Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

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

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

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

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

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

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

January 18

Bread Rising Problems

A quick query about bread, my dad and I are trying to become amateur bakers in our spare time. We've tried several different recipes, the most recent of which is posted below, for bread, but we can't seem to make it rise. The recipe was:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm (110 degeres) water

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 cups rye flour

1 tablespoon salt

Enough hot water to create a stiff batter.

We tried making it twice, the second time with two packets of yeast, giving time for the yeast to rise, and giving time for the bread itself to rise. Neither time worked; does anyone have any insight as to why this might be happening? —Preceding unsigned comment added by OMGTANGERINES (talk • contribs) 03:37, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Our yeast article says

"Yeasts will grow over a temperature range 10 °C (50 °F) to 37 °C (99 °F), with an optimal temperature range of 30 °C (86 °F) to 37 °C (99 °F), depending on the type of species (S. cerevisiae works best at about 30 °C (86 °F). Above 37 °C (99 °F) yeast cells become stressed and will not divide properly".

If your water is at 110°F you may be harming your chances. I'd also be a little concerned about the amount of salt - salt slows down the division process. However salt is a matter of taste, and I give no advice one way or another as to whether that's too much (though I tend to think it is too much). Additional tip: dissolve the sugar in hot (but not too hot) water first, then add the yeast to the solution and leave it whilst you get the rest of the ingredients together, as a means of ensuring the best access to sugar by the said yeast. Good luck. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:45, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll try that! -OMGTANGERINES —Preceding unsigned comment added by OMGTANGERINES (talk • contribs) 05:02, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd suggest that you look at a number of other recipes. You can find them on the internet. The one you have here specifies far more sugar and salt than most recipes do. Also, rye bread is not the easiest to start with as a beginner. One with a mix of white wheat flour and wholewheat flour would be better to experiment with. When you have the hang of it you can start adding a proportion of rye flour, and I'd still recommend to use more wheat than rye. A really wonderful book if you want to become experts is Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery. Itsmejudith (talk) 12:17, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I would generally recommend instant yeast rather than active dry yeast. Instant yeast does not require proofing in warm water. It can be added to the dry ingredients, and you can use cold or room-temperature water. -- Coneslayer (talk) 12:25, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

The bread rises because the yeast (being a living thing) starts metabolising and produces CO2 - the CO2 bubbles make the bread rise. So this is all about making sure the yeast stays alive and happy until you bake the bread. My wife (who is pretty good at baking bread) tells me that it's important that the yeast is fairly fresh. It's a living organism - so yeast that's been sitting in your cupboard for a year isn't going to work as well as stuff you bought yesterday. She disagrees with Coneslayer and say's that it's important to mix it in warm water...again, these are living things and need to be treated carefully. (Right up to the point when you put them into the oven and murder them all in the searing heat!) SteveBaker (talk) 13:31, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

The above shows the truth of how it is best to ask a Baker for information about baking. Edison (talk) 20:18, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I feel so...typecast. SteveBaker (talk) 01:41, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

He uses his loaf to make dough. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:33, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Instant yeast and active dry yeast can both work fine in my experience. Check the best-before date and follow the instructions on the packet. (If you're lucky you might even get a bread recipe on the packet.) I also sometimes use fresh baker's yeast (compressed yeast) that I can get for a few pence at the supermarket bakery counter (UK). Again you need to make sure it is fresh, and you need a recipe that tells you how much to use. Happy baking! Itsmejudith (talk) 15:37, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I have checked a number of kitchen thermometers and found them to be quite inaccurate. So your "110 deg F" thermometer might be reporting the temperature a few degrees lower than the actual temperature, which could discourage yeast growth. Some thermometers can be checked with boiling and freezing water. The small mass of water compared to the other ingredients means that the temperature of the dough may vary. An accurate thermometer is needed to make sure that the dough rises for a lengthy period in a chamber of the right temperature. By experimentation, I have found that my over-the-range microwave with the over-the-range light bulbs left on yields an appropriate temperature for yeast to make the bread rise. My bread machine similarly provides the right temperature for yeast. Edison (talk) 05:30, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not much of a baker, but I do recall while in Colorado, the baking instructions were different because of High_altitude_cooking. Cheers, --i am the kwisatz haderach (talk) 21:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

pins for current disaster

I saw on the Golden Globe Awards the participants wore ribbons. What were the colors? By any chance will there be awareness pins for the Haiti relief efforts? Will there also be ribbons like the ones at the Golden Globe Awards available with proceeds going to the disaster relief? Where can I find those types of things?24.90.204.234 (talk) 04:59, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

According to this page, the pins were red, yellow (sic), and blue, like the flag of Haiti (which contains no yellow). I don't know where you can get them from, though. Marnanel (talk) 16:16, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

(Is there anyone not living in a cave who needs their "awareness" of Haiti and its relief efforts raised? --Mr.98 (talk) 20:32, 18 January 2010 (UTC))

Non-Western areas most likely have far less knowledge of what is going on, but as far as I know, those pins are not heavily marketed in Bhutan, or Chad. Googlemeister (talk) 21:01, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Pin-wearing has little to do with awareness and much to do with conformity, making a statement and being a team player. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 13:02, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Prison

It si often portrayed in movies and such that when one goes to prison you need to protect yourself from various assaults, hence prisoners make shaks and such like. What I would like to know is A. How much more likely is opne to get stabbed or killed in prison thatn in civilian life and B. If one is forced to protect oneself are crimes in prison investigated by the police as with crimes in civilian life, or is there some other process, C. If one needs to kill other prisoners while in prison in order to survive, what is the percentage rate of people that are sent to prison that do eventually get released D. Is it plausible to say that one might go to prison for a minor infraction, and never be realeased due to situations that arrise in prison. E. what is the average amount of time spent in prison, eg. Bob steals a chocolate, gets sentanced to 1 year, but could get out in 6months with good behavior, but due to stabbing another prisoner, gets 5 years added, in that time he is caught with contraband and gets a further 2 years and thus spend lets say 5years in prison for esentially stealing a chocolate. F. What percentage of people die in prison, eg Bob shoot a burgalar and gets 2 years, he is a family man with a wife an 2.5 kids, but dies in prison. The country does not matter as I am just curious, and hence this is not a legal question, I just want to know, I doubt I will ever be in this position as I am a well balanced member of society. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 08:46, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

You say that the country doesn't matter but to a certain extent, it does. I'm willing to bet that a prisoner's welfare is quite different when comparing, for example, an American, German, or British (sorry if "British" is the wrong term) prison to a North Korean or Kenyan prison. And this difference would skew the numbers you're looking for quite dramatically. That being said, I think you might be overlooking a couple points. First, when you watch a movie or a TV show you have to remember that you're watching a work of fiction. Things need to happen to move the story forward or build drama. The stories are rarely true to life. Second, using your chocolate thief as an example, such a person would be put into a minimum security prison where the prisoners aren't quite hardened criminals. There are more people that are getting out in just a couple of months and it's not likely for anyone to be in there for much more than petty assaults and definitely not anyone who is in for murder. So, why would they need to stab anyone and get that additional five years? Dismas|^(talk) 09:47, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Dismas, you are allowed to say "British". It isn't a rude word. It's just that it's used inaccurately from time to time - like "American" in fact. Itsmejudith (talk) 15:30, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

In this case British is not only allowed, but correct, if you intended it to mean a prison in the United Kingdom. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:55, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

There is a similar question here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Humanities#Death_rates_in_prisons 78.146.95.197 (talk) 11:11, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

See also prison sexuality and prison gangs (rather US biased articles).--Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:02, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

A. Relative likelihoods of being stabbed vary too much to quantify e.g. Low probability in a closely monitored prison contra High probability in a poor inner-city area, or High probability in a badly overcrowded prison contra Low probability in a genteel neighbourhood. B. The prison service in most cases investigate and testify to a court about incidents in prison that have no outside connections, about which police should be informed. Court hearings can be held in a prison. C. The question contains a non sequitur: "need to kill other prisoners to survive" is an unproven claim. The information that seems to be wanted is the percentage of prisoners that die in prison (I don't know). D. Yes, it's plausible in many ways. One might die of a disease a week after entering prison. E. The average time spent in prison has a numeric answer (I don't know it). The example that is added "Bob steals..." is just gratuitous sensationalism. F. Seeks the same information as question C. The example that is added "Bob shoot[sic] is more gratuitous sensationalism. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:57, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

