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February 26

Crip gang members

• How many Crips gang members are thier in the country?
• Howy many Crips gang members are thier in New York Alone?
• How many Crips gang members are thier in California?
• How many female gang members are thier in the country?
• How many girls are incarcerated due to gang affiliated crimes?
• What is the most common crime gang affiliated girls, commit?
• What is the largest ethnicity of women gang members?
• What is the number of gang members that die in shootings?
• If they survive, what is the percent that end up in jail?

email removed —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.213.182 (talk) 03:30, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I collapsed multiple questions posted by the same user into a single question and removed the user's email address. Sifaka ^talk 03:41, 26 February 2008 (UTC).

If you have multiple questions please ask them in the same section rather than post a new section for each question. You can edit this section by clicking the edit button in the upper right. Sifaka ^talk 03:43, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

That is, if you have multiple closely related questions, as here. --Anon, 05:33 UTC, Feb. 25.

Crips has an answer to at least the first of your questions. --169.230.94.28 (talk) 21:01, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Crips is a significkantly more developed article than Bloods. Wikipedia shows its bias once again. 199.67.16.60 (talk) 15:45, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Miscellaneous: Nasogastric tubes in the 1930s

I am writing a book. The time period is 1939 in Paris. One of the characters is injured and in a coma. In order to feed them a nasogastric tube is used. What I need to know is what sort of device, whatever, was used to put the food into the tube? Also, what did they use to feed them?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Bob - rob82042 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rob82042 (talk • contribs) 12:37, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I would just like to commend you on an excellent question. :) 81.93.102.185 (talk) 18:37, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Have you read our articles Nasogastric intubation and Force feeding? They should answer your questions. A liquid (such as Ensure) is introduced into the tube using a syringe.--Eriastrum (talk) 22:36, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

However, those articles don't really answer Rob's question about practice in 1939. And, unfortunately, I can't really answer them either, but I know enough to understand Rob's dilemma. The "feeding tube" was known in the nineteeth century, I believe, although my memory tells me that initially the tube was inserted through the mouth, and only at mealtimes (ie removed between meals). I have tried to discover when the tubes were first inserted through the nose, but have failed so far to find any date. Interestingly, the OED dates the word "nasogastric" to 1958 (the quote refers to a "nasogastric tube"), so I would hesitate to use the term in a 1939 context. It's worth reading about Bessie Blount's invention during the war, which makes use of a mouth tube (although it doesn't rule out nasogastric versions). As to Ensure: I'm certain such patent feeds would not have existed. Nursing textbooks/references from the middle of last century decribe how to make up feeds in the ward kitchen, for example. I think they were based around milk. Unless someone else here can access more information, my suggestion is that you investigate some local second-hand bookshops: old medical and nursing textbooks seem to proliferate at these places, and are generally cheap since they have little use for the average reader (or modern health professional!) These will have instructions for insertion of tubes (thus you will know what sort) and how to mix a feed. You may not find a 1939 textbook, but even a 60s one will eliminate the modern-day assumptions, and give you a better picture of development. As to methodology: you don't need a syringe as such: a small funnel works, since the mixture passes in through gravity, not the action of the plunger. The funnel or syringe outer is inserted into the mouth of the tube. As long as the funnel is held higher than the stomach, the liquid will pass through. The feed does not need to be sterile (our food isn't), but it should be warmed slightly, because cold food going directly into the stomach is not pleasant. Actually, finding an early text book is a good idea; there are other aspects of caring for a coma patient that will have changed in the past 70 years. Hope the story goes well. Gwinva (talk) 23:18, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

The guy with the long paragraph above me I agree. But you know if you feel like it the patient could be used as an experiment for feeding tubes.Just so you can play with history. But then again that sounds really weird and I have no clue what you are writing your story on.71.142.242.233 (talk) 16:38, 29 February 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

atomic mushroom cap

When you order a Vodka Martini, the bartender asked if you like it with atomic mushroom cap, what does it means? 61.58.60.172 (talk) 14:42, 26 February 2008 (UTC)Anna

No sensible Google hits I could find for martini+atomic+mushroom+cap, so I suspect it means there's a barman trying to impress you. Why not ask him? --Dweller (talk) 15:29, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I did a similar google search and came up with several descriptions of "wild mushroom martinis" which contained a variety of whole edible mushrooms in a martini. Perhaps it is a martini with slices of mushrooms in it? Sifaka ^talk 15:51, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I had a request for examples, so I found a passing references to an establishment serving a mushroom martinis here and here. I think I was mistaken above in my description above because the result sounds much more like a soup than anything else. The Orlando sentinel apparently ran a recipe for one involving potatoes here. I found a slightly different recipe for a food rather than a drink involving tequila and mushrooms here. I have heard that wild mushrooms can be "preserved" in some sort of alcoholic mixture to impart the mushroom flavor to the mixture which can then be used to make a mixed drink. You can also stuff the olives of a martini with a bit of mushroom as well. (As a matter of personal taste, these sound like a waste of good wild mushrooms...) Sifaka ^talk 16:21, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Off topic, but here's an interesting bit of science. The common ink cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria) is perfectly fine to eat by itself, but is toxic when consumed with alcohol. "Following ingestion, there is a delay of thirty minutes to two hours before the onset of symptoms, including an increased pulse rate, flushing over the upper half of the body, headache, and rapid breathing. After fifteen to thirty minutes of these symptoms, the victim feels weak and dizzy and typically experiences nausea and vomiting." [1] Thus this mushroom was frequently used to dissuade alcohol consumption back in the day. Sifaka ^talk 16:34, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

(Edit conflict) A mushroom cloud is basically never referred to as a "mushroom cap", so I would assume s/he's talking about an actual mushroom cap (the "head" of the mushroom) as a garnish for the drink. The "atomic" probably means that it's got something spicy in it. "Mushroom cap" is also a slang term for the head of a man's penis, so that fits in with the tradition of some drinks having racy names (e.g., a Sloe Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall). You should never be embarrassed to ask a bartender what something is; they're there to help you drink! --Sean 16:02, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Yuck. They sound disgusting. Each to his own, I suppose. Cheers, Sifaka. --Dweller (talk) 16:39, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

This kind of stuff makes me glad I'm a teetotaler. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 17:20, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

My first thought was that he was offering a 'special' sort of mushroom - magic, but I don't drink martinis, nor have I been offered mushrooms by a bartender, so it's complete supposition. Steewi (talk) 00:26, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I am sorry, I should make it clear in the beginning. The confusion come from the book: “This Book Will Save Your Life”, page 51:

“Vodka martini, “ he says. “How would you like it----dry, dirty, twist, olives, onions, atomic mushroom cap?”

61.58.60.172 (talk) 02:55, 27 February 2008 (UTC)Anna

Well, that looks like a joke to me. The other options are standard martini options, the last one looks like a joke. Think about it this way: "How would you like your eggs—scrambled, sunny-side up, poached, omelet, or thrown at your face?" --98.217.18.109 (talk) 03:09, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I'll have to agree its for comedic effect; the patron apparently wants a simple drink, and on the next page the bartender asks what kind of vodka he likes and explains:

"I've got Ketel One, Grey Goose, Absolut, Stoli, a potato vodka, a new electric vodka, which has energized particles," Dforest (talk) 03:35, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

That sentence irrelevantly reminded me of this one from our Hungary article: "The water of the Hévíz Lake is equally rich in dissolved substances and gases, combining the favourable effects of naturally carbonated medicinal waters and those containing sulphur, calcium, magnesium, hydrogen-carbonate, as well as those with a slightly radioactive content." --Milkbreath (talk) 16:49, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

What to wear in Nice - Cote d'Azur in mid-March

The long range weather forecast says 15 degrees and maybe cloudy during the day which is fine by me, but Wiki says Nice is windy during early Spring. So what should guys and gals wear? Is it shorts and tee-shirts, or long pants and sweaters? And what about eating out in cafes, restaurants and bars etc? Being close to Monaco is it high fashion or maybe go-as-you-please like Barcelona? Just trying to avoid fashion faux-pas. Thanks. 81.145.242.20 (talk) 15:53, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I personally would wear jeans or some other type of long (but not heavy) pants, a t-shirt, and a windbreaker. I can tell you that where I am it will also be 15 degrees in the ides of March - in Fahrenheit. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:45, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for that sound advice - and where I am in Scotland it is minus 5 Celsius - but we're expecting a cold spell !!. 81.145.242.20 (talk) 19:21, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

In the Midi, just along from Nice, we have a mini heatwave. Blossoms are out, blazing sun, blue skies. You may get some rain in mid-March, so a plastic mac, or fold-up brolly is needed. No heavy clothes though. Jeans and a sweatshirt will be fine. And a light coat for evenings. There are, of course, many easily accessed shops where sweats, etc. can be bought at reasonable prices, so don't overload yourself. You will have a great choice of restaurants. Everything from fast food to high cuisine. The old market in the old town is wonderful. Get in there and you may stay for days. And the restaurants are fabulous. Three course dinner from 15 Euros. Wine from 4 Euros a carafe or 12 Euros a bottle. Have a great time.90.0.7.146 (talk) 14:50, 27 February 2008 (UTC)DT

Led Zeppelin DVD

I was wondering here, when does one usually think that this DVD will be made into Blu-Ray, since HD DVD is now out of the question?Jwking (talk) 16:05, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't hold my breath. It was filmed in the sixties and seventies, so it wasn't filmed in hi-def. I would say there's little point in putting it out on Blu-Ray. Dismas|^(talk) 22:12, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

The OP is probably referring to the DVD of the reunion concert from last December. If that's the case, I would guess that a BR version will come out around the same time as the regular DVD, which is still officially "pending" as far as I'm aware. The Song Remains the Same, which Dismas is probably thinking of, has already been released on both Blu-Ray and HD DVD, at least according to our article. I don't know what being made in 1976 has to do with releasing a BR disc; since it was filmed on analog celluloid, a higher definition transfer would certainly be possible. Matt Deres (talk) 04:19, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I wasn't thinking of The Song Remains the Same. According to their filmography here, they have two films, TSRTS and Led Zeppelin (DVD). Since the OP didn't specify which LZ DVD, I thought they meant the one actually titled Led Zeppelin as the title of this section implies. Dismas|^(talk) 05:27, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

No, I was thinking of the DVD called "Led Zeppelin DVD". type that exactthing in the search box if u don't know wut im talking about. i was wondering if that will ever come out on blu-ray?Jwking (talk) 20:27, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Fibromyalgia

This is not medical advice just a medical question. Is it possible to have fibromyalgia in just one general area. —Preceding unsigned comment added by HarmonyRoyer (talk • contribs) 18:37, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

You'll never find out. Someone will delete this. Sorry. --Nricardo (talk) 19:36, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Based on the information in the Diagnosis section of the Fibromyalgia article, the answer would appear to be no. --LarryMac | Talk 19:43, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

While we don't give medical advice, we certainly have all kinds of information on medical topics. Have you read Fibromyalgia? Specifically, in Fibromyalgia#Symptoms we see "Although fibromyalgia is classified based on the presence of chronic widespread pain, pain may also be localized in areas such as the shoulders, neck, low back, hips, or other areas." Hope this helps. Friday (talk) 19:44, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Part of the problem is that fibromyalgia's definition is not stable. In Fibromyalgia#Diagnosis, the American College of Rheumatology's 1990 definition calls for (as one criterion) "A history of widespread pain lasting more than three months—affecting all four quadrants of the body, i.e., both sides, and above and below the waist." Under that definition, pain affecting only a part of the body would not qualify. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:00, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Castiglione

Please can you tell me which Castiglione painted the painting shown [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. Kittybrewster ☎ 18:58, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with that painting, but the only two Castigliones in our list that are painters are Giuseppe Castiglione (Jesuit) and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. I would put my money on Giovanni, since the painting in question doesn't seem to match Guiseppe's distinctive style. jeffjon (talk) 20:17, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't think this is a painting by either one of the Castigliones in wikipedia. One (the 17th century Giuseppe) was a Jesuit chinese court painter and did nothing like the one you show, and the other (Giovanni Benedetto, 17th century) had a similar but somewhat different style. The painting you link to has a signature that looks a great deal like the signature (printed in Benezit--not available on line) of a 19th century Giuseppe Castiglione (born in Naples 1829, died in Paris where he worked in 1908). I could find only one on-line image of this obscure 19th century artist here [7]. Although the dress in your painting is 17th century in style, the composition and treatment seems typical of the 19th century academic style: romantic and idealized. It seems to show a father introducing his daughter to prospective suitors, with the emphasis on her emotions--this kind of sentimental storytelling is typically 19th century. The Academic style of the 19th century centered on Paris and the judged Salon exhibitions held there. Historic themes for paintings was one of the approved subjects. I could of course be wrong, in which case Jeffjon is probably correct.--Eriastrum (talk) 21:15, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Ecosse bumper stickers

Just why do car bumper stickers with the Scottish flag on in the UK so often come with the word Ecosse? Is there some sort of Franco-Celt pact and anti-English element to it, or some other reason for their popularity? Theediscerning (talk) 21:54, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I have often wondered that myself. I think it is likely a combinded subsequence of many Scots traditional holiday plans, driving down to Dover or Southampton and getting the ferry across to France, and their strong national identity which largely boils down to being "not-English". À la Del Boy, I can imagine many Scots thought they were being culturally cosmopolitan in identifying their county of origin in French and they would want to ensure they are not misidentified, by their Auld Alliance hosts, as English. (Je suis not anglais, pal) Now, I think there is a bit of a kitschy element to it. There could also be some link to Ecurie Ecosse, I suppose, but I can find not documented evidence of this. Rockpocket 22:36, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Jacobite rebellion, maybe? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 00:52, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Did they have bumper stickers in the 18th century? "Mine other cart doth be a post chaise" perhaps. FiggyBee (talk) 00:59, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

As a resident (of English origin) now living (for several decades past and hopefully many more to come) in Scotland, it has to be accepted that some Scots would love to be anywhere except attached to the North of England - hence their love of any football team other than England, and any Government other than that of the UK, despite the fact that historically, Scots MPs have predominated UK Cabinet membership. They look back with love at the Auld Alliance with France, and forget that if Mary Queen of Scots' husband the Dauphin had survived and they had had sons together, then Mary, as Queen of Scots and France, would have ensured her offspring ruled over both countries, and Scotland would not now simply be eating Gigot of lamb for Sunday Lunch, it would be yet another Departement of the Mother Country, La Belle France. They would also be Catholics to a man - or woman, and that would utterly confuse them, as John Knox had taught their ancestors to hate the Papists. So I suspect that their use of Francophile expressions such as gigot (for leg) and Ecosse (for Scotland) are mere and meek signals that "the enemy (the French) of my enemy (the English) is my friend (the French)." But can you imagine going into a Glesca' Chippie on a Saturday Night and asking for "a deep-fried frog and a bottle o' Vin Bru' - china" ?????? 81.145.240.35 (talk) 20:58, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

DNA Testing

Is there any type of testing out there that would tell me what breeds are in my dog? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 22:15, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Certain organizations claim to offer this service [8][9] based on this research. I would offer caution, though, as they will not be able to tell you that your dog is X% one breed and Y% another. Instead they will charge you $100 tell you which "genetic cluster" your dogs genes derive from. The chances are, someone familiar with dog breeds would be able to tell you something not dissimilar by simply looking at your pet. In time, as they build up a larger profile database, they will be able to offer more specific analyses. Rockpocket 22:45, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

(edit conflict) There are some companies that provide this service, primarily for breeders. For example, Canine Heritage or DDC Animal DNA Services. As for the scientific rigor of such a thing, they probably suffer from the same issues as human racial DNA tests—that is, they are very statistical in nature (that is, they only are going to tell you, at best, that your dog shares some percentage of genes with some percentage of dogs in certain "identified" breed populations; that's not quite the same thing as saying "Your dog had a grand-parent of X and a father of Y", which is generally what people want from such things) and depend on the frequency of certain genes in certain populations, and give at best a small glimpse at a small branch of a much larger family tree (Troy Duster's article "Deep Roots and Tangled Branches" is a thought-provoking article critical of the methodology of these sorts of tests). --98.217.18.109 (talk) 22:50, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Is that all there is?

