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May 23

Boy Stuff; Girl Stuff

Is it true that men created activities and chores for woman to do so that they could control their woman not to do bad things? What I mean by this is men made sure the woman stayed at home doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning, sewing, shopping, etc. so that they knew where their woman were at all times.Is it also true that to separate the genders out men created activities that only men could do and only woman can do?X27 (talk) 00:55, 23 May 2008 (UTC)X27

Er, 1.No and

2. No —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.208.101 (talk) 01:19, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure I quite understand the question. I don't think anyone created laundry and dirty dishes, they just kind of happened on their own. The history of male/female relations and gender-specific duties in each culture is horribly complicated, but I think the answer you're looking for is closer to: Women got stuck doing those things because they weren't allowed to do much else (politics, arts, warfare, etc.) and because someone had to do them. Women probably got the shitty end of that stick by being tied down to the household more due to the needs of child rearing. Yes, in many case I'm sure women were considered male property, but I don't think that specifically contributed to the point of your question. Matt Deres (talk) 02:51, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I know no one created laundry.I should rephrase my question shouldn't I. My question is: Did the men use those activities to control where their woman should be and shouldn't be? Why did the men claim those to be only woman activities?X27 (talk) 03:11, 23 May 2008 (UTC)X27

In Western society men traditionally worked outside the home and women worked within it — raising the children, primarily. Activities like cooking, cleaning, and washing traditionally fell to women because they did most of their household activities at the home, and these are home-related objects. These activities were not created to "control" where women should be, but rather fell to women as a consequence of where society said they should be. A key to understanding this is to realize that neither men nor women are usually conscious of how they play into sexual stereotypes and gender roles; they try to help out, within the socially constrained environment they operate in. It seems odd, especially to modern people, since they take it for granted that people question the gender roles assigned to them — however, that is an ahistorical view which does not take into account that people (even today) rarely question the established wisdom when it comes to social status and role. --04:02, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

These arguments never cease to amaze me. I was wondering and looked into it a bit. "Traditional" seems to be what conforms to the ideas of the person putting forward the argument. Gender roles are not the same in all societies and within societies are not the same for all levels. This is consistently so throughout history as far as I can find. For example, European Queens certainly didn't stay home to do the laundry. Anyone who could afford to do so, either because of their social status or because they paid for it, got someone else to take care of the kids. Office clerk used to be a male profession. In some societies sewing is a "traditional" male task, whereas in others it's female. Mucking out stables is shared work done by whoever can best fit it in on most farms I know about that don't do it mechanically. (And it's no fun!) There may be some slice of history somewhere, where X27's "tied down woman" was in the majority. I admit I don't know the subject well enough, I just know that whenever I encounter the "traditionally oppressed female" argument and ask for details, I find that there are tons of examples to the contrary. I used to think females in a household with more than one wife were subject to male oppression until I encountered one and found out that at least in that society, there was a matriarchy underneath it all and the husband was just as much under the matriarch's thumb as the other wives were. As far as not "letting their woman do things" that begs the question "Bad by whose standards." Looking at historical literature, there are tons of examples of females doing things their husbands would probably not have approved of by modern standards. Views on what is morally acceptable change. Look at the Romans for example they've dug up a brothel and unless someone has refuted the findings since, they were sure that ladies from the upper classes also frequented the establishment as customers. In some historic periods it seemed to have been good taste to "lend" your wife to a nobleman of higher rank. (I guess in tribal times small and skinny guys would also not have objected if the local two ton grunt took a fancy to their lady, for reasons of survival.) I'm not saying that there have never been or that there aren't women in the world that are subject to deplorable living conditions due to social pressures, I'm just saying that we need to look at situations very carefully and try to not frame things in our own value system. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 05:51, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Differentiation of roles goes back much further than what we think of as 'traditional values'. Hunter/gatherer societies would have had different roles for males and females since males would be almost always stronger and faster, whereas females pretty much have to stay at home to look after infants (males being noticeably less good at breast feeding). This is true even in those societies which were matriarchal. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:17, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

That might be the case that even in "hunter gather" times that woman may have been given different roles, but when we no longer needed to move or hunt woman were still being given those roles. A woman might have had to breast feed her child when she did have a child, but how about when a woman didn't have a child or wasn't married. Housework had always been the woman's job while power, military,etc. was a man's job. What right in that time gave the people to say what is a woman's job and what isn't a woman's job? What right did they have to say that woman couldn't be educated in schools?X27 (talk) 18:17, 23 May 2008 (UTC)X27

Muscle? Zeitgeist? Where being assigned a place applies, the Ghengiz Khan type Mongolians used women as packhorses and being the smaller of species, I guess they didn't have much say. In the movie, A Mongolian Tale (1997), the husband tells a visitor the wife has gone for firewood and she'll be back in three days. When she returned from several mountains away with bullocks and carts piled high with tree trunks, she was expected to prepare meals for everyone from scratch without complaint. The wife has a choice, to leave with her former sweetheart, or stay and the argument she puts for staying is that the man took her in when she had no-one, providiing protection, security and children. Seems that no matter what is achieved, in a duo, the woman is commonly perceived as the "helper". Julia Rossi (talk) 01:48, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Why do US citizens care about Israel?

Why is so much talking about Israel on US elections? Jews - according to wikipedia - are only 2.2 of the US population. Is Israel more important than Arkansas, Nebraska or Montana? Mr.K. (talk) 01:59, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

You don't have to be Jewish to support Israel. Paragon12321 (talk) 02:01, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

To answer the question in the header, I am a US citizen, and I don't care about Israel. (Well, maybe a little, but no more than I care about Burundi, which has a roughly similar population.) However, some US citizens care very much about Israel, and their votes could be sufficient to shift a state such as Florida to one candidate or the other. In Florida, elections are often very close, and because of its large number of votes in the Electoral College, winning Florida can determine a close election. To some of these people, Israel might well be more important than Nebraska. (Note that not all supporters of Israel are Jewish, nor are all Jews necessarily supportive of Israel.) Supporters of Israel can also be an important source of campaign contributions. So US candidates for president tend to go to some lengths to prove their commitment to Israel. Marco polo (talk) 02:23, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I don't think there's been a whole lot of talk about Israel in the elections compared to other issues. I think Barak Obama has had to reassure people that he supports Israel because of his family background and because of some guilt by association that he's had to deal with regarding some of his former associates. It's just another loose thread Obama opponents have tried to latch on to since his policy ideas aren't really that different from Clinton's. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:24, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Additionally, Israel is one of the few allies that the US has in that part of the world. So they are important to the international outlook of the US. Dismas|^(talk) 02:38, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

A few other allies in the region are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey.--Goon Noot (talk) 03:42, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Hear! Hear!193.115.175.247 (talk) 12:20, 23 May 2008 (UTC)Zionist

Jews have had, and continue to have, a far greater impact on history and world affairs than their raw numbers would imply. A whole nation of them in a unique position in the world with a unique relationship with the USA will naturally take up a correspondingly greater political mindshare in an election for the (ahem) "decider" of US foreign policy. --Sean 12:29, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know anything about politics, but is it possible that the presence in Israel of sites meaningful to Christianity (the major religion of the US) contributes to the interest in it? -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 13:02, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

If you take 2.2 percent very roughly of the US population, that's not quite 1 mill less than the population of Israel, so per Jewish household or whatever, that's quite a basis for special interest in the people of Israel. The diaspora makes for many who might have influence or political weight towards the welfare of homeland Israel. Fwiw, Julia Rossi (talk) 13:28, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

You ask why Americans care about Israel, which is a different question than why they defend and fund that nation. By "Americans" I suppose we must mean "non-Jewish Americans", there being proportionally so few Jews in the US. Lately, Americans and Israelis have been forced closer together by the common enemy of Islamic fundamentalism. Americans feel a new kinship with that beseiged people. Religion is certainly a factor (although it must be borne in mind that the anti-semites among Americans hold religion against the Jews); American Christians know their God by the name "Jehovah", and most still would be surprised to learn that He is also essentially Allah. I think there is a sympathy born of pity for the Holocaust. It seems right that the scattered "chosen people" should have been allowed to go home at last after that horror. The basic values of the Jews have been incorporated into the American psyche, and the Jews embraced the American ideal as no other group has, so that there is a real identity of world view on a fundamental level, I think—a realism, an imperative for progress. Besides, they're the funniest people in the world, and Americans like to laugh. --Milkbreath (talk) 13:52, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

And, of course, AIPAC is a powerful lobby. Contrast with CAIR.

Atlant (talk) 14:08, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

For evangelical Christians, who seem to have a bizarre amount of influence, the existence of Israel is some sort of prerequisite for the Rapture. So John Hagee, Pat Buchanan, etc, like to show how friendly they are with Israel and Jewish leaders in the US, and I would imagine a lot of Americans don't know anything about the country except that it has something to do with the return of Jesus. (But perhaps I am overstating the number and influence of evangelical fundamentalists.) Adam Bishop (talk) 16:10, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

There's a much more simple reason why the US government cares about Israel, which is that it is a pro-Western country in a region which is a) largely anti-Western and b) strategically important (oil). Not that anything said above is false, but global politics certainly plays a part too. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:12, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

This section has gotten a bit soapboxy, but I do want to point out that the influence of the "Jewish Lobby" is probably overstated. Many Jews do live in swing states, and they are more politically active on average than non-Jews tend to be. But they're still 2% of the population. If you look at the other legislative items Jewish organizations have supported, chiefly social programs and separation of church and state, the supposedly all-powerful Jewish Lobby has been rather impotent. Clearly, there's more to American support for Israel than the Jewish Lobby. On the other hand, Pat Buchanan, mentioned above, is clearly not pro-Israel. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:55, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Lobbies are not made up just by numbers. They are made up by influence and money and political activity. In the United States, there has long been a disproportionate amount of Jews in higher echelons of medical, legal, and entertainment professions, and they are often highly politically active and interested. Consequently their influence is often taken to be far greater than, say, even much larger minority groups, like Black Americans or Hispanic Americans, who politicians often feel can be ignored for a variety of reasons linked to socioeconomic status and lack of political activity. (And no, I'm not postulating any sort of conspiracy, it is clearly just a difference in cultural upbringing, family expectations, family structure, etc.) --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:30, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Pat Buchanan is a Roman Catholic, not an evangelical. Most of the reaons given in this discussion have, however, been more or less correct. The real question is of weighting them by importance, which I suspect is regional. In New York, I bet the Jewish population is disproportionately wealthy and politically active, thus weilding disproportionate clout. In the Bible Belt, the dominance of dispensationalism in evangelical circles is probably the cause, since it has a special place for the Jewish people. Evangelicalism, per se, is not the cause, but rather a specific eschatology which is today predominant in North American evangelicalism is. In the Bible Belt, where relatively fewer Jews live, the Christian population strongly supports the Israeli state as one with a special relationship to God and biblical prophecy (I think). Among neoconservatives and hawks, a so-called Republic base, Israel is probably regarded as a key player in the US's geopolitical and military strategies for the Middle East. Certainly for the average American who is not an evangelical, a neocon, or a rich New Yorker, the fact that a small Western democracy and its people are struggling for survival after years in the wilderness against foes that resemble America's greatest foes today cannot be unmoving. And besides, they believe in a right to self-defence in the USA. Srnec (talk) 19:13, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

There's no question that because the average Jew is wealthier and more politically active than the average non-Jewish American, the Jewish community gets more attention than other 2% minorities. However, if the Jewish lobby was as powerful as some people allege, we'd have universal healthcare, rigid separation of church and state, gun control, a broader welfare state, and other stuff the organized Jewish community tends to support. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 07:56, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Srnec wrote, "Pat Buchanan is a Roman Catholic, not an evangelical". It is possible to be both (see Evangelical Catholic), but I don't know whether Buchanan falls into that camp. —Angr 08:32, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Buchanan is a traditionalist Catholic who rejects the reforms of Vatican II. One of those reforms was a denouncing of antisemitism, so it shouldn't be surprising that Buchanan's attitudes toward the Jews have long been questionable. Incidentally, Mel Gibson's religious views are similar to Buchanan's, and Buchanan raved about Gibson's The Passion like it was Citizen Kane. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 10:59, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually that's not necessarily the case. It's easily possible, although I'm not suggesting this is the case, that the Jewish lobby is powerful enough to have sufficient influence over the media etc to unduly control US policy towards Israel and Palestine, an issue which perhaps most of the populance doesn't really intriscly care that much about (since it's seems a far away place) but they (the lobby) care a lot about, but insufficient influence to have much control over areas they (the lobby) don't really care that much about but which the majority of the populance does care a lot about. As I said, I'm not suggesting this is the case, I think the issue is a lot more complicated then the Jewish lobby having that much influence and instead it has a lot to do with the desire of those with the power in the US to protect their interests in the Middle East which support for Israel helps to achieve in a number of ways, e.g. by keeping the populance of most Arab countries too angry with the treatment of the Palestinian people to notice they are under the control of leaders who on the whole aren't serving their interests well but do serve the interests of the US resonably well (with a few exceptions), by ensuring some degree of instability remains there so they can have a military presence; and ultimately by preventing the development of a strong, truly prosperous, peaceful and of course given their control over much of the oil resources, powerful region (in the Middle-East) where human rights are respected and democracy flourishes, which would be a disaster for most of those with the most influence in the US (which isn't many of the politicians). However even that is a simplistic analysis, it's a lot more complicated then that, you really have to consider the geopolitics and large combination of factors which ensure that most of those who matter in the US greatly prefer the status quo to anything else. It's not really something that can be sufficiently summarised on wikipedia as is likely to generate into too much of a debate to be a fruitful issue for the RD Nil Einne (talk) 16:19, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Another possible reason is that it is a thriving democracy, which is somewhat unusual for the region. Computerjoe's talk 11:26, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Need to Type Odd Character

I need to find out how to type a certain character, but I do not know its name or even what language it is from. Thus, I can't find the correct code or font to use. The character looks like a 'P' but the tail curves out to the right. Does anyone have any idea what it is and how to type it? -- VGF11 (talk) 02:42, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Can you give us a link to a webpage where this character is used? It would be easier to assist you if we could see this character. Also, try this: click on the edit link and scroll down to the bottom of the page. You'll see a long list of alternate characters below the edit box. Is the character you're looking for any one of those? 152.16.59.190 (talk) 03:48, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Try looking on this list for it: List of Unicode characters. It will give you a code for it. (If you meant "left" rather than "right", the symbol is rho.) --Haemo (talk) 04:05, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Is it maybe ♇ ? --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 04:05, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

It could be "Greek Rho Symbol" (ϱ), which is a seperate symbol to the "Greek small letter rho" and which curves to the right in many typefaces, such as Arial Unicode (which many browsers use to render odd symbols). This doesn't have a set way of typing it, but its Unicode code point is 03F1. If you load Character Map (it's usually in Accessories, assuming you use Windows) and type this into the box marked "Unicode", it will take you to this symbol. Laïka 11:29, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I think Jpgordon found it (♇). What is the code for it, and will it work with all fonts? -- VGF11 (talk) 22:02, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

It's the astrological symbol for Pluto. It's classed in "Symbols and Dingbats", which unfortunately is a group most font designers don't bother with - Arial Unicode has it, but otherwise, I think you're out of luck. There's no standard way of typing it - it's an obscure symbol, but if you load up Character Map and type 2647 into the "unicode" field (making sure you have the Arial Unicode typeface selected), it will appear, and you can then copy and paste it into whatever you need it for. Laïka 00:02, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

*facepalm* I shoulda known that; my first thought was an inverted Б (Cyrillic 'b'), perhaps used for some Turkic language! —Tamfang (talk) 05:17, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

NES catapult

Anybody here watch AVGN? Anyway, in one of his videos he reminisces about Nintendo Power magazine. He mentions some accessory called "NES catapult" and there's even a shot of it in the magazine, but he gives no information. I can't find anyother references to it. What is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by KeeganB (talk • contribs) 03:18, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

The SNES (not NES) Catapult appears to be the working title of the XBAND by Catapult Entertainment. It was basically a modem that locked into the slots of top-loader consoles like the SNES and the Genesis, and let you play certain games online. It was poorly marketed and, because it worked by reverse-engineering and then hacking the two-player function built into the game, worked very poorly on some games (Mortal Kombat 3 for example), but paved the way for a lot of the more recent developments in online gaming, such as a league table of the best scoring players and a user profile section, complete with avatars. Laïka 14:45, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Cognative ability

I heard recently on BBC Radio about a new form of cognative ability enhancing drugs that have been discovered, i wish to read more about these, could some one please help Thanks 193.115.175.247 (talk) 11:16, 23 May 2008 (UTC)Zionist

Here is an article about cognition-improving drugs in general, and here is an article on anti-cholinergic drugs, a specific class of drugs under investigation. Fribbler (talk) 11:22, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Here's a handy chart.--droptone (talk) 11:56, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

You may be interested in this column on his experiment with smart drugs by Johann Hari [1]. BrainyBabe (talk) 15:55, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

You guys are great

Hey this is just a note to say that all you guys who hang around at the ref desk answering questions are an amazing bunch of people who are both incredibly nice and exteremely learnt. I'd love to be one of you and answer peoples' queries but I have a FULL time job that doesn't leave me time :( Keep up the good work, fellas :) ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 12:19, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, RP what a buzz... maybe on your days off join us sometime : ) Julia Rossi (talk) 13:12, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

The trick is to get a job where you can answer refdesk questions on the clock. Or so I hear. ;) --Sean 16:48, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

free bookseller's catalogs about latin and south america

Hello,

can anybody give me a hint for free online bookseller's catalogs (or national catalogs or bibliographies) about actual liteature from latin and/or south america? It's for a literature research. The sources should be interdisciplinary and don't need an english interface. I'm in search for special sources from latin and south america, i know the worldcat, and so on ...

