Revision as of 07:05, 28 November 2006

Reference Desk

MISC]]}}

November 27

Monticello Questions

1. Why did Thomas Jefferson name his house Monticello (little mountain)?

2. How many rooms does Monticello have?

3. How long did it take to build Monticello?

4. Who helped Thomas Jefferson build Monticello?

5. Thomas Jefferson had six children and only two of them survived, who were the two surviving children?

6. Why was Monticello built in Charlottesville, Virginia?

7. Why did Thomas Jefferson travel to Europe and did it have anything to do with Monticello?

8. What happened to Monticello after Thomas Jefferson died?

9. Why does Monticello still exist today?

10. What is so special about Monticello?

if you could answer these ?'s before november 29, that would be great!68.225.230.232 04:29, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps Monticello might be of assistance. By the way, next time start your question at the bottom of the page. -- Sturgeonman 22:38, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

November 24

Smell of woman

I was asking what causd the smell form womans minge and sumbody rubbed it out. were can I go to get anser on this? I need to know plees.

Meh. I deleted it because I believe you're a troll, but I don't want to get into a fight about it. HERE is a link to your original post. Sorry if I was presumptuous with my deletion. Anchoress 03:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

thanks i want know what cause the smell from women who is sexuly excited?

Pheromones. A malodorous vagina usually results from bacterial infection or yeast growth. -THB 03:47, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Particularly, trimethylamine, as I answered in the first instance of this question that got deleted. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 06:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

minge Q moved to language desk.--Light current 14:06, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

And if you call it 'minge' you probably won't even get a whiff of one, I personally find that term repulsive, it has no place in any formal discussion I'm not surprised your previous attempt at this was deleted. The female reproductive organ is a whole other world of amazing, there is not 'one' particular smell to it, the biology that goes on inside there with the various substances and processes is as complex as anywhere in the human body. Vespine 00:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Education in Ontario

from where can i learn all about ontario's educational system. i am from quebec, and moving to ontario, and i have found that ontario's system is way different from quebec. therefore i am facing many problems to find out what level i deserve there.. can I somewhere find about this system.??

Start here: Category:Education in Ontario. -THB 04:05, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

i am 20, and i still do not have high school diploma, i cant go to high school. wat wud be other options for to start over.

One possibility is distance learning; see for example Avon-Maitland Distance Education Centre. You can (within reason) set your own pace, and combine this with having a job.  --Lambiam 06:14, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The article on GED indicates that it exists in Canada. -THB 06:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

you can attend high school in Ontario until and including the year you turn 21

ummm

Is it true that if a woman has consensual anal sex with you and then later decides that it "hurt too bad" (and who really hasn't been in that situation with a chick at least once), she can now sue you for damages or press charges against you? Pynopoulous 06:11, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

She'd probably get thrown out of court. EDIT: Unless there was serious damage (as in surgery or a long ER stay) AND if the damage required her to lose money (eg. lost time for work). --Wooty Woot? contribs 06:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Rubbish, your not legally responsible for her health, she cant sue you for anything, if it wasnt consentual she may be able to have you arrested, but if it was consentual, its her own fault for consenting, even if it costs her a lot of money. Philc _TC 14:44, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict) If requesting legal advice ask a lawyer instead. My understanding is: Yes, she can sue you and press charges. Whether she stands a chance in court is another matter, unless she claims that she was forced, or that you refused to stop when she told you to, in which case we are talking about (allegations of) rape. Is there a medical report? Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not advice of any kind, and I have no idea what I'm talking about.  --Lambiam 06:23, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

BOOKS ON banking business

Are there any good titles on Banking business. 06:54, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Please be more specific. Do you mean investment banking? Do you want books about banks in the UK? U.S.? Australia? Chile? China? Do you want to know how to choose the best checking account, how to start a bank? Thanks. -THB 07:36, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Escorts

What are some good ways to 1) make sure you get a good-looking fun call girl and 2) make sure she doesn't rip you off or steal your stuff, when you order up an escort? Pynopoulous 07:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

1. You can't. But you can politely tell her no thank you if, when she shows up at your door, she doesn't look like her picture.
2. Fun is extremely subjective, and difficult to quantify.
3. Use an agency or call an ad you've seen in a reputable newspaper for a while with the same phone number.
4. Depending on your area, check out an escort review board. But be warned that they are often secretly biased in favour of paid advertisers. And they are furthermore often populated by really seedy 'hobbyists'.

--Anchoress 07:05, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I saw on a show that the biggest insult that one fighting porn queen can invoke on another is that she did 'escort'. --Zeizmic 20:54, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

(Discussion about the question moved to talk page Natgoo 10:16, 25 November 2006 (UTC))

• Meet him/her in a public place, and don't visit any private places, and you're not likely to get robbed. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:43, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't know. If I were going to do something with an escort, I would probably prefer visiting a private place. ps, nice work, Anchoress. --Justanother 04:20, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

clicking on hotlink of the article of the day - defect

When I click on the (more..) or the hotlinked name Belgrade on todays' article (11/24/06), it brought me to a page that says "fuck you" - however, the search feature on left side window for Belgrade worked - just thot you should know.... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.175.226.54 (talk • contribs) 13:14, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The page (Belgrade) was vandalised. Our anti-vandalism bot already reverted it almost instantly (half an hour ago), you must have been very unlucky to see it. See Misplaced Pages:Vandalism for more information. If you see something like this again, you can either revert it yourself - it's easy - or come back in a few minutes when someone else almost certainly will have done. --Sam Blanning 13:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

lonely this christmas

can you please tell me if the record was originaly brought out by "Mud", and not by elvis presley.

    Thanking You B.Bradley

• Take a look at Lonely This Christmas. Weregerbil 14:03, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Search for entries which appear in Misplaced Pages in various languages...

I was wondering if it is possible to find a list of which Misplaced Pages language versions a search term entry appears in. For example if I was looking for the entry "George Washington", it would tell me that there is an article for this term which appears in English, French, Chinese and so on. Thanks.

If you go to George Washington or indeed any other article, you will find that in the bottom right hand corner of your page it says "other languages", meaning those languages which also carry that article. Hope that helps. Cheers, Jpeob 14:25, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Interesting, it's at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar for me (down beneath the Search box and Toolbox) ... and I think I use the standard layout, so maybe yours is different. --Maelwys 14:38, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is on the left for me too. Thanks for the help.

Alternatively, you could do a google search within the wikipedia.org domain, as in: site:wikipedia.org "George Washington". That would return results from all languages. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 17:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Although that possibly would leave out languages not using the Latin alphabet. 惑乱 分からん 20:06, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

But AFAIK the interwiki links are not automatic: they require somebody to have created them. (Or is there a bot that does it?) --ColinFine 13:40, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

There's an external tool which will find articles with the same title across multiple languages, which generally only works with proper nouns: names of people and places, band names, and so on. See http://vs.aka-online.de/cgi-bin/globalwpsearch.pl?search=George+Washington&timeout=120&minor=1

Hope that helps — Catherine\ 01:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Element?

I am doing a report on an element of my choosing. Which one would be a good one? Яussiaп F 15:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Plutonium is one of the more exciting ones at a physical and chemical level (to speak nothing of its applications). This Los Alamos magazine issue about Plutonium talks about some of its remarkable characteristics (see esp. "Plutonium, an element at odds with itself."). --24.147.86.187 15:28, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I once did a school report on plutonium myself. I remember reading that plutonium is the most poisonous element there is. JIP | Talk 15:49, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

That happens to be false, by the way. Plutonium is no more toxic than any other heavy metal. There are many substances and elements more toxic to humans than plutonium. The WP article explains quite a lot on this point. Whether one thinks plutonium is the most "dangerous" (broadly defined) element has nothing to do with its toxicity (it is dangerous from a social point of view, it is dangerous from a carcinogenic point of view, but it is not dangerous from a toxicity/poison point of view, at least not significantly more dangerous than, say, lead). --24.147.86.187 16:19, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Wa'al, it depends on how you look at it. Plutonium is a radiological hazard - an extreme one. Mind-bogglingly tiny amounts, deposited into the right tissues will kill you dead. The human body will aggressively cooperate in migrating the plutonium to the right tissues, if it can. It won't be a chemical toxicity, but you'll face death nonetheless. On the other hand, it will be cancer that kills you, and it won't necessarily be fast. Given medical science advances, the ability to either extract the plutonium from the body, or cure the cancer, may change this in the future. This stuff is all too subtle for the mass media, which just call it the most poisonous element. Yes and no.

Of course, taking a detailed look at the complexity of the "toxicity" of plutonium might be a grand addition to a paper on plutonium. Good luck. Catbar (Brian Rock) 17:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

"Depends on how you look at it" — yes, it depends on whether or not you are trying to say plutonium is the most poisonous element on the planet or not. If you are, you're wrong, no matter how you want to interpret "poisonous". Nobody is saying plutonium is "safe" or "good for you", but calling it the most poisonous/toxic/radioactive/carcinogenic/etc. element is dead wrong in all cases. It only becomes remarkable if you less the charge to "dangerous" and refer to its use in nuclear weapons, which is a very different sort of claim. It's perfectly fine for people to have realistic discussions about the health effects of plutonium exposure or its role in nuclear proliferation; it is quite another thing to say statements which are highly misleading and frankly downright incorrect and pass it off as "depends how you look at it." If "depends how you look at it" passes in the weakest sense then you can say anything about the world ("The Nazis were great people, depending on how you look at it"). --140.247.240.219 17:35, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Ok, what is the most poisonous element on the planet? A silly question in a sense, and silly in how it is usually posed in the media, but not so from a practical point of view. Until you begin discussing the basis of your definition of "poisonous", or "toxic", or "dangerous", or whatever media-hot, scary term you want to substitute, you're nowhere. If you're extremely unlucky, one atom of plutonium, shooting off its alpha particle directly into your lung tissue, might cause cancer, which might kill you. But you're in the same position with one atom of strontium-90 in your bone, tossing off a beta particle. If you're unlucky, you'll wind up dead. In that sense, any radioactive toxin has a huge potential to kill, in single atom quantities. But some radioactive materials don't have highly energetic emissions, or don't go into sensitive tissues so readily, so there is a hierarchy of risk. I think most knoledgable people would agree that plutonium is at the top, among likely radiological hazards. One atom of plutonium in the lung is a higher risk than one atom of strontium-90 in the bone, which is a higher risk than one atom of tritium anywhere in the body. Plutonium is very, very, very, very dangerous stuff to have in your body, in any quantity, and in that sense is the most "deadly" material in a list of practical hazards. This isn't relativism in its worst sense, it's risk assessment and it reflects the real dangers of a given material to life in the long term. Catbar (Brian Rock) 18:25, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you're not aware but there are a number of relatively well-defined ways to define toxicity. You can hem and haw all you want but the fact is that plutonium is not under any definition "the most poisonous element" or "the most toxic element." It is not among the most radiologically active or even dangerous elements — you can be exposed to plutonium dust, inhale it, and still probably live two decades before you get any symptoms of lung cancer. A lot better off than you'd be with a lot of substances. You can do a lot of things with plutonium that you can't do with many other substances — you could ingest it, even have it injected into your blood, and the odds are it will pass right through you. I'd take that over exposure to a wide range of substances — radioactive and otherwise — any day. Plutonium has its hazards — of that nobody has doubted — by hyperbolic assessments of it don't help anyone. You speak about risk assessment but don't seem to know much about it. The odds of one atom of plutonium in your lung causing malignant cancer are pretty low (you get exposed to more radiation than that regularly from cosmic rays alone, much less X-rays) — if that's the sort of odds you are considering high, then you'd better not step into an automobile, which is considerably more dangerous for your health. --140.247.240.219 22:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Catbar, I'm not so sure you're right about the relative risk of an atom of plutonium vs one of Strontium-90. Consider that the half-life of Pu-239 is about 24000 years, so if you're going to live another hundred years, there's only a chance in 240 that that particular atom will decay at all. But if you're going to live even thirty years, it's fifty-fifty that the Sr-90 atom will. So the probability of harm from a plutonium decay would have to be two orders of magnitude greater than that from the strontium, which I suppose it might be, but you'd have to convince me.