When Wikipedia is finally complete, will our descendants look at it and say : Oh! Is that all there is to everything? If so, whats the point in living? ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.241.79 (talk) 22:54, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

We'll let you know when that happens. DJ Clayworth (talk) 23:08, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure that will ever happen. New articles are made everyday on news, movies, and other media, and I don't think those will ever stop being produced.--Dlo2012 (talk) 23:40, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Is That All There Is? --169.230.94.28 (talk) 00:15, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I imagine the AI that destroys us will fill in all of Wikipedia after we are gone, so we needn't worry about that. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:09, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Given enough time, the notability of all articles will fall to zero, or near enough to zero to make their deletion inevitable. So when "complete", Wikipedia will contain nothing. --88.109.195.105 (talk) 19:31, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

How exactly did you figure this out, now? --Ouro (blah blah) 07:18, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Already, next to nothing is actually "notable" enough to be accepted, and the passage of time can only diminish notability further. Not that Wikipedia is in any way important, or likely to last long enough in any case. --88.110.19.101 (talk) 08:48, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't follow, apart from the next to nothing phrase - true, only a small part of that which is, had been created, or exists, is notable, but the passage of time rather does make things more notable than not, usually. Earth will remain notable for a good few hundred years minimum, for example. --Ouro (blah blah) 10:09, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

The answer is no. Before that happens, Philip J. Fry will ride in on a Scooty Puff Sr. to destroy the accumulation of knowledge and save the day. So why are we even bothering? Deor (talk) 17:25, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Interior Decoration with Books

I need to know if there are companies (or independent contractors) who specialize in selecting books for a client's home? (For decoration and also for use) This, I think, would be a personal service for very wealthy clients, who own a mansion and don't have time to search for and buy books. That is, they can afford to hire someone to buy books for their home library and all of the rooms in their house, or houses...maybe worldwide. They would want to go out to one of their houses and find that each room, each coffee table, each nook and cranny already has the best books in many subject areas and is always updated with great new titles. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Richard Gier (talk • contribs) 22:55, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

There possibly are such companies, but books are such sacred objects that anyone who has them purely for show and never reads them is ... but break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue. -- JackofOz (talk) 09:01, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Books do furnish a room. SaundersW (talk) 14:22, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

There is a relatively new book out on this subject: Decorating with Books by Marie Proeller Hueston, published in 2006. I have looked at a copy in a book store, and it seems to have some pretty good ideas. I don't know if it mentions firms that will do this for you, though--it might.--Eriastrum (talk) 18:00, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Wheat flour

Two questions about wheat flour:

First, what happens to a person if he or she eats wheat flour that has not been baked or otherwise cooked?

Second, lots of supermarkets often sell "tempura batter mix" which is often more expensive than regular wheat flour. The tempura batter mix looks just like wheat flour. Is there actually any difference when it is fried to make tempura? Or is it just marketing and a false difference, and one should just save money by buying and using wheat flour instead of tempura batter mix for frying?

—Lowellian (reply) 23:07, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Try this site it might help you with your question. http://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp?siteId=43&sectionId=422&parentSection=322&which=

and also a quick scan around suggests Tempura Batter mix includes ingredients like corn-starch, sodium bicarbonate, burnt alum, egg yolk powder etc. so would be different to wheat-flour as of itself. ny156uk (talk) 23:16, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

That website talks about the nutritional content of wheat flour, but people usually eat wheat flour baked or otherwise cooked, and the website doesn't say anything about what happens if wheat flour is eaten uncooked. —Lowellian (reply) 23:31, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

1. Regarding uncooked wheat flour, one of the concerns would be the potential of insect infestation, such as the larvae of the wheat weevil. One precaution would be to freeze the wheat flour before using.[10] Dforest (talk) 02:20, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

2. Commercial tempura batter mixes tend to have wheat flour, egg powder (white or yolk), baking powder and starch. Adding starch will tend to make the product more crispy[11], the baking powder & egg make it less dense. But a batter of plain flour & water can also be used. The most important thing is to use very cold water for a crispy, light texture. Some people like to use soda water. Also, it is preferable to use a pastry flour, as it is high in starch, rather than a bread flour, which is high in gluten, which would make for a tougher, chewier product. Dforest (talk) 03:56, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Petz 5

I bought the game Petz 5 under the assumption that it came with both dog and cat breeds- does it only come with dogs? If it comes with both, then how come I only have access to the dog breeds? thanks in advance —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.211.8.100 (talk) 23:14, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

The article you linked to suggests that Petz 5 should have catz breeds. I don't have the game so I can't help more but I suggest you either contact the support division of Ubisoft or use a forum where you are more likely to find people with the game, like a Petz forum Nil Einne (talk) 08:50, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Reading between the lines, particularly in this section, I suspect that you bought the dogz edition of Petz 5. I'm not sure whether you can download catz or if you'd have to buy the catz edition (which I believe would allow you to use catz and dogz in the same game). Sorry. Skittle (talk) 12:06, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia Down!

Just saw on the news that Florida had a massive power failure. The whole state. Testing to see if you're back to normal, what passes for normalcy there. Are all systems online, or still out ? 65.173.105.114 (talk) 23:38, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I called the emergency only Wikiphone and the butler told me that Jimbo has run to the bank as fast as his chubby little legs will carry him, withdrawn his life savings in quarters and is now feeding them into the electricity meter at a phenomenal rate, all just to keep us online. We are still online for the moment, but his stash is running low and things could cut out at any mom

That is the funniest thing I've read here in a long time! The fact that it isn't signed makes it all the better! Thank you to whoever left that. Dismas|^(talk) 02:43, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I swear, if BJAODN was still here... bibliomaniac15 02:56, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

How exactly does an entire state lose power? This is the 21st century, damn it! 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:07, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

You've pretty much answered your own question. Electricity networks have been getting larger and more interconnected over time, so that now, it's possible for a single failure to affect a large area. --Carnildo (talk) 22:10, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Ah yes. The 21st Century. The Century in which the sole purpose of electricity suppliers is to make money. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:15, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Better than the 23rd century,where it was the big time travel suppliers making money out of gullible customers by persuading them time travel was actually a real phenomenon... Lemon martini (talk) 13:25, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I just find it odd that with all this impressive technology we can't prevent power loss to an entire state. I'm also bitter because a few months ago the power went out for half of Chicagoland for 3 days, and my good friend had her basement flooded and destroyed because of it! Why in God's name do we have our power come via lines on poles?! Why, in this country, so vain and proud of its apparently vast technological advancements, do we use a power transfer system invented in the late 1800s? I am quite proud to be an American, but I admit that we do the dumbest things all the time. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:33, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

There are lots of scenarios which result in massive power failures. Sometimes the utility has protective relaying equipment which "overreaches" or "trips in sympathy" or fails to block a trip signal. Protective relaying equipment can fail, can be set improperly, or can trip during routine testing when a test switch is inadvertently left closed which should have been open for the test. The design principle usually is that no one component failing should cause such a blackout, nor should certain plausible simultaneous failures of combinations of components. We use poles because overhead lines are way cheaper than buried cables, and have lower life costs. If the power is overhead, it is subject to failure from wind, tree contact, ice, car crashes, animal contact and lightning. Underground cables also fail from lightning, as well as from dig-ins, insulation failure, corrosion, overheating, or splice failures. Restoration time and locating of the failed portion takes far longer when the conductor is underground cable. An overhead line has a far longer useful lifetime than a buried cable line. Edison (talk) 06:11, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Where is Pechüle?

I'm trying to kill a redlink in an article that references a German location called Pechüle. All my source says is that it's near Luckenwalde. When I search Google Books, I get results related to a German astronomer and a bunch of German-language sources presumably about the location. Can anyone help me figure out where this place is so I can stub it? Thanks! — Dulcem (talk) 23:51, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Google finds it - search for Pechüle at http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl - it is indeed near Luckenwalde, about 25km east, now part of Bardenitz (?). --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:05, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

(ec) Google maps returns exactly one German town with that name, and it's 22 km from Luckenwalde. But it is not exactly a metropolis, so notability may be in doubt. --mglg_(talk) 00:09, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! As uncomfortable as I am using Google Maps as the sole reference, I've gone ahead and stubbed it. I think policy is that towns, villages, and the like are inherently notable. — Dulcem (talk) 01:30, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

How does Treuenbrietzen compare? At the German Wikipedia, Pechüle redirects to Treuenbrietzen. Achtung, Minen :) --Ouro (blah blah) 12:09, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I've expanded and properly referenced this stub. However, apart from the church, it may well be so insignificant that it would better be included in the article on Treuenbrietzen. If not, a similar article on Bardenitz could also be written. (Some info here, also has a 13th-century church, of which we even have an image). Lupo 13:55, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Treuenbrietzen and the location given in the google search, which resolves to Bardenitz, are about 15 km apart. I suggest a question here: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diskussion:Treuenbrietzen might be in order. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:10, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

A question about what? Lupo 09:23, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

BTW, the Google maps link given in the article resolves to Pechüle. See both Pechüle and Bardenitz here (left: Bardenitz, right: Pechüle). Often referred to as "Bardenitz-Pechüle". Lupo 10:55, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

February 27

How many roses are sprinkled with dew?

How many roses are sprinkled with dew? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.241.79 (talk) 01:07, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

How Deep Is the Ocean?. Are you done yet? FiggyBee (talk) 01:13, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Not until I find the meaning of love —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.241.79 (talk) 01:16, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

wiktionary:love FiggyBee (talk) 01:24, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I wuz hoping to find article on wikilove as I love wikipedia —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.241.79 (talk) 01:31, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

WP:LOVE Rockpocket 01:39, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Approximately 5 gallons, plus or minus 16 Parsecs Per Hertz. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 18:12, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Isn't it 42? Lemon martini (talk) 13:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

No, that's actually how many roads a man must walk. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 13:52, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I've walked more than 42 roads in my life. Am I a man yet? I walked them while figuring out how many friends I'd need to change a light globe. I still haven't got the answer because I keep getting conflicting opinions, and so I remain in the dark about this and so many other matters. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:14, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Stop walking and read a book.  :-) --LarryMac | Talk 01:47, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. No wonder you haven't been able to find it. Gwinva (talk) 01:41, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Forget these daft questions.Can we have the answer to something sensible like How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? Lemon martini (talk) 12:53, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Thesis on soild waste management

My thesis is entitled "Assessment of Solid waste Management in the Province of Northern Samar, Philippines: Inputs to Policy Implementation".Can you help find a sample thesis that I can use as a guideline?203.87.209.130 (talk) 02:18, 27 February 2008 (UTC)oskied2000

The requirements for theses at various educational institutions vary greatly, in expected content, structure, and length. You didn't even bother telling us whether this is a BA, MA, or PhD thesis, much less the country you are in (your IP resolves to somewhere in Asia; as someone in the US I wouldn't have the slightest idea what your thesis expectations are). Ask your educational institution, they will have previous theses on record. Ask them for their guidelines as to how the thesis should be written. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 03:06, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

In addition to the answer above, you should be aware that writing a thesis is not like writing a very good paper and handing it over to a university for them to pass or fail. In many cases, an individual professor will need to agree to personally guide you through the process; if you can't find a suitable proctor, you'll simply be out of luck, no matter how good your work is. The finished paper is the ultimate goal, of course, but any respected professor will want to make sure you got there in the right way, meaning that you'll have to talk with them and explain what you're trying to do right from the very beginning. If you already have a proctor and he or she isn't even giving you basic guidance like how the paper should be written, you need to find someone else. Matt Deres (talk) 04:27, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

D.A.N.C.E. T SHIRTS!

D.A.N.C.E. music video T-shirts? Justice - D.A.N.C.E. T-shirts? Can you buy the T-shirts featured in the music video online anywhere?

No, they do sell them. I wasn't asking if they sell because they do, I was asking where. Some here: http://www.hypebeast.com/2007/06/justice...

I was wondering if anyone knows where the CURRENTLY sell those (the ones in the link have sold out) or if there are any more for sale. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.238.77.15 (talk) 05:51, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

As Wikipedia tends to avoid commercial links, you probably won't find much information about that here. You're probably better off using a search engine like Google. Dforest (talk) 22:03, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

[12], fisrt link. 81.96.160.6 (talk) 05:42, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

german tax

can someone explain articles 42b of the German tax code in english.--Spirom (talk) 11:30, 27 February 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.0.115.213 (talk) 10:27, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Why? Nil Einne (talk) 10:33, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Why did you ask "why?"? The "why" doesn't matter, look at all the other silly questions that pop up all the time, and yet you ask "why?" to this one? 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:27, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

This sounds like it may be a homework question to be, so I was just wondering if that was the case. Also, since this refers to the tax code, there is a risk people may feel it would fall into the no legal advice area depending on why Spirom needs an explaination. Ultimately, knowing why is likely to increase the number of people willing to answer, and help people understand what Spirom wants to know since explain articles 42b is a very generic question Nil Einne (talk) 03:19, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I can not read german--Spirom (talk) 14:18, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Spirom, if you'll provide the text, I'll be happy to try and translate it for you. You can do it on my talk page if you wish. Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 21:47, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

german

if german in german in deutsch, what is dutch in german, or holland. Furthermore, why do we in the english language call eg germany germany rather than deutschland or spain espanyol? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.3 (talk) 11:36, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Looks like 'holland' is 'holland' in germany, and 'the dutch' may be 'hollander', but don't take my word for it.. try searching on the internet for "english to german dictionary" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.102.93.245 (talk) 11:50, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Actually, it's Die Niederlande in German (there's a good paragraph on the name of the country over at the Wikipedia Deutschland). Dutchman (a person from that cuntry) in German is Holländer. Germany is called Germany because that's the somehow-historically-explainable translation of the term, in Polish they're called Niemcy, and Poland is Poland in English, and in Lithuanian it's Lenkija, and in Japanese it's Porando. Isn't it beautiful? --Ouro (blah blah) 12:04, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

We have an article about this sort of thing.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:25, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I've learned two new words :) --Ouro (blah blah) 12:48, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Ratio of homosexuality and bisexuality among males

Hi, What percentage of men are homosexuals or bisexuals?. Does this ratio change among older men?. Thanks 131.220.46.25 (talk)curious —Preceding comment was added at 15:58, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

The best we have is at Demographics of sexual orientation. --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:20, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

In America, the most widely regarded statistic is that 1 in 10 Americans are homosexual. Statistical numbers that have been published over the years vary between 1 in 10 , to 1 in 40, though. Guroadrunner (talk) 17:59, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

