Revision as of 16:52, 14 December 2006

Reference Desk

December 9

Wikimedia Commons

Could you please give me you opinon on commons? Should I upload my images to Misplaced Pages, Commons, or both? Should I bother to move the images already on wikipedia to commons and then delete them here? Why doesn't wikipedia remove uploading to it and have a uniform, multilingual image repository at commons instead of having one on every language? Thanks!! Reywas92 00:02, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Some images are only available under licenses allowed on Misplaced Pages (Some smaller Wikipedias have had uploading disabled.) Commons only allows completely free licenses, no fair use but if those conditions are met, and the image is likely to be useful in multiple languages, please do upload/move it to Commons. Rmhermen 00:36, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Fair use images can't be uploaded to the Commons. Other than that, most/all free images should probably go there, since it makes it far easier to gain access to them across languages. There's no need to upload to both. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Underpants

Why? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.117.31 (talk) 00:50, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

From undergarment: In addition to keeping outer garments from soiling, undergarments are worn for a variety of reasons: warmth, comfort and hygiene being the most common. Undergarments are often used for modesty or erotic display; sometimes both of these motivations are simultaneously present. Hygiene is a major reason for the use of undergarments. It is usually more acceptable to have a soiled pair of undergarments than a pair of soiled trousers when one has an accident. See freeballing --froth 02:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I sometimes feel like wearing underpants can be more hygenic and comfortable than not; other times I think the reverse. It all depends on the situation: climate, temperature, where you're going, what you'll be doing, and so on. Vranak 18:19, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Civil War widow's benefits

I heard that as recently as the late 20th century the U.S. government was still paying survivor benefits to widows of American Civil War (1861-1865) veterans. Apparently some of those veterans took a young bride late in their lives, perhaps into the 1920s and 30s. These brides would have been born early in the 20th century. Are any still receiving survivor benefits today?

The Oldest Living Confederate Widow, Maudie Hopkins, is still alive (although that article says that after 1939, she was not eligible for a pension. (Not to be confused with the subject of the book Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All). Rmhermen 01:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Alberta Martin got a state pension from 1996 or 7 until her death in 2004. Rmhermen 02:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Some calculations: Theoretically a U.S. (or Confederate) soldier might be 16 at the end of the conflict in 1865. He might marry an 18 year old when he was 80, in 1929. There was a case similar to this; a pension is a powerful inducement to marry. She then has a child in 1930, presumptively that of the her husband, and the child is handicapped. She collects a pension when the veteran expires, until she dies at age 90 in 2001. The handicapped child then continues to receive the pension until he dies at age 90 in 2020. The last payment for benefits from a war might thus be 155 years after the end of the war. By this logic, if the Iraq war ends in 2006, the last payout to a veteran's survivor might be in 2162. This of course assumes that the veteran is entitled to a pension, as when crippled by a war wound, and that the pension provides a benefit for his widow and handicapped orphan if any. Edison 18:45, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

xbox troubles

okay...so my x box is pretty old...like 5 years old. It does not seem to want to play most of my games and DVDs. it says they are scratched but the thing is...i can put a brand new disc in there and it says that. whats going on? is there a way without taking it in and having to pay a lot that i can fix it? it seems to be the disc reader thingy but i dont know...im not an electonics person. HELP? --Kittycat rox 00:55, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Is it a v1.0? Chances are, especially with the earlier versions, that the DVD drive has gone bad. Since you're "not an electronics person", the only solution may be for you to pay someone else to fix it. There should be a phone number in the manual or such to get in touch with Microsoft. It's not unlikely that the repair bill will cost as much as a new or used Xbox does nowadays, though. There is a guide on Xbox drive repair, but you should only follow it if you actually read and comprehend everything in it. If you just skip through it you're liable to screw something up. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:01, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

If cleaning your current drive doesn't work, its possible, and (relatively) easy to replace the dvd drive in an xbox, I have a modded 1.0 that I've had to disassemble several times. If you've ever worked on a PC, you can work on an xbox. The same site consumed linked to has replacement drives for sale here (Ive heard the Samsung drives are excellent, dunno first hand though), as well as a guide to open it up and get to the drive here. Be aware opening it up will void your (likely already expired) warranty. Cyraan 21:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Eidting

how do I edit an image of an article?Dragonfire 734 01:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

That depends on what you want to do with it.

1. If you want to edit how it appears in the article (dimensions, thumbnailing, captioning, etc, see Misplaced Pages:Image tutorial for a brief run-through.
2. If you want to edit the information on the image description page, like the licence or source, click the image in the article to get to the page, and then just edit it as if it were a normal article. If the description page has a note saying it's over on Wikimedia Commons, you'll need to head over there to alter any information.
3. If you want to edit the image itself: cropping, adjusting brightness/contrast etc, you'll need to download it (make sure you click to get the high res version if there is one), and use image editing software to make your changes before re-uploading it.

In the future, you may find that you get a faster or more informative response if you post questions about Misplaced Pages itself over on the Help Desk. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 02:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Uranus

I thought it was gas giant, but my friend who like astronomy says its actuly a black hole with the methane gas made from Hawikins radiation. Is that right? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.117.31 (talk) 01:22, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

No. He's probably pulling your leg. --Wooty Woot? contribs 01:38, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Also I think you mean Hawking radiation --froth 02:09, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

A black hole would suck everything into itself. So no. BenC7 02:10, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes apart from Hawking radiation--Light current 02:14, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Yep, its very supermassive properties cause it to leak. Nature's inexorable irony. IIRC Hawking radiation also keeps us safe from black holes created in the laboratory because they'd be so small that they'd peter out into hawking radiation almost instantly --froth 02:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

But my friend said uranus can eject gas at high speed. How does that happen.

LOL! Maybe he's suggesting that "your anus" ejects flatulence at high speed :) --froth 02:32, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Shucks i been fooled again by him. Thanks. Hes a complete asshole

How appropriate. --Anonymous, December 9, 02:47 (UTC)

Don't be too mad at him, just blow off a little steam here, instead. StuRat 08:27, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Anytime this planet is mentioned, I always hear jokes. --Proficient 05:27, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Book Subjects

Is there a site where I can type in a subject and it will find all published books about the said subject? Thanks for any answers. Яussiaп F 02:06, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Doubtful. A brief look at the International ISBN Agency website shows that there are more than 760,000 publishers out there. There would be too many books to fit into a single catalogue, and then finding the books themselves would be another task in itself. Try a few university libraries or a state library if you are having trouble finding books on a particular subject. Also try amazon.com. BenC7 02:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, I agree with BenC7, but I think Amazon.com wouldn't be a bad bet. Just to test, I searched for a peculiar topic and got 286 hits, a lot, I was surprised. It may be only the books in print, but then again, it may be a lot more than that. I would also suggest the Library of Congress (Library of Congress here on WP), but I don't know if they do online searches. Anchoress 02:28, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Sure they do. Just follow the "Library Catalogs" link. --Anonymous, December 9, 02:48 (UTC).

Many Movies,Many Romances

what do you think are some of the greatest romance films of all time. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.161.71.58 (talk) 02:26, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

Why ask just the 20 or so RD regulars, when you could have the opinions of thousands of movie critics, angry loners and artsy hangers-on? Anchoress 02:29, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Romance film and Romantic drama film list some examples and suggest some links. Personally, I don't think they're particularly good examples of "great" romance films, but it's all a question of taste and opinion. It's better to watch a few examples and decide for yourself in which direction you wish to go.--Shantavira 10:13, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I've edited Romance film to make the examples less heavily biassed towards recent movies. How could An Affair to Remember, Random Harvest and The Sheik have been omitted? Clarityfiend 01:24, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

the internet movie database (www.imdb.com) has lists of the top 250 films as voted by their users. They have a section that allows you to filter by genre, so try there for a list. Personally I believe the IMDB has a very reliable top 250 list. They seem to have most of the critically acclaimed films up there instead of just the big films from the last 5 years (best-of lists tend to suffer from long-term memory loss, focusing predominantly on newer films). If you want romantic comedies then I personally enjoyed Serendipity (film), You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally and the Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina. ny156uk 11:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

None of them, unless you consider Evelyn as a sort of romance film. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:51, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Il Postino and Cinema Paradiso are the bomb, especially because Ennio Morricone is my composer-hero. Sashafklein 06:13, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

If I recall correctly, the only romance that has moved me to tears was Four Weddings and a Funeral, during the scene where a gay man reads a poem in honour of his dead partner:

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephones

Stop the dog from barking with a juicy bone

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum...

...Bring out the coffin

...Let the mourners come

Let the aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message

...He is dead

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves

He was my North, my South, my East and West

My working week and my Sunday rest

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song

I thought that love would last forever

...I was wrong

The stars are not wanted now

...Put out everyone

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood

For nothing now can ever come to any good

Feel free to delete this poem if it is deemed superfluous. Cheers -- Vranak 23:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

U.S. penny

What does the "d" under the date on a United States penny or cent signify? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rhododendrum (talk • contribs) 02:37, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

Denarius? Latin for coin.--Light current 02:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

It's a mint mark, in this case indicating the penny was made at the Denver Mint. -- Rick Block (talk) 02:45, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Similarly, S indicates the San Francisco Mint and the absence of a mint mark indicates the Philadelphia Mint. Other US coins also use these marks, but in different places; in some cases P is used for Philadelphia.

D does stand for denarius (which was a specific ancient coin, not a word meaning "coin") when it is the abbreviation for the old British penny; this traditional abbreviation conveniently left p available for the new penny when they decimalized their currency 35 years ago. Thus £1 = 240d. = 100p. --Anonymous, December 9, edited 03:01 (UTC).

Nail sizes are called "penny" but abbreviated "d" for denarius, perNail (engineering). But this has nothing to do with the U.S. "D" mint mark. Edison 18:49, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Incidentally, it turns out that about an hour before the question was asked here, a form of it was asked on 1 vs. 100 (US game show) (if I've computed the time zones correctly; I happened to watch this on tape later). The wording on the show was something like "If you have a penny with D under the date, was it made in (A) the motor city, (B) the mile-high city, or (C) the gateway city?" --Anonymous, December 10, 07:12 (UTC).

Fingerprints

While heading back home I had an odd train of thought that left me with a few questions about fingerprints. Any help answering 'em would be appreciated:

1. Do politicians in any of the Anglosphere countries typically have their fingerprints taken (for security purposes etc.)?
2. If not, which heads of state of the above are likely to have had their fingerprints taken at some point (arrest, prior job, etc)?
3. Focusing on the U.S., if a Federal employee takes someone's fingerprints, who owns the copyright on the image produced?
4. How about if they're taken by a private citizen, or without the person's knowledge or consent?
5. Anyone happen to have a copy of Adolf Hitler's fingerprints lying around?
6. If not, what'd be the most likely place or object to still have his fingerprints on with only a small chance of the prescence of others' making identification more difficult?

