magic is regulated, why the slipper only fit Cinderella, and no one else, and where werewolves get their clothes from. Fanatsy shoudl be taken seriously, he said. Also, read widely about the real world, its details and history; most of fantasy is the real world with a few tweaks and "what-ifs", and there are plots and devices everywhere. Enjoy your writing. Gwinva (talk) 08:31, 12 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)

Remember that the word carnival means "farewell to the flesh" -- it's just before the start of Lent, when you're supposed to repent for your sins. Someone must have decided that, if you were going to go to all that trouble, you might as well have some sins to repent for :-). --Trovatore (talk) 09:34, 11 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)

It is my humble opinion that, even given the excellent level of international play in the past decade or so, the worst NBA team in any given year could cruise its way through the Olympics on its way to a gold medal if (a) it did not have to play a full eighty-six-game season in the year leading up to the Summer Games and (b) it were allowed to spend some of that year in international competition. And those two considerations might not even be necessary. This is all conjecture, of course, as it would be for anyone offering an opinion, and therefore perhaps inappropriate for the Reference Desk. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 20:11, 11 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)

What do you mean by a "judge" on Jeopardy!? Corvus cornix_talk 18:01, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes, Alex Trebek needs to defer to a group of judges to determine whether a response is acceptable. I don't think you ever actually see or hear the judges on TV. Alex just reports their decisions and announces any necessary scoring changes. Zagalejo^^^ 18:49, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

You might find this interview with a former Jeopardy! writer interesting. -- Coneslayer (talk) 19:29, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Great read. Thanks! Zagalejo^^^ 20:09, 10 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)

In answer to the 100.00 Zimbabwean dollars question, according to this it is worth 0.334 cents US. But I doubt if you could actually get anyone in Zimbabwe (or probably anywhere else) to give you any amount of any stable currency for it. SpinningSpark 20:30, 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)

It appears that Kyosho made a diecast of the Legacy. One is currently for sale on ebay [17]. Librarians--Ask Us, We Answer!

Find your local Library here [18]

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)

No sense in trying to pretend the situation is anything other than what it is -- an inevitably uncomfortable introduction between strangers in a public space. If you can turn that from a disadvantage into an advantage, or make light in a way that is both poignant and entertaining, I suspect that would go a long way. There's no getting around the fact, though, that you're putting your butt on the line. She may already be with someone, she may hate strangers, she may not be attracted to you... or she might. You can only try. If she doesn't seem responsive, chalk it down as experience and move on. E^robson (T^alk) 19:52, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

See this pick-up line site for some pick-up lines that might be good and for a whole lot that will get your ass kicked. bibliomaniac15 19:53, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

If I were that girl, and we were in England, I would expect anything more than 'hi' at the very most to be intrusive and would feel uncomfortable. A simple nod would be more expected. If you tried to engage me in conversation, I would do my best to brush you off with curt answers or ignoring if possible. If you didn't get the hint, I'd walk away. If you still didn't get the hint I would have to react in a more socially unpleasant manner. This is all assuming we are strangers and there are no other factors (like something interesting or dangerous going on). So, in short, don't assume just because you see someone in a public space that they are fair game, even if they make eye contact. At the bar in a pub is different, but still be prepared to take the hint if she is trying to shrug you off. 79.74.56.70 (talk) 23:51, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Well that's rude, hope you don't have to deal with someone with that mentality GoingOnTracks. And if you get that, don't worry, there are friendly women out there, just keep looking. Chris M. (talk) 03:42, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes you have to be rude if you don't want people following you around. The first reactions would be absolutely polite, although going up to a stranger and trying to start a conversation when she's just trying to walk through a park is incredibly rude round here. As I say, the initial reaction would be to try to politely let the person know they have acted in an inappropriate way that is making me uncomfortable. If they don't get the hint, then you have to be rude. And it is hard to be rude, but the alternative is to have someone not leave you alone, potentially every time you pass them in future. I hope GoingOnTracks isn't surrounded by people who think like you Chris, because it will make it hard for him to learn appropriate behaviour around girls and he won't understand why things don't work out for him.

On the other hand, GoingOnTracks listed several different places in the hypothetical. In a pub, particularly at the bar, the rules are more relaxed (in England) and it would be appropriate to strike up a conversation with someone you made eye contact with. As always, pay attention to any clues that they want to stop the conversation, but you've got a good chance of getting to know someone, or at least having a nice conversation. Perhaps make a relevant comment about your surroundings, maybe saying "I like your hat/t-shirt/necklace/something else" or "Interesting choice" about their drink, or the decor, or anything you can see that's slightly unusual. These can serve as openers for conversation. 79.66.36.52 (talk) 15:15, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

I always ask "what's a girl like you doing in a nice place like this ?" ... then I duck. :-) StuRat (talk) 05:54, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

A few months ago guides to flirting on the subway were distributed on Toronto's TTC. It can be read online here and could offer some useful advice. - SimonP (talk) 16:05, 12 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)

Wasn't there an attempt to write this last year, too? Ah, yes. Here it is. — Lomn 20:21, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

This seems to happen quite often. I did some research on it a while ago, and, if I remember correctly, it's called summer.HS7 (talk) 14:54, 12 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)

Not to get too technical but you can't use carbon and get something that isn't carbon without nuclear fusion. It probably means taking CO₂ out of the air and putting it into a different form (which is difficult to do without using an amount of energy that would put out more C0₂ than you subtracted. -- Mad031683 (talk) 17:48, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Actually it's easy to do - plant a tree. DJ Clayworth (talk) 21:15, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