There is often a difference between practice and identification. There are many people who do not call themselves homosexual or even bisexual, and still have same-sex relations. The number of people who have same-sex relations will be somewhat higher than the number of people who identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual. See Men who have sex with men as an example. Steewi (talk) 03:19, 28 February 2008 (UTC) [small]edited to fix wikilink. Steewi (talk) 03:20, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[/small]

Home advantage in sports

How important is the home advantage in sports? I'm thinking mostly of association football but other sports would be interesting too. Occasionally teams have to play 'closed' matches without fans, or at neutral venues, does this eliminate the advantage? Thank you 81.96.160.6 (talk) 16:37, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

See Home advantage. --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:47, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Pitch-sizes for soccer vary so often teams have their home-pitch setup to their playing style. Arsenal had a small pitch that seemed to suit their intricate passing game. Also there is home-support which will have a positive impact on the home team - and potentially a negative impact on the away team. There is also the familiarity of playing within the same place/stadium - kinda like how sleeping at home is more 'normal' feeling than sleeping at some other home. In more 'distant' areas you could include local-climate/weather patterns that help, or the placement of the stadium (it may be a less 'windy' area for example). Also there is the 'learned' advantage - most teams playing at home setup in a more 'positive' manner, and often away teams setup more cautiously. This pre-assumed setup could result in a self-fulfilling prophecy and could be as much psychological as anything else. All the above is my interpretation of home-advantage without any study to confirm/deny the effects. ny156uk (talk) 17:45, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

"Arsenal have a small pitch". I thought the size of the pitch was laid down in the Laws of the Game? DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:13, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware pitches must have dimensions of between certain sizes, so it's possible for some to be smaller than others. Phileas (talk) 20:26, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Indeed there are upper and low limits - look at the article Football pitch it can be between 90 and 120 metres long, and 45 and 90 metres wide it seems, it is only things like the penalty-area/penalty-spot that are specifically the same for everyone. I think in the Emirates Arsenal are no longer smaller, but they used to have a wide short pitch if I recall correctly. ny156uk (talk) 20:32, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

That's what I thought, really, the psychological edge. The aricle is pretty good, thanks, but seems to be mostly about gridiron. I just would have thought that players would get used to playing in front of thousands of away fans and it shouldn't really make that much difference. Thanks a lot 81.96.160.6 (talk) 18:54, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

You may also be interested in reading An Examination of the Homefield Advantage in a Professional English Soccer Team from a Psychological Standpoint Nanonic (talk) 23:23, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

There are physical concerns as well, regarding size of field and stadium. There are no fixed requirements for cricket fields, for example, and cricket pitches vary greatly between grounds, which favours some teams over others (and batters over bowlers and vice versa). Stadium constructions offer significant home advantages in some sports, like Rugby, where kickers often line up drop kicks and punts using the grandstands (ie to judge where the touchline or other field markings are). Wind, weather and other climatic conditions also affect teams. Gwinva (talk) 00:51, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

And altitude can have an effect Nil Einne (talk) 03:15, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Jain

How would one go about converting to being a Jain. How can one escape modern society and its violence as seen through the eyes of a Jain, which I feel I am. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 16:38, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Move to India, find some Jains to live with and adopt their ways. Bellum et Pax (talk) 16:42, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Is it really that easy? If I wanted to be a Christian, I could not just move into your house, or could I? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 16:58, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

One cannot truly escape modern society and violence. Just look at the Amish. It's sad that no matter where you go or what you do, people are basically the same. Might I suggest a deserted island? Then again, you might declare war on yourself. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 17:29, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

try here for more links http://www.beliefnet.com/index/index_10040.html there are some links on the right of the page. I understand that if you act and feel like a Jain you probably are, I may not be right though. It looks like Jainism does not seek converts - conversely it doesn't seem to dissallow them either.

At Religious_conversion#Conversion_to_Indian_religions is say's not possible - it might be better to ask around at Portal:Jainism for an answer to whether or not it's possible. Good luck.87.102.93.245 (talk) 18:32, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

• Where did you get the idea that Jains escape from modern society? I know quite a few Jains, and they all have modern jobs (off the top of my head I can think of a physician, dean, architect, and hedge fund modeller) and live modern lifestyles. --M@rēino 01:04, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

What's this font?

Go here: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/columnists/kavanagh/article686412.ece and look at the headline and text in the image bubble. What is that font??? Guroadrunner (talk) 17:57, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

My best guess: Verdana. There are three font families specified in the css, but I cannot relate the CSS to the displayed page. The other two are georgia (font) and arial. --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:13, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Apparently it was created with a Flash font gennerator and the file name is futura.swf -- so I'll have to play around with MS Word to see if its Futura, along with the ones mentioned ... Guroadrunner (talk) 18:36, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

It's definitely not Futura. WhatTheFont suggested Tempo Heavy Condensed, and I agree. The Flash technique they're using is called SIFR, by the way. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 18:58, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Normal for spread to leak polyester?

I bought a 100% cotton bed spread from a retailer that was going out of business in that particular mall, filled with 100% polyester, and it's making me itch. Funny thing is, little fibers are coming out more where my legs are (which is about at the middle of the bedspread) isntead of where I pull it up - so obviously, it's not the stress of being pulled (though of course some movement will occur there, but not as much).

I just got rid of an old down comforter that was coming undone after about 8-9 years, and haven't had one like this before. Does it flake like this because it was just old? WOuld trying to vaccum up the little fibers help, or are there little holes in this spread that mean when I get those swept up, more will come?

It just seems weird that a new mattress/spread would do this, but of course, if it was sitting there for a long time and people were constantly squeezing it, who knows.4.68.248.130 (talk) 20:04, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd guess that you move your legs around a lot when you sleep - casuing the wear in that area.

Should it do that - no not really. I suppose you know why it was in a sale now. I'd guess that more will come if you get rid of the ones already there. Sorry I can't think of a solution for you.87.102.84.112 (talk) 13:53, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks - yes, I do, although now I wonder if the culprit was the blanket, as I hadn't washed it before use (it ws 100% cotton godon, whatever that is - that's how it looked to me, being legally blind, when I tried to read the tag). I washed the thing, and dried it, and the lint filter in my drier was completely full of thick stuff 2/3 of the way through, when i checked and changed it.

So, next course of action is to see what it was making me itch, and what those little fibers were. I'll sleep once with the blanket and an old comforter, once with the comforter and a different blanket, and compare.

Thanks again.4.68.248.130 (talk) 15:40, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

obesity in the nursing and physician field

Subject: Obesity with nurses and doctors

I have noticed the more I go to doctors, the more I've noticed that the nurses and the doctors are overweight or obese. It bothers me that these are the people telling me how to watch my diet and exercise for my health. My nutritionist who is 50 pounds overweight and is telling me what to eat healthy. I'm a diabetic so I watch my eating habits. But the question is, Shouldn't the medical field look at them selves before giving advice to others. Maybe others would take them a little more seriously. It's like a doctor is smoking in front of you and telling you not to smoke it's unhealthy?

Comment provided February 26, 2008 at 11:33 amSheesh64 (talk) 20:48, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Eh, perhaps. While you've got a point that patients might be more receptive to a doc who doesn't seem obviously hypocritical, I can't concur that doctors should withhold good medical advice in the interim. — Lomn 20:52, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Not should you expect people to only be considered a trusted authority on something if they practice what they preach. What if the doctor makes the lifestyle choice to be that weight? They may prefer not to do exercise, or they may enjoy the food/lifestyle they follow and consider that to be more important than their long-term health (ignoring the stats that show mild obesity has limited impact on longevity/quality of life). Their job is to advise you on how to be better - not to advise themselves. Certainly I see what you mean about the 'appearance' and 'impression' they give, but we shouldn't promote that kind of simplistic thinking in society. We have enough problems caused by that sort of logic as it is. The role of doctor is not to be healthy, it is to know what it takes to be healthy/how to deal with the unhealthy. The former is not a reliable guide of their ability to do the latter, and we should not promote it to be so. ny156uk (talk) 23:21, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

It's a phenomenon summed up in the old proverb "cobblers' children have no shoes". We can generalise further: architects' houses are never finished, plumbers' pipes leak, policemen get drunk, mechanics have broken-down cars, physicians get fat, lawyers die intestate... No one ever gets round to performing the tasks or follwoing the advice they spend their working life doing/giving. Gwinva (talk) 20:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Yeah I noticed a lot of big butted nurses who smoke. But most doctors I know seem to be slim and dont smoke (as far as I know). Anyway, its: do what I say; not do what I do (in terms of professional advice). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.173.143 (talk) 02:22, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

People forced to fight in armies

Hi. I recently read about the Colombian FAQ guerillas using large amounts of people forced into fighting for them. I know that this happens in a lot of similar armies. But how do they make sure everyone fights for them? If the majority of people are forced into fighting why dont they all just desert? Surely they cant keep order, as most of them dont want to be there and therefore wouldnt stop deserters since they are like mided? I was just wondering why they dont end up with everyone just saying "I'm off, bye!", leaving the leadership with no soldiers. 22:07, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

That's where the guys in the lead come into play. Probably a large number of people can be coerced into fighting for a certain side with promises of food, drink, shelter, freedom, or just plain the right to breathe and walk. The first person to say 'I'm off, bye!' will probably serve as an example of just how quickly especially the right to breathe can be lost. --Ouro (blah blah) 22:36, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure this is historical fact, but the conscripts who attempted to flee in Enemy at the Gates in the Battle of Stalingrad were all shot on sight. bibliomaniac15 22:39, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

That is true. Stalin issued an order to kill people suspected of cowardes(i.e retreat) and trying to start panic. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 21:30, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

You also underestimate the ability of the few to rule over the many. Effective use of propaganda, a cultural history of deference to seniority, intelligently framed debate and a good campaign of fear should be enough for most people. The German's managed to hold many many Polish/Jewish people with very limited troops holding them use a good amount of misinformation, promise of safety/security, intimidation etc. Things such as the Milgram experiment are examples of how 'senior-figures' are trusted to extreme lengths on the basis of their position. ny156uk (talk) 22:50, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree 100% with Ouro. Something you might want to check out too would be the documentary on Gerda Weissman. Although she wasn't forced to fight, she was forced to walk for months while in a concentration camp. When some of her friends got the idea for running away, they were shot on the spot. Although there weren't many SS men watching them, they were still able to keep control of their prisoners.--Dlo2012 (talk) 23:04, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

See also conscription. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:48, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Also consider the effect of machine guns behind the people in the front line.86.209.154.32 (talk) 14:39, 28 February 2008 (UTC)DT

Violence in Video Games causing violence in people?

There was a recent article I read that said that the more violent the video game (or any entertainment) in that matter causes people to think more violently and think that violence is okay. For 10 years I have watched gore filled horror films, played the goriest games, watched the most brutal concerts in history and NOT once have I EVER felt like being violent towards people. So what makes this critics think the Video Game violence causing people to become more violent? Is it just a way to take back more of our freedom? Sorry for ranting about this I just needed to get it off my chest.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk) 23:15, 27 February 2008

As far as I know, there has never been a real scientific survey on the impact of video gaming over long term. Possibly I can understand that in the very short term it might have some psychological effect, but I'd also think that the problem is mainly due to the ratings system not being enforced. No, I don't think that 8 year olds should be playing GTA - there's a reason it's rated 18. -mattbuck (Talk) 23:22, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

There are a few studies that suggest it may have an impact - but none are conclusive (that i've seen) and none have shown any real impact that is over and above 100s of other factors that could be considered to increase violence. Usually the reasoning is a lack of understanding of that genre/medium and in fear (or through lack of understanding) they decide that because it allows X it must lead to an increase in Y. It may be a moral-outrage that anybody could find doing X entertaining/enjoyable, because they have a moral-standard different to many others, or it may be that they fear the 'realism' in comparison to books is much higher and because it is interactive (unlike say a gory film) that the individual will be given 'ideas' and 'taught' how to implement said ideas. From my perspective mostly it comes down to a basic lack of understanding about people, and gaming, but then i am 100% in the "violence in games is nothing to be worried about in the slightest" camp so i'm probably biased in my opinions. Unlike Mattbuck I don't believe that age matters particularly, I work on a belief that the more we 'hide' things from people the more 'important' it makes it feel to them, and the more likely it is to be considered 'major' when in reality it is a game - like playing cops and robbers, or doctors and nurses. Getting people understanding it is 'play' is (to me) the most important part, because play has always involved things that if 'real' would be shocking/dangerous/bad for society etc. ny156uk (talk) 23:29, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Is it reasonable to suppose that thousands of hours of exposure to a thing will have no effect? At the very least that's thousands of hours not spent doing some other thing. My mother would tell us "monkey see, monkey do", and it would be impossible to refute her with all the science in the world. And is your question political or psychological? To start by asking for facts and end by "ranting", as you put it, against the evil conspiracy of whoever without waiting for said facts is not sensible. Let me ask you, do you suppose you'd be able to tell if all that exposure made your mind today different from what it would have been if you'd spent that same time, oh, birdwatching, let's say? Seriously. I'm not trying to be crappy or facetious (I'm much better at that than this). --Milkbreath (talk) 23:52, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm afraid I haven't researched this issue in depth. I do have a friend who wrote his master's thesis on the topic of the effects of media violence and came to the conclusion that everything we hear about violent media causing real-life problems is a bunch of crap. As pointed out above, there are hundreds of factors that influence one's personality, and what one sees on a TV or PC screen is probably fairly minor in the scheme of things. The interaction one has with the real-life people around him or her, especially one's parents growing up, is far more important. After all, even if one spends an hour a day playing video games, that's only a tiny portion of one's waking hours. Juvenile-crime rates, and crime rates overall, were higher 25 years ago when home video games consisted of a little dot bouncing between two lines. The youths most likely to end up in trouble with the law are those in poverty, not ones playing Halo 3 on 60" plasma TVs. My opinion is that politicians don't want to blame parents for kids getting screwed up, and they don't want to blame themselves for poor government policy. So video games, movies and TV make an easy target. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:13, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

It may not cause a person to go out and commit violent acts, but it certainly desensitises people to violence. We've all experienced that, with the mass coverage of murders, rapes, genocide etc on the daily news. Once upon a time the reaction might have been "Oh, how shocking" - now, it's "Ho hum, boring. Next". Which is why calls for international assistance for people in distress due to earthquakes, drought etc often fall on deaf ears unless the victims are in one's own backyard. Being desensitised to violence also doesn't cause people to commit violence, but it might reduce whatever scruples they have if they're ever in a situation where they're provoked or tempted. -- JackofOz (talk) 00:21, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Dave Grossman argues, in the last chapters of On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, that violent archetypes in movies create models for young male interactions that encourage violent (fight or flight) solutions rather than solutions more natural to intra-species conflict (which include such options as non-fighting intimidation and submission—think about how dogs interact with one another versus how they interact with animals of any other species). In a sense, his argument there is that our exposure to such media gives people an unrealistic expectation of human violent interactions, to the point where we think that all soldiers in previous wars must have actually killed someone (he marshals a lot of evidence to show that in wars prior to Vietnam, very few infantrymen were responsible for shooting deaths, for example). He further argues, and I think far less plausibly, that because violent video games are built on the same Pavlovian stimulus-response model as modern (post-Vietnam) military training, that it will encourage similar reactions in others. I think the first argument is not at all implausible, though the latter seems like a bit of a stretch to me (given that you don't really engage much of your physical body while playing such video games, which I see as a key difference between the type of military training he described). --98.217.18.109 (talk) 00:40, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Jack Thompson claims that video games cause violence, especially school shootings, but no scientific experiement has ever been done and it seems pretty clear that it doesn't (or we'd have millions of school shooters, instead of tens). I'd have to agree that it does cause insensitivity, but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. Useight (talk) 00:52, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Not that I agree with Jack Thompson but intrisicly, there is no reason why video games can't cause violence, in a small number of people but not in the majority of people. Even if that is true, it doesn't necessary suggest video games should be banned or restricted but the premise 'the vast majority of people who play video games don't become school shooters' while true, doesn't in fact in any way rule out that video games did cause violence in the cases where Jack Thompson says it did. The problem with Jack Thompson's argument is the first thing you said. Although there is no evidence AFAIK to disprove that he says, there is no evidence suggesting it is true either so we have to lean towards it being more complicated then it having a simplistic role (although perhaps not ruling it out being a component). The second things of course is whether Jack Thompsons proposed solutions make sense which many people would say they don't Nil Einne (talk) 03:02, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I commented earlier, but I have since found an interesting game called Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, where the player takes the role of Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold in performing the Columbine Massacre. It raised some interesting questions - there was a LOT of moral outrage at it, versus very little when say Bowling for Columbine was released, and yet it has also been said to be the most important video game of all time, since it breaks out of the genre of light entertainment, and makes people actually think about something.