Yeah, my brain goes off on some weird tangents when it's not kept occupied. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 02:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I think those are great questions! Don't think they can be answered here, but some could be the subject of a good Google search. --Zeizmic 03:31, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, let's start by observing that Hitler was convicted in 1924 in connection with the Beer Hall Putsch. Fingerprints as a criminological technique were 25-30 years old by that time, so presumably the Germans would have routinely fingerprinted him then if not at any other time. Whether that fingerprint record still exists and where, after all that has happened since then, is another matter. --Anonymous, December 9, 04:46 (UTC).

I suspect any records of criminal behavior on his part would have been destroyed once he became dictator. StuRat 08:22, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure, the Nazis were remarkably fastidious when it came to record-keeping, which came in handy at Nuremberg. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 17:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

South African citizens all have their fingerprint taken for the Identity Document (issued at 16 years), and for many when they get a drivers licence (18 years). That information is not available to police for use in investigations. -- Seejyb 12:07, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Then what is it for? Rmhermen 15:25, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Presumably to prevent identity fraud. Rockpocket 22:23, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Archivists are tenacious. When Stalin became ruler of the Soviet Union, the archivists of the Secret Police were ordered to destroy all documents on his pre-revolution activities, but reportedly they retained copies but certified that the original records were destroyed. Edison 18:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

George Bush was likely fingerprinted being arrested for drunk driving, before he was "born again". Works by U.S. ferderal employees as part of their jobs are in the public domain. --Nelson Ricardo 13:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Damn, and I almost put down that answer, too. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:53, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

But was his arrest by Federal authorities or State authorities. While the former'd be in the public domain, ownership of records created by the latter are a bit murkier. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 00:04, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

All Canadian civil servants in positions requiring security clearances have to be fingerprinted. This includes everybody from the Prime Minister, members of Parliament, and Senators to the guy who cleans out the boiler rooms at CFB Trenton. --70.72.19.133 19:09, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Do psychoactive drugs usually have effects on the central nervous system after their initial effect has worn off?

I was just wandering if psychoactive drugs could effect the effectivness of the brain after their effect has worn off? Ecspecially in a harmful way. I also was wandering what commonly used recreational drugs are considered to have the worst effect on the brain, and which ones are considered to have the least harmful effect on the brain and CNS (excluding nicotine). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.254.195.86 (talk) 05:59, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

LSD#Flashbacks and HPPD Rmhermen 06:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Almost all psychoactive drugs can have long-term effects. There is a very good chart of psychoactives at Psychoactive drug, with links to each drug listed. SWAdair 07:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), from cannabis, has relatively mild long term side effects. However, for political reasons, research has been limited. Synthetic versions have been marketed as medications. The synthetic versions don't have an inherent medical advantage, but can be patented and are politically viable, so those are pushed, instead of the natural version. StuRat 08:13, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe you should stop your wandering and check the answers in your health textbook? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:54, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

ninjutsu

what is ninjutsu —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.7.130.42 (talk) 06:11, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

See ninjutsu. Dismas| 06:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

One cannot simply be told what ninjutsu is... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:55, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, a rogue samurai (not a ronin) is roughly equivalent to a ninja. They aren't too worried about the bushido (code of the warrior), so that allows them all sorts of leeway -- getting into stealth, projectiles, subterfuge, illusion, espionage, assassination, etc. Basically, a samurai who's fed up with the caste system, and does things his or her own way. Vranak 18:17, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Logically Defending Beliefs

Since its beginning, Christianity has gone through a lot of criticism and skepticism. Many people, especially secular evolutionary atheists, criticized and scoffed at Christianity and its holy book, the Bible; saying that it is false, unscientific, superstitious, illogical, fake, or impossible to be true, etc. They claim that there is no evidence for Christianity to be true, and they use things like evolution and the fact that nobody has ever seen God to argue that Christianity is false.

Because of that, Christians have started and tried to logically defend their religious beliefs, ideas, teachings, and claims, etc. This includes:

1. Giving arguments and evidences that they are true, logical, or scientific.

2. Refuting, disputing, and arguing against any arguments or evidences against them; refuting, answering, responding to, and arguing against any criticism, skepticism, or objections towards them.

3. Refuting, criticizing, and arguing against any religions, philosophies, or ideologies that contradict them.

But what about people such as "witches", "sorcerers", fortune-tellers, astrologers, psychics, parapsychologists, pagans, pantheists, nature worshippers, believers in paranormal phenomena, and believers of New Age religions, etc? Have they also logically defended their beliefs, ideas, teachings, and claims? (Or have they at least tried to defend their beliefs logically?) Don't tell me whether their attempts to defend their beliefs are successful or not (or more or less successful than attempts to defend Christianity). Just tell me if they have, and if so, what those attempts are.

There are three reasons why logically defending beliefs is especially important to them. First, unlike Christians, very few people believe in or are involved in what they are. There lots of Christians in the world, billions, but there are very few people who believe in fortune-telling or paranormal phenomena. Second, many Christians claim that many of their beliefs and associated activities are evil, and come from the Devil. Third, as I said above, Christians have been trying to logically defend their own beliefs. All this makes their need to logically defend their beliefs all the more important, urgent, and serious.

If they can't or haven't, then I'm afraid they'll eventually have to abandon those beliefs and claims. If they can or have, then, partly because they have faced more criticism and skepticism than people like Christians, that would be one of the most important and interesting events and moments in human history.

The Anonymous One 06:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe that many of them do attempt to come up with scientific-sounding explanations. One example is the 'New Age" crowd, who use some real properties of crystals to imply that they can do magical things. I should point out, however, that none of these religions/beliefs actually uses the scientific method, which would have them start with ALL the evidence, then that would lead them to a theory, which they would then test, where possible. Instead, they start with a "theory", then selectively pick any bits of "evidence" that could possibly justify their religion/belief, and ignore the much larger accumulation of evidence against. Scientists who engage in this type of behavior are quickly discredited. StuRat 08:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

For a jumping off point for info on what sort of work is done in parapsychology, see that article. Reading that, one notes that your assumption of "very few" is not valid. Observations of the processes at work can be subjected to standard statistical analysis, and analysis of the work on paranormal would suggest that something is definitely happening. Explanations for observed phenomena are not that easy. -- Seejyb 13:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Religion, including Christianity, is an area based on faith, and not on science. There is no way to logically prove a faith based system. Of course religions have a collection of facts around their faith, but in all cases, it boils down to that a person has to accept or reject a concept that is presented to them, or that they have come to realize based on faith. Some would say that having a believe in a religion is designed to be a matter of faith. That this design in and of itself is an important part of the faith, and is what makes up the line between determinism and non-determinism. What is primarily important is that we each have a path through life that we follow, and we use a set of values and judgements to make decisions. Whether a particular religions faith is "scientifically true" or not is irrelevant. The path you choose to follow directly affects the quality of your life, and your ability to help others through their path.

Trying to incorporate faith into a scientific only system fails, as does trying to incorporate science into a faith-only based world. Science is the accumulation and system of categorization, and proof of things that we know. Religion is the accumulation of values and mores based on faith (believing without facts). At any point of history, there is a multitude of things that humanity did not, or does not know.

What is important is that we respect others rights to follow their path, and know that regardless of their similarities or differences to our own path, that they lead to the same place eventually. There is no religious system that is more correct than any other, only paths that are more heavily traveled than others. A more heavily traveled path may offer more companions, but still takes just as long to get "there". What is most important is to focus on the adventure of the travel, and not on the destination. Atom 13:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

In addition, most of the "New Age" and related pseudoscience is just that, pseudoscience. It is taken from a system of belief like Christianity and then used and sold to others. By doing so, it has taken itself willingly outside of the realm of faith and decided to go up against traditional science - like an amateur refusing to fight until he can face the champion in a boxing match, it could have stayed in the amateur class, but now, you know it's going to get pummeled. Or at least that's how I see it. When you start making medical or physical claims about faith, you cross the line, and you are now open to being shot down by traditional science. With a few notable exceptions, I would guess most of Christianity falls into the faith camp. --Wooty Woot? contribs 20:48, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Major to Minor

I have a piece of music, and I want to play one part of it in a minor key. I want it, obviously, to stay in relatively the same place on the score (i.e. not transposed up a third, or such, but perhaps with the addition or subtraction of sharps or flats or some small transposition--i hope that makes sense) :-) I have looked around Misplaced Pages and Google some, but I'm not even quite sure what exactly to look for. If you have any suggestions for me or any sites that you think might be helpful, please relate them to me. Thanks in advance!! --Dimblethum 06:38, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if you really mean you want to change key, or if you just want to use some minor chords. But, maybe those articles will help. See also relative minor if you want to know which minor chords work easily with which major ones. Simple answer: if you are using a third in your music, try dropping it a half step to a minor third for that "minor" sound. Friday (talk) 07:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Great a music questing. I love music questions! If you can provide more information about what exactly your doing I will be able you help you better. Usually going to a different key in the middle of a piece will require a modulation to sound right. To avoid any change of place on the staff go to the relative minor. In other word the minor key that has the same number of flats or sharps as the key your in. Simply change the cords. For instance go from C major to A minor. Here are some links that might help you. Feel free to ask me about anything that is confusing you.

• Tonality
• Harmony
• Chord progression
• Musical scale
• and again Modulation (music)

S.dedalus 07:29, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I think Friday explains well what I'm trying to get at. I want to have basically the same chords, just slightly altered to give it that minor sound. I'll do some reading on what you've said and see where that gets me, but I fear that I don't know enough about music theory to understand much of it. --Dimblethum 08:56, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

What I'm trying to do is to have the third verse of this song be minor. Image:I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.jpg --Dimblethum 08:56, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

The simplest thing to do, if the key (as here) is E flat major, is to change the signature to that of its parallel key, which is (surprise) E flat minor. Then you may want to change some of the seventh and sixth degrees of the natural minor scale to those of the harmonic or ascending minor scale where that sounds better in the melody, which in this case means restoring some D flats to D and C flats to C. This then may necessitate changes in other voices as well to get nice harmonies. Of course, the accidentals in the score must in general be appropriately adjusted, for which there is no straightforward method; for example, you can't leave the F sharp in place and at the same time change the next G to G flat: either "naturalize" the G to a G natural, or change the F sharp to an F by leaving out the sharp accidental.  --Lambiam 14:59, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

OK are you wanting to use the same melody but with more minor-sounding chords? If so, I just did a bit of fiddling with the guitar, and with my copy of the song in F, I'd change the opening F to Dm, the C7/F to Am, the Dm to G7 (kooky but just to have a different 2nd line opening), the E7 to Em, the F/A to Am. I didn't bother doing the second verse. Anchoress 21:59, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

"What's Up"? and other social awkwardnesses

I am a high school student. Grade 11. I have no friends and I prefer not to talk to others. However, there is always the unavoidable greeting which I must respond to. So my question is:

-When somebody (either fellow classmate or teacher) says "What's up?" to me as a greeting, how am I supposed to respond? I currently respond by just saying "hey," and I used to respond by saying "nothin'", but what is the most socially un-awkward way of responding to this greeting? (Nothing is ever "up" in my life, and even if something was "up", I would not care to share this information anyways). By responding to this question by saying "hello" or "hey," doesn't directly answer the question posed, but saying "nothin'" every single time gets awkward. Please help me!