In general short-lived nuclides are much more dangerous. Radium (1500 years) is far more dangerous than plutonium, and polonium-210 is immensely more dangerous. For a while there was a hypothesis that a significant part of the lung cancer caused by smoking was caused, not by "tar", but by polonium-210. I gather that this idea is not well-accepted these days, but it wasn't absurd on its face. --Trovatore 08:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I would add, plutonium and a flux capacitor make time travel possible. --Cody.Pope 06:49, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Other good choices depending on your interests: Gold, Silver, Iron, Mercury, Thallium, Fluorine, Chlorine, Lead, Uranium, Radium, Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Sulfur and Aluminum. Unless you want a special challenge, stay away from the Lanthanoids, since they're pretty obscure elements unless you're a specialist. Catbar (Brian Rock) 15:41, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Polonium 210 has now taken on some international significance! --Zeizmic 15:50, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

If you choose a semiconductor there is a lot to talk about on an atomic level. Philc _TC 15:56, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Sodium would be a pretty good one. It has some interesting chemical properties (reacting with water), some interesting biological ones (sodium ions play an important role in the nerves and the renal system) and some interesting physical properties (all the most distinctive lines of its emission spectrum occur in the yellow-orange spectrum, so it produces an intense yellow-orange flame), and it occurs in lots of common compounds (sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), sodium chloride (common salt) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)). Laïka 17:32, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I think we should ask the OP how many words (s)he has to write for this assignment.--Light current 19:53, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

And whether that's an upper or lower limit. JIP | Talk 20:41, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. It may be difficult to write 10k words on hydrogen. But not as difficut for plutonium 8-)--Light current 20:45, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

In high school, I had trouble keeping my English language class essays under the given upper limit. On the other hand, in the scientific writing class in university, I had trouble reaching the given lower limit for the practice scientific papers I had to write. That is an example of how greatly the effect of length limits can vary. JIP | Talk 21:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't you be dissin' hydrogen, yo! Okay, sure, plutonium is toxic and it has some flashy applications. But hydrogen one of the fundamental pillars on which nearly all of modern chemistry and all of biology rests. Without hydrogen bonding, we'd have no liquid water on Earth. Acid-base chemistry relies on those little guys (unless you are dealing with a very liberal definition of acid, see Lewis acid). Magnetic resonance imaging depends almost exclusively on the presence of hydrogen in the body. Hydrogen has been involved in any number of interesting disasters; it's also being touted as the energy currency of the future and a replacement for oil. Hydrogenation is a key process in preparing the tasty and oh-so-bad-for-you greasy ingredients in your lunch. 'Difficult to write 10k words on hydrogen'...Humbug! TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Did you notice the word 'may' in my post? Thats because I dont know the expertise of the OP. Obviously your knowledge of hydrogen is extremely extensive 8-)--Light current 15:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Arsenic has a nice mix of properties and uses, both harmful and beneficial, which would make for an interesting essay. Read the article. Its use in homicidal poisonings add the potential for some mystery. Seejyb 23:10, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I am sorry, I think "report" has been misinterpereted. "Presentation" would be a more accurate word. Яussiaп F 23:38, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

OK How long is your presentation? 5 mins or 1 hour?--Light current 23:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Does it matter? I was just wondering if there was any particular element that anybody found neat. I just want some reccomendations. Яussiaп F 04:42, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I've always liked the name Molybdenum. I know it's used in some steel, but can't tell you much offhand. I just like the word. (Molly Be Denim?) - Rainwarrior 06:48, 25 November 2006 (UTC)* Carbon,it comes in three interesting forms and is the building block of life.hotclaws**== 09:29, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes it matters in that its going to be easier to find a lot to say about the more compelx elements rather than the the simpler ones with the same amount of resarch IMO--Light current 15:13, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Carbon is pretty interesting. -THB 18:53, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

feeding fish

i bred my betta fish and i know that they should have brine shrimp etc. for the fry, but are you able to feed them crunched up fish flakes as well?

That would be like cannibalism except it's fish. -THB 18:01, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't see why not. Lots of fish eat fish. If they don't like it they won't eat it. It's not cannibalism unless they eat their own species (as some fish do).--Shantavira 18:09, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The live food is preferred, but yes, in my experience they will grow on fine flakes. I used to buy the more expensive makes, but I really don't know if that makes much difference. Seejyb 22:53, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The simpsons!

Which is the episode when the simpsons go to the uk??? (and when was it first aired, (date))???

thx--84.66.162.225 19:22, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The Regina Monologues - first aired 23 November, 2003. Laïka 19:42, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Bah, just beat me to it. Found the answer in Tony Blair, no less :) GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 19:43, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Article says 2003 not 2006--Light current 19:51, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Whoops; that was a typo! Laïka 20:00, 24 November 2003 (UTC)

Wii

I'm an American. How can I get a Wii in time for Christmas without eBay?--216.164.249.59 20:25, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Why? Dont they sell Wiis in USA?--Light current 20:43, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I can't find any; I think they've sold out.--216.164.249.59 20:53, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

It's too late to reserve them, I think. You may want to try online retailers (amazon.com, overstock.com). There'll be an opportunity somewhere, eventua-wii. bibliomaniac15 21:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Shoot! Theyve only just started advertising them on TV in UK!--Light current 22:23, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Besides eBay, you can try asking retailers when they're going to get their next shipment. If you're lucky and get there quickly on the date they give, you might get away with one. They won't necessarily reveal this information though. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 22:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Reports I've seen indicate that a number of retailers, having seen their first shipments disappear almost immediately, have held back a small number of units that will be released later - though that may have been for the whole big-shopping-day crush today, and if that's the case, well... best of luck next spring. Tony Fox (arf!) 23:24, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Help fixing a paragraph?

Hello,

I came across passage on the wiki page for the actor, Frank Silvera:

"Morgan Freeman , director/actress Billie Allen and journalist Clayton Riley honored Sivera and his efforts to support African American actors and playwrights by co-founding the Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop Foundation, Inc. in 1973. In existence for over 30 years, the organization continues to sponsor up-and-coming African American playwrights."

The problem with this paragraph is that it does not mention the man who first came up with the idea to pay tribute to Frank by creating the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, and got the others (who are listed) on board, and who is still running the Workshop to this day. This would be my father, Garland Lee Thompson. Without him there would be no workshop, then or now, and I would like to see that he gets his proper credit in the Misplaced Pages. I have created an account so I can edit pages, but apparently I cannot edit the page/text that this passage was written in. Can someone please tell me how I can fix this?

Thanks!

Radiodogg

You most likely clicked on the edit link below the text you wanted to edit. The edit links appear above the section to which they refer. Click on the edit this page link at the top and you will be all set.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 23:02, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Userboxes

How do I put an image into a userbox just like the windows series from The Raven's Apprentice? I'd like to make a better "This user uses windows Vista" Userbox, but I only know how to put text in. Please let me know on My Talk Page.

• Responding. - Mgm| 16:16, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Cornell U

Hi I'm doing a small project on Cornell University. Does anyone any interesting facts or information about the university? For example, largest stadium in Ivy League or something. Thanks. Jamesino 00:26, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

By "interesting facts" do you mean trivia? If you Google "Cornell trivia" a bunch of stuff comes up. --24.147.86.187 00:57, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I assume you been here? --Justanother 03:07, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Found this here: "The largest indoor natural rock climbing wall in North America is at Cornell." --Justanother 03:11, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi

hi, i am facing many skin problems. i have got many pimples and acne problems. i have consulted docters and they everytimr recommend me some cream, but creams adversely effect on my skin. can u plz help me out. i dont want to look ugly. i cant even talk properly to people when i feel they must be looking my face. please suggest some best and domestic way to clear up my face and body.

What's your age? If you are still in your teens or early teens, waiting it out is probably the best option — eventually after your horomones stop going crazy you will start to clear up. If your doctors have not put you on a prescription medication there is probably a reason, and there are no magic bullets for getting rid of acne other than creams and medications. What sort of "adverse effects" are you talking about? Most acne medications will dry-out your skin to some extent, but it can be a trade-off in symptoms (ones that feel bad versus ones which look bad). --24.147.86.187 01:02, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Wash your face with mild, alcohol-free facial cleansers before going to bed. Apply a doctor recommended anti-acne cream. Do not overwash your face. Jamesino 01:09, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

By 'overwash' I suppose you mean using too much soap. I don't see how to much water could be bad. Btw, if (too much) soap is bad it actually makes sense to rinse extra with water if you use soap. DirkvdM 07:06, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

"Overwash" means to wash to much, I.E to hard for to long and to often each day.AMX 18:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

The issue of 'overwashing' is controversial. There are two issues; one is that touching your face increases blood flow and oil secretion, which are perceived as being negatives (they aren't necessarily); two is that too-vigorously stripping your face of natural oils, over-exfoliating, and overly-vigorous scrubbing can have an adverse effect on your skin: drying it, irritating blemishes, causing micro-tears which can introduce bacteria to the skin, stimulating an inflammatory reaction and more. I'm not saying Jamesino is wrong, particularly since people with blemishes often do over-wash their faces (although this is itself compounded by the over- or improper use of cleansing agents and materials such as scrubs, medicated towelettes, etc), but it is very particular to the individual. Depending on a person's body chemistry and level of activity, using a gentle cleanser and bare fingertips, someone could wash their face for 15 or 20 seconds up to 4 times a day without 'over washing'. For other people, more than once a day is too much. It is important for blemished skin to be clean, and it is also important to gently exfoliate on a regular basis, since blemishes are not just oil, they are also dead skin cells, makeup, dirt, and microbes. Anchoress 08:53, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Also, limit your consumption of oily foods and particularly trans-fatty acids, which can clog the pores. StuRat 10:49, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

There are some treatment tablets that exist that help drying out the sebaceous glands and are available on prescription. These are very efficient against heavy acne. You should see a dermatologist and ask him about them. Keria 11:51, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Is it those glands that make us look like Sebaceans? DirkvdM 07:22, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

SuRat, oily foods only colg your pores if you rub them on your skin! Trans-fatty acids clog your blood vessels, not your pores. Acne is unaffected by what you eat. It's caused by bacteria.

Well, StuRat has this thing against trans-fatty oils and trans-Jordanian oil producing countries. DirkvdM 07:22, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Try eating a heavy trans-fat diet one week and see if your acne isn't worse than when you eliminate them the following week. The difference is quite dramatic. (There is a 1-3 day lag from trans-fat intake to skin condition change.) StuRat 08:07, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I have tried this in the past. I never saw any difference. 128.122.9.70 20:01, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

The best way to keep acne under control, as others are saying, is to 1. gently but thoroughly clean the face two to four times a day, 2. use an acne cream containing 2.5% to 10% benzoyl peroxide (which can be found very cheap at Family Dollar - ClearZit at $!/tube if you live in the U.S.), and 3. in cases of severe acne causing scarring, -cycline drugs are given, such as tetracycline. Sunlight may also be beneficial but benzoyl peroxide and tetracycline make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. When you start using benzoyl peroxide it will irritate your skin a little but within two weeks you should see a huge improvement. -THB 14:05, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

At age 16 or so, I had dreadful acne (infected pustules across my back and shoulders) - swollen, painful boils that were so ugly and huge and embarrassing, I stopped swimming or showering at school. So off I went to the local Consultant Dermatologist who plied me for about 5 years with pills, potions, powders, scrubs, soft soap solutions, pastes, creams and anti-biotics. When those failed, he exposed my naked torso, back and front to extremely powerful ultra-violet light, and then moved on to localised x-ray bombardment. Nothing worked, and I am now badly scarred, can't go uncovered in the sun, and am extremely sensitive to chlorinated water. But interestingly, on one visit to the Dermatologist, he was away to a conference and I was seen by his Registrar (UK junior specialist). He told me never to repeat his advice to the senior doctor, but at medical college, he had been advised that there was no medical cure for teenage acne, and I should instead go for nature's cure, which was to find a "Good Bad Woman", and my excess hormones would find release. So I took his advice, repeatedly, and my spots disappeared, and have never ever reappeared. But I had to find the Good Bad Women personally as the National Health Service didn't supply them on prescription. 81.145.241.215 19:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

That's what everyone used to say in the '50s and '60s -- sex will clear up your skin. They made up some urban-legend bullshit about hormones, but there was absolutely no science backing it up, and there still isn't. For one thing, why wouldn't masturbation work as well as sex? And if you were so dreadfully scarred, how did you find anyone willing to have sex with you? 128.122.9.70 20:01, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I Have been told by 2 Drs that there is no "cure" for teenage acne, simply "calming measures" creams and pills which you can take (dependant on you) which reduce there size and visibility. The best adivce I can give is to use facial clensing wipes(the stuff girls use to remove make-up), the slightly pricy ones you get in good chemists/pharmasits and make sure they have some natural elements to them I.E. ginger extract or essance of cucumber. Belive me I know it sounds silly and un-scientific but its probrably the closest thing to a cure. Use them as soon as you get up in the morning and just before you turn the light out to go to sleep. At no point in the day EVER touch your face. The acne won't go away totally but it will massivly improve.AMX 18:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

My sister had serious skin problems in the face when she was a teenager. I don't know too much about it (not even sure if it was acne) but she got a treatment that involved removing skin, after which she couldn't expose herself to the Sun. It helped, but after a few treatments she stopped because it was a long lasting treatment and not being able to go out is no fun for anyone, but especially when you're a teenager. DirkvdM 07:32, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Stress can be a major contributor. You become worried about your skin, which produces more of whatever hormone which is causing the problem and so it works in a vicious cycle. If you're really desperate, you could try some alternative therapy, like a homeopath or something. Even that won't fix it overnight, but the important thing is not to worry about it, which you don't seem to be doing. Mix Lord 23:24, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

(Ro)accutane. The challenge may be to get someone willing to prescribe it for you. Try to get to see a specialist.

It's purely a question of inputs (food) versus outputs (pimple discharge). See healthy eating. 64.59.144.21 16:54, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Errr, no it isn't see acne vulgarisAMX 15:32, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Guitar wiring

Where can I find wiring diagrams for the insides of a basic electric guitar? -71.212.78.49 01:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Google. The first result that came up for me was this. Guitars aren't really very complicated as far as electronics go. If you have any specific questions about it, feel free to ask. - Rainwarrior 06:32, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Availability of Arab/Middle-Eastern restaurant food and textiles in Toronto, Canada

• In Toronto, how many restaurants serves Iranian cuisine?

• Afghani cuisine?

• Arab cuisine?

• How many stores sell Iranian stuff?

• Afghani stuff?

• Arab Stuff?