Thank you in advance for your help ... --130.133.152.127 (talk) 14:32, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I had a brief look. One problem you are going encounter that there are several languages spoken in South America, most prominently Spanish and Portuges. When you limit yourself to a certain country or subject matter, things get a lot easier to find. Otherwise most places sort by language, not area. These may not help matters a lot [2], [3]. You may be able to get better results if you search for strings. If you describe things in a bit more detail, one of the computer geniuses might help you formulate something. Good luck.--71.236.23.111 (talk) 16:13, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Investment a little less secure than CD

If I want to earn a little bit more than with a CD, but not incur too much risk more, which is the way to go? I mean, a CD pays perhaps between 3 and 4 % for sure. I want to know what pays between 4-10% but is not completely secure. Mr.K. (talk) 14:36, 23 May 2008 (UTC)×

What is your timeframe, and where do you live? Historically, the US stock market averages 10% over the long term, but it is subject to wild swings along the way. Mutual funds are a good instrument to smooth out the vicissitudes of any individual stock, with index funds specifically designed to track one of the major indices. --LarryMac | Talk 14:49, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Callable CD springs to mind - it's FDIC insured. Also depends on who you are, are you investing your personal savings, are you investing on behalf of a school board, charity, pension fund? Also, what do you mean by "secure" i.e. what type of risk are you willing to assume? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:32, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

If you are in the US and don't want to go with a fund or stock you might have a look at TIPS. Two major drawbacks are that they could bite you in the tax area and that you can't get at the money for a couple of years. Talk with your tax adviser before you buy. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 16:31, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

• Thanks for the information so far. I should have provided more extra information as I asked the question. I am interested in investments in the UK and the US. I save every month and don't have a timeframe (different from my own life). I am not saving towards an objective (like buying a house). Just saving for having more security for the rainy days. I will not retire in the next 30 years. Mr.K. (talk) 17:45, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

UK-wise, you may be interested in the variety of offerings from NS&I. Maybe this? Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 17:56, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

TIPS are issued by the US Treasury and are pretty much the safest things money can buy so the returns they pay are pretty much zero - here's a list of rates on Treasury paper. Mr. K, we aren't allowed to give you any advice and I'm not a financial advisor, but if you're investing with a 30 year horizon then you really should consider all your options.

For example, here's a chart of the S&P500 index since its inception (I think). If you had invested in the index and your 30 year period ended at the worst part of the stock market downturn of 2002, you would have earned 7% per annum on a lump sum by my calculations.

Once again, this is merely for demonstrative purposes and you should consult a professional financial advisor before you make any decisions.

Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:40, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

@Zain: you calculated the 7%/anum based on (815/110)^(1/30)-1. But how to you come to this figures?217.168.1.48 (talk) 23:50, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

In that graph from yahoo finance, I saw that in 2002 the index dipped to 815 and thirty years prior it was 110. Then I used $FV=PV(1+i)^{n}$. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 23:58, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Phonemes -> Sound

Hi. I'm trying to find a text-to-speech program that can read phonemes (IPA, Kirshenbaum, X-SAMPA, whatever, so long as it can do most of the phonemes) and output them as speech. The only program I've had any luck with so far is espeak, which doesn't sound that great, and can only understand and synthesise a subset of Kirshenbaum. Festival is very arcane, and the manual doesn't help a whole lot either. 79.78.114.42 (talk) 17:26, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

How does Wikipedia make money?

How does Wikipedia makes money? Or, does it? Please explain tome, because I cannot understand... 134.162.84.134 (talk) 17:40, 23 May 2008 (UTC) Carlos.

I suggest you look at Wikipedia and Wikimedia Foundation. Essentially it's all donations. -mattbuck (Talk) 17:44, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is hosted by Wikimedia which is a non-profit company. You should be able to get all the info you want from the Finances section of the Wikimedia article. Dismas|^(talk) 17:45, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

We lure vandals into our secret mincing factory and sell their remains to the local pet food shop. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:51, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

We wouldn't do that, it's just mean to the pets. Nil Einne (talk) 16:03, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Spicy foods

Hi all, can anyone give me a bit of extra info on spicy foods? Even after drinking to cool/wash away the spicy food a burning sensation remains. I had a look at Capsaicin which was handy and there's a section (mechanism of action) that explains what causes the burning. However, I believe that not all spicy foods contain capsaicin (eg. cinammon) but do they all work by a similar process?

PS. The article made me laugh when I read 'In 2006 it was discovered that tarantula venom activates the same pathway of pain as is activated by capsaicin', I'll have to mention that next time we go for a curry :-)

Thanks, Mike 87.112.87.223 (talk) 18:19, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Water doesn't really work on cleansing your tongue. You'd be better off with milk, or eating a slice of bread. Corvus cornix_talk 20:01, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

OR my brother swears salt helps. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 23:55, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I'll have the tarantula curry please, with cold milk on the side.  ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 05:41, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I've heard what works against capsaicin is fat and alcohol, so whole milk, ice cream, or beer are the way to go. I once had a peanut brittle sundae made with peanut brittle that had cayenne pepper in it. You took a bite of the peanut brittle that was so hot you thought your head would explode, and then you took a bite of the ice cream and everything was OK again. It was the most remarkable dessert I've ever had, as it was sweet and salty and hot and cold all at the same time. —Angr 08:28, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

A lot of these active ingredients such as capsaicin are not water-soluble, but fat-soluble. Thus, a beverage such as non-skim milk may be the route to go. Some are (as has been mentioned) also more or less alcohol-soluble; but unless you drink hard liquor, this is a slower process; some people may fail to see a problem with a need to drink large quantities of beer or wine, of course. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:55, 29 May 2008 (UTC) (in Milwaukee)

Does reading single side of a hand written notebook increases the concentration level of reader ?

Hi,

My name is Pawas and I am a citizen of India. I want to know whether the person's concentration level increase if he always reads the left or right side of the notebook ? Actually it might sound a bit funny but I want to know that if you are reading a book or your own hand written notebook, would you read it with more concentration if it is written only one sided or when it twin sided. Please let meknow about it. I am curious to know.

Regards, Pawas —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.167.111.184 (talk) 18:37, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Where did you come across that bit of information, Pawas? ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 19:20, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Doesn't sound likely to me. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:24, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

There has actually been quite a bit of research done in the area of typesetting and page layout, which is basically what you are describing (even if your text is handwritten). I don't know of a study on blank pages on one side, but things like spacing, white space, line length, fonts and size, etc. have been studied and described. They use cameras and a gadget that tracks where one's eyes are looking. I'm not sure how far the results of existing studies would apply to handwritten text, but it's really not more than a script font in rather large font-size. Layout used to be limited to a few fonts and the ability of the setter. With software like "Pagemaker" or "Wordperfect" everyone became their own setter and after a couple of snafus a field of study developed in a flurry. I used to get results in professional magazines, so I don't actually know what the area those research studies originated from is called, now that I come to think of it. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 23:53, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like a gimmick of little usefulness. Do you mean that one's concentration level should increase if, say he only read the right hand pages of a book and ignored the other half of the content? Or that only the right half of each page should be used for recording and reading information? What about the eye fixation? We normally read with multiple fixations on each line of text. It would be interesting to try printing out a narrow column and fixating the eyes only to the left of the column, so that the text all fell on the left half of the retina and thus went only (initially) to the left hemisphere of the brain, compared to fixating to the right of the text so it went to the right hemisphere of the brain. The columns would have to be only a couple of words wide, or the text would be so far out of the area of distinct vision as to be unreadable. The hemispheres communicate (except in split brain patients) but it would still be interesting. Normally a reader moves the eyes around so the fovea fixates on various spots along each line of text. Eye movement cameras could be used to guard against that. Edison (talk) 19:31, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Molecular cloud, eh?

Is this picture real or photoshopped hoax? It seems God hates us. 89.146.64.77 (talk) 19:29, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

What would give you the idea that NASA would want to photoshop an image or that your god hates us? Dismas|^(talk) 19:34, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

What makes you think he's pointing at us? :) Zain Ebrahim (talk) 19:50, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Maybe pareidolia is to blame here? Dismas|^(talk) 19:57, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

In fact, NASA pretends to hold a more lofty association here: "This Carina sub-cloud is particularly striking partly because its clear definition stimulates the human imagination (e.g. it could be perceived as a superhero flying through a cloud, arm up, with a saved person in tow below)." Here is a zoomed out image showing the bigger picture around the keyhole nebula. ---Sluzzelin talk 05:13, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

How remarkable it is that 'God' should provide us with the ability to build equipment to be able to see his distant message. (Why didn't he make it closer - Ah, yes, of course, 'He' moves in mysterious ways!) Richard Avery (talk) 07:01, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I think this is the message. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:52, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Sc-AK750 Stereo

This is a stereo from Panasonic. It is 660 watts meaning it is, as far as I know, the most powerful stereo in North America (as there are much more powerful ones in Asia). Is this correct?Jwking (talk) 19:56, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

No, It is incorrect. I personally own this Home Theater System and it pushes out 1000 Watts of power. And i know a couple people who have car stereo systems that push out over 1000watts of power. --Nick910 (talk) 20:19, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Ok, but stereos, car systems, and home theater systems are three different things. I specifically said STEREO, two way speakers with possibly a sub. So...I stand correct it seems so far.Jwking (talk) 04:19, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Even presuming such a narrow definition, I would suspect there would be many stereos in North America that are more powerful. Whether there were imported by people, custom made, or simply no longer in development there would almost definitely be some. If you are looking for the most powerful stereo system commercially available in North America you need to be more clear Nil Einne (talk) 16:02, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Ok, so your looking for a shelf system of some sort, then i have found you one! 880watt, classified as a shelf system Here from best-buy. I also find it hard to believe that 660watt be the most powerful system in the good ol' USA. --Nick910 (talk) 16:03, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Indeed this is more powerful. But again...five speakers. I'm looking for three, a subwoofer, and two speakers on the right and left. Besides, this model u showed me is obsolete. Indeed though, it holds the record. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jwking (talk • contribs) 19:18, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Ok i hit the nail on the head this time. 800watt power with only 2 speakers "left and right" Hope this meets the criteria :-) --Nick910 (talk) 20:14, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Autobon in Europe

Someone told me that the Autobon in Europe is made of really thick concrete. Now my friends and I are wondering, exactly how thick is the concrete on the Autobon? I have tried to search it, to no avail! Thanks for any help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.124.33.83 (talk) 21:26, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Note the Autobahn is the name of motorways in Germany (and also Austria and most of Switzerland) only. This says that it is 68 cm thick. That is mighty thick! Fribbler (talk) 21:32, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

P.S.: 27 inches if you're not metric! :-) Fribbler (talk) 21:34, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually, "Autobahn" is the word in German in all countries where they speak it, not just Germany. But since Germany is the only one with no speed limit, they may very well make theirs more durable by using thicker concrete than the others... I don't know. --Anonymous, 22:28 UTC, May 23, 2008.

(Corrected my answer above accordingly) Fribbler (talk) 00:18, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Apologies in advance for not being able to cite references here, but I remember reading, at least a decade ago, about the differences between Autobahn and Interstate. There are two big ones:

• Thickness of concrete layer, already noted, is more than double an Interstate highway, and
• Depth of roadbed, in several layers, is four feet rather than two.

Consequently, a properly-maintained length of Autobahn has an expected lifetime of over 40 years, while the US Interstate system expects to replace theirs in the 20-25-year timeframe.

-- Danh, 63.231.162.222 (talk) 00:24, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Why use concrete rather than more standard materials? Concrete is bad to drive on, it's noisy and iirc saps engine power. -mattbuck (Talk) 21:13, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Because it's durable. I remember driving on the Bundesautobahn 9 on the original concrete of the 1930s 15 years ago.--88.75.219.46 (talk) 15:12, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

[4] They do take their Autobahns serious. There are tons of regulation describing what and how they should build and pave an Autobahn. The German wiki article describes two paving materials used on Autobahns one is mastic asphalt with "0/8 and even 0/5 mm" mineral mixture, sprinkled with gravel "2/5, 2/4 or 1/3 mm" to make it less slippery. It's said that this material is expensive because it has to be applied at high temperatures and tends to get slippery under certain conditions. The other is concrete paving (white paving) in a thickness of "18 to 30 cm". In "5-6 m " long slabs, not counting rebar. (Standards are DIN 1045, DIN 18316 und ZTV Beton-StB) [5] You should note that the paving material (Deckschicht literal translation "top coat"?) is only the very top layer of several that make up an Autobahn. That's probably why the figure in this article differs from what Fibbler found. Lisa4edit (talk) 03:57, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

P.S. could someone get that image Oberbau.Autobahn.jpg to show up properly here?

Only by moving it to Commons, which is hardly worth it since it's labeled in German and so it's only usable at German Wikipedia. But anyone can see it by clicking de:Bild:Oberbau.Autobahn.jpg. —Angr 08:23, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Transgendered abortions

Look at this article : male pregnancy. It is being reported that more and more transgendered people want to have babies. But yet, isn't it illegal for men to have abortions ? Would it be a form of discrimination if men can't have abortion ? What does the law say about all this ? 69.157.238.199 (talk) 22:58, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I am not aware of any law restricting abortion to one gender. In any case, if your question is about transgendered men who want to have babies, they are not likely to abort a pregnancy that was wanted and planned, surely?. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 11:16, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

XD, see Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina --Ouzo (talk) 18:05, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I presume 69 is referring to a transman who, probably after some sort of surgery (although in future this may change), is legally consider a man but retains at least a womb and probably a vagina and could perhaps get pregnant in theory pregnant by accident (although with any hormone treatment this is very very unlikely). Of course even if it's not an accident, presuming IVF is not involved it's possible an abortion may be desired if e.g. it turns out the fetus has a major genetic or chromosomal abonormality. Even with IVF, it's still possible some developmental abnormality may arise I presume. But I agree with you, I'm not aware that abortion is ever for any reason specifically restricted to one gender. Perhaps 69 is getting confused by the common slogan of a 'woman's right to choose' Nil Einne (talk) 15:55, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Empire State Building Dedication

When I was a wee lad (Some 60 years or so ago), we had penny scales that (for a penny) would give you your weight and answer a question or give some piece of trivia. I seem to remember that the scale once reported that the Empire State Building was dedicated as a monument to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Is there any way to confirm/deny that? I'd imagine that if it were true, it's been expunged because of the obvious political incorrectness to today's USA culture. On the other hand, it would be a fabulous piece of trivia! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.32.8.9 (talk) 23:28, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Assuredly an urban legend. The guy who had the ESB built, John J. Raskob, was a staunch conservative. Perhaps someone got mixed up and is thinking of Diego Rivera's mural that was going to go into the Rockefeller Center but was removed because it had Lenin in it. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:59, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

(after edit conflict)I think you may be thinking of the Statue of Liberty being related to the French revolution; which it certainly is! The Empire State Building is capitalist in ideation as far as I know. Anybody heard of this rumour? Fribbler (talk) 00:02, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Corvus cornix_talk 03:08, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Take your pick[6]. Julia Rossi (talk) 05:39, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't think Daleks were bolshevik... -mattbuck (Talk) 12:57, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

However daleko is Russian for "far away". Is this a sign of conspiracy? SaundersW (talk) 17:22, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Furthermore, there are some - mind you, weasely characters of a McCarthystic bend - who think the Bolsheviks actually were Borgian Daleks. Merely consider their favourite mantra of dialectic materialism "EX-TER-MI-NATE", an early tribute to Soviet Social Realism... --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:55, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Could the Borg assimilate a Dalek? -mattbuck (Talk) 21:11, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

My citation needed wasn't clear. I was asking for evidence that the Statue of Liberty is related to the French Revolution. Corvus cornix_talk 19:08, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Here the French gave the statue of liberty to America on the hundredth anniversary of their revolution, and the Americans gave the French a mini-version on the hundredth anniversary of theirs. Tenuous a bit, but heh, it's a well known connection! :-) Fribbler (talk) 21:04, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

This connection? Have to laugh at the French getting in first with the biggest one. By their statutes statues ye shall get the picture. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:48, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

OK, that's proof that the copy was in honor of the French Revolution, but the original still doesn't have proof that it was in honor of the French Revolution. Corvus cornix_talk 04:43, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

May 24

observation

How can I be more observant? sumal (talk) 00:41, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

You might take study carefully the writings of Sherlock Holmes (as reported, of course, in the stories of Dr. Watson) on Holmesian deduction and observation. Assuming this is the sort of observation you mean. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 03:20, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Mormon Dress Code

If I become a Mormon will I have to wear a tie? 71.231.121.77 (talk) 02:10, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

All the time? Of course not. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 03:21, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

However, see Temple garment. Corvus cornix_talk 03:29, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Not all the time, of course, but I suspect you would be expected to a wear a tie at least some of the time, maybe even a lot of the time. Here in Berlin I can recognize the Mormon missionaries 100 feet away because they are probably the only young men in the entire city wearing slacks, suit jackets, white button-down shirts, and ties. At a distance of 2 feet away my suspicions are confirmed when I see their nametags reading "Elder Johnson" or "Elder Smith", which I find amusing because these kids look about 20 years old and I can't help but think, "elder than who"? —Angr 08:17, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

No, no, Angr, it means they all have the same first name, ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 10:24, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

There are other subtribes who are all named Pine, Elm and so on. —Tamfang (talk) 05:39, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

You can generally tell Mormon missionaries because they're young men, travelling in pairs, riding bicycles, in white shirts and black pants with black ties, wearing bicycle helmets. Corvus cornix_talk 04:45, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I feel a distinction should be made between a member OF the LDS (Mormon) Church and a full-time missionary FOR the LDS Church. (Not all members are full-time missionaries.) Members essentially dress like any other person, although we strive for modesty in our dress and appearance. We are encouraged to wear our "Sunday Best" when attending church meetings or visiting the temple. LDS Missionaries, on the other hand, are considered ambassadors of the Church, and as such, wear "Sunday Best" every day. This would mean shirts and ties for the boys and dresses (or blouses and skirts) for the girls. Also, as you probably have already inferred, "Elder" is a reference to an office in the priesthood (like Bishop, Priest, or Deacon) rather than an assertion of age or seniority. (I performed my missionary service in Spain.) Kingsfold (talk) 19:35, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Ipod Touch Downgrading

When I try to downgrade my ipod touch it comes up with "an unknown error has occured (5)"I am trying to downgrade my ipod touch from firmware 1.1.4 to firmware 1.1.1 and it comes up with that error. I have downloaded the 1.1.1 software. What I am doing is when I am in Itunes with the Ipod summary I click restore (while holding shift), select the 1.1.1 firmware and then it comes up with that error!! Is there something I'm doing wrong? PLEASE HELP!!!!!! 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:23, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

What does rooibos tea taste like?