Another question I have regards seeing teachers in the hallways.

-When I see a teacher in the hallway whom I had teach me, am I expected (by the teacher) to greet him/her by saying "hi"? I, personally, never greet anyone. I always wait until they greet me, but is this socially unaccepable? The teachers even often look at me as their passing me in the hallway, as if waiting for me to greet them first, but it may just be paranoya.

Thank you for your time. --172.146.41.157 06:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Not really the answer you were looking for but if you ignore them and don't say anything, people will stop talking to you and thus your problem will be eliminated. You say "I prefer not to talk to others", so why encourage them to talk to you by responding to their greetings? Dismas| 07:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

If they start it with "what's up", it's generally a greeting. If they give a different salutation and then the "what's up?", it's a question. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:06, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

When someone says “what’s up” it’s a slangy equivalent of “how are you?” Not to sound harsh or anything but usually when people use greeting like this they’re not actually interested in the well being of the person they are addressing. It is simply a polite gesture that acknowledges the existence of another human being. Usually a “nu’in much” or if you prefer “nothing much” is sufficient to leave all concerned with the pleasant feeling that they have made the world a little happier. Even if this is not the case. As to your second question: when passing some one you know custom usually dictates that you at least make eye contact with the person and perhaps give your head a slight nod (up-down) to show that you remember seeing that person before at some time in your life. S.dedalus 07:09, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

"What's up?" (in a greeting or passing-in-the-hall context) isn't a question. It's a piece of stereotyped dialogue: one of those phrases people exchange as a constant reminder that we're part of the same culture. It's like saying "thanks" when the cashier hands you change - it has nothing to do with gratitude; it's just what's said. The easiest response to "what's up?" is "not much", or "not much, you?", or just a grunt of acknowledgement. Sometimes, since the content really doesn't matter, I'll respond to a "what's up?" with a "how ya doin'?", to which I don't expect a response. It's just noise we make, like ducks quacking at each other. If you don't respond at all, you'll come across as unsocial, which may be just what you want, as Dismas suggested above.

As far as greeting teachers in the hallway, I don't think it's expected. Doing it wouldn't be bad either. Some people just aren't bubbling forth with "hello"s for everybody in the world; teachers know that. -GTBacchus 07:14, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

It can be an actual question, especially if preceded by another salutation (i.e. "Hey, what's up?"). The response to such a question is usually brief though ("I just got fired, you?"). It does depend on where you are and who you're talking to, like anything else. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, a lot depends on tone. Sometimes, "what's up?" is a challenge. Sometimes, it's a sincere question about how you're feeling. I guess it has to be clear from context whether the person is trying to pass you in the hall, start a conversation, or assault you. -GTBacchus 07:25, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

And now for a more general comment: I think it would be wise for you to "pretend" to like to talk with people. Once you get into the work world, being known as somebody who doesn't care to talk will likely hurt your career, in the form of lost opportunities for promotions, loss of income, etc. I know it sounds "fake", but a certain "social mask" is sometimes required for us all to get along with each other. So, I think high school would be a good time to practice such social niceties, by not only responding with a cheerful "hi !" but also greeting others first. There certainly could be worse things in life than being forced to talk with people, don't you think ? StuRat 07:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Definitely. I was like you in Grade 9, and that definitely made me a couple enemies. Even opening up to a few friends helps, cuz then people realize that they have be known by you rather well for you to be comfortable talking with them. As for StuRat's advice, without a doubt. To add another example to GTBacchus's, when you are speaking with your girlfriend/boyfriend's snobbish best friend, or an unliked relative, it's best to be social, simply because its expected. Most of the good catch-alls have been posted above, but you can also just have some harmless remark such as "Nothing much, but it's a great day out today." Just add a little something to the end and help make people feel special... "One kind word warms three winter months" - Proverb Crisco 1492 09:37, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

If this helps: I'm in Grade 12 (or the nearest equivalent in my country, and I've always been a complete "loaner" we say here - ie. no friends. Sometimes I take that literally. I say "Whatever's not down!" I remember, someone asked me, "How are you squire?" I replied, "Not bad, how are you triangle?" He laughed, and credited me for the sheer speed of my response! Come out of your shell. Try and make friends. Doesn't matter how short a conversation is, it will take a long time to develop social skills properly - but it will come. Try to talk to other people about things they like. Make them feel important. On the flip side, even if you spend you remaining school years without friends, you may learn to cope with that. I frequently would wander the school corridors, lost for friends. Over 800 people at it - 100 of my age - would always have their friends. If I was ever in the Senior Pupil's Common room (rare for me), I would never have the "privilege" of sitting up at the bar desk, where the popular pupils all sit. The gift of the gab is a huge skill to learn, but it will come some day.St. Louis du Ha ha 12:36, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, you are in the right place. A whole Misplaced Pages full of people who were once loners. When someone asks "what's up" they are usually just trying to establish contact with you. Of course the best thing to do when you don't know what to say is to start asking questions about something else. (doesn't everyone like to talk about themselves?) Ask them what's going on with them, if they like their classes, if they have a GF/BF, what they are doing after school, how they did on that last test, and things like that. Sit down and think a list of three questions, and then three follow up questions for each of those questions so that you are prepared. If you use one that makes people feel awkward, then toss the question and replace it with another one. Another thing you can do is to memorize some of the trivia here on Misplaced Pages. When someone asks "What's up", you can say "Not much. Hey, I saw on Misplaced Pages that..." For instance, the Misplaced Pages Main Page has a list of "Did you know..." type things. ( If you could memorize on of those every day, in a week you'd have a few things to talk about. After a few weeks, some of those will slip, but others will stick in your mind. If you don't like those, then look things up on Wikpedia that are more interesting for your group of friends and schoolmates, maybe about popular music. Atom 13:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

• "A bore is someone who, when asked 'how are you,' tells you." --jpgordon 15:56, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Regarding high school as social practice? Why not use the internet? The internet is a great way to talk to people, especially since you're indistiguishable from other users, especially in things like online games where you don't see the same people often. short, shallow conversations in counter-strike in between rounds could do wonders for your confidence when you realize that everyone thinks you're just a normal, social guy. Misplaced Pages could also be a good way to learn to work with others, but there's that darned encyclopedic focus so it's not really a social thing. Or you could find a web forum. Traditional forum software like Lithium, IPB and vBulletin could power the forum you're looking for- stay away from a GameFAQs type forum since it encourages one-word answers and discourages friend-making. Email or IM could also be a good thing, though it might be awkward seeing those same people the next day in school. Usually I discourage turtling up under the internet, but if you're already an "outcast" type, it could give you valuable social skills --froth 19:03, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I disagree completely with that, the internet is a poor place to learn social skills, as it is a very narrow picture of what social skills are, real life is far more imposing, and there is far more to deal with, body language is a major factor in all converstaions, its not only what people say but how they say it, and how they react to what you say, or do, all things which are completely irellavent on web messaging serivces. Social skills can only be gained through practice. Though it is true that you are most likely just a normal guy completely lacking in self confidence and it seems that you have a terribley hostile outlook on the world. Having people to turn to, or just enjoy a moment with can do so much for you. People are great things, dont ignore them. Social skills is possibly the hardest thing to master in the world, and they lead to the most fulfilling (and in general the best paid) lives ahead of you. Philc _TC 19:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

See Greetings for discussion of how to respond to the casual social greetings of others. If someone makes eye contact in a friendly way, a slight smile and nod is appropriate. To withhold any acknowledgement is to "Cut him dead" and is an insult and disrespect. This is not in any way to imply you might have the condition, but at Asperger's syndrome there is discussion of people who find it difficult to analyze and respond appropriatly to the social gestures of others. See alsoSocial skills. Edison 19:17, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

There is little else to say other than "although high school is not actually hell, it can certainly be hell-ish at times". Mathiemood 16:51, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Just say "a direction" and people will stop asking you. Trust me. Coolsnak3 18:28, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

School is sweet, its so great, the school itslef not that great, but the socual interations are, its great to have so many people to talk to and who like dilike the same things, and just to enjoy time with them. School is what you make it, if you hide away from social interaction, and work all the time, then school will be shit, and its your fault, because you wasted it. Philc _TC 18:32, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I second Philc. 7% of communication is verbal (there's another fact you can talk about!) and 60% is by body language. Alan and Barbara Pease give a good introduction to body language, in "The definitive guide to Body Language". I found that book handy - it sets out, in black and white terms, how to use, and read, body language (and even the 5 Stages to flirting!) which might help, since it's in a way "Socialising for Dummies", nearly.St. Louis du Ha ha 18:54, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Alright; personally, i find that you just need to choose between one or the two methods of social interaction. Be a hermit or try to get out there. simple as that. you seem to enjoy being a hermit but something tells me you may like going out to a party or two. i used to be in your shoes about two years ago. i realized that dumbing myself down (if only for an hour or two) to go to a party and just enjoying someone else's company actually brightened my general mood.

Anyone else answering this question go, "Mm, this sounds like me in high school?" *ahem* Anyway. Were I you, if you're not in a talkative mood, rattle off things that are indeed "up," such as the atmosphere, clouds, your grades, your temper, etc. etc. As for teachers...no, you're not expected to do anything; they're not your friends and you're not theirs, so there really is no point in trying to socialize with them. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:59, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I had a friend new to the US who once responded to that question by, in all seriousness, saying, "Well presently the ceiling, but above that would be another floor and then the sky." If you want to get a rise out of the people you are determined to avoid talking to, you could give that one a try. Or just keep being emo. Or rather, dont. Sashafklein 06:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, you've got to find it funny that, as much as you adamantly refuse to enter the social scene, you give a crap about what's socially acceptable. Just let go of personal image and become a troglodyte or say hi. Sashafklein 06:10, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Years from now you will either look back at this point in your life with intense regret and a sense of loss or detached amusement. I hope it's clear what type of social stance will lead to which outcome. Calling such basic elements of social conduct as "what's up" -the modern day "hello" - "social awkwardnesses", is not a step in the more intelligent of the two directions. I'll stop lecturing now. Sashafklein 07:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, they don't intend it to be funny. All they mean is "hello", but a literal interpretation helps make it funny.St. Louis du Ha ha 17:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Reporting a pedophile.

Long story short, male keeps requesting sex from an underage male. I have his phone number, address, etc. But, plain and simple, I can't afford to get involved, as they'd need my computer as evidence (would they?), and I don't want certain documents of mine being scrutinized by law enforcement. Anyway to nail this guy anonymously?