(70.53.94.61)

I'd suggest looking here. Anchoress 02:32, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

food (bread) definition

Question moved to WP:RD/L

Information about a specific style of "happy" music

There's this particular style for musical scores that I've been wanting to know more about for years now. I believe they're related to old educational films of some sort, possibly ones related to urban or suburban life in the 50's...

The music has a very distinct happy style featuring violins, particularly the heavy use of pizzicatos. It is frequently mocked nowdays in TV shows such as The Simpsons (particularly Homer's daydreaming scenes), Ren & Stimpy and SpongeBob SquarePants, to name a few. The music is always associated with ultra-happy moments and scenes.

Fortunately, I happen to have a sample of this right here. It's from the game The Sims, one of the tunes for the buying mode. Take a listen (ogg vorbis - 130 kB)

I'm looking for any sort of information about this. A name for the genre, if it exists, would be great! Thanks in advance! ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 08:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

The nearest thing I can think of to a 'genre' is 'nineteenth century Viennese pop', with such superstars as Johann Strauss II. Entertainment, not music. Your Sims soundtrack has more modern elements to it, but the essence and influence is there. But then I'm not an expert in that sort of thing, I just trust my ear. I could be way off track.

Nah, I'm pretty sure it's a modern thing. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 11:04, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure that this sort of thing is related to old educational films per se, but it certainly is cliched, and there's nothing an old educational film does so well as play up on cliche. The Crying Orc 10:39, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Go here and listen to the Tritsch-tratsch polka piece, which is pretty typical and pretty bloody awful (one can imagine the Viennese ladies gossiping). Then you can decide if we're talking about the same thing. ;-) The Crying Orc 10:55, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

No. Not the same thing. May be an influence, but not what I'm looking for. The style I'm looking for is pretty distinct. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 11:04, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think 19th century waltzes and polkas are really anything like this. I don't think you'll find much like this at all before the 20th century. I have suspicions that this style of music originated in 1950s television advertising, but it's just a hunch. I've never heard of a name for it, but I know exactly what you're talking about. - Rainwarrior 20:06, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Surrender of Hong Kong and Singapore

A couple of years ago, there was a programme on television stating that when Japan surrendered in 1945, in Singapore and Hong Kong, the Japanese refused to surrender to the British. The reason was that they had been told not to by the Americans, and an American navy task force was on its way to these places to seize them from the British. Apparently, the USA wanted bases of their own in the Far East.

When Winston Churchill heard of this, he sent the Royal Navy to blockade these ports, which it did. He asked President Truman what was going on. If the truth was but known, President Truman was not exactly certain but he stopped the American ships. It seemed like it was a plot by high ranking officers in the American government and armed forces. After that it was hushed up for all these years until that programme was shown on British television.

I can find nothing about this on the internet and emailed a department of the British Admiralty asking them for details; I never received a reply.

Hopefully you can help.

Thank you

Ronnie Mackenzie email; (removed)

Hi, Ronnie. Both Singapore and Hong Kong were retaken by the British in 1945. For the Americans, any American, to have acted in the fashion described-and for the Japanese to have responded in the manner you suggest-makes no sense. The US had, and would have, plenty of bases in the Far East. Such arbitrary action would have caused a major breach among the allies at a sensitive time. The whole scenario sounds, quite frankly, like the the plot for a diplomatic thriller. It's certainly not serious history. Clio the Muse 10:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

That would indeed have been a bad thing to do to an ally, but similar schemes happened in Europe between the western allied forces (especially the British, I believe) and the USSR, not cooperating much anymore because both sides wanted to capture as much land as possible. I don't know any other British stations other than the BBC. Was this a reliable tv station? DirkvdM 07:39, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I assume you are thinking of the British landing in Greece in 1944, Dirk? If so, even that was in pursuance of an agreement between Stalin and Churchill, rather than a land grab as such. But it is certainly true that Churchill wanted to save Greece from Communism. On your broader point, Britain and the USSR were 'allies of occasion', no more than that. This can hardly be said of the alliance between Britain and the USA. Clio the Muse 08:39, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

No, I was thinking of the final battles in Germany. If I remember correctly, Montgomery wanted to conquer as much land as possible to avoid the Russians getting too much control, while Roosevelt wanted to go catch Hitler and since he was appointed big boss he got his way. Something like that. DirkvdM 19:02, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for that clarification, Dirk. Actually, this is not quite correct. It is true that the while the commanders in the field may have have wished to advance in military terms as far within their reach as possible, in strict political terms the division of Germany had already been decided at Yalta. It was the US army that capture Leipzig in eastern Germany, but subsequently had to withdraw because this fell within the Soviet zone of control. But even in military terms were was some demarcation: both Berlin and Hitler fell within Stalin's orbit. Clio the Muse 09:30, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmm, yes, there was Yalta, but wass it that detailed? I clearly remember seeing a map with Russian troops heaing towards Denmark and troops from the West cutting them off and I believe they were Brits. DirkvdM 04:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, there was a detailed map of areas of post-war occupation, prepared well in advance of the Nazi capitulation. As for the soldiers, read again what I have written above. And in relation to Denmark, the Soviets took the island of Bornholm, but subsequently withdrew. Clio the Muse 10:06, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

river valley in china

i have a question which got me baffled.i am native to a river valley in northern china,what am i?i thot it was the yellow river but thats not it.what cud be the answer.i think its an animal or maybe a plant.i thot it was the northern snake head,but still not tha ansa.plse help.

There are usually hundreds of plants and animals native to most places. The question does not contain enough information for there to be one specific answer.--Shantavira 10:25, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Security tool at Electronics/Phone stores - what is it, where can I buy one?

My son is doing a science fair project involving a cellphone, and for his display he would like to place an actual phone that people can call. My concern is that it will be stolen immediately.
At electronics stores and telephone stores, there is some sort of lock that they place on the back of the phone so that it can be displayed 'securely'. Does anyone know what this kind of system is called, or even better, where I can purchase one? Thanks! 1001001 15:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Problem with all these devices, is that you have to glue something on the back that is impossible to remove. This makes it difficult to use after.... --Zeizmic 20:34, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah... phones don't have any built-in way to secure them (unlike a laptop, which usually has a way to plug in a securing wire). One thing you could try to do is to encase the phone in some sort of box and then lock the box to the table or something like that. You could even make it part of the exhibit — one phone could be in a faraday cage (and thus not be able to receive the microwave signal, though be visible to the public), while the other could be in some other sort of box. --24.147.86.187 20:54, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Uploading images

I have been trying to upload a self-created image for months but I just can't get the hang of the form. (Judging by the response when I asked on my blogging community I'm not alone.) The image is a jpg but when I try all I get is a message saying '" " is not an approved file format' or something like that. It never tells me what I'm doing wrong or how to do it differently. Sorry if this is the wrong forum but I couldn't find one that looked appropriate. Sheenagh 15:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

• Answered on their talk page. - Mgm| 16:13, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Not quite answered because it hasn't been resoved yet. Why answer on the talk page? DirkvdM 07:44, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

One possibility is that the extension (.jpg at the end if it's a jpeg image) is missing. I have that sometimes (forget the reason) and it's a simple matter of adding it. DirkvdM 07:44, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

November 25

Possible Plagiarized Content Found

Hi! I was looking over the wikipedia description of the the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Interface and noticed that it seems to borrow more than a few word-for-word passages from the episode description on the Trek fan site, Memory Alpha. It's possible that the same person wrote both descriptions, but I'm not sure. Also, how do I go about reporting this sort of thing in the future? --Gabeb83

Stephen Hawking's Religion

Is he a Spiritual Humanist? Half-Blood Auror 15:25, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

No hes a physicist --Light current 15:28, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Any serious scientist should put his own religious belief aside when conducting research. As a footnote, I think Einstein was a religious Jew, who conducted all his research to better understand God's plan. 惑乱 分からん 16:19, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Whoops, spoke too soon... The article indicates that he has a religiosity, but that it mainly mainifests itself in a belief of a nature in harmony. 惑乱 分からん 16:35, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

The author below (from here) seem to be trying to make the case that he perhaps favors Scientism:

Hawking's frequent excursions into religion and metaphysics are another component of his celebrity. The two best-known passages from A Brief History involve the implications of Hawking's cosmology for religion. The book's famous concluding sentence declares that a complete theory of the universe would be "the ultimate triumph of human reason--for then we would know the mind of God" (175). Although this seems to accept the existence of God even as it celebrates human reason, it is undermined by Hawking's equally famous and even more controversial claim that if his no-boundary proposal is correct, then the universe is self-contained, with no beginning or end, and "What place, then, for a creator?" (140-41). As the answer to this rhetorical question is of course no place, most readers have had no trouble discerning its implications: since Hawking's work aims to provide a complete theory of the universe, the triumph we will celebrate, and the mind we will come to know, will be his. Hawking understands God better than Einstein because Hawking is the ultimate celebrity: God himself.

Such a move is the logical extension of the strand of Enlightenment science that sought to replace the authority of religion with the authority of science. By aligning himself so overtly with Galileo against Catholic dogma and with quantum theorists against Einstein's theism, Hawking positions his work in a meta-narrative about cosmology that protects it from enemies both without and within. If this exposes him to charges of hubris in the popular press and criticism from philosophers and theologians, it's nonetheless good for sales--which Hawking has said would have been halved had he cut the book's final sentence, as he at one point contemplated. 36 Instead, Hawking has minimized the potential for damaging fallout by denying he strays onto the religion side of the science/religion divide and by qualifying the theological implications of his cosmology. 37 Yet he does so even as he continues to promote the no-boundary proposal, asserting recently that in offering testable predictions the proposal wrenches cosmology out of the hands of theologians and "makes cosmology into a science." 38

--Justanother 16:28, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Newspaper in the new england states

I'm looking for a owner of a newspaper not sure what state but know it was in ONE OF the New England States The name of the paper unknown owner was a Morris, His son work for him the son name was Henry James Morris he took pictures for the paper who died in NY around 1925 falling from a building taking pictures at the age of 36 can you help me? Wendy

ladywendy@verizon.net

contact address for Scott Jaeck

Please can you give me a contact address for actor Scott JaeckSharonharvey2 19:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

sharon

• We don't have it, but you could try getting contact information through a free IMDB Pro trial at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415327/contact or try if we have an article on Scott Jaeck that lists an official website for him or his manager/agent. - Mgm| 22:09, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Why did my e-mail address appear?

Earlier today I replied to a query in Misplaced Pages after properly Signing in. But I forgot to sign off the response and was horrified to see that instead, my e-mail address appeared in full. Surely that should never be allowed to happen? ps I have not Signed in before posing this question - quite deliberately. And I have since edited the offending response to remove my e-address. My fault I accept, but surely the punishment exceeded the crime????????? —Preceding unsigned comment added by James@(email removed) (talk • contribs)

Misplaced Pages won't release your email address. Perhaps your browser has some auto-completion or auto-formfill feature? -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:06, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Your user name is your email address. If you sign your comments, your address will appear. Because you don't sign them, other people add a tag {{unsigned|username}} showing who made them. Someone has suggested on your talk page that you change your username, so the ball's entirely in your court. --Mnemeson 20:09, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

When you create an account, the create an account screen does say (in red) "Do not use an e-mail address as your username." -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:12, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I thought that Misplaced Pages had just banned the @ symbol from usernames? Maybe he registered just before this came into effect. Laïka 22:28, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

You will surely be smote for such an infraction. Posting your email address on Misplaced Pages, UNTHINKABLE. By the way, abnerian@gmail.com -- Abnerian 22:40, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree. CasualWikiUser 23:04, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

James, I hereby pardon you of any crimes that you may have committed in posting your e-mail. They are even expunged from the file we keep on you. Go forth and be a law-abiding Wikizen hereforth and forthwith. -THB 03:19, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

And anyway, the {{Smoting}} template got TfD'd last week, so this is now a no-smoting zone.

Atlant 18:06, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I am having problem searching for specific information about a quote.

The qoute is form Spock "The needs of the many outweigh the needs ofthe one." Whenever I insert that quote into the search box it tells me that no article or page can be found. What can I do to find specific information about the quotes meanig when Spock said it.

For those who may not be Trekkies, the poster most likely means Mr. Spock and not Dr. Spock since Mr. Spock says the line in The Wrath of Kahn. Dismas| 21:43, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Isn't it "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"? - Rainwarrior 21:46, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

And there's stuff about it in the Star Trek III: The Search for Spock article. - Rainwarrior 21:47, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

You may have more luck asking Star Trek questions over at Memory Alpha's Reference Desk. They specialise in all things Vulcan. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:09, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

It's 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one'. I know those movies (the trilogy) like the back of my hand, what do you want to know about it? BTW I don't believe Spock actually says the whole quote himself. I'll watch the movies again to make sure. It's used for the first time at the end of Wrath of Khan, but Spock only says the first part, and Kirk finishes the quote for him. It's repeated by his mother in The Voyage Home, and it's mangled a few different ways, as in "the needs of the one outweigh those of the many" or something. Anchoress 22:18, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Wikiquote has entries for both Star Trek II and Star Trek III, where you'll find the entire dialogue segment. — QuantumEleven 12:44, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Help with unit conversion: metres cubed to kilowatt hours (natural gas)

My domestic natural-gas supply is metered in cubic metres. For billing purposes I need the equivalent in kilowatt hours. Can anyone give me the convertion factor. Surfing has given me several different answers, - which is confusing.