Now, there is little if no evidence that violent video games have any more effect on thinking than say a movie. Maybe age isn't an issue, but I admit I adhere to a form of censorship in that I find swearing around children to be distasteful. I also consider that viewing blood and gore can be quite traumatising, and that for that reason there should be age limits. However, no limits should ever be hard and fast. Some people are mature enough to play GTA at say 12, while others may not be mature enough at 21. The point is in understanding the difference between real world and fantasy - some people get a grip on this earlier or later than others. If you know that what you do in a game is not allowable in the real world, then that's fine.

To return to Columbine, I read a book by Eric Harris's friend, Brooks Brown. In it, he tells of how they played Doom together as children, and how when someone was decapitated, they were not horrified, they laughed because they knew it was fake. He says that video games are not to blame for the massacre, nor are guns, Marilyn Manson, nor the parents. Instead he lays the blame at a school where bullying was rampant, and ignored by the staff. Where unless you were the average jock, the teachers wouldn't give a dam.

To sum up, I can see that violence in video games can have an effect on some people, but that those problems which are often blamed on such violence are rarely if ever caused by that. -mattbuck (Talk) 01:20, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree to some degree, but I don't think it's a problem with reality vs. fantasy. That's often how it gets talked about, but I don't think people ever really doubt that line; when they actualize a fantasy (however grim), it seems like in except for cases of extreme dementia or hallucination, they are well aware that it is "reality"--they don't think they're in a game or anything like that, they are actively trying to translate a fantasy of theirs into a reality. I'm not sure what the difference actually is, but I'm dubious that that particular distinction is the one at issue. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 02:39, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I maintain that if violent video games led to real-world violence, there would have been a tremendous increase, rather than a decrease, in violent-crime rates, especially among juveniles, in the U.S. in the 1990s. On the contrary, juvenile crime plummeted by two-thirds between 1993 and 2005. ([13]) The introduction of realistically violent video games coincided with a dramatic drop in juvenile crime! So much for kids getting desensitized. Perhaps instead of turning kids into killers, violent video games allow violent people to take out their aggression on pixels rather than on real people! -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:10, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

My opinion (and that's all it is, opinion) is that video games have no power to influence peoples behaviour beyond early childhood, and even then I think the effects are minimal. I've played a lot of violent games but I've been in less than two real fights in my life, and alcohol caused that one. The people who commit these atrocities all seem to have serious mental health problems, often coupled with other, social, issues. Having said that, Marcus Brigstocke said that "if video games really influenced people, everyone who was raised in the 80s would spent their time in dark rooms listening to repetetive music and munching magic pills", so maybe there's something to be said for the theory...81.96.160.6 (talk) 03:41, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

but I'd also think that the problem is mainly due to the ratings system not being enforced.

This I quoted because I thought of it as ridiculous. It has been enforced by law with the rating system. The reason eight years old are playing GTA is because parents don't enforce it. It isn't the government responsibility and its not the game stores responsibility its the parents. No, eight years old shouldn't be playing GTA, but the law has been enforced just not by parents.

Now for violence in video games. It has no effect if it did then I would have shot someone by now. I've played those types of games for a long time and it had no effect on me. Personally in my opinion(my opinion remember that) I think that its the environment the child lives in more then what he watches on TV. The environment of the household is what effects a child's aggressive behavior. If the child lives in a violent home he'll become violent. Or absorb the mild ideas of violence as a punishment. Also in my opinion I think violent games are a great way to escape reality You can be whatever you want a soldier, a pinata, etc.. If you don't like violent games don't buy them as simple as that. Also violent video games in my opinion help release stress. Pretend for a second that zombie is your boss.

Video games are just a tool to escape from reality as simple as that.71.142.242.233 (talk) 06:00, 29 February 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Let's put it this way. I've been playing FPSes since I was a little boy. I find it extremely satisfying to shoot someone who's been troubling me in a game, love ragdoll physics, and am fastinated by guns. In GTA I kill whoever I feel like whenever I feel like for fun. However, if you gave me a real gun and told me to just aim it at a real person, I couldn't do it. I would never shoot another person to kill, not even in self-defense. Just the thought of killing another human being makes me want to vomit. It was the same when I was a little kid. Videogames do not make people violent, period. Like other people said, it is the environment the person was raising in, as well as how their mind works from the beginning. I think about how I act as an adult and I notice a whole host of little things that happened as a child to shape me into who I am today. I also remember things I thought about when I was about 5 (yes, I remember that far back) and how those thoughts were a precursor to what I would think decades later. A person's entire being - their attitudes towards violence, their sexual preferances, their major interests, their behavior towards others - is all there at an extremely young age, in the mind waiting to emerge later in life. No activity like video games could possibly change who you were destined to be. You don't behave the same way in a video game that you would in real life, you know it isn't real, that it's sole purpose is to do things you can't do in real life. There are some people who are motivated to do things by playing video games, these people have no clear perception of reality. Most of the other people who cause violence were like that to begin with. I am reminded of a letter by the aunt of a kid who tortured and murdered a homeless man, sent to the gaming comic Penny Arcade. The kid said video games made him do it, but this letter told the real story. He was violent and rebellious, and tormented his parents - but no one would listen to the parents, they only put them at fault. He would be taken home by the police every week and yet he'd steal sneak out of the house every day to rob stores and beat up random people. But the media doesn't care, they just blame video games and move on. This letter literally brought me to tears. How many people must be hurt because people ignore the real issue and blame it on a convenient scapegoat? I apoligize sincerely for the ridiculously long post, but this is one of the issues I feel extremely strongly about. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:23, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

The kid said video games made him do it, but this letter told the real story. He was violent and rebellious, and tormented his parents - but no one would listen to the parents, they only put them at fault. He would be taken home by the police every week and yet he'd steal sneak out of the house every day to rob stores and beat up random people. But the media doesn't care, they just blame video games and move on. This letter literally brought me to tears. How many people must be hurt because people ignore the real issue and blame it on a convenient scapegoat?

No offense to people I'm about to say something that may offend. Just a warning. Video games are a scapegoat of not taking responsibility. The same goes for religion. Religion is a scapegoat for not taking any responsibility. How many people say it was God who made me do it? Its the same with video games. Though many people won't notice that they use religion as a scapegoat most of the time. Once again no offense to people. You'll just have to learn how to except people's opinions.71.142.242.233 (talk) 16:27, 29 February 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

February 28

Ted Bundy Philsopher?

Can someone confirm if the story here is true or not? Seems odd to me. http://famguardian.org/Subjects/SexualImmorality/Homosexuality/HomoAndNaturalLaw.htm --Alxcgn7 (talk) 00:03, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Bundy had a degree in psychology and was handy with a tape recorder, according to the college years section of our article - Ted Bundy. So it is not improbable that he made such a recording & said such things, if that was your question. Equally, I cannot find any other references to him taping his victims, as distinct from his confession tapes. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:10, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Seems odd to me too. It doesn't read like a real transcript to me (it reads like a bad writer writing a transcript, and the presence of perfect punctuation makes it unlike any real transcript I have ever read, much less what I would imagine a transcript of a victim and a killer, where at least one of the parties should be stressed enough to fumble over their words occasionally); the lack of additional references (or even a proper citation of the so-called "transcript") makes it equally dubious. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 00:27, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

The "reference" for the transcript is super-duper dubious: "This transcript was composed on the same principle as the speeches in Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, attributing to each speaker the words that fit his character and the circumstances in which he spoke." — So... is the guy saying he just made it up? That's not a reference, in any case. My verdict, lacking any other evidence: fake. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 00:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

It's supposed to be obvious to the reader that it's been made up for didactic purposes. I hope you appreciate how hard it was to read that crap. There sure are some kooks at both ends of every spectrum. --Milkbreath (talk) 00:42, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

York Memorial Collegiate Institute yearbook

Does York Memorial C.I. keep archives of their published yearbooks? Yes or not? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Don Mustafa (talk • contribs) 02:44, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I suggest you email them and ask. As they have a library, I'd think it improbable that they do not keep copies. --Tagishsimon (talk) 02:48, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

UK newspaper reader demographics

I was reading an article in The Times today ([14]) which mentioned that the Tories had put out 10 different ads aimed at different groups, in different papers. This made me wonder what the 'main' political concern of the readers of each newspaper in the UK is, and the general stance of each paper. Would voters for whom education is the primary conern be more likely to buy, say, The Guardian? And what about the other issues? Any insight appreciated. 81.96.160.6 (talk) 03:23, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I can't resist responding to this with a then-already-old joke that I was told in the 1990s:

• The Times is read by the people who run the country.
• The Financial Times is read by the people who own the country.
• The Mail is read by the wives of the people who run and own the country.
• The Guardian is read by the people who think they ought to be running the country.
• The Telegraph is read by the people who think the country ought to be run the way it used to be.
• The Express is read by the people who think it still is.
• The Mirror is read by people who think everyone ought to run the country.
• The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country.
• The Sun is read by people who don't care who runs the country, so long as they've got big tits.

I understand that there's considerable truth to it, but it needs to be updated. --Anonymous, 05:15 UTC, February 28, 2008.

Credit of course to Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay for this, from Yes Minister. -88.110.19.101 (talk) 08:54, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

It should be pointed out that this is a Chinese whispers form of the original, which does not include the Express and has different (better) definitions for the Mirror and Telegraph. The correct text can be found here. 80.254.147.52 (talk) 16:42, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I've seen the episode, now that you mention it, but I assumed they were retelling an existing (old) joke. Thanks. --Anon, 01:04 UTC, Feb. 29.

I get most of the joke. But as an American, I don't know the reputation of the Express? Lotsofissues 06:14, 28 February 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lotsofissues (talk • contribs)

The humorous list above has a certain ring to it still, but IMHO The Times is now unlikely to be read by those who 'govern' the country. It has evolved downwards significantly since the '90s. Richard Avery (talk) 08:35, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

As told by satirists such as those at Private Eye and The News Quiz, the Daily Express is the paper for those obsessed by the alleged assassination of Diana, Princess of Wales and by the missing girl Madeleine McCann. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 08:59, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

PS: and according to the same satirical sources, the Daily Mail is the paper of Middle England xenophobes. The Morning Star is socialist; one might assume its readers are too. The article for each paper gives some indication of its editorial stance, and sometimes a description of the reader stereotype (e.g. in the Mail and The Guardian). AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:19, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

There's an old sketch, which I think is from "Fool Britannia", with Peter Sellers and Anthony Newley, where the character played by Sellers is asked which papers he normally reads. He replies with 3 or 4 names (Guardian, Spectator etc), and ends with the punchline: "and as many Times as I can get" (or something very like that). I hate to reveal the punchline without the preceding joke, and I wish I could find it on Google, but a long search has produced no results. Anyone know what I'm talking about? -- JackofOz (talk) 09:05, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I know, but I cannot find it. The sketch is about a call girl or similar and goes along the lines of "what newspapers does she take?", "Well, she takes a Mail, a Mmirror, several Spectators and as many Times as she can get" It was on an LP record, but I cannot find it.

Yes, Guardian readers might be more concerned with education than those of other papers, and they might also be more concerned with issues of social care, the media and (to a lesser extent perhaps) IT. This is partly because the paper has large weekly supplements on all these subjects, containing articles, letters and pages and pages of job vacancies. You can always tell a newspaper's (a quality newspaper, at least) demographic by studying the kind of jobs that are advertised in it. Personnel departments are not stupid (well, they are, but that's another story), and they want to maximise the reach of their job adverts by placing them in the newspaper where the best potential employees are likely to see it. None of the other quality newspapers have anywhere near as many job adverts as the Guardian does. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 10:30, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Although that becomes self-fulfilling. A paper becomes known for the types of job adverts it places, so HR and job-seekers alike follow that lead. From personal experience, when looking for specific jobs I bought the recommended paper just for the adverts; forget the journalism. My colleagues did the same. (And then bought a different paper when undergoing a career-change.) Gwinva (talk) 20:35, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Thank you all, that list is great! And JackofOz, I recognize that quote but I can't find it anywhere either. 81.96.160.6 (talk) 04:00, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Castle Hudemühlen

OK, here's another German location question. I'm trying to find information on Castle Hudemühlen to kill a redlink. My source, dating to 1860, says it is "in the country of Lüneburg", but the German Wikipedia's article on Hodenhagen seems to indicate it is there. The common thread here is that the castle is famous for once being the home of a kobold named Hinzelmann. At any rate, I'm having a devil of a time (no pun intended) finding English-language sources that aren't specifically about the kobold. Please help! — Dulcem (talk) 05:13, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Some circumstantial support for Hodenhagen: The German Wikipedia article on Hodenhagen says it was formed in 1936 by uniting three towns, including one named Hudemühlen-Burg (Hudemühlen Castle). Google maps for Hudemühlen leads only to a Hudemühlen-Burg street in Hodenhagen. On German Wikipedia Hudemühlen redirects to Hodenhagen. The German Wikipedia article on Hinzelmann quotes an unnamed 1704 book that Hinzelmann appeared "in Hause Hudemühlen and thereafter in Eystrup in the Lüneburg country". Eyestrup is only 28 km from Hodenhagen. From Lüneburg it is 86 km to Hodenhagen but 113 km to Eyestrup. Is it reasonable to guess that the Eyestrup-Hudemühlen region was considered part of some extendedLüneburg country? --71.146.162.148 (talk) 06:24, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

This site talks about a castle in Hohenhagen with two names, Hudemühlen and "abgegangenes Schloss". Could this be an alternate name, perhaps one that is better known today? I'm also curious to know whether the castle is still standing or is in ruins. — Dulcem (talk) 08:16, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

The page quoted by Dulcem says Erhalten: nichts (remains: none). Thus the castle isn't even in ruins any more. The page names as its source the book Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands, Band 2. Niedersachsen und Bremen by Kurt Brüning & Heinrich Schmidt, Stuttgart 1986. --71.146.162.148 (talk) 08:39, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for all the help. I've created redirects for the castle to Hodenhagen and added a note to that page about the castle and kobold that used to be there. — Dulcem (talk) 09:57, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Tim Cahill

What is Tim Cahill's (the soccer player) contribution to Australia? 220.233.83.26 (talk) 06:01, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Take a peek at Tim Cahill - 's probably there if it's important enough. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:43, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I have already checked that's why I'm asking. 220.233.83.26 (talk) 06:54, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, other than the facts that he was the first Australian to score in the FIFA World Cup and other similar achievements, I cannot help you more. Maybe someone else knows that frequents the RD. Sorry I couldn't help more. Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 07:16, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Boomtowns in the English-Speaking World (especially the Anglosphere)

So I'm a young guy about to graduate and looking to dive into the world and make my mark. I hear Fort McMurray, energized by $100/barrel oil, has exploded in growth, doubling in years, and offers boundless opportunities. Are there any other boomtowns? Lotsofissues 06:06, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

What about Mars? It's at least as cold and isolated as Fort McMurray. Actually, Inc. Magazine made a list of American ones, with St. George, Utah at number 1.[15] Adam Bishop (talk) 16:24, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Mining towns in Western Australia are busy now.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 22:22, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Print out a list of cities over 10,000 in Alberta. Every one is in a boom and will be until oil drops below $60/barrel. --NellieBly (talk) 01:06, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Currency exchange?