-- Anonymous —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.247.88.142 (talk) 06:59, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

I'm really confused as to who's talking to whom and what it has to do with your computer but you may be able to get something done just by making an anonymous phone call to the local police. Dismas| 07:01, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

You need to speak to local law enforcement, which you can do anonymously. They will advise you. Try the sex crimes or child exploitation or internet luring divisions (depending on which your local law enforcement has). Or call an anonymous tip line, and get advice from them. Anchoress 07:02, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

They should have an anonymous tips line. Use a pay phone or something if you're really paranoid, or nuke the computer. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

CC, I disagree with your last piece of advice. IMO this poster is looking for legal advice, and we are not authorised to advise someone to destroy evidence. On a more personal note, if the contents of the OP's computer could put a child predator away and s/he decides to take your advice then changes her or his mind, people could actually get hurt. IMO we should not be telling this person anything other than to talk anonymously to law enforcement. Anchoress 07:06, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, or to a lawyer, who is qualified to give legal advice. -GTBacchus 07:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

You have no idea what sort of things I have on this computer. It would hurt a LOT more people if some of this stuff got out. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.247.88.142 (talk) 07:11, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

Clarification: A pedophile is contacting someone with intent to have sex with a minor, and the evidence is on my computer. Also on my computer are things that I simply can't let out into the public realm, so I can't report him, lest they take my computer as evidence, You see?

Okay, Anchoress is right, disregard what I said. You nuke anything on the computer, and it will be easily detectable that you did such. You'd be placed under intense scrutiny and have charges laid against you. Find a way to talk to them anonymously. It's damned immoral to hold back information like this. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd suggest sending the relevant materials to police, but that may be tricky to do anonymously if you're not a power user. Hm, try burning a CD with all of the files on it and mailing it to the police office, then calling ahead from a payphone and telling them to expect it and that it has information related to a child predator. Wipe off fingerprints from the CD if you've ever been printed (though I doubt they'd try to track down the tipper) --froth 18:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

If a child is in imminent danger that must take precedence over any possible problems you might have because of, say, kiddie porn on your computer. Why don't you talk to a lawyer for advice on how best to proceed? The faster you take care of this, the less likely something will actually happen. -THB 19:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

If it is that important to the questioner, why couldn't he buy a "clean" cheap second-hand computer, and use it for communicating with the bad guy and getting enough illegal emails on it that when it was turned over to the police it could furnish proof for conviction. And why would anyone hold tenaciously to a computer which has documents on it which incriminate him? When is freedom worth less than the cost of a replacement computer? It seems like a real dilemma if the questioner is so attached to the incriminating info he cannot stand to get rid of the tainted computer. How does one really get rid of the info on a hard drive, anyway? Edison 20:39, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Well for one it would take money and time to buy another computer and get all that incriminating data on the other computer. To get rid of info on a hard drive you just delete it. Of course this only marks it as "usuable space" - the data is still written to the disk. To get rid of this data you'd have to zero those blocks (replace all of the binary data that was there with a long series of 0s). Some filesystems do this automatically when you delete. Macs do this, and they call delete "secure delete". Which is frankly a stupid idea, since it's faster and more efficient to just mark those blocks as available. --froth 23:48, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

call 1-800 222-tips. they do not record calls or have call display. you could print the pages of concern and have someone send them to police. we aren't concerned with whats on your computer unless you are also a pedophile. your first priorty should be protecting ANY and ALL children.

Wikiholics

I distinctly remember a nice gag test called "Are you a wikiholic?" but I can't find it for the life of me. Any Ideas? Crisco 1492 09:25, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Did you check out WP:Wikiholic? --Shantavira 10:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. Its found here. Hehe wonder how my friend will do. Termia kasih, shantavira. Crisco 1492 00:04, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Undervalued stocks

What is under valued stocks?

This article isn't in great shape yet, but see Undervalued_stock. Friday (talk) 15:53, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Undervalued stock is shares of ownership (stock) in a company that are selling for less than some calculated worth. See List of finance topics#valuation, especially stock valuation and fundamental analysis. Note that there are many methods of valuing stock. See also efficient market hypothesis. -THB 15:53, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

But note, however, that if you received an email telling you that some stock was undervalued, that's just some fraudster trying to trick you into buying a stock he owns, so he can sell it and take your money. See Pump and dump -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 16:15, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Fiji coup

Okay. So the government of Fiji has been overthrown - as we were expecting for quite a while - and even before the coup, Australia had warships in the area, for the purpose of extracting Australian civilians if things turned ugly.

Why stop there? If we have a military presence there, why didn't we take action and prevent the coup from happening? Fiji is in our backyard; isn't it our repsonsibility to protect it and maintain its status as a democracy? Battle Ape 14:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

The PM has already addressed these questions in an interview. Fiji's armed forces while small is well-trained and bloodshed would have been certain, Australia has already deployed troops to a number of other nations. See . Rmhermen 15:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, okay. The way he said "we would be effectviely invading Fiji" just sounded to me like he thought ivnading a country was unthinkable unless the USA was right alongside us. But if it was a logistics matter, I suppose that's reasonable. Battle Ape 17:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't think invading countries to paternalistically determine what their governments ought to be like is exactly considered in vogue right now. --24.147.86.187 18:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

When did Fijis business become Australias business. They way he said "we would be effectviely invading Fiji" suggests invading other countries on domestic affairs is unthinkable wether or not the US is on your side. Philc _TC 19:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Not a likely military threat to Australia.martianlostinspace 22:30, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeeeeeah...if I recall, Australia's PM said something to the effect of, "Sad day, we're not going to do anything, thank you for stopping by." Of course, it's not like Fiji's PM tried to do anything; in an interview with the BBC, he sounded rather lackadaisical about the whole thing, going, "Oh well..." and that. Getting back to the original question, it probably has something to do with the fact that Australia's PM isn't George Bush. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:02, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Who the heck is this?!?!

Does this person look alot like Naruto?http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o71/Baku-Aoki/ME0000484000_1.jpg. It's been all over the internet on forums and with stuff like forums and message boards;whats true and whats not?His nickname is Nazoto(a combination of "Nazo" meaning "mystery" and "Naruto".I've heard that they're brothers or something,cant be true can it?And who is this "Nazoto"?I wanna know the truth behind this mystery!Please and thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.215.27.205 (talk) 16:01, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

I'll give it to you in one word: No. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:02, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Typeface identification

Hi, could someone help me identify this typeface, please?

Sample: Parallax Software logo

The capital letters are a bit like Palatino but a, r, x, f, t, and e are different if you look closer. The a is open at the bottom, the r uses a much smoother right "arm," the x is made of two thick lines, f and t are smoother too, w uses thick lines as well, and e is a bit rounder.

If someone recognizes the typeface used, please tell me. I'll be very grateful. Thank you. :) --Kjoonlee 19:14, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

The letter a in the second line differs from those in the first line: the upper part is flatter and extends farther to the left. Could this be an ad-hoc creation?  --Lambiam 20:29, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

The second line is shorter than the first line, so it might be a simple difference in size. About it being ad-hoc: I've wondered about that myself, but I don't have any real idea... --Kjoonlee 20:33, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Itz Fritz. None of the online examples I've found look exactly like it, but your example looks exactly like the Fritz font I've been using on my computer for about 12 years. Anchoress 20:34, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Fritz is superficially similar, but the letters seem quite different on closer inspection. --Kjoonlee 20:39, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

As I said, online examples are different, but your example is exactly like the font called Fritz that I use on my computer. Anchoress 20:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh I didn't read your response closely enough. :( Anyway, thank you. :) :D --Kjoonlee 14:31, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Ms A may be right. The group Fritz-Quad, FritzQuadrata, FrizQuadrata BT, and FrizQuadrata-Thin (note spellings!) is the closest I have on my machine - take a look at the last one, in bold. I do not know the origin of the font. --Seejyb 21:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I've tried looking at some "Fritz Quadrata" fonts, and surely enough, they look good enough for my use. Thank you. :) --Kjoonlee 14:31, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Moving Pages

i am a user who would like the ability to move pages if you are an adminstrator who can allow to move them i would like it if you could if you could please give that ability if you can if you want to know what the mistakes are i would love to point them out i wish to help in whatever way i can. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Starwars10 (talk • contribs) 21:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

Hello. All logged in users, with a certain level of experience, can move pages (though there are some circumstances in which administrator tools are required. See WP:MOVE for advice. But you first step should be to get some editing experience. Rockpocket 22:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

To clarify, by experience I really mean time, not number of edits. Newly created accounts can't move pages. Rockpocket 22:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

If'n you don't know why, here's a bit of Misplaced Pages history for you. Once upon a time, there was a guy named Willy on Wheels. Willy, the crazy sod, used to take pages like, oh...for example, Cake and move them to Cake on Wheels! just to be a huge prick. We banned him, and banned him, and baaaaaaaannnnnnned him, and eventually, he died. Some time ago (I guess) he was removed from the Long-Term Abuse list. The end. Cernen Xanthine Katrena on Wheels! 16:09, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

There can be some tricky issues dealing with links to the page. Also, it's a good idea to discuss a move on the Talk Page for that article first, as other editors may not agree with the move. StuRat 23:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Why don't you list the pages here and tell why you think they need to be moved? Some articles don't even have any links to them and can easily be moved if the title doesn't follow WP:NC. -THB 20:15, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Retail Fabric Store

I am doing a research project for a business class. I have been looking on line with google, for the type of fabric cutting table that is commonly used in most retail fabric stores. I need prices and dimensions as well as what companies sell them to retail fabric stores. These tables are for commercial use, not industrial and not domestic. Whenever a customer buys fabric off of a bolt in a retail fabric store, they must take it to one of these tables so that an employee can measure the requested number of yardage and then use a pair of scissors to accurately cut the fabric from the bolt. I could not find any information about this type of table from my own research, however, I have found many sources to obtain domestic crafting tables, which is not what I am trying to find. Thank you for your help. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 192.135.227.163 (talk) 22:42, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

I followed you until you mentioned scissors. The fabric cutting tables I've seen have a blade on a handle, much like a giant paper cutter, so you get a smooth cut, unlike what you get using hand scissors. StuRat 22:58, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Fabric store, both large and small, with which I am familiar just have a long table or counter, with the top perhaps covered with hardboard, with a yardstick nailed to the edge. The fabric is spread out along the table and cut with scissors. The table is nothing special. It would likely be built to order by a carpenter. There is not goal of making a precise smooth cut, since the fabric will be measured and cut according to a pattern. Pieces of fabric are not generally cut to exact size in the store and then sewn together along the store's cut line. They do not use a plastic cutting guide and rotary cutter such as is used in making things of fabric. Edison 00:24, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

But isn't there a problem that a rough, hand-cut edge is likely to cause the fabric to unravel ? StuRat 13:07, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

If you do a Google image search for "fabric cutting table" you can quickly identify which websites have them. www.modernstorefixtures.com carries cutting tables and other fixtures like bolt racks. It might be cheaper and better to have someone make you one like in these plans. -THB 00:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

As a qualified Tailor's Cutter, I used a "board" throughout my career - not a cutting-table! It had to be wide enough to allow me to unroll enough material 60" wide folded across its width so that it became 30" wide when doubled over; and long enough to take a piece of cloth long enough to cut a gentleman's 3 piece suit and an extra pair of trousers, say between 12 and 15 feet. It had 6 stout legs and a shelf below for temporarily storing card patterns etc., and very smooth edges so as not to send painful and dangerous splinters into your pubic area! And the surface had to be super smooth to allow the garment sections to be easily spun around when cutting them. And along the nearside edge there was an inlaid measuring stick (wood or metal) whose terminii co-incided with the extreme left and right edges of the board. And there would be a smaller portable box on the top for storing measuring tapes, chalks, sharpeners, and weights for holding the patterns and garment sections steady when doing minor modification cuts, darts, pleats, deformity adjustments etc. But I am afraid that StuRat's point about the handcut edge unravelling is invalid. Whether on knitted or woven fabrics the cutter would never place his patterns right up to the edges for that very reason. And he would always ensure enough allowance at each end to allow him to adjust any "twists" in the cloth for check and stripe alignments. It was amazing how many such twists were evident in some cloths. Next time you see a man's suit, compare the pattern across the buttoned front, and also check where the sleeves have been stitched into the "foreparts". I will almost guarantee that on all but the more expensive quality-made "bespoke" suits, you will find striking examples of non-symmetry. And you ever feel the need to deflate someone's ego in public, just ask whether the mismatching checks on his jacket pocket flaps are a new fashion feature, or even better, studiously admire his suit and then casually and audibly "wonder" if that style will ever come back into fashion!

