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DVD sales in New Jersey

How many DVDs are sold in the state of New Jersey each year? -- unsigned

  • That's really an absurd question, I mean, seriously, what are the parameters of this experiment? Do, for instance, street vendors selling bootleg DVDs count as sales? If so, you're never going to find your answer, street vendors keep terrible records, also, they take forever to cash a personal check, even after you give them your social security number, pin number, and account number, I'm still waiting for that damn check to clear, oh well, luckily I gave him my home address and date of birth, in case he needs to contact me to give me my money--Armen Schrikken 00:29, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This would be rather hard to track down to say the least. If you could track down sales data from all the movie distributors then you could maybe figure out a rough figure. Although I doubt they break it down by state. Also, please turn your caps lock off. Dismas|(talk) 02:40, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

OSHA offices

~~How many Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offices are there in the U.S? Thanks alot68.197.6.37

Their website lists number of inspectors, not offices. It might be faster and more accurate to just call your local office and ask?--inksT 01:22, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Tomboy/Gay

If a Boyish girl is called a Tomboy, why is a girlish boy called gay? - (unsigned)

"Sissy" is a more specific word for an "effeminate" male. "Gay" has other more specific meanings. Generally, calling a boy girlish, sissy, or gay would be considered an attack, impolite, and not particularly admirable. People who use epithets like that have a somewhat more constricted view of sex roles than does the rest of modern society. So the answer to your question is "a girlish boy is called gay by someone who wants to hurt him". - Nunh-huh 02:08, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
"Boysish" girls can be called less charitable things, like "butch" or "dyke" or "lesbian". Also note that there is a change with the age of the person in question. Boys are expected to be rather "girlish" until puberty, with no body hair, high voices, undeveloped muscles, tendency to cry, etc. StuRat 17:58, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
May be a British term, but the closest male equivalent to "tomboy" for a "girlish boy" I can think of is "nancy-boy". Canley 06:55, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Rock early stage names

Hi, Just wanna know why The Rock (entertainer) used Pidlaoan Rock as one of his stage names? Thanks.

Our article on Dwayne Johnson is silent on this issue other than noting he used the name. He has an autobiography The Rock Says published in 2000. I will crosspost this question on his discussion page. Capitalistroadster 03:10, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Relationship trouble

How do you get out of the "Just Friends" Rut? I can't gamble with this relationship though she's one of my best friends.

Aaah, the eternal question of "nice guys" everywhere. Don't worry, there's approximately one million theories about what to do in this situation. You can find some of them by searching for '"just friends" rut" on Google like this. --Robert Merkel 04:04, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I believe Dan Savage answered a question like this at some point. I can't find it now, but I'm sure the gist of it was that there's no risk-free way to try to break out of the rut. If it turns out she's not interested, there's no way to make everything go back to the way it was, but if you do it in a mature, honest, non-creepy way, then you can at least pare down the subsequent really awkward period. That's my executive summary; you'd do better to find more extensive advice. — Laura Scudder | Talk 16:30, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Ask the girl in question exactly what you asked us without saying it is her and not saying it is not her. Note that her reaction immediately may be one thing and her behavior after a day or so of reflection may be another thing. You get what you want more often when people know what you want. WAS 4.250 11:40, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What volume of air does a person use up?

If you have an Air tight house that's about 1500 square feet, how long would it take before all the air ran out, assuming someone didn't leave and breathed normally.

You need to know the volume of the house, not just it's area, i.e. how high the ceilings are. Secondly the air will not run out, nor will the oxygen, but what you will die of is carbon dioxide poisoning, from all the air that you breath out. This was what nearly killed the crew of Apollo 13 on their return to Earth. Here is all the information you need from Google Answers to work out your answer. Majts 04:35, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Leather boot lining problem

I have a pair of leather boots that have a sticky lining and would like to know if there is anything I can do to solve this problem?Please help me with this problem.Bannava 04:29, 11 October 2005 (UTC)anon[reply]

Talcum powder or Baby powder should fix it. If the boots are stinky, you may want to get some powder specially made to make footwear not stinky. In the US, I know Dr. Scholl's sells such a powder. -Drdisque 16:16, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Scarlett

Scarlett, Margaret Mitchell's sequel to Gone with the wind, seems to be missing from the Wikipedia list of new books for the year 1991

Better Degree

under current economics condiions, is it better to read for a bachelors degree in information technology or economics and management

Germany's economy may be growing rather slowly (0.7% expected this year, 1.1% forecast for 2006 [1]), but it's not in a deep depression. David Sneek 07:40, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
However, in general, employment conditions in the IT industry are a lot better than people believe, if not as good as they were in those hazy crazy days of the late 1990's. However, in the English-speaking world at least, the really hot jobs at the moment include things like nursing (in fact, any medicine-related field), and mining engineering. But by the time you finish your degree who knows what the situation will be? --Robert Merkel 22:52, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hurricane Katrina

What was the final death toll of Hurricane Katrina?

Please remember to search first. -- Ec5618 16:46, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
From Hurricane Katrina: "The official death toll now stands at 1,242" ☢ Kieff | Talk 08:43, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Plagarism?

I've recently been accused of plagarism on a paper i wrote, one which where I used wikipedia as my main source. Considering I used much of this website I cited wikipedia as a whole. Is there anyway I can search this website for a specific idea or something which i could have unknowingly plagerized? Accused passage is....

"This situation seems to be most accurately described as a culture clash. Regardless of similarities, it seems that these three strange bedfellows, native Americans, Africans and Europeans have an overwhelming propensity towards violence, hatred and malice."

If this looks slightly similar to any other page you happen to know of i would appreciate your imput. Im sorry if this isnt the best place to ask this kind of question, i couldnt really find anywhere better

--fred

Please see the post below. I got myself all flummoxed!

I hope we can let you off the plagiarism hook here because I hope that wasn't a direct quote from one of our history articles. It is so bad in so many ways (outdated racist views, bad history, bad social science, factually wrong, mangled metaphor, revolting writing style...) that it shouldn't have been allowed to stand as written in any imaginable encyclopedia article. I will go so far as to doubt that anyone who could write such a sentence would have anything worthwhile to offer wikipedia. alteripse 17:51, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

No big deal: we ALL plagerized, that is from the original creator of all things. Does anyone has a name for that Creator? I believed it is all left uncopyrighted since....165.21.154.116 01:08, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Deciphering substitution codes

I was wondering if anybody could help me decipher what I believe to be a substitution code? This is the information I have:-

Ciphertext: UGEFXYPWMB

The key word could be either dennis, zebra, doug or yak. There is a strong possibilty that it may be something different but I'm not sure.

If anyone can help me out, I'd be very grateful!

Thanks!

86.131.122.31 14:49, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • The usual way of doing a keyword-based substitution cypher is to put the keyword followed by the remaining alphabet:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
ZEBRACDFGHIJKLMNOPQSTUVWXY

then map letters between the two lines (either up or down, you have a choice). However, "DENNIS" can't be a keyword (can't have repeated letters). Using this method, either way, neither "DENIS", "ZEBRA", "DOUG", or "YAK" produce anything intelligible with your cyphertext. Any other keywords you could try, or other methods that might be used? --Bob Mellish 17:47, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is being described above is a traditional caesar cypher. I wrote a quick python script to do the caeser decyphering for some given keyword and cyphertext: 


>>> def transform (txt, word):
    start = ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f", "g", "h", "i", "j", "k", "l", "m", "n", "o", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "u", "v", "w", "x", "y", "z"]
    for a in range (0, len(word)):
        start.remove(word[a])

    trans = list (word)
    while (len(start)>0):
        trans.append(start[0])
        del start [0]

    start = ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f", "g", "h", "i", "j", "k", "l", "m", "n", "o", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "u", "v", "w", "x", "y", "z"]    
    ret = ""
    lst = list (txt) 
    
    while (len(lst) > 0):
        ret += trans[start.index(lst[0])]
        del lst[0]
    return ret

>>> q = "UGEFXYPWMB".swapcase()
>>> q
'ugefxypwmb'
>>> transform(q, "zebra")
>>> transform(q, "doug")
'tcabxynwko'
>>> transform(q, "yak")
'tecdwxovla'

Clearly, it is not a caeser cypher using those three words. →Raul654 05:35, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Just a terminology nitpick, but a Caesar cipher uses a cyclically-shifted alphabet. The above is a general monoalphabetic simple substitution cipher using an alphabet derived from a keyword. ;-) But assuming that none of the keywords work in the well-known scheme described above, it's probably not possible to decipher the ciphertext using a general approach to solving, simply because there's so many plausible plaintexts (see Unicity distance). — Matt Crypto 13:08, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hey you guys, is there any way to show the code (above) without the "leading space" which causes the irritating wide page. <pre> and <nowiki> doesn't seem to do it. --hydnjo talk 02:04, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

bubba crosby and chef

are they okay after last nights collision? 216.220.231.226 15:37, 11 October 2005 (UTC) Bubba and chef collided against the wall and at first it looked like bubba got the worst when his head got crushed against the wall but chef went down hard and stayed down. bubba got up and grabbed the ball. 216.220.231.226 15:44, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It helps to provide a little more context (say, New York Yankees or Major League Baseball), but from the box score[2], both stayed in the game, so I'd expect no injuries of importance. The lack of articles specifically covering the collision would seem to indicate the same. Also, Gary Sheffield's name is more correctly abbreviated Sheff. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 16:11, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What are 10 types of technology abuses? thanks in advance, I need this ASAP. Lordned 16:21, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Do your own homework. android79 16:26, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Homework! o_O.... This isnt homework. I can ask a question to learn things without it being called homework?? Lordned 16:33, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You wouldn't need exactly 10 things, and need them ASAP, if this weren't part of a homework assignment. android79 16:36, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I just need to know what some are. That way I can research them. I just want to know. Not have to know.Lordned 16:39, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I tend to agree with Android -- this has all the hallmarks -- but you might start with the copyright infringement of software and see where that leads. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 16:56, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You might not want to include Piracy in your list though, unless there's some connection between plundering ships and copying software that you'd like to tell us about... Ojw 20:03, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I was going to make a joke about barratry here, but on reading that article I find it has a non-admiralty meaning - "the act or practice of bringing repeated legal actions solely to harass", which perfectly sums up an abuse common on the internet! Shimgray | talk | 20:20, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Before I found this place,
if there was some topic I was rather ignorant about, and whated to research for free, I would usually start with Teoma.
if I think I know something about the topic already, such as how to spell it, and want to know more, Google is usually helpful.
Your examples are of bad stuff that typical users of the Internet might do. There's also bad stuff done by people who everyone thinks are criminals except them, and people who are not criminals just incompetent, like in business or web site design.

AlMac|(talk) 02:19, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • Piracy. It's becoming a big problem with wooden legs, eye patches, and parrots all over the place. Arr matey!
  • Hax0rz. They jack into the matrix and upload virus coeds to steal your megahurtz!
  • Truth. The interweb is so widespread the gubmint can no longer hide the truth about the secret psychic illuminati dolphin moonbase project
But by far the worst offence, the one that'll really have the FBI kicking in your door at 6 AM....
  • People trying to get Wikipedians to do their homework for them
-- Noodhoog 15:11, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Question my brother has posed me!

My brother has posed me the following question which I don't even understand. It is this - '3 targets, 617.17/05/43. Can anybody help with this?

Many thanks.

17/05/43 looks like a date to me - May 17, 1943. What happened then? From 1943:
  • May 17 - World War II: Surviving RAF Dam Busters return.
  • May 17 - The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
The key there is the first one - the "Dam Busters" were a popular name for a single set of attacks on German dams carried out by the RAF. (You may recall the film). The unit involved was No. 617 Squadron RAF, the attacks were codenamed Operation Chastise - and they were carried out on three major dams, in the early morning of May 17th. (Because some aircraft were diverted to secondary targets, four dams were actually attacked, but the plan targeted three). This looks rather like an answer to your brother's question... three targets, by 617, on 17/05/43. Shimgray | talk | 16:47, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Good one ! Tintin 22:34, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Blimey, that was impressive Shimgray! --Noodhoog 15:16, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for a specific word

What is the word for a contraption used in the olden days to hold a single person, usually somebody rich and powerful? It's got handles a the ends or corners, and servants hold them; it's big enough so that the person inside can lay down. It's also usually identified with the Middle East. --Merovingian (t) (c) 17:30, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sedan chair ? StuRat 17:39, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you very much! The article refers to litter, which was exactly what I needed. --Merovingian (t) (c) 17:55, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You're quite welcome. StuRat 23:37, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or (IMO better) palanquin, which refers to a rather more general class of lacky-portable peoplemover. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 00:39, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Badger mines is Ontario

  • Badgers are not mined -- they are hunted. Would you care to clarify your question? Ground Zero | t 19:23, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • hum, badger mines, that sounds like a rather cartoonish way to deal with badgers, I think someone's been watching a bit too much Cadyshack, or perhaps we're thinking of the wrong type of mine, maybe Badger Mines, are really mines, where badgers are extracted from the earth, then refined for their presous metals--Armen Schrikken 00:13, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Lots of ignorant people in the world who name their places after some local scenery that won't be around forever, instead of based on what the place does, or the people who do it, such as
  • Here is info on the Badger Mine in Ontario & it looks like what it mined was silver. So what was the question again?

AlMac|(talk) 19:19, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

House of leaves: A movie?

How come they have not made the novel House of Leaves into a movie? Its perfect for a blair witchy kind of film and it was on the bestseller list. Any ideas?

  • Either no one with connections suggested it to a film studio or there's no one with a screenplay yet. If those are covered, it's likely a problem with finding funding for the project. Getting something made into a movie is quite complicated and can take a very long time. For example: Anthony Horowitz sold the rights to film Alex Rider way back, but only now the 6th book is out have they started filming. - Mgm|(talk) 18:26, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • In the case of House of Leaves, certain other potential problems could prevent a film version -- such as the difficulty of translating the novel's techniques of varying fonts,
footnotes,

unusual typography, etc. into filmic terms. --Metropolitan90 06:47, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Bank vs Banc

What's the deal with BofA's "Bank of America" and then "Banc of America Securities"?

I don't know about BoA, but I used to work at a bank called Great Southern Bank. The bank was owned by a corporation called Great Southern Bancorp. I don't know why the name was different, except to perhaps distinguish it for purposes of SEC filings, etc.--WhiteDragon 21:23, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It may be that Banc of America Securities is a securities company, not a bank. Similarly, Great Southern Bancorp is a holding company, not a bank. The SEC may prohibit a company that is not a bank from using that word in its name. How about "I Can't Believe It's Not a Banc, Inc."? Ground Zero | t 21:26, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I think you are exactly correct. There are specific rules about what kinds of business may or may not use "Bank", "Savings Bank", "Savings and Loan", "Credit Union" etc. so probably by calling it Banc they avoid that limitation while still seeming close to their brand name. --WhiteDragon 21:36, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And see Banc for what may be a POV description of the use of the term. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 00:35, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Film Formats

Instead of TV programming moving to widescreen, why wouldn't the film industry move to normal size film?

I'm not in either industry but just a guess would be that a wider screen would have the psychological effect of bringing you into the presentation. You can be "wrapped" in the action. Just a guess though. Dismas|(talk) 21:17, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Back in the pre-tv days, films (for the most part) were in what we would think of today as "TV Format", that is, an aspect ratio of around 1.33:1. With the invention of TV the movie studios, who were seeing falling sales for the first time, were eager to find something different to offer audiences to lure them back to the theatres. Thus, wide screen was popularized as something audiences could not see in their homes. Now, with the growing popularity of widescreen, hi-def TVs and home theatres, the studios are desperate to find another gimmick to keep the public's butts in $9 a pop seats and out of living rooms. Changing back to a narrower aspect ratio is unlikely to be an option. Brian Schlosser42 17:37, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you watch Chicken Little in selected theaters, it will be bright and clear 3D. The film industry is trying hard to create experiences not enjoyable at home by P2P users.
Back to the bad old days in my country, magazines used to be small in their sizes. Many monthly magazines were only a little larger than a typical paperback novel published in the U.S. However, someone in the even worse old days broke the balance by publishing bigger and more colorful magazines. Now all magazines are as large as a barn door in lilliput. What a waste of natural resources!
Hey! The Wall Street Journal is now using colors! Not to mention your formerly beige and boxy computers are now anything but ... never mind ... I hate iMacs. Think of a format change! -- Toytoy 11:39, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The novel "The Crib"

There was a horror novel by that name that concerned this crib made of the wood where jesus was crucified and was killing little children. It was a fascinating fiction horror. I cant find it anywhere and cant even find it in out of print. Am I dreaming about this book or is it real?

KENT, PAUL The Crib (Bantam 0-553-26650-0, Apr ’87 [Mar ’87], $3.50, 218pp, pb) Horror novel.

On Amazon 

 216.43.124.150 16:46, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Three movies that I cant get out of mind.

I used to watch the saturday afternoon movie show and they had these hooror movies that were great. I am looking for three.

One-Dont know the title but remember there was huge mushroom cloud in the beginning and then sometime later there is a woman who hears a churchbell only to find out its a skeleton hanging on the pulley. The last thing I remember is she has a baby who dies.

Two-A girl goes to find her father on a bus in the forest which is attacked by creatures. She gets to the house and it seems like there is vampires there. at the end she is in a hayloft with a guy and bites him on the neck.

Three- All I remember about this movie is that it had zombies with dark circles for eyes. One of them gets run over and stands up and some normal people put one in some sort of tank and examine it.

Help me find these movies!

Movies two and three don't sound familiar, but the first movie sounds a bit like Threads, a British moc-doc about a nuclear war, with the mushroom cloud and the stillborn baby. Have you tried the one of the general discussion groups at IMDb? Brian Schlosser42 17:47, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The first one is not Threads as it was made in 1985 and I saw this when I was young and it couldnt be later than 1980 but it seemed to be in black and white so it may have been earlier than the 70's.

EUROPES OLDEST CITIES

What are the ten oldest cities in Europe.

That depends on whether you want places that are still occupied, and how big a place has to be to be a city. --Gareth Hughes 20:34, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • The problem with dating the foundings of cities in the "Old World" is that their dates of settlement are vague and not easily verifiable, often pre-dating reliable record-keeping. For example, the "traditional" (mythical) date of the founding of Rome was, as every schoolboy knows, 753 B.C. However, archealogical evidence has shown that the site of Rome has been settled since around about 1000 B.C. I hope that helps.Shelburne Kismaayo 23:54, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

NORTH AMERICAN CITIES

What is the oldest city in THE UNITED STATES.

See Gareth's request for clarification above, please. While Jamestown, Virginia is the oldest successful colony in the present-day United States, it may not meet city criteria. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:17, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Jamestown's the oldest English-settled colony: St. Augustine, Florida, predates it and Santa Fe, New Mexico, matches it. It all depends on the asker's definition of "city", of course, but I'm rooting for Acoma Pueblo. –Hajor 21:54, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent point, I knew I was forgetting something. :)
Remember that most of the territory that is now the USA, was conquered by the Spanish long before the English colonists overran the area perhaps 200 years later, so the Spanish probably started some settlements which have evolved into cities today, like Los Angeles perhaps.
"Most"? "Conquered"? Plus, don't count places in California. The first Spanish settlement in California was San Diego, and it wasn't settled till 1776. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:52, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Your title is NORTH AMERICAN while the question is USA ... If you include non-USA in North America, perhaps there was a Vikings settlement which grew into a modern city.
I think most American Indians were nomadic tribes without fixed villages, but I wonder if any exceptions might have made sufficient peace with the palefaces, that any of their villages grew into modern day communities.

AlMac|(talk) 02:26, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Cardinal players

My father, Robert N. Samel, played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940's. I am trying to find any info or stats on him and I don't know where to start. Can you help?--68.119.254.190 20:55, 11 October 2005 (UTC)pam benson[reply]

One place would be [3] but going through the 1940s, I don't see anyone of that name playing for the Cardinals. And a Player Search for "Robert Samel" doesn't find him. You might want to check the spelling/team. Perhaps he played for a Cardinal's associated minor league team? (The site doesn't include rookies or minor leaguers). For $5 you could have him looked up in the minor league data base. - Nunh-huh 21:59, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You do mean the Baseball St. Louis Cardinals, right? The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987. During the 1940's the franchise was located in Chicago.

THE OLDEST COUNTRY

What is the world's oldest country?

Depends entirely how you define "country". In many ways you can argue no modern country is older than about four centuries; however, as a unified nation, a good bet would perhaps be China. Shimgray | talk | 22:48, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Assyria was there before Egypt. Before Assyria, the nation-states of Babylon and Samuria were in existence. I believe Ur is thought to be the first nation-state, but it was more of a city. --Screwball23 02:29, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Would Egypt be older than China, or does it not count if the people of the area not have a continuous same kind of government since the days of the Pyramids? AlMac|(talk) 02:31, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • China hasn't had the same kind of Government being ruled by Mongols, indigenous dynasties of Emperors, the Nationalists and the Communists over the millenia. China and Egypt are the most likely contenders. Capitalistroadster 04:57, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm going to have to go with China, Egypt's borders move around too much, think WWII, OTE, Greek and Roman empires just to name a few, oh and Byzantium, Egypt kept getting swallowed up by larger countires, where as China's pretty much always been China, give or take a few miles--Armen Schrikken 00:09, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • If by "oldest country", you mean "first unified state large enough to be impressive on a map", it's definitely Egypt. Egypt is just much older as a unified state than China (since 3100 BC). China has had more continuity of governance over the centuries, and been less subject to "foreign" rule (but it depends on how you define that), but Egypt even under non-native rule has never stopped existing as a distinct organizational and cultural enitity.--Pharos 10:58, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

SMALL PLACES

What are the ten smallest countries in the world.

LOTR

I hear the lord of the rings is an anagory to worldwars one and two what proof do historians have to support this.

I assume you're meanining "allegory". In literature (or anything other than math) there is no way of proving anything. The most common way LOTR is compared to WWII is something like:
  • Sauron (Mordor) is Germany
  • Saruman (Isengard) is the USSR
  • Gondor, Rohan, etc. are the western powers (i.e. the U.S., Britain, etc.)
  • The Ring of Power one of the advanced weapons of war, possibly a nuclear bomb.
However, it should be noted that "Tolkien did repeatedly insist that his works were not an allegory of any kind". This topic is brought up in LOTR#The_books. --Borbrav 22:57, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In fact, Tolkien loathed allegory as a literary device. For more on the inspiration for LoTR and Tolkien's other works, I highly recommend JRR Tolkien: Author of the Century by Tom Shippey. android79 00:33, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Notably, if LotR were a strict allegory and we go with the ring is a superweapon (the most logical conclusion), then Boromir would have won out and used it. The Allies didn't exactly spare military measures at any point. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 05:42, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

THE HURRICANE KATRINA OF EUROPE...

Has a hurricane ever hit a city in Europe like Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans?

No. For various reasons, Europe isn't exposed to hurricanes - which tend to form off Africa and travel westwards - in the same way as America. However, there have been natural disasters resulting in flooding and major loss of life; see for example the North Sea flood of 1953, the Bristol Channel floods, 1607, the Vajont Dam disaster, the Santorini eruption, or the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Shimgray | talk | 22:41, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hurricane Vince made landfall in Spain this very week while still a tropical storm. This seems to be unprecedented, at least since proper records began to be kept: our article on Vince says that "Vince is the first tropical cyclone on record to have made landfall on the Iberian Peninsula". As also mentioned in the article, it was also noteworthy for forming over seas considerably cooler than would be expected for tropical storm formation. Loganberry (Talk) 22:33, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Also, they're not called hurricanes in that particular hemisphere, also, India pretty much gets hammered by some of the most severe tropical cyclones around, year after year, same region too, unfortuantly quite far below sea level, or course that's more Eur-asia, than European, per se--Armen Schrikken 00:04, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hurricanes in the Eastern Hemisphere spin in exactly the same direction as in the Western Hemisphere; the Greenwich Meridian is an arbitrary division and weather pays it no heed. What matters is which side of the Equator they're on - so that the rare South Atlantic tropical cyclones do indeed spin in the opposite direction. Since Europe (like India, in fact) is in the Northern Hemisphere, a hurricane hitting that continent (as Vince did) spins the same way as any other North Atlantic hurricane. (NB: It's per se, not "per say".) 81.159.56.103 00:39, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

georgia

What is georgias main source of income for any year

Georgia as in the U.S. state or Georgia as in the country? Dismas|(talk) 23:25, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

USA USA USA

What are the ten greatest ANTI-WAR MOVIES of all time.