For a little view of life in UK prisons, try this article. It says things like "predatory homosexuality is as rare in British prisons as malt whisky, in fact in some prisons it's a great deal rarer. There's probably more chance of you being raped or sexually assaulted 'outside' than in here." and "In my experience there's far less random violence in prison than in wider society. I was in an adult long-term prison at 19, and the only time I've ever been attacked it was by the screws." It is possible that prisons in other countries are very different, so you'd have to research each country in turn. 86.183.83.191 (talk) 16:53, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I wouldlime to know the answerto C, what percentage of people sent to prison, get released. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 16:44, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I dispute one item of what Cuddlyable3 says - neighbourhood of a prison isn't significant, since a) prisoners aren't generally sent to a prison in their neighbourhood b) the contact between a neighbourhood and a prison in it is minimal What is significant is the security level of the prison. There is a whole world of difference between a minimum security prison and a maximum security prison. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:59, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

@DJ Clayworth you are entirely right and I should have been clearer. My reply to Question A compared relative likelihoods of being stabbed in prison or civilian areas, with examples to show that the imbalance could swing either way. I was not trying to link any prison to its own neighbourhood. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:04, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

On question F) the percentage of people who die in prison is relatively low. In Western countries outside of the USA, there is no death penalty, and even life sentences in the vast majority of cases really mean something like 20 years. Inmates are generally taken from a younger segment of society, so death from age-related causes in prisons is rare. As stated above, the problem of prison violence is less severe than portrayed in movies and such. Prisoners' health is looked after by the State, any deaths in custody must be investigated, etc, meaning there are a number of factors in favor of prisoners finishing their sentences and getting out. I would assume that that number is well over 95% in those countries, but I'm sure studies must exist somewhere. In the USA, there are some negative factors, including the existence death penalty (which, in percentage terms, barely registers as a statistical blip) and more rigid sentencing for serious offenses, but this article says the death rate in prison is still lower than in the general population. So, to summarize, the overwhelming majority of persons entering prison will eventually be released. --Xuxl (talk) 18:34, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Prison scrubs in the courtroom

Resolved

In a recent CSI: NY, the defendant was brought into the courtroom in orange jumpsuit scrubs and handcuffs -- I thought this wasn't allowed, so as not to serve as a visual illusion to the court that the defendant appears to be a criminal before the proceedings even get underway. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 15:41, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Counsel can object to the way a defendant is presented and the Judge will rule on the matter. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:01, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Additionally, I overlooked that this was the hearing prior to the court case, so perhaps, if there is no jury, there is no potential harm. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 16:38, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Exactly. Almost never allowed at trial, but at pre-trial issues without a jury, it's pretty standard. Shadowjams (talk) 08:34, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

how can i get my pictures from Kiddie Kandids now that they are chapter 7

now that Kiddie Kandids is in Chapter 7, I doubt that I will get my pictures. and it will be double blow if I can't at least get them in digital form. how do I go about attempting to get my pictures?!? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Saxetnella (talk • contribs) 18:46, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Here is an article about a few parents racing into the store back on January 12 to get copies of the digital files before the corporate servers were shut down. That article has an irate quote from the Better Business Bureau in Utah; maybe you could contact them and ask if they've found any solution. This article from the Salt Lake Tribune says that "Customers who ordered photos from the company appear to be out of their money and photos", but the lazy reporter did not explain this. Under normal circumstances he'd be right; somewhere there is a hard disk with your photos, and it's going to get sold at a bankruptcy auction to the highest bidder, who will then possess the thousands of digital photos with no obligation to the customers. The hard disk might then get reformatted, or maybe the buyer, if unscrupulous, might claim copyright on all the photos and sell them all to a stock photo agency — who knows. It's a shame. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:12, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

(They probably can't claim copyright on the photos just because they got the hard drives at an auction—authorship rights are probably not being auctioned off, and physical ownership is not copyright ownership. They can't sell photos to a stock photo agency without a model release unless they want to get into a lot of trouble.) --Mr.98 (talk) 20:39, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't think much more should be said here on the subject, since I think this gets dangerously close to legal advice territory. The trustee in the case might be able to be a point of reference, but then again he/she might also decide to not answer any questions. We might direct you to our Bankruptcy article, or better yet, perhaps to a local legal aid or bar association. Shadowjams (talk) 08:31, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Pie thingy looks like a bird

Is there a name for those little china birds which one puts in a pie to hold the crust up and vent steam? DuncanHill (talk) 23:03, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Pie bird. Marnanel (talk) 23:05, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Fabulous, thank you. Far too obvious a name for the likes of me! DuncanHill (talk) 23:10, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Not many pies would fit four and twenty blackbirds: see Sing a Song of Sixpence. BrainyBabe (talk) 11:43, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

January 19

Song titles on my radio

I was unsure if this belonged in Science, Entertainment, or Computing, so here it goes...

On my car's stereo, the song title and artist will scroll across the display on some stations. And sometimes the name of the radio show will scroll across but not the songs that the show is playing. Then there's one station where none of this happens. First, what's the name for this technology and do we have an article? Also, where does the song title and artist come from? Does the DJ put it into a computer and then it's broadcast with the song? Or is it embedded in the song somehow? Do the stations that use this technology have all their music as MP3s or some such file? And does the other station that doesn't have song titles scrolling therefore do all their DJ'ing with CDs? Dismas|^(talk) 02:47, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

PS This is all terrestrial radio. I don't have satellite radio or anything special like that. Dismas|^(talk) 02:48, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

It's called Radio Data System (or RDS). The article explains how it works. DuncanHill (talk) 02:53, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! That answers some of my questions. Dismas|^(talk) 09:43, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

colour combination of ties

What are the suitable colour combinations of ties vis-a-vis colour of the shirt and trousers , to be worn on both on formal and informal ocassions? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.93.177.97 (talk) 05:56, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

(UK) It depends on the occasion. If you are invited to a "black tie" dinner, you will be required to wear a white shirt, plain tie (preferably black and bow ties are more formal), and black, dark grey or striped trousers. Generally, black trousers/white shirt is more formal than any other combination. Also for more formal occasions, keep the ties plain and dark. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:43, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Errm - "black tie" implies a whole semi-formal dress code, including bow tie, dress shirt and dinner jacket/tuxedo for gentlemen. Gandalf61 (talk) 11:22, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes but OP didn't ask about the DJ bit! --TammyMoet (talk) 11:55, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

...and a black tie, or at least one with sober patterns and colours, is often considered appropriate at a funeral. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:33, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

See Color wheel and the various 'rules' that are applied. Opposite colours on the colour-wheel are considered attractive, as are colours very close to it on the colour wheel. It's really no different for ties/shirts than any other item of clothing. Trousers-wise the main 'rule' (if such a thing exists) is that black trousers should be worn with a black belt and black shoes, whereas blue-trousers should be worn with brown/tan shoes and belt. Colours that match nicely in ties/shirt combos...light shirt with dark-tie (both same 'colour' just different shades)...white shirt with a hint of colour (say in a cheque/stripes) - match the tie with the stripe/cheque colour. Best bet - look in shirt-shops for the 'combos' they sell and try to use those as a basis of colour-matching (they're usually reasonable matches). 09:41, 19 January 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk)

". . . blue-trousers should be worn with brown/tan shoes and belt"? Not in my neck of Blighty's woods, where for the last forty years I and most others have more often combined black belt and shoes with blue trousers; light blue shirts with brown trousers, however, are quite usual. I wouldn't dissent from TammyMoet's and 194's tie suggestions, but really, such sartorial questions must depend on local customs that probably differ widely worldwide - rather than canvass from possibly divergent cultures to one's own, it would be better to visit a local business district and spend an hour observing what the better-turned-out individuals there favour, both in terms of colour and width. Remember, however, that tie choice is one of the few areas where, except in the most formal situations, males are permitted a considerable degree of individual expression. All that said, the advice of any slightly sartorially conservative female friend is likely to be more reliable than that of most men, including myself! 87.81.230.195 (talk) 10:31, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