In such a case, you need to look at the entire product lifecycle. Papermaking, for example, is at best carbon-neutral: you plant forests that draw carbon out of the air, cut them down and turn them into paper, and the carbon is released back into the air when the paper decomposes or is burned. --Carnildo (talk) 00:29, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Funnily enough, probably the most efficient way to remove carbon from the carbon cycle, and thus decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide that can be produced, is to make asphalt - i.e. build more roads. (Although a bicycle path might be more "green".) Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 03:41, 12 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 [19] (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, one 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)

thanks for the input. much appreciated. will try it out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.120.148.36 (talk) 11:41, 12 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)

The Roman Empire did. Cooked chicken in a cooked duck/goose, in a cooked sheep/goat, in a cooked cow. Seen this on the History Channel recently. It had a documentary on that incl. Roman dietary habits. They also consumed exotic animals as well. 205.240.144.221 (talk) 18:47, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

I seem to recall John McPhee doing something like this—someone who has tried to eat all sorts of eclectic animals, knows others who do as well. I seem to recall him writing something in the New Yorker about this not too long ago. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 19:28, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Ah, here's what I was thinking about. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 19:30, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Apparently when Charles Darwin was at Cambridge there was an outfit called the "Glutton Club", which existed in order to eat rare and unusual creatures. Owls, hawks and, according to rumour, even a puma. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 23:10, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

There was a fictional movie based on this promising premise, called The Freshman (1990 film). StuRat (talk) 05:47, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Discover magazine mentions a New York group called the Gastronauts it describes as "a club for adventurous eaters". Clarityfiend (talk) 20:40, 12 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 or Paint.NET. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:46, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

As for video editing, in my experience, the free video editors are mostly not up to par, almost all having extremely difficult interfaces, and many of the more "simple" ones being too feature poor for real use. But you can take a look for yourself here: List of open source software packages#Video_editing. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:54, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

IrfanView is another good choice. Corvus cornix_talk 18:02, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

An intermediate choice is Adobe's "Elements" line, $~100 each. — Lomn 20:23, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks a lot, I may try some of these out, or if I can't find anything I like; gain the adobe software through less... *honorable* routes.84.13.41.179 (talk) 21:12, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Home Sales % Ranking by State

I'm looking for a list of which states are doing best/worst in the real estate market. Preferably one that includes all of the states, but basically I just want to know the percentages of home sales (relative to the population) each state had in 2007 or as current of a list you have.

Rachfeinberg (talk) 19:21, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

You can find the 2007 sales volume by state in this list. (I am linking Google's html cache because the source page would not display for me.) You can paste the numbers into Word if you want and then edit them to show only the 2007 totals. Insert an extra carriage return after each state's number, then perform a search and replace turning carriage returns into tabs. Perform a second search and replace turning double tabs into carriage returns. Save as a .txt file and then import this file into Excel. Download the Excel file from [http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html this Census page) and then cut and paste a column containing population estimates for each state into your file with sales volumes. (First check to make sure that both columns have the District of Columbia in the same place so that you can adjust as needed.) Then you can create a formula in the third column expressing the sales volume as a percentage of each state's 2007 estimated population.

I'm not sure how much this number will tell you. State A might have a higher per capita sales volume than State B but still have a more depressed real estate market if that sales volume is substantially lower than in previous years while State A's sales volume is similar to those of previous years. Different states have different rates of mobility and home ownership, which would make a comparison of these raw numbers difficult. Marco polo (talk) 20:41, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Coal to Oil

Does it take a special gas tank if you used the coal to oil? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.126.243.106 (talk) 21:45, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Are you asking "what modifications would be needed to an automobile designed to run on oil derived from coal (versus traditional gasoline) ?". StuRat (talk) 05:39, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I can't figure out this question either. However, you definitely should not put either coal or oil into a gas tank.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:02, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Article Location

I'm looking for an article I found a while back that listed a whole bunch of English words derived from Germanic languages and their Latin-derived counterparts. I can't find it anymore. Any help? --Russoc4 (talk) 22:39, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

List of Germanic and Latinate equivalents in English? Adam Bishop (talk) 23:50, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

was cap anson jewish?

I think that cap anson a famous baseball player from long ago was jewish. i want to clarify. can anyone help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cocoster (talk • contribs) 23:01, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

The article Cap Anson doesn't mention it. A google search for "Cap Anson Jewish" gave me nothing, and Anson, the article about the surname, doesn't seem to list any Jewish people. Are you sure you aren't thinking of someone else? Fribbler (talk) 23:13, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

If he were Jewish, wouldn't he have been called "Skullcap" Anson? Clarityfiend (talk) 15:59, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

How much sugar in a day?

I am just wondering; Does anyone know what the normal amount of sugar that should be consumed in a day is? When you look at the Nutrition Facts on food, it tells you the amount of carbohydrates, fat, sodium, etc. and the percentage that amount is out of how much you should have in a day. However, there is no percentage for sugar. Diabeties runs in my family, so I am somewhat concerned. Thank You! Grango242 (talk) 23:36, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

According to this, simple sugars should be 10% of your diet. With a 2000 Calorie diet, that's 200 C, or 50 grams (can someone confirm that?). If diabetes runs in your family, it never hurts to go lower. Paragon12321 (talk) 23:53, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

That sounds like a reasonable maximum. I don't see any need for a minimum amount of sugar, however, as our bodies can easily convert complex carbs (starches), as well as other calorie sources, into simple carbs (sugars). StuRat (talk) 05:33, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Metacafe earnings

Metacafe pays you after your videos reach the mark of 20.000. How difficult is to reach this amount? GoingOnTracks (talk) 23:40, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