Hi, what does rooibos tea taste like? Can it be minty? Is it sweet? Thanks in advance. :) --Kjoonlee 09:25, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

OR: I drink it quite often and it's not minty but slightly sweeter than ordinary tea. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 09:54, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Personally, I find it a little less -- I want to say bitter, but I'm not sure if that's the right word. I'm gonna say it anyway. A little less bitter than black tea. It's definitely got less bite; it's a softer taste. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 11:43, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Milder than normal black tea. I get a hint of the smell of cardboard or paper. William Avery (talk) 12:22, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually I find it softer, bitter, and a bit sweet. Its very good morning tea. Especially for those groggy mornings. Have good day. I hope that I have been of some help.Rem Nightfall (talk) 16:45, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Sweet, soft, somewhat fruity. Not minty. Not bitter, unless you prepared it incorrectly. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:21, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

sports medicine in karate

I learn karate in India.Please help me What I do and do not physicial training —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.247.131.199 (talk) 11:28, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Good day sir or madam. Would it be kind of you to please specify what you are trying to say. I know that you are from India and it may be a bit hard, but I have patience and I am willing to help you. I hope I can help.Rem Nightfall (talk) 16:43, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Nightfall: "I have patients" = "I am a medical practitioner", or "I have patience" = "I can wait without becoming agitated"? SaundersW (talk) 17:16, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry. My mistake I didn't mean to do that. Patience, I meant patience. lol! Sorry about the screw up. Now I confused the whole world. Thank you for pointing that out though. I appreciate it greatly.Rem Nightfall (talk) 17:25, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

See karate. You should only learn this art from a qualified professional. They will tell you what type of physical training you need.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:49, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

According to this [[7]] you should work slowly at developing calluses without cutting your skin. Your trainer should know how to do that. If not you may have to look for a more qualified place, maybe. --Lisa4edit (talk) 04:44, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Cure the Disease Doctor

Good day ladies and gents.I have watched and read many articles about how we are going to cure disease and everyone will stay in healthy condition. About how our lives will be extended and disease will not ravish us. But disease is life and life always find a way. There is no way that we will be able to cure all disease and even if we cure all disease, disease will find a way. Won't it? And if that is the case then why aren't the scientist, that are looking to cure all disease, looking far into the future? Why aren't they saying that the disease might come back? Why aren't they looking into that scenario as well? What if disease came back. Why aren't they looking into those questions? Thank you all for your time in answering this question. And have a good day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 15:55, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Well it is scientists' endeavor to fight and minimize the effect of diseases. Already improvements in medical science have made life less disease-prone for people and increased life-spans. May be we will never be completely disease-free, but that shouldn't hamper our endeavour to fight disease. I hope that answers your question. ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 16:55, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I believe that your assumption that doctors aren't concerned about the possibility of eradicated diseases coming back is quite simply false. That said, "life will always find a way" isn't a very accurate way of looking at it either -- if we look at something like smallpox, which has been completely eradicated from nature, it's gone. It will not suddenly "find a way" to come back, any more than dodos will. That's not to say that smallpox couldn't be encountered in the form of a biological attack, of course, and the virus itself still exists in laboratory conditions for research purposes. But there's effectively no chance of it suddenly popping up somewhere in the world just by itself. Also, I think the assumption that all diseases are going to be destroyed is also false. It's unlikely that this will ever happen, and if it did, it wouldn't do us any favors. A little disease is a good thing; it keeps our immune systems healthy and active. There's a big difference between learning to control diseases and eradicating them. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 17:19, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you all for the clearing up of the situation. I understand what you mean and the smallpox example was helpful. I guess sometimes I misunderstand things. I appreciate the information greatly. Have a wonderfully positive day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 17:32, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Electric lawn mower

Any suggestions for a electric lawn mower? I'm thinking of a medium-price tool, around $300, maybe. --76.197.29.29 (talk) 16:31, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Good day sir or madam. A quick search of my own and I found two reasonably priced electric lawn mowers or I should say something that fits your budget. They have at Amazon.com a Black and Decker Lawn Hog 18-inch 12 amp for 214.89. At Tyler Tool Co. they have a Black and Decker LM175 18" Electric lawn mower for 168.95. I hope I have provided you with some help. Have a positively wonderful day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 16:42, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Thanks for your help, but I was seeking personal opinion. Better yet, an evaluation of the "pro-and-con" effects of an electric mower would be better. A great day to you, too. :) --76.197.29.29 (talk) 16:51, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Personal opinion; buy a petrol lawnmower. Unless you have a very small lawn, an electric mower is a pain in the grass. Fribbler (talk) 17:22, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh I see,then if you want opinion. I agree with Fribbler. My only concern is that gas has gotten pricer over the years. Well I am off now. Hope I helped a little.Rem Nightfall (talk) 17:29, 24 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Unless your lawn extends a great deal from any outlets, an electric weed eater with a long extension cord can be nice. Using one can almost feel like painting. I can't really give any advice about brand, but I suspect there aren't major differences between manufacturers. Maybe try Consumer Reports. --Prestidigitator (talk) 19:20, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I've used a 1.4 kW, 12.5kg electric lawnmower (Victa I think) with 50m of extension cords. After years of petrol ones I prefer it; of course I wasnt cutting huge lawns. The 24cm cutting width means more going back and forth. It provides continuous power wherever the blades are not just on the power stroke. The only maintainance has been sharpening the blades and unjamming after going into wild long grass. The really good bit that I hadn't realised before trying one is stopping and starting the mower; I stop the mower when pedestrians pass or to move junk out the way. Also, you can transport and store it without petrol fumes. I still use earmuffs even though I used the quietest model. In Australia "Choice" magazine had a trial of various types. Overall I much prefer the electric mower. Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 22:42, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

With the rising price of gasoline, my wife has been more and more strongly urging us to get a grass-powered lawnmower. In particular, she's looking at this model or this model. But I'm a bit concerned about what our suburban neighbors will think. ;-). Personally, I'll buy a battery-powered electric when they have enough power to properly bag the clippings (and the autumn leaves).

Atlant (talk) 16:30, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

May 25

Soveit Photo Manip.

Per Censorship of images in the Soviet Union, how did the censors edit out the people in the photographs? Surely, digital post-processing software did not exist back then. Acceptable (talk) 01:16, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Airbrushing was one method. bibliomaniac15 01:27, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Other methods are here[8]. It used to be called "photo retouching", now "image manipulation" which seem smore manual than it is. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:23, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

You'll be amused to know, no doubt, that almost all of the tools in Photoshop for retouching have analog equivalents! One of the most famous Photoshop tools, the mask layers, comes from actual darkroom practices. You can do just about anything in Photoshop in a darkroom... it's just a LOT harder and a LOT more time consuming. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:55, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Whom would you call?

Imagine that you need to go to Scotland for a job interview. Your direct contact person in the company is English and you understand her accent pretty well. However, you would like to have some exposure to Scottish English before you travel there. Whom would you call in Scotland to experience the accent? 217.168.1.48 (talk) 01:30, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Good evening sir or madam. Because you did not specify if the person was to be famous or not. If my information is correct I would call David Tennant. That is if my information is correct. I hope I helped you a bit. I hope you have a positively wonderful evening.Rem Nightfall (talk) 01:57, 25 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Why would you want to call someone to listen to the accent? Listen to these e.g. [9]--Lisa4edit (talk) 02:33, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

@Rem Nightfall: I think it will be rather difficult to come through to this guy.

@Lisa4edit: radio is too perfect. However, I think a podcast will be appropriate and I'll give it a try. 217.168.4.191 (talk) 02:38, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry about that. I didn't know it wasn't a fantasy question. I'm sorry about my misunderstanding, but wouldn't it just be wonderful to talk to the actor of Doctor Who(totally lost tract). Sorry once again.Rem Nightfall (talk) 02:49, 25 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

See if you can find some of Billy Connolly's stand up routines.Funny and full of Scottish slang such as "plukes" for spots.hotclaws 07:49, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

There are also plenty of Scottish movies you could watch, especially Trainspotting (not the US dialogue version!), not to mention Shrek, Fat Bastard and so on.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:30, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I am English-born but have lived in Scotland for over 35 years and can tell you that despite Scotland being a relatively small-population country of some 5 million souls, there are so many wildly differing accents as to make comprehension for many Scoto-English natives nigh impossible. I am not talking about Gaelic either, merely English spoken in vastly different ways. But I think the advice about listening to Billy Connelly is good advice, or Rab. C. Nesbitt, or River City, or even Trainspotting. Best of all would be The Steamie - very educational and very funny too. 92.16.221.21 (talk) 09:43, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Where in Scotland? Scottish accents from the Hebrides will be different to those down by the border.Shetland is nearly Norwegian.Glasgow is indecipherable Lemon martini (talk) 11:43, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

How do I make change?

As I sit here watching my pathetic life go by, I am besieged by the overwhelming desire to make change. And not namby pamby change. Im talking REAL change! For example, what if I'm tired of lookin at trees and want to eliminate them worldwide? (I know, but that's why we have oxygen tanks.) Do we need to have suffering in the world? Ask the people going thru that. Spoiler alert!- They dont need it. Gravity? Who needs that ball and chain? Obviously sometimes, but not all the time. In short, if I so desired how would I make pink green , 1 plus 1 equal 3, break every law of thermodynamics (especially the second), and still get any woman I want?--Dr. Carefree (talk) 03:24, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Dr C, I can take some of the weight off your shoulders by assuring you that gravity doesnt exist.... Mhicaoidh (talk) 03:46, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

If you get a job as a Cashier you will be able to make change hundreds of times a day. The way you make change is to determine the amount of coins and currency needed to make up the difference between the amount tendered and the total for the purchase and taxes, taking into consideration credits, coupons, discounts and returns. Edison (talk) 03:55, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

If you really want to change something, I'd say run for some political office. Useight (talk) 04:49, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

That's an amusing (intensely American) thought, but frankly I don't think it's the best way for an individual to produce change. The process of actually getting into office and the obligations it entails means that most political officers accomplish a lot more real change in the end than they might wish they could. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:15, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

If there's no substantial opposition to the change you're trying to bring about, the political approach is redundant; if there is, are you so sure it's a good idea? —Tamfang (talk) 05:48, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Here [10] you can make changes without the rest of us having to figure out how to fill oxygen tanks without binding more of it in producing the energy needed to do so than we can put in the tank. Real bummer, that would be. (I guess you get your power from the outlet in the wall :-)--Lisa4edit (talk) 04:57, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I know several people who have gone back to school at age ~40 in the hope of changing the world through technology. That may be the most efficient way. —Tamfang (talk) 05:48, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you're not angry enough? As Malcolm X said, "Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about change." Xn4 14:25, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Join the Peace Corps, go somewhere else, help people directly on a day-to-day basis, stop worrying about gravity and thermodynamics because those aren't what are causing your ennui. Leave your bourgeois boredom behind, do something real, make a real change. Or do you want to make a real change in your life and the lives of others? Most people are afraid of change, I wouldn't be surprised if you were too. It's an easy thing to wish for change, it's hard to actually do something about it. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:15, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Of course, if you want to make a change, the place to start is with the Man in the Mirror. —Angr 15:53, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

It really depends on whether you want to change things for the better or for the worse... Of course, any lasting change requires a lot of determination and motivation, so it would have to be something you're very passionate about. I like the removal of gravity. That would indeed be a weight off my shoulders. Could you arrange that for me? Steewi (talk) 01:44, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I doubt I could answer this question properly myself, so instead I decided simply to provide some quotations from a great philosopher, which I think will be useful here.:

• 'You can't go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it's just a cage.'
• 'Men should die for lies. But the truth is too precious to die for.'
• 'You Say To People "Throw Off Your Chains" And They Make New Chains For Themselves.'
• 'After all, when you seek advice from someone it's certainly not because you want them to give it. You just want them to be there while you talk to yourself.'
• 'Chapter Fifteen, Elementary Necromancy', she read out loud. 'Lesson One: Correct Use of Shovel…'
• 'You couldn't stop Tradition. You could only add to it.'
• '"When it's time to stop living, I will certainly make Death my number one choice!"'
• 'What had she ever earned? The reward for toil had been more toil. If you dug the best ditches they gave you a bigger shovel.'
• 'Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions.'
• 'Are any of you serious conspirators bent on the overthrow of the government?'
• '"The secret is not to dream," she whispered. "The secret is to wake up. Waking up is harder. I have woken up and I am real. I know where I come from and I know where I'm going.'
• 'I want to eat chocolates in a great big room where the world is a different place.'
• 'Always move fast. You never know who's catching up!'
• 'The freedom to succeed goes hand in hand with the freedom to fail.'
• 'Eden and Camelot, the wonderous garden-worlds of myth and legend, are here now. This is about as good as it ever gets. Mostly, it's a lot worse. And it won't stay like this for very long.'

HS7 (talk) 17:53, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

If you are asking your question with integrity (ie, willing to be transformed in the process of asking/receiving insight), I would like to participate in this dialog with you since I have real interest in the answer to your question also. The reason you must be open to your own transformation starts immediately as soon as you start asking a question. There are good questions and bad questions...open-ended questions and closed questions. A good question (ie, an 'appropriate' question) is much more important than any answer, although the answer(s) is important too. Imagination plays an important role also. To ask questions that lead somewhere requires curiosity, critical thinking, imagination, hunger, courage, etc. Everything I have mentioned so far I have received from reading folks like Einstein, Michael Polanyi, Thomas Kuhn, Peter Berger, Thomas Torrance, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, etc. Post-Modern Hermeneutics, Sociology of Knowledge, Philosophy of Science are all incredibly useful in your context, and their conclusions are fairly easy to understand.

So now, I hope I have managed to lose your interest if you are not THAT seriously interested in your question.

But if you ARE THAT serious, have a look at the saga of 'Muhammad Yunus' and his 'Grameen' effort (for which he received the 2006 Nobel Prize). WikiPedia has some on him. Then read his 'Banker to the Poor' to see how Bangladesh has changed as a result of the curiosity and questioning and following-up of this single individual.

I look forward to your response. --Ckdavis (talk) 14:54, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

Penis fantasy

Do women/girls sometimes fantasize about (images of) the male penis? If so, what proportion do?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.141.94 (talk • contribs)

It's very hard to get good sociological data on internal thoughts in general, especially sexual ones. At best you're going to get, "how many claim to, in one particular context in which they were asked." --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:05, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Women and girls absolutely fantasize about penises, just like men and boys fantasize about vaginas. And, yes, plenty of men and boys also fantasize about penises, just like women and girls also fantasize about vaginas. A whole lot of people fantasize about both. People have an endless fascination with sexual organs, which has enabled an entire industry based on feeding and encouraging sexual fantasies to grow and succeed. As for how many people fantasize about the penis specifically, it's impossible to tell. Essentially all people have sexual fantasies, though, and they're considered to be the sign of a healthy person. Taking a semi-educated guess, I would say that among heterosexuals, it can be safely said that more women fantasize about penises at one time or another than not. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 08:04, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Knee trembling disease

Why do people (mostly young men) tremble their knees whilst sitting and usually whilst eating/ I find it grossly annoying. Is there something wrong with their legs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.141.94 (talk) 04:26, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't think it's anything in particular that causes it, possibly just a habit. I see it sometimes to, bouncing their knee up and down. I only find it annoying when it shakes the table or the desk or something. Useight (talk) 04:47, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I doubt it's a disease. I just always figured it was due to some small form of hyperactivity or just a nervous thing where the kid doesn't want to be sitting in a classroom but instead by out playing sports. Dismas|^(talk) 05:24, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Excess energy, feeling you could "jump out of your skin"? Julia Rossi (talk) 06:17, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Guilty as charged. Speaking for myself, there's nothing wrong with my legs - I just like doing something rather than just sitting there. Clarityfiend (talk) 06:35, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Chance has it I am bouncing my knee/leg right at this moment. I find it a peculiar thing indeed, and I can't help think that it lies somewhat outside my control. Even holding the leg still, there is a certain bit of movement, strictly involuntary. Resting the foot's weight on the forward third of my foot, and forming a somewhat acute angle between my thigh and leg, it seems impossible to keep it properly still. Must be something located in the foot, I reckon. Do we not have an article on this matter? Scaller (talk) 10:05, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

As far as "diseases" go, there is Restless Leg Syndrome, but that is unlikely what you are referring to. You're probably talking about fidgeting, "to move around nervously or idly". I do not know the cause, but I'd guess it's likely boredom - even if the rest of your body is otherwise occupied, your legs/fingers/etc. aren't doing anything, and so people fidget to keep them occupied. It's hardly a "disease" - in fact, I seem to recall studies that people who fidget are less likely to be obese (a disease, BTW) than those who don't, on account of all the calories they burn in their repetitive movements. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 21:21, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Why is it only young men predominantly who do it? Ive never seen a woman, children or older men doing it. Is it a sign of nervous tension or excitement? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.177.27 (talk) 01:48, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I (a self-confessed young man) was actually doing this when I got to the question! I'm not sure entirely why I do it, as it's not entirely involuntary, but I am often unaware of doing it. I have come across a couple of girls my age who do the same thing, though.--Diniz(talk) 15:02, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Have to agree that's is likely to be Restless leg syndrome. Although I would stress that this isn't a disease by definition because you can't catch it for a start. I think "condition" is actually a better word to use. ;-) --Phill ^{talk Edits} _{Review this GA review!} 16:54, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I've been doing it since I was a kid. I'm a guy. 125.21.243.66 (talk) 06:31, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Help Me Figure Out Song Please

Hi, this is going to sound trivial but it's really bugging me. I heard a really great song today but I can't remember its name. Someone told me "Leap and Bounce" or something like that (relatively unintellectual, two words describing motion, the first was somewhat uncommon), and the artist/album started with a syllable that sounded like "Duke". The only problem is that I've forgotten the real name of the song, and would really like to know. It was an electronic/dance track, and sounded like it was produced recently (probably last couple of years). Can anyone help me out? Thanks 121.216.129.51 (talk) 05:13, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Could it have been Fluke (band)? Rockpocket 07:54, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Parking direction

Why do so many parking garages and parking lots have signs asking you not to back in to the parking lots? Why do they care whether you park with the nose of your car pointing inward or outward? —Angr 08:10, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Do these lots have diagonal or perpendicular spaces? If the spaces are diagonal, I would think the reasoning would be that you could mess up the flow of traffic when pulling in/out. I've never seen a sign like that. And if the space is perpendicular, I prefer to "battle park" as often as I can. Dismas|^(talk) 08:33, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