I have a minor hobby of collecting coins and currency. Is there some sort of place I can go in midtown Manhattan or the Upper East Side to, say, exchange an American dollar for a Euro or other currency? I had a crazy idea of getting some Zimbabwe dollars but I don't have a truck to carry it all. --Blue387 (talk) 06:16, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I would expect that most banks will exchange local currency for many different foreign currencies, although they'll charge you a fee which will make it uneconomic to change just one dollar. The proper name for currency changers is Bureau de change, but in my experience most banks in Western countries have this function.-gadfium 08:34, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I think for small denominations you'd have more success at a specialist coin and medal collectors' shop (which you might be able to find in the local telephone directory). I know of one in York, but not in New York. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:30, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I always go to American Express if I want a few zloty or whatever. There's one at Macy's Herald Square. Call ahead for oddball currency. --Milkbreath (talk) 13:22, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Many bureaux de change will not handle coins, so you won't be able to get just one euro, which to my knowledge is available only as a coin rather than a bank note (bill). The smallest euro bank note denomination, I think, is €5, which is worth about $7.50, but it will cost close to $10 with fees and commission. Marco polo (talk) 17:41, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Linguistic note: "bureau de change" is in a foreign language and is not "the proper term" in North American English. It's just a foreign-exchange office/business/desk/etc. --Amonymous, 01:00 UTC, February 29, 2008.

Linguistic correction: "bureau de change" may be in French, a foreign language in the US, but French is not a foreign language in Canada. --NellieBly (talk) 01:08, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

But how can I get Zimbabwe money? --Blue387 (talk) 07:31, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I have found Zimbabwean currency at the Polish online auction site, allegro.pl, so maybe try Ebay? --Ouro (blah blah) 12:57, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Anon user 206.252.74.48 below has UK 5p, if that's of interest! Gwinva (talk) 20:20, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Tim Cahill (2)

Would Tim Cahill be recognized as Everton's star player?? 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:05, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't say that, no. In the first place, I would query the whole idea of "star players". Football is a team game and the contribution of any one individual tends to be regarded as less important than the way the team as a whole plays. In any case, there are other current Everton players (for example Phil Neville) whose careers are at least as distinguished as Cahill's. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 10:23, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Of course football teams have "star players". Manchester United have Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, Arsenal have Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor, Chelsea have John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, Liverpool have Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, Tottenham have Dimitar Berbatov, Barcelona have Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o, AC Milan have Kaka, Alexandre Pato and Ronaldo, and so on. To answer the question, Everton have a few "top" players at the moment (Yakubu, Andy Johnson, Mikel Arteta and yes, Tim Cahill. It didn't hep Cahill to be injured for much of last season. I would say Arteta is probably recognised by fans as their "star player" at the moment. Neıl ☎ 12:34, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

You have more or less confirmed what I wrote in your reply. You list two or three star players for each club, which supports my assertion that clubs do not have one star player. I would still dispute whether fans would name one individual. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:59, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I could have said C Ronaldo for United, Fabregas for Arsenal, Drogba for Chelsea, Gerrard for Liverpool, Berbatov for Spurs, Kaka for AC Milan, and so on, and I wouldn't have been far off. Fans name their one "star" player every season at most clubs. Neıl ☎ 14:22, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

OK, last German location question, I swear!

OK, this is the last German location redlink I need to kill. Where is Alte Burg? The German Wikipedia has quite a lengthy disambiguation page for that name. My source (Snowe, Joseph (1839). The Rhine, Legends, Traditions, History, from Cologne to Mainz, Vol. I. London: F. C. Westley and J. Madden & Co., p. 100) describes the location like this:

Within a few minutes' walk of Bayenthurm, which forms the furthermost extremity of Cologne, as the traveller proceeds up the Rhine, stand a large mill and an adjacent house, on the bank of the river. History or tradition mention nothing of their origin or antiquity ; and yet that the spot must be the site of a very ancient structure, is evident from the derivation of its name—Alte Burg—literally, old castle.

Any guesses? — Dulcem (talk) 10:12, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Alte Burg at the Deutschland Wikipediä. I haven't got any Cologne-related literature at hand to help you right now, but this reminds me of something... --Ouro (blah blah) 11:24, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

You might be thinking about de:Alte Burg (Nörvenich) or de:Alteburg (Essen). Admiral Norton ^(talk) 14:20, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I would think he meant the Alteburger Mühle. There's still a street in Cologne named "An der Alteburger Mühle", a little south (i.e., "up" the Rhine) of the Bayenturm. See also [16], and [17]. The name derivation of "alte burg" from "burg" as in "old castle" is highly dubious, by the way. It can equally well be derived from "burger": the old mill of the burgers of the city of Cologne. I'm not aware of any castle having ever been there. There was, however, a Roman castell in the vicinity.[18] (and of course, Cologne was an important city in Roman times). Lupo 14:35, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Cool, thanks, everyone. I guess it's dubious enough that I shouldn't speculate about which one it really is. I'll delink and replace "Alte Burg" with "a place known as Alte Burg" or the like. Thanks again! — Dulcem (talk) 23:37, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

TRITON T80xr Shower problem.

Has anyone in the UK experienced a temperature control problem with the Triton T80xr shower? The problem occurs when the shower is turned back on after a short stop. There is a quick slug of hotter water (as is normal) then the water runs cold and will not reheat. If the shower is turned off and then on again the problem resolves but this should be unnecessary with a brand new shower. The Triton company tells me that there have been other sufferers of this problem but will not elucidate further. The company further tells me that this is the way this model is designed (!?) If that is the case I wonder why there are no instructions in the users' handbook about this very irritating 'function'. So, back to the question. Has anyone else had a similar problem and have you any advice? Richard Avery (talk) 10:39, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Afraid I can't help you myself, but I know where to find someone who can. The uk.d-i-y newsgroup is full of people who know all about this kind of thing, including not a few professional plumbers and bathroom installers.

If you don't have a newsreader set up already, your best bet for quickly posting a one-off question is probably Google Groups (try here) though I think you might still need to register with them. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 12:31, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

OK, Thanks for that 189, it seems to be a fairly active site. Richard Avery (talk) 08:06, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I read the instructions yesterday that come with really expensive tempering valves (Thermostatic mixing valve). The brief pulse of hot water is mentioned.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 21:09, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is.....

Hi everyone! I'm doing a poster for my biology class and I need several sort, witty statements about what life is, in the style of "Life is....". I've got a few of my own, but I know you guys can come up with some crackers! xxx User:Hyper Girl 12:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

A few quick ones off the top of my head: a protein sandwich, wet, wild, a work in progress, all over you, hungry, only natural. What were yours? --Milkbreath (talk) 12:50, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

According to the Small Faces,life is just a bowl of All-Bran Lemon martini (talk) 13:29, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is like a box of chocolates, but my box comes from a different shelf. --Ouro (blah blah) 13:30, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I've always been a fan of these: "Life is Substantial!", "Life is the opposite of Efil", and "Life is heartily endorsed by Art Linkletter". UltraExactZZ ^Claims ~ Evidence 13:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is an STD with 100% fatality —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 13:35, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Zanussi made a film on this - Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease --Ouro (blah blah) 13:50, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

It's people like that that depress the hell out of me. Anyway, life to me is like a mountain range, you have a hard time climbing up the hard parts, but then you can walk down easily. I liken the hardest parts of life to running into a rock wall that is completely vertical, looking at it, and then realizing you have to climb it. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:01, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

So the fact that you're not immortal depresses the hell out of you? Also, I think User:Hyper Girl was looking for a s(h)ort answer. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:11, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

No, the fact that people see life as worthless depresses me. It's a beautiful thing, and we should cherish it while we can. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:50, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is a fatal STD ergo life is worthless?

Zain Ebrahim (talk) 06:49, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is butter melon cauliflower.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:07, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

protein synthesis, the only alternative, better than the alternative, excellent, amazing, what we live for, my personal hell, DNA replication, better than TV, less exciting than sex, possible because of enzymes, not a computer simulation... Think outside the box 14:09, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

(unindent) Life is composed of lengthy spans of sadness and melancholy divided by brief moments of happiness. --Ouro (blah blah) 14:10, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

These are perfect! Thank you! I especially like Milkbreath and Think outside the box's ideas. Sorry Milkbreath, but I feel embarrassed to post mine after looking at this (believe me, they were about as good as peas in hot chocolate!) xxx User:Hyper Girl 14:25, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is life, na naaa naaa na naaaa (disclaimer: you will probably be old and/or German if you get this). Neıl ☎ 14:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Hyper Girl, after you're done, post your poster somewhere for us to see :) --Ouro (blah blah) 15:00, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

"Life IS pain, Highness! Anyone who tells you differently is selling something," according to Westley. I am flat out shocked no one had submitted that yet. Faithfully, Deltopia (talk) 15:15, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

"Inconceivable!", in fact. Gwinva (talk) 20:47, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is unfair--Dlo2012 (talk) 15:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

"Life is a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects, i.e. non-life, and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally." Obviously! Adam Bishop (talk) 16:17, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is long, except when you're enjoying yourself. -mattbuck (Talk) 16:21, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

According to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Life is real! Life is earnest! Deor (talk) 17:01, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is like a box of chocolates...I always get the freakin' coconut ones. Useight (talk) 17:31, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

In that case, give them to me. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is but a walking shadow. By the way, googlism.com is a wonderful tool for just this occasion. --Ferkelparade π 17:37, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is what happens just before you die.  hotclaws 20:17, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Old joke: Life is a sexually transmitted disease. It's quite contagious without the proper precautions, has a 9 month incubation period and is 100% terminal. Steewi (talk) 00:08, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Life is the name of the game, and I wanna play the game with you. --Bruce Forsyth —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.109.223.160 (talk) 10:03, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I've always liked 'Life is like playing a violin solo, and learning the instrument as you go' —Preceding unsigned comment added by Radiofred (talk • contribs) 15:22, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

"Life is." Simply stated. – ClockworkSoul 17:24, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Check out the box that I just added to this section linking to Wikiquote. My favorite "Life is" quote belongs to John Lennon: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." --M@rēino 15:23, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Also accredited to Woody Allen, I believe. Julia Rossi (talk) 00:17, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Apparently,life is also made of whole grain oats Lemon martini (talk) 12:56, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Canada

Hi. Just wondering what is the richest province in Canada? Is it Alberta?Jwking (talk) 16:01, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

What standard of "richest" are you applying? We have a list of Canadian provinces and territories by gross domestic product that puts Ontario pretty clearly on top for most conventional measures (the Northwest Territories top the per capita ranking). — Lomn 16:11, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, according to Economy of Alberta, "Alberta is the richest province in Canada (GDP per capita wise) and if it were its own country, it would be ranked second richest in the world (after Luxembourg)", and according to Economy of Ontario, "The Economy of Ontario is a rich and diversified economy. Ontario has the largest economy in Canada, its GDP being nearly twice that of neighbouring Quebec, the second largest economy." So I suppose it depends on what you are measuring. Alberta has the oilpatch but Ontario has far more business and trade. Adam Bishop (talk) 16:15, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Ah, good point -- the Northwest Territories aren't a province. The list above confirms Alberta's GDP per capita rank. — Lomn 18:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

And it's a good thing, given the price of groceries. Why are the same items 50% higher in price at Safeway in Calgary than they are at Safeway in Regina? --NellieBly (talk) 01:11, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

New York rush-hour traffic

I will be driving into Midtown Manhattan from New England during the evening rush hour on Friday. For most of my trip, I will happily drive against the flow of rush-hour traffic. My concern is that, when I exit either the West Side Highway or FDR Drive for my ultimate destination, near Herald Square, I will confront the crush of vehicles trying to enter either the Lincoln or Midtown Tunnel. Can any New Yorker (or frequent visitor) advise me on which tunnel entrance tends to be more congested? This will help me decide whether to approach on the west side or the east side. Thanks! Marco polo (talk) 17:50, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd suggest getting directions for both approaches, then listening to AM 880 for updated traffic info as you approach. ("Traffic & Weather together on the eights!") Any given tunnel/bridge/highway varies a lot from day to day. jeffjon (talk) 14:14, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

• To quote Monty Python, "don't be a fool, don't do it!" I've done it before, and I found the Connecticut traffic to be harrowing. You should ask, do I really need my car, and do I need to take it all the way to midtown? You might be better off parking in, say, Stamford and taking the Metro North train the rest of the way. But if you must then, as jeffjon said, listen to 880 AM (or 1010 WINS) to get updates. Probably your best bet will end up being West Side Highway to the 42nd St southbound, then proceeding to Herald Sq. without travelling through Times Square. Also, remember that on Friday evening the pedestrians aren't paying any attention to you. --M@rēino 15:37, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I normally drive into the theatre district from the east, and cross town on 27th St. Somehow the traffic is pretty minimal there. I echo the others: which is the better tunnel varies from day to day, and the radio will help. 880 traffic at 8, 18, 28, etc. minutes after the hour, 1010 traffic at 1, 11, 21, etc. Coming from New England, try to avoid the morass that is the Cross Bronx Expy. Cross at the Tappan Zee if feasible, or come over the Triborough Bridge and approach from the east. I don't do this daily, so heed those who do and YMMV -- literally! Catrionak (talk) 17:22, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

God and his all powerfulness

Can God create a rock so heavy he cant lift it? 144.32.126.12 (talk) 18:20, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Mu. Dforest (talk) 09:41, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

See our article on the omnipotence paradox. — Lomn 18:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I say God can create a rock of any weight, yet he can still lift it. But, I'm afraid we just don't know too much about God and his lifting of rocks. Useight (talk) 00:23, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

God, by definition, created the entire universe. Any one rock, no matter how heavy, is relatively light. -- JackofOz (talk) 00:34, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

As a Theory of Relativity, this lacks the gravity of St Peter. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 01:02, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

This also depends on your definition of "lift". The "heaviness" of a rock depends on a particular value for the gravitational acceleration in the given point in space (six times greater at the surface of the earth than at the surface of the moon, and much smaller at a point in deep space). To "lift" a rock means that you move it away from ... what? What is the centre in God's view of the universe? SaundersW (talk) 08:40, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I've just realised the answer is no. There's a maximum on how big a rock can be (see black hole and neutron star), but no maximum on what God can move (due to omnipotence). You could argue that God could prevent the rock from collapsing in on itself, but if He's preventing gravity from working, then it's not exactly lifting in my opinion. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:24, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