No, brown shoes with a blue suit is a major fashion faux pas. I understand that is because long in the past black dye was more expensive, so to wear brown (except for camouflage when out in the country) signified that you were poor. The shirt should be a pale shade, the tie should be a darker shade. Usually the tie has a pattern (definately not any picture or lettering!) and the shirt can be a paler or pastel version of one of the colours in the pattern. I would avoid a striped shirt until you have more experience - just choose a shirt in a pale pastel shade without any pattern of any kind. Its a sign of the times that people dont have years of experience of wearing shirt and ties already and don't have to ask. 78.146.100.48 (talk) 12:35, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd question some evidence for the 'fashion faux pas' 78.146 - a quick google search for 'brown shoes with black trousers' suggests that black-trousers should not been worn with brown shoes (generally). Certainly from a colour-perspective that makes perfect sense to me - black and brown are quite difficult to match and you don't see a huge amount of it done ;within' clothes themselves. Sample link: http://uk.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip/38_fashion_advice.html 194.221.133.226 (talk) 13:35, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Do not wear brown shoes with black trousers or suits either. Only wear them with fawn or beige trousers. I'm puzzled how you hallucinated that I suggested that bad-taste fashion combination. Somewhat offended too. 78.151.106.238 (talk) 20:03, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd like to second Gandalf in saying "Don't wear a plain black tie to a black tie dinner". Black tie is a distinct combination requiring a bow tie and dinner suit.

One rule for playing it safe is not to match a patterned shirt with a patterned tie. One or the other should be plain. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 13:21, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

The OP says "to be worn on both on formal and informal ocassions", implying the same outfits are going to be worn on both informal and formal occasions. That begs the question of what the definition of "formal" is. In general, a simple rule would be to get a cream shirt and wear it with a tie that is a similar (but not identical) colour to the trousers. Although with black trousers I would go for a tie with a colourful pattern. 78.151.106.238 (talk) 20:11, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

"Never wear brown to town" Alansplodge (talk) 17:30, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Semi-rimless glasses with rim on the bottom

I've been searching for semi-rimless glasses with the rim on the bottom, but there is literally an ocean out there of glasses with the rim on the top that keeps on clogging up my searches. Anybody care to help me find a pair of these bad boys? Thanks!

173.14.1.190 (talk) 07:53, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps your optician can help you -- check out an actual live proprietor in an actual live store. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 13:04, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

The OP may need the image for other purposes. 195.35.160.133 (talk) 14:09, 19 January 2010 (UTC) Martin.

The OP never said that he needed an image. The way I read it, he needs the actual physical frames. Dismas|^(talk) 14:28, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I thought the OP *might* be an artist looking for a reference image. 195.35.160.133 (talk) 16:35, 19 January 2010 (UTC) Martin.

Some here: [1] ("Spodden"). Alarmingly cheap, too. Maybe I should buy my glasses online, seems the ones from the actual live shop cost an actual live 100% more. ...wait, clicking on "order now" took me to a different site which doesn't stock those. Maybe the whole thing is bogus. 81.131.52.120 (talk) 14:11, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Howdy folks, OP here. Yes, I'm actually looking for a physical pair of glasses. Pref. male or intersex. I didn't think they'd be this hard to come by really. 173.14.1.190 (talk) 20:30, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure I've ever seen ones like you describe. I just paged through my favorite online glasses vendor's half-rim collection and didn't see a one. They've got the ones where the rims are over the top, and a few where they're over a the side in a weird way(here), but none where the frame is on the bottom.

If you're crafty, perhaps you could get a pair of rimless and modify them to get your desired look? Probably not the answer you were looking for, sorry. APL (talk) 21:54, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Found one!. I hope your head is 132mm wide, because they only seem to stock these in one size.

Also look at these out. They're similar looking to what you want, but there is a subtle partial frame along the top as well. APL (talk) 21:58, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

APL- This is EXACTLY the sort of thing I was looking for. Phew! I owe you one! 173.14.1.190 (talk) 00:32, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Q: Why are your rimless spectacles lensless? A: Because I have perfect vision. -- Spike Milligan. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:34, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Time and date website calendar shows up to year 3999?

Is there any reason more substantial than the admittedly valid one that it's their website and they can do what they want with it why the highest year one can see at timeanddate.com/calendar is 3999?20.137.18.50 (talk) 15:17, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

No obvious reason. 3999 is 0xF9F suggesting that it should at least be able to cope up to 4095 as 0xFFF. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:29, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

(ec) It's a little known fact, but that's when the world ends.... but seriously, I don't think there is any technical reason to end it then. Depending on how they calculate their dates, there are some points that become arbitrary end-points—like the Year 2038 problem. But 3999 isn't one of those cutoffs, I don't think. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:31, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I would speculate that it's due to uncertainty over whether a 4000-year rule for leap years will be instituted. See Gregorian calendar#Accuracy. -- Coneslayer (talk) 16:05, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I agree that this is probably the reason - but under present rules, 4000 is a leap year for the same reason that 2000 was. But a lot could change in 2000 years! SteveBaker (talk) 03:23, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

No-one knows yet whether Herschel's proposed correction to the Gregorian calendar will be implemented. He suggested making years which are multiples of 4000 not leap years, thus reducing the average length of the calendar year from 365.2425 days to 365.24225. Although this is closer to the mean tropical year of 365.24219 days, his proposal has never been adopted because the Gregorian calendar is based on the mean time between vernal equinoxes (currently 365.2424 days) and because these observed values are currently increasing. Dbfirs 08:43, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Cops

Do American police really refer to themselves as 'Cops'?Froggie34 (talk) 15:42, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Sure, why not? It's not seen as offensive or belittling over here. It's a little informal, but that's it. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:58, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Informally and out of uniform, some American police will refer to themselves as cops. However—and my in-laws are a police family—not all police are comfortable with the label. Some do consider it disrespectful. I think almost none of them would use it to refer to themselves while in uniform and dealing with the public. Marco polo (talk) 16:16, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

That sounds strangely similar to how Latter-day Saints feel about the term "Mormon." Off-subject, I know. Sorry. Kingsfold (talk) 16:53, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Some US police even embrace the "pigs" moniker (so long as they use it. All-police football teams often call themselves the Hogs. 67.51.38.51 (talk) 17:15, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

It's not seen as disrespectful when children play "cops and robbers," or at least that's what the game was called deades ago. (Wow, I sounded old there! :-) The people I know who call them that probably use it because they just used that term playing as kids; I know just as many peple who call them "poolice." but, if that's consistent, then the ones who do call themselves that probably just grew up with the term, and would be likely to think, "Wow, I can't believe just 20 years ago I was playing cops and robers with friends, and now I'm a real cop."209.244.187.155 (talk) 19:43, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Interesting comment, Marco polo; I assumed, being an American word, the Americans had fully embraced it. In NZ, the word is so mainstream, the Police use it for themselves even in official contexts, such as their recruitment website "New Cops". On a related note, in the UK, I knew a policeman who always referred to himself as a "copper". Gwinva (talk) 00:56, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I know one Australian policeman who has (or at least had, a few years back) a T-shirt with the logo "Pride Integrity Guts" (ie PIGs), so apparently Australian policement have turned the "insult" into a "compliment". A Goodle search suggests that the same backronym may occur elsewhere. Mitch Ames (talk) 12:58, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=pride+integrity+guts&meta=&aq=1&oq=pride+integr

Cop is short for Copper which came about because the first British police wore copper helmets. British police do refer to themselves as 'coppers' - but probably not 'cops'. SteveBaker (talk) 03:18, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Not so: it's a person who "cops", i.e. arrests, people. ("It's a fair cop", etc.) Marnanel (talk) 03:21, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