(after edit con) Presumably it's because most drivers are more likely to hit another car when backing between them than when backing out. It's also quicker in getting you out of the way of other cars.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:36, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Dismas: Perpendicular. "Battle park"??? Shantavira: The first reason makes sense, but for the second reason, surely the effect is canceled out by how much longer it takes you to unpark your car by backing out when you're leaving. —Angr 08:41, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I've never seen such a sign (in Great Britain). I was taught to reverse in and drive out, and rule 201 of the highway code (broadly interpreted) seems to recommend it. I think the ides is that it's more dangerous/disruptive to reverse into moving traffic. Algebraist 08:53, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Here are some photos I found by entering "do not back in" into Google Images: [11], [12], [13]. These may all be from the States, but I've seen similar notices here in Germany too. In German, the sign is formulated as a positive command rather than a negative one: Vorwärts einparken, i.e. "Park forwards". —Angr 09:59, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Just to see what sort of answers I'd get, I asked the same question at the German reference desk. In addition to Shantavira's suggestion that it's about getting you into your parking place quickly, someone there suggested it's to keep diesel exhaust fumes from staining the wall, meaning it would have to be painted more often. —Angr 10:34, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

It seems a fairly stupid rule anyway, so it will soon be the law in the UK no doubt.--Artjo (talk) 10:48, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I would have thought that the answer from the German WP interrogation and punishment desk is correct. Your own (US?) samples show walls with some sort of cladding and one which appears to be rendered in some whitewash mortar. You do not have to idle you motor very long until the wall is full of unsightly (and unhealthy) muck when the exhaust pipe is fairly close to it. A minor problem may be that fumes can be dispersed more easily when the rear of the car points towards the driveway. If you fill your boot with the collected groceries whilst left and right motorists run their engine you are likely to plummet unconsciously into the gap between your sausages and hubby´s sauerkraut. As a corollary, loading stuff into the boot when it is at the rear is a bit awkward. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 11:39, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Perpendicular parking means perpendicular to the flow of traffic, e.g. ||||||| whereas diagonal would be \\\\\\\ And "battle parking" is to park so that you can pull out forwards quickly. It's a military slang term meaning parking so that when an attack happens and you need to pull out quickly, you can do so forward instead of having to back up. Dismas|^(talk) 12:00, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Okay. I understood what you meant by "perpendicular", and indeed I've seen the signs used where parking is perpendicular. —Angr 12:19, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

My father-in-law ran his own transport business and INSISTED on his drivers parking their vehicles facing outwards (described as Battle Parking above). The reason was so as to allow the engine to be accessed by a Road Recovery Mechanic in the event of it not starting on demand. In that circumstance, a remote Jump Start Cable could be more readily attached than otherwise. So now, I always park my car that way, except where the busy-ness of following traffic would be severely disrupted. 92.16.221.21 (talk) 15:13, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Could it be because in some places cars only have license plates on the back, so reversing in would obscure it from the police / parking enforcement officer? Think outside the box 20:22, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, maybe in some places, but not here in Germany, where cars have license plates both back and front. —Angr 20:38, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The only sign I've seen on this matter in the UK was to insist that people reversed into the parking area since "it is illegal to reverse back out into a main road". I always wondered if that was true, but never got around to looking. Perhaps I shall now. Unless anyone else knows? Gwinva (talk) 21:50, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

As I said above, it's rule 201 of the Code. Not any specific law that I can tell. Algebraist 21:53, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Ah, thanks, missed that comment (I obviously can't read). It's in the road coad here (rule 177), but is a recommendation rather than law, and doesn't refer to parking spaces. But reversing into parking spaces was always presented as easier and safer. Gwinva (talk) 21:59, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that's why I said 'broadly interpreted'. In case anyone was confused (I was!), the discrepancy on rule number is because Gwinva's code is out of date. Algebraist 22:12, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Not sure if it applies here, but some parking lots around buildings want you to park nose-in towards the building so that exhaust fumes aren't being spewed towards the windows. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:44, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

ITALIANS ASK THE TIME

Why in Italy there is a tendency to ask the time,from a public service telephone more frequently than in other countries? In other words Italians telephone to ask the time from a telephone centre quite often. Why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kleop (talk • contribs) 09:10, 25 May 2008 (UTC) (tag added by hydnjo talk 12:12, 25 May 2008 (UTC))

Maybe they just got into the habit. Might one factor be the cost? In the UK it costs 30p to phone Timeline, whereas I can get the guaranteed right time for free from my radio-controlled watch, television, GPS, or digital radio.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 19:10, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Damn good way to make some money?! 65.163.115.254 (talk) 20:15, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Religion and the US Armed Forces

If I were in the US Army and declared my religion as Matrixism would the Veterans Administration put the sign of Matrixism on my tombstone? I know that they were forced to put the Wiccan symbol on a deceased veteran's grave marker recently but does the new policy apply to a religion like Matrixism. 71.231.121.77 (talk) 13:10, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The US Department of Veterans Affairs has a list of authorized emblems for use on headstones, markers and memorial plaques. The Wiccan pentacle was added to the list in settlement of a federal lawsuit brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The first veteran's grave to be marked with it was that of Jan O'Rourke, who had been a Wiccan priestess. By Matrixism, I think you mean the 'Path of the One' spawned by The Matrix series? You might like to check with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, but I shall be surprised if they've authorized a Path of the One emblem yet. It may be that they haven't had any request to do so. Xn4 14:08, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't want to kidnap your topic, but shouldn't the Veterans Administration consider the Flying Spaghetti Monster also as a religion? 217.168.1.95 (talk) 23:29, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

They have not done so yet (there's a full list at United States Department of Veterans Affairs emblems for headstones and markers, btw). You're welcome to petition them, but be warned that more serious religions have tried and so far failed. Algebraist 23:43, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

As if the Flying Spaghetti Monster could catch Matrixism let alone kidnap it. Matrixism is like the wind. It is all around us. 71.231.121.77 (talk) 08:58, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Kind'a like Jediism/The Force, ehh?

Atlant (talk) 16:38, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I wonder if they'd put "Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fh'tagn!" on my tombstone. Ziggy Sawdust 15:25, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Dr. Vivien Thomas

The article on Dr. Vivien Thomas has his name repeatedly spelled incorrectly. It should be spelled with an "e" not an "a" .– —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.117.90.104 (talk) 14:06, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

This seems to be quite common. Look at this. The page title says Vivian but the letter is clearly signed Vivien. His autobiography as shown on his article here says Vivien also. Fribbler (talk) 14:22, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The problem was caused just a few days ago in this edit, which even edited the interwiki links, making them go dead. I've undone the damage, and I'll warn the anonymous editor who was responsible. Xn4 15:03, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Pearl Harbour

I just watched the Pearl Harbour movie (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett version) - AGAIN - and it prompted a few questions that I am sure I could research but I know the answers would be largely a matter of speculation so I hope you folk don't mind me asking them here for your informed opinions. First, tragic though the number of deaths and injuries incurred were, were the resultant half-million casualties that America suffered during it's involvement in WWII worth them getting involved after Pearl Harbour? Second, what happened to the careers of the very senior Navy personnel who prevaricated when faced with the "missing Japanese Fleet" information by Navy Intelligence? And third, was it true (as advised to the President following the Pearl Harbour attacks) that by risking a retaliatory Aircraft Carrier attack on Tokyo with the possible outcome of those Carriers being defeated by the Japanese, the victorious Japanese could have launched an invasion on American soil that could not have been stopped before "it reached Chicago"? Big questions I know but I am always amazed at the knowlegeable information that Wikipedians can rise to in such circumstances. Thanks for any responses. 92.16.221.21 (talk) 15:06, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

For the first, I personally do think it was worth going to war. First of all, the entire country wanted to (heh, opposite of today...), and financially/militarily we were fairly ready (just needed a bit of modernization, but that came quickly). Also, the Japanese had control of most of Oceania... and they wanted more (China, probably Russia, India, or Australia later); having them right across the ocean wasn't a good position to be in, considering the Japanese had one of the largest and best navies at the time (nearly on par with the American and British ones; also, they were allied with the Germans, which wasn't good news). Your third question is most likely a rumor, and don't know about the second. · AndonicO ^Engage. 17:41, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

No, the Japanese couldn't seriously invade the United States. Their army wasn't big enough, being tied down in China and needed to take over the Philippines, etc., nor was the navy capable of transporting, much less supplying a sizable force across thousands of miles of ocean. Consider that it took until 1944 before the Allies had built up enough manpower and materiel to invade Europe across just a few miles of water, even though they had overwhelming naval and air superiority. Clarityfiend (talk) 18:51, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

It would have been a severe challenge for Japan to even hold and supply the Hawaiian Islands, much less supply an invasion force in the U.S. They did seize islands off Alaska with an eye to using those as bases for attacks against the continental U.S. But the U.S population was by no means eager to enter a World War immediately before the Pearl Harbor attack.Isolationism was very strong. Roosevelt wanted to help Britain, but there was no national will to jump into the war, to save the Soviet Union or the Jewish population of Europe, or the European powers (with their worldwide colonial empires) from the Germans and Italians, or to save the Chinese and other Asians from the Japanese. The U.S also had a relatively small military before World War 2 and lacked large numbers of modern military aircraft or tanks. The U.S did have lots of factories and skilled labor and natural resources which enabled it to transform swiftly to war production and be the "arsenal of democracy" shipping military equipment to the other Allied nations as well as equipping its own enlistees and draftees. Edison (talk) 19:19, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Just a note: Pearl Harbor is a place name, and is spelled without the u no matter what dialect of English you speak. --Trovatore (talk) 19:28, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Up to a point, Lord Copper. Pearl Harbour was generally spelt with a U by many British publications until relatively recently. The idea that the only correct spelling is the one without a U has become more prevalent with the general idea that endonyms are for some reason preferable to exonyms. Malcolm XIV (talk) 22:47, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

That article seems to be about names in foreign languages. The only correct spelling in English is the one without the u. --Trovatore (talk) 06:50, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

We go through the trouble of including your 'u' in "Labour Party", you could at least return the favor with Pearl Harbor. ;) --D. Monack | talk 09:24, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

So I see. [14] Malcolm XIV (talk) 07:39, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Spelling Labour Party (in the sense of the UK party) without the u is of course also incorrect, even if the NYT does it. As is spelling Australian Labor Party with the u, even though Aussie English uses it in most contexts. --Trovatore (talk) 17:40, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I want to say a big thankyou to the respondents above who offered up their opinions when answering my questions. And no thanks whatever to the pedants who completely swerved the question off course by worrying about the presence or absence of a letter "u". I wonder if when Yamamoto attacked Pearl Harbour/Harbor would they have attacked his Japanese forces with their Webster's dictionaries? 92.0.212.98 (talk) 10:39, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

No, in that case they would probably have been Morocco bound. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 19:08, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

10 greatest songs of all time

I know its subjective, but what are the 10 greatest songs of all time? Ever. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.173.176 (talk) 16:22, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

WP has Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and googling "ten greatest songs of all time" yields 115 million results. Have fun. :) Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:47, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Of course, Rolling Stone restricts its list to rock songs, rather than something like "Amazing Grace" for example. Clarityfiend (talk) 18:40, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The BBC carried out an internet poll a few years ago along these lines asking people to nominate songs. From memory the first three were in Hindi or Urdu and the best English language record was 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen at 4th position - as my memory serves. I thought it was a wonderful comeuppance for anglocentricity (if that's a word) So, you pays yer money. . . . Richard Avery (talk) 19:15, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The last ten winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, obviously. --Milkbreath (talk) 12:01, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

#1 Little Brown Jug. Everything else is #2 through whatever. --Endless Dan 16:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Free Bird, Sheep Go To Heaven, Bohemian Rhapsody, Ziggy Stardust, Flying High Again, Hotel California, The City Of New Orleans, Mardy Bum, Yakety Sax, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. In that order. Ziggy Sawdust 02:57, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Prestigious university that accept every student

Is it true that some prestigious European state universities accept any student with a high-school degree? GoingOnTracks (talk) 17:25, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Not that I know of. The number of places on a course is limited by availability of staff, lecture venues, budget concerns etc. Academic selection is therefore necessary lest the university have to accept thousands of people onto a course. Fribbler (talk) 17:31, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Many European countries use the numerus clausus to restrict the number of students they accept. —Angr 18:09, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

In some non-market oriented courses (read Philosophy, History, Classics ...) these numerus clausus is so low that you can say they accept any one, even at serious universities. If you want to study something like Medicine you will have to have good grades at any decent university. 217.168.1.95 (talk) 21:08, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

That is also true here in Ireland where we use the CAO points system, whereby you recieve points based on the grades you recieve in the Leaving certificate. Some courses (few courses though) will list AQA as their points criteria: Any Qualified Applicant, that is anyone who has passed secondary school (high school). Still, I don't believe there is any "prestigious european university" who accepts anyone at all, with no academic selection criteria, to any course. Except, perhaps, as comes to mind; the Open university? Fribbler (talk) 22:55, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Accepting any one would be physically impossible. Keep in mind than many universities in Europe are free (like free lunch). If - on the top of that- there were no numerus clausus or other acceptance criteria, the flow of student would be plainly too big. BTW, Is the Open University pretigious?217.168.1.95 (talk) 23:22, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

(exdent) The open university, prestigious, hmmm. Yes and no. Not in the classical sense; it doesn't have a long history and ivy covered walls. But it it certainly no Degree mill and its alumni are sought after by employers since "attendance" displays a certain personal drive, and it is a very well known university (note: no COI here, I attended an old-school ivy-covered university :-) ). Fribbler (talk) 23:27, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

In Belgium, yes, pretty much, though there is an entrance exam if you wish to study Medicine or Dentistry. Question is, of course, whether there are any universities in Belgium that are considered prestigious. :p Random Nonsense (talk) 22:29, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Idiotic Commercials: Market Demographic does'nt incl. intelligent people, such as those found here on Wikipedia.

What is the marketing demographic for these Commercials ? These are really getting stupid. Burger King has had some really idiotic ones in which a motorist actually pushes another car out of a drive thru, another in which a man jumps out of a moving car, the car striking another one. Lazyboy just had a really idiotic one. Are the CEOs and the other company execs on drugs or something? Has anyone else seen these idiotic commercials? 65.163.115.254 (talk) 20:09, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The goal of most commercials is to get you to think about the company and the commercial. Guess what! That's what you're doing. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 20:18, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

But in a negative way; is that what they want?--Artjo (talk) 20:20, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

P.T. Barnum, renowned as a great showman/publicist, is reputed to have said "There is no such thing as bad press, as long as they spell your name right." The worst thing to happen to a company is for people to forget about them. And for every member of the public which is turned off by the ads, there are likely to be ten others who are more likely to think of the company because of them. (P.T. Barnum also is reported to have said "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people") -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 20:51, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I haven't seen those, but it sounds like you are complaining about them being inappropriate more than about being idiotic. You consider acts of violence such as those depicted there to be no laughing matter. However, the CEOs don't care (directly) about such issues - as long as enough people (all things considered) like the ads and are influenced to buy the product, they will approve of them. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 22:25, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Even silly brand names get attention[15]. As above by being stupid, and an analytical person would notice that (others take it as given), it's got that demographic through a negative effect. Another saying is even bad publicity is good publicity. Julia Rossi (talk) 00:17, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

The advertising has helped them though. I may not remember this question a week from now but subconsciously I'll probably remember the brands of Burger King and LaZboy. And thus your viewing of them has influenced me. It may even make me crave a burger while lounging on my couch. The advertising has had its desired effect, it's gotten the name out in conversation and recognized. Dismas|^(talk) 01:50, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

"Any publicity is good publicity, as long as they spell your name right" Corvus cornix_talk

O Corvus, with that attention to detail, you can now be my representative on earth. : ) Julia Rossi (talk) 06:56, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Do I get 15% of your Wikipedia edits?  :) Corvus cornix_talk 20:33, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

15% of GFDL? Sign! Sign!  ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 00:40, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Protesting the US only?

Are other nations besides the US being protested without the security forces mobilizing to destroy protesters, as to what happened in Tianaman Square in 1989? A lot of conservatives believe that IF the protesters, mainly the Environmentalists, were to, for example, protest China's pollution levels, human rights record, were to protest in a place like that, they'd end up being treated AS rebels and insurgents and dealt with accordingly, as in being killed and/or placed into prison, loony bins. 65.163.115.254 (talk) 20:56, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

You ought to hear some of these conservatives, especially Michael Savage (commentator) and Mark Levin (conservative). 65.163.115.254 (talk) 21:01, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

For starters this. Seems protests are even allowed in China. Environmental protests occur in practcally every country in the world. No prisons, no loony bins; even if officials are naturally embarrassed by them, since it highlights their actions. I think those radio commentators are misinformed at best, and lying to suit their own agendas at worst. Fribbler (talk) 23:11, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Many countries allow peaceful protest against all kinds of issues, but there are limits and, even in the most liberal countries, violent protests attract the attention of the police who will attempt to arrest the most violent of the protesters. However, some other countries, usually those where the government rule by force and without the mandate of the people, most types of protest (whether peaceful or not) are ruthlessly put down by the police or military.

Protests against the Chinese government's poor record on human rights often use what happened in Tianamen Square as an example. These protests take place in many countries around the world, but the subject is generally censored inside China. That said, China is now opening up on many previously hidden things and protests have taken place inside China over issues such as poor environmental standards, low wages, and local government corruption with various levels of success. After the recent earthquake, I think we can expect protests over the poor construction standards of local schools to take place in China. Astronaut (talk) 17:03, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

The English Language in Mexican telenovelas

Why is the English language used in Mexican telenovelas? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 22:25, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I've seen one of these myself. These are intended to influence the citizens in the US by depicting conservative, religious people in the US AS racists and nuts. I've seen one in which a "coyote" was escorting illegal aliens into the US and he was armed, he patted the .45 he had saying that, "No damn fucking gringo asshole had better get in MY way at all!" I was in the SW US and had some friends who were Mexican who translated what was on the TV. 65.163.115.254 (talk) 00:02, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

You'll be amazed on what is on these shows. 65.163.115.254 (talk) 00:04, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Programming

<Moved to Computing Desk>

May 26

Snowboarder

I remember reading a newspaper article about an Australian snowboarder called Sam Koska who died while practicing tricks on the roof of a car. Apparently, he was famous - he even participated in other countries - but I can't find any mention of him anywhere on the Internet. Anyone have a link that mentions Koska? 208.76.245.162 (talk) 01:11, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

His name was Sam Kaska, and I think his fame may have been overstated to you somewhat. [16][17][18] Rockpocket 01:36, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Baseball uniform

Is there an external link, reference, or wikilink that states when little league baseball used baseball uniforms? Thanks. -- RyRy5 (talk) 01:50, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

According to this link from our article, they had uniforms in their first year, 1939.[19] Rmhermen (talk) 01:56, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Oh, and in the article baseball uniform, there are a several statements need referencing. Some examples are

• As official nicknames gained prominence in the early 1900s (in contrast to media-generated and unofficial nicknames of prior generations), pictorial logos began emerging as part of the team's marketing.
• the Boston Americans (an unofficial designation that merely distinguished them from their across-the-tracks rivals) adopted the Nationals' abandoned red stockings in 1908, and have been the Boston Red Sox officially ever since then.
• the stocking colors of teams in the 1860s onward were a principal device in distinguishing one team from another
• detachable spikes were designed and were seen multiple times until 1976 when they were prohibited.
• Further experimenting led to innovations such as the Houston Astros of the 1970s and 1980s putting numbers on a front pants pocket as well as on the back of the shirt.
• The team most often identified with pinstripes would be the New York Yankees. Legend has it that the stripes were adopted to make Babe Ruth look slimmer. That story is a myth, as the Yankees had already adopted pinstripes several years before acquiring Ruth.
• It became standard practice to wear white at home and gray or another somewhat dark color on the road.