At the end of the day I suppose it doesn't matter since God doesn't exist. 144.32.126.14 (talk) 17:58, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

I always thought the answer was "yes", in the sense that this is equivalent to asking "can god remove his omnipotent powers?", and that seems perfectly possible to me, given the definition of terms. Of course, it's all just a thought experiment, since physical laws and god's implausible existence would kick in anyway. — Kieff | Talk 09:52, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Somebody asked the same question twice last year, i wonder if its the same guy...--Dlo2012 (talk) 15:33, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

A good saying here: "A nonsensical sentence doesn't suddenly make sense just because you put the words 'Can God' in front of it." DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:11, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

The only way to test this is to go find the biggest rock in the universe, and have Brett Favre pick it up. I guarantee he does it, and then proceeds to throw it 80 yards for a touchdown. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.101.53.141 (talk) 19:02, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

No. It is illogical, and God can't do anything contradictory, like make a circular square. I'd go into detail but his is probably a matter too complex to discuss on the Wikipedia reference desk. If you are trying to disprove the existence of God, you've failed. Go read some Thomas Aquinas or some other intelligent religious people for proof there is a God. Or, remember this: The universe did not hatch from an egg that laid itself by mistake. MalwareSmarts (talk) 22:11, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

players

I was just wondering if an HD DVD player can play a blu-ray disc?Jwking (talk) 20:13, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

No, why do you think there was so much talk about which format would win. It wouldn't matter if one player played both formats! However, there are combination players that play both - I suspect those to phase out quite quickly. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 20:50, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

• It's possible to get dual-format players. NEC makes OEM chips and both Samsung and LG make end-user devices. --M@rēino 21:40, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

NY Strip steak

Anybody know why they call it so? 22:00, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Our article on the Delmonico steak (linked from strip steak) notes that it is named for Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City. While the precise cut that originated the Delmonico is unknown, the present-day NY Strip is a good candidate. — Lomn 22:10, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Cheers - that's some fast responding. ny156uk (talk) 23:00, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

February 29

Insects

What do they do for relaxation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.173.143 (talk) 00:58, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

The praying mantis enjoys a post coital hors d'œuvre. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 01:15, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Also: Consider Kafka for relaxing and meta morphical reading. It is a prequel to Death of a Salesman. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 01:41, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

No what I want to know is: do they have time off from working and if so, what do they do with it apart from sleeping? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.173.143 (talk) 03:37, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Insects are pretty small, so I figure they lose energy pretty quickly. Therefore, I suppose they spend most of their time eating. When they are not eating they stand around to conserve energy, only moving when a threat comes in range. Insects are, in my opinion, nature's robots, and thusly I don't think they can relax. Hell, they don't even need their heads to function, they only need those to see and eat. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:01, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

They edit Wikipedia. 199.67.16.60 (talk) 15:17, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

This link might interest you. Marco polo (talk) 15:22, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Yahoo Maps

I was looking at a map of Isle Royale in Lake Superior. On the east side of that island is passage island. When I click on the satelite picture option, where does this island go?

69.210.137.156 (talk)Geoman —Preceding comment was added at 03:45, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

It's still there, a bit to the north. Presumably the map is wrong and the satellite image is correct. Adam Bishop (talk) 12:10, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd have bet my left index finger it's definitely the other way around :) --Ouro (blah blah) 19:05, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, if the satellite image is wrong then we'd just have to move the island over to the right place, won't we? I wonder how many tugboats that would take. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:59, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Heh, the same error is present in Google Maps. But if you select "Terrain" view you get the island's color fill in the "map" place and its hillshading in the "satellite" place. Oops! Pfly (talk) 20:45, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Edward Lear

Aside from being hilarious and apparently a great artist, was Edward Lear gay? His talk page and the google search linked there suggest the love of his life was a man named Franklin Lushington, but I can't find anything definitve online. Anyone read a biography or just know off-hand? Thanks a lot 81.96.160.6 (talk) 04:00, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

[19], [20] and [21] may be of interest. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:30, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Blimpin' ain't easy

If I were to give up my earthbound ways and take up residency in a Zeppelin, flying from place to place, would I need any special licenses?

Thanks Willworkforicecream (talk) 06:33, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, you would probably need a pilot's license. Useight (talk) 06:48, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

...and permissions to cross other countries.--Artjo (talk) 10:33, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I imagine you would need several pilots, as there are rules for how long a pilot can be on the flight deck, and you may need to land occasionally if there are rules about how much off-aircraft time a pilot must have. The main thing to watch out for though is probably Cybermen. DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:08, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

It's hard out there for a blimp. Also, Artjo, I'm pretty sure you don't need permission to cross into other country's airspace by itself, if your home country is a member of the Chicago Convention. Landing, of course, is another matter. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 13:30, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Crooked words

Sometimes when I am reading the internet late at night. After staring at the words for awhile, the sentences start to go crooked with parts of the sentences jutting out at different angles. I refocus my eyes and everything goes back to normal. Am I crazy? (I also see dead ppl)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.87.180.89 (talk) 07:55, 29 February 2008 (UTC) 

No, you're just tired. Close to twenty hours after waking up most people start feeling really tired, meaning the brain starts functioning a bit slower, and they have problems with concentrating. The solution is simple - the tenth cup of tea, or some sleep. --Ouro (blah blah) 12:49, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Hallucinations are common symptoms of exhaustion. They also occur when doing repetitive tasks in front of a monitor, like when I type for a long time I start literally seeing "green butterflies" that fall apart and fade away when I look directly at them. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:38, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

My hint to stop working for the day is when I just plain start making errors when I type. --Ouro (blah blah) 15:13, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Whicch for me is about 2 minuts after. I start. I'm overwroked, obviously and hsall go back to bed. Gwinva (talk) 22:20, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

"Antipodal Mirror"

John McPhee in his book 'Looking for a Ship' says "This is the tenth of August, the antipodal mirror of the tenth of February". Can anyone explain this phrase to me please.--Artjo (talk) 10:32, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

The dates are six months apart - if a calendar was a sphere, they would be on opposite points of the surface. You can also say that if you dug a hole straight down, wherever you came out would be the antipode of where you started. The "Antipodes" originally referred to the land that was supposedly on the other side, or the bottom side, of the world, which should have balanced the land known to exist in Europe/Africa/Asia. Adam Bishop (talk) 12:05, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for this. How the hell do you find time to READ all your library!?--Artjo (talk) 13:38, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't, it's mostly for reference, and to make me look smart :) Adam Bishop (talk) 15:21, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Certainly a 'smart' answer ! Thanks again for your help.--Artjo (talk) 17:48, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

U.S. High School "artificial culture" ?

Does anyone know of a good work that discusses what might be termed the artificial culture in U.S. high schools; things like when it emerged, how it became so widespread, etc. By "artificial culture", I am referring to aspects like the social preeminence of given sports teams, the same regarding membership in cheerleading squads, the ostracism of students deemed unpopular, pep rallies, prom queens, etc. I am also hoping to find a work that discusses what former students thought of it after it was all over. I've looked at Wiki pages on U.S. education and schools, but this topic isn't really addressed that I could find, at least not in one place. Thanks! --W. B. Wilson (talk) 13:30, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

(Using "high school culture" or "high school subculture" might help in a book search..87.102.38.45 (talk) 14:56, 29 February 2008 (UTC))

See some of the essays by Paul Graham about U.S. high schools and education in general, particularly "What You Wish You'd Known" and "Why Nerds are Unpopular". Graham87 13:02, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

The Drudge Report

Quick question possibly in the wrong section (more people in here!!)

Apparently Prince Harry's posting to Helmand Province was broken by the Drudge Report. However when I go to the Drudge Report website all I can do is click on the links and get to other news sites for example, papers, reuters etc. So am I right in thinking that the drudge website simply linked you to another site who should technically get the "glory" for breaking the story? Gertie100 (talk) 14:18, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, the story originally appeared in New Idea as reported by The Telegraph. See also our section relating to this in the Drudge report article. Nanonic (talk) 14:31, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Whoever leaked the story is unimportant, I see no glory attaching to the leak - just cheap journalism. Harry is a young guy who is not (self-admittedly) the brightest shilling in the box. But he, like many other young guys on both sides of the Atlantic, and elsewhere, saw a role for himself in the Army. And he went for it, did the training, and passed out at Sandhurst Military College as a junior commissioned officer. His first hope was to go to Iraq with his mates, and do what similar guys from many other countries including the US and UK did, and fight his corner in Iraq. But he was denied that when his plans were thwarted by them being released in the media, and he was labelled both a bullet magnet when he wanted to go, and a coward when he couldn't go. So this time, under cover of a cloak of "secrecy" he went to Afghanistan 10 weeks ago, and apparently did a good job, mucking in with the rest of the troops there, and earned their respect. But some cheap rag just had to get the "glory" of blowing the whistle on him and unsurprisingly, he has now been withdrawn from the fray, and will now become a lifetime prize target for any rag-head that wants Harry's head hanging on his cave wall. What is a young guy who is third in line to the British Throne to do? Must he wait for his Gran, his Dad and his big Brother to die before he can assume something useful in his life? Or must he now hope to become a clone of his uncle, Air Miles Andy, doing nothing important except making sanitised speeches around the world on behalf of British Industry and Inward Investment, whilst playing at all the golf courses he flies over, and collecting zillions of air-miles. What a waste of a young guy's life and ambition. And what a disgraceful performance by the media. Haven't they got enough salacious and boring material already on Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, and Mrs. Beckham to fill the shelves of media stands around the globe ??? 81.145.240.72 (talk) 20:00, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Wow that really misses the point, I think. He didn't "see a role for himself in the army", he's part of the royal family and they often do officer training at Sandhurst, where HArry did. It may have been unethical journalism to pulish his location anyway but if a womans magazine in Australia cana find out, it can't be that hard for the Taliban. He was rightly called a "bullet magnet" (a nickname from his friends, caught on by the pres, not the other way round) as it would have been an enourmous symbolic blow to the UK. The only reason they considered sending him out was PR, he was never going to be anywhere near the danger unless they were targetted specifically for him. He was hardly going to be patrolling the Helmand Province. 81.96.160.6 (talk) 05:40, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Coins

I got my daily Pepsi from the vending machine yesterday, and instead of a US dime in my change I received a 5 pence coin. Aside from the obvious question of how that managed to be passed as a dime by a relatively modern machine (and oddly enough, they are exactly equal in worth!), I wonder why coins in certain countries are so similar. The US Dime, the British 5 pence piece, and the Canadian Dime all have the same dimeter, all have ridged edges, are all made of nickel and copper, and are all silver-coloured. Why is this so? Did the Americas copy off Britian or is it a "coin"cidence?

(Also, a little side question. Is it legal in the U.S. to pay with a 5 pence piece in a vending machine - since they are worth the same amount as a dime anyway?) 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:30, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

(a little side answer)I strongly doubt it. Foreign coins are not legal tender. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 14:57, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

But just because something isn't legal tender doesn't mean it's not legal to pay with it... all "legal tender" means is that you have to accept it to settle a debt. FiggyBee (talk) 20:24, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

The United States Coinage Act of 1965 states (in part):

“ United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues. Foreign gold or silver coins are not legal tender for debts. ”

31 U.S.C. § 5103

Answering part:

	5p	dime (us)	dime (ca)
Mass	3.25 g	2.268 g	1.75 g
Diameter	18 mm	17.91 mm	18.03 mm
Thickness	1.7 mm	1.35 mm	1.22 mm

So they aren't identical in size. Composition and edges vary also. 199.67.16.60 (talk) 15:07, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I have noticed that American quarters are often accepted in vending machines in Canada, but coins produced within the last three or four years, which seem to be lighter (and in the case of dimes, no longer have ridges), are not. I remember that TTC tokens used to be mistaken for dimes by vending machines, too. Adam Bishop (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 15:19, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

• Disambiguated your link. --Anon, 23:42 TTC, February 29, 2008.

Canadian pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters are de facto in circulation and (mostly) accepted as payment in the northeastern U.S., and I think that U.S. coins are mostly accepted in Canada, too, despite the small differences in value and dimension. Marco polo (talk) 15:26, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I never said they are exactly the same (or maybe I did). The fact of the matter is that they are too similar for it to be just chance. There has to be some historical reason they are so similar. I don't remember distinctly, but I think the British 50 pence coin is also very similar to the US Quarter Dollar (I can't compare because I don't have my coins with me). 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:29, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

A British fifty pence coin is heptagonal, a Quarter (United States coin) is circular (and smaller). As a guess at historical reason, I would suggest Gresham's law acting on gold, silver and copper coins for the composition, and convenience (and willingness to gloss over slight differences) for the similarity in size and value. Remember that the current size of the British five pence coin is fairly recent. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 15:46, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

It was the British Ten Pence coin, my mistake. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:51, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Even though it's specifically marked as an aside, I'm going to tackle this portion of the question - "Aside from the obvious question of how that managed to be passed as a dime by a relatively modern machine" - with sheer speculation, because I can't find any decent references. Bear with me now ... I believe that in many cases, the change supply of a machine is completely separate from the cash intake; i.e. in a U.S. machine, there would be stacks of quarters, nickels and dimes that are available for payout as change, and there is a giant hopper where all the incoming money goes. Thus, when the stack of nickels runs out, the "use exact change" light should come on, and no amount of paying for your Snickers bar with fifteen nickels will help. So, for a machine to pump out a 5p coin from its change supply, it need only to have had a roll of dimes loaded into it that contained the rogue coin. Whether you could then feed that 5p coin back in to the machine as partial payment for your next packet of Andy Capp's Hot Fries is another story. --LarryMac | Talk 17:25, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Your observation is spot on, LarryMac. No matter how I tried, the machine just wouldn't take the 5p coin. So it had to have come from a dime roll. This 5p coin's story will never be known, which is a shame because I'm really interested in how it got there. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:36, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

might have been the old two bob note?87.102.38.45 (talk) 20:15, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

As to "why coins in certain countries are so similar", in some cases they are indeed deliberately copied. When a country is setting up its currency for the first time, they may look at the coins already circulating there and copy them. Back when coins were made of precious metal, the production of a coin the same size using the same metal made it obvious that the value should be pretty much the same. Even today there is the advantage of familiarity.

When the US was formed, the Spanish peso (or piece-of-eight) was one of the coins commonly circulating there, common enough that the British colonists had invented a sign $ for it, from the letters P and S combined. The coin was nicknamed a "dollar", after an older German coin of similar size and value, and the US dollar was copied from: same name, same size, same value, and even the same symbol. Other silver coins in the US had sizes related to the size of the dollar. Then when Canada started its own money, silver coins the same size as the corresponding US ones were chosen. Of course coins that start out the same size may not stay the same size, as countries change their coinage and make the decisions independently.

On the other hand, there is only a limited range of possible sizes for a coin, so coincidences are also possible, and I'm sure the UK 5p and US dime would just be an example of that. The Swiss 50 centime coin is pretty similar as well.

--Anonymous, $23.42 UTC, February 29, 2008.