From our article on natural gas:

The gross heat of combustion of one normal cubic metre of commercial quality natural gas is around 39 megajoules (≈10.8 kWh)

I should add that if you are using this for billing purposes you should contact your gas supplier and have them give you the correct number. I know that for our supplier, they test the gas for composition and heating value (Btu or, for you, kWh) when it enters the pipeline and at numerous stations along the pipeline (I just looked and it seems to be tested daily) and I can access the test results online. --Justanother 00:08, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

You may be confused with conversion of units. That is about different units for the same quantity, such as between metres and feet, which are both units of length. Or indeed kWh and W (Watt), which are both units of power. How much power a cubic metre gas will give you depends on various qualities of the gas, so you had indeed best ask the gas company about this. DirkvdM 07:57, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, W is power and kWh is energy. Apparently the OP is buying energy in the form of m of natural gas and billing it out as kWh. In the US, the standard conversion is 1 ft natural gas = 1000 Btu energy. --Justanother 19:37, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Oops, how could I make that mistake? DirkvdM 06:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

wikipedias most hunted

i have an idea that will reduce vandlisim on wikipedia and other sites.1. iam sure that users who vandlize after they`be been blocked go to other wiki sites and vandlize even though adminstrators can`t stop them on other sites they can send warnings that that user might vandlize other sites.also we can inform users that.that user was vandlizing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.161.133.222 (talk • contribs)

Eh?--Light current 00:07, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Some sort of interpol for vandals on all wikis I think. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.100.138.7 (talk • contribs)

Nah. It'll be like a badge of honour; vandals will behave more outrageously and incorrigibly in order to get on the list. Anchoress 01:06, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, it need not be public. The administrators (in the general sense, not in the Misplaced Pages sense - what is that called?) could exchange such addresses. DirkvdM 08:01, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

any wiki project can block IP that have been blocked on another wiki by having a bot (with admin rights) look at the block log and automatically block the same IP for the same amount of time. However, I don't think it is really necessary, I don't think that vandals move on the other wiki site. After they are blocked they realize it was pretty stupid to start with. Jon513 12:36, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I doubt that vandals go vandalize other sites running wikis. Misplaced Pages is a big draw for vandals because it is seen by many people. There aren't any other Wikis of its prominence and so there is less incentive to vandalize. --24.147.86.187 01:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Butterfly knives

Is it legal to purchase/carry a butterfly knife in Minnesota? 70.57.145.135 23:41, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Well following the link at the bottom of the butterfly knife page says yes. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:41, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah. Яussiaп F 18:51, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

November 26

China and Taiwan

Officially, is China and Taiwan 1 country or 2 countries? 24.58.65.183 02:08, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Short answer: Yes.

For the longer answer, see: One-China policy. -- Jim Douglas _(contribs) 02:16, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

One country; two systems! After 1949 both countries considered themselves as part of the unitary state of China, but disagreed over who had the right to be considered as the official government. Even after Chang Kai-shek left for Taiwan, following the Communist victory on the mainland, he continued to insist that he was the rightful head of all of China. Officially, Taiwan is still known as the Republic of China, in contrast to the mainland People's Republic of China. Taiwan lost its seat in the UN some years ago, and today is recognized by very few as the legal government of all of China. There have been moves recently to have Taiwan reconstituted as an independent state, though the mainland government have made it clear that they would take a very serious view of any such development. Clio the Muse 02:24, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Though despite the One China policy, it's worth noting that in the Asian qualification process for the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup, the People's Republic did play Chinese Taipei, as Taiwan is often referred to international sporting events, in a match at Kunming. The People's Republic won by 22 points to 19. -- Arwel (talk) 14:22, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Locate a fellow Vietnam Veteran

Hello,

My husband James E. Bowers has been trying to locate a buddie he was in Vietnam with in 1967-1968. He was in the Co. D 3d Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th INF Division.

He can't remember his friend Brian's last name but if he could some how get a copy of a list of men in his Division. He feels he'd remember if he were to see it.

If you are unable to help please point us in the right direction. We appreciate any help you can provide.

Thanks,

Kathy Bowers Kelso, Washington 36--577-1766

Contact the Army. They should have records of who was in what where. Misplaced Pages does not. Good luck. -THB 05:28, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Democrat and Republican

I was wondering since the page about the Democratic party did not say anything on the Immigration Issue, what are their view on the Immigration and BAMN (By any mean necessary) THank you Dragonfire 734 03:56, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Which Democratic Party? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:36, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Current Democratic party 151.200.238.33 21:34, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I think CambridgeBayWeather meant, which of the 84 democratic parties listed on Democratic Party are you referring to? (Admittedly, only 38 of them are listed as simply 'Democratic Party'). --ColinFine 23:18, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it is pretty clear from the heading of "Democrat and Republican" and the fact that he/she is referencing a group only active in the United States in the post that he/she was referring to the Democratic Party (United States). I understand that people should try to be specific in their questions but if it can be reasonably inferred what country someone is talking about — especially when most of the people on this site at from the United States — I don't see any reason to give people shit about it. --24.147.86.187 01:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

To answer the question... this page has some of the central party responses to the issue of immigration, though there are many different opinions held by individual politicians (immigration is a volatile enough issue that it isn't easy to assume there is a standard "party line" on it, whether Democratic or Republican). I am pretty sure that BAMN would be a little too out-there for the Democrats, and that BAMN would consider the Democrats to be a little too centrist for their tastes, but this is just extrapolation of mine. --24.147.86.187 01:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Why is it clear that they were referring to the US parties? I had not heard of BAMN as an entity until you provided the link. I looked at the Democratic Party article and Republican Party party article and realized that they could be from any country that had both, such as Albania. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:23, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

stock market

is stock market addictive? If so, why? 04:25, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

For some people, playing the stock market is just like any other form of problem gambling. It's the white collar version of off track betting. -THB 05:20, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

In short, the more you lose, the more you think your luck will change and when you win, that is an incentive to go on. So you never stop. Until your money runs out, that is. That said, there are two people on the stock market, those who know what they are doing and those who don't. The latter lose money and that is how the former make money. Take away the latter and stock markets might just collapse. DirkvdM 08:07, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Royal Victorian Order Medal

My dad has a MVO medal with the number 39 stamped on the back he inherited it in a box with other canadian medals, can you help us figure out who in our past family received this medal. thankyou

cherie Nickel, Address Removed

E-mail removed

See the article on Royal Victorian Medal. If they are sequentially ordered, there must be a record somewhere, it being bestowed by the Queen. -THB

"MVO" suggests that the medal belonged to a Member of the Royal Victorian Order. This award is different from the Royal Victorian Medal (which entitles the user to the postnominal "RVM"), although both are part of the Royal Victorian Order. JackofOz 00:11, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Broken Amplifier

I don't know which category this fits into, but I was using a 4-channel 1980's Realistic amplifier in my home theater system. All 4 audio channels were bridged into a subwoofer, but when I adjusted the balance control the fuse in the unit blew. A replacement fuse also blew immediately after I inserted it, meaning something must be broken. Does anyone know what the problem would be and how I would be able to fix it? Mix Lord 06:00, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Um How do you bridge 4 ch into 1 subwoofer? Can you draw a simple wiring diagram?--Light current 06:33, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

+       +       +       +
\       |       \       |
 \      |        \      |
  \     |         \     |
   \    |          \    |
    \   |           \   |
     \  |            \  |
      \ |             \ |
       \|              \|
        \               |
         \              |
          \             |
           \            |
            \           |
             \          |
              \         |
               \        |
                \       |
                 \      |
                  \     |
                   \    |
                    \   |
                     \  |
                      \ |
                       \|
                        |
                        |
                        |
                        |
                        +

It's basically like this, with the same process for the negative. The important thing is to make sure it's a mono signal and not adjust the balance. Also, I had to split the preamp signal.

Well, each channel expects a certain amount of resistance (ohms) per speaker. If you're plugging them all into a single subwoofer, no doubt it uses too much current. Just use one of the channels, not all four. - Rainwarrior 06:49, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

It was about a 500W speaker and each channel was only 120W, so it was the only way I could get sufficient volume. Even though I was told not to do it it all worked perfectly until the balance was adjusted. Mix Lord 03:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

The 4 channels may have slightly differing levels of amplification, due to drift in component values, so if channel 1 is trying to produce say a 100 hz signal at 120 watts in a 4 ohm load, it might produce 21 volts. Channel 2 might have slightly lower amplification and be trying to produce 18 volts in response to the same input. This can result in high current as the two channels each try to maintain different output levels at the same time with their outputs solidly in parallel. Result? blown fuse. Differing degrees of distortion can also produce high current. Paralleling power amplifiers is a chancy practice unless the gains are carefully balanced. Edison 05:56, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Youre going to need some sharing resistors to stop the amp o/p looking into a short circuit of the other amp o/ps. This will of course mean you losing some power in these resistors. BTW what you have shown is not a bridged connection but a paralleled connection of all 4 o/ps.(very inadvisable as unlimited circulating currents will flow)--Light current 22:36, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

But the amplification wasn't parrallel, as it was using a preamp signal, which is default for a subwoofer outlet. Because the signal was split into left and right and I assumed the output for for each channel would be exactly the same. Also, has anyone got ideas for cooling amplifiers?

Mix Lord 00:42, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Online visual of community

Hi

A while ago I was sent a link that enabled me to see in my own backyard etc. It was a satelite view I think.

I have since got a new computer as the old one died and I can not find the same link to allow me to see that site.

I would appreciate the link if you have it.

Many thanks

I believe you're looking for Google Maps at http://maps.google.com/ ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 07:24, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Although you'd still have to know the exact latitude and longitude to find your backyard again. 惑乱 分からん 07:40, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

(Unless you start from a nearby city and know where to go. –mysid☎ 07:50, 26 November 2006 (UTC))

You can punch in your street adress in Google Maps and it pinpoints your house. Sp0ng 13:45, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

What do calls from 000-000-0000 mean?

I've gotten them like three of them. I answered one. Someone asked for Tyrell something rather. That was it.

If I recall correctly it means somebody has called you from a computer, mostly its just spam or advertisement, I wouldnt give it to much thought if I were you. If you keep getting them you can get on the DNC list and they will block it for you. Joneleth 08:52, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Found some additional information on it. "What is happening is telemarketers have found a way to NULL out the caller-id field on placed calls, so instead of using standard Caller Line Identity Restriction which will set outbound caller-id to anonymous they just make regular phone calls with a NULL from field. This was meant as a way of getting past people who have Anonymous Call Rejection. " Joneleth 08:56, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I get a number of calls at work from "123456789" or "3456789". Most of them are "free magazines". I did get one call from a newspaper reporter which showed "382" as the caller ID — he must have had a caller-ID spoofer. — Arthur Rubin | (talk) 14:03, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Anyway to sum it up, phonenumbers that dont seem like real phonenumbers are most likely just spoofs from telemarketers that want to get past your anynoumous call rejection. Joneleth 10:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Caller ID information is often generated by the PBX and this information must be correctly programmed within the PBX or errorneous information will be transmitted. I learned this years ago when I was getting telemarketing calls that appeared to be coming from a CLEC that claimed to not have implemented the exchange code that was showing up on my Caller ID box. I finally actually got to answer one of the calls and with the help of the calling party, we tracked the problem back to exactly such a misprogramming of their in-house PBX.

Of late, the illegal Republican Party telemarketing calls that were made in New Hampshire originated from a variety of fake Caller IDs including 000-000-0000. It must have been an innocent mistake, of course. ;-). After all, it was only last year that various officials in the state party were convicted of telephone hijinks relative to the 2000 election cycle.

Atlant 18:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Overenthusiastic article

What kind of tag can I apply to an article (Bawa Muhaiyaddeen) I consider way over the top and biassed? Clarityfiend 08:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

{{neutrality}}, I believe. Also, next time, put these Misplaced Pages-related questions on the Help Desk. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 08:32, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I thought I did. Must have pressed the wrong link. Clarityfiend 00:47, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Scientology

How come the Scientology page doesnt say that it was banned in Germany for being a dangerous cult? Joneleth 08:47, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Because that would be inaccurate. As the article says: "In Germany Scientology is not considered a religion by the government, but a commercial business." That means it doesn't get the privileges religious organisations have under German law. But it's hardly the same thing as being "banned". It is still legal to restore the free will of one's body thetans. Skarioffszky 10:07, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Did you read the section Scientology#Scientology_as_a_cult? If you feel further information would enhance the article, be bold! Natgoo 10:00, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Germany's "government and societal discrimination against minority religious groups" shows up as a Human Rights problem in the US State Department's Report on Human Rights Practice for 2005.

The government does not recognize several belief systems, such as Scientology, as religions; however, it does not prevent them from engaging in public and private religious activities. Federal and state authorities classified Scientology as a potential threat to democratic order, a status that led to employment and commercial discrimination against Scientologists in both the public and private sectors.