Can we try to find references for them? Everyopne's help is very much appreciated. Thanks. -- RyRy5 (talk) 02:06, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I think these are things best discussed on the article's talk page. That said, the Boston Americans deal has been discussed at Talk:Boston Red Sox#More on team nickname - "Americans" never official? and a source cited there seems to give the straight dope on the matter. For the other bits of info, one might similarly find sources in the corresponding articles. Deor (talk) 16:25, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

What type of fly is this?

i noticed these little bumps on my horses chest and underbelly. i thought maybe he had walked through some stinging needles or somethin. well a couple day later he was coverd with these little flies. they were all over especialy where the bumps were. the little flies were biteing my horse and createing scabs and makeing him bleed. they were under his belly in his arm pits, and on the inside of his legs. they were driveing him crazy. i did run him down with horser shampoo they repels flies, and put ointment on his scabs.i really want to find out what kind of flies im dealing with, so i can get rid of them better! there very small maybe like 2cm long. they almosy have the body type of an ant. they dont have big eyes.and there kinda striped with black and tan on there abdomen and leggs. what kind of flies are these? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.213.6.136 (talk) 02:36, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

It would probably help if you told us where (in the world and your country) you and your horse are.--Lisa4edit (talk) 03:14, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Umm, wouldn't a local veterinarian be a better source for that kind of information than we wannabes? --hydnjo talk 03:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like "Screwworm flies". Got any pixes? 65.163.115.254 (talk) 05:31, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Sounds likely, there's our article on screw worm flies Cochliomyia_hominivorax, of maggots, these eat healthy flesh and a variety in the Old World – wiki's so good, I miss-spelled it as "screw work fly" and it still got there, Julia Rossi (talk) 06:52, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

You call 2 cm long flies "very small"?! Wher I live flies are no more than half a cm long ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 08:56, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I guess typos happen. I had assumed 2mm which would fit the bill. Lisa4edit (talk) 09:07, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Which Birds are featured on the new UK Passport?

I think I've worked out: Avocet, Curlew (or is it a Whimbrel?), and Red Kite? (And a Kingfisher in the watermark). But what is the fourth one on the main pages? And is it a Hawfinch on the plastic coated page at the back? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wondering Jon (talk • contribs) 07:28, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

The council of the European Union says it is a Merlin (and confirms the other three as Avocet, Curlew, and Kite). ---Sluzzelin talk 11:44, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Vesna Vulović's fall duration

I posted the question on the talkpage of the Vesna Vulović article, before realising I could bring it here. Basically - how long does it take a person to fall 10,000+ meters? Lugnuts (talk) 07:54, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Hard to say, since she was in (part of) the plane the whole time. For an unprotected human, it would be (going by terminal velocity) about three minutes, but I can't guess how much drag you get from a random hunk of blown-up aircraft. Algebraist 08:39, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I would think that the equations for terminal velocity would be the best to apply, though I don't know what values to assign to the various parameters. If you don't get a full answer here, there may be more chance of an answer from Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science.--86.145.248.87 (talk) 08:37, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

About square root of (10000/4.9) seconds, disregarding air resistance, which you probably can't. Probably terminal velocity will enter the picture, as the above reply says, so it would take longer. ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 08:44, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

A couple of sites not worthy of reference say 3 minutes but that could all be guesswork, I think someone on the Science desk would love to do the calcs on this. Checking the crash reports referenced in JAT Flight JU 367... Mhicaoidh (talk) 08:45, 26 May 2008 (UTC) ...which are hopeless, one even has the wrong height. Can't find a detailed and authoritative one. Mhicaoidh (talk) 09:09, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Bear in mind guys she was a wreckage rider so could still have gained some aerodynamic benefit oops sorry Algebraist Mhicaoidh (talk) 08:47, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks people! Lugnuts (talk) 09:17, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Michel Fournier is attempting to jump 40 000 metres, which will apparently take 15 minutes. Adam Bishop (talk) 12:12, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Ummm, but it says 7 min in the article.125.21.243.66 (talk) 14:40, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Cyclone

Why does everyone only ever complain about that cyclone hitting Burma? It's not the only country that was affected by the cyclone. Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 08:09, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Because it affected Burma vastly more than it affected other countries, and caused historic levels of damage and deaths. And I think you will find people are concerned for the Burmese, rather than complaining about the cyclone. You may like to read Cyclone Nargis. Mhicaoidh (talk) 08:21, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Plus the military junta there makes relief efforts all the more difficult. ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 08:49, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

searching for a video clip

The video clip was in New York, in a boat. There were also a scene of people waiting on a queue. I just remember the sentence "every time I see you, and every time I ...". I saw it on MTV (how amazing) on the late 90'. The song was also in a Lee jeans commercial.217.168.1.95 (talk) 08:27, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Would that be Everytime by the Flames? (although I think that's not NYC in the background but Frankfurt) -- Ferkelparade π 12:05, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Dankeschön!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.168.1.95 (talk) 12:56, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

people with problems: help or avoid?

Should we run from asshole men and psycho bitches OR should we try to help them? 217.168.1.95 (talk) 11:11, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

If we decide to label them the way you did, then perhaps we should run from them. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:37, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Are they asking for your help? Do you like aggression? You could try throwing a help line number in their path as you scoot. Julia Rossi (talk) 00:50, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

This depends on the asshole man or psycho bitch in question, of course. Do you have an understanding of the situation, as well as of human psychology, that allows to you to even remotely accurately estimate whether they can be helped? Do you think that you can help them? Are they worth the trouble? Or are they just manipulative emotional black holes that demand ever-increasing amounts of attention without ever demonstrating any actual progress or even desire to change, let alone giving any real affection, friendship and love in return, save the bare minimum amount you require to keep coming around? Not that I'm saying that we should instantly give up on people in need of help, but in my experience, rewarding that kind of behavior with your attention or otherwise enabling them isn't doing them -- or you -- any good. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 13:38, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, as for my limited experience, I wouldn't get perconally involved (as in a relationship), but I'd try to help them if their problem is, say substance abuse. If they're just assholes/control freaks/whatever, you can't really change it. People can't be changed after a certain age, that's just the way they are, can't "fix" them. Ziggy Sawdust 15:22, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh, people can definitely change... As long as they want to change. Key thing. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 09:52, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Low-pressure airports

According to Decompression sickness, airliners maintain a pressure altitude of 8000 feet or less. What do they do when going to high-altitude airports? --Serie (talk) 11:20, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

The pressure is gradually equalized during approach and landing, which his why your ears pop: the pressure is changing. Thus, the plane will land with the pressure equal inside and out.--NeoNerd 14:59, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

For safety reasons, the internal pressure aboard the aircraft should be very nearly equal to the ambient external air pressure on landing. (This minimizes stress on the airframe, and also ensures that cabin doors can be opened quickly in the event of an accident.)

Passenger aircraft have controls that allow the pilot to set the nominal landing altitude; the aircraft environmental systems will maintain an appropriate pressure. Here are some pictures and descriptions of the controls and hardware from a 737. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:26, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril F-ing lavine

A few days ago, wiki had a vadalism on this page concerning avril lavine, for me, all that was displayed on this page was a picture of her, now, i am unable to see any picturwes on this site atall, wheather it be the globe puzzle logo, the featured article ect. I use mozzila fire box, if that info is needed, how can i revert this so that wiki is back to the way it should be? thanks Zionist —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.147.16 (talk) 11:56, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like you might have blocked images from Wikipedia. Check Tools/options/content/load images automatically/exceptions and any adblock add-ons you have installed. Algebraist 12:00, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Time difference between Great Britain & Cape Town, South Africa

Please advise the time difference between the above destinations. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.75.128.200 (talk) 13:49, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

At present, Great Britain is on Western European Summer Time (UTC+1), while Cape Town is on South African Standard Time (UTC+2), so Cape Town is one hour ahead. Algebraist 13:59, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Damn, just beaten to the answer... Lord Foppington (talk) 14:01, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I recommend this site for this kind of query. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:06, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I like this site for figuring world times. Useight (talk) 22:04, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Or they make clocks, personal organisers and possibly other gadgets that can also work it out, if you happen to be away from the internet at the time.HS7 (talk) 14:57, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Book recommendations.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could recommend several large collections (I think I'll need four, at least) of short books (preferably under fifty pages each). They have to be non-fiction, too. Thanks in advance, · AndonicO ^Engage. 15:09, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, but what exactly do you mean by "a collection of short books"? I'm a little confused. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:15, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

A collection of many books, all of them short. · AndonicO ^Engage. 15:24, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I understand that, but I'm having a hard time imagining what such a collection of books might consist of. But maybe I'm the only one for whom this doesn't make much sense. I'll shut up now. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:30, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

No, you're not the only one. I don't really understand what AndonicO is looking for either. A personal collection? A collection published in series? Maybe it would help if you gave us more info about what you need them for. —Angr 15:47, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I need to read over 40 non-fiction books this summer (a bet of sorts), but I don't want to slave away, so I'd rather read short books and get it over with rapidly. I figured a collection or series of books would probably be easier to find than 40+ individual ones. · AndonicO ^Engage. 15:59, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, if you're interested in languages, a publisher called LINCOM EUROPA has a series of descriptive grammars of over 400 languages. You could pick the 40 shortest of them (most are no more than 100 pages long). They're expensive, though, so I'd check them out of the library rather than buying them. —Angr 16:07, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

The length limit is going to be trouble. Depending on your definition of "book" you could try reading collections of work. For example "Kalahari Hunter-Gatherers; Studies of the !Kung San and Their Neighbors" (edited by Richard B. Lee and Irven DeVore) is some 436 pages long, but has more than a dozen papers in it; they're not technically separate books, but they are standalone works that have been published together simply to make for an easier book list for students. Find a few collections that interest you and away you go. To be honest, non-fiction books less than 50 pages long are more likely to be geared to younger readers (not that I know how old you are...). If that's not an issue, you could probably rattle off a dozen or so in an afternoon at the local library. Matt Deres (talk) 16:38, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, I was planning to go to the library to look for a particular set of books, but I guess it would be easier to look once there, as you say. Thanks, · AndonicO ^Engage. 17:06, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

The Bible has roughly 40 relatively short books. --Allen (talk) 18:54, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

But does it qualify as non-fiction? —Angr 18:55, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes; as our article puts it, non-fiction is "an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact". --Allen (talk) 20:49, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Some of the Encyclopaedia Britannica's (yes, yes, boo to them) Macropædia might qualify, depending on the terms of your agreement. Our article describes it as containing roughly 700 articles between 2 and 310 pages in length. Pick out your fifty favourite midsized topics. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:13, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Oxford University Press have a range called Very Short Introductions, each 100-150 small-format pages, on a variety of subjects. Easy to read, and you'll learn some good stuff along the way. Available in many libraries. See also their [website. Gwinva (talk) 21:29, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Excellent, thanks. :) · AndonicO ^Engage. 22:27, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Readers Digest has a line of condensed fiction books, also available second hand in thrift shops. Julia Rossi (talk) 00:57, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Non-fiction smells of textbook to me. "Outlines", "study brief" or the likes can usually be found if you look for a particular title. Check out these, just for an example [20] 71.236.23.111 (talk) 07:24, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh, they're non-fiction. Too bad you didn't make it a fun bet, Julia Rossi (talk) 13:03, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Non-Fiction books can be fun, too, if you choose the right ones. Maybe Andonico is approaching this from the wrong direction, maybe he shouldn't be looking for a collection of forty books (unless that is part of the bet), but for single suggestions for non-fiction books that are fun, easy to read, and that can be read in two or three days each if you put your mind to it. I bet we can come up with at least forty suggestions between all of us here :) I'll start off with Bryson's "The Mother Tongue" and "Brief history of almost everything", Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" and Danto's "The transfiguration of a commonplace". -- Ferkelparade π 13:53, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Ummm ... anything by Bill Bryson is a great read, but note that A Short History of Nearly Everything is over 500 pages long, and so may not meet AndonicO's criteria. I suspect that the title is ironic. Gandalf61 (talk) 14:22, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I'll throw in Nature, it's pretty short, and I did once in fact own a tiny pocket-paperback that consisted solely of Nature without any other essays included. The Penguin Lives Series Series would be a collection of relatively short books that can be read in a short time (though nowhere near 50 pages). This Herald Tribune article mentions the series in connection with a recent trend of publishing short nonfiction and it lists further examples. ---Sluzzelin talk 15:19, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Could you read large magazines instead of small books? And I'm quite sure you should be able to find old editions of them around somewhere, so you could quite easily read forty over a few weeks. And Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is rather shorter than everything else put together, which it is a history of.HS7 (talk) 15:52, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

What's Wrong With the ABC's

Good morning everyone. I had a strange curiosity last night as I sat in bed. How did our grades get the way they are today? By grades I mean A, B, C, D, and F. You know grades for school. Why isn't there an E? Because isn't it A, B, C, D, E, F. So, why did they exclude the E? Thank you for taking your time to answer my question. I appreciate it greatly. Have a positively wonderful morning.Rem Nightfall (talk) 16:43, 26 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Because they only wanted five categories and "F" for "Fail" was just too attractive? In any case, many school boards have abandoned the ABCDF system for either a bare number (87%), or gone in the opposite direction, with much more touchy-feely non-grades. When I was in elementary school, (20-30 years ago, in SW Ontario) it was E,G,S,N (excellent, good, satisfactory, needs improvement). Matt Deres (talk) 17:13, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh, and according to our extremely long article on Grade (education), many US schools use E. Man, there's an article that needs trimming... Matt Deres (talk) 17:16, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

They used that when I was in elementary school too (same place but slightly later), up to grade 5 or so (about 1990) but then changed back to ABCDE by the time I was in grade 7. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:38, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

When I attended public school (from age 7 to 18) in the US state of Michigan, we used E for a failing grade, and not F. Thomprod (talk) 18:04, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

That could also cause confusion, since in some grading systems, E is used for Excellent. Corvus cornix_talk 20:35, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

What makes me laugh is FA, since I've known that as a "Fail" grade (professional exams with P = pass, FA= Fail A (ie almost passed), FB= fail B (way off). Gwinva (talk) 21:51, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the time you took to answer my question. I appreciate it. To help I would be gladly willing to edit that article.Rem Nightfall (talk) 17:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

At Caltech, at least when I was there, "E" was a failing grade if you didn't do anything more (it would turn into an "F" eventually), but you had the opportunity to bring it up to a "D" by doing something extra (such as turning in late work or making up a test). A grade of "I", "incomplete", was similar, except that it could potentially be brought up to any grade, not just a "D".

At York University (the one in Toronto, not the one in England) when I taught there, if I recall correctly, "E" and "F" were both failing grades, but "E" was a slightly better failing grade. Just why this was thought to be useful, I'm not entirely sure. --Trovatore (talk) 22:08, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

In cases where the actual percent grade is not given or not used, it could be used by the student to gauge how close they came to a pass. That could come in handy when it comes to fighting for extra points on something or possibly retaking the course; a near-pass might encourage them to try again, while a definite F might encourage them to try their hand at pottery. :). When I switched to HS, we used the ABCDF system, but D was also a fail (less than 60%) similar to your E. F was less than 50%. Matt Deres (talk) 13:17, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

In my experience here in the U.S. through 11th grade in high school, the grades most often used are A, B, C, D, and E with + and - signs where needed.The Reader who Writes (talk) 00:12, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

My uncle, back in the seventies, had E's for both languages and still came in the top ten in the country due to extremely high marks for maths and science. E still exists in South Africa. E is from 50% to 59%. Sandman30s (talk) 13:28, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

In the United Kingdom on GCSE and A level exams, grades A to G are passes, N is nearly a pass and U is unclassified - ie, it was too low to receive any grade at all. Laïka 13:47, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

In fact, as you'll see from the article, A Levels are graded from A to E, with F for a fail. No Gs available.

And whilst an E at A Level or a G at GCSE are technically passes, it is widely considered that only grades of C or above count as passes, whatever the examining board may decree. 80.254.147.52 (talk) 14:15, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

In Scotland, Standard Grades are graded 1-8, where 1-6 are equally split into three sections, which are represented by three separate papers (you typically sit two of these papers); a 7 indicates that you completed the course, an 8 indicates that you did not. NQ exams (the higher level ones) are graded A-D, where D is a near-fail; for the sake of bureaucracy, there is also nominally an 'E' grade which indicates very poor performance in the exam and is represented as no award for that course. Grades A-D are also covered by 'bands' 1-6, where each grade is further divided into two bands (although you generally have to make a special request to receive your band; these aren't really used except, I believe, by Oxbridge to distinguish amongst their generally high-quality applicants). Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 16:49, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

In addition, if a report card were hand-written it would be relatively easy to bump one's grade up by adding an extra line to convert an 'F' into an 'E'. Daniel (‽) 15:23, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

orange peel box

I am interested in learning the process for making an orange peel jewelery box. I rec'd one from Brazil by someone named Regina Nunes. I can find sites where they are made in Argentina as well and were once made in Santa Barbara, California. It is an ancient art form.

What is the process ?

Thanking you a million times for your help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zenbakery (talk • contribs) 23:38, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Google spat out the following: [21] and

[22] "Make an orange peel box. The top sliced off becomes the lid. Soak the skins for several hours in water. Squeeze the peel until thin. Place around a mould and dry in the sun for several days. Add varnish. Other variations of this include orange peel baskets, wreaths and votive candle holders. Make an orange peel bird feeder ...."Lisa4edit (talk) 21:15, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

May 27

Missing Monsters

Things like bigfoot, the skunk ape, and sasquatch, if they live in the USA, why don't the Pentagon and Congress get involved? JeanLatore (talk) 01:42, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Why would they? Nobody has even been able to prove that they exist, so it's a moot point. Dismas|^(talk) 02:51, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Or a moo point, as Joey would say 125.21.243.66 (talk) 06:24, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Even if they do exist, they don't seem to be causing any threat to national security. Why would the Pentagon care about some extremely rare primate?