June 11

The Dreadful X Nightmare

Good evening. I am going crazy. I'm about to destroy my Xbox 360. Why didn't Microsoft make the system completely backwards compatible, you know like the Playstation 2? Why did they have to do it the way they did it? I've read the games that are backwards compatible for the Xbox 360, why are half of them lame games like James Bond, ugh I wouldn't play that game that is why I didn't buy it(movie based games are always the worse)? Not only that, but the games that I can play on the Xbox 360 don't work properly. It's slower, the audio screws up and makes strange static sounds(like the audio is farting), and when I play Fable parts of the level are missing, I get map face so the face of Albion is on my character, and the loading time is horrible. All the games that I can play on the Xbox 360 that were originally on the Xbox are slow, laggy, and don't load properly. Thank you for taking your time with my questions. I appreciate it. I'm sorry if my questions are mixed in with a rant, but frustration is getting to me (sometimes that even happens to me.) Have a postively wonderful evening.Rem Nightfall (talk) 00:57, 11 June 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Possible answers include:

• Microsoft needed to shift processor architectures. That makes true compatibility difficult (xbox emulation is done via software)
• There's enough compatibility to provide a selling point
• There's no significant money in full compatibility beyond said selling point

If you really want to be playing these original xbox games, though, the solution seems clear -- haul out an xbox. — Lomn 05:03, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't have that option. My Xbox is a tard. Morrowind doesn't work. Every time I am at the menu that says press start. I press start and nothing works. I play Munch's Odyssey on my Xbox and my characters are stiff and don't move while I move the analog. I press button nothing happens. Menu screen doesn't work either. My Xbox doesn't like me and obviously neither does my Xbox 360Rem Nightfall (talk) 06:22, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

So get another. Gen-1 Xboxes are cheap. — Lomn 15:26, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

My paycheck is coming in soon. I won't have enough even for the cheap Xbox. I'll just buy what I can of Xbox 360 games. I have few Xbox 360 games, but non impressed me much. Halo 3 was awesome though. Gears of War wasn't as good as people said. Sonic the Hedgehog was just lame. Project Gotham Racing is okay, not my style of cars games. Beautiful Katamari Damashi is fun, but it's very difficult, time runs fast in that game and its hard to find the things they ask you for. All I am saying is that I wish the Xbox 360 was backwards compatible like the Playstation 2. It would have made things more convenient for me and I bet a lot of other people who want to play Xbox games without using an Xbox.Rem Nightfall (talk) 18:18, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

The problem is software emulation, really. For example, the 80GB PS3s use software emulation, so it's now running less PS2 games than the 20GB or the 60GB versions, which had hardware support. This was done to cut production costs. However, did you ever consider a) selling your XBox 360 if you don't really like it, and buying an XBox instead, or b) going with something like GameFly so you can afford to play more XBox 360 games at a cheaper upfront cost? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:25, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

auto radiator fluid levels - how does it affect the radiator/thermostat/water pump?

Hello - could someone please explain how the level of radiator fluid in an automobile (modern) affects the way the radiator, thermostat and water pump function? Specifically, I am wondering how having a low level of radiator fluid affects the way the car functions. Thank you! Lou211 (talk) 03:00, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

A couple of thoughts occur. Like any physical stuff, radiator coolant has a specific heat capacity. The radiator has a specific range of heat exchange efficiencies (depending on ambient temperature, speed of air-flow, &c). The water pump moves water at a specific velocity. Diminishing the amount of coolant in the system diminishes the heat carrying capacity of the system, all other things being equal. Think of it this way: the system is designed to ensure that hot coolant stays in the radiator for a long enough time to ensure that its temperature drops sufficiently; the risk with insufficient coolant is that that the water is recirculated to the engine block before it has sufficiently cooled. The effect is, mainly, seen in the system, not in a specific component of the system. The radiator continues to radiate (albeit if there is a sufficient insufficiency of coolant, the radiator may work less efficiently since coolant will not be in contact with the maximum colling surface available). The thermostat stays open, variously, longer or wider than it otherwise would. The water pump thinks to itself, gee, it's hot; but I guess I'll keep on pumping. The engine block gets warmer than it otherwise would. The cooling fan is engaged for longer that it otherwise would be. So. though one was the system effect. Thought two is the possibility of introducing air-locks into the system. These can be fatal to the engine in that they can disrupt entirely the circulation of coolant, and cease the transport of heat away from specific spots, which thus increase in temperature to the point that a mechanical failure - typically a blown gasket - occurs. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:36, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

At a low-enough fill level, you'll probably find that the water pump is no longer being fed a steady diet of liquid water but is receiving a gas/liquid admixture. Through processes such as cavitation, this is very bad for the impeller in the pump. And if it pumps this mixture into the engine, as Tagishsimon observes, there won't be enough specific heat cpacity in the gas/liquid mixture to remove the required heat from the engine. Things then go very bad vey rapidly.

Atlant (talk) 12:48, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

How do libraries clean/wash books?

Hi - I heard a friend mention that our local library washes books to increase their shelf life. Where can I find that information? I have my own small private library and would like to understand what is involved in maintaining books over a long period of time. Omer (talk) 05:11, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Er, why not go to the library and ask them if they do anything like that? It's not as if they'd want to keep it secret. But having said that, I've never heard of such a thing myself. --Anonymous, 06:24 UTC, June 11, 2008.