Thanks for the reminder, I really need to do some editing there. --Justanother 17:30, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Heroin and cocaine

Are there any countries in the world where it's 100% legal to purchase, possess and 'consume' Heroin and/or cocaine? Not planning my next holiday or anything, just curious... ;) --Kurt Shaped Box 08:48, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Netherlands? Joneleth 08:53, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Nevermind just checked only "Soft" drugs are allowed in Netherlands, but I think you could reasonably assume drugs were allowed in most african countries, if nothing else then because of lack of restriction. Joneleth 09:00, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's reasonable to assume anything when the consequence could be death! African nations are cracking down, particularly on trafficking - Nigeria is recognised as a major transit point for trafficking from Asia to Europe , and South African heroin use is on the increase . Heroin is legal in the UK and Switzerland if you have a precription, possession of 1g of either heroin or cocaine is legal in Colombia, and possession of unprocessed coca is legal in Peru and Bolivia. Both are also legal, pretty much anywhere in the world, if you happen to be a research chemist, surgeon or anaesthetist, or producer of legal heroin or cocaine. Natgoo 09:54, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Note that, without a prescription, drugs that are illegal in most countries are usually also illegal in the Netherlands, including weed. It's just that in the case of weed the police can't be bothered, unless it's sold to minors or in bars (combining drugs is always a bit iffy). See also Cannabis coffee shops. DirkvdM 19:08, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Crazy Sunglasses

http://en.wikipedia.org/WP:RD/M

Most of us have seen this commercial on TV already, but what I want to know is what kind of sunglasses are those? I have been told those are Aviator glasses, but I don't agree because Aviators aren't perfectly circular like this pair. I've seen Ozzy and John Lennon wear similar (or identical) pairs of sunglasses, but I can't find out the name or brand. Anybody with any info would be a lot of help.

72.197.40.54 09:42, 26 November 2006 (UTC)Mouseman

That link you have there doesn't go anywhere useful but you seem to be describing what I would call "round hippie glasses" like these or these. --Justanother 18:55, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

How to Rescue a Friend from a Ponzi Scheme

I have a friend who has gotten entraped by a ponzi scheme called 13dailypro<dot>net. I've tried explaining the general principle of a ponzi scheme, but they have been unmoved. Is there any reliable source I could point this person to that mentions this site in particular as a problem? In general-- how do I talk them into getting out while they still can-- or at least not putting any more money in!?--Alecmconroy 11:53, 26 November 2006 (UTC)Z

• One of the external links in our article should help. Especially the US Gov site. - Mgm| 12:38, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

  My concern would be that just telling the "mark" about ponzi schemes in general wouldn't be enough to convince him to quit. I wonder if there's anything about that site in particular. --Alecmconroy 14:43, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

There is an interesting interview (and analysis) with the head of the site at this link. --24.147.86.187 15:42, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

This link gives a "blueprint" of an autosurf program operating as a Ponzi scheme.  --Lambiam 18:41, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

If the Ponzi scheme gets shut down, that'd stop anyone putting more money in. My inclination is to talk to the police, although of course Internet-based frauds may pose jurisdictional problems. It's also possible that the fraudster's ISP may be persuaded to shut them down, although that would likely be temporary. --Anonymous, 06:45, November 27.

Removing sticker residue from car window

Okay, a very off-beat question for the wizards of the reference desk: A few months ago, someone stuck a large sticker on the window of my car (advertising something or other, I can't remember). It was a very persistent little blighter, and took me several minutes of scraping and peeling to get off. Now the sticker is off, but I can still see its outline whenever it rains on said window (the drops form a different pattern where the sticker once was, I imagine that residue is interacting with the water to change the droplet size). Despite numerous car washes, scraping and yelling obscenities, I can't seem to get the remaining residue off. Now, it's not amazingly critical that I do (it's on a side window and pretty much transparent), however, I was hoping that maybe someone here might have a suggestion as to something else I could try to get the stuff off....? :) — QuantumEleven 12:41, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I would try a solvent such as white spirit, meths, or isopropyl alcohol. Make sure it doesn't run onto the seal or the paintwork though.--Shantavira 13:01, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

There is a product called, I kid you not, "Sticky Stuff Remover". I guarantee it works everytime. I always keep two bottles in the shed and I buy it from one of those catalogues a local guy delivers to your door. It is always filled with everything you never knew you needed but you always buy something anyway. But on this occasion, Sticky Stuff Remover was a surefire winner. I recently sprayed my decking with weather protective wax sealant and it blew in the wind onto my house windows. Nothing would shift it until - you guessed it. And now they are sparkling again.

There are a few products like this on the market which work well. Goo Gone is another well-known one. --24.147.86.187 01:32, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Remember WD40 - thats usually good for removing sticky glue when water and detergent has failed.

I have cleaned a lot of stickers off plastic, not glass, and used 91% isopropyl alcohol (as already mentioned) but have also found Goo Gone to work well. You can find it easily on eBay if your local hardware store doesn't carry it. --Justanother 16:06, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Goof Off is another product that should work, but WD40 would be my first resource.

Atlant 18:17, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

If even yelling obscenities doesn't work, there's only one thing left - turpentine. I once had to remove some glue, tried everything, nothing worked, until I tried turpentine, which worked instantly. Of course there are loads of types of glue, but so far it has always worked for me. That is, if it's glue. If it isn't visible normally it migh be something else, but I can't think what. Maybe you removed some protective layer? Just a wild guess. DirkvdM 19:16, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much everyone for your suggestions, I will go ahead and try some of them! Cheers muchly! :) — QuantumEleven 05:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Another possibility is to try sticking and then quickly removing another sticker of similar type or some thick heavy duty tape like parcel tape or gaffer tape. The peeling off of that tape will often take a lot of the original tape's sticky off with it. Another thing which is just about guaranteed to work is a wonderful lubricating oil from CRC Industries called CRC 5.56 (not sure whether or not it is known by that name worldwide, or just in Australia & New Zealand). Spraying some of that on and then rubbing it off will remove just about any stickiness from sticky labels. Grutness...wha? 12:56, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

wy?

why have all the articles on wikipedia been cut short? I typed in wii and the article is only a fifth of the size as it was before. Is this something wikipedia does every year?

Can you provide us with a link or screenshot? Is it still loading up like that? Have you tried another browser, or is your internet connection timing out too early? Sp0ng 13:41, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

All the articles have not been cut short. wii looks fine to me. Try rebooting your computer.--Shantavira 14:40, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Could be the Firefox bug? 24.89.197.136 16:09, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Me too - articles are sometimes truncated - usually after a space

like this. I'm not using firefox - any clues?87.102.12.129 16:14, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

on some internet connections dont pages cut off after 30kb or something? Philc _TC 16:23, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

The 30 - 50kb limit bit on Misplaced Pages:Article size has more to do with "attention span" but there is mention of former problems editing long pages (not reading them). --Justanother 17:17, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

It could be a bug in your browser - try reloading the page (click the "refresh" or "reload" button in your browser's toolbar). It sometimes happens to me when I'm using an old version of Internet Explorer, the connection cuts out (for whatever reason) and the browser assumes the page has been fully loaded. A refresh always fixes it. — QuantumEleven 05:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Palm reading - left or right hand?

Which hand should be used in palm reading? No info on the palm reading page in Misplaced Pages about it. I'm left handed and this is my dominant hand in writing, sports etc. So should my left palm be read because it is my dominant hand? Sp0ng 13:41, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Just found out that it's the dominant hand that is read if you're curious Sp0ng 14:23, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

According to our palmistry article, In some traditions of palmistry, the other hand is believed to carry past-life or karmic information, as well as hereditary traits.--Shantavira 14:38, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I'd go for the one with the longest life line. DirkvdM 19:18, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Creation of Misplaced Pages

Does anyone know the exact time Misplaced Pages was founded, I.e., the moment it went online? Sam 15:47, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

History of Misplaced Pages#Beginnings of a new project doesn't have what you're looking for? —Keenan Pepper 00:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

That article has information on what day it was founded but I'm interested in the time as well. Sam 01:03, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Otter - Sea or River?

I can't seem to truly determine whether this otter is a Northern River Otter or a Sea Otter. I took this photo on the Pacific coast of Washington, In Olympic National Park. Thanks! Reywas92 16:46, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Wow, nice close-up shot! I'd love to get that close to one in the wild. (I should upload a closeup I got at the aquarium recently.) I'm going to have to say river otter, as its tail appears to be longer, thicker at the base and more tapered than the sea otter, and the face is different from the sea otters I've seen. Here's a good closeup to compare to for a sea otter, and here's a river otter (a rather cold river otter, I'd say). Tony Fox (arf!) 00:11, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I'd say it is a river otter as well. --Proficient 05:16, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

hotwiring

How do you hotwire a car? what wires do you cross and so on? thanks for the help

If the car is yours, you are best getting a locksmith to make you a key for it as you will do significant damage to the car hot-wiring it. If not yours, then I ain't tellin' ya. --Justanother 17:59, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it's the blue and the red, but don't trust me on it. Reywas92 18:11, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Cut the BLUE wire. No, wait; cut the RED wire. --Justanother 18:32, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Hotwiring isn't very easy anymore because too many cars used to get stolen that way. If you happen to find a classic 60s-era Mustang and don't mind a few years in the penitentiary then go ahead and try whatever methods you uncover, but it's cheaper and easier and less (you know the jokes) to just buy the durn car. Durova 18:59, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Why does everyone assume intentions of theft? I'm curious too, although I believe Durova is right in that it's no longer that easy. DirkvdM 19:21, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course we are all curious as to the answers to these questions; I have decided that I am a "knowledge buff". Just that this one looks suspicious to me; but that is just me and my "spidey-sense". --Justanother 19:26, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Hotwiring --Tagishsimon (talk)

Electrical engineering - Hahaha. I think that needs a bit of something! --Justanother 23:33, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Maida-A type of flour

Can anybody please let me know what is Maida-a type of flour used in India,made of?????????

We have Maida flour; says wheat there (and possibly Tapioca). --Justanother 18:01, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Organizational Theory

What are some of the relationships between organizational theory and management practice? How do you think a knowledge of organizational theory would help managers work more effectively and efficiently on the job? Would this information be of greatest benefit to lower, middle, or upper managers? What is the value of studying organizational theory?ARAMCOFD 18:32, 26 November 2006 (UTC)Steve De Chellis

At the risk of being wrong; this sounds like "Do your own homework"; see above "How to ask a question". --Justanother 18:35, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

In very simple terms a knowledge of organizational theory would hopefully benefit managers at all levels, but one would expect the 'upper' manager to be able to bring about the most improvements as they could cascade their learnings down the chain. Not know exactly what organizational theory is (unless it is very much a self explanatory term) understanding how your sector fits into an overall organisational strategy would, again, be beneficial to all managers. The pitfalls will be that theories can often be taken literally and few (if any) theories will simplistically work in a real-life situation. Management must balance the desire to find new ways of working and the reality of the way in which their staff work best: Sometimes the management technique that works for team X won't work for team Y. Treat each as individual and you will be making a good start. ny156uk 19:47, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Organizations as Open or Closed Systems

Why should organizations strive to function as an open system?

More of the same. --Justanother 18:47, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

At the risk of doing your work for you I shall note this is a very unspecific question. What defines an 'open' system? Are we to believe an open system is one that has no secrets from shop floor to boadroom, and a closed one has many secrets? Is the system open in that Joe Public know what is going on in every aspect of you business, or that everything is made public no matter how good/bad? As always in business (as in life) there are no definites. Sometimes information needs to be kept secret from the boardroom, others from the shopfloor. Sometimes Joe Public should be invited to find out more about how wonderful you are as a business, other times it can harm your business model if too many competitors can see how you work. ny156uk 19:51, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Resource Dependency Theory

This has many applications in organizations. According to resource dependency theory, what motivates organizations to form interorganizational linkage? What is the advantage of strategic alliances as a way of exchanging resources?

Is this ALL due on Monday?? --Justanother 18:48, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't know the academic business name, but it all boils down to Symbiotic Survival.

OMG PS3!

1)When will sony be releasing a new batch of PS3's without bugs? 2)If I don't have a high-def TV, will all the games look like crap? Яussiaп F 18:49, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

2) Even if you do not have High-definition TV, as long as you have a decent digital TV, the graphics should still look better than 6th generation console graphics. Jamesino 22:05, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Film in Jane Austen style.

Help. I have been watching a load of Jane Austen type re-runs (the acting, the diction, the style, the settings) - they are all so impeccable, and the storylines are not too difficult to follow. But there is one, and it may not actually be a Jane Austen, that is eluding me. It's not Pride and Prejudice, and I don't think it is Sense and Sensibility or Mansfield Park. The one scene I can clearly recall is where one of the females is introduced to a young dark-haired and darkly handsome Duke of ?????. But he has an obsession with dismantling and fixing period clocks and I think instead of bedding the girl, he climbs into the sack with one of his servants. Any ideas please? Thanks CasualWikiUser 19:08, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

It's definitely not Austen. That's all I can say. Clarityfiend 23:06, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Bedding the girl? In the sack with the servant? These things simply do not happen in the world of Jane Austen! The Austen milieu, moreover, is largely that of the landed gentry, rather than great aristocracy, like dukes and earls. The scenario you describe is not one that is familiar to me from any of her novels. It may of course be something 'in the style' of Jane Austen, though, I do have to stress, displaying very modern standards of behaviour. Unfortunately, I cannot be any more specific than that. Sorry. Clio the Muse 23:17, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks Clio (for nothing). I suppose your analysis of Austen leaves us serene in the confident knowledge that Mr. Wickham's relationship with the young Miss Bennett was entirely non-sexual and purely platonic?????????????? CasualWikiUser 01:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

That is all in your mind. Pride and Prejudice is full of latent sexual tension, but all feeling is expressed in purely conventional terms; in terms that would have been understood, and accepted, by Austen and the world of Regency England. Your interpretation is absurdly out of place and time, and I seriously doubt that you have actually read any Austen. If you have, you most certainly have not understood. No need for thanks. I will not be responding to any more questions from you. Clio the Muse 01:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks anyway. Your non-response is an anticipated relief. BTW, if you come across anything resembling the answer to the question I actually posed, I would not consider that a response in the context you set out above, and would be grateful for it. CasualWikiUser 01:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

CasualWikiUser, please remember to be civil and to assume the good faith of your fellow editors in your pursuit of an answer. None of us are obligated to go out of our way to respond to questions, please keep that in mind. On another note, your description reminds me vaguely of a period drama that I was sure starred Juliet Stevenson, but looking at her IMDB profile, I guess not. It was a little bit different though, it was about an impoverished gentleman whose lands were all entailed (so he couldn't sell them), but whose income was insufficient to support them. A youngish housekeeper (Stevenson) with one or two children came to care for him, and expected him to engage in an affair with her (he seemed to want to), but he preferred the bottle. The story was kind of a Great Expectations type story, showing how exposing the housekeeper's children to a refined life (via the surrogate fatherhood of the drunken lord) made their lives challenging in ways we (in our age) wouldn't expect. Doubt it's your story, but anyways...