Best one I know is Johnny Got His Gun from the novel by Dalton Trumbo. What others, fellow editors? alteripse 23:42, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I found this list - though I've only seen, er, two of them and I wouldn't have called one anti-war. The other is Dr. Strangelove, which for some reason I'm loath to call anti-war - it's strongly anti-MAD, yes, but it doesn't address war so much as it specifically addresses the Cold War, if that makes sense. Shimgray | talk | 00:26, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Full metal jacket of course. --Ballchef 01:25, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Easy Rider and (believe it or not) Patton (Patton is unique in that it was billed both as an anti-war and a pro-war movie). →Raul654 01:30, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
M_A_S_H & Catch-22 are worth a mention Majts 01:49, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Platoon surely — File:Ontario trillium sig.pngmendel ☎ 18:11, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Strangelove will probably go down in history as the greatest anti-war-war movie, you might also want to try Duck Soup, especially if you're a fan of MASH, a few of the jokes may seem farmiliar--Armen Schrikken 00:01, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

A-T-L-A-N-T-A

What is the main source of income for both Georgia the state and Georgia the country?

If you follow the link to Georgia (country) you'll see a section on the economy with a link to another article by the name of Economy of Georgia. That should help you on your research. Dismas|(talk) 00:51, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, after they fell into the ocean, it was a little hard for everyone to find work, all that sea water and all, so they pretty much sold exclusive rights to their story to Homer, who went around telling everyone about them for a margianal fee, more recently, as a loophole has been found in acint greek copyright law, the rights have been picked up by the scifichannel, they plan to pay the Atlanains millions for the right to tell their story, oh and something about aliens and a flying city, of course those might have been raelians, not aliens, you never know with these cable channels--Armen Schrikken 23:58, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

wikipedia

See Eureka which literally translates to "I am in a state of having found it" Majts 01:22, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Skydiving jerks

Guys, I've got a question about slang.

One of my friends is a skydiver, and I was recently asking him and a couple of his friends a question about what they do, and one of them jokingly called me a wuffo. What's a wuffo guys? Do I need to go punch this guy in the face?

urbandictionary.com is great at this sort of slang question; see this page. Basically, it's somebody who doesn't understand skydiving. They may be venturing into jerk territory using deliberately obscure slang in front of you, but it wasn't a violent insult. --Robert Merkel 02:53, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

giraffes

How do giraffes sleep - standing up or lying down? --Helen harty 02:02, 12 October 2005 (UTC)Helen Harty[reply]

They lie down to sun themselves, so it seems reasonable they might sleep that way as well. - Nunh-huh 02:06, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not so sure, at Taronga Zoo their quarters are very tall, I always thought this was so they could sleep with out getting stiff necks. Plus, don't a lot of other four legged animals sleep standing? --Ballchef 06:26, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
They never sleep, like sharks they swim around in the ocean all night with smaller fish latching onto them for food--Armen Schrikken 23:54, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Order of British Empire medals

are the medals made of pure gold and silver or are they only plated in gold and silver ? R. Eaton

  • I don't think our article on the Order of the British Empire article addresses that issue. I will place your question on the talk page. On the Royal Family page on the OBE a gilt medal is shown but that is an historical medal for the period 1917-37 see [5]. Capitalistroadster 05:12, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • Given the high price of gold, the number of medals given out each year & the fact that there hasn't been any outcry in the press in the UK about the cost of OBE's (though there has been about other issues related to them) then I'd say that they would have to be gold & silver plated. AllanHainey 07:29, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Accounting

What is the history of FASB Statement No. 87 which was issued in 1987

HYDROGIN AS A FUEL SOURCE??

You can put stuff other than gas in your cars, or only certain cars?


Well Hydrogen is 2/3 of water, so, like, cars that hve engines that are 1/3 water mixed in like air and gasoline. Cause like human are 80% water so we use hydrogen and not gasoline, and most cars are like 8%, but if the car is 20% or more water then it can run on hydrogen?

Is thish true if so what for boats?? THis is what my friend told me in chimistry

Is it all al/l like this for baots?

  • You're over simplifying, while hydrogen is 2/3s of the atoms in water, it's hardly that signifigant a percentage by mass ~ 2:18, in favor of oxygen by mass, and one presumes that whilest dealing with combustion of fuel sources, one would use molar quantaties, thus, it is not 2/3 of water--Armen Schrikken 23:52, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hydrogen is only partially useful as a fuel source -- you have to spend more energy in separating the hydrogen from water than you get out of burning it. It can be used as a vehicle fuel but you can't run an economy on it. Haikupoet 03:49, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
There are two kinds of energy sources, either a ready source of energy (such as fossil fuels, solar, tidal, wind, geothermal, and nuclear power) or a temporary way to store energy (like a battery or flywheel). Hydrogen is not a ready source of energy, since we don't find large quantities of it readily available as we do with petroleum. However, it can be used as a temporary way to store energy, similar to batteries. Note that other temporary energy storage methods also require more energy to go in than we get out. They also tend to lose energy over time. Hydrogen may have advantages over batteries (which contain materials toxic to the environment) and flywheels (which can't hold much energy). Hydrogen can be "burnt" either in a traditional internal combustion engine (modified for the purpose) or in a fuel cell engine which produces electricity to drive an electric vehicle. StuRat 15:55, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I think the question was whether hydrogen could be used in a normal, gasoline-burning car. The simple answer is no, you need special technology, like a hydrogen fuel cell for the car to operate off of hydrogen. --Borbrav 05:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It's not super-difficult to modify a conventional engine to run on hydrogen; a great example is this hydrogen powered postie bike. The big question is whether it makes any economic or environmental sense to do so; with present technology the answer is probably "no". --Robert Merkel 00:29, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikimedia Ownership

Iss Wikpedia a private property of James Wales? Or is it a partnership or corporation? I was thinking if it is a corporation can we buy shares (publicy traded?) If it is, I have been tihnking about me, Maoririder and Pumpie (and maybe SuperDude115) pooling our cappital and buying Mr. Wales controlling shares in Wikipedia and then we will basically own the thing and run it how we want has anyone else though of it? Thank you Obrigaao.Wiki brah 04:04, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is owned by the Wikimedia Foundation, which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. So this plan is a non-starter. —Charles P. (Mirv) 04:20, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Define "Wikipedia" please. The name Wikipedia is trademarked, and belongs to the Wikimedia foundation (a chartered, non-profit, federal and state registered 501(c)(3). The servers that host Wikipedia also belong to the foundation. The copyright for the text (and most of the media files) hosted thereon is retained by each individual contributor, each of whom agree to license their contributions under the GFDL when they click "save this page". →Raul654 04:41, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Last time I check Wikipedia had not only servers in Florida but also squids in Amsterdam, France and Asia. I doubt you'd even have enough money to buy all servers that need to be running to to keep up and active. - 131.211.51.34 08:28, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia Liability

If Wikipedia is privately owned by Mr. Wales does it have liability limits if it gets sued for something? Is Mr. Wales risking his other assets in the event of a lawshuit? If it is a partnership or corporation does it havea stated liability limit? Does it have insurance? Who is the insurer? Does anyone know?? With all the talk of "legal threats" on here we should find out dont you thinnk?Wiki brah 04:04, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia Assets

Does Wikimedia make money? Does it own anything else under the Wikipeida umbrella? If so, how much momney is it worth? Does it have liabilities? How does it make money? I know a lot of it is in grants, but who gives the grants? And how much? Do you think one day Mr. Wales will sell advert space on Wikipedia to make money? How much will that cost? Will he charge by the article or charge more for "popular" articles? And if he does open it up as a revenue-producer, will he change the policies of wikipeida to makke it more "advertiser friendly"? has anyone thougght of this thank you??Wiki brah 04:04, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikimedia:Budget and m:Category:Wikimedia finances should answer most of your questions. Regarding profit-making measures like ads: they are not going to happen unless the entire Board of Trustees goes completely insane. Even if that were to happen, it would almost certainly cause a fork which would take most of the active contributors with it. —Charles P. (Mirv) 04:38, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
An old essay [[6]] by Jimmy W. states that ads were considered, and may still be, as long they are tasteful and not influential on the content. --Ballchef 06:32, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It might be useful to put that into context. The mere consideration of ads (even back then) caused a massive outcry from the contributors, and the spanish wikipedia went so far as to fork entirely (which is why they are prepetually the biggest laggard in the articles/native speakers metric) →Raul654 06:39, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
So today are ads totally out of the question? surely wikipedia can't live off donations forever, can it? --Ballchef 01:39, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Why couldn't it? I'm surprised how many people haven't heard of Wikipedia yet (here in the Netherlands, which is one of the most active countries in Wikipedia). If it survives now and the number of people will grow, there will be more potential contributors, both to content and financially, with the two probably growing hand in hand because the bigger Wikipedia gets, the more interresting it will become to more and more people. Of course the required hardware will also increase with usage, but there's probably still room for efficiency with growth (what's that called again?). Suppose that in the end 100 million people will use Wikipedia (10% of the western world - a very conservative estimate), who on average donate a euro per year. That would make for quite a budget, wouldn't it? Over a hundredfold the present budget. That's the beauty of information in the information age. Once you have it, distribution is almost free of cost (realtively speaking). Compare Google answers. There you have to pay 2,5 dollar per answer. If there are enough people who are willing to pay that, then surely this should work too. DirkvdM 17:05, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Would you reccommend buying this guitar?

I would like to learn guitar,and was wondering if anyone had any ideas about a guitar that's cheep and good for a begginner. I found this one http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002F79YS/qid=1129091132/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7498656-1924927?v=glance&n=507846

I was wondering if anyone thinks that's ok for a begginner... And anything else i need to know about guitars for begginners (maybe a place to but a good set of lessons) Lordned 04:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • Lordned,

Perhaps Guitar for Dummies might be a good place to start see [7]. Capitalistroadster 05:38, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If you're looking for an electric guitar, Ibanez guitars are excellent for beginners. If you are looking for a cheap acoustic guitar, then it really doesn't matter which brand you buy, all the cheap ones are pretty much the same. The brand only makes a difference if you're spending a little more. As a beginner, though, you may want to consider making sure the guitar neck has the dots on it (to make it easier to locate the correct fret). Look in your local telephone directory, or contact your local college for guitar lessons. Your local college may be able to put you in touch with a private tutor. Proto t c 13:00, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Local College? I dont think we have one. I'm looking for a acustic guitar, and if i get it from amazon how do i see the spots on the neck/

  • From the reviews, this one doesn't look half bad -- the reviewers provide comparisons with other low-end starter guitars, and this one comes out well. One thing to consider, though, is the size of the instrument. Dreadnaught guitars (like this one) are the largest, and smaller hands will have problems with them. The same company makes this little one, more suited for smaller players. Cheap guitars are WAY better than they were a couple decades ago; cheap no longer necessarily means lousy; back then, you get a low-end Mexican guitar and you're lucky if it sounds better than a wind-up kid's toy; but now there's a trend toward real quality among the Chinese guitar makers. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 16:20, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Would it be sutible for a 5'1" kid with normal sized hands? Tnx. Lordned

That one has dots on the neck. It's perhaps a bit big, but you'll grow into it. For that price it's probably pretty bad, but a better guitar will not make you a better guitarist, so who cares. As to learning:
  • You're already doing the smart thing getting an acoustic first. An acoustic will help you build strong fingers and good ears.
  • You're fingers are going to blister (although ignore Ted Nugent - when they bleed it's time to stop), but stick with it and soon you'll have calluses.
  • Get someone (a real live human being, not a record or a website) to teach you how to tune the thing. This is the #1 reason beginners give up - they let the guitar go out of tune (which happens all by itself) and they fail to properly retune it - so everything sounds horrible and they think they're crap and quit. If this is the only guitar lesson you can afford to pay for (although any guitarist can teach you this, ideally for free) then it's worth the money.
  • Buy an E tuning fork. That way your guitar is in tune with the music you're going to be playing to.
  • Play every day, for at least 30 minutes. Play something different every other day too.
  • Find some music you like, that sounds easy, and search for the chords for it on google. If it looks easy (only a few chords, and one with simple sounding names) look the chords up on the internet (millions of places have chordbooks online for free). Learn them, and try to play along with a recording.
  • Later, learn a major scale, a minor scale, and the blues scale. You'll soon figure out that almost everything is written in one of these; once you figure out which (and what the "tonic" is) you'll be able to play along to almost anything.
  • An important part of being a musician is listening to, and playing, far more stuff than "normal" people do. Listen to everything; blues, heavy-metal, rock, flamenco, classical, folks, pop, african, polka, country, mexican, arabic. Try to copy everything
  • Stick with it, but don't work so hard that it's no fun any more. If it's not fun, you're not learning anything.
-- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:05, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I found a tunning for at school, and havent a clue how to tell what type it is. Any way to tell...? Thanks for the advise... Would you reccomend a eletric tunner later on? And ummm (what was it i was going to say??) Grr i cant think of it... Lordned 23:37, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • Go here for an excellent tuning helper. Click in the string name at the top and make your guitar sound like that. Be careful that you're not an octave away like the difference between the E on the left and the E on the right. Good luck and try puttin' your hurtin' fingers in cold (ice) water for a while to make them feel better. And do start with an acoustic guitar otherwise you're cheating. --hydnjo talk 00:47, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • A tuning fork will generally have a letter (C, E,A♭, etc.) written on it. If it doesn't, it's not much use to anyone. If you had a bit more musical knowledge you could tune the guitar to any tuning fork, but for now an E is the easiest one. Once you've learned to tune the guitar from a fork won't need (and probably won't trust) an electric tuner. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 12:22, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't read the other answers, but the most important thing for a beginner is to have a guitar that can be tuned well. You'd be surprised how many impure guitars there are. Every individual guitar is different. If all the guitars in a series are good then a specific one will also be, but lacking such info you'd better not buy without having someone knowledgeable with a good hearing (those are also spread thin) test it. DirkvdM 17:16, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

school

What website can I visit to sign up for the SAT's for a high school?

I don't know much about US education, but out SAT article point us to http://www.collegeboard.com/testing/. Have fun! --Gareth Hughes 11:46, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Most schools in the US will sign high school students up for one of the two college entrance exams used there, either the SAT or ACT. StuRat 15:30, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Open Systems IT- Information Technology

Hello to All, First i want to thank Wikipedia website for alowing me to post the question this is my first time i'm posting a question if there were any mistakes.. No Hard feelings..

1) What is a open systems with regards to Information Technology(IT) ? 2) If I have been given a training on Open systems will there be a good prospects ? 3) what is scope of open systems in next 5 years in India and Abroad countries ? 4) what are all the areas i should be knowing to be well versed in Open systems ?

Regards, Bhasker C.

  • A philosophical question you have to ask yourself is to reconcile:
    • 99% of computer systems (hardware and software) aquisition seems to be driven by seeking the lowest purchase price, even when this is harmful to operating cost.
    • Open Systems purchase pricing is microscopic compared to Commercial and Proprietory Systems.
    • Open Systems have been around, under one name or another for decades.
    • 99% of the enterprises in the world are on commercial or proprietory systems.
  • So, if aquisition decisions are made on basis of low cost, and open is lowest cost, how come its market share is so low? I think this is a combination of:
    • Commercial and Proprietory have the capital to do more effective marketing.
    • A lot of people are scared of the operating overhead for Open Systems.

AlMac|(talk) 19:24, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Ruffle, Co. Durham

Where is or was, a village called Ruffle in County Durham, UK?

No, I can't find any mention. There's a Rufford in Lancashire, and a Rufforth in York. --Gareth Hughes 14:10, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Armed police in the UK

Apart from PSNI, would it be possible for a UK police service to move towards arming all of its officers under current law, or is there a statutory restriction on the numbers of armed officers? --Gareth Hughes 14:54, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

See the article British police under "Use of firearms" for more information. The issue has been put to the vote by the Police Federation of England and Wales several times, and their members have categorically voted against routine arming. It is possible as I don't think there is a statutory reason or restriction, and the Nottingham Police did introduce routine firearms for patrolling officers in 2001. -- Canley 06:43, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Freeway / Highway Overpass

Where and when was the first one built?

According to this article "Boston's subway (underground) was the first in the United States". I'm still working to get above ground. --hydnjo talk 00:25, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, that doesn't quite qualify as a highway overpass :) . Considering that the first highways were built in Germany under Hitler and that it is unlikely that they let them cut through the contryside without a means to get across the first Overpasses will probably have been built there too. DirkvdM 17:21, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

SMS.ac

All help on their site focusses on members, but does anyone know how one can stop unwanted messages from them when you're not a member? I don't feel like encouraging my sister to reply to the messages. She might end up having to pay for them otherwise. Is anyone around here knowledgeable about this "service"? - Mgm|(talk) 16:01, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If you go to their website, hit terms, enter your country, and after the tarrif they show a number you can text STOP ALL to, which they say stops you getting messages. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:22, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
They say. Yeah right. I don't know about this site, but I assume you mean you recieve spam. Never ever react to spam. I'm only troubled by one spamming company (liquidtreat - on spam per week on average), probably because I always adhered to that rule. Once you react they know your address is real and you'll never get rid of them. DirkvdM 17:24, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

where do gorillas live?

(no question)

  • Gorillas, being fairly large, spend most of their time on the ground. They could climb low branches of large trees, but can't go onto smaller branches high in the tree canopy like smaller primates. StuRat 20:51, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • In general, larger primates, like gorillas, humans, and apes, live on the ground, while smaller primates, like monkeys and lemurs, live in the tree canopy, but there are exceptions. StuRat 04:55, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
What? No "wherever they want"? - Nunh-huh 05:03, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Naruto

You say that there are "currently" about 154 episodes of the anime Naruto. So that means that it is still continuing over in Japan and has not ended? You also say that the manga is still "currently" at volume something. Is the manga still continuing over in Japan?


216.125.152.244 16:33, 12 October 2005 (UTC)Kitsune Hi[reply]

Talk:Naruto would probably be the best place to ask, but from what I've heard, Naruto is still being serialized in manga, and that the animated version is indeed still in production. Great, another jillion-episode anime series that goes on for hundreds of episodes after it jumps the shark. That's what the world needs. Garrett Albright 19:23, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Time in the UK

What UK government department is responsible for time? As in, who decides what day we change to British Summer Time?--TheDoctor10 (talk|email) 16:45, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to that article, it was Parliament through various acts, but now governed by the Summer Time Order 2002, which essentially means it's declared by the Crown. Shimgray | talk | 17:14, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Parliament would have to decide if we changed the date of British Summertime (I believe someone raised a Private Members Bill on this last year sometime but it never got off the ground. AllanHainey 07:57, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Parliament is just a rubber stamp here. Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament set the dates of summertime; the Summer Time Order 2002 only implemented it. Power to implement so-called "Double summertime" (putting the clocks two hours forward instead of one) was also abolished by the 2002 Order. --Tony SidawayTalk 08:23, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Number 10 can of tomatoes

What is the weight of a number 10 can of tomatoes? Specifically, how much does the tomato content weigh in a number 10 can of tomatoes?

  • Usually such a weight is mentioned as a netto weight on the can itself. The can itself is never included in that number. Alternatively, you could buy one and empty it's contents and weigh them. - Mgm|(talk) 21:51, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A number 10 (#10) can of anything (including tomatoes) usually contains about 3 quarts according to this. This is a volume measure so the weight would differ from one product to another. I don't think that the designation is intended to specify the weight but rather the volume of the product contained. --hydnjo talk 23:40, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Is this a commonly used, industry-standard system? Clearly we need an article on U.S. grocery can sizes. –Hajor 12:49, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

THE HURRICANE KATRINA OF NEW YORK

Could a hurricane hit NEW YORK like HURRICANE KATRINA hit NEW ORLEANS

Please don't post in all capital letters, it's considered shouting and rude. Anyway, it's very unlikely that a major hurricane (category 3+) would reach New York or new England at that strength; however, hurricanes are known to move that far north. This happens most frequently as they become extratropical, though an 1893 hurricane went directly over Manhattan Island. See hurricane and its associated articles for more details. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The likelihood of such an event is very minimal. Strong hurricanes (category 3 and above) require very warm water to maintain their strength and the water that far north, even during a warm summer isn't warm enough. However, Category 1 and 2 Hurricanes can and have hit locations that far north and caused significant problems. See the article on Hurricanes for mor information. Also, New York is not built below sea level so it could never flood like New Orleans did. -Drdisque 21:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • How about that 1938 hurricane that hit NYC in 1938? also, please restate your question, for some odd reason it looks like you're asking a hurricane to hit NY, that's not very polite, please don't use all UPPER CASE LETTERS while addressing a hurricane on the internet, Hurricanes have feelings too you know?--Armen Schrikken 23:49, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Look at 1821 Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane. It seems like it was a category 3, although evidence is lacking due to weather equipment of the early 1800s. Also, note that 1821 was a strange year for weather (there was a large volcano erruption) and that most of NYC is above sea-level -- making the flooding of New Orleans virtually impossible in the city. --Quasipalm 19:43, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There has been some talk about this recently in the city. If a large hurricane (like a 3, which seems to be the largest reasonable size) were to hit New York City, Lower Manhattan, Coney Island, the Rockaways, and much of Staten Island could all face severe flooding, and there are plans for a potential evacuation of these areas.--Pharos 09:39, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Children's Myths

How do children wish upon a star ?

Generally, children look at a star, close their eyes, and make a wish of some sort. Frequent wishes are either material possessions like ponies or unexpectedly deep requests such as an end to world hunger. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:40, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This one comes with music! --hydnjo talk 23:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I've no idea where it comes from (quite possibly a Disney movie, or similar), but I remember hearing a rhyme to be said to the first star you see at dusk that goes something like:
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I hope you may, I hope you might, grant this wish I wish tonight"
--Noodhoog 00:37, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Unanswered point

In the game of basketball, what is an unanswered point?207.215.38.5

If when a team scores "X unanswered points" it simply means they've scored X points in a row without the other team scoring. -Drdisque 22:34, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This is not unique to basketball, by the way. The same phrase is commonly used in American football and is rendered as unanswered runs in baseball, among others. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 03:27, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
So there is no such thing as an unanswered point because there is always more than one of them. DirkvdM 17:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
So there is no such thing as an unanswered point because there is always more than one of them. DirkvdM 17:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
So there is no such thing as an unanswered point because there is always more than one of them. DirkvdM 17:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And that's a hattrick. :) DirkvdM 17:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the greatest writers who ever lived.

did any magazine produce a list of the ten greatest authors who ever lived.if so who was on the list.

Do you mean any magazine ever? --hydnjo talk 23:30, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, there's probably such a list. But my vote goes to Edgar Allan Poe. ☢ Kieff | Talk 01:08, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
For all ten? --hydnjo talk 01:43, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
.... And why the hell not? ;) ☢ Kieff | Talk 04:47, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Woodpeckers

How long does it take a woodpecker to make a hole in a tree?

Well, the're not really trying to make a hole in the tree. If that happens, it's a side-effect of the reasons described in the Woodpecker article. --hydnjo talk 23:26, 12 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Woodpecker: George Washington's less publicized prosthesis.

Madrid train Bombing

Where can I get the names of the victims of the Madrid train bombings

If you go here (Cadena Ser) and hover your mouse over each of the black ribbons, you will get the names of 180 of the victims.-- Arwel 00:58, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
That is so excellent. Each ribbon... well, each ribbon. --hydnjo talk 01:41, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

indictment

Perhaps your answer is at Indictment!--hydnjo talk 01:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

see indictment. --Ballchef 01:50, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the Human Stain

see The Human Stain (spoiler warning also). --Ballchef 01:50, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Game (A book)

see The Game (book). zing! --Ballchef 01:50, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act

This article has information about the act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin_True_Patriot_Act . What im looking for is an article about what the congress did with the bill, it has a brief statment about this at the top but not an article, would be greatly appriciated if someone could find me the source of that statement. Thanks

Chinese Food Containers?

like the ones that soup come in, are they microwavable?--Talk to the yam 02:25, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The paperboard ones are microwaveable, the styrofoam ones warp if you leave them in too long, so keep an eye on them. Please be a bit more patient than 18 minutes, remember, questions are answered by real volunteer people. -Drdisque 03:17, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Chinese food containers are sometimes held together with metal, which is not microwaveable, so check for that. I hope your soup didn't get too cold ! StuRat 03:24, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Imagine the future of internet-enabled household appliances... you could just hold up an item to your microwave, it would automatically take an image, post it to wikipedia's reference desk with a question asking how long it takes to cook and what type of wine to drink with it... Ojw 17:50, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Orb Weaver

I have a spider in my house it looks like an Orb weaver with a fluer de lis on his back, his abdomen is a bright red color the fleur de lis is a tan color his legs are brown and red striped if you could let me know the name of this spider it would be helpful. THANK YOU

It sounds like an orb weaver to me. Does it look like this one ?
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/images/ospide4.jpg
StuRat 04:08, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or like the ones at Orb-weaver spider. DirkvdM 17:52, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Buying DVD's

Is there a standard period time between when a Movie is Released and when it's available to buy it as Previously Viewed instead of new?