Perhaps if they could be proved to exist the Bureau of Fish and Wildlife would be interested in protecting them as an endangered species? APL (talk) 13:02, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Unless they all vote for Ralph Nader to secure their biotope they will cryptically but zoologically survive, as they have done for millennia on the remote Island of woMan. I believe that the US census sheets have no checkboxes for ethnicities of skunk simians, even if the current president... However, I seem to digress. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:18, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Haven't you ever seen The_X-Files? The Pentagon have been involved for years! Mike 87.113.106.125 (talk) 18:32, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Good evening sir or madam. Creatures such as Bigfoot and Chucabra(spelled wrong I think) I believe are part of town folk hoaxes. To get more tourist or something like that. At least that is what I've heard from articles and documentaries. Now I don't believe them. I watched maybe a little to much science fiction, but I believe they are real and the government is hiding them in Area 51. Just like I don't believe Area 51 is really testing new planes out like they say. I think the planes are decoy for what is underneath. Like I said don't take my word to much science fiction. Have a positively wonderful evening. I hope I have at least entertained you and helped maybe just a little. Cause life like that needs a little imagination. :) Rem Nightfall (talk) 01:21, 28 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

last will and testaments

How do I get a copy of my great uncles last will and testament from 1967 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.3.165.17 (talk) 01:59, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Ask a lawyer. --hydnjo talk 02:42, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

If you are in the UK your local Probate Office may be a good starting point. They do nothing but checking the validity and execution of wills. Richard Avery (talk) 16:05, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Book of stories printed on cardboard - history

I have in front of me a book entitled "ADVENTURE CALLING! Action on Land and Sea, 18 complete stories". This book was printed by the Johnston Cardboard Box Co of Auckland, New Zealand.

My query is not only do I not know what year it was printed (I am assuming sometime WWII-ish), but also I was wondering if there is any history about the company available. Having searched the net quite extensively, I can't find any cardboard box company that did any book printing during the 1940's/1950's.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Cheers

Twyla Burt (Second Hand Book Dealer in Napier, New Zealand) email address removed —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.101.45.166 (talk) 04:57, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I've removed the email address; it is not advisable to display your email address on these pages. Moreover, we supply answers on this page, and do not reply personally. If you wish to have email options, then you can always set up an account. Gwinva (talk) 05:13, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Many older books were published without a date. The abbreviation n.d. (no date) was invented specifically to indicate this in citations. Unfortunately the Internet has relatively little information about defunct companies. I suggest you trawl the local history archives in Auckland library, or give them a call.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:35, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I second that, the Auckland Research Centre at the Central Library is very good, they may have info on the publications of the company, they certainly have business directories from the period that would show address, period of operation and perhaps more info on the company or its advertisements Mhicaoidh (talk) 09:34, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Passenger Car Tyres

I want to know the height of the threads of a brand new passenger car tyre —Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.92.119.178 (talk) 06:46, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I think what you might be looking for is a "tread depth gauge". Like this one, for example [23]. If you don't want to go to the trouble of buying a gadget, you can also DIY a makeshift gauge. If you are talking of the actual thickness of the rubber tread, asking the tire manufacturer would be your best bet. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 07:33, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Different cars have different 'profile' tyres, which will also alter the amount of tread they have. The depth of the tread will vary from tyre model to tyre model but according to this site usually new tyres are around 9mm in depth, while the minimum level for road-use is 1.6mm (in the UK) http://www.tyres-online.co.uk/techinfo/tread_depth.asp 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:10, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Since you're asking about brand new tires, it should be easy to get the answer. The initial tread depth is a standard tire specification. It should be listed on the manufacturer's web site (wherever they keep the detailed specs), or on a good retailer's web site (like Tire Rack). Here in the U.S., tread depth is usually quoted in units of 1/32 of an inch. (And 1.6mm, as cited by the IP above, is 2/32 inch, exactly the legal limit in many U.S. states.) -- Coneslayer (talk) 12:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Question

What's the name of that fuzzy/baggy feeling that your leg gets if you sit at a computer for too long? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 08:03, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Pins and needles, I call it, although that link is a redirect to the proper medical term. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 08:39, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Paresthesia or "heavy legs" or "circulation to the leg cut-off". When describing the situation to someone else, one might say "My leg fell asleep." --71.236.23.111 (talk) 08:51, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Formication maybe? Or the feeling of insects crawling on the skin. WTucker (talk) 17:50, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

>The cat? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 22:35, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

That explains the "pins and needles" effect very nicely. Reinforced feline service request! --71.236.23.111 (talk) 23:43, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

An environmental studies related question

Why were the nilgiris in South India selected by the government to be the first National Bioreserve? 220.224.98.54 (Talk)

The article The Nilgiris District gives a few reasons as to why they would have chosen the area, particularly in terms of its flora and fauna. Fribbler (talk) 20:04, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Hold water

Could the hypothesis that the Count of St. Germain, Napoleon, and hitler are all the same person. Furthermore, has anyone written such a book, or any book, fact or fiction, that proposes that various people in history were in fact the same person? Thanks 82.3.147.16 (talk) 16:58, 27 May 2008 (UTC)Zionist

I suppose that reincarnation would let you advance that thesis, though you shouldn't expect to be taken at all seriously. As for the book, throwing in "fact or fiction" made me chuckle. There's a knuckleheaded book about nearly anything you care to imagine, and this is probably no different. — Lomn 17:59, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes but Lomm, if you read count of Saint Germain or wandering Jew you will see why i wish to make this conection without reincarnation —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.147.16 (talk) 18:09, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

You're right, I should have read more carefully. Napoleon and the Count lived concurrently, so it's definitely a load of hogwash. — Lomn 21:13, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

The death of Napoleon is pretty well attested, and his body still around. It's hard to come up with a plausible scenario that allowed him to be also Hitler, even if old-age wasn't an issue. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:10, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Hitler falls quite a bit short of Napoleon's military genius. Plus if former had been the reincarnation of the latter, you'd think he'd remember his prior venture into Russia. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:50, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Chevrolet Blazer auto repair

I have an '94 S10 Chevy Blazer 4 wheel drive and I need to replace the speedometer cable. I cannot find where the cable attaches to the transmission. Can you help?68.22.255.4 (talk) 17:19, 27 May 2008 (UTC)Ray

My suggestion would be to get a factory service manual. They cover everything as far as maintenance is concerned. They run about $100+. If you don't feel like spending that much, I'd try either a Haynes or Chiltons manual which you can pick up at most any auto parts store for about $10. They may even be available at your local library, depending on the size of the library of course... Dismas|^(talk) 18:01, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Naive question: has this vehicle definitely got a speedometer cable? 1994 is already into the period where mechanically-driven speedometers were becoming passe; my 1991 Audi 200 TQ already had an electronically-driven speedometer. One clue that the drive isn't mechanical is that the speedometer (and odometer) will still give you a valid reading when you are driving in reverse gear.

Atlant (talk) 18:05, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

This link which describes how to change the clutch on a '97 S10 mentions removing the cable. So it's probable that the '94 has one as well. Dismas|^(talk) 18:43, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Blind the Facts

Good day gents and ladies. I have a curious thought itching at my toes. Its about blindness. I've read the article blindness first to see if my curiosity would be cured, but it wasn't. Why do those who suffer from blindness have their eyes closed? Do all of those who suffer from blindness have their eyes closed? Thank you for taking your time to answer my question. I greatly appreciate it. I hope you have wonderfully joyful and positive day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 21:04, 27 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Nope. A blind friend of mine keeps his open for social purposes, but says that the natural tendency goes toward closed. There are some that have lost the ability in the course of what caused their blindness, though. --Lisa4edit (talk) 21:23, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you. I would like to ask, why is that the natural tendency toward close?Rem Nightfall (talk) 22:06, 27 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

I'd assume it's simply because keeping the eye open requires muscle tension to pull the eyelid up. If you let the levator palpebrae superioris muscle relax (and if you're completely blind, there's little to remind you not to), the eyelid falls down. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 00:56, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

• Blind persons tend to close their eyelids.
• Popes tend to have their fly zipped up.
• The reason is identical: They can´t deploy the organ for its natural purpose.
• The difference seems to be that popes don´t wear trousers, but as this was not part of the question, it qualifies as a bonus morsel from the collected wisdom of the reference desk. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 23:32, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm not following your answer Cookatoo. I understand it, but with the bits of pope jokes I'm not following it very well. Is there a better way of answering the question without pope jokes? Even so why does it happen?Rem Nightfall (talk) 00:39, 28 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

If an organ, for whatever reason, is dysfunctional it - and the associated cerebral infrastructure - atrophies. The brain does not service millions of neurons which are dormant. This applies, inter alia, to the organs of reproduction after menopause.

My papal simile was simply a hyperbolic tool. I apologise for any irritation it may have caused.

May the night not fall on you, Rem. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 01:10, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

A closed eye is less likely to get dry and itch. —Tamfang (talk) 07:18, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the clearing that up. Now I understand some more. It didn't cause me any irritation I mind you. I was merely confused. You'll find that I am a good natured person it takes me a very long time to get me irritated. And my name is like a person name. :) Though I enjoy May the night not fall on you. Rem is the first name and Nightfall is the last name. Its my pen name when I write my comics, of course comics are for hobby =D Rem Nightfall (talk) 01:16, 28 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

bamboo

I was given a bamboo plant for mothers day and I would like to replant it in a different pot how do I do this. what potting soil do I use or someone told me just rock and water. help! wizardsmom —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wizardsmom (talk • contribs) 21:33, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Here is a short little article on growing bamboo indoors. [24]. hope this helps --Nick910 (talk) 21:51, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Did you get real bamboo or lucky bamboo? If you got lucky bamboo, then water and marbles in a vase/jar would be the way to go. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 02:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Wood Burning Vehicle

Is there a vehicle or ever been a vehicle that uses wood as fuel besides steam engines? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 22:25, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Steam cars & steamboats (assuming that by steam engines, you mean steam railway locomotives). And they normally use coal, presumably because its energy density exceeds that of wood. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:27, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

This article is about a Serbian man who converted his Yugo to run on the gas produced from partial combustion of wood. Fribbler (talk) 22:42, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

We also have an article on wood gas generators. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:08, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Loans

When one takes out a loan online, you usually have to select an option from a "purpose" form. If one receives the loan and later decides to use it for a different purpose, is this illegal? Do banks follow up on such things? (I took one out for a car, but I realised I'd rather spend the money on doing up the house...) 86.137.57.37 (talk) 22:58, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

You should check then terms of the loan. Whether criminal or not, the lender could perhaps have cause for a civil suit. --Nricardo (talk) 00:17, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. It is not a question of legal/illegal in a criminal sense, it is a question of whether you are honouring the terms of the contract between you and the lender. You should check the terms and conditions of the loan and, if in any doubt, ask the lender. The purpose of the loan is often a factor in determining how much a lender will lend to you and at what rate. An application for an unsercured loan is more likely to be successful if you intend to use the money to purchase a specific transferrable asset. This is because if you default, it is easier for the lender to repossses your new car than to repossess your Caribbean cruise. Using the loan for different purpose than the one you declared without letting the lender know could be construed as withholding material information. Even if you have good reasons for changing your mind, this could still lead to the lender increasing your interest rate or withdrawing the loan completely if it came to light. Gandalf61 (talk) 15:16, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Original research: when I recently completed paperwork for a loan, said paperwork included signing a statement acknowledging that the FBI investigates and prosecutes mortgage fraud. I would not consider it safe to assume that what you've suggested is not a criminal matter. Rather, consult with a mortgage professional and ask. Learning whether or not such behavior is grounds for trouble is certainly not prohibited behavior. — Lomn 19:36, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

May 28

I don't understand this

I'm Muslim and I read this Wikipedia article about halal. It says that "It is estimated that 70% of Muslims worldwide follow Halal standards". This is confusing me because I know that I have to keep halal. I don't understand it. Should I believe it. What should I choose to follow? Note: I'm not asking for legal advice and please don't tell me this is legal advice. Thank you. Jet (talk) 03:58, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

"Should I believe it?" isn't really applicable to halal; that's not a matter of faith. As for your obligations as a Muslim, perhaps you should talk with people at your local mosque. As for legal advice, your user page suggests you're in the US, where the First Amendment guarantees that this is not a legal issue. Secularly speaking, observing halal standards is entirely a matter of personal preference. — Lomn 04:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you mean should you believe it from a religious/ethical standpoint or do you mean, "is it credible?" Theshibboleth (talk) 05:42, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

As with all religions there are people who practice at varying degrees and levels of discipline. The question is a matter of personal choice as Lomn says. The article refers to the fact that Halal is something that is practiced by a large percentage of the muslim population. That doesn't mean you have to (or don't have to) follow halal, it means that across the many variants of your religion there are sects that follow halal and those that don't. It's down to an individual to decide whether or not they believe it is fundamental to being a muslim. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:00, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

There may not be any entire sects that don't follow halal; it may just be that 30% of people who identify as Muslims are not actually religious enough to follow halal. I remember a friend of mine from Indonesia telling me about his very secular father who decided one year to fast for Ramadan – then told the family's cook to make him pork chops after the sun went down. —Angr 17:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

college gpa

How important is your college GPA? Does it have major effect on getting jobs later in life or is it usually sufficient to have graduated from a good school? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.114.222.188 (talk) 06:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I've never known any employer to ask anyone what their GPA was. Nor have I even heard of it happening... Dismas|^(talk) 06:56, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, it definitely has some effect on admission to grad school, and that in turn has an effect on employment later. But supposedly your letters are more important even for that. Free advice, offered as is with no warranty: Don't blow off grades, they do matter somewhat, but also don't duck hard but rewarding classes just to try to be valedictorian, and focus more on understanding the material than on memorizing stuff that might get you an extra two points on the next test. All of which may be out the window if you're trying to get into a first-professional-degree program like med school or law school -- I have a generally low opinion of those programs, but if that's the way you want to go then I guess you have to jump through their hoops, whatever they are, which I wouldn't really know. --Trovatore (talk) 07:39, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

When I hire people fresh from college I do look at their GPA, but that's only part of the picture. It can be a smudge on the record or a gleam of sparkle or it can indicate an upward or downward trend. (And yes, it does contribute to the decision where in the payscale you end up :-$) Later on it's only interesting if it indicates some general good/bad work habits. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 08:49, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

What employers mainly look for is: experience, experience, experience. Not your GPA; not whether you went to a fancy college; certainly not whether you were president of the Glee Club in high school. They want to know what you've done and how good of an employee you were. It's amusing how I see so many young people freaking out over things like whether they're going to make National Honors Society in high school or whether they're going to get into a particular college. The wealthiest person I've ever met -- one of the wealthiest in the world -- is a dropout from an unpretentious public university. Another super-wealthy person I met has nothing but a bachelor's degree from Kent State University, which was, when I was in school, considered bottom of the barrel by snobby kids in the Cleveland suburbs. I admit that graduating magna cum laude from Harvard gives you a good start, but it's really all about how you perform on the job. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 21:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Water bottle design

This may very well be one of the most pointless questions this Ref desk has seen but here it goes anyway... I have a water bottle, basically a Nalgene bottle but not made by the Nalgene company, which holds about a liter. The bottle is just under 4" in diameter and the mouth of the bottle is just under 2" in dia. The part that I don't understand and I've not been able to figure any reasonable explanation for is the fact that there is a small lip on the interior of the bottle that won't allow all the liquid to flow out. You can turn the bottle upside down and this lip around the interior edge of the mouth of the bottle will keep the last little bit, about two tablespoons, from pouring out. Why would someone design a bottle like this? What's the point? Dismas|^(talk) 06:53, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Without seeing the bottle to understand whether it might perform a useful duty I would assume that the design-flaw is a result of either the manufacturing process or stability/rigidity. The difficulty with designing a product is as much in making a machine-manufacturable/mass-producable design as it is in making something that is fit for purpose. I understand the grooves you see in plastic milk-bottles (you know the ones that seem pointless) are to do with increasing the rigidity of the plastic, and you can often spot the seam/place where machinery picks-up/holds products during the manufacturing process on low-cost items as the cost of overcoming the issue v aesthetic improvement is probably not worthwhile. Anyhoo if you could find an image of it someone might be able to offer a more reasoned explanation, but my gut reaction would be that it is due to manufacturing or structural reasons. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 07:54, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I think it is supposed to hold last bits of drink, thus making you buy it more. 89.236.214.174 (talk) 08:19, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Hardly realistic though is it? You buy a 500ml bottle and get 498ml, the 2ml it holds back is not going to make you purchase another bottle. It's not like say a marmalade where getting the last bit out will make it last another week and so slow re-buying, it's a full-use in one-sitting item. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:26, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

If it's one with a screw top then the inner lip will help seal the lid . If you turn over the lid you'll probably find a ridge inside about 2mm or so from where the top meets the side. If you look at your bottle the bulge on top (including the inner lip) will snugly fit into that space. In short the lip will help keep your drink in the bottle when the lid is on and you turn it upside down. Otherwise I'd go with 194. we'd have to see it. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 08:41, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm about to leave work so I'll get pics when I get home. I'd just like to note right now though, the bottle is reusable. I didn't buy it with anything in it. I refill it at home with juice for my breaktime at work. Dismas|^(talk) 10:54, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for the delay. This should work for pics... [25] [26]. You can see the lip on the interior of the bottle in the second pic. It's a smooth lip. Dismas|^(talk) 21:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you not have manual focus? Nice ceiling, shame about the bottle detail :(. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:38, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I think Dismas entered the wrong URL, try this one. It's still out of focus but I can make out a 2 inch diameter cylinder internal to the bottle. I guess it is a half inch lip, such that the liquid retained would be a cylinder of liquid 4 inches in diameter and half inch depth (minus the 2 inch cylinder that woul pour out). -84user (talk) 21:51, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, sorry about the focus. It's a simple point and shoot that I won in a raffle. So, what's the point of the lip? Dismas|^(talk) 21:58, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

No idea about the lip, except that it indeed looks like just plain stupid design. Maybe they expect you to use a straw or something? As for the photos, looks like the bottle was closer than the camera's minimum focus distance. Does it have a macro mode? (Look for a flower symbol or something like that.) If not, you'll just have to make sure not to put your camera too close to the thing you're photographing. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 22:33, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

(outdent) Here are some better pics. I went out on my porch for some natural light and used the macro function. Also found a wasp nest that I didn't know about... anyway... Pics: [27] and [28]. In the second pic, you can see a drop forming on the inner lip. Dismas|^(talk) 22:42, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

OK, nobody's suggested this yet, so here goes...