What snopes leaves out is the origin of "to cop" ("to sieze, capture, or steal"). According to my old Webster's, it is "probably" from Old French caper which is from Latin capere, which as you might guess, is also the origin of "to capture". Used in the sense of "steal", an example would be the expression "to cop a feel". Such as, of a roll of Charmin. Less obvious, perhaps, is a more modern usage, to "cop a plea". I might speculate that means to "take" a plea instead of going to trial. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:43, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for all the thoughts and references. Somehow I doubt that "I'm a cop" has the same punch as "I'm a policeman". Or just "Police!" as against "Cop!" The police, after all, set out to psychologically dominate - a necessary part of their activity since they must control a situation. Hence: "Name?" "John Smith." "John, where were you on...."Froggie34 (talk) 11:14, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I once met a policeman who claimed to have arrested someone with the immortal words: "You're knicked, son!". Somehow, his notebook recorded the phrase as "I'm arresting you on suspicion of theft..." Alansplodge (talk) 18:51, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Nicked would be the normal spelling of that word. DJ Clayworth (talk) 23:07, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

So long as the felon replied "It's a fair cop" and the notebook recorded "The suspect confessed immediately" then the balance of the universe is maintained. SteveBaker (talk)

Radium

why does a radium emit light in dark??/ where does it gets the light energy???

thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.251.178 (talk) 16:56, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

It's radioactive. Read the articles linked herein. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:02, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Radium is an alpha emitter, and alpha radiation is not directly visible. This page discusses how the radium was combined with ZnS, which glowed in the presence of alpha radiation. -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:11, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

For the sake of completeness, radium also emits light in the light -- just not enough for it to visible. It is washed out by ambient luminance. Vranak (talk) 20:36, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Luminescence ≠ luminance. --Sean 21:53, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, fixed it. Vranak (talk) 05:26, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

As for where the energy is coming from, when radium atoms break down they release some of the energy that was used to hold them together. Eventually most of the radium will be gone, turned into other elements, but this process takes thousands of years, which is why it might seem like the energy is miraculously created out of nothing. Rckrone (talk) 05:56, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Watches used to have radium dials, until somebody figured out that maybe having radium next to you for years is not necessarily a good idea. Now they use a phosphorescent "glow in the dark" chemical which is presumably harmless and is also only temporary. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:07, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Not entirely true. You can still get radioluminous watches.(Amazon link) They don't use radium anymore, but they use Tritium instead which is also radioactive. You can also get keychains. See Tritium illumination. APL (talk) 02:32, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I think you can still find antique watches with radium dials. They wouldn't be cheap, of course.

I would expect (though I take no responsibility for this!) that the health risk to the wearer would be negligible. Alpha radiation is made up of big particles; it doesn't go through stuff well. The number of particles that make it through a whole watch has to be tiny.

The real reason they stopped making radium watches was because of the risks to the workers who made them. These were not negligible at all; many of them died horribly. --Trovatore (talk) 22:11, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

My favourite Ice Cream

Can anyone tell me for a fact who invented Moose Tracks Ice Cream flavour. A company in upper Michigan claims to have invented it but I heard it was invented elsewhere, actually in Canada. Seems odd that a Michigan company would pick a name like Moose Tracks but that name would not be all that odd in CanadaWindDancerCanada (talk) 19:55, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, there are moose in the Upper Peninsula, although I suppose it would be more usual to see a moose in Canada. There is "tiger tail" ice cream though and certainly the inventor of that never saw a wild tiger. I don't think it means much. Adam Bishop (talk) 20:54, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Denali Flavors in Michigan claims to have originated the name of the flavor. They've even made moosetracks.com their domain name. I am guessing that they would have faced some kind of lawsuit from the inventor of the name if their very public claim were false. Not all moose are Canadian. Moose's range extends into the northern United States, and many of us who live in the northern parts of the United States have seen moose. Denali Flavors is based in a part of Michigan that does not have moose, but people from that part of Michigan often spend summer vacations canoeing or camping in the Upper Peninsula, where there are moose. Marco polo (talk) 21:17, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

It's also clear that "tracks" is a bowdlerization of the commercial novelty of moose droppings being sold under various pretexts, so perhaps the only new thing the ice cream folks did was to get people to eat the stuff as a treat. --Sean 21:57, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

And now for something not completely different: Møøse Droppings Ice Cream was obviously invented by these Norwegians, ja. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:07, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

In Michigan our moose-loving Norwegians are Finns: Finnish American distribution. I actually know one of the lawyers (in a Grand Rapids, Michigan law firm) who works on Moose Tracks licensing so I am pretty certain the claims are on a firm standing. Rmhermen (talk) 05:37, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

And European Elk are native to Finland - I've seen one there. They're pretty much the same as a North American moose - different subspecies apparently. Alansplodge (talk) 18:45, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

January 20

Russian A-Level course in Liverpool

Are there any schools near Liverpool, England which offer Russian as an A-Level subject? I'm trying to pick a 6th form and Russian would decide it for me, but Liverpool Council and Edexcel (only exam board that does Russian) both refused to tell me. Thanks! 89.195.90.196 (talk) 01:59, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Why on Earth would they refuse to tell you? Perhaps they couldn't be bothered to find out, or perhaps they were having a joke at your expense ("we could tell you but it's a KGB secret"), but I would try asking them again. Failing that, you could try phoning the schools themselves - here is a list of secondary schools within 25 miles of Liverpool. Astronaut (talk) 02:57, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Cowley Language College offer Russian language classes but it's unclear from their website whether these are at A-Level, they're in St Helens. [2]] Nanonic (talk) 03:41, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Very few schools are able to offer Russian at A-level because there is minimal demand. The City Council will be aware of past curriculum statements from its schools, but could not guarantee that these will continue in future years since such minority courses often depend on a single teacher of the language. Each school sets its own curriculum. Similarly, the examination board will know whether the school has been used as a centre for the examination, but not whether the course is actually taught there. Your only options are the individual websites where they usually give a list of subjects at advanced level, or individual telephone calls. As Nanonic suggests above, a Language College is likely to offer a wider choice of languages, and some might have an arrangement with a local university to enable you to attend A-level Russian lessons there (paid for by the school) whilst studying your other subjects at the school. Dbfirs 08:28, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

As an aside, if you want to study Russian language at university, it is possible to do so without Russian A level: it would be good, however, if you were to prove that you can study at least one language at A level, so don't limit yourself too much at this stage. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:30, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Broughton Hall High School had a teacher who spoke Russian and wanted to teach it when I was there in 1989-1991. You might want to ask them. --KageTora - (影虎) (A word...?) 16:35, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Places founded by Trojans

Hi. I've learned that according to legend Brutus of Troy founded Britain, and Aeneas founded Rome. Are there any other empires, countries, or other notable places that Trojans founded according to legend? This is not a homework assignment, I'm just curious. 169.231.9.45 (talk) 04:46, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

The mythical founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were allegedly Aeneas' grandchildren somehow descendants of Aeneas. I don't think you can give him credit for "founding Rome" and the articles are more careful to say The journey of Aeneas from Troy, (led by Venus, his mother) which led to the founding of the city Rome, is recounted in Virgil's Aeneid. Unfortunately, I have nothing further to add besides that clarification. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 07:54, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

For the alleged line of descent from Aeneas to Romulus see Latin kings of Alba Longa#List. Alansplodge (talk) 22:10, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins (in Jessie L Weston's translation), "After the siege and the assault of Troy, when that burg was destroyed and burnt to ashes, and the traitor tried for his treason, the noble Æneas and his kin sailed forth to become princes and patrons of well-nigh all the Western Isles. Thus Romulus built Rome (and gave to the city his own name, which it bears even to this day); and Ticius turned him to Tuscany; and Langobard raised him up dwellings in Lombardy; and Felix Brutus sailed far over the French flood, and founded the kingdom of Britain, wherein have been war and waste and wonder, and bliss and bale, ofttimes since."--ColinFine (talk) 08:38, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Snorri Sturluson begins his prose Edda with a euhemerized account of how the Norse gods were all refugees from Troy. Algebraist 13:12, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

