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June 22

Car spray paint

is there a car spray painter which can be purchased to paint a car . most of the ones i found on ebay and amazon are for minitiare or furniture painting. please suggest — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.69.164 (talk) 03:13, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

If you type "automotive paint sprayer" into Google, you get lots of results. I will leave it to you to peruse them and the product reviews to find one for yourself. --Jayron32 03:18, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

The EU Times?

What's the deal with the EU Times? I was expecting a Wikipedia article on them but was disappointed that there isn't one. EUT poses as a legit news site, but picking an article at random reveals they are pretty far from mainstream, example: 'Russia Says IMF Chief Jailed for Discovering All US Gold is Gone'. (tried to link, seems EUT is blacklisted, so my hunch so far is good...) Is there someplace where I can read an objective appraisal of this "paper" -- organization history, backers, slant, etc? The Masked Booby (talk) 06:58, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

I'm not surprised that site is blacklisted, it's a terrible site. Looks like its only purpose is to make the site owner ad revenue from people clicking on the multiple ads and popups. The "news stories" are just farmed from elsewhere. There are plenty of credible news websites such as BBC News. --Viennese Waltz 08:00, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

The above story appears to originate from [1]. While I won't link for WP:BLP reasons, a simple search reveals stuff suggesting the person behind that site isn't even genuine but making up stuff for money (or as a CIA disinformation agent) and their alleged background as a Russian academic or something is false, it's just a pseudonym for an American. Nil Einne (talk) 17:07, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

teleidoscope

I'm having a hard time trying to correct an entry. The inventor of the teleidoscope is definetely not John Lyon Burnside III. It's been around as long as the kaleidoscope has. Sir David Brewster describes it as the purest form of a kaleidoscope. Somebody is really trying to place Mr. Burnside as the inventor. He's everywhere! Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.57.19.253 (talk) 13:48, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Well, I'd be happy to help you, but you'll have to explain where you came to find out that information. Wikipedia has a verifiability policy that requires external sources for facts. If you "just know" that won't be good enough to change the article. i kan reed (talk) 14:44, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

• follow-up: the sources I'm finding suggest that it was invented by Burnside. If you have a specific source that says otherwise, please contact me. In the future, requests for help editing wikipedia should go to the Help desk not the Reference desk. i kan reed (talk) 14:46, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

You could also try the talk page of teleidoscope for assistance. Googlemeister (talk) 14:52, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Using the Google Ngram viewer, mentioned above, for teleidoscope for the English corpus gives an initial peak starting in about 1925. So maybe the OP is correct. See http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=teleidoscope&year_start=1700&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3 92.24.183.164 (talk) 19:56, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Except that following the Google links, we find that the 1920s teleidoscope was a telescopic camera lens and the 1950s one was a version of the eidophor projection system. Disambiguation time. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 21:15, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

I followed those Google links, and you have omitted to mention that there are three teleidoscope-kaliedoscope references from 1960 and one from the New Yorker 1961: "The Teleidoscope — a tower of eyeful! Point it at what you will, see the world in limitless kaleidoscopic patterns". The teleidoscope article currently says that Mr Burnside applied for a patent in 1970, but does not say anything about him inventing it in 1960 or earlier. I do not have the time or patience to search through the online material linked from the Sir David Brewster article to see if it is described earlier. Another point is that although the kaliedoscope was invented and manufactured in the 19th. century, an article linked from the Mr. Burnside article says he was getting royalties from kaliedoscope manufacturers in the US, even though he obviously did not invent it. Since putting a lens on the end of a kaliedoscope (or putting mirrors inside a telescope) would be such a simple and fairly obvious thing for the Victorians to do, then it would not surprise me if they existed in the 19th. century. In fact you would not need any lenses, just looking through the mirrors alone may be sufficient. 2.97.218.142 (talk) 10:30, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Coupons

I live in LaSalle, Ontaria Canada.

Windsor, Ontario residents receive coupons, we do not, is there a reason this for this. We are in between Windsor and Amherstburg Ontario. We receive other fast food coupons in the Windsor Star paper. Thank You for your reply REDACTED PERSONAL INFO — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.27.45.118 (talk) 14:15, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

This question is better directed at your local newspaper directly, as they have their own internal policies deciding how advertisements are distributed. i kan reed (talk) 14:41, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Many newspapers vary the distribution of their inserts by geography at the request of advertisers to target different audiences. Advertisers pay less for limited distribution, as opposed to full distribution. It is often done by Zip Code, although other methods are used as well. For example, a small retail store may want its inserts going only to customers within a certain distance from its location, thinking that others further away would be unlikely to shop there. — Michael J 16:34, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Makeup

How do you start to wear makeup without having to ask your parents and without trying to avoid them, or having to wash it off as soon as you get back from school?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lamoflower12 (talk • contribs) 17:01, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Unfortunately, this question is very difficult to answer without knowing the specific conditions. My two cents would be that if you have to do a lot of unnecessary work to conceal your makeup from your parents, it's not worth it. Also, I'd recommend you to ask your parents, because they usually know the best. Also, I assume you haven't used makeup before and thus you may need help applying the products properly. Zakhalesh (talk) 17:15, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Wear a ski mask at the same time? Googlemeister (talk) 18:51, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

If you don't want to have to avoid your parents or wash off the makeup whenever you are around them, then you are going to need to get their approval. You may find it easier to get their approval if you compromise with them (eg. start with just some lip gloss and a little eye liner rather than bright lip stick and lots of eye shadow). --Tango (talk) 20:11, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

I have a suggestion: Have a (girls only) slumber party and get your parent's permission to put on make-up at the event. Since you won't go out in public like that, or be around boys, they are more likely to agree. This will give you a chance to practice applying it. If you do a good job, be sure to show your parents, so they can see that you can apply make-up without looking like a prostitute. That may convince them to start letting you wear it in public. And one other hint: "less is more", so don't overdo it. Too much make-up makes girls look more like a clown, not prettier.StuRat (talk) 21:12, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Freddy Mercury would be outraged at your unstated assumptions ;-) --Stephan Schulz (talk) 21:20, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Possibly Boy George would be a better example, what with Freddie being dead. Until the Zombie Apocalypse, anyway. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.95 (talk) 23:28, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Freddy is a better artist dead than most others are when alive ;-). --Stephan Schulz (talk) 08:31, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Situations vary, but these tactics have been successful for others in the past:

• Ask for a make-up lesson/tutorial from a professional as your main birthday present
  • often involves receiving a basic starter pack of decent make-up
  • teaches you how to use make-up effectively without looking like you're wearing a lot
  • lets your parents feel consulted and in control
• Buy light make-up aimed at teenagers, that can be applied subtly
  • if it only gives a subtle effect, you don't have to be as careful to avoid overapplying
  • you don't actually need strong/heavy stuff, because you have youth
• Watch tutorials online, and practice in your room.
  • you might be able to borrow or 'inherit' some make-up that friends or your mother or an older sister no longer want, so you can practise.
• Maybe stick to very light foundation and lipgloss at first, maybe a very careful application of very light blusher to counteract the effect of the foundation.
  • blusher and eyeshadow are the hardest to do without looking like a clown.
• Remember that the goal should be to look like you aren't wearing make-up, but just look like this naturally.
• Remember that every single person you see on TV or in magazines, and most of the women you see generally, will be wearing make-up, and the ones on TV and in magazines are made up by professionals and then photoshopped! Natural skin doesn't look like that, so don't beat yourself up for not looking naturally like that. Everyone else at school will also be thinking their skin/face isn't like everyone else's. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.164.66.52 (talk) 10:37, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Washing hands with hand sanitizer