No. Popular movies will have more of a delay, as long as they can keep theatres full. Unpopular movies may go to DVD quickly, in some cases even skipping the theatres entirely (the notrious "straight to video" movies). StuRat 03:27, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
However, 3 months is typical. There is an experiment currently underway to offer simultaneous movie and DVD releases for select shows. The theory is that the amount this saves by advertising both at once will be more than it costs in lost movie sales. StuRat 13:50, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I think this person means to ask, "What is the average time from when a movie is released to DVD and when one might find that DVD in the "Previously Viewed" sale bin at the video store?" No idea how to answer, just my interpretation of the intent. :) BrianSmithson 19:54, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

YUM YUM YUM

What is a refried bean? Why do they have to fry it twice?

They don't. Refried beans are fried once. - Nunh-huh 03:55, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It's a kind of bean paste common in Mexican cooking. StuRat 03:58, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Our article on Refried beans or frijoles refitos explains: "The re- in refrito doesn't mean "again", as in the beans being fried again and again, as is a common misconception. Instead, re- is a kind of intensifier, meaning the beans are fried strongly or very well." Capitalistroadster 05:09, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Roman Numerals

How do you write 0 in Roman Numerals!?

see Roman numerals. You don't. There's no symbol for zero. You use the word "nullae" if you have need of the concept of zero. - Nunh-huh 03:40, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The concept of zero as an actual number came along after the Roman Empire. It still isn't universally accepted today. Imagine asking how many years old a baby is and getting the answer "zero". StuRat 03:55, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, Roman numerals were used long after there was no Roman Empire. The use of this system of notation was an impediment to the very useful notion of zero as a number. - Nunh-huh 03:58, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The concept of a zero isn't even 'universally' accepted in Wikipedia. See [[9]]. DirkvdM 12:42, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Feet

Is there a special name for teh tops of your feet?

I call mine "George" and "Mabel". The top of one foot is its "dorsum"; more than one dorsum are "dorsa". - Nunh-huh 03:49, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

GOOD QUESTION

Why do we say "a pair of pants" when there is only one article of clothing involved?

see here. Also note that when medieval folk dressed, they would indeed don a pair of pants (the legs were separate, and were held up by being attached to an undergarment). So when the expression originated, it was accurate. - Nunh-huh 03:44, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Incidentally, "pants" (along with "scissors" and similar words) are torturous for many English as a second language learners. Garrett Albright 07:25, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
What is up with this recurring question-asker who uses non sequitur all-caps subject lines and questions which are valid but totally unrelated to each other? Silly question I suppose. --Sum0 23:07, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

teflon TIME

If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make TEFLON stick to the pan?

Things do stick to teflon. Food just sticks to it a bit less than other materials. StuRat 03:50, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
see here for particulars. - Nunh-huh 03:53, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Our Teflon article states "PTFE has the lowest coefficient of friction of any known solid material. It is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware." Capitalistroadster 06:02, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The rock.

If God can do anything, can he make a rock so big he can't lift it?

Yes. - Nunh-huh 03:47, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I've heard this question before. If he can make the rock, then he is not all-powerful because he can't lift it, but if he can make it and can't lift it, then he is also not all-powerful, thus damaging the image of (I'm assuming the christian god) god. If you were not religious, you could argue that this proves god is a false idol, but if I were religious I would say that God could do it, he just doesn't want to. --Ballchef 03:51, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm assuming that if he could make it that he could also make a long enough lever and a place to stand. -Drdisque 04:48, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The relevant article is Omnipotence paradox. --cesarb 04:56, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I have heard one response to this question that goes as follows: of course God can make a rock too massive for him to move it. It's just that he's not that stupid! Qaz (talk) 05:24, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, I never saw this as a paradox. The way I interpret it, if he did created a rock he couldn't lift, he'd obviously be giving up his omnipotence, which is, of course, perfectly within his powers. ☢ Kieff | Talk 08:23, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You could call that the Superman II option. Majts 09:21, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
There's a wee bit in the Bible that goes like this: "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength" (I Corinthians 1.25 if you want to check up on it). In fact, I beleive, this suggests an answer to the omnipotence paradox — God has created the immovable rock, and that is human free will. In fact I would say that the Bible teaches that God chooses to lay aside omnipotence in favour of love repeatedly. The creation (I am no creationist) is an example of God limiting self omnipotence, and the creation of humanity in God's image even more so. Ultimately, as a Christian, I see the cross of Christ as the ultimate divine choice for vulnerable love above complete omnipotence. Tune in next week for the sermon on human depravity and the fires of hell! --Gareth Hughes 12:15, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lots of answers, but here is a different one. This is an example of a semantic paradox. It is created by a linguistic operation but does not reflect a real world operation or situation. All of the resolutions involve intellectual manipulations of definitions. Sometimes pondering such a paradox gives you insight into other problems, but essentially there is no right answer that can be confirmed by reality testing. It is in the same class of conundra on which the scholastic philosophers expended so much effort, now often caricatured as debates over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin (since angels take up no physical space but the point has not space either. See Ludwig Wittgenstein. alteripse 16:04, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The following can be found in Hank Hanegraaff's 'The Bible Answer Book' #50, Page 176:
This question is a classic straw man that has most Christians looking like the proverbial deer in the headlights. At best, it challenges God's omnipotence. At worst, it undermines his existence.
First there is a problem with the premise of the question. While it is true that God can do anything that is consistent with His nature, it is absurd to suggest that he can do everything. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18); he cannot be tempted (James 1;13); and he cannot cease to exist (psalm 102:25-27)
Furthermore, just as it is impossible to make a one-sided triangle, so it is impossible to make a rock too heavy to be moved. What an all-powerful God can create he can obviously move. Put another way, God can do everything that is logically possible.

basically, the point is that one must first decide the validity of a given question before answering, and not just assume that it is valid.

kenmore dryer

Can you show me the wiring diagram for a kenmore dryer?205.188.116.131 03:42, 13 October 2005 (UTC) Email removed[reply]

which model number ? StuRat 03:48, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Emily,

I have removed your e-mail so that you don't get spam and because no emails will be sent anyway. The answer will hopefully be provided here.

Capitalistroadster 05:34, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Can Anyone Explain This Strange Effect?

You first have to try this.Point your index finger at your forehead.Move the finger very close to it towards the center right above your nose,but stop just short of touching your forehead.Do not move your finger for a while keeping it as steady as you can.You begin to get a strange sensation of pain or weight or a tingling sensation.Can anyone explain this strange effect?This effect continues to last even if we shut our eyes. Are we interfering with the brain waves or something?

By Asim.

Well, Asim, I'm not sure what you did exactly, but if you are trying too hard to focus on something out of range at the far edge of your range of view, you are trying to use your peripheral vision. Now, if you were to were to try hard and really focus on something in detail out there with your peripheral vision, you might be straining your eyes because that type of vision is actually very weak.--Screwball23 00:43, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • yu hu, or, it could be that your eyes are trying to focus on the finger you're holding 3 inches from your face, and you're just giving yourself a migrane, I think your brain waves are safe from fingering--152.163.100.73 04:51, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I want you to do this. Close your eyes and think about spiders. Think about them crawling all over your body. If you're the type that will get freaked out about this sort of thing, you'll probably feel real sensations of tingling or itchyness or the like. This is similar to your finger experiment and it's completely normal. You might call it "anticipated touch," which as far as our brain is concerned is very close to the real thing. I'm not sure where on Wikipedia this may be talked about, but if I have time I'll look. You might try asking at Talk:Neuroscience. However, i'm certain it has nothing to do with "brain wave interference" or any other such nonsense. --Quasipalm 19:34, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Get somebody else to do the same thing to you - put their finger right near your forehead but not touching it.
Close your eyes, and have them either do it, or not do it several times, without telling you whether they are doing it or not - they must behave in exactly the same way each time (this is very important). Do you still feel the sensation when the finger is there? What about when it isn't?
What you will find is that you lose all correlation between the finger being present and the odd sensation. Instead it turns out the sensation is present only when you THINK the finger is there, regardless of whether it actually is or not. It's a fun experiment to try sometime --Noodhoog 03:33, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Computers and Investment Analysts

Does anyone know what particular computer skills an investment analyst/advisor needs to know... what sort of program knowledge is considered essential education?

It depends what you plan on doing, but Microsoft Excel programming skills would be the bare minimum and knowledge of Eviews and/or SAS would be very beneficial. - Drdisque 06:32, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You need to know any application in addition to the application software, because there is so much fraud and incompetence out there. If you do not know the application, then you can fall victim to technology abuse that does not do the application properly. This applies to any computer usage.

People who work the investment analyst/advisor profession would probably know what skills best enhance it, such as rapid access to SEC and stock market specifics, research tools for analysing the financial reports of publically traded companies. That is to say great internet and data mining skills. AlMac|(talk) 19:33, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I would think the ability to use a spreadsheet and a word processing program would be critical. StuRat 13:58, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Investigating officers in Scotland

I need to know who could be referred to as an "investigating officer" in the Scottish legal system. I assume the police investigators, but am not sure. There may be another legal position that I cannot find out about. --AShaw

Initially the police officers do the investigation then their information is passed to the Procurator Fiscal to decide whether to prosecute or not, they also continue the investigation if they decide to prosecute & direct the police in what to look into. They are, very roughly, analagous to the USA District Attorney. AllanHainey 08:13, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

triangle sea

I want know,where is the triangle sea? is in atlantic?or pacibic?

I think you want the Bermuda Triangle, which is in the Atlantic (and overlaps the Sargasso Sea) — Lomn | Talk / RfC 14:16, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


Porn stars

Have female porn stars usually had breast implants? — JIP | Talk 14:45, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Depends on your definition of "usually", I would think. Quite a few of the ones who work though the bigger porn film companies like Vivid Video do have them. Although many of the "amateur" porn stars don't. One example I can think of is Melissa Ashley. The amatuers seem to target the fans of "natural" women. Dismas|(talk) 15:39, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
That's what I thought. A man who has only seen naked women on porn sites but not in real life might get a wrong impression of women. — JIP | Talk 16:06, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure what you were looking for by asking but I suppose but a man can also see women, clothed of course, in public and realize that not all women have breast implants, have long legs, have blond hair, or whatever other mainstream idea of beauty would have him believe. If that's what you were getting at. If a man were to step back from the porn sites and look at things, including the women around him at work/school/the grocery store/etc., then he'd most likely realize that women come in all shapes and sizes. The ones that he may see on the internet are not exactly some definition of "all women" or even "most women". Then the same man could look at the numbers. The number of women in the porn industry, including the women who are considered "amateurs" just taking pictures of themselves or having voyeuristic husbands take them, would probably only number in the thousands. While the population of just one large city is at least one million. Taking half that number, the other half males, then he'd see the women he sees on porn sites is a miniscule fraction of the total number of women in that city alone, not to mention the whole world. In the end, as my father used to say, "it takes all kinds to make the world go 'round." Dismas|(talk) 16:20, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A woman who has only seen naked men on porn sites but not in real life might get a wrong impression of men. Anyway, who doesn't see men (or women) in real life? Hermits? Garrett Albright 07:20, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
RTS\MMORPG addicts might forget what they look like. ☢ Kieff | Talk 07:30, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

incredible but true

according to your wonderful article about animal farm the western nations sent soliders to overthrow the communists how could this happen when most of them were involved in world-war-one. (preceding unsigned comment by 68.160.198.39 (talk · contribs) 15:40, 13 October 2005)

See Russian Civil War. Several Western powers intervened on the side of the White forces, a fact which is (according to James Loewen in Lies My Teacher Told Me) not often taught in the average American high school history class. —Charles P. (Mirv) 15:52, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I believe that the British Expeditionary Forces played a part, as well. Hmm, we could use an article there. StuRat 14:15, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Medical journals

I have to do a report on penguins. I need 10 medical journals as references. But since medical journals usually give me diseases or sicknesses, is there a good online medical journal site you would recommend? (preceding unsigned comment by 68.197.6.37 (talk · contribs) 15:40, 13 October 2005)

You have to cite ten medical journals in a report about penguins? That strikes me as bizarre. But anwway, if you are a college/university student, your school library should have extensive online access to medical journals. For example my school library offers this: http://gateway.lib.uiowa.edu/refsubject-results.asp?subj=26 (but you need to be a student here to use most of it). If you are a junior high / high school student, you will probably have to go to your nearest college or university library. Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 16:04, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Ovid is a good online database of medical journals if you have access to a good university library. If not, you can try http://www.freemedicaljournals.com/ or the Public Library of Science journals. The web sites of medical libraries (McGill's and Harvard's for example) often have lists of journals, but again access is generally not free. —Charles P. (Mirv) 16:06, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or perhaps you want pepsins?? Shantavira 18:44, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I thought he must mistaken so I ran "penguin" in pubmed, and got hundreds of hits. In the first couple of pages there were all these cool reports about attaching wing cameras to penguins, microphones to record their sound environment, and limb accelerometers to analyze diving angles. If I were a penguin I would feel left out if some scientist didn't fit me up with my own gadget. alteripse 21:21, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Animal ethics

It is said that a spirit/soul is only inhabited in beings. Does "beings" refer to humans or to living beings in general such as animals... as we all know, humans are mammals which refers to animals too. I've also heard that animals don't have a spirit/soul. How come religion says humans have spirit/soul being biologically animals and animals such as dogs, cats, fishes and all others don't?

I don't know that you can make the blanket statement that "religion says" that humans have souls and animals don't. I know that Mormonism, the religion in which I was raised, teaches that animals have spirits. Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 16:27, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You're asking for a very objective answer to a very subjective question. You may as well ask if an all powerful god exists. Each religion is going to have its own view on this. Some people may even say that there is no such thing as a soul. Dismas|(talk) 19:07, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Different religions (and different religious people) will have different ideas about the "souls" of animals. For example, some versions of reincarnation not only believe that animals have souls, but that all of our souls come from the souls of animals. However, if you're looking for a scientific answer, you might look at Self-awareness, Sentience#Animal rights, and Consciousness#Functions of consciousness, which says ""We generally agree that our fellow human beings are conscious and that lower life forms such as bacteria are not. Many of us attribute consciousness to higher-order animals such as dolphins and primates; academic research is investigating which rather than whether animals are conscious." Here's a link to an advocacy group: http://www.animalsentience.com/ Good luck. --Quasipalm 19:15, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You may also be interested in the answers to a similar question on whether trees have souls --Noodhoog 03:37, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I need a name please

I am trying to remember the name of a person I met that was an assistant to the Secreatry of Education either in the early 90's or in maybe 1989. I beleive his name was either Michael Alexander or Micahel Williams, can you clarify this? THanks

It would help to know what country you are talking about here. DJ Clayworth 17:08, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, even more specific than that. Political entities well below the national level have Secretaries of Education. So, exactly which SecEd? Exactly what type of assistant (a secretary, aide, Assistant Secretary of Education)? And, unless it's an ASE, be prepared for an utter lack of records as to who interned for a Secretary over 15 years ago. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:11, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

searching

what are the three most popular search engines.

ulitimate fighting for women.

iam (I am) sure you have heard of the ulitimate fighting championships(.) what (What) i (I) would like to know is (if) are there any ulitimate fighting championships for women(?).

Looking over Ultimate Fighting Championship it appears there is not. You may ask this question on Talk:Ultimate Fighting Championship and see if you get a response. --Quasipalm 20:33, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • This site claims that REMIX Women's World Fighting Championship is equivalent. [10] As yet, we do not have an article on that event. I will place a message on the talk page of the Ultimate Fighting Championships to check that it is. Capitalistroadster 02:47, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the dracula orchid

is the dracula orchid named for the ficitional vampire.

Dracula (orchid) says "The strange name "Dracula" is derived from the Latin : little dragon, referring to the strange aspect of the two long spurs of the sepals." Since Dracula is the genus name, and such names are usually (but not always) Latin, it's probably right. —Charles P. (Mirv) 20:16, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
[11], [12], and [13] confirm this—though the last one reminds me that -ula is a feminine diminutive, while the word draco is masculine. . .so maybe whoever named it did have the vampire in mind. (That, or he just didn't know, or else knew but didn't care.) —Charles P. (Mirv) 21:01, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And actually, the Latin name of tarragon is Artemisia dracunculus, which also means little dragon, and furthermore matches the diminutive form of other masculine nouns ending in o, e.g. leo (leunculus) and homo (homunculus). Curious. . .

unknown animals

Birds [14] [15] [16] [17] Animals [18]--Bluejays2006 17:49, 13 October 2005 (UTC) Fruits [19] [20] [21] Maine [22][reply]

Cleaned up layout -- Garrett Albright 07:16, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Drug seeking behavior

I would like a simple definition of "drug seeking" please respond to [personal email] Thank you for your consideration

[23] says: "Drug-seeking behavior" is a widely used, although poorly defined term that refers to a patient's manipulative, demanding behavior to obtain medication. The patient may imply that the only possible solution to a medical problem is a prescription of a controlled (addictive) medication." ...
I've removed your email address since you probably don't want to get a ton of spam, and have also removed your second, redundant request. --Quasipalm 19:07, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The aafp link above is an excellent synopsis. I am curious as whether this is a recognized phenomenon in other countries with different drug laws, or this just an American problem? Also see [24] for an hilarious dramatization of one type of drug seeking behavior. alteripse 01:00, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Well, Australia's laws are only a little more tolerant than the US, but "doctor-shopping" is a well-known practice in Australia. --Robert Merkel 05:36, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Slavery

Were slaves in ancient Rome trated better and given more citizen rights than slaves in the early United States and other European colonies, or is that just a myth? — JIP | Talk 19:22, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think it'd be hard to do an empirical analysis given the vast time difference and the lack of clear records of slavery 2000 years ago. But see Ancient Rome and Slavery in the ancient Mediterranean#Slavery in Rome. And here are a few links that might help you:
If you find some great information out there -- please consider adding it to Wikipedia. --Quasipalm 20:29, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It's hard to say. Slaves in Rome had the same rights as slaves in the U.S.—none—and were sometimes subject to even harsher laws: slaves in the U.S. often couldn't give evidence in court at all, while Roman slaves could, but always under torture; if an American slave killed his owner, he might not even get a trial, but if a Roman slave killed his owner, every other slave in the household was executed. (This also indicates how greatly the Romans feared slave rebellions.) However, many slaves in ancient Rome had valuable skills (e.g. as doctors, teachers, scribes, etc.), and so had a better lot than the average field or mine slave—while in the U.S., house slaves certainly existed, but literacy and education for slaves was actively discouraged. Romans did tend to free their slaves more often than slaveowners in the U.S.; a freed slave had fewer legal rights, but his children were full and equal citizens, and his descendants could and did rise to equestrian or even senatorial rank.
One particularly nasty feature of slavery in the U.S. and other European colonies that was absent from the Roman system was the systematic and pervasive racism that survives even today, though slavery itself is long-gone. See Noble savage for an explanation of this. The Romans needed no justification beyond the fact that someone had been captured in war, or sold by his parents, or accumulated debts that he could not repay; Romans could be enslaved just like anyone else. Freedmen had fewer legal rights, and their children might be looked down on by the descendants of older Roman families, but there was never anything like the Black Codes or the Jim Crow laws. —Charles P. (Mirv) 22:06, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES

WHERE CAN I FIND A LIST OF COUNTIES BY REGION IN EACH STATE IN THE UNITED STATES?

Category:Lists of U.S. counties would be a good place to start. Also try the Census Bureau, which has both lists and maps. —Charles P. (Mirv) 20:21, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

origin and definition of "falcon" and sport of "falconing"

Please tell me the origin and definition of "falcon" and sport of "falconing."

Have you read falcon and falconry? — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:17, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Filming Soap Operas In Fictional Locations

I want to film a soap opera called "Guilty Of Love" in the fictional city of Pine Valley Shores, Florida. How would I do that?

Hire a cast, buy a camcorder, write a screenplay, build some props, and go to town! However, valley and Florida don't really go hand in hand; I'd rethink that city title—not that soaps need to pay attention to minor details like logic. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 22:02, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If I remember correctly, Florida is the flattest state in terms of the difference between the lowest elevation and the highest. So yeah, "valley" probably wouldn't be used to describe much in Florida. Dismas|(talk) 00:53, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you're filming outdoor scenes, particularly ones involving any sort of violence, you should notify local authorities or police to make sure no one overreacts to what's going on. I'm not sure what local laws may be about filming of passersby - there may be privacy issues. When the New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs was shot, there was a scene where the hero runs down Queen Street, Auckland (a very busy main shopping street) pursued by armed cops; there must have been at least hundreds of spectators (who the actors had to dodge), but fortunately no one tried to be a hero.-gadfium 02:06, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I remember once on Letterman, they did some sort of skit where one of the cast members chased another down the street, and when they came back from commercial, they ran what occurred right after they cut away. Pointing to the cast members: "These guys are part of the show." Pointing to the guy that tackles the guy being chased: "This guy isn't." --Maxamegalon2000 14:09, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you have any friends who own offices, farms etc. they might let you do some filming there, for cheap, realistic locations. If you're really lucky, there might be a small no-through road like a cul-de-sac nearby where the locals don't mind you doing some filming away from traffic. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk), (Recent Contrib) 16:17, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

where did Struthers lake SK get its name

Start here and take some of the links for an adventure that may lead to its origins. --hydnjo talk 03:48, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

directions from philadelphia international airport to us court house doylestown pa

Have a look at maps.google.com Shimgray | talk | 22:29, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Doylestown is basically directly north of Philly and the airport is directly south. Although 611 goes straight through town to Doylestown, see below for cautions. I would recommend you go around to the west, then north, then north east, or around to the east, then north, then northwest. In terms of traffic and ease of finding the exits and turns, I would probably take the western route, which is roughly:

  1. out of the airport take interstate 95 south (a few miles, about 3 exits) until you see the signs for 476 north turning off to the north;
  2. take 476 straight north about 5-10 miles (maybe 6 exits) until you get to the Pa turnpike (interstate 276 east);
  3. take 276 east about 5 miles (about 3 exits) to the exit for highway 611 N (Horsham);
  4. go north maybe 5 miles until you get to Doylestown;
  5. 611 N goes straight through Doylestown and I suspect the courthouse is on that road in the center of town.

Caution: it does look from the map that you could take 611 N from just east of the airport straight north through downtown Philly and on to Doylestown, but traffic by that route is awful, it goes straight through N Philly areas that are "less than scenic", and it doesnt show well on the map but at the northern edge of philly there is a fork and short discontinuity where it is easy to lose your way trying to stay on 611. alteripse 00:53, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

how do i delete my account?

yeah, i have too many accounts from all these sites and i decided to just cancel them. I dont know how to do it for Wikipeida, though. Could someone help me out?

For problems with Wikipedia itself, try asking at the Help Desk. That being said, there is no way to cancel a Wikipedia account at this time. Hermione1980 23:19, 13 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, this is the Wikipedia:Reference desk, (WP:RD). Yeah, try posting this question at the Wikipedia:Help desk, (WP:HD). --hydnjo talk 03:23, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

city of stories

are there any cities named for ficitional characters.

The city of Flin Flon, Manitoba in Canada is named after the lead character (Josiah Flintabattey Flonatin) in a paperback novel, The Sunless City by J.E. Preston Muddock. If you include ancient mythology in your definition of fiction, then I imagine there would be many more, such as Athens in Greece. Canley 00:23, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you count gods as fictional, there are many. Dismas|(talk) 00:51, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
See Tarzana, California. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:27, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Are there a lot of swingers in Tarzana ? StuRat 14:27, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Not since the vines all died.  :)

It occurred to me, however, that the state of California itself is named for a fictional character, Queen Califia, from Las Sergas de Esplandian by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo

volcanoes

is it possible for every volcano in the world to irreupt at the same time.