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.241.241 (talk) 20:29, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

some instructions

how do you do a laveyan ritual curse. not that i want to do one, but im curious. thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.23.66.106 (talk) 23:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

That is probably detailed in The Satanic Rituals. If you don't have a copy, some of the external links from the article on Anton LaVey might help. Rockpocket 00:18, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Plea Bargaining

On law drama TV show's like Law and Order, the ADAs and the defense attorneys often discuss plea bargains "off-the-record" where neither party agrees to the offer till after the "criminal" tells the ADA what he/she knows. Does this really happen? To what extent are off-the-record comments protected? Are the protected by here-say rules or are there specific laws on the books protecting them? (note: I'm not asking for legal advice and pretty much only interested in general answers pertaining to the US). Thanks. --Cody.Pope 23:49, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I imagine that there would be absolutely no protection for the accused (seeing how he has been read his Miranda warning) other than the credibility of the ADA but that should count for a lot! If the ADA or the office of the DA gets a reputation in the legal community for breaking deals like that it would do more harm than cheating would do good, IMO. --Justanother 04:58, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I realise the questionner specifically refers to US Law, but here in Scotland, plea-bargaining is officially unrecognised, but a judge, whether in the High Court or Sheriff Court below, will award a discounted sentence for an early admission of guilt accompanied by a guilty plea. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.241.241 (talk) 20:37, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

outselling the bible

lets say i wrote a book that outsold the bible would that increase it`s chance of being made into a movie and how significant wouldit be. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Starwars10 (talk • contribs) 23:50, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

I'd say there is a good chance a fiction book that outsold the Bible would be made into a movie. If you compare a list of bestsellers with movies that an average cinema goer might be aware of, you see a pretty strong correlation, especially in the last 30 years. Infact, it seems that least 3 or 4 of the top 10 best selling books for every year in the 1990s has been made into a movie (mainly because there are books written by Steven King, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton and John Grisham featured pretty much every year). If you consider the best selling books of all time, every single fictional book the he top 20 has been made into a movie.

As for how significant it would be. Well, if it was the best selling book in history, I'd say that would make it very significant. Better start writing.... Rockpocket 00:34, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Considering the Bible's sales/distribution has been around 6 billion, and that the next nearest single book (the Quran) has sold less than 2% of this figure - do I need to complete the sentence? BenC7 02:13, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Please realize that many best-sellers get bought by motion picture companies, then enter Development hell for perhaps decades. Edison 04:17, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought there was some book that outsold the Bible by a bit. It made sense at the time as an extremely widely-distributed book, but I can't put my finger on it anymore --froth 04:30, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

In the 20th and 21st centuries, books regularly outsell the Bible in given years (for example, The Da Vinci Code and most Harry Potter books sold many more copies than the Bible on the year of their release and the Little red book outsold the Bible during the 1960s). However, given the Bible has a couple of millennia of sales time on these books, nothing comes near it in terms of accumulative sales. Rockpocket 21:21, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

December 10

How to join forum?

I recently joined Wiki, and would like to be on the Forum for Encyclopedia Standards. 1) I don't know how to join 2) is this an administrative position? If so, then I'm too "young" to be on it, as I just joined. :) 3) shouldn't this page be archived? Richiar 00:28, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

1. As far as i'm aware, the Misplaced Pages:Forum for Encyclopedic Standards is a voluntary group. I can find no eligibility requirements, so I see no reason you cannot join.
2. Membership of the forum is not an administrative position.
3. This page is archived regularly, see Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Archives. Rockpocket 00:39, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, this page should be archived! I'll get RefDeskBot on it soon! Martinp23 00:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Tourist Cities in Mexico (Near Tempe, AZ)

Hello everyone:

I will be in Tempe, Arizona later this month, and want to take a road trip to Mexico. The trip is solely for tourism; just walking around/hanging out, amusement parks, museums. However, this trip is just going to be for the day.

The city I had in mind was Hermosillo. But after doing a bit more research, I found that it will take around 5.5 hours to get there (by car). So my question is this: does anyone know of some "touristy"/fun cities to go to which are closer to the border/a shorter drive?

Thanks, --Vikramkr 01:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

The closest Mexican city, in terms of driving time, to Tempe is Nogales, which is 177 miles away. So you're looking at 3 hours, not counting Phoenix traffic (it's December, so all the snowbirds are in town) or getting through customs. One day is probably doable, but it would be a long day. Another thing to mention -- from what I've heard, it's a good idea to park your car in the US and walk across the border. That way, nothing happens to your car in Mexico, and customs and immigration goes a lot faster on the way back. Not to mention that US insurance is no good in Mexico, and if you're driving a rental it's probably in the rental agreement that you can't take the car to Mexico. Since I've never been to Nogales, maybe someone else can comment on what's there and whether it's worth going. Dave6 02:35, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure that a daytrip to Mexico makes much sense from Tempe. It takes at least 3 hours just to drive to the border, and none of the border towns is particularly interesting. They tend to be industrial towns full of working-class Mexicans, many of them trying to get across the border illegally. The closest real "tourist" destination would be Puerto Peñasco, but that is a 4.5-hour drive each way. Marco polo 17:05, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

D i'm from south scottsdale - 5 mins. from tempe. so hi to you! hope you have fun in mexico. bye. Coolsnak3 18:32, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks everyone! Vikramkr 00:39, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

The Jetsons

In the original animated TV show, was the ground ever shown? 192.168.1.1 5:35pm, 9 December 2006 (PST) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.112.143.116 (talk) 01:29, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

No. See this page --froth 04:22, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe. From the same source as above: "The ground does show, for example in Invisibly Yours and The Flying Suit". Although it's pointed out previously in the same document that the ground is never shown except for floating islands. So either the document controdicts itself or the ground mentioned in what I quoted is referring to the islands. Dismas| 09:59, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I swear I saw one episode in which George crashed the flying car and hit the ground, which was all rocky like Mars. I don't know if that was one of the original epiodes or one of the ones made in the 80s. -- Mwalcoff 14:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I seem to remember an episode where at least Elroy and Astro were on the ground - there was a dumpster and a 'hobo' as well. Robovski 06:00, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Wikiproject setup.

I'd appreciate some assistance in setting up, or rather resetting up, the Climbing wikiproject at WP:CLIMB. I don't quite get all the categorization and template stuff, but it's definitely an area that needs a wikiproject. I'd appreciate some help. ⇒ SWATJester 01:51, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

accuracy rate

So, What is the error rate on the articles of Misplaced Pages? I'm a bit confused with the error rate on Misplaced Pages.--PrestonH 03:14, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Some articles probably are completely correct, there's no "error rate" for an average article.... --froth 04:36, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Nature did a publicized study and found that the average science article on Misplaced Pages had about four inaccuracies, compared to three for Britannica. Of course, that was a while ago, and it could have gotten worse, but more likely better. Also, if you really need to make sure of something, you should look up the source it came from: that's the whole point of citing sources. —Keenan Pepper 05:07, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

It's funny, actually; I just had this conversation with the forklift driver at my place of employment. IMO, Misplaced Pages's error rate should probably be somewhere between nil and zero, primarily because it is edited and checked by so many different people that it can't possibly be wrong. And, if there's a chance it's wrong, someone's going to fix it eventually. I don't know the answer for sure, but (and I don't want to sound biased but I have no choice) I trust Misplaced Pages over the Encyclopedia Brittanica if that means anything to you... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:12, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Socialism or Religion?

What has led to the death of more people? Яussiaп F 03:51, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Socialism probably. Deaths related to religious conflict mostly occurred in pre-modern times, and communist states arose later when the human population was in the billions. I suppose it would be helpful to have an actual figure for how many people Stalin killed.. the figure ranges from a few hundred thousand to 30 million --froth 04:28, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I would tend to disagree, basically there have been more wars over religion than anything else. You have to think about the Holy Crusades and many, many more different wars/conflicts that I do not want to state. Also remember that religion has been around for a "long" time. So basically I would have to say religion. — Seadog 04:32, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

It depends what you mean by "led to". If you tally all those that lived (and thus died) under socialist/communist regimes throughout human history, and compare that to the number that existed in societies underpinned with religious doctrines, then I think the latter number would be much higher. What is unclear is to what extent the doctrines contributed to the death of the individuals. To be a bit more flippant, once could argue eternal life awaits those who follow (most) religions, therefore the answer must be socialism. Rockpocket 04:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Religion, clearly. In one way or another religion was the justification of almost every major conflict in human history. Slavery, the Holocaust, even the extermination of the Native Americans. There are of course elements of all these events that were not religious, but even Stalin's socialism had an element of religiously motivated justification (even if it was a lack there of). --Cody.Pope 04:57, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Basically this question would be a very hard if not impossible question to answer, since if you think about it no one can know for sure. You have to take into consideration of what counts as religion and what doesn't also what do you mean by "led to" as what Rocket pocket has stated. — Seadog 05:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I disagree. I'd say that the number of people that died as a result of a modern concept of socialism is finite and at least estimatable (not a word but come on), whereas the number of people to die as a result of religion is very hard to estimate, but using just modern times numbers you can easily pass socialism. --Cody.Pope 05:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I just think that "religion" being much, much older than Socialism — religion would most certainly have to pass the modern concept of socialism. I was just trying to say that some people look differently at what constitutes for religion. — Seadog 05:10, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I think we both agree that it is religion but disagree about how provable that is? --Cody.Pope 05:17, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Since all who are born eventually die anyway, irrespective of belief system, the question seems to be about war, not about dying. Instead of blithely accepting a general opinion, it may be worthwhile to review each major war recorded in history, and trying to discern what the likely cause for the conflict was. Examples: In ancient Egyptian wars, the soldiers may have thought they were fighting for the god/king, but what was the pharoah's motivation? Why did Greek city states make war, or the Romans? To take what the other had, to shake of suppression, or for religion? Did Islam really go to war solely for religious reasons, or did the leaders think that material security from enemies - irrespective of religion - would be worth the effort and suffering. Was extra land, income and prestige a mere by-product of the battles? Were the crusades really about religion, or were there diverse and devious motivations in the minds of secular and church leaders? Did the Tatars fight for Shamans? The Huns - were they socialists or true believers? The War of the Roses - what that not about land and kingdom? Napoleon's adventures? WW1? WW2? The "civil" wars of Africa? I believe that when one looks at specifics, one would find socialism or religion as such to be pretty superficial excuses for war. --Seejyb 10:29, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

What about those nations that are socialist AND religious? Most of Europe's nations have at least one major socialist party and most of Europe (particularly the EU) are christian-dominated societies with many having a national religion. If we were to look at the things both can do that 'lead' to death (and one presumes this is a premature death) we could have: war, poverty, famine, persecution and oppression. I do not believe that you can put a figure on these but since socialism is relatively 'new' compared to the world's main religions, also because religion is more widespread than socialism (whose power is limited to whether it can convince enough people to vote for it) I would say the answer is almost definitely going to be religion.