Normally, after I defecate and wipe my ass with toilet paper, I wash my hands with water and soap. How effective is alcohol-based sanitizer compared to water and soap for the same purpose of cleaning one's hands after defecating? Is it just as effective in preventing e. coli spread? Acceptable (talk) 18:12, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

I was sitting in a hospital waiting room this morning, and on the wall was a poster informing people of how to clean their hands. Basically, if your hands look clean, rub them with the sanitizing gel: if they look dirty, wash them with soap and water: if you've been caring for someone who has (or if you have) vomiting and/or diarrhoea, wash your hands well with soap and water. Apparently the temperature of the water isn't critical, cold will do just as well. --TammyMoet (talk) 18:46, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

The only reason to use warm water is that it's more pleasant. The water would need to be over 70°C or so to have a significant impact on the germs and that would burn your hands pretty quickly (so you would naturally wash your hands very quickly and, therefore, very ineffectively). The purpose of hand washing isn't to kill germs, but to remove them from the skin. The mechanical action of rubbing your hands together combined with the soap lowering the surface tension of the water does that very effectively. Alcohol-based hand sanitiser isn't supposed to be better than soap and water, it's supposed to be more convenient. If you have reason to believe that there are dangerous germs on your hands, then use soap and water every time (if possible). If you think your hands are pretty clean and just want to err on the safe side and would rather not take the time to use soap and water, then use a sanitiser (they are also useful in circumstances when soap and water isn't an option). --Tango (talk) 20:27, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Also note that alcohol dries the skin, so using that too often isn't good for them. StuRat (talk) 21:08, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Anti-bacterial soaps such as Dial also contain alcohol. One thing about warm water is that the soap will lather-up better. Whether that factor improves on the removal of bacteria and such, I don't know. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:26, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

The lather itself isn't going to make much difference, I'd think, but the lather may well be a sign that the soap is having a greater effect on the water (as a surfactant), which could make a difference. --Tango (talk) 23:38, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

We have an article on Hand washing (as well as one on Hand sanitizer). There is a very interesting image here. It seems to indicate more effective elimination of microorganisms "after disinfection with alcohol." Bus stop (talk) 00:01, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Our Hand washing and Antibacterial soap articles mention, the benefit of antibacterial soaps is questionable. There have been some studies showing they may be more effective but other studies have suggested they aren't. The most important thing is probably to actual wash your hands since as Hand washing with soap mentions, many people do not. Also if you wash your hands it's better if you do it properly, according to our hand washing article this means a minimum of 20 seconds rubbing wet soapy hands outside the stream of water although I think I've seen some suggestions of 40 seconds. There are also techniques to help ensure you cover most of your hands. About the warm water thing our article says:

However, warm, soapy water is more effective than cold, soapy water at removing the natural oils on your hands which hold soils and bacteria.[3] Contrary to popular belief however, scientific studies have shown that using warm water has no effect on reducing the microbial load on hands.[4][5]

Drying your hands with a towel is also an important part of the washing, our article on handwashing says it helps remove remaining contaminants (the first part isn't sourced but there's a more thorough discussion of drying later). I believe another concern is with insufficient drying your hands are more likely to pick up contaminants from the environment.

About the hand antiseptics vs soap thing, the hand washing has some sourced claims although it's all over the place (see my comment in the talk page). Definitely as others have mentioned when your hands are clearly soiled soap and water is better. In other cases it may depend on what you are trying to remove. Alcohol based hand antiseptics with additional antiseptic agents may be more effective for Staphylococcus but less effective for most spores (which are unlikely to be killed by either but are much more likely to be removed with soap and water) and probably viruses. As Tango and others have said the general recommendation is soap and water where available or both. Bear in mind there's no reason to only be concerned about E. coli.

Nil Einne (talk) 09:20, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

June 23

Me

My name is Herbert Hamilton Bowie and i was born to the parents of William C and Sarah E Bowie in Marbury Maryland in the year 1927 / Feb 9th. I have a picture of my graduation class from the Marbury Elementary school [ all four of us ] at that time the school taught seven classes. [ 54 students ] I'm now 84 so if you want me to send you the picture and maybe a bit of info, Please make it simple to do. I'm not very swift on this contraption.

        Thank  you.  Herb.  Bowie  >>>  <<<

Please foward this note to someone that they may use it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.98.180.136 (talk) 04:06, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Hello, unfortunately your photo wouldn't belong here as Wikipedia doesn't accept class photos. Now, if they're showing the school itself, see Wikipedia:Uploading images. I hope this helps, SwisterTwister talk 06:59, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Herbie, it is fantastic that you have posted here about your photograph. I wonder if you are the oldest poster on the Ref. Desk. I just love your sentence "I'm not very swift on this contraption". May your god bless you. Richard Avery (talk) 07:14, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Do the police repair damage and disruption caused in raids?

So I'm watching Crimewatch Roadshow (what? I like it) and the police are raiding suspected drug dealers. As is standard procedure, they smash the door in instead of knocking, they also cause a fair amount of mess when they search the place. When they leave, do they 'put it right', especially the door? And is the answer different if nothing is found? This is not a request for legal advice, since I'm not a drug dealer. 91.85.140.182 (talk) 08:30, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

They employ a locksmith to fix the door. They must also rectify any other damage and ensure the premises are secure before they leave. Apart from that I suspect they don't tidy up after themselves.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:39, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

for the claim they will rectify any damage. See below Nil Einne (talk) 09:47, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Good to know, I'd always wondered why Police were allowed to just break stuff. The answer; they aren't. 91.85.140.182 (talk) 08:45, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Note that there is probably a difference between what is done and what they may be required to do.

For example [2] suggests the Metropolitan Police Service have no liability in the UK when the action was 'lawful, conducted in accordance with a search warrant or other lawful authority and using only such force as was necessary' even if an innoncent party was affected. Further my reading is they are unlikely to compensate for damage if the person affected wasn't innocent (and the damage was resonable and part of a lawful search etc) and will only compensate if it's not covered by insurance.

[3] suggests the siutation in NZ is similar although it doesn't mention when you are likely to be paid for damages despite there being no legal liability (my guess is the situation may be similar to the UK).

Similarly [4] appears to suggest the situation in the US is 'where damages to the premises is an issue, the damage is treated as a “seizure of property” under the Fourth Amendment, the attendant question being: Was the seizure reasonable under the circumstances.' This may be a bit confusing but from what I can tell it means there may be no liability if the damage was resonable under the circumstances.