The 70s-90s were thick with original BBC period dramas (not based on books), and those based on pulp romance novels, like The Black Candle, The Mallens, and others. They would have featured more relaxed sexuality. Anchoress 01:46, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

• Gormenghast by Peake? hotclaws**== 12:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

HP

Where can I find more information on the 7th book in the HArry Potter series? :-)

Have you already looked at Harry Potter 7 (book)? –mysid☎ 19:25, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Try here. http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/redir?urn=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jkrowling.com%2Fen%2Fthankyou.cfm&source=ttf&searchType=TTF&query=J%20K%20Rowling&area=UKW_10540

The Yoruba and how they adapt

How do the Yoruba of Africa adapt to their environment? 72.145.113.79 19:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure that is a good question. There are about 40,000,000 Yoruba, they live throughout West-Africa, some in villages, others in cities, many in a megalopolis (Lagos). Presumably these groups all adapt to their environments in different ways. Skarioffszky 19:51, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

General Theory of Jobs, Property and Money

If an updated approach to reform inspired by Maynard Keynes to reflect the information revolution we have experienced since his death were to be attempted, which texts already written would be appropriate beginnings for a colaborative or sole author effort?

Hello, anonymous user. Please forgive me for saying so, but I think your question is, perhaps, a little too ambitious, and may not elicit exactly what it is you are looking for. Anyway, have a look over Keynesian economics, New Keynesian economics and Neo-Keynesian Economics and see if this helps to clarify the position. Perhaps then you might consider some more specific questions. Clio the Muse 00:03, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

.

Dear Clio, it has been a long while since I wrote to wikipedia.

I was logged on as Johngelles -- but did not remember how to make that known to a reader.

I do agree with you that "a theory of jobs, private enterprise, and public money", (or near to such categorical terms), to bring Keynesian thought on monetary systems of production up to date -- to reflect the worldwide absence of a gold standard and the power of modern information systems to identity and record for logictics purposes anything and everything that anyone can articulate, such as the universal product code suggests, and the further power to compute a useful cost price with far more accuracy than was imagined in WWI and WWII -- is a bridge too far for quick results.

But I am sure some existing texts have started this project already.

I have read your suggested wikipedia entries. They were new to me. I believe they were created after I first got interested in wikipedia. I will have to read them several more times. They seem to be relatively accurate. But they also seem, at first blush, to avoid any instrumental purpose (beyond saying what some history might reveal).

It is obvious that we do not have full employment or full investment in the promises of the various technological revolutions in progress. The fact that there is not money enough to fully employ our human resources speaks for itself. History is not a prescription for future reform.

.

I am a particular fan of www.wikispaces.com , as a tool for wiki collaboration that is little bit easier to use than other wikis I've seen.

I know we need an update of Keynes if we are to finance nationally the things California is attempting to do locally: infrastructure, energy, environment, education, and health.

And, ideally we must finance these projects globally.

Keynes recognized that we were demand constrained (moneywise) as well as supply constrained (thingwise or logictically).

We all know this too. But we are not, as Americans, Nato-allies, or UN members, looking for the match that is missing between our global supply potential and our global demand systems.

Somehow or other I believe we need a dialectical starting point to approach the problems of poverty and war from a jobs, property and money perspective.

Johngelles ...

.

Hello, Johngelles; nice to know you by name. You could open a Misplaced Pages account, if you wished; it's a fairly simple process.

Anyway, you clearly see the Keynesian model as the solution to domestic and international macro-economic problems. It's certainly a reasonable position to take, though not one, I have to confess, that I share. Taking a libertarian approach to these issues, I still believe that government intervention in the economy creates more problems than it solves; that state expenditure sucks life out of the real economy, leads to unacceptably high levels of taxation, fuels inflation and rarely, if ever, creates the conditions at which it is aimed. As an economic tool Keynsianism was showing real strains by the 1970s, when 'stagflation' was becoming an established condition in many industrial economies, particularly the United Kingdom, the one country most wedded to the paradigm. I believe in more economic freedom, not less; and I believe government should keep the lowest possible profile in these matters. Low taxation, maximum incentive and the free distribution of resources create the conditions for freedom. However, despite our differences, it is a pleasure to be able to exchange views. Clio the Muse 09:18, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

.

Dear Clio,

I agree with all you say. My emphasis is always on Keynes without debt and without taxes (except for anti-hyperinflation taxes -- if necessary).

I do not want government intervention -- only government responsibility for financing needs beyond the reach of the market for private investment -- (as when government as the money monopoly printer, finances procurement for war, but does not operate production facilities unless such operations are for historical reasons better then private operations would be: certain arsenals and shipyards come to mind).

See Keynes without debt, an article by Morrison in the Post Autistic Economics Review.

I have long had a wikipedia account -- but have forgotten how to use the system. Did you check out the wikispaces facility ? I believe it is offered from the UK.

Thank you for your kind help.

John

.

You are very welcome, John. Clio the Muse 00:29, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

.

Just added keynes-21.wikispaces.com

John

Slave Zero

It will not run on Windows XP. I have an emulator that does not work (DOS box - I don't know how to run games on it).

Any ideas? Please NOTE: I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPLY SO DO NOT POST ANY QUESTIONS. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.46.182.142 (talk • contribs)

Slave Zero was made for Windows, not to be run in an emulator. If you are on a windows machine it should work out of the box.

Seejyb 04:49, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Nicorette Gum

I have some Nicorette stop-smoking gum at home (2mg Nicotine gum). Some of the warnings on the gum include:

-Do not take if you are a non-smoker -Do not take if you are under 18

However, I am 16, and a non-smoker, and I'm wondering what'll happen if I take the gum anyways. Is it safe? Thankyou.--172.163.120.100 21:08, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

You have a higher risk of nicotine poisoning. Symptoms include :

• • Nausea and vomiting
  • Salivating
  • Diarrhoea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Cold sweats
  • Weakness
  • Disturbed hearing
  • Headache
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Weak, rapid or irregular pulse
  • Loss of consciousness.

Skarioffszky 21:21, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

It's a poison. I would not reccomend it (just as I would not reccomend smoking for a non-smoker). If you have never smoked and you take some of this gum it is likely that you would at least vomit, if not something worse. - Rainwarrior 21:31, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

It's about as good of an idea as starting smoking. --Wooty Woot? contribs 01:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

The gum will taste very bitter and you'll wonder why people would ever want to start smoking in the first place if that's how they have to quit. You'll probably have to go to the bathroom. That's probably about it. I'm assuming you weren't going to try chewing the whole pack at once, of course, which would probably induce those other symptoms. Or you could suffer one of those statistically improbable side-effects, I suppose, but I wouldn't put my money on it. It's basically the equivalent of smoking a cigarette, except not smoking it, and just mainlining the nicotine into your stomach, which will probably make it somewhat upset but I doubt would do much else. I'm not saying you should do it — it's really not the best use of your time — but I doubt any of the scarier things cited above would happen, given my experience with it. --24.147.86.187 01:42, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Read nicotine and cigarette and seriously consider not playing around with such an addictive drug. -THB 12:46, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I dunno. Nicorette is probably the least fashionable way to be exposed to nicotine. It tastes like crap, the dosage is limited, it is extremely expensive, it will make your stomach upset, and it utterly lacks any "cool" factor. More than can be said for cigarettes. --24.147.86.187 14:11, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

So instead of nicotine without cigarettes, we need cigarettes without nicotine. JIP | Talk 14:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Or find something more sensible to be "cool". Or is that an oxymoron? --froth 05:30, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, thankyou for telling me this. I am not going to try the gum. (Nor will I ever smoke).--172.150.151.23 23:10, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Your My World

I am looking for an Italian singer who sang Your My World

It's actually titled, 'You're my World' as in 'You are my World', and was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick (US) but her version was beaten to the music stores by Cilla Black (UK) who made a very succesful cover version that was released before Warwick's. No Parliamo Italiano.

"You're My World" was covered by Patrizio Buanne. Skarioffszky 21:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Car clanking sound

Why is there a metal clanking sound when large cars such as Pick-up truck, SUV's and vans after they are parked? This usually happens in freshly parked cars and continue for about 30 mins. Is this due to the tension of the parking brakes or something? Thanks. Jamesino 22:04, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I imagine it is the noise made by the fixings of things like radiators & engine parts, as they contract as they cool down. --Tagishsimon (talk)

It is the engine cooling down. When things heat up they expand and the opposite happens when they cool down. The clacking is metal contracting back into shape. You can hear it in many places where metal heats up and cools down fairly rapidly, my radiator does it when the thermostat turns it off, tin roofs can do it when the sun goes down. Vespine 23:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

We tend not to get that in the UK, though since the introduction of intermittent thermostatically controlled cooling fans (as opposed to the previously installed permanently driven belt ones), the heat in the engine compartment is often dissipated by the fan operating long after the ignition is switched off, the effects, as alluded to earlier, will be much more distinctly heard in hot environments than in our sub-Arctic climate in the UK. CasualWikiUser 01:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Exhaust systems experience radical changes in temperature from off to hot to off again. In particular, the catalytic converter operates very hot. So the exhaust system often clanks as it cools back down again. (It probably clanks warming up too, but there's too much othe rnoise to hear it.)

Atlant 18:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

November 27

Turducken

I believe the first paragraph of the "Turducken" article has been edited in a vulgar way. I am not sure what it should say, only that I assume it is incorrect. Please see for yourself and tell me if I am wrong.

Looked at it; don't see anything wrong. What is it you object to? Cavities being stuffed? --Justanother 02:17, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Likewise. Perhaps the wording is just too fowl? Clio the Muse 02:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it's all the talk of 'de-boning' and 'stuffing'. --Kurt Shaped Box 02:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

You know what I think? I think there should be a new "how to ask a question" tip up there saying "Do not report article vandalism here" and then explaining why not. Vitriol 14:02, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds good; you should be able to edit the template. Don't know how much of it gets read though. --Justanother 15:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't know how. Heheheh... hurr. Vitriol 18:37, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I've Seen Pencils.......

I've seen pencils that say that they have a clutch action device or clutch-action device, for example,

. What does that mean? Do those pencils work like a clutch pencil? But these pencils can use leads smaller than, say, 2mm? Like, for example, 0.3? Thanks.100110100 03:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think these look like regular mechanical pencils. In Australia we commonly call them a pacer but as stated in the article, that is a Genericized trademark. They generally only work with the size insert they are designed for, but 2mm sounds very large, I think 0.5mm is the most common but the article says 0.7mm and 0.3mm are available. Vespine 04:18, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I would imagine "clutch" refers to grapping and letting go of the lead. The clutch is only designed to hold lead of one specific diameter; usually 0.7 or 0.5 mm. --Justanother 04:44, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I am using a 2mm leadholder of clutch pencil right now. The link that I posted, if you look to the box on the right:

...Clutch-action...

. So that is one of my questions: what does it mean? Does it WORK the same way as a clutch pencil?100110100 07:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, in South Africa "clutch pencil" is Standard English, but most persons would know what a pacer is. The sizes vary from 0.3 to 0.7mm for standard leads, the fine ones being made of a hightech composite to reduce breaking. Thicker leads (up to a few mm) are becoming popular for art. Colured leads are available, but do not seem to be popular. Seejyb 05:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think that "clutch pencil" is the pencil used by architects and draftsman that hold a thickish piece of lead that you have to put a point on using a sandpaper pad or a sharpener. The mechanical pencils such as your link hold a thin piece of lead that you don't have to "point" and the term "clutch action" simply refers to the mechanism inside to hold and feed the lead. But they are mechanical pencils, not clutch pencils. --Justanother 14:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Help!?

Where did the saying, "Here's pie in your eye," come from? And what does it mean?

It doesn't seem to be that popular a saying. --Proficient 05:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

If I were to hazard a guess, here would not be an innapropriate time to say "Here's pie in your eye." ;) Vespine 05:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

You're probably thinking of "Here's mud in your eye", which is used as a toast. Don't know the origin of it, though. You might get a better response over at the language reference desk. --Richardrj 08:55, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I guess it could be because it's easier to say than, "Here's 3.142857142 recurring in your eye"??