If you made the question more broad and said 'what led to more deaths, religion or political ideology' that would maybe be a more fair question, since socialism is one strand of the political range but religion encompasses many many religions. ny156uk 12:13, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I would have thought that what led to the death of more people (than any other cause), was old-age, poor health, and starvation. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.241.241 (talk) 20:40, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

Thanks for your comment, but really this discussion is comparing socialism and religion. Thanks though! — Seadog 20:47, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

How about this -- what has led to the deaths of more people: treachery or treason? There's always an excuse for it. Mathiemood 00:28, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Couldn't socialism be a form of religion and vice versa? Keria 00:54, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Here is something I heard recently, apparently by Os Guinness (in whole or in part). It has been paraphrased slightly:

More people were killed by secularist regimes of the 20th century than by all religious persecutions in the world - in perhaps all of history. Pol Pot murdered 2 millon of his own countrymen. Stalin – 30 million. Mao – 65 million. That religion is responsible for all or most bloodshed is prejudice, not fact. BenC7 03:27, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

That's exactly what I was thinking (my answer is at the very top) --froth 20:38, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Religion and socialism are both mechanisms of creating communities within humans. It would be difficult to tell who was responsible for the most deaths through war. Concerning deaths by war, it is human nature to blame on both accounts, and the conflicts between communities, whatever each their moral grounds are. Luckily, scientific knowledge is growing and it would be a huge suprise to me if many more wars were justified on the grounds of religion especially in the developed world. I believe religion is the main contributor to human deaths through war as we have thousands of years to take into account here!

Believe what you want; but it is better to have figures than a hunch. BenC7 00:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

colours of Thailand

Here in Thailand the thais all have colours of each day of the week i.e. Mon,yellow,Tues pink,wed,green,thurs,orange,fri,blue sat,violet,sun, red. I would like to know when did this start andby whom started this Thanks Jim. <email removed> —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 61.91.191.9 (talk) 05:29, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

See days of the week.--Shantavira 09:51, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

According to this website, the custom of birthday colors orgininated in the Ayutthaya period. That narrows it down somewhat. -THB 10:20, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

What the heck is an OP?

I keep seeing the Reference Desk question posters referred to as OPs. What does this stand for and how did it originate? --Nelson Ricardo 12:57, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

It means the Original Poster (the person who asked the question). We should try to avoid using such confusing abbrevs. StuRat 13:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Thank you. --Nelson Ricardo 13:04, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

ur 'come OP. --Bowlhover 14:26, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Well suitly emphazied. Proto::► 14:57, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

r u wearin' a mask? Mathiemood

While I agree with Stu that we should be intelligible to newbies (another term) I admit that I am guilty of using OP to refer to the "asker". I guess since asker is only two keys more than OP (shift = one key) I will use that instead. --Justanother 15:10, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd almost argue that it's a bit less than 2 keys since in typing "OP" you're holding down shift for another two keystrokes.. perhaps not as much effort as an entirely new keystroke but it must count for more than a single press-release! --froth 19:42, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

We've developed significant consensus that "suitly emphazi" is horrifyingly embarrasing because its usual use (you didn't really use it right) is so offensive to posters. Just throwing that out there. Oh and yeah "OP" should probably be avoided on the main reference desk but those abbreviations sometimes spill over from the talk page --froth 19:40, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Any ideas on how did it originate because thats the second part of the question everybody seems to have not noticed? Its not from /. as they use TFA. Usenet maybe? Shinhan 09:16, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought it was a Wikipedian term. It might have seen usage elsewhere but used consistently I think wikipedia was the first. --froth 20:40, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

It's an older term. We have it right here at OP: "Original Poster, on Usenet refers to the person opening the thread" --Justanother 20:48, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

"Suitly emphazi" comes from a particularly poorly worded post a long time ago that asked us to "suitly emphazi" our results, by which I believe they meant "suitably emphasize", by which they meant "provide links". This then became an inside joke. StuRat 04:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

COW!

How long would an average cow feed a family of four if they ate a meal 2 times a day? Thank you

See here: . StuRat 13:44, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

The reference StuRat cited indicates that there is about 500 lbs of edible beef on a carcass. So 4 eaters x 2 meals/day x 6 oz/meal = 48 oz/day = 3 lbs/day yielding an answer of 500/3 = 167 days assuming that they are not picky about which edible part of the cow they eat and more if the children eat less that 6 oz/meal. --Justanother 16:06, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

.....and they have a big freezer.--Shantavira 17:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Which reminds me of one of the best episodes of the Andy Griffith Show: "Bargain Day". -THB 20:11, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

A butchered cow would feed you no more than one day. See meat poisoning.

Oh, I see that meat poisoning is not a real phenonmenon according to Misplaced Pages. As you were then. Mathiemood

Meat will of course go bad if you leave it out, but as shantavira suggested if you put it in a freezer it would be fine. What do you mean by it being a hoax? --froth 20:47, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Essays

hi!!! can i get essays in english on some topics from wikepedia??? i realy need them as i am a student of 12 grade...if not, can i get some reference sources that can provide quality essays for the subject of english.........thanks

You want to write an essay about English ? If so, pick the link for our articles. If you want to write an essay on something else, let us know the topic, please. If you want us to choose the topic, no problem, write an essay on wombats. StuRat 13:50, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

You seem to be asking if it would be OK with wikipedia if you used the essays here instead of writing your own essays and, if not, where could you get some good essays to use? I am going to answer what I think is your question. Please do not take offense if I misinterpreted your question. Misplaced Pages does not really care what you do with the material here provided that you cite (let people know where you got it). Click "Cite this article" on the left of any article to see exactly how to cite that particular article. Note the warning

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most educators and professionals do not consider it appropriate to use tertiary sources such as encyclopedias as a sole source for any information — citing an encyclopedia as an important reference in footnotes or bibiliographies may result in censure or a failing grade. Misplaced Pages articles should be used for background information, as a reference for correct terminology and search terms, and as a starting point for further research.

Regarding what your teacher might think, please be aware that teachers can easily check if a paper copies from a source on the internet and exactly how much copying has been done. They use services like this one. Also see Essay mill and Plagiarism. The correct way to write an essay is, IMO, to first gain an understanding of the subject by reading lots of material then outline your essay and write as much of it as you can before you go back to the references that you will eventually cite. That way it will be something that you wrote which is what the teacher wants. --Justanother 15:31, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, although in highschool the tertiary sources rule might be a little lax. But many teachers are very distrustful of wikipedia for some reason (ostensibly because their very students might possibly have written the article), so WP might be an even worse source than an encyclopedia --froth 19:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages and Wikibooks are great starting points for researching an essay. Misplaced Pages now puts a lot of emphasis on provinding links to evidence (see links at the bottom of most pages) which allow for more research on a subject. You should check them, and other materials like printed books, as Misplaced Pages is not a reliable source - just check out Misplaced Pages:General disclaimer. If you want to quote or cite wikipedia, read Misplaced Pages:Citing Misplaced Pages. However, if you want to use whole pages, you should probably read Misplaced Pages:Copyright. Misplaced Pages allows use of information on it for free (even for commercial use), but you have to follow some rules, such as actually saying it comes from Misplaced Pages. Plagiarising Misplaced Pages is seriously dumb, as most markers will look on Misplaced Pages themselves at some point. They may even have written that page you just copied... --h2g2bob 19:24, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

One time, in Culinary School, I read off an essay lifted almost directly from a 1970-something edition of Brittannica. It was on hotels. They were deeply impressed -- at least the applause indicated such.

By risking the charge of plaigarism, I was able to bring around twenty people some good, eloquent information. So, plaigarism isn't the worst sin in the world, as long as it's done cautiously, intelligently, and with the full knowledge that you can get in very serious trouble for getting caught. Mathiemood

Kinda like going 140 on the interstate! --Justanother 01:18, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

WP:BEANS, justanother :)

That is another good one if we are discussing that lovable irreverent attitude here. --Justanother 20:56, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Note that this is basically terrible advice and it's not worth risking academic dismissal to please a roomful of people --froth 20:49, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd check with your teacher/professor before using Misplaced Pages; some people don't like the fact that it uses an open content model. I had at least one professor like that in college. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:14, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm just wondering

I was just wondering how it is that I looked up info on the PS2 and I got a picture of a penis? It was right off of yahoo search... I was ever asked if I was over 18... and never agreed to enter a site with adult content. I'm dont understand how that is allowed by Misplaced Pages. Please tell me why this is ok. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.133.91.130 (talk) 14:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

It's not OK, it's vandalism. Somebody put it there and it was quickly removed, but, unfortunately, you saw it in between. Since anyone can edit Misplaced Pages, we do suffer from quite a bit of vandalism. StuRat 14:12, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Ah, Ok thank you.... Kind of made me wonder....

Yes it's very unforunate that these things come up from time to time. We have a lot of people constantly coming and watching for vandalism but it often slips through into our articles, often deep into rarely-viewed articles. --froth 19:49, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes but, in these days of hard-drive paranoia (and deservedly so), is nobody on Misplaced Pages as concerned as myself that the innocent asker - OP - questionner here, has unwittingly committed for all-time-coming, a digital picture of a male reproductive member (I dare not use his word) to his hard-drive - and that digital image is virtually irremoveable by all but the most sophisticated IT Guru, suitably equipped, save total destruction of said hard-drive by the asker - OP - questionner? I take this matter extremely seriously and do not see it as "Yes its very unfortunate", as Froth kindly points out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.241 (talk • contribs)

Yes, an image of child pornography could end up on someones computer pretty much in the clear as many do not even clear their cache, let alone DoD wipe cluster tips. But that is one danger of the internet, you are letting it into your home; just most people are oblivious to it. I'm not too worried though as reward FAR exceeds risk. --Justanother 21:42, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Also if you use your hard drive regularly and defrag often, then deleted data tend to be irrecoverable. Filling all remaining space or wiping it completely clean (zeroing it) will do the job 100% --froth 20:53, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, filling the space in question is not enough if, for some reason, someone really wanted to find out what was on a hard drive. The sector of a harddrive altered on a write still contains a trace of it's previous states and a particularly senstive and detailed magnetic scan with appropriate forknowledge could decipher its contents. Not that your average look will find that. i kan reed 08:41, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

• Take a random site at the internet and it could have you download unsuitable images. It's not just Misplaced Pages. At least we try to check it and keep it off unrelated articles. Was there any plans to limit the use of some controversial images to only a set of relevant articles? - Mgm| 22:50, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

A death squad has been sent to the culprit's house; I'll let you know how it goes. Mathiemood

The bad image list stops certain images from being used where they're not relevant. Dave6 04:16, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure which WikiUser behaviour I detest worse than the other - secreting unsought digital pics of male genitalia in innocent looking articles for innocent browsers to stumble upon, potentially causing unknown panic, alarm, and distress; or some smart-arse like that above, pronouncing that a death squad has been deployed to deal with the perpetrator. Both actions are seriously sick, and utterly incompatible with what I thought Misplaced Pages stood for - an online, dynamic and interactive source of useful and informative user-contributed knowledge.