[5] mentions this one police department will make arrangements to guard any premise which may be vunerable to security problems from police action until it can be secured although doesn't mention who will pay for it to be secure (it may be the police so they don't have to waste time guarding while waiting for the owner to get someone to secure it). This is of course a somewhat distinct issue since while breaking the lock to enter the premises may often be resonable, 'house got burgled because it was left with a broken lock' is likely to be controversial particularly if the house was left with a broken lock with no one home (whether there will be any liability I don't know but since the police are supposed to help stop crime it's not a good look).

[6] may imply (although it's a bit unclear) liability for the Australian Federal Police may be similarly restricted to cases where the damage was unresonable or excessive.

As most of these hint at, causing unnecessary damage as sometimes seen in TV shows would usually result in liability and would generally be forbidden e.g. this shows a police department document explicitly forbidding it [7].

Nil Einne (talk) 09:47, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Shucks. I guess I'll just have to get better insurance. I wonder if standard UK home cover includes police raids...91.85.140.182 (talk) 21:02, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

See my previous question on this subject - Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 July 26#Police breaking down doors. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 21:25, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

I seem to remember the Police officers in this incident were reprimanded, and the owner of the house was compensated for the damage. I am not sure about the tenants, however. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 23:13, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Yes I should clarify my response above. When referring to the police in the UK not being liable even if the people affected are completely innocent parties I meant cases where they got the right address (or whatever), an example would be if they forced into a house which a criminal entered to try and hide from them. From the ref I gather at least in the UK they are likely liable if they broke down the wrong door of a search warrant. I'm guessing this would be true in most other countries. For the MPS in the UK where they were proposing to start to pay compensation when they didn't have to in a limited number of cases (primarily the totally innocent parties affected ones) they only estimated they would have to pay out an additional 30 cases a year. About insurance, it was something I was thinking of earlier. My guess is it may be difficult to find any insurance willing to pay out if it's definitely your fault. E.g. if they executed a search warrant to find drugs on your property and they found drugs which resulted in you being convicted for drug offences. You may be able to get insurance to cover e.g. if you own the property but it was used for making drugs without your knowledge and the police broke in (well you may be covered for the cleanup so it seems possible you may get cover for police damage too [http://www.3news.co.nz/Increase-in-insurance-claims-for-P-Lab-dwellings/tabid/423/articleID/198177/Default.aspx) Nil Einne (talk) 15:32, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Font used in regional maps of CIA Factbook?

Hello. I am searching for the font used in CIA's regional maps, featured on their online factbook. One example is this. Can anyone help me out on this? It would be immensely appreciated. =)

88.91.84.31 (talk) 18:58, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Looking at the fonts embedded in a PDF map for the CIA World Factbook (from which that map is drawn) it uses the following fonts: Sanvito, Tiepolo, Benguiat, Omni, and Helvetica. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 19:55, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

It seems they use Sanvito for seas, lakes, and rivers. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:04, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

And Benguiat for capital cities. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:05, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

And Tiepolo for other cities. They use Helvetica for geographic features, so that leaves Omni (which I can't find a font page about) for country names. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:08, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Thank you, Finlay, that is immensely helpful! Resolved in no time at all. =) 88.91.84.31 (talk) 21:05, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

What happened to "Propose a better translation" in Google Translate?

Google Translate used to have a "Propose a better translation" option. It doesn't any more. What happened to it? How can Google Translate ever learn to make better translations if it doesn't get help from actual humans? In the end, a computer program doesn't really understand the language the same way humans do, so it can't suddenly notice "Hey, I made a mistake there, this should be that way instead...". Or has Google invented some magical way to make computer programs learn natural languages themselves? JIP | Talk 19:46, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

I see "Contribute a Better Translation" when I look at this page and highlight one of the English phrases. --LarryMac | Talk 19:55, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

So do I. But when I translate plain text as opposed to a web page, I don't see it. Why? The text itself is the same, regardless of whether it's coming directly from the browser or from an external web page, so why should there be a distinction? JIP | Talk 20:00, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

I don't work for Google, and they don't often give out much information about how they make decisions, so I can't answer the "whys". The About Translate page gives some information on "What can I do to improve Translation quality?". --LarryMac | Talk 20:05, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

I wouldn't be surprised if they were getting a lot of garbage and don't have resources to sort through it to find what's helpful. Marco polo (talk) 20:37, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

That's what I thought too. A computer program can't possibly know whether a human is genuinely trying to help it or just pulling its leg. But I don't see any other way the program could get help other than input from humans. And anyway, why do they allow it for web pages but not for plain text? JIP | Talk 20:41, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

A few years ago someone had contributed to Google Translate in such a manner that requesting a translation of the title of a popular Bulgarian patriotic poem into Macedonian, the language of a country where massive anti-Bulgarian propaganda is being spread, would yield a most vulgar phrase. Damn FYROMians. --Theurgist (talk) 22:27, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

As far as I know, if you feed enough information into any computer, it can use statistical machine translation to teach itself the majority of a language - after which point you'll need a much smaller human team to refine it's "knowledge". ^Avic_ennasis @ 01:57, 22 Sivan 5771 / 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Methods for Pouring Milk in Tea

My mate, an old war veteran of 83, through a series of events lost his sight a number of years back. Now, he has a carer, and he has some special equipment in his house, one of which being a special kettle which he uses to make tea. He puts his cup (with tea bag in) up to the machine, and it fills his cup with hot water, and the tea bag proceeds to brew the tea. However, he has trouble with pouring the milk. As the cup is now nearly full, with just enough room for an average amount of milk, plus a bit of space at the top, he is in danger of overflowing the cup every time he puts the milk in (a thing which happens in 90% of cases, apparently). Is there anything he can do to stop this from happening? He can get the milk into the cup. He just does not know when to stop. We have thought of putting milk into an ice cube tray and hopefully using the resulting cubes, but a) we believe that the milk will expand and just make one big block of ice in the tray; and b) he's lost his ice cube tray. If anyone has any ideas, we would both appreciate it. He has asked a number of people, both carers, and people in the same situation, and no-one has come up with an idea.

Also, I think I should point out that there is no possibility of putting the milk in first, as a) he still won't know how much he's put in, and b) tea takes longer to brew with milk already in it. Also, powdered milk is out of the question. Cheers! --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 23:07, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Buy the little pre-packaged, plastic, one-serving containers provided by various restaurants/food take-out places. Bus stop (talk) 23:11, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

That's a possibility. It was two strokes that led to his blindness, however, and, in his words, he's 'got hands like shovels'. I think he may find them a little too fiddly. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 23:16, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Can he not use a larger cup...? It won't solve the problem of when to stop, but it'll help with spilling. And he can probably poke holes in the containers of the creamers or whatever's in the single-serve containers, and pour it in. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 23:50, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

Milk is mostly water, so it will expand the same way that water does when it freezes. That just means you need to make sure you don't fill the tray completely so there is room for it to expand without overflowing. As for having lost the tray: buy a new one. They are very cheap. I know people that routinely freeze milk, so it should still be usable. As long as he doesn't want too much milk in his tea, the ice cubes shouldn't cool it down too much. It seems like a great idea to me. --Tango (talk) 00:07, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Well, actually, it's his birthday in two weeks, so I might get one for him (he doesn't like getting presents, so this would be the best present, I guess). I would also like to see if there are any alternative methods we can look into. Cheers so far! --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:52, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