Sounds like a mixture of "pie in the sky" (an empty promise or wish) and "Here's mud in your eye". You could always combine the two: "Here's mud pie in your eye". Clarityfiend 11:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Mmmmm, mud pie --Justanother 14:16, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think there are three different expressions being confused here: 1. "Pie in the sky", 2. "Here's mud in your eye", and 3. "Pie-eyed" - the latter meaning "besotted, blind drunk, blotto, pissed, plastered, sloshed, smashed, etc". Both "Here's mud in your eye" and "Pie-eyed" are associated with drinking alcohol. "Pie in the sky" is entirely different. There is no such standard expression, afaik, as "Here's pie in your eye". JackofOz 23:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Snow at nighttime

It's been snowing here all day, and around six in the evening the power went out for about a 25-square mile area. This time of year the sun goes down and it gets dark right quick around five pm. So why is it so light outside after a snowfall, when it should be pitch black? The nearest city is at least ten miles away. This area is very rural, even with the power on there wouldn't be much light. But right now (9pm) it's brighter outside than it is during a full moon, and the sky is overcast, but clearly lit from somewhere. On a typical winter night it's utterly pitch black out here if I don't turn on any outside lights. I guess having snow covering a large area reflects light from cities or towns and makes the night seem brighter but- how far away can the cities or towns be and still contribute? 192.168.1.1 9:15pm, 27 November 2006 (PST)

I don't know where you live exactly, but lights from cities can refract for quite a distance through the atmosphere (it's one of the reasons light pollution is such a problem, you don't need to be particularly near to a city to feel its effects. I don't have any hard numbers to give you, but I know I could see the entire southern horizon lit up when I was a good fifty miles north of London, for instance. Snow on the ground is a spectacularly good reflector, so any stray light around will seem to be strongly amplified to you. — QuantumEleven 05:52, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Snow is the most reflective stuff around. It has an albedo of 90%. And there is always light, even when it is pitchblack. Pitchblack just means the available light falls below your perception threshold, even after your eyes have adapted to the light. If almost all the light gets reflected the incoming light is doubled, and it may only just fall above the threshold. With adapted eyes that will make all the difference. You say it is comparable to moonlight, which is a point in case. Moonlight is extremely faint compared to sunlight. According to the article 500 000 times fainter. DirkvdM 06:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Cool, thanks for the answers. After thinking about it more, I'm also going to guess that the solid overcast sky also contributes. Is it possible that light can be reflected between the clouds and the snow, and so illuminate a large area? If the storm passes tonight and the skies are clear I'll get some empirical observations! 192.168.1.1 10:10am, 27 November 2006 (PST)

According to the albedo article, cloud albedo's vary wildly (for obvious reasons). Do your empirical observations with a camera, though. Don't rely on your eyes, because they adapt. Take photos with with different skies with the camera settings (aperture, exposure, ASA and white balance) fixed. Keep us posted. DirkvdM 04:06, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

help im stuck

is it possible to proform sexual acts to yourself with mouth actions??

from andy

Well did you read Oral sex or Autofellatio? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course. Why do you have to ask? Are you incapable? -THB 12:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course, sucking your thumb is always possible.--Light current 12:42, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Soaking in vinegar can soften up the bones sufficiently. Or does that just work with eggs?? --Zeizmic 13:29, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I feel a thread deletion coming on! 8-)--Light current 13:31, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it is -- at least for men. It's easier if you lie on your back, push your legs out straight and then flip them back over your body while curving your back. --Anon.

And for women, autocunnilingus. Hope you're not stuck! –mysid☎ 16:59, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Here's a question... if you tried to perform autofellatio, and now you're stuck, then how did you manage to type anything here? That must be quite an uncomfortable position to be stuck in! --Maelwys 15:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

You could always talk dirty to yourself............

Only oral sex. -THB 16:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually there is a pic on the net somewhere of a young guy giving himself a blow in front of his computer. Cant remember the website just ATM....--Light current 21:56, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually there are many, many porn videos/DVDs available of guys performing autofellatio, and I'm sure there would be much more than just one website. They all seem to have extremely nimble bodies and are better than averagely endowed. It would seem to be beyond the physical capacity of most men to achieve this (but not for want of trying in many cases). JackofOz 23:46, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hence the pop tune of the early sixties: Bend it--Light current 02:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I am a camera n00b

As usual, I don't know whether to place technology topics in the Science or Miscellaneous desk. I have two old cameras that were my grandfather's. One of them lets you do a bunch of settings, and since I don't know much about cameras, I could use some help interpreting them. (The other one is a bit automatic so, without a battery, it's even more difficult to know what it will do when you push the…er…trigger(?).) In the attached images, I have labeled some of the moving parts and here are my thoughts on what they might be for:

1. Focus. One scale is labeled from "1 m" to "≈" and that's fine, but what is the other one (on black background)? Some kind of measure of how blurry things will be on different distances?
2. Shutter speed. If it says ${\displaystyle x}$, it means ${\displaystyle (1/x)\,\mathrm {s} }$, right? And "B" is for "as long as you hold the…um…GO button(?) pressed".
3. Aperture size. The numbers on the scale is apparently the focal length (${\displaystyle 45\,\mathrm {mm} }$) divided by the aperture diameter. Why is this relation of interest?
4. Something with the flash. (And the connector next to it I guess is for the flash as well.)
5. Something with light sensitivity (it says "ASA" and "DIN").
6. Seems related to E.

Oh, and the light sensor is a cool thing. The needle on the top is driven by the light energy! :-)

Do you think you can help me fill in the gaps? Thanks in advance. —Bromskloss 14:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like you need a basic tutorial first. Then check out f number (f-stop) and film speed (for E). Oh, and shutter speed is probably the other wheel on top, not on the lens. BTW, very nice work on the pics! --Justanother 14:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Nice to hear you like the images! :-) I had some trouble with sharp highlights that made the numbers hard to read. I ended up moving the light source (a table lamp) during exposure (mabye about a second, automatic camera, so I don't know). Once on the computer screen, I realised that the bulb must have been brown or something, the result was rather dull. :-( But after correcting the colours, it got better! OK, I might have overdone it and exaggerated the shininess of reality a little. ;-) Thanks for you links. Actually, I am familiar with the principles of photography, I just don't know the traditions and conventions of cameras, as I tend to approach a subject from a theoretical viewpoint. I have read the f number article. :-/ Those notations make me wanna cry! —Bromskloss 15:42, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict)Oooh, nice camera. Let's fill in the gaps (let me state first that I'm native German and that while I know quite well how cameras work, I am not sure I am using the correct English technical terms...I hope you can understand everything I am trying to explain):

• The numbers on the black scale next to the focus indicate the depth of field, depending on the aperture. A wide-open aperture will let in a lot of light, allowing for a shorter exposure time, but it will have a smaller depth which basically means that whatever you focus on will be sharp but objects behind and in front will be blurry (which is an effect often used in portrait photography). A smaller aperture will require a longer exposure time but will give you a larger depth. The numbers on the scale give you a rough approximation of how far away from your focus the image will be sharp.
• You are correct about exposure times being measured in 1/x and B being "as long as you keep the trigger pressed".
• The aperture size influences the depth of field, as outlined above. Smaller numbers mean a larger aperture opening, and vice versa.
• I am not sure about the flash symbols, haven't seen those on any camera I own.
• On the top dial, E is for setting the camera for the type of film you have installed. As a rule of thumb (although there are lots of subtle variations), films with a larger ASA number are more sensitive to light but also more grainy. For indoor portrait photos, 800 or even 1600ASA films are a good choice because they are sensitive enough for indoor photography without a flash (and flashes are evil, especially when doing portraits) and the grainy effect may be just what you want with a black-and-white portrait. For outdoor photography, you will usually use a film with 50 or even 25ASA to get your photos a sharp as possible (200ASA is a common compromise between sharpness and sensitivity). The camera has to know how sensitive a film you are using so that the light meter works correctly.
• Dial F is where you set the exposure time.

Hope you have fun with the camera, Ferkelparade π 14:48, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Good job above. It is also very possible that the light meter does not "interact" with the camera, i.e. you use the meter reading to set the shutter speed and aperture manually. The film speed dial (ASA/DIN) is more so you remember what you put in the camera and does not control the camera in any way. --Justanother 14:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think you might be correct, and would like to extend it. I think that E and F are acting as a nomogram (aren't those cool?!) for doing calculations rather than really doing anything.

1. Set E to the light sensitivity of the film.
2. Take the reading from the light meter, either with the lid closed (brigth conditions, light still coming in through small holes) or with the lid open.
3. Turn F to point at the reading you got. It has a scale that first reads "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" (on black background) and then continues with "2 3 4 5 6 7 8" (on green background). Probably, black is for lid open and green for lid closed (there is actually a green mark showing when you close the lid).
4. On E and F are printed scales we haven't used so far. On E, it reads "2,8 4 5,6 6 11 16 22" so it's probably aperture sizes (or rather focal length divided by aperture diameter). On F, we have "300 100 50 25 10 1/5 1/2 1 2 4 8 15", which I guess i shutter speed. (They probably mean "1/300 1/100 1/50 1/25 1/10 1/5 1/2 1 2 4 8 15".) These two scales line up against eachother and provide combinations of aperture size and shutter speed that give the same exposure (I think). We are free to choose which combination we want and we dial it in with B and C. (Btw, B is heavy to turn in both directions and you can hear it crunch inside the camera when you do. Why is that?)

Even if this is correct, there is still a question. In the cut-out of F, there is a black arrow (in the image, it's pointing at the "8" with black background), but there is also a red "2" (pointing approximately at the "2" with green background) and a red "4" (pointing even more approximately at the "3" with green background). What's that? —Bromskloss 16:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. As far as I could tell, there was never any problems with English terms. Actually, I'm Swedish, so I would probably have understood you anyway. :-) —Bromskloss 15:50, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Just in case you don't already know. The camera seems to be a model of the Zeiss-Ikon Contina. There are a couple of similar on ebay here (though perhaps not so nice condition as yours). You could probably locate a manual for it on ebay or elsewhere. Have fun! --Justanother 16:08, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah, I never thought anyone would know about this camera, but I was wrong. I found a manual for a similar model. (username: "free", password: "manuals") —Bromskloss 16:52, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Very cool! That's going to help a lot. --Justanother 17:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

There's still the problem of what the "2" and the "4" is doing next to the arrow on the computor ring, as the manual calls what we call F. —Bromskloss 17:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Left. Does it relate to f2.8 being a "snapshot setting"? No, that is f8. --Justanother 17:37, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

By the way, the reason the symbol for an "as long as you keep the shutter button pressed" time-exposure is B is that it stands for "bulb". Not a light bulb, but a rubber squeeze-bulb, which you could operate without shaking the camera. This stopped being an essential attachment for ordinary exposures as films got faster, but some cameras continued to be made with a fitting for it, and the B symbol stuck even when there was only a button. --Anonymous, 18:45 UTC, November 27.

My little compact camera lacks such a connector, but it has a mode where there is a two second delay between the moment when you press…er…fire(?) and the shot, so you have time to take your hand off the camera and the camera can stop shaking. At least that's what I use it for. —Bromskloss 18:52, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and regarding that "crunch"; the camera may need to be serviced (cleaned and oiled). You can probably find out how to disassemble it and clean/oil it or take it (or send it) to a pro. But you probably want to do that before using it much. --Justanother 19:15, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Really? I thought it was perhaps supposed to do that. Apparently, it was for setting the exposure time. I don't know how the timer for that works, so I don't really know what needs to be moved around inside to change the time. Do you? —Bromskloss 19:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, but you set exposure time on top. I thought it was the focus or aperture ring that made noise? BTW, those links I gave above are stinky - you can do better; this one, for instance, shows some photos taken with "your" camera. --Justanother 19:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah, nice! Thanks. It's actually not exactly the same camera, but really close. A is focus, B is exposure time, C is aperture size and E and F is for computing suitable combinations of exposure time and aperture size (which are then dialled in with B and C). —Bromskloss 19:49, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, that's different. My dad was a camera buff and had some nice old cameras. Do you think that protrusion near "B" is for the bulb mentioned above? It looks like a hollow tube so it could have a pressure/vacuum trip to trip the shutter. --Justanother 19:55, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, "B" is for "as long as the button is pressed". Even if a remote trigger would comprise an air-filled bulb, on the camera side, I'd say it's purely mechanical – a little pin extending into the hollow thing you saw. —Bromskloss 20:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Left. Actually, I looked again at the manual. You attach the remote cable to the threaded hole on top of the shutter button. My guess is the peg on the ring is just to make it easy to turn or to distinquish which ring is which without looking? --Justanother 20:29, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

German language DVD purchase

I want to buy some German language DVDs. I live in the UK. Any good websites? --iamajpeg 18:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC) Oh and they need to accept UK payments (so Amazon is out 'cos they won't accept Solo cards in the German version) --iamajpeg 18:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Plenty of German language films (like Das Boot, Good Bye, Lenin, and countless others I'm sure) will be available on amazon.co.uk. You can just turn off the English subtitles. -Elmer Clark 03:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Government relations

how do the state the county and the city interact with eachother?

Where? In Bosnia? Please sign your name using four tildes. -THB 21:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

sick dreams

hi. im generally a good person. for some reason, i've recently been having dreems of sexually assaulting my sister. when i realize later on what i dreamt it makes my stomache churn. what can i do to stop them.