No, because some are extinct. Superm401 | Talk 01:11, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Somehow, I don't think that's the only reason:) Ornil 03:01, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
No, in fact there's a 1/100 probability. Superm401 | Talk 03:08, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I would hope the probability is much higher than 1 in 100. :>) Our Volcano article is worth a look in general. Capitalistroadster 03:33, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Erupt at the same time simultaneously as in synchronized swimming? 1 in 100, I don't think so. Much less probable I think (without facts or credentials) --hydnjo talk 03:38, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, I just thought the question was so stupid it deserved two stupid answers. Superm401 | Talk 03:42, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe during the end times if you listen to the ID crowd. Qaz (talk) 03:42, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Pardon my ignorance but who is the "ID crowd"? --hydnjo talk 03:52, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry for using an abbreviation without explanation. I was refering to Intelligent design. Qaz (talk) 04:09, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well of course the "puppet master" (if there was one) could make all things possible. I didn't realize that this discussion was going there. That (from that perspective) would change my answers to many other questions as well (Oh well, 1/100 probabilility is right on or whatever). --hydnjo talk 04:47, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
That depends on what you mean by 'at the same time' (is a partial overlap good enough or do they have to start at the same time) and whether the eruption of one can affect the eruption of another. If not there will be a calculable answer (which shouldn't be too difficult if you know the chance of eruption of every volcano on Earth). In other words, yes. There is, for example, a chance that if I walk into a wall I will pass through it. That has something to do with quantumphysics or such (this is a vague memory). I don't advise you to try this until it works because the chance of it happening is infinitely small. DirkvdM 13:06, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
From our article volcano, it seems that most of Earth's volcanoes are formed from subduction, where one of the Earth's plates pushes up agaisnt its neighbour and then goes under. The process causing this subduction is convection, which takes energy (I'm guessing lots). So, for every volcano to errupt at the same time, you'd need a shed load of energy, possibly more energy than exits to do this. Also, can all the plates be moved at the same time to create the subduction required? I imagine while some plates move into a positon to allow the subduction to occur, they stop others from doing so, meaning that not all volcanoes can erupt at once. Finally, I don't really know much about volcanoes. What I've talked about might be total crap, but since none of the other responses talked about volcanoes I hope that's ok. --Commander Keane 14:26, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

hot chicks

ok guys i'm gonna throw down in a-town this weekend (atl,ga) where are all the girls at

Call the Atlanta tourism centre, and ask the exactly same question. they'll help ya out. --Ballchef 03:56, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Or put you in touch with a taxi driver who will (for a price of course) help ya out. --hydnjo talk 04:04, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Just for practice, try it out in your own hometown. It'll be safer and an education. After you have developed your expertise near home (with its support contingencies) then by all means venture out. But if you're asking this question from a position of unfamiliarity in new surroundings then be prepared to be skinned alive. --hydnjo talk 04:16, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

so what's the deal with airline food?

seriously pepeople

I dunno, never been on an airplane trip. If you're willing to pay me a ticket I can find out for you. ☢ Kieff | Talk 04:27, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
seriously (Seriously) pepeople (people).
The deal is that airline food is not intended to be a substitute for a night on the town at a four star restaurant. If you are looking for restaurant food then go to a restaurant. If you're on an airline flight and they offer food (as a courtesy) then go on and try it and, if it's not to your liking then don't eat it. The "deal" is that it is available, you don't have to eat it. Heck, bring your own sandwich along if it bothers you that much. geesh. --hydnjo talk 04:32, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Since when did Jerry Seinfeld start posting at Wikipedia? Garrett Albright 07:10, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Haha. Brilliant. ☢ Kieff | Talk 07:27, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I knew it would be here somewhere...Airline meal. Sorry Kieff, you'll have to buy your own ticket. Nice try though.--Commander Keane 11:27, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hey, instead of whining about bad airline food, go on some planes that offer good food!!! Try Iran Air. Their service is not all that good and the planes are pretty old, but the food is the best airline food I have ever had!

--Aytakin 01:14, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Of course that would require flying to Iran, which many people have no reason to, or aren't even allowed to do. -Drdisque 02:38, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Airline food is of limited quality for the following reasons:

  • It must be prepared hours in advance, on the ground, as no food preparation area would fit on the plane.
  • It can only be heated by microwave oven, as any other heat source would be dangerous.
  • It can't be anything which might risk adverse reactions in the passengers. Foods which might cause diarrhea or flatulence must be avoided, such as a very spicy chili.
  • Only very limited customization of orders can be allowed. For example, a choice of salad dressings may be allowed, but a choice of salad ingredients is less feasable.
  • It must fit into a small space. Crackers, for example, take up less space than rolls, so are preferred.

Given these constraints, a fairly bland meal is to be expected. One option some airlines allow is for passengers to bring their own meals, ordered from restaurants near the airport gate, just prepared in time for the plane to leave, and eaten from insulated styrofoam containers. This option is particularly encouraged by budget airlines which don't offer meal service. StuRat 18:46, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, non-microwave methods of cooking food aren't inherently dangerous. For example, sailing yachts manage to use proper galleys with gas burners, water basins, etc. in a similarly weight-limited, enclosed space that regularly tips from side-to-side and gets constantly buffeted (arguably more unstable than most airliners). The difference would seem to be (a) boats have chefs rather than air stewardesses to do the cooking, and (b) proper food doesn't seem to be as important to air passengers as it is to sailors. Ojw 13:51, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I disagree. Having an open flame onboard an airplane in flight is far more dangerous. Smoke from a fire onboard a pressurized aircraft can't be vented by opening windows like on a yacht. Space and weight are also more critical onboard planes, as water is dense enough to support some rather heavy equipment onboard a yacht. The specific fuel cost per pound per hour is also higher onboard a plane, making weight more of a financial concern. Those onboard a yacht are probably willing to spend more per person for meals than typical airline passengers. A better comparison might have been between yachts and Concorde flights, at least until they were recently discontinued. I don't know, were meals aboard the Concorde better ? I would bet they were. StuRat 14:39, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'd guess that gas burners are not on planes due to the weight, servicability (you don't want to to filling up a gas botle at every stop) and explosion risk (microwaves generally don't burst into balls of fire). Also, premium airline services (business class etc) offer meal choices (meat or fish for example), so airline food doesn't have to be that limited.--Commander Keane 03:11, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

bored

guys i'm bored give me something to do and it better be fun or i'll kick your ass

You don't live in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, so don't think you know the meaning of the word "bored". ☢ Kieff | Talk 04:31, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps you should have addressed your inquiry to Gals instead of guys. --hydnjo talk 04:35, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Why gals instead of guys? I think you're assuming the questioner is (a) male and (b) heterosexual. Maybe the anonymous questioner (whoever he or she is) prefers guys. Guys are more fun anyway. Come round to my place sometime and I'll prove it to you. JackofOz 05:12, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or for something that will really surprise you go to this secret place. It'll surprise and excite you almost every time that you click on it. It works for guys and gals, heterosexual and homosexual, young and old, bored and excited, short and tall, etc. and etc. --hydnjo talk 05:01, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, he could just as well be assuming the questioner is (a) female and (b) homosexual. — JIP | Talk 10:22, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This is fun, do this: --Ballchef 05:29, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


You can help improve the articles listed below! This list updates frequently, so check back here for more tasks to try. (See Wikipedia:Maintenance or the Task Center for further information.)

Fix spelling and grammar
None

Help counter systemic bias by creating new articles on important women.

Help improve popular pages, especially those of low quality.


Why does this remind me of being a kid and whining "I'm booooored!!!" and my Mom saying, "Well, if your bored, I've got something for you to do. You can start by cleaning up that pigsty of a room..." Brian Schlosser42 18:59, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or the similar "Why are you crying ? You got no call to cry. Shut up now or I'll slap you upside the head and give you something to cry about !". StuRat 18:01, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Wait until you're grown up and your father is saying "Clean up that pigsty of an apartment"... — JIP | Talk 17:25, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Even better, when my wife tells me to clean uo my pigsty of a computer roon...well, they say men marry their mothers...Brian Schlosser42 17:37, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

cricket insect

how do i catch a cricket in a very small room keeping mum awake most of night thankyou ,

Dorothy --211.27.77.223 06:44, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

That's not very nice.
But, you could try placing a container over the cricket then sliding a card underneath, flipping the container over and then quickly placing the lid over the top. Dysprosia 06:50, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe the location of the cricket is unknown. Sometimes I get the noises (maybe it's a cricket) and when I head to that corner of the room the noises get louder but I can't find where the insect is. When I tap on the wall the noise stops. How do you draw out a hidding cricket?--Commander Keane 10:16, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Get another cricket? Shantavira 11:21, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, so the cricket's already there? The cricket could be outside, potentially, sometimes it's easy to hear things outside even from inside. Otherwise one could try baiting the room. Dysprosia 12:58, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I've used the same method to kill both crickets and mice, both of which hide and go silent when lights are turned on or they hear movement. (I believe roaches are the same, though, fortunately, I haven't had those.) Neither one is very bright, so think you've left after the light goes out and the room goes silent. So, just wait by the light switch until they come out and start making noise, then turn the lights on and kill them (or capture them if you're in a humane mood, which wasn't me after being kept up half the night). If the light switch is too far from their location, a bright electric flashlight could be used instead. StuRat 15:14, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I just saw you said "mum" instead of "mom", so that mean's you're likely not American, in which case it may be an "electric torch" instead of a flashlight. StuRat 15:30, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Or even just torch, as we don't use non-electric ones much anymore... Ojw 17:21, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
We'd best not have any Brit's carry the Olympic flame the, using a flashlight would take a lot of the drama out of the whole event. StuRat 17:55, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You mean that people outside the US don't all squat in caves and eat antelope roasted over greasy fires? You have electricity and everything? I never learned that in school, so I'm leary...does the Defense Department know about this? Brian Schlosser42 19:03, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

or you can do what I did when I had a cricket in the room, spray the baseboards with pesticides and find the dead cricket the next day. -Drdisque 02:36, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Or you could leave the cricket be, rename yourself Buddy Holly and start a band. DirkvdM 10:01, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

When a snake bites someone...

...what does it do next? Does it just keep the fangs in there, or does it let go and slither away, or does the person being bitten go into a state of panic and personally rip it off?

Normally, the snake will try to get away quickly afterwards, to make sure that the victim (who will probably be really mad) doesn't throttle it, stamp on it or otherwise kill it. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk), (Recent Contrib) 16:09, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Incidentally, the only reason a snake will bite you is because it is afraid of you in the first place. You're too big to eat (unless we're talking about huge anacondas that will squeeze you to death instead of biting you anyway). Garrett Albright 16:26, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, a person can scare a snake without meaning to do so, by walking too close or stepping on a snake they don't see. The snake may then bite and release and try to get away. Then again, it might not bite. I once rode my bicycle over an apparent green garden hose draped across a sidewalk, only to notice it slither away in pain. If it had tried to bite, it might have given me a flat tire, LOL. StuRat 16:42, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As it happens, there is a particular type of puncture called a snake bite, but it's caused by hitting a sharp edge with a flat tyre, giving two holes in the innertube which look like a snake bite... Ojw 17:17, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I have been bitten by a snake (a non-poisonous Black Rat Snake), which was irked by being run over with a bike and didn't appreciate my attempts to move it out of harm's way (the ingrate!). It didn't slither away, but that might have been due to injury; it did coil up and hiss until I threw my shirt over it and shoved it off the path. —Charles P. (Mirv) 19:29, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I heard of someone who was bitten by a snake that was on top of her when she was asleep. Why would a snake move onto/over someone if they're afraid enough of that person to bite? For warmth? DirkvdM 10:51, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. Snakes, being cold-blooded, like to hang out in warm spots. Probably, the snake didn't know that she was actually something alive and dangerous in the first place, so it slithered around and found a nice spot to rest. During the time of American westward expansion, explorers, cowboys, and others who slept outside would sometimes wake up to find that they were sharing a sleeping bag with a rattlesnake. The only thing you can do when that happens is to stay as still as possible and wait for the snake to slither out on its own volition; if you move and freak the snake out, it'll bite ya. Garrett Albright 16:51, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Using Casablanca photos for non profit funraising theme

I work for a national non-profit organization and we want to use the photo of bogart and bergman for the invitation to go with the Casablanca theme. How do I find out who owns the rights and if I am able to use it.````

It's either owned by Warner Brothers or they'll know who does own it. I guess you should call their media relations people. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:01, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


Which is more effective -General Vs. Broad Non-Profit Mission for an emerging non-profit ?

Is it more effective for an emerging non-profit to address a specific public policy niche or can general themes be effective?

Are there examples of non-profits with very broad objectives, such as helping all women (just an illustration)that are succeeding?

We have spent so much time thinking about this issue, and now have to find a great, good, ok or true example of failure to be able to assess our own effectiveness.

I appreciate this extraordinary web page and service. Thank you, and if I am directed to reading material or sites, I will check them out.

Have spent about 15 hours thinking about this and reading. I need more fine-tuned guidance.

--70.89.38.161 19:15, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know anything about the topic, but if you're a small upstart group I would suggest finding an area that isn't being addressed by the large non-profits. You would probably want to consider something much more specific than helping all women; for example, maybe you would help women in business, or with child care, or legal aid, or the arts, in some way you think they need help and are not being helped now. Perhaps you could be a bit more specific about where you're coming from. Who is forming this group and why? What people or area do you hope to be serving?--Pharos 10:14, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What's that song?

What is the song that plays during Brainiac: Science Abuse's 'I can do science, me!' section. The lyrics are #Uh, yeah, I am a scientist/I'm gonna live on science alone# smurrayinchester(User), (Talk), (Recent Contrib) 21:02, 14 October 2005 (UTC) [reply]

The Dandy Warhols' "I Am A Scientist" -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:15, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is rain

where does rain come from and where does it go.

Rain is water drops that condense from clouds. Rain normally flows into a river and then back into the ocean, being a part of the water cycle. --Borbrav 21:23, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.groundwater.org/kc/watercyclefillin.html has a graphic you might find helpful --Quasipalm 23:26, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is Muscle Reading?

In short: muscle reading is mind reading using the muscles. In long: sounds like a pseudoscience where a person tries to read another person's mind by paying attention to subconscious muscle reflexes. Here's a page I found using Google: [25]

"Muscle reading is similar to telepathy or mind reading. Muscle readers generally work with an audience. It is the unconscious movement of a member of the audience whose hands they hold that guide the performer in giving dates of coins, combinations of safes, location of hidden objects, etc."

It appears it can also refer to a method of study that helps you keep focused on your reading material. [26] --Quasipalm 23:39, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

scarlett scarlett scarlett

i`ve read margreat mitchells gone with the wind but i didn`t have a chance to read the sequel since i don`t have enough money to buy it from amazon.com or any other shopping website could tell me howit ends.please

The butler did it, but it turns out that he's an android too. Eventually the zombies break down the door and try to fight Karl Rove. In the end, Rodan wins, and the world is safe for democracy and Saudi oil. // Mr s puppet 22:52, 14 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I can't tell you offhand but you may well find a copy in your local library and be able to read it yourself. You may even be able to arrange for an interlibrary loan if it isn't. Somehow, I don't believe the version of the ending provided by Mr Puppet is accurate. :>) Capitalistroadster 07:39, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Rocky VI

In "Rocky VI", If Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren make cameo appearances, what will their characters do in the movie?

- Nothing specific has been announced, but since Rocky is going to be back for one last fight, they might be the coach of his opponent or assistant coach to Rocky, or even more simply friends who remember the past. --Aytakin 01:10, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lewis 30 cal. machine gun

Hello,

I'm looking for pictures of a Lewis 30 cal. machine used in WWI on a British SE 5 A or pictures of this machine gun that was mounted on WWI aircraft.

Thanks Ed C.

Google Images is useful for this kind of search. Here's what I turned up: [27]. The second photograph shows what you're looking for, I think. —Charles P. (Mirv) 00:35, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Furry sexual practices

Are furries (generally) aroused by or attracted to real animals? Is beastiality any more prevalent amongst furries than amongst the general population? Is there furry porn, and is it professional or amateur? I have looked at your articles on furry and yiffing, but they weren't helpful. 147.9.162.249 01:18, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Well, if you have looked at our articles about furries and yiffing you pretty much have our collective insight about the subject. Posting the question here however, may indeed bring some additional points from users that may have felt uncomfortable about putting their views in the articles. --hydnjo talk 01:42, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Very little scientific research is spent on human sexuality, so much so, that Kinsey's research still seems relevant today. So the quantity of research on whether people dressing up in costume rabbit suits are more sexually deviant than anyone else is going to be about zero. Perhaps if you studied the relevant academic fields you could pursue a career in making these breakthroughs in human enquiry. My hunch would be this would be a waste though - they probably just like dressing up Majts 01:57, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Most furries are not attracted by actual animals, in much the same way that most people who are into bondage would find being tied up and beaten and such all that much fun if it were happening "for real." You will always find exceptions to the rule, but generally furries are just into non-mainstream sexual activities with other humans.
There is furry porn; generally, it is drawn art, but sometimes it's photos of humans which have been manipulated to give them more animal-like characteristics. Furries tend to classify furry porn depending on how human versus how animal the character looks, so an 80/20 image might be a human with a tail and cat ears, whereas a 20/80 image might be almost entirely like an animal, but still stand up on hind legs and (if the image features it) have human-like genitalia. Like most offbeat porn, it is almost entirely amateur.
Of course, this is assuming that you are speaking of furries in the sexual sense, as opposed to just someone who likes to pretend they are an animal but never take the fantasy into the sexual realm. These non-sexual furries probably actually represent the majority, but since the sexual ones are more noticeable and disturbing, us "mundanes" (non-furries) tend to assume it is entirely sexual.
Oh my God, why do I know all this? Garrett Albright 16:46, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You, you, you... --hydnjo talk 02:43, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I keep up with the sex research literature pretty well (I'm a grad student who's doing that sort of stuff), and I can tell you that there is almost certainly no known answer to your question on furries and beastiality. Research on furry sexuality is not common, it being a fairly recent fetish to come to public attention, and real research on beastiality is also uncommon (though you can find a great deal of pontificating on the subject among the more theoretically-focused writers). Unfortunately, I don't see a lot of hope for getting your question answered anytime soon: There are so few furverts and so few zoophiles that it would take a gargantuan survey to get good data about people who are both.
My personal suspicion is that furverts might be marginally more likely to have experienced sex with a non-human at least once, just because they're more open to the sexual aspects of non-humans. This is very different from saying that there are more zoophiles in the furry community though. Our best evidence suggests that most sex between humans and non-humans is not carried out by zoophiles but by, for example, teenage boys who live in isolated rural areas and who use farm animals as a sexual outlet on occasion. There might be more zoophiles among furries, but I wouldn't venture to make such a statement myself; zoophilia is extremely poorly understood. George 21:27, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What was the original ending intended for Fever Pitch?

Under the sub-heading "Trivia" in the article on the 2005 movie Fever Pitch, there is the information that the film's ending was rewritten several times to incorporate the fact that the Red Sox, the sports team fetured in the film, actually were baseball's champions in the season the story portrays. The love story juxtaposed so well with the actual events of the 2004 playoffs (e.g., after believing their relationship is over, the couple finally fall in love once in for all just as the Red Sox begin their improbable comeback after losing the first three games of their playoff series against the Yankees) that it seems hard to imagine this could have been the same movie if it hadn't been set against the events that really took place in October 2004. What was originally planned as the movie's ending--with both the love story and the events surrounding the baseball team?

I'm not entirely sure, but I'm pretty certain that the story is set in England, and revolves around soccer. Trollderella 16:58, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
What I think the original poster means is that, if I recall correctly, when the Farrelly Brothers rewrote the script to focus on the Red Sox, they originally had to drastically change the ending. I recall seeing at least one media outlet reporting on the production of the movie pointing out that they had to change the ending because in the novel the team wins the championship, and the American movie is about the Red Sox, who, of course, don't do that. The question, then, would be: What was the Farrelly Brothers' original ending to their Americanized script that did not involve the Sox winning the World Series? Yes, I think that's what we're going for here. --Maxamegalon2000 14:03, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Question about Danny Ketch/Ghost Rider

In the bio on Ghost Rider, it states that Danny Ketch died. I was wondering how this happened and what comic book this event took place.

Who was Rex Hamilton?

In the opening credits of the US comedy show "Police Squad!" one of the jokes was "and starring Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln" who then starts having a gunfight presumably with John Wilkes Booth. I've never understood this joke, can you tell me why it's funny? thanks Majts 07:53, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Rex Hamilton was nobody in particular. The joke is that it's a non sequitur. I'm not sure anyone can explain Police Squad!. It's one of the prototype examples of a kind of surrealist humour that uses a lot of non sequiturs to keep the mood. Unfortunately, this brand of humour grows old quite quickly, and its entertainment value is considerably enhanced by the consumption of alcohol and/or marijuana. It was popular briefly in the late 70s and early 80s, but with the neo-Puritanism of the Reagan years, especially with regard to drug use, it lost its allure. Rent a DVD of Police Squad! and score a yourself dime bag. Smoke the latter and then watch the former and I promise you will see the humour in it. --Diderot 11:22, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Uh… Wikipedia:Medical disclaimer. Or something. Garrett Albright 16:35, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the answer and I thought Police Squad! was hilarious without needing medicinal aid to enjoy it. So it seems the joke is nothing more than the juxtaposition of having a Abraham Lincoln in the cast of series about a Police squad. It was mainly just the name Rex Hamilton that has always bugged me - I mean the name *sounds* like a cheesy movie stars name, and I always thought he was famous, so was very surprised that he didn't have a Wikipedia article. Majts 20:51, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

THE MERCHANT MARINES

WHAT IS A MERCHANT MARINE.

The merchant marine is a term meaning the Merchant Navy - the commercial, as opposed to military, shipping industry of a country. Shimgray | talk | 15:04, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Family History

Dear Administrator:

I am preparing a history of my Grandfather's life. His application for US citizenship listed as his place of birth Severine, Austria (12/02/1888). Would you be able to help me?

Sincerely, William Koss

e-mail address removed, to protect William from some spam, also sub-heading inserted
random people answer questions here, not just Wiki administrators, like at a library help desk. Are you referring to your paternal grandfather whose surname probably Koss, or your materal grandfather (father of your mother) with different surname? Depending on when your grandfather actually left Austria (which would have been before the application for US citizenship, depending on the residency rules in history), you may be able to get at some records of the Austrian government. AlMac|(talk) 19:49, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Are you trying to locate Severine? An Austrian gazetteer would help. (Actually, in 1888 it would be Austria-Hungary) Unfortunately I can't find one online; for some maps, look at this and this and this. Other links that may help: [28], [29], and [30]. - Nunh-huh 02:23, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Cardboard Coffins - Can they be used for burial in the USA?

Is there any law against burying a human in a cardboard box? (in the United States of America) I heard that some people are buying cardboard boxes and then the whole family decorates it together. But I wouldn't want to be cremated but instead buried in the cardboard box. Is that okay? Thanks

(email removed: questions are answered here, and leaving your email may lead to spam)

See the Federal Trade Commission's So you're buying a funeral? page. Before there was federal regulation, people would get ripped off by funeral directors who lied to them, telling them they were required to purchase embalming and/or espensive coffins. For "direct burial" or "direct cremation", you certainly can get by with a plain wooden box; I imagine it would take some rather hefty cardboard to transport a body in. Nonetheless, "For those who choose a direct cremation without a viewing or other ceremony where the body is present, the funeral provider must offer an inexpensive unfinished wood box or alternative container, a non-metal enclosure - pressboard, cardboard or canvas - that is cremated with the body." Funeral homes are required to use the container you purchase, and you don't have to purchase it from them. I think a pine box might be a better bet than cardboard for burial, though. And cemeteries can still require a "grave liner", so the answer to your question depends on the answer to "burying a human where?". (The image of a family decorating a cardboard box to bury someone in is odd to me. I keep thinking of gluing little macaroni shells to it and spray painting it gold.... I mean...what's the decoration for? But to each his own.) Hope the link helps. - Nunh-huh 02:00, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • I have been told that in jurisdictions requiring the availability of cheap alternatives, some funeral homes may deny the existence of coffins/caskets cheaper than their featured pricey ones. You need to ask for "containers", the only word that they'll use for the cardboard ones, which you have every right to insist on. And yes, they're called cardboard; what exactly the material is I don't know, but I I gather it is a cellulose product rather than solid or engineered wood. Your best bet is probably to look for an "alternative" funeral provider that embraces the simple option and is familiar with what's available in your area, rather than try to force a mainstream operator to do something that they really don't want to. 142.20.196.196 17:11, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Superhuman abilities

How does one go about gaining superhuman abilities? I'm thinking of cybernetic implants and possibly genetic manipulation. Any ideas? For preference, I'd rather not go insane and become a supervillian. 84.69.7.16 19:06, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Read Science Fiction. Reality not yet caught up with what you asking for. Now perhaps you might be able to see that your kids have superior genes to those that you have, but you probably die of old age before this working. If you have plenty money, you could have self frozen after death, and take your chances you not get broken up for spare parts. AlMac|(talk) 19:52, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, you can wear devices to give you some such abilities, like a night vision scope to allow you to see in the dark. There is a functional rocket pack, too, although it is quite dangerous and only gives you 30 seconds of flight at a time. Satellite communications thru an earpiece and microphone, maybe tied to a GPS unit, would also be doable. "Bullet proof" (really bullet resistant) clothing is available. A parabolic microphone would give you "superhuman hearing". The superhuman strength part isn't technologically available yet, although eventually a robotic superskeleton may provide such abilities. Under current technology, the loss of speed and flexibility would make any increase in strength too expensive. StuRat 20:19, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

How to unjam a US Military M4 assault rifle.