A pretty expensive solution would be a bottletop dispenser. All you need to do is pull the bottletop, then push down, and it will deliver the exact (preset) amount of liquid from the bottle. The cheapest one I could find by googling is this which cost a whooping US $119! Royor (talk) 07:29, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Two other suggestions: there are such things as liquid level sensors designed to beep when a tea-cup is full. Some examples here, such as that by Cobalt Systems (UK), Independent Living Aids (US). They're very cheap. (And more generally, there is a wealth of technology designed to make living with impaired sight more easy - some more examples here.) In quite the opposite direction, I remember a radio interview between Peter White (broadcaster) (blind since birth) and David Rathband, a recently blinded policeman. Discussing the use of tea-cup level sensors, both agreed that the most straightforward instrument to use was a finger. --Tagishsimon (talk) 11:08, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

These things don't look too hard to open, but of course I don't know the man's manual abilities. This advertisement seems to sell them. Here are some more. The break off plastic tops seem pretty easy to get off, but I can't really be sure. They seem to come packaged as sticks too, sold for instance here.. Bus stop (talk) 11:39, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

What if the milk was transferred into a plastic bottle of some sort, like the kind used for condiments? Then he would just need to squeeze the bottle, which might be easier than trying to pour. Once he had done it a few times it might be clear how much he needs (e.g. one big squeeze, or two small squeezes, or whatever) for the average cup. Getting the milk into the bottle itself (once a week or so) could be simplified by means of a funnel. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:01, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Alternatively, if the milk was first put in a pitcher with a wide open top, you could use a measuring spoon to transfer the right amount into the teacup. 188.117.30.209 (talk) 13:52, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Just to pick up on what Tagishsimon said, the traditional way I've always heard that blind people use for pouring liquid in a cup is to stick a finger on the lip so that they can feel when the liquid is high enough. However, I'm not sure how safe that would be for him, given that the tea will be near boiling point. So a sensor (as he described) is probably ideal. 86.164.66.52 (talk) 13:55, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Off the top of my head, would the following method be workable? 1. Put a shot glass or other small container in the sink. 2. Pour the desired quantity of milk into this smaller container. Inadvertent overflow stays in the sink. 3. Empty the shot glass containing the correct quantity of milk into the teacup. (In principle, this could allow him to use 86.164's suggested 'fingertip' method for checking the liquid level, without the risk of burns.) TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:13, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

If he lives in the UK, then the key word is Independent Living skills. His local council will be able to help him learn how to cope with a variety of issues faced by having a disability -(making a cup of tea is a major priority here in Blighty). Example:[8] They are over worked and under resourced so it would help if you do the insisting to intiveiw him a.s.a.p. as they will find any excuse to delay and delay and delay. His GP might be able to help give him priority in pointing out he is at risk from not having yet learn these skill.--Aspro (talk) 14:55, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Another possibility is a measured pourer.

They're often quite cheap. Amazon seems to have them in different sizes for under five pounds.

They're not going to fit on milk bottles, but the milk could be transferred to a separate bottle.

The only thing I'm uncertain of is, since I don't drink hot tea, I'm not sure how much milk goes into a cup of tea. Most of these devices seem to be between 25ml and 50ml which strikes me as a bit much. APL (talk) 19:05, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Oh, they've got them here that go down as low as a tablespoon(15ml), which seems more likely. APL (talk) 19:10, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

This type of ice cube tray would seem to be good, because it makes its "cubes" small and round. And they are very easy to get out because the bottom is a flexible substance similar to rubber. After freezing the 20 little receptacles, you just have to pop them out into a bowl and store the bowl in the freezer. I've seen these trays on sale in supermarkets for under $3. Bus stop (talk) 19:23, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I've got one of those, I'm sort of disappointed in it. The cubes still grip the sides like they do any other ice tray. So basically you still wind up twisting the tray to loosen all the cubes at once. APL (talk) 19:47, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Oops—I'd better strike that out. I never tried one. It just seemed like it would be easy to get them out. Bus stop (talk) 19:51, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Is that one of the silicone ice trays? I've never tried one but would have thought given the flexibility you could push out individual ice cubes. At least it works with mini muffins which I have try (and could use to test the theory, from what I've seen it's basically the same thing except for the colour and size as the ice trays) Nil Einne (talk) 15:45, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

My experience with them is that you can push out individual cubes, but it takes a lot of strength. Usually I give up and twist the tray popping them all out of their slots. Now they're all loose and you can't turn the tray upside down. I guess if you didn't have much dexterity it might be a little easier to push them out at this point. But on the whole, it wasn't as cool as I was expecting. APL (talk) 02:28, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Would it be easier if he put the milk in first? That is said to be the better way to do it, as the milk and the tea are not so scalded by the boiling water. It was also the traditional way, as it made the delicate porcelain cups of the early tea drinkers less likely to crack due to heat shock. 92.28.251.178 (talk) 09:47, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

If you're making the tea in the cup the milk has to go in after it is brewed, if you put the milk in first the liquid is too cool to brew properly. If you make the tea in a pot then you do put the milk into the cup first. DuncanHill (talk) 15:53, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

That's your choice, but I understood that boiling water was bad for tea. Very hot but not boiling was better. If you leave the teabag in too long then all the bitter tannins leach out and the taste is not as good. 92.29.120.26 (talk) 20:58, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

June 24

Indian food

Why is Indian food so spicy compared to most other cultures' food? --99.23.201.132 (talk) 00:23, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Persons in the US who came from India (Gujurati) told me that spices help to mask or delay decomposition of food in a country where refrigeration is scarce, besides being just to make the food taste good. I doubt pepper or other spices would hamper the growth of microorganisms, and making spoiled food taste ok sounds like an unsafe practice. Edison (talk) 00:28, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Actually pepper and other spices do inhibit microbial action. (See, for example, this or this source.) However, I would point out that India has no monopoly on spicy food. Food in Thailand is every bit as spicy as Indian food, and some food from Sichuan or Mexico can be fiery, too. Marco polo (talk) 00:43, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

It is generally true that the hotter the climate of a country, the spicier people like their food. Why this is so is unclear; I am skeptical of explanations in terms of decomposition. People who live in tropical climates tend to use meat very quickly after slaughter, and as far as I know they don't use more spices for meat that has been kept around longer. Also, people from India usually have a great liking for the spice asafoetida, which is disliked by many westerners because they perceive it as having a "moldy" quality. (According to our article, "in French it is known (among other names) as merde du diable (devil's shit)"). Looie496 (talk) 00:57, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Equatorial countries and spicy food does seem to be a trend. I've heard that one reason might be the perspiration caused by spicy foods makes people feel cooler. I don't have a reference for this and my personal experience with spicy foods and hot weather actually leads me to believe the opposite, but I heard it somewhere so it must be true right? --Daniel 01:43, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Isn't is more likely to be simple historical reasons? All the best spices come from equatorial regions. They used to be expensive to get anywhere else. APL (talk) 01:57, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

This is the answer. A given cultivar of hot pepper will be much hotter when raised in a hot place than in a cool place, according to Amal Naj's book "Peppers". --Sean 18:07, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