Ummm.... won't washing books ruin them more than save them?? I mean, the pages are bound to get soggy, and even after drying them, the pages will become crinkled and puffy, and the book will look much more disagreeable, don't you think? I personally feel that it's hogwash, or someone's been pulling your leg.Aanusha Ghosh (talk) 07:04, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Books are difficult to clean, but keeping them behind glass helps to stop dust settling in the first place. In our archive/library we also have a dehumidifier running all the time to reduce the risk of mould. One problem with vacuuming them is that this can actually help to spread mould spores. Here are details of a book cleaning machine for use in libraries.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:41, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Original Research Alert but my wife, a librarian of 25 years and veteran of floods, says no way. Libraries throw out dirty books and replace them. For the conservation of rare books see Preservation (library and archival science) and conservation. Shelving books behind glass is good, it controls exposure to dust, moisture, temperature etc. For comics, newsprint etc Acid-free paper folders, boxes, envelopes etc are desirable. Mhicaoidh (talk) 10:46, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Washing might only mean wiping the library's plastic covers on the books. Otherwise books and moisture don't mix. Maybe the word you want is "cleaning"? Julia Rossi (talk) 12:07, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with most of the comments here. It's very labor-intensive to clean books, so a library would never bother with a book they could just replace. Only valuable books that can't be replaced would be cleaned. There are many methods used, depending on the material used for the pages, ink, binding, and cover. A typical technique might be to remove the binding, seperate the pages, go over each with a brush, repair any damage, then rebind the book, possibly with a replacement cover. Of course, nobody will do this with a Harry Potter book, they'll just order a new one, and hopefully give the old, worn copy to someone who will appreciate it. StuRat (talk) 15:55, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I also wouldn't take the word too literally. "Wash" in this case might very well be a bit of specialized jargon referring to a process that has little or no resemblance to washing your hands, your dishes, or your car (and may not even involve liquids). That's just a guess though. --Prestidigitator (talk) 16:44, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks folks for all your time. This is all good and important info for me! I'll also go over the links for preservation and conservation to understand what those processes entail. Some of my books are indeed too difficult or expensive to replace. Omer (talk) 06:57, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

There is also electrostatic dusting. WikiHow explains how to use liquid compounds; see here for more details. BrainyBabe (talk) 15:23, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Raw Fish in Cast Away

In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks is depicted eating raw fish (he actually puts one in his mouth). Did he really eat it, or was it some kind of a movie trick?? Aanusha Ghosh (talk) 07:01, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure if Tom hanks actually ate the fish (I suspect not), but eating fish/bugs/little things whole like that seems to be standard issue in a series by a guy called Bear Gryls or something. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 07:52, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Maybe someone steamed it for him first, or maybe he spat it out afterwards. However, lots of people (and lots of animals, including bears) eat raw fish. Yummy!--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:55, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Raw fish is a very common dish in the South Pacific, usually marinated in coconut milk (Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii), but also common in variations on what is called in Japan, sashimi. Many ship wreckee's have lived off it, such as Rose Noelle. Not much in the article, but it was a staple for them. Mhicaoidh (talk) 09:53, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Two problems here. Hawaii is NOT in the South Pacific, AND if fish was 'marinated' in coconut milk, it would not be raw, would it?--ChokinBako (talk) 16:42, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Check out sashimi Richard Avery (talk) 15:21, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Good day. 196, you are absolutely correct Bear Gryls does eat raw fish and an assorted variety of other meats. The latest episode he ate an eyeball. And the eyeball juices came out of his mouth. It was pretty awesome. If you are into those things and want to watch Bear eat nasty food, it will turn your stomach sometimes, watch Man v.s. Wild. That show has its sheer value of grossness. I doubt that Tom Hanks ate a real raw fish. I hope I have helped. Have a positively wonderful day. Rem Nightfall (talk) 15:36, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

If the actor in Oldboy can eat 4 raw squids, I'm sure Tom Hanks can manage a fish. Recury (talk) 19:45, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I'm just saying. Since I notice a lot of American actors was wussies when it comes to things. They have to have stunt doubles.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:19, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I am not sure what you mean by "a lot of actors are wussies," but don't you think it was more of a threat to the actor's health to lose all that weight and then to pack it back on? If an actor would do THAT for a film role, why wouldn't he eat a few pieces of raw fish, which, depending on the fish, can be absolutely freaking delicious? I don't know much about Tom Hanks personally, but he seems like the kind of guy who might dine in a Japanese restaurant once in a while, or who might travel to Hawaii on occasion. Not only is the consumption of raw fish not unusual in such places, it is held in such high regard as to be the kind of thing one sees at gatherings, parties, and special occasions. On New Year's Eve in Hawaii, demand for sashimi-grade ahi is so high that it typically drives prices up to $25 per pound (and we're not talking Zimbabwe dollars). The suggestion that to eat raw fish requires non-wussiness is preposterous. Most people I know pay a hefty price for the privilege. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 22:14, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry. I sounded a bit rude and I shouldn't have said that. Or should have phrased it better. I'm saying most actors are wussies. I guess Tom Hanks would do it, but I don't know many actors. Since I'm pretty isolated when it comes to "idol" stuff. The reason I say they are wusses is not because they wouldn't eat raw fish, but how easily they are seduced into socialism. Most actors follow socialism. If you are woman you have to make yourself thin to beautiful and if your a man you have be tough. In a society like that I have a hard time believing that they are able to explore somethinge exotic. And if they do explore the exotic it might be because of peer pressure. It seems to me that a lot of actors are seduced into societies negative views. Or it seems that way. I wouldn't know I am not an actor. I'm just some kid who lives in a ranch and passes boredom everyday.Rem Nightfall (talk) 22:28, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I just watched that scene again, and he actually puts a tiny live wriggling fish in his mouth, chews it and then grimaces, saying "Eww". 117.194.225.130 (talk) 07:21, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Apropos nothing in particular, here's Andy Serkis ("Gollum") describing how his similar trick was done in LOTR: [20].