You're right.

I would add however, that Wikipedians are not robots; we will frequently post things that others take offense to. The trick is, is for that offense to not then create more offense, and so on and so forth until people get sick, banished, or otherwise angry. See also snowball effect, mountains out of molehills, stoicism.

And from the Stoicism article:

"Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill... I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together..." — Marcus Aurelius

Mathiemood 17:20, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Fine - thanks for the elucidation - I guess I never seriously studied the classics before I discovered Misplaced Pages. So I shall now serenely put my concerns to rest, and remain assured that WikiRespondents such as those above, can be entrusted with safeguarding the acceptability content of its pages, to say nothing of their willingness to condone Misplaced Pages as a culpability-free subscriber-contributed and entrapment porno-zone.

Oh my. Such elocution! Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:16, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Indo-US Nuclear Bill

Whats the underlying intention behind the Indo - US nuclear bill? Is it more in favor of the US? Why has India given a go ahead signal for the bill? 17:17, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

It helps India at least as much as it would help the US, if I understand correctly. You might try reading an article or two about it. --24.147.86.187 17:25, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Not everything is a zero sum game. In many cases, and arguably in this case, you can end up with a win-win situation, where both parties end up benefiting from an agreement. Most business dealings are of this nature. In the case of the nuclear bill, India gets easier access to uranium and nuclear power technology, the USA gets a new market to sell reactors to, and improves its relations with an increasingly important nation. --Robert Merkel 06:33, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

This sounds a lot like a homework question. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:02, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Sonic Adventure 2 chaos

I've been trying to breed/mate my Chaos in my chao garden, but i dont know how! i know that they get flowers around them when they're ready, but i don't know HOW to get them ready to breed. Any help is appreciated! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.187.78.108 (talk) 18:12, 10 December 2006 (UTC).

Misplaced Pages is not a game guide, but many other websites are. If this game is popular I bet some online guide is around- try googling. Friday (talk) 19:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

The external links section of the Sonic Adventure 2 article might be helpful. Skarioffszky 19:30, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Hi. I am not familiar with the game so I did a quick search on google (see). Does this help?

Chao only go into the breeding phase after they reach age 3. (usually after second evolution). When this happens depends on the chao. Sometimes I have chao at age 3 go into mating season (when the flowers grow in a circle around), and once I had a chao go into mating season right before he rencarnated.

I am afraid that I have no idea what that means. Good luck! --Justanother 21:12, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeeeeeah, they have to be adults. Which means a lot of patience. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:18, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Sign

How do I sign in in such a way that I can edit an entry and still remain signed in?

I asked this question several days ago and now I cannot find where I posed the question.

69.19.14.28 20:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

That's by default. Unless you log out yourself, or there's some error, you should be able to stay signed in automatically for a long time. 惑乱 分からん 20:10, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

• Did you check the "remember me"-box? - Mgm| 22:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Make sure you have cookies enabled. Misplaced Pages uses cookies to keep track of whether you're logged in or not. --h2g2bob 23:40, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Several people have been asking about this on the WP:Help desk (which is the best place to ask) recently. Apparently there is a problem with some ISPs. See here for a solution.--Shantavira 09:14, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Christmas Gifts

What are some gift ideas for a mother and father of 40 years of age that is under 50$ each. Jamesino 23:10, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Something nice, that you like, that would make them think of you. How about a nice piece of stained glass from a stained glass craftsman or other art? The article here is mostly about large, church-like glass but there are small shops that do beautiful pieces for very small $$. --Justanother 23:16, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

How about a nice evening out alone with dinner and a movie or some other activity they both enjoy? You can usually get a gift certificate at restaurants and the cinema. -THB 23:28, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe if you have the time, you could pick up some materials and make something for them. Ilikefood 23:35, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

For mom: get some really nice (but not really expensive) scented candles. They purify the air without having to open windows. For dad: get a really good (i.e. German or Japanese) kitchen knife. It'll make him feel like a man. Plus, you can't cook much without a very good knife in hand. Mathiemood 00:19, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh yea, you can also ask your mother what to get your father and vice versa. Be warned some men are not good gift-pickers. -THB 00:52, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I second THB's suggestion- at $50 each you can afford to take them out to a very nice restaurant for christmas dinner. I'd much rather have a nice evening and delicious dinner with my son/daughter than jewlery or candles or a knife --froth 20:58, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I was thinking that the mother and father would go out together to get away from the children but what froth said is also a good idea. -THB 11:42, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Two words: Dollar Store. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:03, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

How about an audio Bible on CD's that is dramatized and with background sounds?, Zondervan has the best I know because I enjoy mine in KJV and in NIV. It's cool because you don't always feel up to reading, you can just put on play in your car while commuting to work or longer commutes or at home and just enjoy God's Word.–Spranykot 01:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

December 11

Hedging by buying Stock 1 long and (in the same industry) Stock 2 short

I understand that this means that either way, you are guaranteed not to lose all of your money because whichever way the market goes, one of your instruments has gains that approximately outweigh the losses of the other. However, I don't understand how this is a way to assure yourself long-term positive gain. My logic is thus: Because of random market activity/noise, half of the time you will make money because your "in-the-money" instrument has a greater gain than your "out of the money" instrument, but the other half of the time, the loss will slightly outweigh the gain. This has been bugging me for a while because it does not make intuitive sense; after factoring in transaction costs and spreads and such it doesn't seem to make sense! Why and how can so many firms and hedge funds use this strategy? Thanks so much! ChowderInopa 00:05, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

1. First of all, it's not guaranteed. Period. The stock you're long can go down while the stock you're short goes up. Quickly. Or they could both go up or down which could create a gain *or* loss.
2. It doesn't work if you pick random stocks. You're looking to pick a strong stock to go long in and a weak one to short. Stock picking, by whatever means, "overcomes" randomness.
3. Transaction costs are nothing like they were thirty years ago. For practical purposes they are almost insignificant.
4. See the section "Against the box" at Short selling. You can think of this technique as if it were shorting against the box but instead of the same stock, the same industry. Being short against the box eliminates risk completely but also eliminates the possibility of further profit. (If you figure in transaction costs, including the spread, as you pointed out, it's guaranteed to be a slight loss from the starting position.) By picking different stocks in the same industry, the risk of loss is lessened compared to a naked short or long position, and the odds of gain are increased over a neutral position. The market is all about controlling risk. -THB 00:46, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

You can also write covered calls which is similiar to against the box but involves holding the stock long and sell the long derivative call of the stock (instead of shorting the stock outright). An example would be XYZ company sotck is currently selling for $100 and the June XYZ $100 call is selling for $10. By 100 shares and sell the call for $10 and your break even position $90 (hedges against a $10 loss). The cost of this is your maximum profit per share is $10. You get the $10 per share immediately and your entire position is liquidated if the price of the stock is over $100 in June. --Tbeatty 01:05, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Cruiser Craft Boats

I need information about "Cruiser Craft Boats". Please do not confuse these with "Chris Craft Boats" ! Cruiser Craft boats were built in Dallas Texas back in the mid 1950's. Thanks

See this and let us know if that is the one. --Justanother 01:03, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

YOU STOLE MY INVENTION! BANG! BANG! BANG!

• http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/167356,CST-NWS-main10.article

'I believe he just snapped': High-rise gunman became convinced attorney had stolen his idea, family says

December 10, 2006

BY ANNIE SWEENEY, STEFANO ESPOSITO AND ABDON PALLASCH Staff Reporters

... Jackson began shooting Friday at the group of West Loop attorneys he believed had stolen his dream invention -- a special port-a-potty for truckers.

... killed three people ... one was Michael R. McKenna -- a patent, trademark and copyright attorney who rented space there and was the man Jackson believed stole his idea.

... Jackson told his family that after not hearing from his attorney, he did research on the Internet and found what he believed was evidence the lawyer had patented the idea.

... If Jackson did see the name "McKenna" on a toilet-related patent, it may be from the Boston-based Cesari and McKenna firm that has no relation to Michael McKenna. The Boston firm has served as attorney/agent on 18 toilet-related patents, though none that appear too similar to Jackson's idea.

A search of the U.S. Patent office Web database finds 84 patents for Michael McKenna, only two related to toilets: a decorative toilet handle and a toilet-paper dispenser that activates a music box and fragrance dispenser when used.

Contributing: Felicia Dechter

I went to the USPTO (http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html) and searched the issued patent and published application databases and I did not see the potty patent either. What went wrong? -- Toytoy 00:44, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Likely no patent has yet been granted. -THB 01:10, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

People kill for the weirdest reasons. bibliomaniac15 01:32, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Logically Defending Beliefs (cont.)

Another question, to do with my last question, that I want to ask you to is this: Are there any books, Internet websites, or articles that contain or are about their (any of the people I've mentioned up there) statements and arguments to logically defend their faith and their responses to the criticisms of their beliefs?The Anonymous One 00:50, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Re the removal of my answer to your previous question; don't remove answers provided by other people, even if you don't like what they say. BenC7 03:40, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Did you put it back, Ben? If not then please feel free to do so. --Justanother 03:52, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Coincidentally, we are discussing setting proposed deletion policy on the RD here. Both of your input is welcomed.

You might want to put on your thinking cap and read some of the stuff by Hume and Kant. Kantian philosophy is very good for people of faith and Hume's philosophy is great for pure scientists- and both sides of the argument do a great job of kicking the snot out of the other side, so it's good feelings all round. It's not exactly the most accessable reading material though, so grab some cliff notes or something before you try to tackle them --froth 21:06, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

headless chicken lifespan ?

NatGeo TV stated today that decapitated chickens can live for 18 months !!! Is this true or false ?