A colleague of mine who's a native of Thailand told me that they make the food spicy to make it "interesting", otherwise people "won't eat". It also makes you perspire, so it might even be seen as having a "cooling" effect somehow. Obviously, that approach is not needed in, say, Scandinavia. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:09, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Just to throw a monkey wrench into the "hot climates eat spicy food" thing, Korean cuisine is known to be quite spicy, see Gochujang, and Korea isn't terribly "tropical". --Jayron32 02:24, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I guess that's an exception. But note that even within China, the cuisine of the southern and western parts is pretty spicy, whereas the cuisine of northern cities such as Beijing is much more bland. Looie496 (talk) 03:01, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Neither is Hungary, but they're renowned for their love of extremely hot peppers. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 02:50, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

A friend of mine from Guangdong in China told me that people eat spicy food when they are hot to replace salts lost during sweating. I'm not sure if there's any truth in this, but it does seem (as others have suggested) that the hotter the climate, the hotter the food. The UK's climate is as dull as dishwater, and the rest of Europe would say the same about our food ;) --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:46, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Likewise, there are plenty of hot-climate Latin American countries (not Mexico, obviously) whose food is very bland. I don't think there is too much logic to taste, some people have difficulties with certain foods and its not entirely easy to explain why for some people something can be a delicacy whilst to others its uneatable. Scandinavians like various types of cold fish (such as Gravlax), which many South Asians can't imagine touching. Etc, etc.. --Soman (talk) 03:12, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I certainly don't feel cooler after eating spicy foods. I'd go with decomp, as food will rot far quicker at tropical temps. StuRat (talk) 03:31, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Do you have a source for that, or any qualifications in microbiology or culinary sciences, or are you just offering your personal conclusion? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 04:02, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Do you really not know that decomposition occurs more quickly at higher temps, or are you just being difficult ? (Decomp occurs more quickly at high humidity, too, which is also common in the tropics.) StuRat (talk) 04:54, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Do you have a source that actually makes the causal connection between warmer temperatures (and correspondingly higher rates of decomposition, all other things being equal) and the use of spices in Indian cuisine? Absent any actual research on the topic, all you've presented is your personal best guess about which of the alternate hypotheses on this page you happen to like. You've declared a summary conclusion on the basis of your own intuition.

What you haven't done is offer any sources (credible or otherwise) that permit you to discount the other possible explanations that have been brought forward. Among other things, if decomposition were generally a primary driver for the addition of spices, you'd expect traditional dishes prepared in cooler climes to be spicier in summer than winter. Have you determined whether or not this is the case? (Raw meat doesn't last particularly long in the summer in France.) The 'availability and flavor' hypothesis also seems difficult to dismiss out of hand—spicier cuisines tend to be drawn from parts of the world where the spices are grown and are more readily available; Indians could use spices for the same reason that the Chinese use bamboo shoots. If spices were used solely as a second-rate concealer for decomposition, then we are left wondering how it is that people from cooler countries have so readily and enthusiastically adopted these inferior flavors into their diets. (That isn't to say that there can't be overlap among these factors. Tonic water is perhaps the canonical example of a medicine that people now consume largely for its taste.) Is there some sort of cultural double standard at work here? When white people eat Indian cuisine, it is because it is foreign and flavorful and interesting and exotic and delicious; when Indian people eat Indian cuisine, it is because they're covering up for their substandard and unhygienic food. Indians have mastered pickling and other methods of preserving foods; the presupposition that they must conceal decay through spiciness seems rather threadbare. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:02, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I wouldn't expect spiciness of foods to vary much by season, as removing spices in winter would make foods taste bland to those accustomed to spiciness.

Do you have proof of your statements:

1) "spicier cuisines tend to be drawn from parts of the world where the spices are grown and are more readily available".

2) "spices were ... a second-rate concealer of decomposition", that is, that they were an inferior method to others employed at the time.

3) "Indians have mastered pickling and other methods of preserving foods" (or rather that these methods were known prior to spices, as it seems unlikely that spices would all be removed from their diet once pickling became available).

Do you have authoritative sources and a degree in the culinary arts, or is this just your own personal opinion ? StuRat (talk) 21:42, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Wilful disingenuousness doesn't really help your argument. I'm going to assume that since you still haven't offered any sources support to your original conjecture, you don't have any. It would have been quicker for your to just say so. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 22:16, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

And I'm going to assume that, since you ask me for sources and qualifications while providing your own unsourced and unqualified opinions, that my initial assessment that you're just trying to be difficult is correct. StuRat (talk) 00:16, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Not at all. You offered your own conjecture, presented as the 'correct' answer, based (since we have seen no evidence to the contrary) on your own personal, unqualified intuition. I suggested some points that you might consider or lines of investigation which might tend to support or contradict your conclusion, and asked whether or not you had considered or investigated them. Apparently you had not, and still have not. I'm not passing my unsupported statements off as authoritative, while you are; that's the fundamental difference. I'm encouraging the original poster to think critically about what random strangers on the internet might be telling him. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:46, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

To the contrary, the phrases I started my original sentences with: "I certainly don't feel..." and "I'd go with..." make it quite clear I am offering opinions, while your statements seem to be stated as if they were facts. StuRat (talk) 21:59, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

According to the article Indian cuisine, there are quite a few vegetarian cuisine styles known for their heavy use of spices. Decomp could be one of the reasons but it can't be THE reason that Indian food is so spicy. Another relevant article would be Piquance - In Asian countries within the sphere of mainly Chinese, Indian and Japanese cultural influence, it has traditionally been considered a sixth basic taste, so I guess (WP:OR alert) the spiciness is probably due to culture cuisine tradition more then anything. Royor (talk) 07:05, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Vegetarian food decomposes, too. StuRat (talk) 07:14, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

English food used to be spicy, actually. See the history by Colin Spencer. The English used a lot of imported spices - ginger, pepper, galingale - and home-grown hot stuff - horseradish, mustard, garlic. English food got blander in Victorian times, or rather the dishes are made bland but then you can add mustard, gentleman's relish, whatever you like, to spice them up. Itsmejudith (talk) 09:36, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Seems odd but plenty of people here have called non-spicy food 'bland'. There's a huge amount of flavour in foods that are seasoned with Herbs rather than spices, and even without seasoning most european cuisine i've ever eaten is pretty full of flavour. Semi-rant over ny156uk (talk) 13:17, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I used the word "bland", meaning how it was in England in the Victorian period, which isn't typical of English food, or European food. Some people actually advocated tasteless food, e.g. the Kelloggs in the USA, who thought it equated with godlessness. And Isabella Beeton's recipes are notorious for long boiling, which removes flavours. But I agree that the English, like other Europeans, and like North Americans, are quite capable of liking flavour in their food. Itsmejudith (talk) 21:15, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I think there's a bit of a fallacy in the initial assumption. While it's true that there are nations in tropical or equatorial areas that love spicy food, it's fair to say that there are more cultures in the area to begin with, if only due to the larger population and it shouldn't be surprising that some love spicy food. When you add in the fact that most spices originate in the warmer climates, it should again not be surprising that the cultures near where the spices developed would have longer cultural traditions of consuming those spices and more fully incorporated them into their diets. It was, after all, only relatively recently that spices could be made affordable to folks in the northern climes - all those voyages of discovery to establish spice trade routes were so profitable due to the huge markup. You might as well ask why tropical fruit isn't used much in northern cuisine - it's not because Swedes and Canadians intrinsically dislike guavas or something, it's just that there's been less opportunity for consumption, experimentation in different meals, etc. Matt Deres (talk) 15:01, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Surely one of the reasons that south Asian countries traditionally used strongly flavoured spices was simply that they had them. The existence of the Spice trade shows that when Europeans discovered them, they wanted them too. HiLo48 (talk) 22:48, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Yes but Chili peppers were brought to India by the Portuguese. Alansplodge (talk) 00:00, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