Atlant (talk) 12:36, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

What is a "Timber Tom (or Tomb)"?

I am doing some process documentation, and have come across the words timber tom. I think it is a reference to a piece of timber that is cut to size to prop up something or brace something. I am very widely read and also a great handyman, but have not come across this terminology before. The use of the word is accepted in the department I am currently working in, but nobody can give me a correct spelling of the word or the correct variations of parsing - that is, something can be "tommed", but how do I spell it correctly? Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. Fido37 (talk) 07:17, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi, I am in the same industry in the southern hemisphere and have heard the term too, but am equally vague. I thought that to "tom" something was to insert a true perpendicular post for others to follow. A quick google shows nothing but Im keenly following it up."Thom" might be another possible spelling. Mhicaoidh (talk) 10:01, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Nothing in the online OED providing obvious support in this context for Tom, Tomb, or Thom. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:18, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Afaik, it's a "tom" – a long metal pole with an adjustable (screw action) piece on one or both ends. It's used to prop up part of a building as a temporary support – such as a wooden balcony cross beam until the timber column can be installed. Can't find it on google for all the tom cruise hits that turn up. Julia Rossi (talk) 12:27, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I've never heard of an acro-prop being called a tom. --Tagishsimon (talk) 13:01, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Do you live in Australia? Carpenter-builder types use the term. Is it a pet-name? I don't know. The pop-up dictionary doesn't have it but what it does have is a variation on the parsing of the word tom, which is to do with Uncle Tom aspersions, so quite different. Carpenter use seems to be afaik, the noun. Julia Rossi (talk) 07:37, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

How to deal

I made the stupid stupid move of having sex five weeks ago whilst very drunk (No excuse I know) I later asked the guy if we used protection and he said no. And now, I think I'm pregnant. I am two weeks late,and also have some random symptoms going on..... my boobs are bloody massive,and I'm so exhausted for no reason. I'm so scared. I'm only 21 and am planning a career and life and now this?? I know it's my fault, but I just don't know what steps to take. Re: telling him? getting an abortion? How does it all work? Any advice on any of these things, or any stories of how you handled it would be so appreciated. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shrinker32 (talk • contribs) 09:09, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

This is a difficult situation and not really the kind of question you would ask on the Wikipedia Reference Desk, but I'll try and give a few pointers. First step would be to confirm that you're actually pregnant - get a pregnancy test kit from a pharmacy or your doctor, several medical conditions can give similar symptoms to pregnancy. If the pregnancy is confirmed, the next step is personal - depending on your relationship with the man you had sex with, you may wish to discuss it with him. Discussing with people you trust (friends, family) will also be helpful, as they may give you a different perspective on the matter. For abortions, consult your doctor, but do it soon, depending on where you live abortions may be difficult / time-consuming / expensive to obtain. It certainly never hurts to ask your doctor about your options, bearing in mind any moral issues or beliefs you may have about the issue. Organisations such as Planned Parenthood (or your local equivalent) can also provide you with advice if you don't know who else to turn to. In short, talk to people you trust, and don't bottle it up; accidents happen to the best of us. Best of luck. — QuantumEleven 09:50, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Good pointers Quantumeleven. Richard Avery (talk) 15:18, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with the above. You need to talk to someone, ideally face to face or at least on the phone, who can help you sort through your options. Best of all would be someone who knows you, i.e. your family and friends, but if you feel you cannot approach them, or you fear their reactions, then there are other sources that are set up not to judge but to inform and support. Are you at a college or university? Their counsellors and health service staff have seen it all before. If they try to fob you off with an appointment in a couple of weeks' time, tell the receptionist why your need is urgent. If you are in Britain, an equivalent to Planned Parenthood is BPAS, formerly the British Pregnancy Advisory Service; another option is Marie Stopes International, which has an anonymous chatroom on its website. Be careful of ads for agencies that promise free pregnancy tests and a chat: often these are organisations that lobby against abortions and they may pressure you to go through with the pregnancy. On the other hand, don't forget that adoption is also a possibility. And don't be too sure that you really are pregnant: your own self-castigation at the unprotected sex might be enough to trigger the symptoms (see phantom pregnancy). But, you are right, you may well be, so find out quickly and deal with it, with the help of others. Good luck! BrainyBabe (talk) 15:18, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Travel -Cape Town to Cairo, some questions.

Hi, I'm planning a trip, overland, from Cape Town to Cairo and i have quite a lot of questions as I'm not an experienced traveler. Firstly, if any one could suggest the best time for me to start the trip it would be useful as I'm not sure how to coordinate it around the rainy seasons. I hope to spend around a month in each country on the way up, apart from Egypt and the Sudan, which i'm sure means that i can't avoid them in at least some places. Second I would like to know if it is safe to travel through the northern area of Sudan across the Ethiopian border. And if not how else would i reach Egypt without using planes? Thirdly, what is the protocol for obtaining visas on the way up? Can i get them in advance? Also, what sort of jabs will i need and if i got them at the beginning would they continue to be effective throughout the 8/9 months that i plan to spend in Africa?

If anyone could help with any of these questions i would really appreciate it as it is a bit daunting trying get everything planned.