If I am using a US Military M4A1 or M4A2 assault rifle and I an loaded with a 30-round clip, and after I fire about 5 rounds it jams. How do I unjam my gun?

I've spent a few hours at the firing range with the M4. in a computer game This page on operating an M16 might help. I hope this isn't an urgent question. --Sum0 22:52, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It is possible this is a homework question. Judging from the defense used by some of the accused in the Abu Graib scandal, a lot of people are going into the military these days whose training has serious deficiencies. AlMac|(talk) 21:52, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

military music

What is the opposite term for a reveille? I mean, the reveille is a bugle sort of sound that happens early in the morning; what is the corresponding sound called that is played at night?

Bold text taps \ˈtaps\ noun plural but singular or plural in construction [probably alteration of earlier taptoo tattoo — more at tattoo] (1824)

the last bugle call at night blown as a signal that lights are to be put out; also : a similar call blown at military funerals and memorial services

Merriam-Webster, I. (1996, c1993). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. (10th ed.). Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster.

At U.S. military bases, I believe they play "Retreat" when they lower the flag at the end of the day. —Wayward Talk 23:43, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


Rolls Royce

Hello: After reading the history on the Rolls Royce car, I did not see any reference to the Rolls Royce Silver Spur,or the last model year the car was built by Rolls Royce/ Bentley before the take over by BMW. I would be very interested in this additional history.

Thank you very much,

Russell Di Giallorenzo (email address removed --hydnjo talk 02:39, 16 October 2005 (UTC))[reply]

The best way to note errors and omissions to a specific article is either fix it yourself or add a comment the discussion page of that article, in this case Talk:Rolls Royce. --Robert Merkel 22:44, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Which political party in the United States is the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan most like? --66.173.50.80 22:13, 15 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan is a conservative party, so the easy answer would be the Republican Party. They also believe in maintaining a strong Self-Defense Force (military), privatization (the Diet of Japan recently passed legislation that would privatize the postal system), and low taxes. However, that's not to say they are exactly on par with the Republicans; in fact, I would say that in practice (as opposed to mere ideology), they are in fact further right than the Repubs are today. Garrett Albright 03:59, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not an expert, but Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) says it is "a right-wing conservative party that favors free market economic policies" -- so I'm guessing the Republican Party (United States). (However, the Democratic Party (United States) favors free market economic policies most often too. What is "liberal" in America can often to "conservative" in other countries.) As far as social issues, I'm not sure. --Quasipalm 03:58, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Why on earth would you want to know that? It would be an extremely crude and therefore meaningless indicator. The winner-take-all type of democracy (if you can call it that) in the US means that there will in the end (and indeed now are) only two parties of any importance, which are barely distinguishable from each other. DirkvdM 09:28, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

foliage

is there a name for foliage or blossoms which have withered but not fallen off

Yeah, springtime in New England. Just kidding about the name but Oak foliage in these parts drop about half before winter and half in the early spring. Never thought there might be a name for it though. --hydnjo talk 02:22, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

charges for full service gas stations

I am disabled and cannot pump my own gas. I go to a station that has self service and full service. I pay $1.00 or more a gallon for full service. A while back, I read that the state of Ca. does not allow stations to charge either 10 cents or 10 percent, I'm not sure which, more for full service. Is this true?

Jody Dupont

As long as there is a message prominently in view that describes the cost for full-service then that cost can be applied. In that case find another gas station. If there is no sign then you're getting ripped-off. In that case, have a police vehicle follow you in for your next fill-up. That should be interesting. With regard to your disability, Under California law, all gasoline retailers must provide fueling assistance to the disabled at self-serve prices. Exceptions include stations with a single employee. --hydnjo talk 01:33, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You'd save a lot of money by moving to Oregon. Not only is gas cheaper there than in California, but state law dictates that one cannot pump their own gas. That doesn't mean all stations are full-service (they won't clean your windshield and such), but it does mean that they pump gas for you, and don't charge you more for it. Garrett Albright 03:52, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or New Jersey for that matter. Self-service isn't allowed there either. But I wouldn't recommed moving. That seems a drastic step for a disabled person in your situation which is already covered by your own state law. Find a largish gas station with more than one attendant and you will get gasoline at self-serve prices. Personally, I'd go for the police escort though just to make a statement for others in your circumstances. ;-) --hydnjo talk 04:03, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

who?>

Who is the company who published your encyclopedia and wrote it? When was it published?

I'm writing it right now so to speak and so are you. Also, it is being published as you read this. As for the company, well this may help. --hydnjo talk 01:40, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
For info on how to cite Wikipedia as a source for your paper or project, see the notice at the top of the page and the page before this one. But then you knew that was there because you read the instructions before asking, right? Dismas|(talk) 02:45, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm gonna plagiarize that response at some future time. It deserves to be repeated. --hydnjo talk 03:00, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Postage

moved from WP:HD hydnjo talk 03:31, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I am new guy of La Crosse,WI. I mail a parcel weight about 3pounds with priority . I want to know how much I will pay the charge?

Thank you!

That depends on the zip code of the destination. Dismas|(talk) 03:13, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Also there would extra charges for insurance and delivery confirmation. These charges are small compared to the original parcel charge for priority (2-3 day) service. There is also a "next day" service available at considerable extra cost. This site has lots of information if you don't mind plowing through the typical burocratic baloney. My advice, go for the least expensive option unless there are special circumstances. It's reliable these days. For a little more money go to your local UPS office. They have an excellent record for on time delivery. --hydnjo talk 03:31, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Here's a direct link to the USPS postage calculator. —Wayward Talk 04:21, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
OK then, using that resource, how much postage would be required send a 2.1 ounce first class letter from you to me at Zip code 03028 (if you knew that it was 2.1 ounces in the first place)? --hydnjo talk 05:23, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What country? (Yes, I already guessed, but I'm just being obnoxious - is everyone in the world supposed to know what 'La Crosse,WI' means?) DirkvdM 09:31, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. Everyone, everywhere should know all 50 of the U.S. States names and abbreviations. As well as who our Presidents have had extra-marital affairs with. We're America and have an ego bigger than the planet itself.  :^) George W. Bush|(talk) 10:01, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hello

Which band/s in history has one a diamond award. I know Bon Jovi is one. Linda

Linda,

This List of Diamond Award Winners from the RIAA [31] lists all diamond award winners from the Eagles greatest hits which had sold 28 million down to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers whose Greatest Hits album has sold 10 million as at 2003. The Beatles were awarded their sixth Diamond Award in May for the #1 album being their sixth see [32]. so the RIAA need to update their page. These awards are for US sales only. It suggests we need a Diamond Award article so I will add it to the Requested Articles. Capitalistroadster 05:49, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

text vs. texted

As far as 21st century techie jargon goes...

I've always wondered what the past tense of "text" (used as a verb, referring to text messages via cell phone) would be. Example:

I texted you last night. or I text you last night.

I know it is slang anyway, but I was wondering if there was a "proper" way or at least a common way of saying it. Thanks.

Text'd? -hydnjo talk 04:35, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know if it's the standard but I generally say something like "Did you get my text?" or "I sent you a text".
as a transitive verb, "to text somebody", the past tense would obviously be "texted". neologisms usually are not coined after irregular paradigms (but see ping, pang, pung). If you want it to be irregular, we could fashion it after set, i.e. text, text, text. 09:39, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
Texted does seem to be most common, at least in my experience. Shimgray | talk | 09:46, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

European History

  1. Where was Napoleon born?
  2. Where was the general area where the 30 Years War was fought?
  3. Where is the Kingdom of Naples located?
  4. Where was the birth place of Philip II of Spain?
  5. Which country was the richest area of the Holy Roman Empire during the first stage of the 30 Years War?
  6. In what country was the Ottoman Empire located? (or conversely, what countries were in the Ottoman Empire)?
  7. What country's indepencence was recognized by the Peace of Westphalia?
  8. Where was the Council of Blood aka Blood Council aka Council of Troubles located? see Duke of Alba - — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.138.89.45 (talk) 00:18, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  1. What does it say right after Do your own homework at the top of this page?
  2. What do we get for doing your homework for you? Dismas|(talk) 04:35, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I suggest you use the search box, which is on every Wikipedia page, and you'll find the answer to all or almost all of these questions really easily.-gadfium 04:37, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Unless of course you'ld like your homework done for you. In that case be wary of the responses that you turn in from here. There may be some well disguised funnies. ;-)
  1. Napoleon was born at home as were most others at that time. (etc).

--hydnjo talk 04:44, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It seems that we have not done our homework on the blood council though... Trollderella 16:52, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It used to be that everyone was born in their mother's womb. In modern times there are other interesting places to be born, but none of them had been invented as of Napoleon's time. AlMac|(talk) 21:57, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

How to podcast?

I have a blog and I've recorded sounds with Audacity.What must I do next?What MP3 encoder must I use?How can I post the files?[[User:Tdxiang|Tan Ding Xiang | ☎]] 06:42, 16 October 2005 (UTC) [reply]

It doesn't matter what mp3 encoder you use. The bit rate you choose will depend on the trade off you want to make between quality and bandwidth. Your next step is to publish the file to a web server and create an rss feed. Once you have done that people can subscribe to your podcast. There are many services available to make this really easy for you , for example Odeo, libsyn and castblaster Majts 08:35, 16 October 2005 (UTC) [reply]

Well, some MP3 encoders are better than others. I like LAME, which is free and very capable. Also, there are some shareware programs out there that'll help you streamline the process of podcast creation. Try searching your favorite shareware archive (I like MacUpdate, if you're one of my Mac-slinging bretheren) for "podcast" and see what turns up. Garrett Albright 16:31, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Gas Used to Ripen Bananas

What is the name of the gas used to ripen bananas? Is this the same gas used to ripen other fruits and certain vegetables? What other fruits and vegetables are ripened with this gas? Is there any harmful effects on the health by eating bananas or other fruits or vegetables ripened with this gas? -- Paul Feinzimer (removed email address)

  • Ethylene. See also Ethylene (plant hormone) for more information on this role. It is fairly general in its effect of ripening fruit, but not (AFAIK) vegetables. It is unlikely to have any harmful effects on human health, as the quantities left on the fruit after it has been in the air for a few hours would be miniscule. Ethylene has been used as an anaesthetic, but this would be more of a risk for workers than consumers. Physchim62 10:18, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Risks Inherent in International Business

I wanted to find out if the following risks that i know are correct or not

1- Political & Financial risk 2- Security 3- Diversification/Innovation 4- Human Resource Reliance 5- Potential Impacts on global business plan 6- Competition & Sustained Presence

if these are the risks that international businesses face, and try to overcome or contain, am trying to find out how ... ufortunately my searches are not giving me information i need, can someone please help with given me hints on how to search properly for possible ways in which international businesses use or can use to contain these risks.

thanks!

You're probably not getting much information because those are incredibly vague terms. Try being more specific, both with us and with search engines. Also, if you want to get really serious about learning this stuff, some college-level university business courses would probably do you good. We don't seem to have an article on international business or international corporations, sadly. Garrett Albright 17:03, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps you need to visit your local universities to see what kinds of classes they offer in international business. AlMac|(talk) 21:59, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This is the Reference Desk

Deleting questions about that burger movie. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:35, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

1938 Chicago White Sox All Star Gold Medal

Hi Folks, I have this 1938 Gold All Star Baseball Medal that I just can't seem to find anything about?. I thought you might be able to help me out with some information on it?. I have contacted "LELANDS" And Keith wrote back and said it just might be a Minor League Medal? But didn't really know!. I have sent emails to the Major League White Sox's Organization, And they said that there was NO information about this medal in their archives, And they also think this is a Minor League Medal?. I have emailed a Jpeg to the Minor League Teams, and NO one there has ever heard of it?. I have also contacted Freddy Berowski Library Research Associate National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, And he said that it was very interesting! But they have nothing like it in their collection! and that I should try a Local Chicago Historic Association!. I know this is a shot in the dark, BUT I was hoping that you just might have some Information on this medal?. I have emailed Dorothy Z. Seymour, Harold Seymour's Widow, and she seemed to think that this might have been a White Sox sponsored event in which the Big League Clubs offered some sponsorship the the city leagues. Dorothy also said that you were the people that were most likely to have any information on it! I would REALLY appreciate any help you could provide me with!. I can also send you a Jpeg of this medal. Thanks, Ed. Burnett.---207.228.60.181 18:18, 16 October 2005 (UTC) This is round and is in the shape of a Baseball's sweet spot side. It has a player getting ready to swing at a pitch.[reply] 

The front has "CHICAGO / BASEBALL FEDERATION / ALL STAR / 1938 / PRESENTED BY /  CHICAGO /  WHITE SOX".

The bottom back has a Circled N with "1/20 10K GOLD FILLED". This measures about 1 & 3/8 Inches wide and 2 & 7/8 Tall.

what is a clinka

what is a clinka

Urban dictionary suggests that it is clinging poo. Majts 20:37, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It could also be something left over from burning coal or smelting ore: Clinker. —Keenan Pepper 20:54, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A clinker is also a type of chocolate (or candy) in Australia. damn fine too. --Ballchef 04:32, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What nation(s) do not have real estate?

In what nations would all the real estate across the nation be owned by the government, restricted from any sale as privately-owned lots of land?Screwball23 23:47, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In Cuba houses are not government owned but privately owned. However, people aren't allowed to sell their house because that might lead to accumulation of wealth. They are, however, allowed to swap houses, for which they put a sign on the door saying 'se permuta' (loosely translatable (?) as 'moving'). Not a very efficient system if you ask me (but then you didn't ask for my opinion...). I put that in the Cuba article but then it got removed. I don't know if someone has put it back again, but I've largely given up on that article, leaving it to the pitbuls. WARNING. Wikipedia articles are just as pov on (sensitive) political ssues as any other source (Internet or otherwise). Well, maybe that's an exageration because there are usually pitbuls on both sides, resulting in a mix of pov's (in stead of the intended npov). Also, with by far most editors on the English Wikipedia being from 'the west' and most of those from the US, there will also be a bias (such as anti-Castro). But then you didn't ask for this rant either, so I'll shut up now. DirkvdM 09:40, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Se permuta means "to be swapped" (cf. permutation for a similar word in English). -- Rune Welsh | ταλκ | Esperanza 19:44, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Bonzi Buddy

How do I install Bonzi Buddy?

Bonzi Buddy is a scam operated by slime and astroturfed by scum. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:20, 16 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I would strongly advise against installing it, given that it serves no useful purpose whatsoever, installs spyware and/or malware onto your computer, and is generally considered harmful. However, if you really have a deathwish for your computer, the normal procedure would be to go to the website of whichever company provides the software (forgive me if I don't give them the benefit of naming or linking), download the installer program to your computer, and run it. At this point you will probably be interested in Wikipedia's articles on Microsoft AntiSpyware, Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot - Search & Destroy --Noodhoog 05:25, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Google redirecting

A couple of months ago, every time I typed in google.com it redirected me to google.uk. Today, when I try to go to google.com, it's redirecting me to google.de. I know this isn't a systemwide problem, but why is it happening? Any insights? Could it be an AOL problem? User:Zoe|(talk) 00:45, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

No, Google does it on purpose. They infer your location from your IP and send you to the local Google service. Assuming you're really in the UK, then they intended for you to get the co.uk version. If you've not moved to Germany then it looks like their IP based geolocation code (which is never perfect) has become confused. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 00:53, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm in California, why is Google thinking I'm in Germany? I am using AOL. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:20, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Probably because AOL does rather wonky things with IP address assignments and google wasn't quite managing to keep track. --fvw* 01:23, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
When I moved to Japan, Google wanted to display for me in Japanese. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to go back to English; go to the Google Preferences page and select English for the Interface Language. Garrett Albright 03:13, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Psh, forget all they say. It's easier to just type in http://www.google.com/ncr . Done. ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 03:18, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Is it? It doesn't work for me, maybe it requires cookies? I always use http://google.com/intl/en/, which works without cookies (but doesn't stick for the same reason of course). --fvw* 03:19, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, it needs cookies. Getting on google.com/ncr ignores whatever country you are and set the default interface to the standar english one, and shoves this information on the cookies so next time you get on you don't get redirected. ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 04:53, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I also get directed to the Dutch Google when I type in the url. But then I click to the English version and bookmark that and I always end up in the English Google. At least, I think that's how I did it. DirkvdM 09:44, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Tincture of Green soap

Erica Cordoba asked this question over the help e-mail list and I am listing it here:

This might be an unusual question, but, I been curious as of why is the soap called Tincture of green when in fact the color is orange. thank you.

I am listing it here in case anyone is able to assist.

Capitalistroadster 02:44, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's actually usually, though not necessarily, colored green. I don't know, but would suggest, that perhaps "green" is being used in the sense of "new, not ripened or matured", given that it's a soft soap, being incompletely saponified vegetable oil. - Nunh-huh 04:51, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Nunh-huh for the answer. I have forwarded a reply to Erica. Capitalistroadster 10:25, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Drinking

Why does society frown upon drinking alcohol in the morning? I mean, what is the big deal?

Good point. perhaps you need an excuse. My grandad used to have bacon and eggs for breakfast, then say "Boy that bacon was salty, i need a drink!". But anyway, why does society frown upon a lot of things, some of which are very very trivial or stupid. why can we get drunk and smoke cigarettes, but when you pull out a spliff people give you dirty looks? why can men go topless but not women? (in some countries). society is one very warped thing, but things that were frowned upon 100 years ago aren't today, so perhaps in 100 years beer will replace OJ at the breakfast table. we can only hope! --Ballchef 04:42, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yuck. Orange juice is the BEST drink in existence, and beer only loses being the worse for urine. I'll be hoping NOT ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 04:51, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Drinking alcohol induces drowsiness, so if you drink alcohol in the morning, you'll spend the rest of the day too lazy to do anything. That's my opinion anyway. — JIP | Talk 05:17, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As well as being lazy, if you intend to be making descisions, driving, opertating machinery etc it's not a good idea to drink alcohol in the morning. From the article alcohol: "is known to have a depressing effect that decreases the responses of the central nervous system". So I suppose it's frowned upon because drinking in the morning limits your capacity to do a good days work (whatever society deems that to be).--Commander Keane 05:48, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you drink at night, most of the time you're drunk will be while you're asleep. Superm401 | Talk 06:50, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Who said anything about getting drunk? Might you be from the US? I've learned that in the US alcohol consumption is often associated with getting drunk. I even once stayed in a hotel in the US where alcohol consumption was forbidden even in the room, for just this reason, but when the manager found out I was European he made an exception for me. In France it is quite normal to drink wine (quite a bit stronger than beer) during the day. And when I was picking grapes in France we even got a shot of liquor late in the afternoon morning. There seems to be a religious difference here, though, with catholics being a lot more loose than protestants (in the Netherlands at least). Also, a few centuries ago it was normal to drink beer all day because the water made you sick (beer gets boiled). But that was young beer, which has a very low alcohol content. DirkvdM 09:54, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It actually isn't frowned upon in all societies - I can attest to this, having travelled extensively in Eastern Europe. Trollderella 16:45, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

My impression is that while, in France, alcohol consumption does not have the stigma it may have in the US (where many people associate it with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct), drinking in the morning is generally associated with drunkards — people who are psychologically or physically addicted to alcohol and cannot even wait for lunch to get their first shot of alcohol. David.Monniaux 22:50, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Rainbows

Why does the sky look lighter on one side of a rainbow?

I suppose you mean like in this photo from the rainbow article (which doesn't seem to give the answer) and some others there as well. I've noticed this phenomenon too and assumed that it would be something psychological, with the outer colours contrasting more with a dark background. But looking at this picture that doesn't seem to be the case. One possibility is that beyond infrared we can't see anything at all, but beyond ultraviolet we have a very faint perception, resulting not in seeing a colour but more of a haze, which only becomes apparent because of the sharp contrast created in the case of a rainbow. But I doubt if that could have this effect. DirkvdM 10:11, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
When you are looking at a rainbow you are looking at the reflection of light in the rain, so the Sun must be behind and relatively low in the sky, with the rain in front of you. On the inside of the rainbow light at all wavelengths is reflected making it look bright. On the outside of the rainbow no light is reflected (it goes over our heads), hence it looks much darker. The rainbow itself is the light bouncing back, but filtered due to refraction at wavelengths corresponding to their colors. If you want more detail of all the various effects of rainbows this site will explain Majts 13:17, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • If you look at the diagrams at rainbow, you'll see one with showing a bunch of parallel red rays entering a raindrop. If you look at where the rays come back out, you can see a broad fan of rays coming back out at small angles (this is the brighter light "inside" the bow), with a cluster of rays at around 40-42° (this is the well-defined bow itself), and a cut-off above 42° where no rays are coming out (this is the dark area on the "outside" of the bow). Essentially, the inside of the bow is reflecting some light back from the sun into your eyes, so it looks brighter than the outside of the bow which doesn't. --Bob Mellish 16:34, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Name origin of Bensko/Bencko

What is the origin of the surname "Bensko" or "Bencko"? I know that it is from Slovakia, but I don't know what it means or anything like that (eg, placename, occupation, etc).

Listen up: read the instructions. If you post you question at the top of the page, no-one will read it (except me, and unfortunately for you, i have no idea about what you're talking about). if, and only if you follow the instructions, the question will appear at the bottom of the page and you might get a response from the wonderful RefDesk crew. thanks. --Ballchef 06:42, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Where is the tallest observation deck with no fencing/bars?

Where is the world's tallest building that has a public observation deck that one could jump off of? That means that there is no bars, window panes, etc restraining you. I'm thinking it is the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, OH. (you can see it at www.vrcincinnati.com) Thanks. Jazz1979 08:38, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please, Don't do it! --Ballchef 06:44, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe: Don't do it!--Commander Keane 11:56, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Assuming you still with us, Sydney Tower opened "SkyWalk platform" today, which is 268 m above the ground (879 ft). There is just a handrail, but you are harnessed and tied onto a guide rail. To jump off, you'd need to undo the carabiner, which isn't too difficult. I'm sure it's not the highest in the world, (and ignoring the harness) its higher than this Carew Tower.--Commander Keane 16:52, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hey, don't dis the Carew Tower as a suicide spot. Most days, the observation deck is empty. It only costs a couple of bucks to visit, as well. Plus, as the questioner mentioned, there's not fencing to keep you from jumping! There have been several suicides there, my uncle actually witnessed the aftermath of one. Besides, as long as your over 10 floors, any building will do in a pinch. Brian Schlosser42 19:51, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Waves by Virginia Woolf

I wanted to ask what is the theme of "The Waves" by Virginia Woolf?

So why didn't you? (Do your own homework;see instructions at top of page). Superm401 | Talk 07:03, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Some cynical souls may say the theme is "Do your own homework". We have an article on The Waves by Virginia Woolf. The Literary Encyclopedia says the theme is bereavement see [33]. Capitalistroadster 07:12, 17 October 2005 (UTC) +[reply]

Sherlock Holmes

How much was Doyle paid for each episode of Hound of the Baskervilles

Unfortunately this source is unreferenced but it suggests that Strand magazine paid Conan Doyle between £480 - £620 per episode, depending on length. Majts 14:32, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Pikachu

How did he come to be invented?

Sadly, neither our Pikachu nor our Pokémon articles have much on the history of the little rat, but if I had to venture a guess, it would go like this: Pikachu was originally created in 1996 as one of the 151 original characters in the original Pokémon video games. When the animated series were in development, the producers were looking for a leading monster, and Pikachu, being rather cute and marketable and such, was a natural, so he got a starring role. This catapulted his popularity. Garrett Albright 15:16, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Need newpaper or court article with subjects related to First 10 Bill of Rights/

Go to http://news.google.com and search for "Bill of Rights" "united states constitution". User:Zoe|(talk) 21:42, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Talk Pages

What is the longest article without a talk page? smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 15:35, 17 October 2005 (UTC) [reply]

Special:Longpages is a list of the longest articles on Wikipedia. The first article on that page (and therefore the longest article on Wikipedia), List of places in Arkansas, does not have a talk page. Who'd'a thunk? For future reference, questions like this would be more at home on Wikipedia:Village pump. Garrett Albright 16:08, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
How did anyone write all that in just one edit!? smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 16:12, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I just noticed it was an automatic list. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 16:33, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Golf Holes in One

What percentage of aces are hit on par 4 holes? I know most are hit on par 3s, as many players cannot hit the ball far enough to reach the green on a par 4. Has there ever been an ace on a par 5?