But isn't that part of the point? They were brought to India and other tropical locations to grow. The Europeans could then import them for high prices limiting their use in local cuisine but the locals didn't have to so they had them in abundance along with other spices they already had. Nil Einne (talk) 15:48, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

But chilis grow just fine in northern climates, why would they need to import them? The non-spicy bell version seems to have been more used than the spicier ones in northern cuisines. Rmhermen (talk) 05:00, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Did they grow as well though? Particularly the hotter varieties and what was available at the time. (Note also the above answer which suggests the temperature of the location affects the 'hotness' of the chillis which I believe I've read before.) Particularly in the more temperate places like the UK? Okay they may not have had to import them from Asia in any case but other close places. But obviously if you have to cultivate something or import them it's less likely you'll use it then if it's basically growing wild. The presence and availability of other spices to use with the chillis could also make a difference. Of course one of the difficulties is a lot of what we define as a countries food may have a fairly recent connection, chilis are a good example of this, they are common in the cuisine of places like India, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, parts of China but we know they weren't available until probably the 16th century or may be later. As someone above said, the bland food sometimes associated with England likely comes from victorian times. There are of course so many possibilities many of which we can't know without precisely reproducing conditions of the time as to why chillis (and spices) took off in some places but not so much in others. For example one random possibility is that people in more temperate locations were more uncomfortable with the profuse sweating eating chillis can cause in some people, something people in tropical locations are more likely experience all the time (well not counting those regularly using steambaths). Nil Einne (talk) 16:37, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

i reckon it's because it makes it tasty. Have you tried haggis yet 99.23?Perry-mankster (talk) 21:01, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Katy Couric's Bio Sketch Incorrect

Katy Couric's entry in Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Couric -- is incorrect. It currently states that her father's alma mater is the University of Virginia. He actually graduated from Mercer University in Macon, GA, in 1941. See:

http://about.mercer.edu/notable-alumni/

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/24/1608048/katie-courics-father-former-middle.html

and

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries/browse_thread/thread/16cede5e97a78848/393504aec358c5bd?lnk=raot

Regards -- Ed Sienkiewicz, Lt Col, USAF (Retired); email: (redacted) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.75.168.223 (talk) 09:58, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Please post your information at [9]. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:16, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I removed the email address in the original question, as per policy. --Colapeninsula (talk) 12:30, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

What is this door called?

Hello.

What do you call this type of door?

http://img.archiexpo.fr/images_ae/photo-m2/porte-rapide-a-enroulement-439543.jpg

Thanks in advance. Leptictidium (mt) 10:08, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

It looks like a roller-shutter door. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 10:15, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I think the top half opens upwards and the bottom half downwards. My friend had a van which had rear doors that did that, but I don't know if they have a special name. --TrogWoolley (talk) 12:30, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

That might be a door to an elevator. The shaft for an elevator easily accommodates the sliding of the upper door upwards and the lower door downwards. I think TrogWoolley might be correct about the directionality of the doors.

As you can see, some of these freight elevator doors have that horizontal division in the middle. Bus stop (talk) 18:45, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

It looks to me like the doors aren't opening straight up/down but rather rotating to a horizontal position like a standard garage door (but in two pieces). --Tango (talk) 13:27, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

If you type porte rapide a enroulement into google, a series of roll doors appear; it appears as though Finlay McWalter was right all along. --TrogWoolley (talk) 18:34, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I should also point out that "porte rapide a enroulement" pretty much translates to "rapid roll door" Worm^TT · (talk) 12:19, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

enclosed designated smoking areas

So, I was at the Dizengoff Center Mall in Tel Aviv and saw what I describe as a "cancer box" as it is a small air-tight glass enclosure (about 1 metre by 3 metres) meant to keep smokers and their smoke in (thus maximising damage to them and minimising it outside. Does anyone know if other malls in other countries have this sort of thing? By this sort of thing I mean enclosed these smoking spaces of courrse. Seems like an interesting, if slightly cruel, concept. I can post a picture of it if my text description is not enough. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | Say Shalom! 18:36, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Many airports have "smoking lounges". Some of them look quite nice (except for the smoke.), and some of them look (to me) like the tiny room you describe. However, that's just the impression I got from the outside, I've never been in one. APL (talk) 18:49, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I had that idea myself. They shouldn't even need to bring cigs, as the air is smoke-filled enough even for them. Given the choice of polluting their own air or everybody else's, this seems like the fairer choice, to me. Outside smoking areas don't seem to work, either, as smokers will sneak their cigs in the bathroom when the weather is bad, and, even when they do smoke outside, it still drifts into the building doors and windows and onto the sidewalks and parking lots where those coming and going must breath it. StuRat (talk) 19:09, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Of course they do. It's a passive-aggressive protest against the rules. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:37, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

When I was called up for jury service a few years ago in the main court building in Melbourne, Australia, there was a "room" where all smokers had to go, adjacent to the main area where one waited to be allotted to a case. I believe it was vented to the outdoors, but even non-smokers who went in came out smelling like they had smoked for decades. And, relevant to Stu's comment above, not far away, the Shire of Baw Baw has just banned smoking in outdoor eating areas, malls and children's playgrounds. HiLo48 (talk) 22:44, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

I actually misrepresented the size of the room. Here is the image [10]. Has anyone seen one that small elsewhere? The pic is kind of crummy yes, but it was a cell phone cam. The air being gray in the room is not a trick of the light btw, it actually is gray. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | Say Shalom! 04:01, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Wow. I have seen them close to that size, but not quite that small. I've seen them as rectangular and about the size of a curbside bus stop. But that's very small. Perhaps they don't really want to encourage smoking, but they give the smokers a place to go if they're really desparate. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:08, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I think they are trying to force Israeli smokers to be considerate or go elsewhere. Israelis still have this reputation of being somewhat inconsiderate (though when you get to know them, of course, they are the best friends you can have), and I think this is a way of making sure shoppers don't have to breathe their smoke and saying "you really want to take that ciggy elsewhere" Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | Say Shalom! 05:16, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Looks like a gas chamber, and also looks like smoking has stunted the growth of the occupants. StuRat (talk) 06:12, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

It's a well-known fact that smoking can be Hobbit-forming. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:14, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