Suppose you put something in the bottle that's not 100% liquid, like coffee with grounds, cocoa from mix that hasn't all dissolved and reappears at the bottom of your cup, or even an old red wine with a few lingering bits of grapeskin. You don't really want to pour the solids into your drinking utensil, you need a form of decanting, which said lip provides exactly, yes?

-- Danh, 63.231.153.176 (talk) 23:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

It looks as if the neck and the body of the bottle have been formed in separate pieces, which makes sense since they're different kinds of plastic (black vs. transparent; no idea if there's any other difference). Probably they didn't have a way of reliably attaching the body to the very base of the neck piece, so they had to leave part of the neck inside the bottle, forming the lip. It almost looks as if the neck might be two pieces screwed together. If you took the top off, grabbed the neck and twisted, they might come apart. (Just don't twist so hard you'll break it.) —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:35, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Isn't it not Ironic?

In Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic", she sings about things that do not appear to actually be irony at all, like a 98 year old man dying the day after he wins the lottery. Thats not ironic, its just bad luck. Irony is the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention. Has anyone told her this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Copy of a copy cat (talk • contribs) 08:50, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at Ironic (song)#Linguistic usage disputes Think outside the box 09:09, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

And Ed Byrne SGGH ^speak! 09:55, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Off topic, but your definition of irony is exactly the same as the one Bender sings in The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings :) Think outside the box 11:09, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Killing and getting rids of fleas from your home- from cats and dogs.

Please help me. I have tried flea flogger, exterminator, and oil of eucalyptus. I ma a kidney diayysis patients and I need to find a cure to get rid of fleas. Please help. Send help to -email removed-. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.252.25 (talk) 10:52, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

See if you can find Neem oil or order online. Put the oil in a spray bottle and apply. You can also get the pressed out kernels/seeds (sorry I don't know which it actually is. They're like the press cake only they're not stuck together.) Sprinkle those on carpet and along baseboards and in places outside where your pets pick up fleas. The smell takes some getting used to!! You can cover it up some with lavender or mint but it is strong. Some also say that dusting with baking soda works, but I have no data to confirm that. Comb your pets with a flea comb [29] every day in a tub and flush the fleas. Good luck. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 15:47, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

We had a cat which suffered badly from Flea Allergy Dermatitis, and needed to eradicate fleas effectively from both cats and our home to prevent her being ill. Our vet recommended treating both cats monthly with an insecticide containing Fipronil (we used Frontline Spot On Cat, but I believe other brands are commercially available). It works by disrupting the fleas' central nervous system, poisoning them whenever they bite the cat and preventing them from reproducing before they die. The reproductive cycle is broken and over time the infestation dies out. There can be side-effects for a small number of animals, but we observed none ourselves and the cats remain healthy and flea-free with no residual population in the house that we have noticed. With the other treatments suggested by 71.236 above to attack the existing flea population, this may be effective for you. The Fipronil is administered in drop form on the back of the cat's neck once a month. Because Wikipedia cannot give medical advice you should check with your doctor as to whether Fipronil use on your own pets is appropriate in view of your medical circumstances, and whether you would need to take any special precautions around the animals immediately after treatment. -- Karenjc 19:05, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Eskimo

There is a legend that tells that some eskimos get rid off their old-aged parents sending them to the seas on a piece of ice. I think it's just a myth, but is it? 89.236.214.174 (talk) 12:22, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

From the article Inuit : "A pervasive European myth about Inuit is that they killed elderly and unproductive people." This is not generally true. In a culture with an oral history, elders are the keepers of communal knowledge, effectively the community library, and there are cultural taboos against sacrificing elders because they are of extreme value as the repository of knowledge. Fribbler (talk) 12:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

The people still exist and they do not commit senilicide now. There are certainly legends that, in times when the Inuit did not have the resources of the rich South and modern governments to call on, that adults did let elders die, or that elders chose to die in order to free the group of the burden of caring for them. (Cf the British polar expedition in 1912: Captain Lawrence Oates committed suicide, saying, "I'm going outside, and I may be some time" and walked into a snowstorm; his leader said after his death that it was the act of a brave man and a gentleman.)

The idea of the noble savage in relation to the abandonment of elders is discussed here: [30]

Text from Aging and Ethics: Philosophical Problems in Gerontology By Nancy Ann Silbergeld Jecker

The ice-floe legend you refer to may have come from here:

"There is no evidence to support claims that they were sent to sea on an ice-float, and this seems unlikely, as it would be logistically difficult—imagine trying to pull an existent ice-float in to shore, or to create a new icefloat by cracking it away from the ice on the seaside…without accidentally cracking off the wrong section. This popular conception probably originated with the popular work of literary fiction, Top of the World (1950), or the 1959 film adaptation, The Savage Innocents." [31]

Inuit did have a tradition of executing an individual who threatened the safety of the community: Harsh Justice

BrainyBabe (talk) 17:10, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

As a boy I read a book by Peter Freuchen which as I recall described elderly Inuits going out to freeze when they were no longer useful. Not sure which of his books it was. Edison (talk) 19:41, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Watch Type

On this page, there is a photo (4th row down, 2nd across) of a gentleman wearing a watch that looks like a bracelet. What is this watch called? Who makes it? I cannot find it on eBay. Any help would be most appreciated. --Endless Dan 13:21, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

List of Stubs for category tree

I want to get a list of the stubs for all categories under 'Biology' (and also Bacteriology and Physics) for he purposes of using these lists to evaluate a list extracted from an ebook. This is for evaluating some rsearch I am doing for my PhD in computational linguistics. trying to access the category pages directly from a program doesn't work as it is not a browser. Downloading the Biology pages is not what I need, just the list of stubs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DDLing (talk • contribs) 13:49, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Start here: [32]. I /think/ this is the best list of stubs page. You might also have a word with the people who run the stub sorting project, since they're most likely to know where other stubs might be found. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:11, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Endonym map?

A previous question referring to exonyms and endonyms piqued my curiosity: Does anyone know of a map or atlas published entirely with endonyms? It may not be very practical to speakers of a single language, but it would be interesting to see. Thank you. — Michael J 14:05, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Maps of Switzerland often give the name in the regional language(s). German Zürich (not Zurich, Zurigo, or Turitg), French Genève (not Genf, Ginevra, or Genevra), Italian Ticino (not Tessin) etc. In bilingual towns or regions, both varieties are given (e.g: "Biel/Bienne", "Ilanz/Glion" etc.) I'm assuming the same applies to some other countries with multiple official languages (Belgium, Canada, South Africa, ...). I can't remember whether I've ever seen an entire world map printed in this style though. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:37, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Google Earth (mine, anyway) shows city endonyms with the english term in brackets (and un-ticking "alternate place names" even gets rid of the english names). Doesn't show country names at all though. Fribbler (talk) 14:48, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

European road atlases are very often published entirely with endonyms, including untransliterated Greek and Cyrillic. Atlases that also show parts of the Mideast and North Africa, though, generally do transliterate Hebrew and Arabic. —Angr 15:06, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry I can't give you a name or store to try, but I can at least tell you that maps of the kind you want do exist. I had a wall poster at university that showed all of Europe and some of North Africa and the Near East, all in local endonyms. It was not very detailed, though. Matt Deres (talk) 16:34, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I have an atlas that does a fairly good job of this, showing place names in both regular English form and various local forms, with a system of transliteration or transcription for non-latin alphabets. Unfortuantely out of print, it is Rand McNally's "Illustrated Atlas of the World", 1992, revised 1994, ISBN 0-528-83492-4. For example the map of the Baltic Region shows several names for the Baltic Sea, each located near the country in which that name is used, including Östersjön/Itämeri/Baltijskoje More, Balti Meri, Baltijas Jura, Baltijos Jura, and Morze Baltyckie (I'm not sure how to type a couple of the diacritics used -- a horizontal line over a u and a slash through an l). Egypt is shown as Misr (with a diacritic squiggle under the s), the Persian Gulf as Khalij-e Fars / Al-Khalij al-'Arabi (with several diacritics in there). The Sea of Japan is "Japonskoje More / Tong-hae / Nippon-kai". And so on. I haven't seen another atlas that does this. It's too bad this one is out of print because it is pretty nifty. Pfly (talk) 21:52, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Perhaps I will attempt to construct a moderate scale world map entirely with endonyms. I may even place it as an image on the exonym and endonym article. — Michael J 17:47, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Which boss wrote a compassionate email immeidately after 9/11?

I post this here becasue I can't see that Wikiquotes has a ref desk. A beautifully worded email circulated in the days after 9/11. I think it was written by a high-up corporate type (a woman in publishing, maybe?) to all the company's employees. The email said, there are more important things than your job. If you need to skip some meetings to spend time with people you love, go ahead. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Who was she and what has happened to her? Is the text available? I know it's not much to go on. Thanks BrainyBabe (talk) 16:36, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Alot of these are well-meaning hoaxes/mis-attributions. Take a look over at snopes.com. They critique a lot of well circulated emails, especially of this variety. Fribbler (talk) 16:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Is a penny saved a penny lost?

I've noticed that my school cafeteria has an interesting sort of informal change policy: if you don't have the correct change to pay for something whose price ends in one or two cents, they round down the price to the nearest five or ten cents. (On one occasion, they even rounded a $1:20 item down to one dollar, when I didn't have any change.) However, I've never been shorted any change at the cafeteria. I have two questions about this:

-Firstly, is it at all illegal? -Secondly, is it possible for a business to lose a substantial amount of money by rounding down prices now and then? 207.233.87.236 (talk) 17:33, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

No it is not illegal. Yes, it is possible to lose money, but it is as likely that a) there's enough headroom in the pricing to cope with it and b) it may pay back by encouraging those with 0.7% less than the purchase price to buy anyway. Assuming profit on the item is greater than 0.7%, then profit is still made. --Tagishsimon (talk) 17:46, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

And depending on the purchase volume per day it amounts to very little, potentially as much as is miscounted/lost anyway. I used to work retail and at the end of the day you counted up your box and compared it with your receipts, and you were usually off a bit, anything in the range of a few dollars or so was normal. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:56, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

You only get such prices if you adopt the usual policy in the USA of displaying prices without the sales tax added on ... so $1.99 + 7% tax = $2.13 and the checkout operator might round down to $2.10 or even $2.00. In Europe (and most other countries?), sales tax is already included in the price displayed ... so €1.99 already includes the tax, and there's no potential to round down at the checkout. Astronaut (talk) 22:33, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about "most other countries", but in Canada it's never done that way, and in some provinces it's actually against consumer protection laws. I suspect that's because some shady characters double-dipped on the tax by advertising the post-tax price, then adding tax at the till again and pocketing the difference. Tax can also vary depending on who's buying - tourists, status Indians living on reserves, and other government agencies don't always pay sales tax. --NellieBly (talk) 03:20, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Whereas in most European, Australia and NZ, advertising the GST/VAT exclusive price is likely to be against consumer protection laws, unless it's made abundantly clear. Also, in countries without 1 cents or even 5 cent coins, stores don't always round down. In NZ for example they used to round 1, 2 cents down; 3, 4 cents up when they had 5 cents. (This is often called Swedish rounding). Now without 5 cents, they round 1-4 down, 5-9 up. This isn't in law thought, it simply recommended (enforced?) by the retailers federation, a store is free to round however they want e.g. always round down, always round up, although they have to make it clear what method they use particularly I suspect if it differs from the norm (if they always round down I presume it doesn't matter). Of course, since the vast majority of transactions are probably not cash, no rounding usually occurs. (And yes, most items are still advertised as .99, .49 etc) Nil Einne (talk) 15:27, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Canada, as in many things, follows the US policy on this. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:43, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

In Wisconsin, a merchant may either state prices with or without the sales taxes. If prices as stated include the tax (vending machines, for example), that fact must be clearly advertised (presumably to avoid the kind of double-dipping NellieBly references). --Orange Mike | Talk 16:48, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

gasoline in diesel engine

what happens when you run gasoline in a diesel engine? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Evant1129 (talk • contribs) 18:21, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdieselvsgas.html --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:28, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, this, this and this might help. Anonymous101 (talk) 18:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

parapsychological contact

Moved here from WP:New contributors' help page

Please fill in the subject box above, then replace this text with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. 216.174.242.140 (talk) 17:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC) name jerry l capps recently i was contacted by several mediums and several psychics around the world all the big names as in biggest such as anthony carr lee moorehead etc my question is this i have been told by one ri--research in brooklyn that there is a thing called beyonders and i have the ability to heal people by touch how real is this my name is jerry l capps thank you am baffled at such things

(Removed personal contact info) Hi Jerry: we answer questions here rather than individually by email or other means, and contact details should not be added to Wikipedia for reasons of personal security. -- Karenjc 17:47, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I've done some Googling on the specifics of your question. "The Beyonders" refers, among other things, to the nickname of an amateur nonprofit paranormal investigation group based in Michigan; a couple of bands; and a fictional race of beings in the Marvel Comics universe. I cannot find anything linking the phrase to supernatural healing abilities, although I may not have looked hard enough. As for the existence of psychic healing abilities and the effectiveness or otherwise of such methods, this is a matter of opinion: see our article on Faith healing for discussion and further references. You do not state whether the people who have contacted you are asking for anything, and Wikipedia does not give legal advice, but before entering into any important legal or financial commitment it would be sensible to consult a professional advisor. -- Karenjc 18:12, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

book

Who is the author of Goldielocks and the three bears —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.171.129.69 (talk) 20:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

According to The Three Bears, it was composed by Robert Southey. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 20:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Or, rather, first published as a Southey composition, but possibly based on older tellings ... and I'm with Byron on Southey: You, Bob! are rather insolent, you know, / At being disappointed in your wish / To supersede all warblers here below, / And be the only Blackbird in the dish. I'm sure Bob didn't claim it as his own, and neither should we. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

T-shirt

Hello, I'm a 24 year old guy in the U.S. Do you think I could get away with wearing this shirt without getting laughter or weird looks? The one I have is size XL (14/16) so it fits me fine. 76.8.208.24 (talk) 20:45, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Depends where you wear it. To a Pokemon convention, no problem. I wouldn't recommend wearing it to a wedding, funeral, or job interview though. —Angr 21:13, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

There's a bloke in my neighborhood (or was, I haven't seen him a year or two) with batwings tattooed around his eyes, and that's just the start ... I saw him once in the Kwik-E-Mart wearing Pikachu slippers. You never know about people! —Tamfang (talk) 07:34, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Unless it's a job interview for Nintendo or The Pokémon Company perhaps. And if it's your funeral, feel free to specify that you want to be buried in a Pokemon shirt in your will. And if it'd your wedding and your spouse agrees Nil Einne (talk) 15:18, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Haven't you asked this almost exact same question before? The answer then, as well as now, is sure, you could wear it, and it would look just as silly as some of the other silly t-shirts people wear. I don't think most people would notice or care very much about what you wear, in most cases, special situations (such as those mentioned above) as the exception. In any case, to some degree the deliberate embrace of kitsch can be considered "hip", though you have to realize it is kitsch before that can be the case. If you're doing it earnestly, that's never hip. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:25, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it was asked before. Dismas|^(talk) 21:31, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

This reminds me of the time I bought a T-shirt with a picture of George W. Bush with the text "International Terrorist" from an online store. I did it because I had heard of some American guy that had got expelled from school solely for wearing such a T-shirt, so I felt I just had to get one for myself. When I wore it to the World Bodypainting Festival 2007, no less than three people asked me to pose for a photograph for them. JIP | Talk 21:39, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Ball-thingies on shoes

Do those nice-looking ornamental ball-thingies found on women's high-heeled shoes at the top edge of the shoe have a name? JIP | Talk 21:16, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

?pom pom like [[33]], [34], [35] or would you have an image as to what you mean.--71.236.23.111 (talk) 22:48, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Bots

I would like to know, how do you make your wikipedia bots that can clean up vandalism and the like? I would like to do this on a wiki I am currently a member of and would appreciate it if you told me ow. Any help is grealy appreciated :) --Seablue254 (talk) 22:51, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm no expert on computer programming, so I wouldn't know how to program one from scratch. ClueBot is one of the best anti-vandal bots on Wikipedia, and it is open source. One should simply be able to copy the source and run it on any wiki. For future reference, questions about how Wikipedia works should go on the Help desk, not the reference desk. I hope this helps. Paragon12321 (talk) 01:55, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at the Wikipedia:Bot policy page. Note that all bots must be approved before use. - Akamad (talk) 10:05, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

We have a page on creating a bot. --Milkbreath (talk) 10:23, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Darn. Way for me to miss the obvious. Sorry guys! Thanks for your help! --Seablue254 (talk) 19:24, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

May 29

Paypal and payoneer

I want to transfer money from my paypal account to payoneer What can I do? 217.168.0.4 (talk) 03:41, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Yahoo answers had a go at a similar question. Fribbler (talk) 14:34, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Homeroom

What are the chances of there being only one female homeroom teacher in a year level at a particular school? What are the chances of there being no female homeroom teachers in a year level at that school? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 06:24, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

One could do a statistical analysis based on the number of teachers and the observation that (approximately) half of the human race is female, and use something like a binomial distribution table at p=0.5 . But this would be correct only as an exercise in statistical methods - it makes the fundamental assumption that the probability of being a teacher and the probability of being female are independent, and I don't think this is a reliable assumption. You'd need real-world data (from surveys etc) on the proportion of male and female teachers - at that particular year level, since in the UK at least it seems that teachers of younger children are more likely to be female. Getting that data would be the hardest part of the task; once you have it you can use tables or whatever to find the probability of a particular number as you asked. I'll let someone else explain that bit (binomial or an appropriate approximation for larger numbers) as my A level stats course was a very long time ago :-) 81.187.153.189 (talk) 07:41, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

There's a huge number of extra variables here which would affect the probability. For example my high school had only one female homeroom teacher in the entire school (around forty teachers). My grade school had only one male teacher. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:38, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Try an all boys school or a quran school to get better odds.--71.236.23.111 (talk) 19:26, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Career

Is it possible to become a computer software engineer before becoming an animator? Aanusha Ghosh (talk) 08:13, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Simple answer: Of course. It's not like one prevents the other from happening? It's easier to move through branches/major careers if you can find some 'link' or something that helps you transfer the knowledge/experience you gain in the former into the latter (or at least at the interview stage give the impression that your unrelated prior career is beneficial to the role). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:28, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Fleshing this out a bit more, there's no meaningful similarity between a software engineer and an animator (even a computer-using animator) at all. One would similarly ask if it's possible to become an airline pilot before becoming a doctor. — Lomn 13:01, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

However it is possible to be a software engineer working on computer animation; that isn't the same thing as an animator of course. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:36, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Or an animator drawing a software engineer. — Lomn 17:14, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Burn

what is the minimum temp. for combustion to take place? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 11:08, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

See Combustion and look at the "Temperature" section. -- SGBailey (talk) 11:27, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Some chemicals, like white phosphorus, start to burn in air a fairly low temperatures, 35 Celsius [36]. Edison (talk) 19:37, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Small plant, suitable for an office environment

Hi all,

My department at work is marking World Environment Day next week by running a Secret Santa-style draw in which we each buy each other a plant to go on our desks. This will be to the value of £3 to £5 (GBP). I'd appreciate some advice/recommendations on suitable and interesting plants which are likely to be easy to find in an ordinary garden centre in the UK, and which are appropriate for an office environment – so, at a guess, small, slow-growing, hardy and not needing too much water or other care.