There really should be a separate section for sports questions.

This article says there have been three recorded "condors," or triple eagles. -- Mwalcoff 02:13, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Labor Day

Why do people say you can't wear white after Labor day?

  • In traditional upper-class east-coast North American society, white pants and shoes are regarded as summer dress, and within that custom are worn only from President's Day in the Spring (in Canada, Victoria Day) to Labo(u)r Day in late summer. If you hang around folks that subscribe to it, for example if you have been invited to a late October mid-afternoon wedding in Boston for which formal dress has been requested, then perhaps you'd care. If not, then likely you wouldn't. Sharkford 16:58, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • I have always heard Merkins should not wear white after "Labor day" (sic), but there's never any other qualification. There's no "and before some other day". Does this mean that once a "Labor day" comes, Merkins may never wear white again? Or is there a specific day when this not-wearing-white ends, or do people just gradually start wearing white again? — JIP | Talk 10:26, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • Generally, the etiquette thing was that white should only be worn between Memorial Day and Labor Day, or during the summer months. But it was really aimed at white hoes, not white clothing. Although I think a bride wedding in the fall or winter would be allowed to wear white shoes.  :) User:Zoe|(talk) 21:45, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Aso volcano

What is the lat. long. of this volcano in japan? I cant find it anywhere!

Nikole H

32.88 N, 131.10 E [34] -Drdisque 01:17, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Formula 1 light systems from 1990 to 2005

in formula 1 they use lights to show the start of the race. i would like to know what different light systems were used. I do not mind pictures included in the answer.

I have watched Formula 1 since 1994 and the lights have not changed significantly since then. Basically a series of red lights (i believe 5) go on in sequence and when they go out, the cars can go. Later, green lights are turned on to signal a green-flag track condition. -Drdisque 01:01, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

not 100% sure, but i do believe it has been three (double) lights that went on and when the last one went on the race started, at some point. Boneyard 09:12, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what happened on this day in history. feb. 23, 1995?

207.200.116.69 18:37, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Check out 1995#February for starters. For another perspective, try February 23. You might also look at the History Channel's archive. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:47, 17 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


what are all the possible assest that would fall under the accounting equation.

  • I presume by "the accounting equation" you're talking about assets = liabilities + equity as in a balance sheet. There is no definitive list of "assets", you should look up the definition of the term in Asset, and decide whether or not a balance sheet item is an asset or a liability. -- Canley 02:54, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Remington rifle

I have a remington 218B rifle, I`ve searched everywhere and find it to not exist. Can you help?

Think hard: where were you when you last saw it? Garrett Albright 11:03, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Damn, you stole my joke! Anyway, the .218b (Bee) is a cartridge size (introduced by Winchester and apparently not too successful commercially, soon superseded by .22 cartridges), not a gun model. I don't know if .218b cartridges could be used with a .22 rifle, of which Remington has produced several models. Lupo 11:16, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

sports

who was the last chicago white sox pitcher to lose 20 games in regular season

in 1948 Bill Wight lost 20 games for the white sox, in 1973 Stan Bahnsen lost 21 games AND Wilbur Wood lost 20 games. You can poke around more at Baseball Reference -Drdisque 04:06, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Difference between Calstate & UC

Is it true that Calstate is better than UC for its undergraduate programs? Because I heard UC doesn't offer "learning by doing" experience as much as Calstate, especially Calpoly.

An engineering faculty from CSULA (who visited my campus, MTSAC) even went further & said that UC put undergrad on backseat; I realized that his opinion might be biased, but can someone please enlighten me?

My landlord, who graduated from UCLA with Bachelor in EE, clarified those rumors, and said that he didn't get too many "hands-on" experience from his school, he also mentioned about this TA (Teaching Assistant) thing, which further discouraged me, since I want to be taught by professor, not some undergrad & grad students.

I'm well aware that UC is, of course, more prestigious than Calstate, but after listening to those statements, it's kinda make me want to transfer to Calpoly, instead of UC.

Every school (including the best in the country) uses TA's. "Learning by doing" is not necessarily the best as often in simply "doing" you don't understand all the why's or how's and are thus less educated on the subject at hand despite being proficient at it. This is like the difference between a Trade school and a Research instititute but not as big. -Drdisque 01:07, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
while many of the introductory classes at UC consist of hundreds of people, a number of upper division classes become small enough so that the professor will know you by name. but even with large class sizes, professors at UC are readily accessible during office hours if you seek them. it is rare for classes to be "taught" by graduate students. they are there to lead discussion or lab sections, not lecture.
they say that the most important part of college is not necessarily what you learn in class (which is easily forgotten or made irrelevant in real life or the workplace), but having done through the experience. Being at a more "prestigious" university means "higher caliber" (or less arrogantly, more cuthroat or ambitious) classmates (on average). Being around people who have so far in life shown good potential for future success translates into better connections after college...and it's all about the connections, isnt it? --04:35, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
I won't comment on these various universities. However, as a assistant professor, I think I can comment on the generalities of teaching in universities.
First of all, many TAs are highly qualified for what they do, and some aren't, so it's not a clear-cut rule. They also often have more time available than faculty, and may more easily relate to the difficulties that students have. Another factor is that you don't need a faculty bigshot to teach introductory "lab classes". Most of the stuff taught there is pretty basic.
Finally, think that these professors have to learn the tricks of the trade somewhere. If there were no TAs, professors would get their first hand-on experience when in faculty — thus, the problem of inexperience would be the same. David.Monniaux 22:55, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

basswood plywood

what is your opinion of the use of basswood plywood for the cabinsole (flooring) in a sailing yacht where it may be subject to moisture? rob vaughan e-mail removed to protect privacy

My opinion is to call a yacht builder.  :) --Quasipalm 01:32, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
We don't generally have that many people with professional trade expertise who regularly answer questions on the reference desk (though we certainly wish there were). That said, my father has just replaced some plywood in the floor of his open fishing boat. Generally, in most boating situations, if you're going to use plywood marine ply is recommended. Marine ply is, of course, very expensive stuff. But then, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than putting your foot through the floor...--Robert Merkel 13:34, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
this site might also give you some idea of what you should use; they state that "exterior ply" would be suitable for above-deck marine applications, particularly if sheltered. --Robert Merkel 13:37, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Abilities

Is it possible to "pop your cheek" if you push the air out of your mouth hard enough?

It would only be possible if you somehow sealed your lips, they cannot hold nearly as much pressure as your skin. Also, the chest muscles that expel air from your lungs aren't nearly strong enough to create the pressure needed. If you had an outside source (like a compressor) pressurizing your lungs, I'm even inclined to think your lungs would rupture first. -Drdisque 01:12, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Enough pressure for long enough can stretch your cheeks, though, like they did Dizzy Gillespie's. — File:Ontario trillium sig.pngmendel ☎ 20:22, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Physical Features

Why does it look like some people have small faces in relation to thier heads. i.e. Colm Meany

Genetic variation, Haircuts, and lay off Colm Meany.  ;-) --Quasipalm 01:11, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Solar System

Why are most of the planets on a seemingly "flat" orbit. Why aren't any planets at say at a rotation of 90 degrees from earth for example.

In short: because it was made that way.  ;-) Here's a long answer from this link.

The orbits of the planets are coplanar because during the Solar System's formation, the planets formed out of a disk of dust which surrounded the sun. Becuase that disk of dust was a disk, all in a plane, all of the planets formed in a plane as well. Rings and disks are common in astronomy. When a cloud collapses, the conservation of angular momentum causes amplifies the spin of the cloud. As the cloud spins faster and faster, it collapses into a disk, which is the maximal balance between gravitational collapse and centrifugal force created by rapid spin. The result is the coplanar planets, the thin disks of spiral galaxies, and the accretion disks around black holes.

Wikipedia should mention this somewhere, don't ya think? I couldn't find it anywhere -- I wonder where it should be? Maybe solar system?--Quasipalm 01:23, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Looking again I did find some description of this in solar system
As the nebula collapsed, it decreased in size, which in turn caused it to spin faster to conserve angular momentum. And as the competing forces associated with gravity, gas pressure, and rotation acted on it, the contracting nebula began to flatten into a spinning pancake shape with a bulge at the center. When the nebula further condensed, a protostar was formed in the middle. This system was heated by the friction of the rocks colliding into each other. Lighter elements such as hydrogen and helium were pushed out of the centre and into the edges of the disc, whilst heavier elements such as dust and rocks were concentrated into the centre. These heavier elements clumped together to form planetisimals and protoplanets. In the outer regions of this solar nebula, ice and volatile gases were able to survive, and as a result, the inner planets are rocky and the outer planets were massive enough to attract large amounts of lighter gases, such as hydrogen and helium.
--Quasipalm 01:34, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This explains why the planets would be in the same plane. But it doesn't explain why they aren't. The planes of the various planets are at a slight angle to each other (well, not so slight in the case of Pluto). One obvious reason for this is collissions later in the process of formation (when the chunks hitting each other had already grown bigger). Any other explanation? DirkvdM 07:03, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The simplest answer is that the solar system isn't a simple mathematical model. Orbits are not dictated by point masses, the original cloud was not entirely uniform, etc. While some variation could be caused by collisions, it's more likely that variations are simply the result of the actual localized clumping being near, but not in, the exact plane (the original mass certainly wasn't wholly in the plane). — Lomn | Talk / RfC 14:09, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Holidays

What is Nick Day, today October 17

Our article on October 17 makes no mention of such a day in its Holiday and Observances. Do you have more information? Capitalistroadster 01:37, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Where is it celebrated? Lots of holidays are regional. The only possible mention I see on wikipedia is Bulgarian Name Days ("Saint Nick's Day") but it seems "Saint Nick" is most likley just short for "Saint Nicholas". --Quasipalm 01:39, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What to do Before Investing...

Can some one list the Important Ratios/Numbers i need to look at before buying a stock of a company

buying stocks is basically gambling, you're just a little less likely to lose it all gambling on the stock market than gambling on dice or cards. When gambling on stocks, i generally look at its long term trendlines on Yahoo Finance and the P/E Ratio (a lower P/E ration generally indicates that a stock's price isn't temporarily inflated). -Drdisque 05:08, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

See books:Investing for an intro -- the page then links to a number of resources. There is no agreement on which metrics you should look at with investing, although there are often some general guidlines. --Quasipalm 12:11, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Buying a stock is very unpredictable. What you should read very carefully, however, is the prospectus of each company to see where it is headed. However, if you cannot think independently and must use the advice of some numeric values to find out which stocks to buy, you are not thinking like a businessman. You need to look at all the news and activities across the world to get an educated idea of where a company is headed. You must find out the financial history, quarterly reports, any new products or management issues within the company, their activities across the world, and finally make a prediction on more than just numbers. Look at the business sector as well. If the industry is in a slump, find one you think will do well in the nearby future.--Screwball23 16:25, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hurricanes

A while ago i read an article about ideas on how to rid rid of hurricanes. One idea was to use A nuclear weapon to dissipate it. Could this theoretically dissipate a hurricane?

This has been discussed here before. The general consensus is that Hurricanes are much more powerful (in terms of total energy) than nuclear weapons and that any theoretical weapon strong enough to affect a hurricane would cause far more harm than good. -Drdisque 06:20, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Even if used far from populated areas (well, I'm talking populated by humans - otherwise there are no unpopulated areas on Earth) because a hurricane would be an ideal means to spread the fallout. But now I wonder. If the fallout of one nuclear bomb would be spread all over the world, would it do any harm? Would the radiation exceed background radiation? DirkvdM 07:08, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, because radiation accumulates. It wouldn't replace background radiation, it would be in addition to it. Proto t c 15:35, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Blood

Is it possible to get a complete blood change? If possible can this get rid of the AIDS virus?

[1] Yes, but not without having a reason to do it; [2] no. see [[35]], where this has been recently brought up. - Nunh-huh 04:13, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What Channel Did Startrek The Next Generation Air on?

What Channel Did Startrek The Next Generation Air on?

In what country? -Drdisque 05:09, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It depends. The Star Trek franchise belongs to Paramount. Star Trek airs on whatever affiliates are willing to pay Paramount to air the episodes. →Raul654 05:11, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, TNG was on beginning in 1987, long before Paramount had any affiliates, as UPN didn't exist yet. It was a syndicated show, and played on mostly independent stations, but not exclusively. In my hometown, Cincinnati, it played on WXIX Channel 19, which had become a Fox affiliate in 1986. Brian Schlosser42 11:17, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Sky One and BBC Two in the UK. -- Arwel 11:19, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
What do you mean, "what country"? As if there was any life outside this country. — JIP | Talk 11:21, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The magic word no one else has yet mentioned is syndication. In the Twin Cities area, if memory serves, TNG aired on KMSP, which was then channel 29. android79 13:23, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

ferrari formula 1 car

where can i find pictures of the 1994 and 1995 ferrari formula 1 cars?

1994 Car - Ferrari 412 T1 1995 Car - Ferrari 412 T2

It's amazing what Google Images can do -Drdisque 06:18, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

To become taller

Is there any possible way to grow taller? Thank you.

  • Yes, eating healthily should help your body grow taller. Be advised though that people stop growing noticeably around 18 years of age, so if you're older you're not likely to grow any more. Why do you want to be taller anyway? - 131.211.51.34 11:16, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You can have your legs broken, and extended using a painful rack-like contraption that is attached to screws drilled into your bones. The screws are then turned to stretch the rack by around a millimetre a day. This is painful, will make you walk strangely, is only usually used for people with one leg a lot shorter than the other or with birth defects, and only advised if you are really concerned about how short you are. In fact, I wouldn't even advise it then. Just be happy being short. Tom Cruise is short and he bagged Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes, the lucky motherfunker. Alternately, you could also live in zero gravity, as the reduced pressure on your spine will cause you to grow by about an inch. But then, it will do the same for your space family or whatever, so you'd still be the shortest. Looks like it's the leg-stretching torture rack. Proto t c 13:01, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A friend of mine told me about a country that has a maximum height for its military service - ie. if you were taller than x height, you got out of military service. Some people who are close to the limit often sleep for a few days before their entrance test - as lying down makes you temporarily taller (by a centimetre or so) as your weight pushes your body down when vertical. -- Chuq 13:32, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Boxing Day Tsunami 2004

Hi, i am currently doing a school project and i am having trouble finding the specific answers that i require. Can you please help me with my research? My question to you is, What has been the impact on the local/national/ and international communities? The type of impact i need to know is enviromental issues that it has caused and economic issues. If you could please help me with finding some information it would be much appreciated.

Thank-you, Jacinda Mawby.

It would help if we knew if you have read the article on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its associated articles. So have you? Dismas|(talk) 10:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As Dismas says, our article is very detailed and it has references to check for further information. Capitalistroadster 11:12, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

QF 25 pounder Short Mark 1 (australia)

Please, does anyone know when the QF 25 pounder was first manufactured in Australia, and by whom? -- Chris

TV Police

The TV show 'the professional' featured Bodie and Doyle, but which of these was a policeman before he joined CI5?

Sorry, you need to go to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Pub Quiz. Never mind. Proto t c 13:43, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

General

Which two flags sit on tower bridge?

As far as I'm concerned, I didn't see any flags on Tower Bridge.

Sport

Which foot ball stadium is the biggest stadium in the world?

Some clarification would help: I'll assume that you want biggest in terms of capacity. However, do you want the world's biggest stadium or just the world's biggest football stadium? If the latter, soccer or American football?
Did you see the word football in the question, Lomn? :p As far as soccer goes, it's the Maracana in terms of people, although they are not seated (it's a big pit full of concrete steps, and it's kinda smelly), and 120,000 was a real crush (it was at a World Cup final). Salt Lake Stadium in India would hold 120,000 if you had 60,000 people with 60,000 children on their shoulders. Also not a seated stadium - it is hard to establish capacity when there aren't individual seats. This is the reason Google has issues when providing an answer - the question is arbitrary. Hampden Park once crammed in 180,000 for an England-Scotland international game. Biggest all-seater soccer stadium would be probably a better answer, and that would be the Stade de France (around 80,000). (The Nou Camp and the Bernabeu hold more, but are not all-seater.) Once the new Wembley Stadium opens in 18 months or so in London, that will be the largest fully-seated soccer stadium in the world, with a capacity of 91,000. Proto t c 15:29, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, but I also saw "the biggest stadium in the world" in the question and thought it worthwhile to point out that the world's biggest stadium does not, in fact, have anything to do with football. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 15:34, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
That, and football is not just American football, but also association football. -- Ec5618 17:49, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Telstra Stadium in Sydney holds 83,500 in rectangular field configuration, and 73,000 in oval field configuration -- Chuq 13:29, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The Telstra Stadium article states that before the post-Olympic reconfiguration that stadium could hold 110,000 people. The largest crowd at that stadium for any code of football was 109,874 for the Bledisloe Cup rugby match between Australia and New Zealand in August. The runnerup is 107,599 for the 1999 National Rugby League grand final between the Melbourne Storm and the St. George-Illawarra Dragons. Capitalistroadster 06:09, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

cinnamon toast crunch

what year did this come out?

According to Milking That Crazy Cow (A Century of Cereals) here (PDF), 1984.

deer

Why are deer led to water?

Deer (and other animals) go to water because it's necessary for survival. I'm not sure what you mean by "led" to water, most deer go of their own volition. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 14:51, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Because they are thirsty. Proto t c 15:33, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You can lead a deer to water, but you can't make it drink. Jazz1979 11:57, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead (The Laughing Gnome 2005)

Famous married couples born on the same day

I know of 2 cases where a famous husband and his famous wife were born on the same day:

Does anybody know of any other such cases? JackofOz 14:58, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, born on 1935-06-13. kmccoy (talk) 20:20, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent. Thank you. Keep 'em coming. JackofOz 23:53, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Another one I've since remembered are the parents of a Korean boy-genius (whose name will come to me) who has the supposedly highest IQ in history. His parents were both born not only on the same day, but also at exactly the same time and in the same city. But they are only "celebrities" via their son, not in their own right. JackofOz 23:53, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Did you mean Sho Yano, a genius boy of Japanese American and Korean American parents? -- Toytoy 00:58, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
No, this boy was born in the '70s from memory. I read about him in Guinness Book of World Records back in the mid-late '80s, before Sho Yano was born. I know where the info is, I just can't get to it right now. Cheers JackofOz 01:05, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Kim Ung-Yong, b. 7 March 1963, is a Korean prodigy, described by the Guinness Book of Records (? 1985) as "the most brilliant person alive today"; his parents were both born on 23 May 1934, at 11 am; he had a full set of teeth at 3 months, talked at 5 months, wrote at 7 months; he was fluent in Korean, Japanese, English and German at 4 years; he solved intricate calculus problems on Korean TV before his 5th birthday; at age 16 (1979), he went to West Germany to study physics and medical science. Some info I collected from unrecorded sources, but some is at [36]. I wonder what became of him. Maybe he deserves his own Wikipedia article. JackofOz 14:20, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas were both born on September 25, but Michael's 25 years older.  :) User:Zoe|(talk) 21:50, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Help please

hi please can any one give me any information on geoff upex the designer of the range stormer. thanx

Go here. Select "Geoff Upex" under Quick Bios on the left side of the page. (Sorry, no direct URL available.) --Quasipalm 18:32, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Probably too late, but the direct url is [37]. Just took a little jaunt into the source. Superm401 | Talk 03:34, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What age follows the Neolithic stone age?

What age follows the Neolithic stone age?

See List of archaeological periods Though I'll agree that list should be more clearly marked. -- Ec5618 16:38, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fictional Georgia Cities

Do you know any fictional cities in the State of Georgia?

Any city can be fictional. There's a fictional Atlanta 5 miles east of Savannah, Georgia, for instance. That said, let's stop with the fictional cities questions; there's nothing productive to say unless you're asking about a specific notable fictional location like Tara. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:27, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Firearms in United States

where can I find a article about it with percentage of households with firearms for example? thanks.--201.8.154.17 17:58, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If you trust the NRA (if you don't, they may shoot you) I found this metric here:
All Firearms: 200-240 million guns owned by 60-65 million Americans as of 1997.
That's about 1 in 5 people -- a number which is likley inflated due to the NRA's POV about gun ownership. Wikipedia has List of United States firearms topics which has lots of further information. --Quasipalm 18:20, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Debt Forgiveness

Dear Sir or Madam,

Do you know of any URLs that specifically list the amount of America's debt forgiveness to other nations?

I've looked and looked, and can't find any specifics.

Please answer by EMAIL if possible!!!

BTW, your website is fantastic!!!

Thanks so much! Guy Adams -email removed-

Hi, Guy. Are you talking about the International Monetary Fund's new policy that may write-off debt to some of the world's poorest countries? To find the amount of that write-off that came from the US specifically would probably be pretty difficult since the IMF has many contributors. --Quasipalm 18:51, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
However, other than debt forgiveness, the U.S provides a substantial amount of foreign aid. Notably, the largest aid recipient also probably has the highest standard of living in the Middle East. Superm401 | Talk 04:51, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

2005 World Series tickets

How many Chicago White Sox World Series tickets are actually being sold to the general public? — (Unsigned comment by 216.52.142.10.)

The name of a certain peanut butter snack-food?

There is a snack that has a fake, hollow, edible "shell" and it is filled with sweetened peanut butter. I have had these in the past, but I don't know what they are called. The shell is shaped like a peanut shell, and they are bite-sized. I would very much appreciate if someone could tell me the name of it. (It could possibly be made in different types, or by different companies. I have no idea. Also note that I'm not talking about the Nutter Butter cookies which are peanut-shaped/flavored oreos. ) --Demonesque 19:11, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I remember sweet peanuts. Shantavira 19:21, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist

What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

See the respective articles. A phychiatrist works to help individuals with their phychiatric problems, while a psychologist strives to understand the (human) animal, academically. -- Ec5618 20:31, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, but... the main differences between a clinical psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist, which is probably what is being asked about are:
A psychiatrist is a physician, usually with an M.D. degree. A psychiatrist is usually involved in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder, through administration of drugs, as well as other modalities.
A clinical psychologist can have any of a number of degrees (e.g. PsyD, Masters of Clinical Psychiatry, PhD). A clinical psychologist is usually involved in the treatment of mental or emotional disturbances and adjusting to life events, often through psychotherapy or behavioral techniques.
In the best circumstances, both will be available to cooperate in treatment. - Nunh-huh 20:56, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Edit conflict: short answer is an MD and prescribing privileges vs a PhD and talking privileges.

Children's book about ghosts

OK, so am I crazy, or is there really a book called 'Ghosts Go To School' or something like that, in which two ghosts with the last name of Temple go to school? I think there's a goldfish and a carrot and a play about the origins of the town somehow involved. The book is old-ish, because (I think) it was in a collection of antuque children's books.

And I apologize if my description makes no sense. DuctapeDaredevil 20:23, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Little Vampire Goes to School is about a little vampire that wants to go to school like regular kids do in the daytime. It seems he has a ghost friend with him. A long shot -- but it might be what you're looking for. It's based on an older french children's book. --Quasipalm 20:46, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the smallest cities

1.what is the smallest city in the world.2. what is the smallest city in the united states.

That depends entirely on how you define a city. There are hundreds of ghost towns in the United States alone. Alternately, city size could be measured in area, but again, you must distinguish boundaries on cities versus other places of habitation. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 20:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The smallest city in the world is the vatican city I believe. --Ballchef 12:47, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

That's the world's smallest widely-recognized country, which has nothing to do with its qualification as a city. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 13:31, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
But the Vatican is also considered a city.--Aytakin 20:51, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I know Durbuy, Belgium claims to be the smaller city in the world. Actually the problem is about the word city who is ambiguous. Some say a town with a fortification is a city. Following this text, Durbuy would have been lifted to the rank of city following an edict by John The Blind. I think it is said smaller in terms of inhabitants but it's not written anywhere. It might just be a trick for tourists. Julien Tuerlinckx 11:21, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Vatican is a city, yes. No one disputes that. What makes it the smallest city in the world? What's the standard for something being a city rather than a town? The above illustrates the problem. Worldwide, no objective standard exists (note that, however, England has official City designations, as do other locales) and so any answer will be arbitrary. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 13:22, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Part of the problem is that American usage of the term "city" is different from usage in other English-speaking countries. I was surprised to visit Atqasuk, Alaska (pop 200, in 1996) and learn that it was officially the "City of Atqasuk" (although there was a plaque in the mayor's office from President Clinto to the "Village of Atqasuk"

This problem was already stated above: each country may have its own meaning for the word 'city'. So a related question would be: which "cities" claim to be the smallest in the world. I have answered this question partially in citing Durbuy. Any other answers? Julien Tuerlinckx 17:01, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to http://www.worldisround.com/articles/10228/, Durbuy has now merged with several other municipalities and can no longer make that claim. According to http://www.adriatica.net/guide/croatia/feature/beautiful_destinations_en.htm, The Guinness Book of World Records accords the honor to Hum, Croatia. See Hum (disambiguation). User:Zoe|(talk) 21:59, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

mountains

what is the highest mountain in the world.