That's amazing. No chairs. No reading material. No outside view. (They seem to have made a special effort to avoid that.) No anything really. Are they trying to bore the smokers out of their habit? HiLo48 (talk) 07:08, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I noticed but judiciously avoided the hobbitual joke. HiLo48 (talk) 07:11, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Oh no you didn't! :-) Richard Avery (talk) 10:25, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I worked briefly for a company in Aberdeen, where the smokers had to use such a 'room' that was outside the building (more like a bus shelter - it wasn't airtight), requiring a short walk in the open air (often damp and cold in Aberdeen) - it still got plenty of use. Mikenorton (talk) 08:28, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Smokers' shelters like that are very common in the UK now that smoking in enclosed workplaces is illegal. --Tango (talk) 18:50, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

There's one about that size, or maybe even smaller, in my nearest Irish pub. There's room for a couple of smokers and a small shelf for their beers. I might go and snap a photo later. Astronaut (talk) 11:09, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Such an indoor smoking pit would need exhaust fans to the outside (hopefully far away from anyone), or smoke would pour out whenever the doors are opened. However, there's no way to keep the smokers themselves from stinking up the place, when they exit; with hair, clothes and breath all reeking of tobacco. A long walk to a distant outdoor shelter is the only way to reduce some of that. StuRat (talk) 19:05, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

That's not feasible in an international airport where most of the smokers are in transit and are not permitted to exit the airport terminal. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 23:41, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I am guessing you mean they aren't allowed to leave the terminal, unless there you call a "terminal" an "airport" (which would make sense if your airports each have one large terminal). StuRat (talk) 04:32, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Your correction of my correction is correct. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 16:07, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

That looks like what's called a "smoking cabin". I believe the theory is that the filtration works better because of how the air circulates in the small space. If you google the term there's lots to find including several manufacturers. --JGGardiner (talk) 17:58, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

June 25

How much is a train ticket between Lund, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark?

How much is a train ticket between Lund, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark? How much is a single ticket, how much is a return ticket, and how much is a season ticket (month/year)? Is there a special offer for students and/or university staff who want to use the train regularly (e.g., because they live in Lund and work in Copenhagen or vice versa? 85.179.141.49 (talk) 11:36, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

From a quick look on the SJ website, www.sj.se, a single 2nd class ticket on a non-X2000 train is SEK 137, non-rebookable, or SEK 166 refundable (on X2000: SEK 172 / 233 respectively, though the X2000 appears to take 5-6 minutes longer for the journey than the ordinary Öresundstågen). Return fares appear to be twice the single. You may want to enquire about season tickets at an SJ station or ticket agent, as unfortunately I don't read enough Swedish to spend time going through the website! -- Arwel Parry (talk) 12:34, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Original Reshearch

Does any one know of any Collaborative websites like Wikipedia that allow original research or indeed encourage or require it? I like contributing to Wikipedia but find the rules about original research a little frustrating and limiting. Therefore I was looking for an outlet for my some original research, that has similar goals to Wikipedia. I enjoy the feedback, discussion, peer review that results from my non-original research contributions to WP and want forum with a similar community that aims to be more that just a series of blogs or personal websites. I have done a lot of Googleing but have found nothing and just wondering if anyone knows of anything?

Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by EditMonkey (talk • contribs) 16:03, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I believe both Wikibooks and Wikiversity allow original research contributions. Gandalf61 (talk) 18:18, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, I check those two out. EditMonkey (talk) 21:38, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Is there any location more dense than Manhattan?

Manhattan - Total 1,629,054
- Density 70,951/sq mi (27,394.3/km2)

Is there any area on earth with a million plus people that is as dense or more dense than that?

Tablewinechair (talk) 20:35, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

List of cities proper by population density lists several. See also List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density; as the figures for Hong Kong and Macao cover their entire territories (which include some suburban, industrial, and countryside areas) then surely there will be regions of them that are very dense. I don't know of anything denser than the 1987 figures for Kowloon Walled City which estimated a density of 3,249,000/sq mi, which makes Manhattan look positively rural. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:43, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Why isn't Dhaka on the list? According to this, "approaching in excess of 100,000 per square mile", "the urban area is the world’s most dense". Clarityfiend (talk) 20:49, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

See Mong Kok.—Wavelength (talk) 20:48, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

You might also be interested in List of United States cities by population density, the CDP table on which lists Friendship Village, Maryland as having a population density of 81,991/sq mi. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:48, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

I would imagine that the densest location would be the footprint of one of the very tall residential skyscrapers. Unfortunately none that I've looked at declares an actual population (just number of floors and sometimes number of apartments), so it's not easy to calculate what the effective 2d (people/sq mi) density is. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 21:10, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

Friendship Village, Maryland is only 0.06 square miles, or about 32 acres, which makes it about half the size of Vatican City. Central Park, Manhattan, itself is 843 acres. Seems to me this question comes down to what counts as a "place". Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village, in Manhattan, has about 25,000 people living on 80 acres, which, if my math hasn't failed me, is about 200,000 people per square mile. Pfly (talk) 09:05, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Surely, the most densely populated place is the approx 0.5 m² beneath your feet; equivalent to approx 2,000,000 per km². Astronaut (talk) 10:53, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

My foot measures approximately 28×10 cm. If we assume all people have the same size feet and all stand on one foot, we get approximately 35,700,000 people per km². JIP | Talk 14:30, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Most responders seem to be missing the requirement that the area should have more than a million inhabitants. Manila, North East Delhi and Kowloon do meet the requirement. List of cities proper by population density claims that Kolkata does as well, but according to the latter article, Kolkata City only has a population of 4,486,679 in a region of 185 km², giving a density of 24,252 people/km². 188.117.30.209 (talk) 11:17, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

I had missed the requirement as well - it makes the question far more sensible! It's still difficult to work out, though, since (using your example) there may well be part of Kolkata containing a million people in a much denser area (if you just include the centre of the city and not the suburbs, say). The definition of a city's borders is usually highly arbitrary (see urban sprawl, conurbation, metropolitan area, etc.). It's very hard to avoid differing ways of defining the city's borders from affecting the density. To take an extreme case, the City of London is technically just a square mile, what people think of as "London" isn't a city at all. If you look at just the square mile its population density is either about 10,000 people per sq mile (at night) or about 300,000 people per sq mile (during the day). That's either far higher or far lower than the usually quoted population density of London, thus demonstrating the differences a change in definition can cause. --Tango (talk) 13:48, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Population density is normally, as far as I know, linked to homes--the place where a person sleeps and cites as their home address. I assume that London's "population" is might higher during the day, if "population" includes people who have commuted to their workplace. by the same token Manhattan's population during the day should be far great than 1,629,054. Speaking personally, I used to live in Brooklyn, but worked in Manhattan. Still, I agree that the question is hard to work out without clarification about what constitutes a "place" and how to calculate "population". Pfly (talk) 10:04, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

"Location" and "area" are vague but the question mentioned Manhattan. According to List of islands by population density, the only island with a million plus people and higher population density is Salsette Island with 13,000,000 on 436 km² for around 30,000/km². PrimeHunter (talk) 12:17, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

June 26

american indian bracelet - name, guidelines for wearing

I am part ojibwa, my friend is part algonquin. She is wearing a handmade bracelete of string and beads; mine is of string and healing stones. Our questions are: what is the name, if any of this type of bracelet, can we reveal the wish we made over them to anyone before it falls off and the wish comes true,and is there any significance to the friend who ties it on beyond the bond we already have? Thank you. We want to do this right. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.54.44.160 (talk) 11:06, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Friendship bracelet. StuRat (talk) 04:23, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

What is the difference between a supporting character, a recurring character and a minor character that are in books, tv, movies, video games, plays radio shows, web series or anything else?