• Antenor: Patavium, Cyrene, Sicambria or Venice.
• Aeneas: Lavinium.
• Helenus and Andromache: Buthrotum.
• Acestes: Aegesta

—eric 00:03, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

THERAPEUTIC JURISPRUDENCE

CAN THERAPEUTIC INTERGRATION MAKE A DIFFRENCE? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.56.174.43 (talk) 15:36, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

To what?Froggie34 (talk) 15:46, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

[Irrelevant question by 117.197.254.247 (talk) 15:57, 20 January 2010 (UTC) removed. Reasons: 1) Not relevant to this thread; 2) Request for opinion.] --KageTora - (影虎) (A word...?) 16:21, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Is your question related to Desegregation busing in the United States ? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:28, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

ER / M*A*S*H Inspired (bit depressing) Question

I've been watching M*A*S*H and ER recently and they got me thinking (morbidly). Hawkeye sometimes says that the survival rate in their hospital is 97% (that's leaving their place alive) and similarly in ER whilst there are deaths a very high percentage of the people survive (at least to beyond the ER remit). The question...In your average sized (Uk) hospital what are A) Survival % for their ER (i.e. survive to leave ER) and similarly what sort of number of deaths are they getting on average in the hospital per week (or year). Bit depressing but I started thinking about whether your average Nurse will have seen 100s of people die in their duties or more like 10s. I guess it varies by department but any sort of info/links would be greatly welcomed. ny156uk (talk) 21:25, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

You should be aware that in a typical ER most of the patients are slips and falls, or people worried that their flu might be something worse, not gunshot wounds and cardiac arrests. Having said that I don't know what survival rates are. I would expect them to be high. DJ Clayworth (talk) 21:28, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Surprisingly hard to find good data (much easier to find the cost of an ER visit). Children's Hospital of the Universith of Zinjiang claims a 99% survival rate [3]. DJ Clayworth (talk) 22:51, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

This article puts the survival rate of ER patients with traumatic injuries at around 95% (scarily you are twice as likely to die if you don't have insurance). DJ Clayworth (talk) 22:54, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Cool that's some good info on the first 'part' of what I was thinking about, the other bit is...what sort of volume of deaths occur in an average (uk if possible) hospital per week/year. I can see that there were 509,090 deaths in England & Wales in 2008 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/bdths0509.pdf) and i'm guessing a large amount occur in a hospital, but not sure what sort of volume that equates to. Apparently there's around 1,100 hospitals in England so that would be (ignoring the obvious massive flaws in the following assumption) 509,090/1,100 = about 462 deaths per hospital per year - or a bit more than 1 person dieing per hospital per day. (Yes I appreciate the morbid-ness of this question!). ny156uk (talk) 23:12, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

And you've got to remember that the ER is not a real place for sick people to stay -- it's a point of entry. Really sick patients will be admitted, as will people that need major surgery (e.g. for bone fractures, etc.). The ER nurses won't necessarily see all the sick people dying. But they will see many of the cardiac arrests not make it, but then again, they're already dead. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 00:22, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Anecdotally: My wife was an operating department Nurse in the UK - and an OR tech in the US over 25 years. She tells me that she probably saw 500 or more deaths over her career - a very rough estimate obviously...but from hearing her conversations in the evenings, she took deaths pretty seriously to heart and I'd agree that she saw maybe one or two deaths per month in general surgery. But the hospital ran three shifts and had multiple operating rooms - so the numbers would be more like maybe one death per day in that entire department. She doesn't think from her experience that the US and UK numbers differed noticeably. She was more than happy to give it up though. SteveBaker (talk) 00:23, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

See the article about triage that when it is invoked for major emergencies affects the in-treatment death rate. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:24, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Weird fruit

The main fruit in this picture is dragonfruit, but what's the scaly green thing to its left? --HughCharlesParker (talk - contribs) 22:43, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I believe it is something of the genus Annona; were I pressured to guess, I would say it is the fruit of A. squamosa. Intelligentsium 22:53, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Concur, it's a sugar-apple, see for example File:Sugar-apples 5, Taitung County, Dec 06.JPG. Nanonic (talk) 23:00, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Brilliant. Thanks. --HughCharlesParker (talk - contribs) 23:46, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Let there be no reference here to an old tragic song by Billie Holiday. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:19, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

January 21

Crepes

Where can I find a real French recipe for crepes? Also, what do the French put in crepes? --75.15.162.220 (talk) 00:38, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Here is a real French recipe for crepes. For information on fillings, see our article Crepes. Marco polo (talk) 02:00, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

How many crepes does that recipe make? I don't think it says anywhere on that page. --71.153.45.189 (talk) 02:07, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd say enough for 1-2 people to see if the cook's any good ;) since you're using a quarter kilo of flour, over half a litre of milk and three eggs... --Ouro (blah blah) 05:50, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

You don't need a recipe for crepes. Just do it naturally -- put as much flour in a mixing bowel as you like, then add the sugar and salt, an egg or two, then enough milk to get the right consistency. The first time will be so-so, but you'll quickly learn to proportion everything well. It beats measuring things out every time for the rest of your natural life. Vranak (talk) 17:29, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Also the French put all sorts of things in crepes. Two of the classics are lemon juice + white sugar, or roll them up with cottage cheese inside, microwave 15 seconds per crepe, and you've got a blintz. Vranak (talk) 17:31, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

The french put both sweet and savory things in them - they pretty much treat them like you might treat bread. What things can you put in a sandwich? Pretty much anything...same deal with crepes. My wife (who is French) does all sorts of interesting things with them - a slightly cheesy aparagus mousse is one of our favorites but lots of lighter foods - salmon - thinly sliced duck with fresh cherries - seafood alfredo - curried chicken. On the sweeter side, A couple of crepes with Lemon and sugar folded inside - with some Grande Marnier or similar poured over them and set light is a classic...mmmmm! SteveBaker (talk) 04:56, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

terrorist free oil

What U.S.companies do not buy oil from terriorist countries? What gas stations sell this oil and where does it come from? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.100.196.166 (talk) 04:45, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Technically, I don't think the USA buys any oil from countries with which we don't have diplomatic relations, be it for terrorism or other reasons: Iran, for example. I may be wrong, but I don't think American companies are allowed to buy products from enemy nations. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:52, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

But we may still have diplomatic relations with (and thus be allowed to buy oil from) countries that 74.100 considers to be "terrorist countries". If 74 is able to list the countries that he (she?) considers to be "terrorist countries", then it will probably be easier to find specific answers. Buddy431 (talk) 05:37, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

And by "we" I mean the U.S., of course. Buddy431 (talk) 05:38, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

As for your second question (where does the oil come from), This lists the top 15 countries from which the U.S. imports oil. I wouldn't consider Canada or Mexico to be terrorist countries, and if you agree then you can look for companies that use oil from them. Keep in mind that the U.S. still produces some of its own oil (about 8.5 million barrels a day, over 40% of what it consume), which you're presumably OK with. Buddy431 (talk) 06:16, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I know a lot of people in the US don't like buying gas from companies, such as CITGO, that get their oil from Venezuela. If that qualifies as "terrorist", I don't know. Dismas|^(talk) 06:05, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

It does get back to the question of who does the OP consider "terrorist", and that list of Buddy's should help clarify things. Interesting that Nigeria was number 5 at the time of that survey. But producing an individual terrorist doesn't make the country terrorist. We were unknowingly harboring terrorists ourselves, prior to 9/11. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:33, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

The US gets some oil from Canada. Of course we have that evil healthcare thing that you USians are fighting so hard to keep out of your country, so that may not be any better. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:49, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't think our healthcare counts as terrorism, but some may disagree. Thanks, gENIUS101 21:45, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

While the US may not buy directly from "terrorist countries", the problem is that oil is extremely fungible eg friendly country A may produce 100m barrels a year but sell 150m barrels, the deficit 50m barrels being bought from unfriendly nation B at a price just below the market value. This could be done via third party C, or many levels between A and B. At all stages it may be mixed with 'good' oil to hide any signature that exists for 'bad' oil (I'm using good/bad to refer to 'country of origin'). Bottom line - when the oil arrives at a US port there is no way to be sure of its origins. Trieste (talk) 20:02, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