Famously it is Mount Everest. --Sum0 21:48, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you measure from sea level. If you measure from the base, there's a higher one underwater somewhere(I forget where) Superm401 | Talk 04:56, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
That would be the Hawaii's Mauna Kea
That's not quite under water is it? The deepest trough is somewhere near Japan, so the highest mountain would therefore be next to that, or is my reasoning flawed here? DirkvdM 11:56, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you measure from the centre of the earth, isn't it one of the Andes (geodesics and all that...)? Ojw 18:54, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Our Mountain article states it is Chimborazo in Ecuador if measured from the city of the earth because the earth bulges at the equator and that mountain is very close to the equator. Capitalistroadster 06:18, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

inflation

what is inflation and how can it be prevented

Please remember to search before asking questions, our article on inflation addresses this. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:57, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Inflation can generally be prevented by avoiding compressors and bicycle pumps. -Drdisque 05:48, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

batrachomyomachia

i am looking for a copy of batrachomyomachia i`ve tried amazon.com and google can you help me.

Amazon lists four used copies of Daryl Hine's translation of THE HOMERIC HYMNS AND THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MEN. You could also look at [[38]]; they seem to have a few copies. If you're looking for it in Greek, I can't help you. - Nunh-huh 23:28, 18 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The work is included in the Loeb Classical Library series (Greek and English on opposite pages) in the volume entitled Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica. First published 1914, but books in this series shuld be fairly easy to come by. By the way of course it's the Battle of the Frogs and Mice. --rossb 18:07, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Flammable cans

If you light the spray from an Arosol can, will the flame only go in the direction of the spray or will it also follow the spray back to the can?

It cannot go into the can as there is no oxygen there to burn. but the flame may go all the way to the nozzle if its hot enough, usually only the area downstream of the ignition source will burn though. -Drdisque 04:14, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Whether the flame only goes downstream or also upstream is a function of the flammability of the fuel used. The flame can't get into an aeresol can, but if you decide to move onto, say, pouring flammable liquid onto fires, do you homework. The flame can move up the stream of certain fuels and into the can, which will explode in your hand. Not a pretty picture. This won't happen with lighter fluid, but can with gasoline and other fuels. — Laura Scudder | Talk 16:13, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Underwear

Why are women's underwear called panties?

I've always been told that it's because they are small pants. The "-ies" suffix indicating a diminutive size when compared with full length pants. Dismas|(talk) 03:50, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

morphine and hydrocodone

When taking a drug test, I know that both morphine and hydrocodone show up as an opiat. Is it possible if you take a large amout of hydrocodone or any other opiates, that on a drug test, it could possibly show up as morphine. Do they have any of the same chemical makeup? I know somebody this happened to. He had a prescription for lortabs and suboxin, which both are opiates. On the drug test, he showd up as having morphine in his system , and because of this he might possibly do 3 years in jail.

The chemical makeup is different. Your friend is not facing 3 years in jail because he had morphine in his urine test; it is because of other illegal things he did. alteripse 05:05, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sport

how many times have brazil played in the final of the world cup football tournament?

Please see Football World Cup. -- Rick Block (talk) 12:49, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
They have been in the finals 7 times, a record for the most number of appearences in the World Cup Finals.

--Aytakin 20:49, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

So, we won 5 in 7? Hah! Take THAT! ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 10:49, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

natural disasters--Not!

What countries are relatively free of natural disasters, if any? asked by Honeysipper

This isn't exactly what you're looking for, but Slate recently had an article (albeit a pretty non-scientific one) about which states in the US were safest from a natural disasters point of view. It's here. They chose Connecticut. --Quasipalm 12:09, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Brazil seems relatively safe to me. ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 12:59, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The United Kingdom and indeed much of Western Europe is very safe; it is well away from faultlines, volcanoes, hurricane hotspots, tornadoes. The worst we get is minor flooding and occasional heatwaves. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 14:00, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
...and violent extratropical storms. --Diderot 14:04, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And if you live on a hill, you don't even have to worry about flooding! I think there's been one violent storm in the UK in the past 15 years. And that was Michael Fish's fault. Proto t c 14:43, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
However, global warming could be disastrous for Europe if the Gulf Stream is affected. I can't imagine visiting London ever again if it was as cold as Northern Canada. Brrrr.... ref --Quasipalm 14:50, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think the UK would qualify, considering the time and expense that went into the Thames Barrier, flooding is obviously a major risk to life and property.--Commander Keane 17:34, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Western Europe will be safe from major flooding for some time to come. But eventually global warming will cause a lot of it to be flooded. If you get too far east you'll suffer earthquakes and in the Alps you'll have avalanches. In Africa you have draught. I guess it all depends on what you mean by relatively free of disasters. I don't think any country is completely free of disasters. - Mgm|(talk) 21:25, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Charles Tazewell

Did Charles Tazewell ever live in Chesterfield, NH? He wrote The Littlest Angel and The Littlest Christmas Tree.

Yes. According to "New hampshire Authors" [39], "Tazewell, Charles (1912-1972); born in Des Moines, IA; lived in Chesterfield, NH; author of children's books "

Loyalty Program

How to develop a loyalty program in express courier industry depending on mathematical analytics and business models?

Step 1: Don't use any analytics or business models you don't understand. --Quasipalm 16:41, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Figure out how much you can afford to spend on such a program and what benefit it will have (by polling customers). The simplest form would be to offer discounts for repeat customers. Giving out merchandise such as pens, coffee cups, baseball caps, jakets, etc., with your name on it, will also serve an advertising purpose. Contests to give away prizes also are a possibility. StuRat 02:43, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Criminal money seized in police raids

Let's say a SWAT team busts up a crack warehouse, arrests everyone there and finds several grand in drug money. (And let's assume the SWAT team is ethical and not selfish). What happens to the money? Does it get absorbed into police funding, or given to charity, or what?

1) it depends on who takes the money (DEA, local police, FBI, etc.). It also depends on why they take the money -- is it evidence in a crime? But from what I can tell, it generally becomes the property of the confiscating agency if it is not returned. Read more: [40] [41] (Note: POV material) --Quasipalm 15:03, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Soccer

Who is the all time top goal scorer of the European champions league?

Raúl González. Proto t c 14:50, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Dogs

Why don't most dogs like it when you pet the area from the Nose to their eyes...Their "Snout"?

It could be that you are accidently brushing the dog's whiskers. My dog quite likes being stroked on the muzzle. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk)
My dog definitely puts up with being stroked on the muzzle, but he distinctly dislikes stroking the extra-sensitive whiskers. I would think that dogs would be less happy with strangers petting their snout, though, since it's close to the eyes and takes some trust. Makes sense seeing as how most people don't like strangers petting their nose either. — Laura Scudder | Talk 16:02, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunate French Flying Man

What's the name of an (supposedly) frenchman who jumped from eiffel tower in the 1910s with the aim of flying off using a bat wing-like coat but was smashed to the ground while a crowd was watching? now and then i see footage of his death in docs about early aviation history but i never get his name. Thanks. --201.8.203.183 17:30, 19 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Blog term "ETA"

I see the term "ETA" in website blogs - what does it stand for? (not "estimated time of arrival")

*SOIL

hey...it's ♥hot f.l.i.p. again.....i finally found a, what i think, is a good project...it has something to do about soil. it's "what effects does air pollution like car exauhst have on soil...i have to get 3 soils from different kinds of location (i'll probably get one infront of my house, downtown chicago, and in major highways) but i don't think stores like home depot sells pure soil(they always put crap/fertilizer on them)...so i just wanted to ask what "things" does pure soil contain of (like nutrients and those other hard to pronounce science words...) by ♥Hot F.L.I.P.

What an interesting topic, much better than studying cows anyhow. I've just had a quick flick through some journal articles about this topic. One was investigating Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn from vehicles (so I'd guess these heavy metals don't usually occur in the soil too much). There seems to be lots of articles about lead from car exhaust, but maybe this is not so important these days with unleaded petrol (or gas, if you are from that part of the world). Some studies also look at exhaust on vegetation, which might be something to consider because leaves from trees probably don't get as contaminated from other things as soil on the ground does, like this problem for example.--Commander Keane 02:35, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

well that's true.....we kind of debated more on bar coding cows than my actual question...but anyways, i know this project isn't all complicated and all that, but whatever...So do you think my variables are okay...i was actaully thinking of buyiing pure soil (where nothing is added; like fertilizers or any other crap...) for my control, but as i stated before, i don't know/think any stores that sell them. So that's why i want to know exactly/ what nutrients soil has or what 5 nutrients soil mostly contains of... ♥Hot F.L.I.P.

There is not any definition of 'Pure' soil. The soil you find in an oak forest, while it may be completely pure, could be very different to that found in heathland or meadow. Since soil is made of decomposed plant matter and small stones, the quality of pure soil will vary from place to place. However, if there is a large forest or similar near you and away from roads, soil from the centre of that would be quite pure. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 11:40, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Information Filterer?

I am looking for info on a person who performs a key role in world war II. He sits at the entrance of the tent and decide whether the information coming to the tent is irrelevant, junk or useful information.

I am interested in this story as he is performing the role of a filter of information in today's computers. It is a key role.

Wonder if anybody can provide more information about such a role, the name of this role etc.

Jimmy Khoo

A censor? —Wayward Talk 03:02, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think it's a censor; that'd be outbound information filtered on military value. What you're describing just sounds like an aide or secretary (a term I doubt soldiers like applied to themselves), nothing fancy or specific to armies or World War II. I'm quite certain that the Joint Chiefs don't use SpamAssassin to decide whether or not the latest intelligence from Iraq is relevant. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 13:31, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Liaison" was often a term used for people who served roles like this in bureaucratic aspects of World War II. I don't know if the term was used on the battlefield, though. --Fastfission 16:59, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

History dates of flooding in New Orleans for the last 100 years

I am looking for dates to make a graph on how many times and the dates given, that New Orleans has flooded in the last 100 years.

  • This article in Risk & Insurance from 2000 should help you out and is very prescient see [42].

Capitalistroadster 06:28, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Little River

Is there a River in Morgan Co. GA named Little River

Yes, according to these samples from websites obtained by searching google for: "little river" "morgan county" georgia
  • "Little River travels south from just inside the southwestern border of Morgan County down to the town of Milledgeville in Baldwin County." [43]
  • "What was probably the earliest cotton mill in Georgia, Whatley's or Antioch Mill, was established on the Little River in neighboring Morgan County sometime around 1810." [44] Thryduulf 12:26, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Organize the folloing dilemmas in chronicological order

A student asked me if I know how to put these 5 items into chronological order and I do not know which comes first. The items are:

  1. Identity vs. role diffusion
  2. Trust vs. mistrust
  3. Initiative vs. guilt
  4. Auntonomy vs. shame and doubt
  5. Industry vs. autonomy

If you can figure this out please e-mail me the answer so I can tell Johnny how to do it. He is an 8th grade student and I am just a school bus driver. He likes psychology and asks questions just for the fun of stumping people.

signed --04:49, 20 October 2005 (UTC) Jean

No one could really "figure it out", because it's sort of an artificial order - you really have to either have been taught it or look it up. These are the stages of child (or really human) development laid out by psychologist Erik Erikson. Basically, it's b,d,c,e,a:
ages 0-1: trust vs. mistrust
ages 2-3: autonomy vs. shame and doubt
ages 3-6: initiative vs. guilt
ages 7-12: industry vs. autonomy
ages 12-18: identity vs. role diffusion
More info at [45]. - Nunh-huh 06:12, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


UN Earpieces

In television footage of United Nations proceedings, the delegates can often be seen with gigantic white devices clipped to one side of their head. If these are earpieces for translation feeds, why do they need to be so big; and if not, what are they? --Harriseldon 09:39, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Largest international event

What's the largest periodic, pacific and apolitical international event there is and was? By largest I mean in amount of attention from both media and public (through media, and by participating). I'd bet on Football World Cup, but I was wondering if there's some non-sport thing above this. ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 10:57, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • Surely the Hajj is much bigger than any sporting event.--Pharos 11:23, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • As far as international media attention, Pope John Paul II's funeral has to be near the top. —Wayward Talk 11:27, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • But these are not international (it doesn't involve the participation of several countries, officially). Also, they don't broadcast the Hajj worldwide in most countries (they could, but probably on specific ethnical networks, not "mainstream media"), and it surely doesn't get that much attention from most people. So no, Hajj won't fit. About the Pope funeral, it was't quite what I wanted. What I meant was periodic event. ☢ Ҡieff | Talk 11:33, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • My money would be on the summer olympics for a sporting event. Other than sporting events and religeous pilgrimages I cannot think of a major worldwide a-political event. The closest thing that comes to mind in Europe is the Eurovision Song Contest, although officially a-political, whether this is actually the case is a lot more complicated :) For a political event, I think you would be hard pressed to top the US Presidential election, certainly for worldwide media attention. Thryduulf 12:16, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Anti-virus software

What is the best anti-virus software in the world? if there's actually such thing as "the best"

Whether there is such a thing as "the best" depends on what criteria you are using to measure anti-virus software by. For example, do you mean the best at identifying a virus? the best at healing a virus? the best at preventing viruses in the first place? The best at explaining what to do? The best (by any of these criteria) paid-for? the best free? the best in a networked environment? the best that offers a company-wide solution? In terms of the detection/prevention/healing of viruses, "the best" product probably varies on a day-to-day basis.
If you are looking for a practical recommendation for which anti-virus software to use on a personal Windows machine, then I cannot praise AVG highly enough (it comes in paid-for and free versions. The latter is perfectly adequate for most people). It is available for download from http://www.grisoft.com. Other users may offer different recommendations though as people often stick with their personal favourite. Thryduulf 12:10, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
NOD32 is very good. Steer clear of Norton AntiVirus q.v. Shantavira 15:20, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Hey, I have Norton (for another 10 months)! Anyway, I used to have Panda Titanium Antivirus. -- Thorpe talk 20:27, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Red Cross

Are medical practitioners allowed to use the Red Cross emblem on their vehivles or in their clinic/dispensary/hospital? -- — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.177.234.100 (talk)

Please remember to search first. See Red Cross (symbol). -- Ec5618 13:28, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Esther Rantzen's That's Life' TV programme. UK from 1973.

(No question).

What would you like to know? Interested in That's Life! (television) or Esther Rantzen? smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 16:41, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Leonard Knight

Dose Leonard Knights the artist how builed Salvation Mountain have an Email address. because I would like to ask him a few questins about his piece. Thanks you, Bridget McKeever

Here's his mailing address (from 1998) [46]
Leonard Knight
P. O. Box 298
Niland, CA 92257
--Quasipalm 18:13, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Biografy

Hi, I would like to know. Who were Elijah tisbite the profeth` parents?

Our article on Elijah has excellent references (did you search first?). The Catholic Encyclopedia entry cited notes that nothing is known about his origins beyond his hometown of Tishbe. The Jewish Encyclopedia entry cited contains much the same.

Hippo

Is the book publisher Scholastic Hippo in the UK the same as Scholastic Press in the US? The article doesn't mention Hippo, and a google search for Scholastic Hippo turns up little useful. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 19:44, 20 October 2005 (UTC) [reply]

Yes. Scholastic Hippo is the label on some - but not all - editions of Scholastic's big money-maker "The Babysitters Club". --Diderot 20:04, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

English Words

Why are there so many english words that mean the same thing? Also, why are so many words odd and not used very often?

English language#Vocabulary might answer your questions. —Charles P. (Mirv) 20:19, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I would say it's a result of so many cultures interacting with the English language. Many words, coming from many cultures, meaning the same thing, are thus inevitable. Eventually some of the redundant words are sure to fall into disuse and then become archaic. A relativley isolated culture would be less likely to have so many synonyms. StuRat 02:23, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Kwyjibo

On your Simpson's made up words page, you have the Kwyjibo with alternate definitions/usages. I would just like to add one more usage of the word onto the page. Kwyjibo is also a rock-jazz band from Bloomington, Indiana. They are amazing, and I feel they deserve to be on the page.

The great thing about Wikipedia is that anyone can edit! Check out the "edit this page" link near the top. That said, we do have guidelines for the inclusion of content; WP:MUSIC is relevant in this case. Please weigh your idea against these guidelines before submission. Thanks! — Lomn | Talk / RfC 20:39, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You might also want to create an account - Akamad 08:29, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Video games going "gold"

What happens when a game goes "gold" even though it is not released (like The Movies recently did)? -- Thorpe talk 20:25, 20 October 2005 (UTC) [reply]

Going gold refers to the freezing of code and other game content in preparation for release (the game is finalized, though work on patches may continue). At this point the developer and publisher may still need to deal with marketing and production issues or may just wait for a better time to launch (such as the holiday season). See game development for more on various milestones. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 20:41, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I just realized you're probably not asking about what "going gold" means. A game that reaches gold status without being released is probably shelved indefinitely; either as a result of some production or (more likely) marketing / public relations concern. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 20:44, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Further, the term refers to the software being transported to manufacturers on a gold CD. See Release_to_manufacturing for more on this. --Demonesque 20:57, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

1910 Baseball World Series

A friend of mine has quizzed me on an "all time first" in baseball that happened at the 1910 World Series. Would you know what that would be?

It was the first time the Oakland_Athletics won a championship, according to 1910_World_Series. I don't know if that answers your question. I'm afraid I don't know much about baseball. --Demonesque 21:04, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Note that in 1910, the team now known as the Oakland Athletics was still the Philadelphia Athletics. They didn't move to Oakland until 1968, after having moved to Kansas City in 1955. --Metropolitan90 04:59, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

non-alcoholic brews

Would non-alcholic beers be safe for a recovering alcholic?

They do include trace amounts of alcohol and if he is on medication that reacts with alcohol it may make him sick. It also depends on the things he associates with drinking. If the taste or smell of beer reminds of him drinking, it may cause him to regress into his old habits. -Drdisque 21:18, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Also, many recovering alcoholics will avoid some mouthwashes because some of them contain alcohol. Dismas|(talk) 01:10, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the worlds largest city

what is the largest city in the world.

Tokyo is, in terms of population, the largest city in the world. --Demonesque 21:14, 20 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It somewhat depends on how you measure it. The population of Tokyo is around 35 million people, compared with 17,809,471 for Greater Mexico City and about 18 million people in the São Paulo metropolitan area (up to 24 million depending on how it is defined):

http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500507/The_World's_Largest_Cities.html

StuRat 01:55, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There's a mining town in Australia that claims to be the biggest in the world in surface area. But the number of inhabitants is nowhere near impressive. I forgot the name of the place, though.DirkvdM 12:29, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Got it! It's Mount Isa, Queensland. Only 20 000 inhabitants, but 200 x 200 km ! DirkvdM 12:33, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

adventure

have any movies been made of the cherry ames books or the dana girls mystery books.

harvard harvard harvard

does john harvard the man who harvard university is named for have any discendants.

Our article on John Harvard says he didn't have any children. Although he was one of 9 children so his brothers and sisters probably had children. Dismas|(talk) 01:05, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

mines

is a salt mine just as dangerous as a coal mine.

Intrinsically, I would think a coal mine is likely to be more dangerous, as the material being mined is flammable, and contains pockets of carbon monoxide, neither of which applies to salt. However, it would depend a great deal on the safety standards employed; I suspect a contemporary coal mine in the USA is safer than a Siberian salt mine back in the days of Stalin... --Robert Merkel 01:15, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says:

Coal mining -- 5.7 injuries per year per 100 workers

"Other nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying" (includes salt mines) -- 3.7 injuries per year per 100 workers

The most-dangerous industry category? Bottled-water manufacturing -- 16.7. The safest? Investment banking and securities dealing -- 0.2.

Mwalcoff 01:49, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What, I wonder, is intrinsically dangerous about manufacturing bottled water? Garrett Albright 15:18, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Aiming the firehose? android79 17:26, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that coal mines are intrinsically more dangerous, due to coal dust causing black lung disease as well as the other factors mentioned. One danger of salt mines is that they are often shallow and near bodies of water (having been deposited there by the body of water), and are thus susceptible to flooding. However, the statisitcs show they are still safer than coal mines. StuRat 01:32, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Salt mines only go down to something like 3,500 feet (I may have the distance wrong) as below this level the effect of the pressure is to make the salt more fluid so they can cave in/close in easily. Coalmines (deep rather than opencast) on the other hand go a lot deeper so there is more likelyhood of a cave in & less chance of saving people if one does happen. AllanHainey 09:56, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

U.N. Security Council

What is the purpose of the people in the center of the circle at the U.N. Security Council.

I assume they are sort of record keepers, doing things like counting votes and what not. Perhaps also writing the transcripts of the speeches and conversations. But this is pure speculation on my behalf :-) Akamad 01:00, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Largest international events

As a follow on from the question further up the page, what are the largest international scheduled events both in terms of participation and worldwide media interest? The Football world cup is apparently the largest sporting event. In terms of political events I'd say the United States presidential election is the biggest in terms of media interest, but the Indian parliamentary elections are probably the biggest participatory political event. Is the biggest religeous event the Hajj? I can't think of a non-political, non-sporting and non-religeous event bigger than the Eurovision Song Contest but there must be something bigger? Particularly with a larger participation if you don't count the phone-voting as participating in it? Thryduulf 10:12, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I would be tempted to go with World War II, though some might call that a political event. Meelar (talk) 21:43, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The Hajj involves 3 or 4 million people every year, but I've seen figures of up to 70 million quoted as participating in the Kumbh Mela, which takes place on the Ganges 4 times every 12 years. -- Arwel 11:59, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

marine surveying

What does the profession of "marine Surveying" entail? Is sit a world wide known profession or area bound to South Africa?

From MarineSurveyor.com

Basically, it is a detailed inspection of a boat, hopefully done by a qualified, diligent, intelligent and honest surveyor, for the purpose of determining its current condition and seaworthiness. In particular, to determine if the vessel is safe to use in conditions for which it was designed, and what maintenance and repairs are required, or are likely to be required in the near future.

--Quasipalm 14:15, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Seems notable enough, Marine surveyor stub created. --Quasipalm 14:19, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I was thinking of ocean/sea/lake cartography (mapmaking). Does it ever have that meaning ? StuRat 01:25, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Byelaws in the UK

Other than local councils etc, who can make byelaws? For example, water boards, energy companies? Who? But only in the United Kingdom, please.--TheDoctor10 (talk|email) 16:30, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • According to our article, "In modern days, a bylaw is a rule governing the internal management of an organization, such as a business corporation. Bylaws cannot countermand governmental law." Therfore, any organisation can create its own bylaws. Wikimedia UK has its own bylaws for example see [47].Capitalistroadster 06:51, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

No,I know what he means, but not the answer. He means, that in the UK, councils can create byelaws about little things like dog-mess and rubbish disposal. Also, some organisations such as British Rail can. Who are the other organisations?

I think bylaws do have to be approved by Parliament. The General Synod of the Church of England is unique in having had powers delegated by Parliament so that it can pass Measures concerning the Church's governance which become part of English law. -- Arwel 12:08, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
They don't have to be approved by Parliament, only by the appropriate Secretary of State (although Parliament does have the power to overturn that approval.) I can't find a list anywhere of organisations which can make byelaws, but what I can say is that organisations which can make byelaws because an act of parliament says they can. -- AJR | Talk 14:31, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

a statement of fact

Hi, I am 48 years old and been a smoker since 1978.After I was diognosed as diabetic (I was also over weight)in 2003, I embarked on a exercise programme (Jogging).Within 4 months, I shed the extra body weight and got in shape. Within 6 months I was completely off my medication for Diabetics and Cholestrol. These are medical facts and cannot be disputed. I have continued running (jogging) eversince and would like to admit I have been continuing smoking. I have reached a stage now that I am able to run 12 to 15 kilometres every day and I look fit. I am convinced that smoking moderately does not cause any more harm than drinking a litre of Full cream milk. I would like you to guide me how to go about telling my side of story about smoking . I strongly feel the governments and Media demonise smoking and in my opinion,highly exagerated. My e-mail id (rem) . Please contact me regards Sampath T.Chary

Please read the rules above. Please. Someone, tell him. -- Ec5618 16:55, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Case-by-case information, while occasionally inspiring, is not scientific. You'll need to debunk years of scientific tests if your view is going to be anything beyond another crackpot with TV time. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:19, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Sampath, I don't know that your story really contradicts mainstream thinking. Your diabetes was related to your extra weight; you got that under control through exercise (congratulations!) and now your diabetes is gone and/or managed without medication. Fine. But smoking is, to my knowledge, not a risk factor for diabetes, so the fact that you smoke is really kind of off-topic relating to diabetes, cholesterol etc. That you can jog hardly proves that smoking is harmless—lots of active people smoke (professional dancers!). Your smoking is almost certainly causing cumulative damage to your heart and lungs, in a way that will come back to get you years from now. Basically, however healthy your lifestyle is, quitting smoking will make it healthier. Sharkford 20:03, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And most people don't get lung cancer after 27 years of smoking, it's typically more like 40 or 50 years. StuRat 01:20, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

usa today

Was the usa today only published 3 days a week in its eaely years?