Cheers —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.96.161.104 (talk) 10:39, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I'd say you should plot the route first, as that will give you some insight into when you need to avoid hot weather (say when passing through desert areas) and when you need to avoid rainy weather (as when passing through areas where the roads wash out when it rains). There are several dangerous areas between those two points to avoid, such as the genocide region of Western Sudan (Darfur) which has now spread into Eastern Chad. I'd also avoid Zimbabwe, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea. So, this leaves you with a possible route following the Western nations up to the Equator, then maybe going through Western Chad and Southern Libya to get to Egypt. You would be going through some 7 nations, so you'd need to check the requirements for each nation (passport, vaccinations, permission to enter, etc.). Also, are you dead set on driving yourself, or would you consider taking trains and/or buses ? That might be quite a bit easier and safer. StuRat (talk) 15:25, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Also, even if it's possible to safely travel through Sudan, I'd personally feel quite badly about myself if I provided them with tourism dollars whilst they were engaging in genocide against their minorities in Darfur. StuRat (talk) 15:45, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Most visas require that you enter the destination country within 3 months, so if you are planning on travelling for 9 months you will need to apply for visas in the countries you happen to be in at the time. AS for jabs, you should ask your GP. He'll know more than anyone else what is needed. Malaria and Hep B are the only two that come to my mind, but you will most certainly need more than that.--ChokinBako (talk) 16:34, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

If you have a problem with supplying the local militias with 'dollars', just print your own money and use that. They will never know the difference at the local shops and restaurants. To get past the counterfeit currency laws, print clearly at the bottom in Russian or some other language they won't understand 'This is toy money'. It worked for me in Vietnam.--ChokinBako (talk) 17:38, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

That's the stupidest thing I've read in a long while. Passing counterfiet money is a serious offence in every country and in most cases attracts a lengthy prison sentence (or worse) if caught. Many countries on your proposed route, have poor standards of human rights and have records of torture and murder of crime suspects. The last thing you want to happen on a visit to any foreign country is to attract the attention of the police by comitting serious crimes. Astronaut (talk) 18:34, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

That's quite a trip for an inexperienced traveller. I have visited both Egypt and South Africa, though I have not travelled between the two. Apart from the high crime rate, the travel experience in South Africa is much like it is in Europe or the USA. In Egypt, I have traveled by train from Cairo to Alexandria and found Egyptian railways to be fast and efficient. I was also hoping to travel by car or train from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan, but was very much discouraged by the travel company who said they could not recommend anything other than flying (though this was just a year after the 1997 Luxor massacre). My travel guide book also suggested that train tickets were hard to get due to official policy to discourage western tourists from train travel. However, I have since read that such train travel is now once again possible.

Zimbabwe has severe economic problems and current political strife. In Sudan, I believe there is a train (but no road) from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa and a ferry running from Wadi Halfa to the Aswan Dam, which both operate on an irregular schedule and are sometimes inexplicably delayed for days at a time. However, both services might be indefinitely suspended due to the situation in Darfur. That said, I came across our Cairo-Cape Town Highway article and the related Trans-African Highway network, so maybe it might be a bit easier than I imagined. Two other sources you might find interesting are the TV documentaries Pole to Pole and Long Way Down. Astronaut (talk) 19:31, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I would not recommend attempting to travel through countries along Africa's Atlantic coast. Many roads in Angola are virtually impassable. Roads are also very poor through both Congos, and both Congos are subject to sporadic unrest. Likewise, Chad is very politically unstable now. If you want to avoid Zimbabwe, which is also quite troubled and economically desperate, it is possible to travel from South Africa through Mozambique and Malawi to Tanzania, where you can rejoin the main Cairo to Cape Town route. The roads in these countries can be rough, and some of them become impassable during the rainy season, which in this region is roughly November through March. So if you are starting in South Africa, you might want to start in September or October. There is no way to avoid crossing the intertropical convergence zone (ITZ) and its rains at some point on your trip. If you are traveling north while a weakened ITZ is moving south, and if you can plan to pass this belt along better roads, you will minimize delays. If you leave South Africa in late July or early August, you should reach northern Kenya by late September, before the ITZ passes over. You can take advantage of paved roads from here to northern Ethiopia, which will by this time be north of the ITZ and therefore dry. You can find an account of this route at this website. Marco polo (talk) 00:42, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

This is indeed a serious trip for an inexperienced traveller. You don't say if you will be travelling with other people and what experience they have. I concur with most of the advice above (except passing fake currency: STUPID and immoral too ) but would suggest that your GP or family doctor might (depending on where you live and their expertise)not have all the relevant info on immunisations and prophylaxis, especially important for malaria. There are commercial travel clinics that specialise in these matters.

More broadly, I suggest you have a look at our sister projects Wikitravel and Wikihow, specifically on Africa and on solo travel. Good luck! BrainyBabe (talk) 14:51, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Safety signs

Does anyone know where I can download safety/warning signs, free, in EPS format? Thanks. ╟─TreasuryTag (talk ╬ contribs)─╢ 16:39, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Our hazard symbol article links to [21]. Unfortunately they're only free as in beer - you're only allowed to use them in technical documents. The AEM Pictoral Database here looks pretty good. You can see the full list of their symbols here. Are there any signs/symbols you're specifically looking for? — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 09:31, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Sex With Aliens

Considering bestiality is illegal in most places (besides New Zealand, Australia, Wales, and certain southern states of America), would you not be arrested if you claimed to have had sex with an alien. After all, they are not 'human'. At best you should be stuck in a mental hospital, but if it was actually true, wouldn't it be a criminal offence?--ChokinBako (talk) 17:13, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