See this Snopes.com page. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:18, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Youngest grandma

Who is the youngest grandma ever? --124.254.77.148 (talk) 08:58, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

According to this, Mum-Zi, a member of Chief Akkire’s harem on the island of Calabar, Nigeria, at age 16 (some other sources say 17). Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:27, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Is there a more reliable source for this horrible story? That website doesn't exactly shout "reliable". Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:22, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I can find no reliable sources, but the fact that "Mum-Zi" is awfully close to "mumsy" makes me wonder how reliable this claim is. Woogee (talk) 21:32, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Page 114 of "The future of taboo in these islands" (1936) is the oldest ref I found; doesn't look especially reliable either. jnestorius^(talk) 21:58, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know about Mum-Zi, but in the source given by Ghmyrtle, the stories of the five-year-old mother and the family that walks on all fours are actually quite accurate, so I wouldn't dismiss the source out of hand. John M Baker (talk) 23:18, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Do you have a reliable source verifying your claim that "the stories...are actually quite accurate"? Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Check out the cited sources for Lina Medina (the five-year-old mother) and Ulas family (the family with a quadrupedal gait). John M Baker (talk) 02:53, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I've struggled to find a reliable source for the Mum-Zi story - it seems to be sourced from Ripley's Believe It Or Not. We do have articles on Precocious puberty and List of youngest birth mothers, but neither mentions this specific case. This British case of a 26-year old grandmother appears to be reliably sourced, but I would have thought it very highly unlikely that it would be the youngest ever anywhere. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:08, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Blue?

Why does a file or a folder name(font color) in a computer suddenly turns to blue? anyone —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk) 09:36, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

You might have been better asking at the Computing Ref Desk. Astronaut (talk) 10:02, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

You don't say when or where it turns blue, or which operating system you are using; but I'll guess you mean in Windows Explorer. Assuming you haven been messing with the colour settings in your PC, names of things change to blue when you: (a) select your file or folder, or (b) you are going to rename a file or folder. Astronaut (talk) 10:01, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Also, in Windows XP using NTFS, if a file or folder has file compression enabled - then it's label will appear in a blue font. To check, right click on it, select properties->advanced and see if the 'Compress contents to save disk space' checkbox is ticked. Nanonic (talk) 12:15, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, if you use the "Disk Cleanup" tool under Accessories -> System Tools, it will automatically compress some files and folders that you don't use very often. They will then show up as blue. — jwillbur 01:36, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Stained glass toy

I am trying to get hold of a UK toy which is made of gel and sticks to windows. Any ideas please? Kittybrewster ☎ 10:30, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you can find it here. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 10:36, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

...or here? Ghmyrtle (talk) 14:29, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

how the FCUK?

How did this word "FUCK" originate, which people can't live without,and its applicability on all tenses ,situations,emotions impeccabily matched, but where the fuck :) , i mean where did it originate and how. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk)

Have you read the article on the word? --Onorem♠Dil 17:42, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

and FCUK (at least in the uk) became popular/notable based on the clothing company French Connection which started selling t-shirts and clothing branded 'FCUK' (as in French Connection United Kingdom). In my opinion it started off reasonably 'clever' with things like "What the french connection?", but seems to have been flogged-to-death now. It's a pity as they made good clothes (particularly their 'great plains' stuff that seems to not exist these days). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:42, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Pi/e corporate sign

My friend told me that there is a corporation based in California with the symbols of Pi and the imaginary number 'E' on their corporate sign at their headquarters. Does anyone know which corporation this is? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.29.160.141 (talk) 19:00, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know but would like to point out that e (note lower case) is a very real number. Are you thinking of i? That's an imaginary "number". Aaadddaaammm (talk) 19:16, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

(ec)This list gives a lot of examples of logos for Californian corporations involving the symbol Pi, but none matching the description I think. Oh and E is not imaginary, it's just irrational. Mikenorton (talk) 19:21, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

There was a trucking line called Pacific Intermountain Express, which said PIE on its trucks, but that's probably not it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:35, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I can't find any record of a corporation using it for a logo, but maybe it was Euler's identity? Marnanel (talk) 00:56, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Appologies

Sorry to repost, but I asked a question a few days ago and feel that due to the way in which I expressed myself, I did not obtain the answer I was looking for so I wish to rephrase. A mugger in the area I live in has apparently been sent to prison. A number of people in the local comunity knew of him and his very violet ways. He was sent to prison for beating up his girlfriend because she left him, and he apparently was told this would make her realise she loves him. Crazy I know, but what we would like to know as a comunity, what are the chances of him spending the rest of his life in prison due to him being violent while in prison. We want him to stay there forever as he is blatently phsychotic. He was given 5 years apparently, will he come out and back into our neighbourhood to mug people again? UK —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.146.112 (talk) 19:54, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

There is absolutely no way we could tell you if a person who was sent to prison for a violent crime is going to commit further acts of violence while in prison. We do not know the future, and we do not know anywhere close to enough about this guy to give a meaningful answer. Googlemeister (talk) 20:06, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Of people sentenced to a few years in prison, the vast majority will go free at some point. --Tango (talk) 20:13, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

It can and does happen. May I suggest you contact your local police station, because they have the power to resettle him away from the community where his crimes were committed. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:18, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

They can certainly keep him away from his victims while he's on probation (it would just be made a condition of his license), but after his 5 years are up I don't see what they could do. You would need to convince a judge that there was a real risk and get a restraining order, or similar. --Tango (talk) 21:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

There are special laws for sex offenders in the US, which can restrict where a person lives even after probation or parole, one of the most controversial being Julia Tuttle Causeway sex offender colony. Clearly none of that applies here and I'm pretty sure you're right once the parole or probation is up it's unlikely he could be stopped from living anywhere he wants barring restraining or protection orders. Nil Einne (talk) 10:37, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

In my way of thinking, there's two options for dealing with an errant individual. You give them the freedom to improve themselves, or you remove them from the area. Executions are effective but you may as soon kill yourself. Relocation breeds resentment in the perpetrator. So all you can do is let the bad apples rot. Putting them in prison is inhumane by any reasonable standard -- and of course the vast majority of hard-working taxpayers have no interest whatsoever in reasonableness. They want the new Lexus and the mortgage to be paid off. Getting the perps out of sight and out of mind is acceptable to them, because they have no interest in other people's feelings, aside from a very select few! And why should they! Vranak (talk) 20:31, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Some people are sentenced to 5 years and are released after half the sentence is served (assuming good behaviour while inside). Others are sentenced to prison at Her Majesty's pleasure with a recommendation that they serve a minimum of 5 years - in which case they can be detained until it is felt that they no longer constitute a threat to society. Kittybrewster ☎ 22:47, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Indefinite imprisonment is pretty rare in the UK and is only used if the convicted criminal is deemed to pose an extremely serious risk to the public. (They are used for young offenders as an alternative to life imprisonment, though.) --Tango (talk) 01:37, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Such a sentence has just been imposed, but it doesn't mean "you will never be released". (Minors used to be sentenced to be detained At Her Majesty's Pleasure - the BBC report (just a "stub" at the moment) doesn't say if that was the actual sentence in this case.) AndrewWTaylor (talk) 12:20, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Future interstates 3 digits

Is any of those interstates i-570, I-370, I-326, I-169, I-364, I-730 going to happen sometimes in future or is these interstates just bunches of speculations. Do thye even go through SHC codes or is just peoples wanting those interstates. Because interstate-guide.com is known to be mostly Crystal ball and isn't a valid sources.--209.129.85.4 (talk) 20:51, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Those are very much "potential" future Interstates, and are mostly speculation and ideas tossed around by higher-ups, with a few concrete proposals thrown in for good measure. See our List of future auxiliary Interstate Highways for a list of Interstates that are either in serious proposal or planning, or are already under construction. (In addition to this list there is one primary Interstate highway, Interstate 22, which is under construction.) Of the Interstates you mention, none are found on our list, although two - I-130 (AR) and I-269 (MS-TN) - have the same "parent". Xenon54 / talk / 21:38, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Public Domain images