The 5p piece has only been that size since 1990, before which it was almost as big as today's 10p piece. The dime has apparently not changed its diameter since 1828. Whether the size of the dime was of any consequence in setting the new size of the 5p I don't know, but it seems unlikely, as it is hard to see any advantage in setting them equal. --ColinFine (talk) 15:38, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

It's not uncommon in Australia to find New Zealand denominations in amongst change. They're generally (though not always) accepted, and will probably go unnoticed. Until recently, the NZ $1 and $2 coins were in reverse proportion to the Australian $1 and $2 coins, and had occasionally been used in vending machines. Vending machines were often modified to not accept the NZ coins. Another technique for defrauding a vending machine was to glue two 5c coins together to make the shape and approximate weight of a $2 coin. I think the vending machines may no longer accept fake $2 coins, due to the weight difference, but I've not tried it. Steewi (talk) 00:35, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

The Canadian mint very consciously makes its coins about the same size, color and denominations as U.S. coins. Like the U.S., Canada divides its dollar into four quarters rather than five fifths like most countries do with their larger currency unit. The coins are known in English as pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, just like in the U.S. All Canadian vending machines, as far as I know, accept American coins. This makes sense for Canada, since the U.S. dollar traditionally has been worth less than the Canadian one. But now they're about the same value, so it makes no difference. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:42, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

In 1893

I'm an author of sorts so I'm writing a story about a blind murder. Now I have a few questions about murder in 1893. How effective was their police system in 1893?

Would it be possible for a blind person to slip through their claws because he would be the least likely to kill someone just because he is blind?

Is it even practical that someone blind would kill people?

Okay the next question is just to make sure I have everything right: 1858 the Louisville, Kentucky American Printing House for the Blind published books and gave them to blind children.

Near the age of 1893 they had made the first Braille book or at least I believe.

Did they have suburban housewives back then?

And thats its. Thank you for all your help and sorry if there are so many questions. Btw, the information I got was mostly from Encarta.71.142.242.233 (talk) 16:48, 29 February 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Well, they didn't have suburbia back then, so I doubt they had suburban housewives. But they had middle-class housewives in the city and countryside, although the richer they were, the more likely they were to have servants. Although it would be difficult, with suspension of disbelief, your blind character could use echolocation to help him kill people...81.96.160.6 (talk) 17:19, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Some cities had suburbs in 1893 all right, but people traveled there by public transit, not by car. See streetcar suburb, and for a slightly later example, Metro-land. Because these transit lines were primarily radial, this means that most people would do things (shopping, working, recreation) either within their own suburb or by traveling into the city. There wasn't the idea that you'd hop in your car and drive to the mall in a different suburb: you'd ride into the city and shop at the big department stores there. --Anonymous, 23:55 UTC, February 29, 2008.

I was going to my blind murders first to be an accident of self defense. The other time is just because he wants to have that feeling of euphoria again. He listens to his victims patterns of walking and what they do normally before killing them. He plays the victim to get inside a family and then kills them. Then if he doesn't have enough time to get out he plays the victim card again against the police. His family is middle-class. His father hates blind people and is laced with crude behavior. His mother is nice and accepts her son position.

But you didn't really answered my other questions. About the police.71.142.242.233 (talk) 17:44, 29 February 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Well, the police thing could be highly variable. I'd suggest that you go with the style seen in most murder mysteries, be they novels, tv shows, or whatever -- the police initially miss the killer because of a combination of unlikely suspect, vague evidence, reasonable suspicion of somebody else, and so forth. Simply saying that the police ignored the blind guy in spite of all other evidence would be most unsatisfying to the reader, as would any sort of unforeshadowed reveal at the end. The works of Agatha Christie might be useful as a starting reference for 1890s police, as Hercule Poirot is only 20 years removed from that point. — Lomn 18:03, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, Poirot is just a rip-off of Sherlock Holmes, of course. But confusing fiction with the reality of functioning police is not a great idea. The modern police operates nothing like CSI. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 13:27, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Well there wasn't one US police system in 1893, so it's hard to generalize. If you're asking whether or not they'd find it unlikely that a blind person would commit the murders, sure, just as they would today, barring evidence to the contrary. They were no less reasonable than today, though they had little in terms of forensic science. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 18:07, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

In many places there was no streetlighting at night. So a blind person wouldn't be at much disadvantage on moonless nights. A legally blind person may often be able to detect a lantern. There was a case in Aust. ages ago of a blind man convicted for severely beating up someone.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 21:36, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

• In that era, most U.S. public schools were incompetent at caring for blind children, and Carnegie was only in the very early stages of building his worldwide network of free libraries. A poor, literate blind person is certainly possible in that era, but they would have to have unusual determination, and also have the good fortune to live near a school for the blind that is free or has a cheap tuition. So either make your murderer wealthy, or give a reason why fortune smiled on him. --M@rēino 21:51, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Well my blind murder learns from memory. He only needs to hear what is being read and remembers it really well.So to make up for his blindness he is not only a talented muscician his memory exceeds a normal teenage boys memory. He goes to a school that teaches both just because his mother's best friend teaches "those type" of children. He goes to a Christian school as well. Didn't they have religion schools back then?71.142.242.233 (talk) 04:55, 1 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

• Jack the Ripper was killing a mere 7 years before you given year. From what I know about that case, the police weren't exactly at the height of their skills back then. If the blind murderer was to make sure he wasn't caught redhanded and tried to frame someone else, he could quite easily get away with it. - 87.211.75.45 (talk) 15:59, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Auto-Tune

Are "musicians" who use Auto-Tune to make themselves sound like good singers/guitarists etc still eligible for awards? Have any ever won awards? I mean when the use is essentially to deceive the listener rather than create effects. Thanks! 81.96.160.6 (talk) 17:30, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Almost all musicians use post-production effects to sound "better" than they are—cleaner, more on key, more put together. They are certainly eligible for awards. I don't see any clean way to define something as "deceiving the listener rather than create effects," personally. Does doing multiple takes "fool" the listener into thinking you can do it right on the first take? What people care about is the musical output—not necessarily the "raw talent" behind it. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 13:22, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Rolling Stone

Was Rolling Stone magazine named after The Rolling Stones or Like A Rolling Stone? Or neither? The page doesn't say and neither does their website. Thanks. 81.96.160.6 (talk) 17:43, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

• I thought that all three were named after the proverb "A rolling stone gathers no moss," but now that I think about it I have zero proof for that claim. --M@rēino 21:57, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd agree about the Stones and the Dylan track, but since Rolling Stone started i 67 and both very well-known by then I'd have thought it would be at least mentioned by a few of the writers around that time that one was a reason. The Dylan track has always been my guess, I just wondered if anyone knew. 81.96.160.6 (talk) 03:44, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

It was my understanding that the Rolling Stones named themselves after the Muddy Waters's track "Rollin' stone blues". SaundersW (talk) 10:18, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

unusual rock

i found a smooth tanish stone on shores of lake michigan. This stone has an imprint on or in the rock itself that did not seem evident until i got the stone home. This is not a joke, nobody can explain the figure on the rock. It is very much some type of eygptian type symbol but yet looks to have wings and an eyptian type head. The more you rub or wet the stone the more distinct the figure becomes. The sone is approximately the the size of a golfball but flattened and smooth. My email address is <email removed> if someone can help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.206.66.217 (talk) 19:17, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

First, don't post your email address. Anyway, do you think you could post a picture of it? --Ouzo (talk) 20:14, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Sorry ,never did this before and dont know how to post a picture. I will try to figure out how and will post it asap. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.206.66.217 (talk) 21:34, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

You first have to register an account to upload it on wikipedia which takes almost 3 seconds(my god that long ;)) or you could just upload it to a myspace or something. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 23:26, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

• I highly encourage you to sign up and then upload the image. If we can figure out what it is, we can then put the image to good use in the appropriate article. If we can't, no harm, we'll just flag the image and have one of the admins delete it. --M@rēino 01:10, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Given where you found it, it may be a petoskey stone. --Bejnar (talk) 01:14, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if you get graphic granite in the area, but the texture can look extremely hieroglyphic, just do a google image search and compare it with your rock. Mikenorton (talk) 15:47, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Zoo License

Hey. Just wondering if I wanted to actually own a tiger or lion or black panther, or anything like that as a pet, then would I have to get a zoo license and if so how would I do that?Jwking (talk) 20:29, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I would expect to encounter legal restrictions on owning a dangerous wild animal from the local level, through the regional and national, right on up to the Hague. Talk to your local city hall first is my advice; they might not permit it at all under any circumstances. --Milkbreath (talk) 20:40, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Theoretically, you could do it, though, if they'd give you a permit and you owned enough property. Useight (talk) 23:20, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

See exotic pets and About.com's Big cats as pets. It would largely depend on the animal welfare laws in your area and whether you are capable of caring for the animal. Raising a wild animal in captivity is quite different from raising a domesticated animal, and it raises ethical concerns. I see you are from Canada; according to [22], large cats as pets are banned in many parts of Canada. Another thing to consider is the lifespan of the animal, and whether you will be able to care for it for that time. For a tiger, it could be 16-20 years when kept in captivity. [23] And if later on, it turns out you are no longer able to care for the animal, it would be much more difficult to find a home for it, compared to a domesticated cat. Dforest (talk) 00:13, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about Alberta, but according to this article there were very few restrictions on owning big cats in British Columbia until recently.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 05:36, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

When Mike Tyson lived in Southington Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, he wanted to keep lions and tigers on his property. But the township's zoning laws prohibit exotic animals on residential property, and the township trustees refused to change their laws for him. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:22, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

madison ave

hey you guys! in a calvin and hobbes strip, calvin sez he is '... raised to an alarming extent by madison avenue and hollywood...' wot does he mean by madison ave? thankee veryee muchee Perry-mankster (talk) 20:58, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Have you looked at our article on Madison Avenue? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:01, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks ten, typed 'ave' rather than 'avenue' when i first had a look see, aaaah shopping...Perry-mankster (talk) 21:56, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

No, advertising. Read the first paragraph again. --Anon, 23:56 UTC, February 29, 2008.

To clarify, that's the first paragraph of the body of the article as opposed to the very first paragraph which is in the introduction. Dismas|^(talk) 01:29, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I meant it the other way. Check the last sentence of the lead paragraph. But of course the first paragraph of the body says it too. --Anon, 04:42 UTC, March 1.

This is also a textbook example of metonymy, if you're into that kind of linguistic nomenclature. —Steve Summit (talk) 02:57, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

He means he was raised by the advertising industry and the movie industry. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 03:24, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

March 1

Most popular articles

How can I find a list of the most commonly visited articles? Something recent would be great. 216.49.181.128 (talk) 00:05, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

• This is embarrassing! It's not in the list at Special:Specialpages. And it's notWikipedia:Popular pages. It's supposed to be at this obscure link, which is part of the Toolserver. Just try and click on it, though: it's down right now. I will write the tool's creator and beg him to fix it. --M@rēino 01:19, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Usually this sort of thing is at Wikipedia:Statistics. One page of such information is here, but it is out of date. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 03:23, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Leap Year

Why are leap years (intercalary years) called leap years? I know why there is a need for them, but would like to know the history behind the name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Perfectionista777 (talk • contribs) 02:53, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

It says here, in the confusingly titled Compact Oxford English Dictionary, that it's "probably from the fact that feast days after February in a leap year fell two days later than in the previous year, rather than one day later as in other years, and could be said to have ‘leaped’ a day." For example, Christmas in 2004 was on a Saturday, in 2005 Sunday, in 2006 Monday, in 2007 Tuesday, but in 2008 Thursday, leaping over Wednesday. --Anonymous, 04:48 UTC, March 1, 2008.

Bagpipes and police officers / fire fighters

In big cities in the U.S., parades, memorials, and festivals for police officers and fire fighters often feature bag pipers. Why is that? Is it simply due to the many ethnic Irish who have traditionally been members of these departments? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnskrb2 (talk • contribs) 04:26, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Our article "Pipe band" traces the sketchy early history of the pipe band, specifically the Scottish pipe band which includes drummers as well as pipers. The Scottish pipe band appears to have been originally a military organization, with record of its existence dating back to the 17th century. In Queen Victoria's time it was decided that "each regiment be allowed five pipers and a Pipe Major" throughout the army. According to our article, "the first civilian organizations to adopt pipe bands were police and fire brigade bands" (in Britain, it seems, though the article fails to make that clear). So any supposed preponderance of Irishmen in the early East-coast police forces is unnecessary to explain the connection between the bagpipe and police and fire funerals and parades. It seems to have been a natural migration from the military to the quasi-military. --Milkbreath (talk) 14:26, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Pc to phone talk!

I heard from my friend that he saw someone dialling from PC to mobile (u.s.a). Is it true? Now can i make call to my U.S.friend in that way? Temuzion (talk) 06:16, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps they were using Skype. Useight (talk) 07:37, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, using Skype you can dial from your PC to any mobile in the world. It is not free Richard Avery (talk) 08:04, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

And of course, ever since the introduction of smaller PC modems you've been able to make a normal telephone call via your PC using a microphone, I still use my PC as an answerphone and fax receiver in this fashion - it just picks up the line after 5 rings. Nanonic (talk) 12:43, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Best song of all time, according to Rolling Stone

Reading the All You Need Is Love article, I noticed a paragraph mentioning its rank given by Rolling Stone as 362nd best song of all time. I was wondering - what is the best song of all time, according to the same magazine? 201.252.54.38 (talk) 07:43, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Like a Rolling Stone. And second is Satisfaction, by the Rolling Stones. A little conflict of interest maybe? Clarityfiend (talk) 08:06, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

freemasonry

I was wondering why the information regarding freemasonry was only last updated october of 2004? It mentioned an unresolved dispute/s btwn the writers, but was just curious as to what the dispute was over that led to it's discontinument?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.110.175.233 (talk) 15:12, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

What information are you talking about? Our article on Freemasonry is frequently updated. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 15:19, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Why is Addis Ababa so orderly and Nairobbery not?

Two large cities in East Africa. In one city, crime esp. violent is rare. In the other travelers must be cautious. Why?

66.91.224.203 (talk) 17:50, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

• Well, it doesn't help that Nairobi is the capital of a nation that has been on the brink of civil war for the past couple months (hopefully resolved now). It's my understanding that Nairobi was actually a fairly pleasant place before the disputed election. --M@rēino 18:39, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

But before the election, Nairobi had a reputation for high crime. 66.91.224.203 (talk) 19:50, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Ownership National Park Service Statues

Who owns the Daniel Chester French statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC Eugene Cahouet

The Lincoln Memorial and the statue in it are owned by the US Federal Government, and administered by the National Park Service. FiggyBee (talk) 19:59, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Self-made men/women

I'm looking for a list (the longer, the better) of people that made a fortune out of almost nothing, can somebody help me? Thanks. --Taraborn (talk) 19:49, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Many successful rappers such as 2Pac came from ghetto poverty to a self-made millionaire. Acceptable (talk) 19:55, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Hmmm... I'm looking for examples of brilliant entrepreneurship, I'm not interested in entertainers. --Taraborn (talk) 20:04, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Category:Dropouts has some, but they're mostly entertainers. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Alan Sugar, Bill Gates (although he was from a wealthy family) and Richard Branson spring to mind. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 20:55, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

So we're looking for a list with people like John D. MacArthur, Andrew Carnegie, and John D. Rockefeller. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 21:18, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Add Sam Walton. (Gee, is there a U.S. bias to this list?) Here's a more global list which might interest you: [24] Dforest (talk) 21:48, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd also include Michael Dell. Useight (talk) 23:29, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

OK, if you want some antipodean names, try Sir Fletcher Jones, Alan Bond, Sir Keith Murdoch and Reg Ansett. -- JackofOz (talk) 00:32, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Does "no entertainers" also exclude writers? J.K. Rowling was on welfare when she was writing the first Harry Potter book. Now... see the article. --Anonymous, 06:00 UTC, March 2, 2008.