You got something against Mexicans? But seriously, it's unlikely anybody has actually enacted any laws against it. Maybe with the alien's pet ghorzmat? Clarityfiend (talk) 17:34, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Good day. First off, haven't you seen an alien their eyes are always filled with love. Okay Ill put that aside. I am sure if there are aliens and we had sex with them their wouldn't be a law against it. If you think about aliens are foreign they may come from another planet, but they are still foreign. When the Spanish went to Argentina the Spanish having sex with the other Spanish didn't provide children because they wasn't enough oxygen in the thin mountain air. The Spanish had sex with an Argentina and they had children. There are no laws against having sex with a foreigner. And maybe our children might gain some abilities of the aliens. Like breathing toxic gases and living in thinner atmosphere. Who knows. Most foreign sex is for the breeding quality. I hope I have helped. I hope my information was to confusing. Have a positively wonderful day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 18:14, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

...didn't provide children because they wasn't enough oxygen in the thin mountain air. I would love to see a ref or source for that. Sounds strange. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 19:05, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Claiming to have had sex with an alien is, at least in America, not evidence that sex has been had. If somehow evidence could be brought against someone for having sex with an alien, everything depends on the wording of the law, of course. Having sex with a non-human simply cannot be, all by itself, bestiality. People have sex all the time with certain sexual implements, completely absent the presence or involvement of another human. My feeling is that the spirit of bestiality laws is that animals, even when seemingly willing, are not prescient partners capable of giving legal consent. If I'm right, it would all depend on what the alien life forms were like. I mean, if the alien in question were Kim Basinger, for example, I'm thinking it would be difficult for the state to prove the alien were exploited against its wishes or otherwise ignorantly taken advantage of. If, on the other hand, the alien were more like a Tribble, a case might possibly be made. Good luck in your pursuits, and let us know how it works out for you. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 19:56, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Good day 200.127. My source is a documentary called BBC-Earth, The Power of the Planet. It talks about the four main systems that sustain life, create life, and help life. It's the episode of the atmosphere. I've watched the episode of volcanoes and atmosphere. And that is what they said when in the Argentina mountains.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:18, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

If you have the staying power for a long article, this scholarly piece should enlighten on the high altitude hijinks that were less than fruitful. Fribbler (talk) 23:25, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Rumble packs

Have any studies been done on the use of video game rumble packs as masturbatory aids? Is it common practice, percentage of people who have tried it? Any info would be appreciated. Kackers (talk) 19:17, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Rez is somewhat infamous for this. --Carnildo (talk) 22:12, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Good evening. I don't know if there are studies in video game rumble packs as masturbatory aids, but I am sure if there aren't you could do the study. I'm sure its a common practice I've heard some kids at school say they use their phone vibration as masturbatory aid. I think it might be a more common practice for the game geek. You know the guy who lives with his mother, who does nothing, but plays video games watches anime. The guy who kinda gives cute girls creepy smiles. Has a strange fantasy for Kasumi from Dead or Alive and whenever he see her celebrates with his game rumble pack. Anyway that was to much description, but I have always had the image in my head whenever I hear rumble pack being used for masturbation. I hope I have helped or at least gave you some words to read. Have a wonderful evening and good luck on that study.Rem Nightfall (talk) 22:33, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Really? Because like Carnildo, I tend to think of Rez, although I believe it's better for females than males. I always thought it a poor marketing decision by Microsoft not to reproduce the infamous Rez vibrator for their XBox port. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 03:33, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

But... but... three extra controllers! — Lomn 18:06, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Here is a review of Rez with pictures D0762 (talk) 10:32, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

June 12

Chocolate and Coffee

Are there any northern varieties of plants used to make chocolate and coffee? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 00:04, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Chicory was used as a coffee substitute during World War II. Though by all accounts it wasn't very nice. (If this what you mean by northern varieties i.e. plants that can grow in cooler climes). Fribbler (talk) 00:13, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Chicory was also used as a (partial) coffee substitute in the UK during a time of high coffee prices in the eighties. And no, it doesn't taste very nice. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:49, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Depending what you mean by "cooler climes", you could also look at carob tree. Grutness...wha? 06:04, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

UPI reports Hostile UFO Attack

Where can this be placed? In this, the UPI said that a Romanian fighter plane was hit by UFOs. This is all over the place.

Where can this be placed ? 65.173.104.109 (talk) 02:51, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

I cannot place this in the Romanian article at all. It is protected with a View Source indicating that I can't place it. 65.173.104.109 (talk) 02:54, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

I cannot place this in any realevent article at all. They're all protected. 65.173.104.109 (talk) 03:18, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

By the way. This is a GREAT website. 65.173.104.109 (talk) 03:21, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Here's the simple answer - it doesn't belong on Wikipedia. It's a single news item that certainly doesn't belong in an article on Romania, or jet fighters, and probably not even UFOs. If you can find a few reliable, independent sources for it, you might be able to get it an article on Wikinews. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 03:31, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Hello there, UPI is United Press International. Same as the Associated Press - AP. 65.173.104.109 (talk) 03:37, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

The Romanian govt. NOT a reliable source ?! 65.173.104.109 (talk) 03:40, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Given that UPI has filed it under their 'odd news' category, it seems that they are taking it with an appropriate level of skepticism. Also, the phrase 'unidentified flying object' means 'something we can't identify flying through the air'—not 'little green men'. It appears that the entire story is "A military jet crashed after a an apparent collision with an object or objects that have not yet been identified." TenOfAllTrades(talk) 05:03, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Hah! Could have been frozen wastes dumped from a restroom on a high-flying jetliner for all we know. Clarityfiend (talk) 06:00, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Just to be clear what has been reported is that two planes hit airborne objects that have not (yet) been identified. The press called them "unidentified flying objects" which is technically true but conjures up pictures of flying saucers (if nothing else the objects were presumably a good deal smaller than your typical flying saucer since the planes survived). Nothing, even in what is reported, indicates a "hostile alien attack". I agree that the answer to "where does this belong on Wikipedia" is "nowhere" unless evidence comes to light that this is more than just an object impact. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:47, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Wikinews on UFO Incident