Try taking 100-200 mg of B1 daily, preferably early in the day (right after breakfast) as it may keep you awake (wikipedia not for medical advice, etc. - so consult a nutritionist.) Here you see that one symptom of B1 deficiency is sleep disorders - follow that link for general advice. B1 deficiency can be caused by drinking alcohol, fasting, or any activity that burns a lot of "mental energy" (editing on wikipedia, for example). --Justanother 18:41, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't concern yourself with the strange things you dream about, they are not a reflection of your personality or character and have no basis in reality. There are many, i'm sure, who will give you indepth meanings and so on, but I would be weary of believing them, they are quite an unexplainable working of the mind. Read the dream article for more indepth information. ny156uk

Interesting. How does B1 work in this case? —Bromskloss 18:54, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I added a bit more above. --Justanother 18:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

And remember; thoughts are thoughts and deeds are deeds. You do not have control over what you dream and we all have dark impulses. I would tell you where those impulses live but a few here seem to think I proselytize (laff). --Justanother 19:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I can find little literature on such links. It's more likely that what you're suffering from are just dreams, such as everyone has. They're always fairly random, and rarely under our control. You can gain some control over dreams by mentally applying yourself to it (i.e. lucid dreams), but you might just have to ride the dreams out. If they're really persistent and disturbing, something more may be at play, in which case you should likely see a sleep specialist. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 19:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Pray. -THB 21:19, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

has a little info. IANOP but I imagine it upsetting you so much in the way it does increases the chances you'll dream it again, because you're worrying about it. What you think and what you do are very different things, and the automatic, unconscious thoughts we have can be unrelated to what we would choose to think about. What you choose is what matters. After all, if someone thought to themselves that slavery was wrong, but still owned slaves, you would judge them by their actions and not their thoughts. Equally, judge yourself by your actions and not your thoughts. Know that you choose not to do anything like your dreams, and never will, then try to relax :-) After all, you can imagine yourself smashing the computer screen. Does that mean you're going to? Does it even mean you want to? Skittle 01:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Changing rooms at school

About 15 years ago,when I was at primary school the boys and girls got changed together for PE even in the last year.

Even at secondary school every now and then one changing room would be unavailable and so we'd all pile in together or they'd just open one changing room for the lunchtime swim.That was still going on to about 10 years ago when they stuck a roof on the pool and changed the changing rooms around.

Nowadays I never hear of any other schools that do this-and with girls developing earlier and worries about sexual harassment and that kind of thing I would imagine they would not be able to.

So was ours the last school to do this or are there any other schools that still allow mixed changing? Lemon martini 19:32, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I went to primary school about twenty years ago in Australia and we definitely had separate change rooms, mind you I did go to a catholic primary school so maybe that has something to do with it. You don't live in France by any chance do you? They have unisex bathrooms in some places. Vespine 21:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Is that why the French are more sexually liberated?--Light current 21:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I go to Oberlin College. We have all gender bathrooms and showers in our dorms. This extends to showers as well.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 03:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I hope you count yourself lucky, it sounds like an amazing place: Oberlin students have a reputation for being radically liberal and/or progressive. Oberlin has a thriving LGBT community, and most students are well informed as to the intricacies of gender politics. Vespine 04:11, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Beatlemania the trivia

I am looking for the rules to "The Trivia Game Beatlemania the Illustrated Treasury." It was produced in Canada in 1984, by P & R Enterprises. I have a copy of the game, but no rules. Thank you.

Check this out . Looks like the scoresheet and instructions are one page. Maybe if you ask nicely they will scan it for you. --Justanother 21:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Where can I buy a University of Southampton academic scarf?

I want to buy an academic scarf for an expatriate friend who is a member of the University of Southampton. Where should I ask? The university? SUSU? Some third party robemaker as you do in Cambridge? Google finds me nothing. Thanks in advance. Marnanel 19:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Soton themselves sell various bits of clothing here, but it doesn't seem to encompass scarves. SUSU claim they sell a selection of clothing, and they may be your best bet. Shimgray | talk | 19:26, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

help me please

I would like to start by saying that this is an incredible web site and I find it most helpfull, My question to you is, how can I get further information on getting peoples contact email. I have done some searches on key persons, art collectors and you have alot of information on them, however I would like to know how I can access their emails so that I can contact them.

Thank You

Doron Arie

In many cases, we don't have contact information for the individuals about whom we've written articles. You may be able to find contact information through corporate or personal web sites listed in a given article's External links section. In general, even if we did have a given person's email address, we wouldn't add it to a Misplaced Pages article. This is because having an email address on a publicly-accessible site would expose those individuals to a great deal of spam and potentially other sorts of harrassment. If you would like contact information for a few specific individuals, there may be editors at the Ref Desk here who can help you with your search—particularly if you can explain why you're hoping to contact those people. Best of luck, TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmmmm (why do we shake hands with the right hand, not the left?)

Very quick question, and this is just a thought. Why do we shake hands using our right hand and not the left. hmmmmmm.

Isn't the classic reason that the right hand would normally hold the weapon and by offering your right hand bare you are signifying friendship (or at least non-aggression)? See here. --Justanother 19:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Must have been great for left-handed backstabbers. Clarityfiend 20:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, we have an article about at least one such! Marnanel 20:11, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Besides the whole weapon thing, people used to wipe their bottoms with the left hand. -THB 21:17, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah but that was in the days before toilet paper 8-)--Light current 21:51, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

There are many places in the world where toilet paper is not available (or unknown) and the left hand is still used for that purpose. Also, many cultures (eg. India, Sri Lanka) do not generally use eating utensils but eat with their hands. The right hand is always used, even where toilet paper has replaced the left hand in the toilet. Even though their left hands are probably just as clean as their rights, to eat with their left hand is a serious social disaster in those places. For the rest of the world, hand shaking with the right hand has become the accepted tradition, if for no other reason than because for 90% of people the right hand is the dominant hand and this is the most "natural" hand to proffer. But the Boy Scouts shake with their left hand (or they did back in the Dark Ages when I was a boy scout - but our articles seem to make no mention of this, so I wonder if that is still the case). JackofOz 00:07, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah - when I was a Cub Scout ten years ago, we were told that we shook hands with the left because in order to do that you had to put down any shield you were holding. Putting down a weapon signified friendship, but lowering your shield whilst allowing the other person to retain their weapon signified trust. --Mnemeson 00:25, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

First, holding out the right hand indicates you aren\'t holding a weapon (the probable origin of handshaking), and second, the left is the sinister hand, the hand associated with the devil, Judas, sin and evil. Not the hand you want to put forward. :-) Anchoress 00:16, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Sinister is Latin for left.--Light current 00:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, but according to Merriam Webster, the English word is derived from the Latin one. Clarityfiend 00:45, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah thats what I was pointing out.8-)--Light current 01:20, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Most people are right-handed. 72.232.136.202 01:17, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

But the more intelligent are left handed 8-))--Light current 01:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Do they wipe their backsides with their right hand? JackofOz 01:49, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I couldnt say what the majority of the intelligent people do. THey probably have a machine to do it. (I dont have one)--Light current 01:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

AHHH! Revelation. Ive just realised where the term 'cack handed' for LH people comes from!!--Light current 01:59, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Your folk etymology turns out to be spot on. But I could have told you this years ago, if only you'd asked. JackofOz 02:11, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Heres a LH link --Light current 02:28, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Air in the bloodstream

Is air in the bloodstream lethal? I mean, what would happen if a person accidently got 1cc of air into their artery via an I.V. (if the IV was running low and a few air bubbles got into the blood). How would the body get rid of the extra air? I'm asking because I once ALMOST got some air bubbles into my bloodstream when I had an IV in a hospital, and the IV had almost ended and I just noticed at the last minute that there was air in the tube going into my IV site along with the last drops of IV fluid above it.--172.150.151.23 23:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

As I have understood it, it's not particularly dangerous in small quantities... 惑乱 分からん 23:27, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

See Air embolism --Trieste 23:50, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, thankyou for the link to "air embolism". I didn't know what it was called. I found a link on that page to the answer, which is on this website: www.dplylemd.com/Questions/archive/airbubble.htm --172.150.151.23 23:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

could the Vatican become part of the EU

I was watching CNN.When they talked about the popes trip to turkey.I was just wondering could the vacatcin become part of the EU.i got the idea for that question when i heard something turkey becoming a part of the EU.

I know of no reason why it couldn't become a member, but the Vatican has preferred to remain somewhat aloof from most international organisations. For example, it has permanent observer status with the United Nations but has never been a member. JackofOz 00:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I doubt the Pope's status as absolute monarch would be compatible with the EU constitution --Trieste 00:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

The Pope is elected. The position isn't passed by family membership like a monarchy... kmccoy (talk) 03:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

And then there are human rights issues, like using a type of absolute rule (well, it is to true believers) to get people not to use condoms. DirkvdM 04:18, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, the pope is an elected absolute monarch and the Vatican is a theocratic absolute monarchy. -THB 04:38, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Link problem - webmaster issue

I am trying to link to the excellent article at http://en.wikipedia.org/Maison_Carrée, from my site, http://latrouvailledesanilhac.com/region.html. However, the accented 'e' in Carrée is not being read by your (or mine?) server correctly, and, if you go to my site and click on the linked text, "Maison Carrée", you get sent to a error page on wikipedia.

This was done with 'cut & paste' from the page. any idea on how to correct it?

Thanks for the help.

If you go to the page Maison Carrée, and look at the address bar in your browser, you will see http://en.wikipedia.org/Maison_Carr%C3%A9e (at least that is what I see in my browser). URL's have a limited (defined) set of characters, and anything else must be replaced by hex codes as in that example.

Please sign your contributions with four tildes (~~~~) --ColinFine 01:20, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

T-shirt under Buttoned down

Why do people wear t-shirts underneath a buttoned down shirt? Hustle 01:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Men wear undershirts to keep their shirt clean by absorbing skin secretions, to make a white shirt appear whiter, to prevent the body from being visible through shirts made of thin material, because sometimes they are more comfortable against the skin than a shirt, and because it shows a lack of good breeding not to do so. -THB 01:31, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Breeding?? Anyway vests are for wimps--Light current 01:33, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I believe the custom of wearing undershirts (now better known as t-shirts) without a buttoned down shirt began with Marlon Brando's performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. The reverse custom of wearing a button down shirt without an undershirt began nearly two decades earlier with Clark Gable in It Happened One Night. Durova 01:45, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Is a button down shirt the same as a button up shirt?--Light current 01:51, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I assumed that a buttoned down shirt is a shirt that has a button down collar (clothing) -THB 02:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Wait... is the shirt buttoned down or is open with just a shirt underneath. Either way, the answer, like all your style questions, are not known. They are just fads and trends... why do guys have long hair right now? What's with the skater look? Many questions, no real answers. Cbrown1023 01:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Why? Because I'm generally uncomfortably cold without a flannel shirt on over my t-shirt. Dismas| 02:47, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Popping collar

Why do people "pop their collar"? Do women find this more attractive? Hustle 01:22, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

People "pop" their collars because they believe it influences the way other people think about them in a positive manner. No doubt some women find it attractive and others do not. If you are considering "popping" your collar, think about which kind of women you wish to attract. You might also look the phrase up at Urban Dictionary to see what some other people think about the practice. The average user profile there is likely different from the one here. According to one of them, young men in fraternities "pop" their collars to hide the hickies they got from their fraternity brothers. -THB 01:44, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

It is a fashion trend.... it's preppy... it's like American Eagle and Abercrombie and Aeropostale, just some fad. It's just something that we (teenagers) do, we rarely give explanations other than "it looks cool" or "everybody's doin' it." Cbrown1023 01:47, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

(Side discussion removed. -- SCZenz 07:05, 28 November 2006 (UTC))

does any one know of how to start a religion? (or following?)

Hello, I want to save the world, I believe I know all of life's' questions (no, really I do) and I need to shear my ideas with others. If I start preaching my ideas will I get arrested? (I live in New Zealand)

They are really good ideas and really nice beliefs, would I get a following?

thank you, much app. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.155.2.130 (talk • contribs)

You may know all the questions; but do you know the answers? Why not try writing in a paper or magazine first?--Light current 01:49, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree with LC, but if you have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion; then you can start preaching. Cbrown1023 01:51, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

See L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Baker Eddy, and Joseph Smith, Jr. -THB 01:53, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually these days its probalby better to start your own website for your ideas. They will not stand on WP 8-)--Light current 02:25, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I do not know about NZ but many countries have a tradition of street preaching. I do not see why you should not be able to start and if your ideas are good and your delivery is good; why, you might end up with a following. Good luck! I created a religion myself about 35 years ago; The Church of the Magnanimous Flow; my friends got a big kick out of it (especially when we were, well, you know) so there is always that. --Justanother 03:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Music question

Does any body here know what a composer of Ragtime or a performer of Ragtime is called. I just have a hard time imagining Rager, Ragist, Ragtimer. This is not a question that must be answered ASAP...I am just curious.__Seadog 04:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

"Ragtimer" is indeed the informal designation. -THB 04:46, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

mordern day philsophers

What do news commentators like Bill O`Reilly,Sean Hannity,Tucker Carlson etc. have if anything in common with the philsophers of the anicent world.

how do i report inapropriate items posted?

I was looking at the naruto episode list and someone wrote innapropriate items in it (sexual in nature). Since I'm not a member I was wondering who to talk/to write to directly. Here is the link to the abuse

http://en.wikipedia.org/The_enemy_is_%22Shinobazu%22

Fixed. -- Jim Douglas _(contribs) 06:15, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

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