Check the article on Madam C.J. Walker. Corvus cornix_talk 06:27, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

• I would add Hugo Chávez, Mobutu Sese Seko, and Suharto. All were born into extreme poverty yet became extremely wealthy through their entrepreneurial approach to national governance. --M@rēino 06:47, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! I'm checking all those articles. --Taraborn (talk) 13:04, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

What John Layfield said to Vince McMahon about Hornswaggle

When John Layfield said to Vince McMahon that Hornswaggle wasn't his son, is that the same thing as the custody battle for Tommy McBain? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 22:21, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Eric, your comments on the Reference Desk are becoming more and more bizarre. Corvus cornix_talk 06:29, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

He linked same, goodness! --Ouro (blah blah) 10:03, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

March 2

Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald's death

Is Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald really dead? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 00:22, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Not according to our article. Though, if a fictional character dies, the writers of the fiction can always bring them back to life. See ret-con. Dismas|^(talk) 03:21, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Is this a normal mandolin technique or did I do something original?

I just got a mandolin (Suzuki M210, looks like a lute, made in 1975 apparently) and I will go to the E strings, fret the high E string, 3rd fret, while leaving the low E string open and pluck. Is this common or did I make something up? MalwareSmarts (talk) 00:43, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Usually the answer to "did I make something (new) up?" is no. Why not? Because if you were clever enough to have actually made it up for the very first time, you'd probably know it! ;-) Suffice to say, what you did sounds pretty simple, I doubt you're the first to do it. For a guitar that's not anything special; I doubt it is for a mandolin either. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 02:12, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Just about anything that is possible to do on a western instrument has been done some time somewhere before. See extended technique. --S.dedalus (talk) 03:10, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Four thirds system - mechanical adapter rings/ring mounts for adapting other lenses (for example Canon of Nikon) to four thirds cameras

Hi Wikipedia. My first question ever!

Background information: The Four Thirds system, is a lens and mount standard, developed especially for digital slrs by Olympus.

Question: On the Four Thirds page, it says this about the system, "lenses for many other SLR types can be fitted to Four Thirds cameras with simple mechanical adapter rings. (Such mechanical adapter rings typically require manual setting of focus and aperture.)"

I have looked on the internet and asked at a photography shop. I have found no evidence of this. The given fact is not citated. Is this information correct?

Chksolic (talk) 03:57, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

It seems reasonable, as the flange focal distance of the 4/3 system is a lot smaller than the others, so a simple mechanical adapter/spacer is the only thing required to get the flange distance back to the distance the lens was designed for. Other things like autofocus and the like are more problematic though. For a practical example (Nikon->Canon though), see [25]. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:13, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Wiki?

Where can i start my own? --Carpenter182 (talk) 04:10, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

See Wikia for one option. Though the MediaWiki software that runs Wikipedia can be run on most any server. You just have to find a host that meets the minimum requirements. Dismas|^(talk) 05:20, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Dagger-proof coat

How is a dagger-proof coat made? Is it as questionable at stopping daggers as a bulletproof vest is at stopping bullets? NeonMerlin 04:43, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

• Well, I notice that when I try to Google it, almost every single hit belongs to The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll. Perhaps it's a fictional object? --M@rēino 06:53, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
• You may want to search for "stab-proof vest". As an aside, I recall hearing once that UK police tried using the same type of protective vest that US police use, but found them useless because they were only bulletproof, and UK police are far more likely to face knives than bullets. Bovlb (talk) 07:37, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

And one should note, of course, that its very different materials problem to be bulletproof versus stab-proof. With a knife you'd probably want to either deflect or outright stop the blade; with a bullet you distribute the force around the body. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 16:47, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

In either case you want to deflect or stop the weapon by distributing the force around the body; the point is that the two weapons, one sharp but relatively slow-moving, the other fast-moving but blunt, act differently on the vest, so different materials are needed to resist them. People have been defending themselves against knives for longer than they have against bullets, and the technology they evolved for that was the traditional suit of armor in its various forms. --Anonymous, 22:00 UTC, March 2, 2008.

You don't deflect bullets. You don't distribute the force of the dagger. It's not the same sort of thing at all. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 22:04, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Knife proof clothing does appear to exist. [26] --S.dedalus (talk) 22:53, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Vikings wore leather to protect them from slices, but I'm not sure how stab-proof clothes would be made. Maybe sewing iron or steel plates into some clothes? bibliomaniac15 I see no changes 22:56, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Hardened leather could be extremely resistant to arrows, cuts and stab wounds. Other garments, such as the gambeson, relied on quilting many layers of fabric (and strengthened by the thread used in the very tight sewing). The coat of plates and the brigantine had little steel pieces sewn within the fabric (or leather) outer. While not as protective as plate armour or mail, they were all very good. Knives or swords (etc) might penetrate slightly, but the defences served to reduce the impact or pentration or deflect the weapon. Gwinva (talk) 00:52, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Why has the Bush cabinet been unstable?

White House shakeup Do most of these changes have to do with sucking?

66.91.224.203 (talk) 09:25, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps it's because one of the legs is wonky. I'm sure you can easily find something to prop it up with Lemon martini (talk) 16:38, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

The Bill of Rights folded and tucked under one leg should keep it from rocking. Edison (talk) 02:11, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I'm not sure it is necessarily more unstable than other presidental administrations—you'd have to check that out in more detail to make that claim. But some of the resignations have been due to scandals, lawsuits, or failures, from what I can tell, though with others it is harder to say that with much confidence, unless there are complicated internal politics that I am not privy to, which is likely. --22:01, 2 March 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.217.18.109 (talk)

By my count, Bush has had 33 secretaries in his cabinet compared to 29 for Clinton. Bush had one more department (Homeland Security) for most of his term. So the difference is not that great. One difference is that Bush has had only one cabinet member with him the whole time, labor secretary Elaine Chao (not including ONDCP director John P. Walters). Clinton had four secretaries with him for the duration. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:27, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Unsafe conditions

Where do I find photos of unsafe conditions in factories?196.25.222.153 (talk) 11:25, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Searching Google images for "unsafe factory" and "dangerous factory" brings up quite a few....--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:45, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Reference Desk

How did the reference desk get started, and what was the first ever question? The archives only goback to Jan 04 as far as I can tell but it seems to have been nearing full flow by then, judging from the time between questions. Thanks 81.96.160.6 (talk) 13:06, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

The first question was apparently asked on February 22, 2002 and the question was...drumroll...why do dogs eat other dogs' poop?. In order to find this for other pages, instead of looking at archives, go directly to the history of the source page and click "earliest" on the history navigation links.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:23, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Ah thank you! What a classy first question. Although in the text it actually says the question was posted on Jan 11 2001, so it goes back further than you'd think, I guess. The edit history must only go back until the actual reference desk was formalised, I guess. Thank you! 81.96.160.6 (talk) 16:20, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:16, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

This has been asked on here awhile back. The page used to be called just Wikipedia help desk. The post says it was posed on Jan. 11, 2001, but I'm betting it was actually Jan. 11, 2002, per this edit and the likelihood of screwing up the date so early in the new year. Which would actually imply that some of the other questions on the page are from earlier, from potentially as early as June 2001. Anyway it's pretty clear that Sanger's dog poop post was from January 2002, not 2001, and that a desk already existed when he asked it. Dig the revision history. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 21:11, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

The oldest version I can find at the Wayback machine is from August 10 2001 [27], and the earliest questions were posted on June 26. The first appears to be: "Who was Thomas Reid and what did he have to do with the Scottish School of Common Sense?" Warofdreams talk 04:17, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

• The reference desk couldn't have had its first post on Jan. 11, 2001, because Wikipedia didn't launch until January 15 of that year. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 06:24, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Online Colleges

I was wondering if anyone knew what some good online colleges are or if there was a reference or guide to let me know what the top online colleges are and which ones to avoid? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.125.159.81 (talk) 14:51, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

The name of Harmony (Passions)'s prison

What is the name of Harmony (Passions)'s prison on Passions? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 15:07, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

LSD forever

Is it make true that if a human tries LSD, it will always remain in body and they will not be able to find professional employment due to potential flashbacks?The Ayatollah (talk) 16:12, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

No on both cases. And if it were a barrier to professional employment then the ranks of academia would be gutted! --98.217.18.109 (talk) 16:46, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Even if the second half were true, how would they know? I've never been asked about (let alone tested for) LSD use at any job I've ever applied for. At any rate, our article on LSD discusses the flashback issue. —Steve Summit (talk) 16:56, 2 March 2008 (UTC), edited 17:01, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

(E/C) Never had a flashback, as I'm sure many others will attest:-) Quoting our article on LSD "70 percent of LSD users claim never to have "flashed back"; ...a higher proportion of psychiatric patients report flashbacks than "normal" users... Apparently the urban legend of permanent testing has legs but it's just that, an urban legend. See [28], [29] The only place I think this may come up in a professional setting is for certain types of jobs where they really delve into your background. I was at an FBI recruitment session a few years ago, and they advised that they would be asking every person under polygraph all about their drug history. I don't remember the specifics exactly, but we were told something like "you can't have smoked marijuana in the past 5 years or more than 7 seven times ever", something similar for cocaine but more stringent and I think they said you can never have taken LSD--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:14, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Not sure if it's true, but I heard a rumour that the LSD will retain in the spine of the person indefinitely. Acceptable (talk) 19:50, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

If you'd looked at the links given above, you'd see that the rumor is not true. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 21:03, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Make no doubt, it has the potential to really screw you up. However, I've heard more about people being fucked up for life from Meth. That is damn scary stuff. 24.76.169.85 (talk) 04:28, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Submerged Cargo Pumps

At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Mohn_AS there is a reference at submerged cargo pumps. I noticed there isn't any article about them. Can anyone please post a rticle about the usage of submerged cargo pumps, advantages/disadvantages from the non-submergable pumps and any other information? If this is not possible, can you please link a site where I can find that information? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.49.10.129 (talk) 19:25, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Baking soda whiten teeth

Looking on Google, there seems to be a lot of hits that claim brushing with baking soda will whiten teeth. Is this true? If so, why does baking soda whiten teeth? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 19:48, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Baking soda says that it is "marketed as a whitener because of its abrasive properties in some toothpaste brands". --98.217.18.109 (talk) 21:07, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Goat and Sheep

What does goat and sheep meat taste like? What about goat milk? and please don't tell me it taste like chicken unless it actually does.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 22:48, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

If you've never eaten them, they're impossible to describe accurately. It's like trying to convey an accurate sense of the colour purple to someone who's never seen purple. (And no, they don't taste like chicken.) -- JackofOz (talk) 22:57, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

March 3

Yu-Gi-Oh! Egyiptian God Cards

Hello, im a collector of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and i am goind to be getting the so called 'Three Egyiptian God Cards' Witch are supposed to be very rare. But there seems to be very many versions of the three cards and there is only one version that is real. So, I am looking for an image of the REAL cards so i know what i'm looking for.

If anyone happens to have an image of the three cards, please link me an image.

(E-Mail removed for security purposes) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.209.218.156 (talk) 00:07, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

marks left on skin from clothes that are too tight

I'm use to calling these marks bed-scars or clothing-scars but using these as search terms is useless. Are there some other terms I could use to find information about marks on the skin? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bejjinks (talk • contribs) 00:10, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

A couple questions about Humans

Why do you humans think they a superior then any creature on this planet? (The example for this one animals don't have feelings. Many people say animals are dumb and that they aren't as smart as us. Many people say animals don't have emotions.)

Why do humans think they can destroy whatever they want without consequences? (Let's use industrialization as an example. I live near an area of open field. Its a wonderful place where animals and humans coexist. But now they are building houses in these open fields, they are building in the animals ecosystem. Pause for a moment and think about this. You live in a house you don't want someone to knock down your house to live on it. Do you? So why is okay when its an animals home?)

Why as humans do we kill for fun? (Humans hunt for a sport. Killing another creature is not a sport. We sure hate when another man kills another man, but when its an animal its okay. How does that work? How is that even possible? Heck! The murder might have been killing the other man for fun and as sport. And yet its illegal. Yes I know animal hunting is illegal, but they have those hunting parks. I don't agree with it.)

Why do humans act on controversial ways? (I'm speaking the sense of...we can kill an animal for survival because we need the meat, but animals are not allowed to kill other animals. The animals that we hate so much lions and wolves only kill farm animals because they need to survive. Is it wrong for them to want to survive?)

Thank you for who ever responds. This is a subject that I'm very passionate about. Its also a soft spot in my heart.71.142.242.233 (talk) 01:59, 3 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

While it doesn't address all your points, on the question as to why humans often regard ourselves as the superior species on Earth, you may be interested in our article on anthropocentrism. Warofdreams talk 03:55, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

And note that there are many species which kill other species for fun and pleasure and food, and humans don't care in general if animals kill other animals unless the animals getting killed are valuable to the humans. One thing that humans excel in more than most other animals is killing their own species—most other animals fight, but not nearly as often to the death. --98.217.18.109 (talk) 04:00, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Obviously you didn't read that closely into it. We kill animals just because they took a cow from us. That animal is only trying to survive. Do cows want to kill us just because we have to survive? No! Well their mostly defenseless. I don't see why we ban and hiss dark remarks to a creature trying to survive. What is so wrong with survival? Why is it that human race disgracing every living thing except themselves? Are we more than important in this ecosystem,this environment? Animals help us just as much as we help them. 71.142.242.233 (talk) 04:57, 3 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Not all people think and act in the ways you describe. If you haven't already read it you might like the book Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. Pfly (talk) 06:15, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Because God told us to do it in Genesis 1:28. HYENASTE 06:36, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Contact lens

Is there any particular way of disposing of contact lens? You can just toss them in the trash, can't you? I'm a bit new to wearing them.--The Ninth Bright Shiner 02:20, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Yep. Into the trash they go. Dismas|^(talk) 02:46, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

The recycling part of the trash, of course. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:12, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Really? They wouldn't harden and become un-recyclable or something like that?--The Ninth Bright Shiner 03:25, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm no expert (I wear spectacles, not contacts), but I very much doubt it. There are lots of very hard things (glass, metal, some plastics) that are recyclable. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:32, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

In order for it to be recycled, it would have to be found in the recycling bin. Is putting the lens into a plastic bag your solution to this? If so, how do you know they're the same type of plastic? I thought that only similar plastics could be recycled together. Dismas|^(talk) 03:48, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

I think it depends where you live. In some places, only certain things are accepted, and you have to separate the glass from the plastic from the metal from the paper, etc. In other places, everything recyclable just goes into the one recycling bin, and people are urged to err on the side of recycling if they're in any doubt as to an item's recyclability. -- JackofOz (talk) 04:24, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

How rare is plastic now that we are having to recycle a tiny contact lens? HYENASTE 06:31, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Have you watched Penn & Teller's Bullshit? They said recycling is bullshit. Just wanted to let you know.71.142.242.233 (talk) 04:53, 3 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

earth's circumference

Who first measured the earth's circumference at the equator? I believe there is a national forest named after him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Joeschmoe219 (talk • contribs) 06:08, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Eratosthenes? Pfly (talk) 06:17, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Then the national forest is either on the seafloor or the moon. HYENASTE 06:28, 3 March 2008 (UTC)