This image is apparently in the public domain. So I can use it right? Is there somewhere I can go and search for similar images in the public domain? ie: Troops, Imphal, Kohima, Burma, Allied...91.109.194.143 (talk) 21:58, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

The picture is a work of the United Kingdom's government and indeed can be used anywhere, for any purpose. The picture is actually at Wikimedia Commons, which is a sister site of Wikipedia where all pictures must be freely licensed (i.e. not copyrighted), so I would go there to look for more pictures. You can go to the image's page on Commons (Commons:File:Imphalradio.jpg) and scroll down to the bottom to find a list of categories that the image is included in: "Imphal", "Burma campaign", "People in conversation", "History of Manipur", "Military people of India", and "Pacific War". Xenon54 / talk / 22:31, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Correction: "Freely licensed" does not mean "not copyrighted". Everything you type on Wikipedia, for example, is copyrighted by you, and you have freely licensed it to everyone, via the GFDL (and, now, via the CC-BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons license). Something that is in the public domain (such as works by the US government) are not "freely licensed" because you don't need a license from anyone to freely use public domain material. This sounds like a quibble but I think it is important to remain clear about who owns the copyright to things. One reason it is important is that if you own the copyright to something that you have freely licensed, and someone else copies your work but violates the license, it is only you (or a proxy) who can sue the violator. If the work were actually not copyrighted, nobody could sue them to enforce the free license. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:10, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

And freely licensed does not mean public domain. Public domain means there are zero restrictions on use. Copyleft licensed (e.g. GFDL, CC-SA, etc.) all have restrictions, they are just more specific (and in some ways less onerous) than traditionally copyrighted material. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:39, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The picture's license field indicates is in the public domain, and so you can use it for whatever you want. Many such pictures on Commons are in the public domain but check their pages—many are copyleft licensed, which does put restrictions on how they can be used. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:39, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

January 22

further info re: weasels

I have read the articles on weasels, but have need of further info. My family has lost 2 cats in the past 2 wks. They were both taken at night and found in the lake the next morning, dead. Each time their body was chewed open and insides gone. Their sleeping place was on a second floor deck with the lattice work gate to the deck locked and a warmed "cat house" to protect them from cold and bad weather. The male, taken first, was about 15 yrs old and weighed about 10-12 lbs. The female was 14 yrs old and a smaller cat, about 6lbs. My father says he has seen some weasels in the vicinity at times, but not up close to the house. Considering the cats size and weight and years of survival, do you think a weasel could have got up on the deck, carried them off and left them in the lake? It has been very cold here in Alabama for the past few weeks and the cats certainly would not venture down to the water. They are always in their house when it is cold and/or windy. Please answer and let me know if a weasel is capable of this. Thank you4.153.89.93 (talk) 00:08, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It's hard to imagine an animal as small as a weasel overcoming a house cat, even an elderly one. I would be inclined to suspect a bobcat or a raccoon. Marco polo (talk) 00:27, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd have thought a wild weasel would come off tops against a house-cat, especially elderly cats as described. Weasels can be vicious little so-and-sos. I'm very sorry for your loss, cats are very special. DuncanHill (talk) 00:46, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Given the location you found them (in or near a lake), and your location (Alabama), I suspect it was a raccoon. Raccoons can hold their own against nearly any breed of dog, and would have no trouble overcoming a house cat. They're also quite comfortable in and around water, so dragging the carcass down to the shore to feed is reasonable. I'm sorry for your loss. I love cats (I've got 4). In the future, please consider keeping your pets indoors. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is only 2~3 years due to accidents & predators. You were very lucky to have both of yours survive longer than a decade! 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:25, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Please provide a reference for that 2-3 years. I think it is far higher than that... --Tango (talk) 01:33, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The reference was posted a few months ago. Look it up in the archives. Outdoor cats live a small fraction of the years of indoor cats. Edison (talk) 05:55, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It was a discussion in which you participated. See Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 August 7#New Kitten in House with Cats. Indoor cats live 14-20 years, while outdoor cats lie 3-5 years, per the references then cited. (Mileage may vary).Edison (talk) 05:55, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I kind of wish your citations had citations. Mileage must vary substantially depending on whether you live in a country with raccoons and bobcats, and whether "outdoor cat" means "medically neglected" cat or not, as you first reference seems to think it does. 81.131.59.147 (talk) 10:26, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I do not post what I think on the Reference Desk, I post what I know. The U.S. Humane Society's website has a PDF called Cat Care Basics. On page 12 you will find the following text - Keeping Your Cat Safe Don't be tempted by the idea of a wandering, free-spirited cat to let your cat roam freely outdoors. The HSUS estimates that the average life span of a cat who lives his or her life outdoors is less than three years. Even indoor-outdoor cats — those who roam outdoors occasionally but spend much of their time inside — face far shorter life spans on average than their safely confined counterparts. If you disagree with this assessment, you can take it up with them. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 02:49, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

My neighbors (I'm speaking the Alpine region of Slovenia) have plenty of completely free roaming cats, and even my family had some in the past, and saying they most likely wont live past 3 years seems like a ridiculously gross exaggeration considering my real-life observations - the second most common cause of death for cats in my neighborhood (second to death of old age) is getting hit by cars. Other than that, maybe the occasional fox or dog may kill one, but that's rare. Heck, even getting hit by a car is rare. I wonder if the US has a larger number of natural cat predators? TomorrowTime (talk) 09:53, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

This type of thing probably varies wildly depending on the neighborhood. If a gazillion cats get run over in (for example) Manhattan, but a few cats survive to old age out in the country, you could expect the national average to be quite low even if all the cats in your immediate rural neighborhood have nice long lives. APL (talk) 17:06, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

What makes the weasel unlikely is that the cats were dragged from a tall structure across a yard to a lake. A cat weighs several times as much as a weasel. I can't see how the weasel could get the cat to the lake. On the other hand, raccoons are known to kill cats, drag them to a favored feeding spot, and then eat them: [4]. Marco polo (talk) 01:34, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The wolverine is a type of weasel. Are there any wolverines in the south? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:48, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

A wolverine is to a weasel what a tiger is to a housecat, and the only wolverine within 1,000 miles of Alabama would be in a zoo. Googlemeister (talk) 14:45, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

This is in response to TomorrowTime: there's a lot more predatory wildlife in and around North American cities then in Europe. I live in a well-settled suburban area, and have heard of raccoons, foxes, coyotes, black bears, and badgers roaming from time to time in the neighborhood. Bobcats, cougars and other beasts hazardous to housepets are present elsewhere near residential areas in North America. The fact the cats survived many years without problems is likely a sign that the predator moved to the Alabama neighborhood recently. Unusual weather patterns may indeed have led it to stray away from its usual habitat. --Xuxl (talk) 15:15, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I suspect cars, not predators, are the leading cause of death of outdoor cats in the US. Anecdotally, I don't know anyone who has had a cat get killed by a predator, though I know many, many who have had cats hit by cars. --Mr.98 (talk) 16:09, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

I recall seeing more dead dogs and cats along 2 lane highways in the country than along city streets. A 60 mile per hour car in the country may be more deadly than a 30 mile per hour car in the city. An urban environment might be less deadly to a cat than a rural environment. Edison (talk) 17:35, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

In New England, the Fisher, known locally as a "Fishercat", was known to take out cats and small dogs; not often, but it is documented. A fisher is a mustelid just like a weasel is, and though fishers do not range as far south as Alabama, there are lots of other predators that do. I can't see a raccoon doing it, I'm sure raccoons can hunt, but any raccoon in an environment where it comes into regular contact with people will surely find it easier to scavange from trash rather than actively hunt cats. Raccoons are wily and intelligent and I can't see one prefering to take out your cat when your trash can is likely just sitting there waiting to be raided. Path of least resistance, and all. If we confine ourselves to mustelids, then I would think that your cats are likely falling victim to the American Badger. It is more common out west, but our article says that they range from Mexico to Canada, and Alabama certainly qualifies as vaguely between Mexico and Canada. If we expand to other predators, then something like a Cougar (mountain lion, puma, panther, whatever) could be possible. While most were driven out of the Eastern U.S. long ago, there have been sightings around places like Chicago and New Hampshire and places like that. Would not be out of the realm of possibility. Coyotes are much more likely, given their near endemic spread across the whole of North America. Bobcats are a possibility too. But the list could go on and on.--Jayron32 05:42, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