Thanks! Hassocks5489 (tickets please!) 11:35, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you guys have cactuses readily available in the UK?--droptone (talk) 12:19, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

With max respect cacti are the most boring plants in the world to have on your desk. They need large amounts of sunshine to ensure flowering and confining one to a desk would come close to plant cruelty.You need to think about plants that will flourish in shady places. Ferns, peace lily and the like. Any plant will be fine for a few weeks so you need to select with at least the medium future in mind. Have a look here [37] for a wide selection of indoor and office plants (makes it sound as though some offices are outside).Richard Avery (talk) 12:34, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Love Palms grow well in this enviroment. Also, I used to have a rosemary plant on my desk, and a Mint plant, that way I could eat parts of if when I got bored. They all three lasted a year or so each. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 12:44, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

If you want to grow more exotic plants, have a look at this USB Greenhouse Think outside the box 14:34, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Cacti, rosemary, mint are not good because they need a lot of light to do well. Most ferns need more humidity than the office environment provides. I have no idea what a "love palm" is. Plants that will do well in the typical office environment (low light, low humidity, mid temperatures) include Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)[38], Syngonium (Arrowhead Plant)[39], Sansevieria (Mother-in-law's Tongue)[40], Dracaena [41], Chlorophytum (Spider Plant)[42], and Philodendron [43]. Some of these will grow large with time (depending on the specific varieties), but they are all plants that will grow and be healthy--not just hang on until they die!. Simply buy small specimens of any of these plants--all are readily available in nurseries and plant shops. They are all plants that I have grown successfully in my own home for many years.--Eriastrum (talk) 17:19, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

That's great – thanks to everybody for their suggestions! Hassocks5489 (tickets please!) 18:08, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Tillandsia can be arranged in interesting ways, because you can just stick them on to a rock or something. Go visit them with a spray-bottle occasionally and they're happy. Even I have failed to kill a Yucca (Not for lack of trying :-o) They come back after a lot of neglect. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 19:46, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

child custody laws

My great niece has been told by her Mother who is not her primary custodian, that she MUST come to stay with her for 2 mos this summer or she will have her Father thrown in jail. The child is 17 1/2 & gainfully employed & does not want to go stay with her Mom & stepfather (who hates her) & little sister who is spoiled. Can the Mom throw the Dad in jail if the 17 yr old girl refuses to go spend the entire summer out of state? Also, the Mom is behind on child support...does this factor in in any way? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.183.39.118 (talk) 12:54, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

If there's cause for the father to be jailed already (assuming that the police aren't yet aware of it), then the mother can opt to turn him in independent of the niece thing. Beyond that, though, this falls afoul of our "no legal advice" policy. These questions can be reliably answered only by a lawyer. — Lomn 12:59, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

The other thing I guess would be if the father has repeatedly violated or helped his daughter violate a custody arrangement then it may be a jailable offence if he does so one more time (which may be the case if the daughter does not stay with the mother during the summer). Your niece may want to seek the help of a lawyer to look into some sort of emancipation or at least to change the current custody arrangement Nil Einne (talk) 15:13, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Why does this always happen?

Does the toast really always fall buttered-side down? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.239.42.255 (talk) 13:15, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Essentially it's because of the height people have tables. If you drop it from 2m or so, it should land butterside up. -mattbuck (Talk) 13:18, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at [44] [45] Think outside the box 14:32, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

A science programme on British TV ran this expirement a couple of years ago. They found no evidence to support the claim. Their results showed random up and down results, the same as flipping a coin. (Don't people have better things to do?)86.200.130.105 (talk) 14:52, 29 May 2008 (UTC)petitmichel

Just blame it on Murphy. Or perhaps consider how memorable it is when the toast lands right-side-up; probably you'd just pick it up and go about your day without much thought. When bad things happen though, it seems our minds tend to flip into "Grr! Why, and how do I fix it?" mode. But that's just my take. --Prestidigitator (talk) 15:18, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

I question the premise of this question on the grounds that it is not a usual occurrence for toast to be free falling often enough for this to be a notable phenomenon. Moreover, it is even rarer for buttered toast to be falling, accepting for the time being that some toasters may expel the toasted bread from the cooking instrument at a sufficient force for it to become airborne. Therefor, I can only assume you are intentionally dropping the toast, once buttered, to prove this point - which in itself seems somewhat paradoxical. Plasticbounceman (talk) 15:39, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Anyone else thinking of Sheldon? Think outside the box 15:46, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

No, it doesn't. I've dropped buttered toast and it landed butter-side up. Vranak (talk) 19:20, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

@Plasticbounceman: Rather than being due to a faulty toaster (which don't usually take buttered toast}, the phenomenon is usually more due to the fact that someone has to do the dishes, load the dishwasher or owns only 2 plates (both of which still have yesterday's leftover pizza on it). So you butter the toast in your hand and as you reach the edge it usually flips and leaves your hand holding it. (Also contributing the momentum getting what used to be the top you were spreading stuff on to become the bottom that messes up the floor.) Quite a few people who eat toast engage in OR during their student years. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 20:05, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Help with psych questions

I don't understand the wording of a couple of questions my psych teacher gave us and I'm not sure how to answer them. Here they are:

1) Describe the most common methods of studying perception and provide examples of each, including preferential looking, orienting response, habituation and dishabituation.

What am I supposed provide examples of? Perception or studying perception? Do I have to describe each of the perception terms or just the methods of studying them? Are there certain names for these methods or do I just describe how you can dangle a new toy in front of a baby and it will look at that instead of an old toy? Is "x is often tested by doing y" good enough to answer each of them?

2) Briefly describe the relationship between motor, perceptual, cognitive and social development.

Do I describe how they are all related or how each one is related to another? eg. "A, B, C, and D are all connected because they are all F" or "A is related to B because... C is related to D because..."? And how brief?

I know the material but I need to know how to answer these questions properly so she doesn't keep giving me half-marks and not explaining why! Please help. --124.254.77.148 (talk) 13:31, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

The answer is in the questions if you read carefully. DESCRIBE (give a detailed account of) the MOST COMMON methods (perhaps the five most used methods to STUDY perception (describe how perception is studied). She asks for examples of those you choose but insists that your choice must include the four she has specified. Briefly (concisely) describe how the four she gives are related (make or show a connection between). I am very sad that she won't explain. First and prime role of a teacher is to help students to learn. Best of luck.86.200.130.105 (talk) 14:50, 29 May 2008 (UTC)petitmichel

BFE

"Bumfuck, Egypt" is sometimes used to mean "the middle of nowhere", some remote human habitation. I would have sworn that there actually is a town in Egypt of that or a similar name, but I can't find it. Is it there, and, if not, why Egypt? --Milkbreath (talk) 14:34, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

I've heard it said before that there was a place called "Bamfouk" in Egypt. There isn't. I guess it was chosen as Egypt, to Americans, is a faraway place of which they know little. Fribbler (talk) 14:50, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

P.S. here's a discussion on the topic. Fribbler (talk) 14:53, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

lost fish -- I need a more plausible story!

I am in really big trouble and none of its my fault. I very kindly offered to look after my girlfriends fish whilst she went on holiday to Teneriffe with some of her friends from work, one of who is getting married soon to frankly a very boring bloke from Sales called Darren. We don't live together despite having been in a relationship for the past five and half years. To be honest the crux of our lack of commitment to a long term relationship, marriage and kids is due to her obsessive need to love her goldfish named Kenny after the late DJ and comedian Kenny Everett. When she's had a couple of pints of Merlot she insists on recounting the tale of how she won Kenny at a fair on the Downs just after the erstwhile entertainer passed away in 1995. Her deep held belief is that Kenny the Goldfish is the reincarnated soul of Mr Everett. Sadly after only two days of looking after every whim of the ageing fish he decided to move on to having a bit of a laugh with me after I had smoked a scoobie or two. Lying with barely a movement at the top of his tank - I thought he was a gonner. I thought perhaps the kiss of life would save the fish but the slippery little sod wriggled out of my hands when I got him out of the tank - and to cut a long story short exited the seventh floor flat via the window. Please send me some help as to a more plausible story of how the fish dissapeared - as I will be accused of murder and dumped and I love her and don't want to lose her. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Copy of a copy cat (talk • contribs) 15:59, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Buy a new one, she will never know, and if she does and you get dumped, then a woman that loves her fish more than you is not the woman for you any way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:20, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

The problem, as I see it, is that you lost the dead fish. The fish dying on you, that's not a problem, that could happen to anyone. But dropping it out the window, well, that's the slapstick aspect you need to get away from. The answer, as I see it, is to produce a new dead fish, not a new live one, and to treat it in a matter of respect, rather than dropping it out the window. Getting a new live fish will invite a variety of potential problems based around a BIG lie, whereas getting a new dead fish is a much SMALLER lie, as you are only covering up the aspect of your story that is totally unacceptable and also, coincidentally, quite improbable. She might think something is, err, fishy, but she'll never suspect you got high and dropped him out of the window, because that's just absurd. Additionally, she will never believe the story as you tell it: she will think you killed the fish by dropping it out of the window. She will never believe that it was dead first and you took it out to perform CPR on it. So you can't go with the actual truth, as she will never believe it to be the truth anyway. So you might as well be a liar in a way that makes her feel better about this ridiculous situation. So, I advise...:

Buy a new one of similar size. Take it out of the tank and let it die. (Sad, I guess, but I don't consider goldfish to be very high on the chain of being.) Then put it in some sort of ornate box. When she gets back, explain that the fish died on your watch, and that you didn't want it to get all nasty and bloated and whatever in the water, so you put it in a suitable burial device. Then you two can go bury it in a matter she would find fitting. She'll think it is sweet, in the end, and she won't be able to tell one dried fish from another (they all look pretty similar in that state). --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 17:24, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Let me get this straight, you are not satisfied with your own lie so you want someone to invent a lie for you. It's a f***ing fish for Christ's sake. Get over it, tell the truth and sleep in peace for evermore (maybe alone, but you're young!). 1 lie is the first step to a slippery slope. If a dead fish is all that stands between you and an ex-girlfriend you'll be well rid (and I don't mean the fish). Richard Avery (talk) 17:40, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

It's not about whether she likes the fish more than him. If she thinks he killed her fish in a crazy fashion it's about whether he's reliable, whether he's trustworthy, whether he's careful to understand what she appreciates. Think of it this way: if your spouse purposefully killed your pet, and you were upset by this, would it be because you loved the pet more than the spouse, or because what the killing of the pet symbolized? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 19:05, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

You got a phone number, telegram address, telegraph wire? Just give her a ring and tell her the fish died due to old age and would it be o.k. if you gave it a decent burial. Find a nice spot in a park or friend's (her?) back yard dedicated to piscine memory. (See if you can find a picture of Kenny to mark the spot or look around at "odds and ends" places for a little ceramic deco fish.) If she's going to be back tomorrow you may have to produce a dead fish for her to be present at the ceremony. Also buying a replacement would show you care for her feelings. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 18:16, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

It's not about it being a "fish". It's about him being trusted with something. And in the end, it will be about him lying, whether he lies or not. Maybe it will work if he claims he flushed it, but it sounds like she is emotionally attached to it and will want more closure than that. If you don't lie, you'll still be thought to be lying: she'll just think the fish was not already dead when you tried to do CPR on it and threw it out the window. To believe that you really thought you could bring a dead fish back to life and then accidentally dropped it out the window would be to assume you are a total moron—it'll be easier, I bet, for her just to assume you are lying and you killed her fish. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 19:05, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Good day sir. Many people have given you good advice for lying. I do not particularly care for lies. Just tell her what happened. Maybe not the high part. That you got high. You could leave that out of the story. But tell her what happened. And if she dumps then she wasn't in love with you enough. A fish is a fish you can always get another. A relationship between two beings is a wonderful thing and if she loves that fish more then you she was never the right one. I prefer if you told her what happened instead of telling her a lie. Because that lie may hurt you in the end. I hope I have helped. I hope that what I have said may or may not reflect anything. I just appreciate if you took my words into consideration. Have a good day.Rem Nightfall (talk) 19:09, 29 May 2008 (UTC)Rem Nightfall

Did you try looking for the dead fish beneath the window? It would help if you managed to produce the actual dead fish. (Maybe refrigerate or freeze it if she will be gone for a while.) It would show that you at least cared enough for her feelings to go look for the body. (Even if her feelings for the fish don't make much sense.) Marco polo (talk) 19:29, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Please, never offer to babysit someone's children. Edison (talk) 19:30, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

You need a plausible story? Yeah, you do. Because frankly, the one you're telling here is pretty much completely ridiculous. The doobie notwithstanding, you thought the goldfish could have been saved with the kiss of life? What, were you going to take a mouthful of water, spray it at the fish's face and hope for the best? But -- oh no! -- the fish, whom your girlfriend, who drinks pints of Merlot, believes to be the reincarnation of Kenny Everett, escaped out of the window, and now she'll kill you? It's a funny story, but frankly, I have a lot of trouble believing it, unless you live in a sitcom. If you do, by all means, come up with some kind of a crazy and convoluted explanation or buy a new fish in the hopes of fooling her. Then you can enjoy the laugh track when she comes home and wonders out loud why Kenny's fins seem to have moved or how weird it is that Kenny is still alive, even though she forgot to mention that he's been ill and the vet didn't think he'd make it through the next few days. Or, alternatively, in the unlikely event that this really happened to you, you could just trust your girlfriend to realize that a 13-year-old goldfish wasn't going to live forever anyway, and that you really didn't mean to hurt it. (If she can't take that, it's okay, because I hear next week her mother's popping over for a visit, and unfortunately your girlfriend has been telling her that you're a chef, so she's going to expect a gourmet meal. So if you break up now, at least you won't have to ask a real chef to cook for her while you run in and out of the kitchen in a chef's hat and pretend to be the guy doing the cooking, prompting yet more laugh track action. Trust me, you're getting off easy here.) -- Captain Disdain (talk) 20:45, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Annals of Improbable Research, Ignoble awards

Hi

I would dearly like to see an entry for the word "cogno-intellectual". It is a fictitious word invented by the above people hoping it would spread and has, being treated seriously by others.

Regards

Martinmrt (talk) 16:06, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Avoid neologisms --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:09, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Arse Numbing Seats

Is it just me or are the seats on buses becoming more and more like torture especially if you are on the bloody bus for a long time. I have noticed this over the last couple of weeks and this morning I got on the bus sat down and by the time I arrived at my destination it felt like I had been fucked up the arse. These bloody bus companies need to get those seats sorted out and put in some really nice soft comfortable seats.

Felt like you got fucked up the arse huh?, how do you know, have you been fucked up the arse?

I wouldn't be surprised to learn it is done purposefully in an attempt to keep homeless individuals from hanging out on the buses, though that is just a guess. Buses and fast food places both seem to do that, though in the latter case it may be aimed at all customers. Probably saves having to pay for something that's been ergonomically designed as well. In other words, I personally wouldn't hold my breath, nor waste it complaining to deaf ears. --Prestidigitator (talk) 17:17, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Pollution

Does holding a handkerchief over your nose actually help reduce the amount of toxic fumes you inhale on the streets?? Aanusha Ghosh (talk) 16:43, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

To an extent. A handkerchief can help filter particulate matter above a certain size, though many fumes and such will still pass through. — Lomn 17:10, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

If you wet the hanky you can also catch a few of the chemicals that would otherwise react with the water of your Mucous membranes. For instance they could form acids that will then eat into tissue. Much better to have acid eat your handkerchief instead. The effect is going to be short lived and not highly effective, though. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 17:42, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Visual style of Dorling Kindersley books

Is there a good term for the visual style used in most Dorling Kindersley books? Specifically, I'm looking for a way to describe how the photographed objects are always contrasted against plain white backgrounds. Is there a specific term for that technique? See here, for example. Thanks! Zagalejo^^^ 17:37, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

In graphic design, the "cutting out" of part of an image to remove the background, and show only the object of interest, is called silhouetting. Is that what you're referring to? Deor (talk) 18:55, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

I've worked with a number of designers, some of them at Dorling Kindersley, or DK, and they generally call it "DK style". I don't think that this is a recognized term, just a reference to a well-known style that is emblematic of that publisher. Marco polo (talk) 19:19, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Questions, questions

• Why do people find it hard to accept that other people will shoot at Bigfoot, UFOs, aliens, even at ghosts (Seen one matter on Discovery Channel's A Haunting in which someone used a .45 on a ghost)? I've read the articles on each, even the "talk" pages. I've been with people who will actually shoot at strange things.
• Can a "IP's Corner" be set up (Other than the Sandbox, which is filthy by the way), so that IPs can create articles ? 65.173.105.197 (talk) 20:53, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

I have seen a "Monster Quest" matter in which someone had tried to shoot at a Bigfoot, and I do NOT mean with a camera. The guy allegedly caught a Bigfoot in a dumpster and shot at it with what looked like a .45 ACP. IF that was some idiot in a costume, he/she would be DEAD. 65.173.105.197 (talk) 20:57, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Hand to Balls Ratio - Contact Juggling

I'm starting up on contact juggling and was wondering if there was a good ratio from hand size to ball size, I have small hands. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.191.102.55 (talk) 20:57, 29 May 2008 (UTC)