Seen this on WikiNews. they have more info on this matter, incl. another website. Looks we may have a major UFO incident since Captain Mantell was allegedly killed by a UFO in 1947. 65.173.104.109 (talk) 20:55, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

• 1947: Captain Mantell allegedly killed by a hostile UFO
• 2008: UFO attacks Romanian fighter plane —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.173.104.109 (talk) 21:02, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

65.173.104.109 (talk) 21:02, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

prostitution network

There seems to be a form of prostitution I could not find in any of the Wikipedia articles (save possibly the article on groupies) that is based on an informal network of girls who stay with one guy for awhile and will then move on to another guy connected to the network. Unlike street prostitution or escort services this type of prostitution operates on the basis of girls having all of their expenses paid plus spending money and is more like a normal relationship that a real boyfriend and girlfriend or married couple might have. Elvis is said to have been connected with such networks (in addition to the groupies or or "road wifes" most musicians have) and had relations with well over 4,000 of these girls. These girls only provide services for the client they are with while they are with them and their clients are their Johns rather than being their pimps. Is there an article that describes such networks in detail? -- Taxa (talk) 03:09, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

There does not seem to be such an article. You are welcome to create such an article as soon as you find some reliable sources to satisfy the requirement for verifiability. It really sounds like someone's fantasy. Edison (talk) 04:09, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

At the moment my knowledge is limited to public nodes such as strip clubs rather than private nodes such as the Hilton ranch, etc. -- Taxa (talk) 05:05, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Has mininova been hacked?

Loads of torrents on mininova.org are reporting 640 seeds, when yesterday they had only a few. What the hell is going on? They can't all be a conensidence with having exactly 640 seeds. Is the government involved? Dozendough (talk) 11:25, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

More likely to be these guys. Fribbler (talk) 14:43, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Apparently it was caused by a server problem D0762 (talk) 17:15, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Recent sexual activity

It is obviously possible for a medical examination to determine whether a woman has had sex recently; we often hear about this kind of forensic testing in crime investigations. But it is similarly possible for an examination to determine whether a man has ejaculated recently? And would such an examination be able to determine whether it resulted from intercourse or masturbation? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:17, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

There is a lot of information here on what procedures are involved in forensic examination of the male genitalia in various situations. Fribbler (talk) 12:56, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

It is not always possible for a medical examination to determine whether a woman has had sex recently. The "obviousness" referred to is presumably the presence of semen in the vagina or rectum. In many sorts of sexual activity this does not occur -- most commonly, because of the use of a condom. BrainyBabe (talk) 15:30, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Orange

Hi whats that song that is on the UK orange phone network TV advert? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.197.223.177 (talk) 12:45, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

What song? What advert? How does it go? What is the lyric? Can you post a clip, or a link to one? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:50, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Is it among any of these? Fribbler (talk) 12:51, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Battersea Power Station

I have purchased prints of the power station the last couple of years and am looking for new site to go to so as to purchase more prints / photos of the power station. I have some real great pictures from a pro photographer but would like to see if there are others who have some for sale. Always loved this building and have sent over support as to seeing it stay up, with the right renovation it can be a beautiful area to go to. We have a similar area in Boston Mass. USA on the waterfront. All shops, areas to sit and look out, parks and nice condo's. Hope they respect this building and do the same.

---thanks - bob —Preceding unsigned comment added by 153.103.190.11 (talk) 13:40, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

There's a few nice ones available to buy here. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:48, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

excellent - thanks - if any others pop up will very much appriciate it - thanks again - —Preceding unsigned comment added by 153.103.190.11 (talk) 13:56, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Bob, as a fellow Bostonian, I am curious which part of the Boston waterfront you think compares with the Battersea Power Station? Marco polo (talk) 20:30, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

M'alayah

Where can I get music for m'alayah dance, the common dance in UAE? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.30.202.29 (talk) 14:27, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Airport security

Why is airport security so over-the-top tight? I recently read about a British man being refused entry to a plane to Düsseldorf because he was wearing a T-shirt showing a picture of a Transformers robot with a gun. A picture! The same story said that a few months earlier, some Canadian person was refused entry to a plane because he/she was wearing a necklace with a very small gun-shaped pendant. What are the security personnel thinking? Do they seriously think the man would start shooting people with a picture of a gun? I have a hard time believing they could be that stupid. Is it then because they think other passengers would get upset and anxious after seeing a picture of a gun? But the other passengers can't be that stupid either, and the personnel must know that. So are they merely being strict for the sake of being strict, like we say in Finland, "reading the rules like the Devil reads the Bible"? Are they knowingly enforcing farcical rules, thinking "well, if you ask me, that guy is all OK, but we were told that we must forbid anything that could even evoke the most remote thought about a gun, so we'll forbid it"? And are they enjoying this, or just obeying orders? JIP | Talk 16:29, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

At a personal security guard level, the motivation naturally varies. At a more institutional level, it's hard to say -- there's presumably a large belief that the regulations enhance security somehow, but some of the regulations seem quite pointless. The whole thing is complicated by the inability to prove deterrence -- is the lack of a successful repeat of 9/11-style hijackings a result of new security or simply that no reasonable attempts have been made? The general public has no way to know.

On a personal note, the only time I've felt airport security to be particularly onerous was a flight from Amsterdam to the States some 10 hours after the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot became known. All passengers were individually (though politely) interrogated before being permitted to board. — Lomn 18:04, 12 June 2008 (UTC)