  • As far as I know, it has been published 5 days a week for substantially its entire history, and was never on a 3 day a week schedule. (Exceptions to the 5-day schedule are that the paper doesn't publish on major holidays, published a Saturday extra during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and published 7 days a week during the 1996 Olympics with the extra editions distributed only in the Atlanta area.) See [48]. --Metropolitan90 06:00, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

empires

what are the ten greatest empires of all time.

I am from iraq my age is 42 years we enter 3 wars

Ist-the persian war.

2nd-desert storm war.

3rd-the last war of the invasion of iraq.

Iwant know the future of our country.

As for the future of Iraq, I really don't see much common identification as Iraqis. During the Saddam era, it featured the domination of Shia and Kurds by the Sunnis. This, quite predictably, led to resentment among those people. I would predict that eventually Iraq will split into Kurdistan, Sunni Iraq, and Shia Iraq. Perhaps these separate states can be held together, as a loose confederation, at least temporarily. However, eventually I would expect Shiites to want to join with Iran, Kurds to join with Kurds in Turkey and elsewhere, and Sunnis to want to join with other Sunnis in Syria and Arabia. The formation of Iraq by European powers never really managed to form a true nation, but only a nation of convenience. If it needs to be changed for the sake of Iraqis, perhaps such change is not so bad in the long run, so long as they drive the process. StuRat 00:50, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Any "ranking" of various empires would be very subject to opinion, but here are some empires that are considered the greatest: Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, British Empire, French colonial empires, and Spanish Empire. -Drdisque 23:00, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Greek Empire too. - Akamad 00:03, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I would add the Russian Empire, Ottoman Empire and Persian Empire. We could also include some from America, like the Aztecs and Incas, a few from further parts of Asia, like India, China, and Japan, and toss in ancient Egypt. The former Soviet Union and United States had some features of empire, like widespread influence, but lacked others, like a hereditary line of rulers. StuRat 00:33, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A few more: Mongol Empire, Timurid Empire, Mughal Empire. Kirill Lokshin 00:53, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The empire article has a fairly comprehensive list. Gdr 20:20, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is allowed?

Hi

I would just like to know if the Miss World delegates are allowed to bring a chaperon? If so what are the rules for doing so. If not, will there be people there to assist the girls as a chaperon would? I would be really grateful if you answer my questions.you can e-mail me at [email removed]. Thank you very much

Soda Prices

Why does a 20 oz bottle of soda cost more than a 2 liter bottle?

Bought in the same market, they usually do not cost more. However, it usually comes down to demand, there is just as much demand for a 20 oz refrigerated bottle that you can easily carry and drink out of than an unrefrigerated 2L that is unwieldy to carry and is considered uncouth to drink from -Drdisque 22:52, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think too that it seems absurd, and have thought the same thing myself! I believe that a 2 l bottle costs less (in the U.S.) because Americans have come to expect that a 2 l should be around a buck, and the soft drink industry is extremely competitive. 20 oz. bottles are relatively new to the market and started around a buck. 20 oz bottles are very profitible to American gas station owners. However, when I studied in Germany, I noticed that the .5 l (=20 oz) plastic bottle costs considerably less than the 1.5 l (they don't even have a 2 l of Coke), and the 1.5 cost well over $2. Jazz1979 08:25, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If I charge you $10 for a 20 oz can of soda; $1 for a 2 l bottle of the same thing, and you keep on buying both of them, I'll keep on doing it. Supply and demand. That's life. That's the market in action.
Reasonable business owners charge their products as high as it can be before the profits fall. Canned and bottled soda are two different products. If consumers accept such "unreasonable" pricing, someone in Atlanta will do it.
If there's demand, they will sell you tanks of carbon dioxide and undiluted syrup if these products increase their profits (increase consumption, lower costs, decrease competitors' demands). -- Toytoy 10:29, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Speaking....

I have heard people say things like "I am going to the Dairy Queen" Isn't the correct way to say it "I am going to Dairy Queen" Why do people put "The" before going to some places and not others.

There is a technical difference. "The Dairy Queen" means "the usual Dairy Queen I always go to", unless otherwise specified, while "Dairy Queen" just means any Dairy Queen. Also note that Americans' use "the" in front of many words that Brits do not, such as "the hospital" and "the university". StuRat 00:14, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not a language expert, but the way I see it is that you use "the" when you are talking about a particular object/store. So, "I am going to the Dairy Queen" might mean you are talking about a specific DQ, possibly the one near your home that the listener is familiar with.--Commander Keane 00:28, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As an American I might say "I'm going to the Dairy Queen", but I can't really think when I might say it. But I would never say "I'm going to the McDonald's", unless I'm going to say, "I'm going to the McDonald's on Third Street." User:Zoe|(talk) 22:15, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Bootleg CDs

How can one detect a bootleg CD? My problem is that I ordered a used copy of Uprising by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It arrived today, and there are some tell-tale signs that make me suspect it's a bootleg. First, it came shrinkwrapped, but there was no plastic peel-off seal on the top like with new CDs. But that's understandable; many businesses own shrinkwrapping machines. Second, there are no liner notes -- just a flimsy piece of paper with artwork on one side. I am unable to find out whether Uprising is supposed to have liner notes or not, though. Last, the CD itself looks suspicious -- it's yellow with blue text at the bottom that looks like it came off of a cheap dot-matrix printer. On the other hand, when I put the disc into my computer, iTunes accesses the CD Database and finds the tracks. Does this sound like a bootleg? Or does someone have a copy of Uprising they can compare with my description? Thanks . . . . --BrianSmithson 21:44, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

From what I gather, iTunes will pick up a CD regardless of whether it is a bootleg or not. - Akamad 23:57, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Any ideas then on ways to spot a conterfeit CD? BrianSmithson 13:44, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Mr Smithson, you just named many ways to detect a bootleg CD; cheap packaging, unprofessional appearance, lack of features that should come with the normal product (like liner notes). Sounds like you bought one. Garrett Albright 15:57, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, Garrett. I just "did my own homework" and checked the seller's profile on Amazon. At least three others have reported getting bootlegged merchandice from them. Wish I'd've checked before I bought, but at least Amazon has a guarantee. Also reported the seller to Amazon; hope they get their account canceled. BrianSmithson 16:24, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is a razzcherry?

I live in Oregon. We see products that contain razzcherries. It is a small red stone fruit that looks similar to a cherry. A search of the web turns up a number of links to things that contain razzcherries, but nothing that defines them. Wikipedia has no links to razzcherries at all.

It LOOKS to be a compound word between Razzberry and Cherry, similar to "Cran-apple," judging by the stuff Google turned up. However, I was unable to find an exact definition. --Demonesque 23:47, 21 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, the correct spelling of the fruit's name is raspberry. Garrett Albright 15:59, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Is a raspberry a small red stone fruit that looks similar to a cherry? I'm not that dumb! This is really a serious question. Perhaps Wikipedia should have an article on razzcherries.
I can't imagine anyone would be able to actually cross a raspberry with a cherry. They're not genetically compatible, are they? User:Zoe|(talk) 22:18, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

mad cow diesase

can mad cow disease spread human to human.

When mad cow disease infects a human (through the human eating the meat), it is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This is very similar to kuru, which was spread by cannibalism, but it may not be identical to it. So long as you don't eat other people, you won't catch CJD from them.-gadfium 05:23, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It would seem only if a human ate another undercooked human that was infected with the disease, which is uncommon in the least -Drdisque 05:56, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think cooking comes into it as the prions seem pretty indestructible, so even well done humans could theoretically infect. The safest way would be to stick to the prime cuts avoiding offal --Majts 09:14, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. Neither cooking nor radiation destroys mad cow disease. You must completely incinerate the proteins (which also destroys any food value), to elimnate the threat. StuRat 11:56, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
All the answers above describe the usual means by which prion diseases like BSE spread. Indeed, if you don't eat other people (or, in practice, keep your intake of human flesh pretty low) then you're not going to get it by that route. Eating isn't the only means of transmission; it's possible that prion diseases can be transmitted by organ transplantation or donated blood - no-one knows for sure. It's possible that people who have had dura mater transplants or donations of human pituitary growth hormone may have been infected (there's no evidence of that having happened, but if prion diseases can be transmitted by organ donation, these two are the most likely vectors). It's possible that other organ donations may also carry a risk. Donated blood may also be a risk - most US healthcare systems don't accept blood donation from people who've lived for a relatively brief period in the UK (during the UK's BSE epidemic) and for a longer time in other European countries - see http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/blood/supply/cjdv.html -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 12:21, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I found this page, which contains links to DDR mp3's. Does anyone know of the existence of similar pages? It would be nice (though it's not essential) if the files were of similar quality to those at the site I listed :-). Thanks, anon.

The Reference Desk is not a search engine. Nor is it a place where you should go linking to copyrighted material willy-nilly. Garrett Albright 15:48, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, dad, relax. Every external link on this page is copyright. If this person owns a DDR game, downloading these songs is most likely fair-use. Even if he or she doesn't, there is no problem wanting to know where he or she can listen to the songs. --Quasipalm 17:40, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I don't personally know of any sites, but you can download emule and search for DDR. You might also try searching google for "inurl:songname.mp3" replacing songname with the song's name. --Quasipalm 17:34, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Computer virus conspiracy theory

Is it true that most computer viruses are secretly created and released by companies such as Norton Antivirus, to boost business? Because I can't think of any other parties that would stand to gain from making viruses.

The main people who gain from computer viruses, aside from symantic, are hackers who like to test their skill and ingenuity in making them and people who just like causing and seeing the results of their disruption. Why is there so much vandalism on Wiki, it does not help anyone? MeltBanana 13:56, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Probably not. There are companies that sell antivirus software for Mac OS X, yet there are no Mac OS X viruses; so people mostly use this software to keep away Microsoft Office macro viruses and such, but sales are pretty tepid. If antivirus companies actually created viruses, then I imagine some OS X viruses would actually exist to actually create a need for OS X antivirus software. Garrett Albright 15:52, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The problem with this (as with most conspiracy theories) is that it would sooner or later be found out that these companies were creating the viruses. Remeber that some serious agencies investigate computer viruses; namley the FBI. --Quasipalm 17:23, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, but the FBI is part of the conspiracy too!!! ;) ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 18:07, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I can believe the FBI would be part of a conspiracy to hide their own incompetence leading up to 9-11, but a conspiracy to help Norton is a bit harder to explain. What could they possibly gain to be worth such a risk ? StuRat 21:21, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Plus, viruses can be difficult to write. If Norton spent all their time writing viruses, they'd have no time to write anti-viruses! smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 11:43, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

hurricanes

what are the death tolls from hurricanes katrina,rita,andrew and betsey combined.

Death tolls for each are in our articles on Katrina, Rita, and Andrew, and a quick Google search for "Hurricane Betsey death toll", respectively. The summation should be trivial. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 15:52, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

amazon.com

in 2003 what were the ten bestselling books on amazon.com

sickness

what is the oldest disease. and has it been around since pre-historic times.

For some reason, I think flu. The speed it mutates and its persistence still today surely makes it clear it's a hardcore disease that would last this long. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 18:04, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's thought that all mammalian influenza viruses derive from avian influenza [49], so influenza in humans probably post-dates the domestication of chickens in the 2nd millennium BC. Gdr 20:10, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It is pretty safe to say that the oldest disease is quite unknown, since plants and animals get diseases too, and the bacteria and viruses and conditions these lifeforms can get are as old as the lifeforms themselves. A better question might be the most common or deadly diseases among humans. --Demonesque 21:07, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There are any number of diseases that predate humans, such as cancer and diabetes. Diabetes is failure of the pancreas, and any other failure of a vital organ would fall into the same categoy, like heart failure and kidney failure. If you mean diseases caused by microbes, probably some of those predate humans, too, but I'm not sure which. StuRat 21:11, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Union Oil Post cards 1939-1940

I have several hundred post cards published by Union Oil in 1939 & 1940. I was wondering if there is a list of all the cards that Union Oil published. I am now interested in selling these cards, and need to know how many different ones were made. Richard Novick Marlboro, NJ

Fasting

About what is typical weight loss percentage when fasting for a 1 week or so.

Don't do it. This method is just not an effective way of keeping weight off. lots of issues | leave me a message 21:43, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Unless you are doing it for non-weight loss reasons, such as religious, but then I assume you would only fast from sunrise to sunset or something along those lines  :-) Akamad 00:51, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Brainiac: Science abuse Theme song

Hey, I have a question: Who's the author/band/group of the Brainiac: Science abuse theme song? The song comes on the beginning of the show, and at the end. And also, where can I find the song?

By Martijn kooremans

Rubber

What is rubber made of?randy

Originally from the sap of the rubber tree. Now it's mostly made from petroleum (oil). StuRat 00:24, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Damn, you beat me to it. ><
Check out rubber for more info. Akamad 00:53, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

leap days

how long would the year last if there were two leap days.

367 days -- Chuq 00:04, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Complaint

How does one make an official complaint against Wikipedia?

Against or to Wikipedia ? StuRat 00:21, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
What the hell does that mean? I wish to complain about Wikipedia.
If you really want to complain to Wikipedia, try here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_complaints
StuRat 00:38, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
On the other hand, if you just want to complain about Wikipedia, I suggest you complain to your next door neighbor. StuRat 00:45, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Done it!

Question about parts of a shoe

Dear Wikipedia staff, Please help me figure out a seemingly easy question about parts of a shoe. I know what an upper, upper lining, midsole and sole are, but what exactly are sockliner and insole? Also, is balance the same thing as insole? I'm very confused and can't find it by searching the Internet (Google). Thanks, Maria.

  • Maria, I removed your email address to help you avoid receiving tons of spam emails. As for your question, a "sockliner" is a liner that is often included inside athletic shoes that keeps your feet from being abraded by inner seams and other irregularities. Imagine that you were wearing a sock and shoe, and somehow managed to slide your foot out of the sock while leaving the sock inside the shoe, and you'll get the general idea. The "insole" is in the inner part of the shoe that your foot actually touches stands on when the shoe is on. Joyous (talk) 04:27, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Energy Audit

Hey, My mate and I have been asked by a teacher to conduct a school energy audit. My teacher gave me multiple pages of confusing documentation, I am wondering the best way to go about this audit.

Kind regards jack towle

  • Jack,

This US Government website might be a good place to start see [50] Capitalistroadster 07:03, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what are the names of the different ash trees in ireland

See Trees of Britain and Ireland. Under "native trees" only a single ash tree is listed. --Quasipalm 14:25, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

geography

why does the equator do not cross bennine,when it is in the lineof other equatorial countries.

Huh?? Benin is where it is, not where somebody thinks it should be. You might as well ask why the Equator is a straight line rather than a curvy one that meanders through any countries you care to name. The Equator is defined to be the line of 0 degrees latitude. Points above the line are in the Northern Hemisphere, and points below are in the Southern Hemisphere. The Equator passes through certain countries, by virtue of their location. Benin is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. Its southernmost point is about 400 miles north of the equator. Other countries around there might cross the Equator because they are much larger than Benin and extend considerably more southward than Benin does. JackofOz 14:18, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Unicode: London underground symbol

I am looking for the Unicode reference for the symbol which resembles the London underground roundel, that is a circle with a horizontal line through the centre which extends outside the circumference. A bit like the \ominus symbol in TeX but with a longer straight line. It is used in chemical thermodynamics to indicate the standard state. Physchim62 14:47, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think you might be looking for U+29B5 or, if you have a font that can display it, ⦵. --Gareth Hughes 15:00, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Other, less accurate sympols are U+2296 (or ⊖) and U+229D (or ⊝). --Gareth Hughes 15:08, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Captain Edward Fegan VC

Dear Sir,

Why have you listed Captain Edward Fegan VC in the following website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irish_Victoria_Cross_recipients As an Irish Recipient of the VC, when there is evidence he was born in England.

Below is a reference to this naval VC from the Royal naval Museum and there is no mention of him being Irish.

I kindly request this British Citizen and English VC hero be included in the English recipients website.

Yours sincerely

George Fleming Royal Navy veteran

EDWARD FEGEN VC AND THE LOSS OF THE JERVIS BAY

Edward Fegen was born on 8th October 1891 at Southsea, Hampshire. At the age of 12, he entered Osborne Royal Naval College and in 1909, he was appointed midshipman on HMS Dreadnought. Just two days after the outbreak of WWI, on the 5th August 1914, his ship HMS Amphion was mined and sunk. Surviving this, he spent the remainder of the war serving in destroyers and in command of Torpedo Boat 26. During the inter war years he served in training establishments for young officers and men.. He was Divisional Officer at the boys’ training ship HMS Colossus at Devonport and Dartmouth. He was promoted to Commander on 30th June 1926, and served in Australia as Commander of the Royal Australian Navy’s College at Jervis Bay.

The rest of this reference article located at: http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_edward_fegen.htm (George, I edited most of the article text out for space, but the link to the full text is still here -- Canley 01:14, 24 October 2005 (UTC))[reply]

  • Feel free to write a whole biographical article on Edward Fegan. You can start with the bio you just pasted in if it is not copyrighted. Just click on the red link and start typing. If the bio you pasted above is copyrighted, please paraphrase it. You are free to correct an error in the appropriate articles. If you think it might be controversial, say something on the talk page (labeled Discussion) of the article. This is not the place to notify us of errors-- in fact there is no such place except the discussion page of the article in question. Welcome to a new kind of encyclopedia. alteripse 21:06, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • There is already a biographical article for Captain Edward Fegan: Edward Stephen Fogarty Fegen. Mr Foster, you should click on the Discussion tab and enter your claims there regarding Captain Fegan's heritage. However, although Fegen does appear to have been born in Southsea, that does not mean he was not an Irish citizen (through either of his parents for example). The main reference, and the list you refer to, seems to be sourced from the book referenced at the bottom of the page: Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000). I have seen a reference that he was "from Ballinonty, Co. Tipperary" [51]. His father, Frederick Fogarty Fegen was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy, and lived in Knightsbridge. -- Canley 00:27, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


"There is already a biographical article for Captain Edward Fegan: Edward Stephen Fogarty Fegen. Mr Foster, you should click on the Discussion tab and enter your claims there regarding Captain Fegan's heritage. However, although Fegen does appear to have been born in Southsea, that does not mean he was not an Irish citizen (through either of his parents for example). The main reference, and the list you refer to, seems to be sourced from the book referenced at the bottom of the page: Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000). I have seen a reference that he was "from Ballinonty, Co. Tipperary" [51]. His father, Frederick Fogarty Fegen was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy, and lived in Knightsbridge. -- Canley 00:27, 24 October 2005 (UTC)"


Dear Sir, Irish Citizenship was not offered to any British Citizen with Irish backgrounds (dual nationality) until 1949. (Nationality Act 1949) Capt Fogarty Fegen, was a British citizen born in England and died at sea before 1949. To define someone's nationality by their name or their parents without any other proof is non professional. If Captain Fegen had an Italian or Spanish name would you list him as a VC recipient of those countries?

Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000) is far from being a true authority on the nationality of the 200 or more VCs they include in their book. The very title "Irish Winners" instead of "Irish Recipients" is a pointer to their lack of knowledge that a Victoria Cross or any other gallantry award is not *WON* like a sports medal ot the Olympic Games. Officers and Servicemen do not compete with each other to win gallantry decorations.

Captain Fegen is just one of 43 examples Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, claim false Irish citizenship for in pages 189 to 236 of Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross 2000)

Here are five more examples (British Citizens born in England) your Wikipedia has wrongly copied Irish nationalities from this book


Major Alexander, Ernest Wright VC 119 Battery RFA Born: Liverpool 2 October 1870.

Pte Anderson, Charles VC 2nd Dragoon Guards Born Liverpool 1826

Captain Bell, Edward William Derrington VC 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusilers) Born Kempsey, Worcestershire 18 May 1824.

Sergeant Traynor William Bernard VC 2nd Bn West Yorkshire Regiment Born: 29 Moxon Street Hull 31 December 1870

Pte Kenny Henry Edward VC 1st bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment Born Hackney London 27 July 1888.

This is a more authentic and authorative book Wikipedia should have used instead of Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)


"Irelands VC's" (ISBM 1 899243 003) Published in 1995 by community development LTD research department. Sponsored by Department of Economic Development and the Cultural Traditions Group.

VC winners born in Ireland: = 163 now increased to 168 since last publication. VC winners (not born in Ireland) but who fought in Irish Regiments. = 31 VC winners (not born in Ireland) with Irish Town/Country connections = 7 VC winners (not born in Ireland) but who died in Ireland = 11

Acknowledgements: Linenhall Library Central Library Belfast National Library of Ireand Dublin Trinity college Library Dublin The register of the Victoria Cross Commonwealth War graves Commission, France. The London Gazette

Yours sincerely

George Fleming Royal navy veteran  

privatisation

how does privatisation of a telecommunication company might impact on the timing of a company's decision to list on the ASX??

The 2030s

What would Miami, Florida be like in the 2030s?

Probably under water, due to Global warming. User:Zoe|(talk) 22:23, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Given the current weather, I think it'll be underwater by 2008. --Quasipalm 01:16, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

20th january 1960

Did anything significant happen anywhere in the world on this date? (20th January 1960)Birth of someone famouse? tragedy? literary? etc.

Why not try This day in History by the History Channel or January_20 on wikipedia. I am also sad to say that on January 20th 1960, nothing important happened, except maybe you were born that day. --Aytakin 21:45, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

France

What is the percentages for the mineral resources found in France?

100% of minerals found in France are French minerals. --Quasipalm 01:13, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
...although there are ongoing discussions of this very point in New Caledonia. Physchim62 02:20, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Dualie/Dual Wheeled Truck

What is a dualie? When was the first one manufactured? Being from Texas, I know (by default) what a 'dualie' is; it's a modified truck with four rear tires instead of the usual two. It is used to haul heavier loads than a typical truck can handle. But, beyond that, I do not know what It Is, or where the idea came from.

Merging to Divided Highway.

What is the point of using your blinker when merging to a Divided highway. It's obvoious you are merging. And don't tell me it's just for courtosy.

Call further attention to the fact that someone is getting on the highway and other drivers should take notice? Dismas|(talk) 03:58, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

winfield new jersey

what is winfield exactly? what was this towns real origial purpose? why is it still like that? why doesn't the state or fed model there public housing after this place? why is that you can live in winfield make and your living in prvate industry? will making Winfield fare game lower my taxes one cent?

Can anyone identify this thing?

A bizarre carcass

A friend emailed it to me challenging me to find out what it is. It reminds me of a globster, but it actually seems to have a skeletal structure, so I don't think it would count. Battle Ape 04:15, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Angelina Jolie

Please give the height and weight of Angelina Jolie. Thanks.

According to this she's 5 feet 7 inches tall. Dismas|(talk) 05:23, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is Wikipedia worth?

If the Wikimedia Foundation were to offer Wikipedia for sale, how much would the property fetch? For comparison, the plummeting and troubled Britannica was sold by the William Benton Foundation, a non-profit organization, to Jacob Safra for $135 million in 1995 (FY 1994 sales were ~450 mil). What if, let's pretend, there was no GFDL release and all content was the property of the site -- how much then would Wikipedia sale for?

lots of issues | leave me a message 08:04, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Capturing in PowerDVD

I have Windows XP and PowerDVD which came with it. I read all over the net that one can capture still images in PowerDVD. How do I do this?--84.51.149.80 08:21, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Well, on my version at least, you can click on the little camera icon on the control bar, and it will be saved to wherever you choose in the Preferences (General tab > Advanced button > Capture tab). For image capture to work Hardware Acceleration must be turned off. --Sum0 10:04, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

dieases

two main ways which microscopic pathogens cause abnormal cell function that result in disease

English sayings

Why does one swallow not make a summer ?

because of cause and effect?

No. Inferring it is summer because you see one swallow is making a large conclusion based on inadequate evidence. The phrase is used by a person who is rejecting the causal inference of another person on grounds that the evidence he cited may be correct but is inadequate for a confident inference. alteripse 11:18, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

person

who is laloo prasad yadav

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