What is the difference between a supporting character, a recurring character and a minor character that are in books, tv, movies, video games, plays, radio shows, web series or anything else? Neptunekh2 (talk) 23:52, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Our articles on supporting character and recurring character may be of assistance. Neutrality^talk 00:02, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Keep in mind that "billing" is often a function of contract negotiations, at least in movies and TV shows. Lost in Space featured Jonathan Harris as "Special Guest Star", despite the fact that he appeared in virtually every episode. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:35, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

June 27

Flood lines on bridges

Is there any specialised term for the dark line caused by floodwaters, either on bridges or on other things? This photograph I took the second time I visited the site: at the first time, the deck and much of the rest of the bridge was submerged, and you can see near the tops of the trusses the line that I'm asking about. Nyttend (talk) 03:40, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Probably some sort of High water mark, perhaps the ordinary high water mark. Buddy432 (talk) 04:16, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

The first example I thought of is Lake Mead, which uses the term high water mark along with the colloquialism "bathtub ring". Basically, it's mineral desposits left behind when the water recedes. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:33, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

I've always known them as Tide marks, I know they have nothing to do with tides as such, but the usage seems to have spread to flooding rivers. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:32, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

The Cadillac of Semi-automatic Firearms on the Military Channel

Which weapon is the narrator refering to? "The Cadillac of Semi-automatic Firearms". This quote at the beginning of every show.

J. Brunackey — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.40.32.214 (talk) 16:19, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

According to [11] its the M1 Garand--Jac16888 ^Talk 18:25, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

US presidential line of succession

Once inaugurated, if a current US president was found (for whatever reason) to have not been eligible for the position at the time of the election, what effect, if any, would that have on the United States presidential line of succession? Would the original ineligibility of the Pres during the election extend to their running mate? (Coming here with it after seeing a misplaced discussion at Talk:John Boehner) --Onorem♠Dil 18:12, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Basically, I think the answer is no one knows for sure, but that that vice president is the most likely successor. There has never been a president declared ineligible after being put in power, and very few comparable precedents for any other office. At face value, there doesn't seem to be anything in the constitution that would prohibit a vice president from serving even if the president he ran with was found to have been ineligible for election. Once a vice president was elected and is otherwise qualified, the constitutionally mandated order of succession would seem to still apply. I think the judiciary would be loath to throw out the entirety of the election for anything short of outright vote tampering, even if part of the ticket was technically ineligible. They tend to defer to the will of the people fairly strongly in electoral matters, provided the votes were counted fairly. However, if such an issue ever came up in earnest, you can be certain that there would be a lot of litigation on the issue and it would probably require a Supreme Court ruling before we could be certain about what will happen. Dragons flight (talk) 20:16, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

The result would undoubtedly be a constitutional crisis. Even the first time that a vice president succeeded on the death of a President, it was entirely unclear how the situation should resolve itself. John Tyler became President (and most importantly for this discussion NOT Acting President or Interim President) basically on the "because-I-say-so" principle, it was not resolved constitutionally until the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in 1967, despite having been working in practice (though not unambiguosly in law) for over 100 years. Since the 25th amemendment only deals with death, resignation, or incapacitation, there is no specific language dealing with ineligibility to stand for election. It may not be a great crisis, but it would certainly require the interpretation of the Supreme Court. Most likely they would confirm the succession of the Vice President to the Presidency, since the VP was rightfully elected. --Jayron32 20:47, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

FJ in Yamaha FJ1200

[Originally posted as Talk:What does FJ stand for on the Yamaha motorcyle FJ1200 prefix:Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives; question forwarded here by Athaenara ✉ 18:25, 27 June 2011 (UTC)]

Does anyone know what the FJ stands for on the Yamaha motorcycle FJ1200? Its an older model. Spindaddy (talk) 14:10, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

Perusing List of Yamaha motorcycles, all of the "F" motorcycles are four-stroke road bikes, and the "FJ" motorcycles all seem to be "touring class", see the list below. I don't know that the letters necessarily stand for any specific words, sometimes they are just arbitrary classifications.--Jayron32 18:50, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Culinary advice - permitted?

If permitted, here is my enquiry. I'll soon be picking several kilos of blackcurrants. I need ideas for preserving them. Plans so far: jam/jelly (but are there any spices/flavourings that will work well?), bottling, creme de cassis, syrup, flavoured vinegar for salad, ice cream. Any other ideas? Something bold and different? Thanks if you can. Itsmejudith (talk) 21:05, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

One method is freezing, although you can expect this to alter the texture (making them mushy) and cause some juice to leak out, unless you have the ability to do flash freezing. But, this is fine for many purposes, such as making them into syrup at a later date. If do freeze them, make sure they are in a sealed container, so they don't absorb freezer smells. StuRat (talk) 21:09, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

As for other ideas of how to prepare black currants, how about pressing them to obtain juice or putting them in bread or muffins (which you could then freeze) ? StuRat (talk) 21:12, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

As an aside, I notice both you and our article write "black currant" as one word, and we similarly have an article with red currant as a single word. This looks very wrong to my US English sensibilities, as bad as a "greencar" or "whiterobe". So, is this a British English thing ? StuRat (talk) 21:21, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

4th of July fun

A potentially fun question to answer.

I have a group of English children in England, age 7-10, in a village hall. I am also English, as are my helpers. We would like to do something fun for American Independence Day, both because it involves eating doughnuts and because part of our remit is Learning About The World. We have a bit over an hour, once you take out admin and settling down. We already have a range of doughnut-related games, all of which involve eating the doughnuts, since they were quite specific about that (I like to encourage them to have some control over this stuff). I can think of a few other ideas, which generally involve them absorbing some knowledge about America, but I thought the reference desk might have some ideas for fun America/4th of July themed things. I gather American schoolchildren do this stuff every year?

Anyway, awaiting your inspired responses. 86.164.67.252 (talk) 21:17, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

I can't see what donuts have to do with the 4th of July, but perhaps you could use my US spelling of them to explain how Americans spell things differently, talk differently, etc. Here are some typical 4th of July activities:

1) Fireworks. Might be a bit dangerous for such young kids, but perhaps sparklers or snakes might be OK, with proper supervision ?

2) BBQ (barbeque), with hot dogs and hamburgers (with ketchup, mustard, and pickles), corn on the cob, and potato salad.

3) A parade with red, white, and blue on everything (nice since those or UK colors, too) and lots of American flags.

BTW, American school children are typically on summer vacation during the 4th of July, so there are no school activities. StuRat (talk) 21:28, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Historic parish and district for place of Glorup, Svendborg, Denmark

In what historic parish and district of Svendborg, Denmark is the place Glorup located? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.83.74.37 (talk) 21:18, 27 June 2011 (UTC)