I know that coyotes and mountain lions have been moving east in recent years, but the Alabama part makes me wonder if wild boars/feral pigs would be a more likely culprit. Not sure they would break into a second-story fenced deck like that, though. One thing the OP might try is to look for tracks near where the bodies were found; especially as they were near water - there's probably mud nearby. Larger animals would leave tracks. AlexiusHoratius 06:30, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

UK road safety advert

Looking for one of the UK's road safety ads that I remember from when I was a kid. It was, I think, to do with looking before crossing (rather than speeding) - I remember it involved someone stepping into the road, with the tarmac deforming and morphing into a car that then hit them. Anyone know its name or a YouTube link? Thanks! 131.111.248.99 (talk) 01:25, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It'll likely be helpful if you give a rough time frame of when you saw this ad rather then 'when I was a kid' (since we don't know your age). From the description, I doubt it was in the 1950s for example (too fancy effects for the time for a road safety ad) but that's just a guess. And since there was ads on UK TV at the time (whether road safety ads, I don't know), it seems possible based on the only clues you've provided that the time frame could be in the 1950s until say 2005 which is very wide Nil Einne (talk) 10:59, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

And there were cinema advertisements before that. Warofdreams talk 11:22, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

See this article on the Green Cross Code which gives a history of the subject. In the mid-1960s we were taught the "Kerb Drill" which confused me as I was convinced a kerb drill was a tool used by road menders (well, I was only 6). Alansplodge (talk) 11:15, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

If you get no joy here, you could try asking over at TV Cream http://www.tvcream.co.uk/?page_id=81/longshots/ --Frumpo (talk) 14:23, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

D'oh, sorry! I think this would have been mid 90s (maybe 93-97 kind of time). 131.111.248.99 (talk) 15:16, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Public Information Films are here http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/FILMS/ --Frumpo (talk) 17:06, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Carrageenan

In reading up on this product, I find that it is seaweed. Seaweed contains Iodine, which many people are allergic to. There is no warning label on products that contain Carrageenan ie: "this product contains peanuts or milk or soy". This is very serious and should be addressed. Is there any way to add this information to this product, even in Wikipedia and have companies add this warning to their products? thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Leebrotherstx (talk • contribs) 04:55, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

An iodine allergy sounds unusual to me. It's a necessary nutrient, and I can't find anything about allergies in Iodine in biology. Note that iodine is added to most table salt to protect against goiter, and it's an important flavor component of the best Scotch whiskey. PhGustaf (talk) 05:30, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Google [iodine allergy] and you'll see plenty of references to it, a number of which claim that there is no actual allergy to iodine. Not being trained in this area, I couldn't say who's right. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:46, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Also, that was the first (and so far, only) edit by the named user. I wonder what's up with that. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:50, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Who cares? How does this affect us at all? Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:51, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

It's a puzzlement. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:31, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

So the assumption is that everyone should have edited elsewhere before they ask a question, Nah, don't buy that. Richard Avery (talk) 08:24, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

"Iodine allergies" usually refer to something quite different to a dietary allergy. Some people react to radiology contrast dyes; others can have skin reactions to topical iodine solutions such as Povidone-iodine. This is not always due to the iodine itself. Gwinva (talk) 07:49, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Song in commercial

There's a TV commercial that's been playing recently (I couldn't tell you what the product is). I recently realized I wanted to find that out so I could Google the commercial, mainly for the song that's playing.

The song consists of nonsense syllables with a catchy tune. It sounds a little like Vertigogo, by Combustible Edison, but I don't think it is.

The commercial is animated/CGI, and shows a stylized, blocky frisbee being thrown to a stylized, blocky dog. I think the background is purple.

Does this ring a bell with anyone? --Trovatore (talk) 11:27, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Any particular country? (not that I can help, probably). --ColinFine (talk) 18:05, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

US. Would probably have been on one of the following channels: SyFy, the CW, Fox, or the Comedy Channel. --Trovatore (talk) 20:19, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, don't know the comercial itself, but some ideas for songs with nonsense lyrics may be

• Mah Nà Mah Nà, which is quite famous in the U.S. for its use in The Muppet Show, and has shown up in advertising fairly recently.
• Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day by Stevie Wonder
• Strangers in the Night, especially Frank Sinatra's scat at the end of the song.
• De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police.
• Do Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann
• Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) by Barry Mann
• Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

Just some places to start looking, but my money would be on "Mah Na Mah Na". --Jayron32 05:27, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

How is the membership of the DEC chosen?

And also, why isn't World Jewish Relief in it? Christian Aid is, Islamic Relief is. I'm not suggesting an anti-Semitic conspiracy, but it seems odd.

Thanks, 130.88.171.213 (talk) 18:27, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Please make it clear what the "DEC" is. In the US, it's a defunct computer manufacturer, and a quick Google search doesn't dig up anything that sees relevant. PhGustaf (talk) 18:37, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

• DEC is the Disasters Emergency Committee, and includes 13 major British relief charities. I do not know why World Jewish Relief is not a member, maybe it would be worth the OP asking them? DuncanHill (talk) 18:40, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. I found the same thing and made the same suggestion before the edit conflict. PhGustaf (talk) 18:44, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The simple non-conspiracy explanation seems to be that World Jewish Relief is not quite large enough for DEC membership. One of the DEC membership criteria is "expenditure on emergency work overseas of £10 million a year averaged over three years". World Jewish Relief Fund annual report and accounts 2008/2009 says their charitable expenditure was £8.4m in 2008 and £6.6m in 2009.

The answer to the original question (How is the membership of the DEC chosen?) is that membership is reviewed every 3 years and any organisation that thinks it meets the membership criteria can apply for membership. Next membership review is in 2011.Gandalf61 (talk) 20:17, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Cheers everyone, that pretty much clears it all up. 130.88.171.213 (talk) 08:59, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

My garage door opener

I think the motor is burned out, but I'm not sure. When I activate it the carriage travels a few inches with some clicks and hums, then stops and reverses itself. This is with no load on it (I've disengaged the door itself). Any tricks I can try to get it working again before I go out to buy a new unit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Agastordoff (talk • contribs) 20:43, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

When this has happened to me, it was because the light sensor at the bottom of the door was misaligned; the misalignment was misinterpreted as being a little kid wedged under the door's path, so the door reversed itself. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:34, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

If you can see a large capacitor with the motor, look to see if it is swollen and if it is replace it. I've done that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.220.46.124 (talk) 21:38, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The "move, click, reverse" pattern indicates that one of the safety mechanisms is triggering, because it thinks the door has run into an obstacle. Check the opener's track for obstructions, check any light sensors for dust, and if you're comfortable working with machinery, unplug the motor unit, open it, and check for obstructions or damage to the gears. --Carnildo (talk) 00:24, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

commercial airline pilots

What is the ages of commercial airline pilots flying for major US air carriers?

Number below 25, 25-35, 35-45, 45-55, older? Googlemeister (talk) 20:47, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

14 CFR 121.383 mandates that airline pilots may not be age 65 older. 14 CFR 61.123 mandates that a commercial pilot must be at least 18 years of age. So, airline pilots flying for major US air carriers are between ages 18 and 65. anonymous6494 21:18, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The FAA has a page of aviation data statistics right here, for USA data. I didn't find exactly what you are looking for, but one of the Excel sheets says the average age of a commercial pilot in 2003 was 46.5, and the average "airline transport" category was 47.0. A different Excel sheet on that page has actual numbers of pilot certificate holders, sorted by age category just like you asked; but it's all pilots, not just commercial ones. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:42, 22 January 2010 (UTC)