See Mike the Headless Chicken. He lived "happily" for 18 months and would probably have lived longer if not for an error on the part of the owner. He had sufficient brain stem to survive after a botched "beheading" --Justanother 03:27, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

That is ridiculous! That someone on television can claim a chicken can live without a head for 18 months based on one single anomalous chicken that did happen to live 18 months after a botched beheading. According to the article, the chicken could have lived more then 18 moths, it only died because the owners didn't have the apparatus they normally use to save the chicken from choking. Pun not intended. They may as well have said that a chicken can live a healthy and normal life without a head. Vespine 23:17, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

It's not ridiculous. It's poppycock. I'd say it was asinine, but that's a whole other animal right there. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:15, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

But in all seriousness. It's fairly common for television shows to claim things like "can" and "could" when the average happenings of such a thing...uh...happening are much, much less. I wouldn't go so far as to get all flustered, but... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:15, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

the sexpistols

hi. whats the go with nancy being jewish??? Sir Sagman 03:25, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Could you rephrase that question please? I have no idea what you are asking. --Justanother 03:29, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I imagine this question to be apropos of Nancy Spungen, the girlfriend of Sid Vicious, the bassist for the Sex Pistols. The Spungen article provides that she was from a middle class Jewish family in the Huntingdon Valley area of Lower Moreland Township, Pennsylvania, and, whilst such assertion doesn't appear to have a particular source, her tombstone—situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—would seem to suggest her to have been of Jewish heritage. If the question is as to (a) how others construed Spungen's Jewishness or how she identified herself or (b) why Sid might have dated someone of Jewish heritage (I suppose one might mean to suggest that Vicious wasn't particularly religious, about the veracity of which suggestion I'm not altogether sure), I don't know that one could offer any good answer. Joe 04:48, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Keir Dullea and Brave New World?

I see in his credits and various places on the web that Keir Dullea(bowman from 2001 a space odyssey) was in a film version of the novel "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. I used to have a paperback copy of the novel with pics of the film inside. Yet i can find no information about it and I have never seen it. Did it actually get released ever? If it did...what happened to it and if it didn't why not? Any info helpful

He played Thomas Grambell in a 1980 TV version of the movie according to this IMDB entry. JackofOz 04:10, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Jump Scenes?

I was curious to see if there was a uniform phrase used to describe 'jump scenes' in feature films. I suppose the best way to define them is that they a quick moments in a scary film that make the audience 'jump.' Things seem very quiet (the music even cutting out sometimes) and then something scary happens. An Example might include the dead facehugger falling onto Ripley in Alien. This would be different from scenes which are inherently scary (.e.g., the raptor in the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park), in that the audience usually doesn't expect the scary to happen.

I've seen the scene called 'jump scenes' on various websites marketed towards parents wanting to check up on movies before their children see them. I have also seen them refered to as 'cat in the 'fridge' scenes due to that stchick. Hope you can help, and thanks in advance...

--Teh Janitor 05:31, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I always thought of them as "Make the audience yell and throw their popcorn/drink in the air" scenes. (SPOILER WARNING!)In Jaws one was where the dead guy's face plopped down through the hole in the bottom of his boat. In Wait Until Dark a bad guy who is supposed to be dead jumps out of the darkness. People in the theater actually did as I described. These scenes seemed carefully crafted and great fun except for the flying popcorn and drinks. They could also had the effect of a girl throwing her arms around a guy for protection. Edison 16:20, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

It's not just horror movies. For example, I recently saw The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2), and there's a scene where Max casually opens the door of a recently crashed big truck and a corpse falls out. But I can't think of a general name for this sort of scene. zafiroblue05 | Talk 20:56, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I've never heard a definitive name for the effect either, but it's quite widespread. I nearly wore my popcorn in one scene of Happy Feet, to be honest... Tony Fox (arf!) 16:58, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

In Spiderman there was a bit where there was a flashback that flashed across the screen so fast that people didn't even have time to scream. Everyone just kinda flinched and gasped. Ilikefood 21:19, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

how to find my question again

Hi, I'm new to this and asked a question last week, only to find that I can't locate it again. I look in contents but the list is only for about 6 days of questions and answers and I guess my question was prior to the first day listed in contents. Your advice is to wait for answers and check back for at least 30 days, but I don't know how to locate it after the contents page no longer displays my question?? Thank you all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Graceyjo (talk • contribs)

Check Misplaced Pages:Reference_desk/Archives --h2g2bob 07:52, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, I think 30 days is optimistic. Once the question is archived, you're unlikely to get any additional responses. I'd check back every day while it's here, both for answers and, in case we don't understand the question, to offer clarifications. StuRat 09:37, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

You might also click on "my contributions". The Cheverolet headrest question got no answers but the itchy ear question had several. You might try reposting the Chevrolet question again. -THB 10:32, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

The Chevrolet question is here: Misplaced Pages:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006_December_4#design_standards_for_1991_chevrolet_head_rests. (The itchy ear posting was an answer, not a question.) Wareh 03:15, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Hemi

How much does it usually cost to put a HEMI engine in a muscle car? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.115.14.36 (talk • contribs)

That would depend on several factors:

1. Are you doing it or a shop?
2. Which HEMI engine are you putting in?
3. How many modifications to the car will you have to make to get the engine to fit?
4. Where are you getting the engine from? Crate engine or from a junkyard?

There may be more things to consider but that's just off the top of my head. Dismas| 08:14, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

So, based on the above, maybe $500 if you find a decent or rebuildable junk engine, and can do all the fabrication work yourself, to perhap $15,000 or more to have a shop do it all for you with a fairly mildly tweaked engine. If you give us more details on your idea we can help you more. --Justanother 16:45, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

This may be the kind of question that's better answered by asking for quotes from garages than by asking at the reference desk. Assuming you're referring to one of Chrysler's famous line of hemi engines, you can find an encyclopedia article about them at Chrysler_Hemi_engine. A discussion of the general idea of hemispherical combustion chambers can be found at Hemi engine. Friday (talk) 18:17, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Facility Management & Employee Services

Dear All,

I wish to find out best practices and trends in Facility Mgt and Employee related services across BPO's & IT companies in India.

Regards A M

Facility management might be a good place to start. I see there's an International Facility Management Association; their website might be helpful. Dave6 08:45, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

hiv test

is getting a hiv test while poor and unable to afford treatment paramount to asking "will i die in the next decade?"? Thankjs -DON

No, because there are various ways to get free treatment. StuRat 09:39, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

If you tell us where you live we might be able to point you in the right direction. Remember, taking the test does not affect your HIV status, it just tells you your existing status. You may find that you are negative. It is possible to be exposed many times without being infected. -THB 10:24, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

There is a more general issue here, as well, that doctors frequently have trouble persuading people to take a test for a condition if they have no treatment for it. In the case of AIDS, there may be a treatment, and it's also important to know your status to avoid infecting others. However, diseases do exist (like some genetic diseases), which are neither infectious nor in any way treatable. In those cases, I tend to agree, the cost of the test, however low, would seem to outweigh the benefit, which is none. StuRat 10:38, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Pragmatic question on CDS (accounting question)

Hi all,

I got some CDS ( on single names and on index ) and I've to calculate everyday the MtM and the accruals. My question is the following one : If I calculate my fund in D-1, at which date should I calculate the accruals and the MtM ? I heard that I've to use a curve in D-1 but that the interest and MtM should be calculated at D !!! ( Markets convention ?? ) Is there a written convention which define such rules ?

Many thanks

David

Please expand your acronyms, and then maybe we can help you. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 17:03, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

medicine

Frequent refrence desk responders may wish to review hidden comments below What user alleged these things?

where do i get the tablet APHRODISIAC, please give me the address, i need it urgently, you can send me a mail to the following email id. <email removed> its very urgent please. waiting for your reply — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.164.125 (talk • contribs)

The reference desk cannot help you acquire narcotics. However, we have excellent articles on MDMA and Aphrodisiac. I had previously deleted this question in the interest of the encyclopedia. It was restored by User:Gandalf61 Hipocrite - «Talk» 15:52, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Aphrodisiacs are not tablets – instead, it is a general term for agents causing the arousal of the mood of sexual desire. Try chocolate or oysters, for example. The only known synthetic aphrodisiac is a nasal spray called bremelanotide. The drug is currently in the testing phase. –mysid☎ 15:57, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

There are foods and natural herbal substances (see Herbalism) that are considered by many to act as aphrodisiacs. See the article on Aphrodisiac already mentioned for some ideas and you should be able to purchase them at your local health foods store or at online health food vendors. --Justanother 15:59, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm fairly certain that if you were only to have waited ten minutes or so, an advert for such products would have been sure to appear in your E-Mail box. And in a few more moments, a fine upstanding gentleman from Nigeria would probably have offered you a way to raise the money to buy the product.

Atlant 17:37, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't think any good end is served by answering this question, for those of us (skeptics) who tend to be incredulous about the efficacy of purported sexual stimulants to do so on a site devoted to scholarly pursuits is really just helping someone throw their money away on chicanery. But since the OP asked specifically for an 'aphrodisiac pill', s/he can feel free to spend their hard-earned dosh on one of these products. Anchoress 16:08, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Anchoress, never discount the placebo effect, especially on something as subjective as libido. --Justanother 16:40, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Chocolate is said to have aphrodiastic properties but I imagine it works best suitably wrapped and presented with flowers. --Justanother 16:49, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

In the immortal words of Ogden Nash, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." TenOfAllTrades(talk) 16:58, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Please clarify your question. Are you asking about how to obtain an aphrodisiac or an illegal street drug similar to MDMA? -THB 18:29, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Coke machine keys

Do coke machines all have the same ACE style lock / tumbler key set? Are they interchangable? Ie... if I buy 10 coke machines that all take ACE (round) cylinder keys, will I need to rekey them all to a central key, or will my ACE key automatically work on all of them?

No, ACE keys come in gazillions of combinations. You can get them all different or keyed alike. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. -THB 18:42, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

They certainly don't work like the locks on computer cabinets. Believe me. I've tried. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:20, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Disturbing movies

I remember being extremely disturbed, back when I was about four years old. I was watching a movie at home on the television, in the early 80s. There was a scene where the passengers aboard an airplane were experiencing turbulence. First, the movie showed actual people in plane seats. Then, it showed dummies in the same plane, being shaken around as a special effect.

In my four-year-old brain, I concluded that being on a plane could turn somebody into a lifeless, blank-expressioned dummy. I was severely creeped out!

Anyone remember what this movie might have been? I'm guessing it's theater release was around 1975-1982. I cannot recall any other details, except there being flight turbulence, and there being dummies. Mathiemood 18:56, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Millennium (film) Hipocrite - «Talk»

No, don't think it's that one. Millennium was released in 1989. Mathiemood

Airplane!? -THB 20:03, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Funny, that was exactly my instinct as well, but it's been so long since I've seen it that I couldn't remember for certain if such a scene was indeed part of the movie (though it certainly sounds like something that they'd do). Really odd to think of Airplane! as a "disturbing movie" though... ;-) --Maelwys 20:09, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

It is indeed Airplane!. Proto::► 12:03, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Hotel management

How can I find any schools that teach people to start a new job in this area?

It's all in the terminology. See hospitality management for a few suggestions. -THB 21:32, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Sigh. Which country are you in? --Tagishsimon (talk)

Nice Scarfs and headdressings

How do people tie their neck scrafs in so many different knots? I also have no idea how middle eastern guys tie those headdressings ether, what do they call them Kaffiahs? Thanks a bunch

Well I googled 'neck and head scarf knots' and got a bunch of results, why not try checking some of the links? Anchoress 21:09, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Post Orgasm problem

After i had an orgasm i felt like i needed to pee really bad. I went pee but the feeling did not go away for about an hour. This has happened to me 3-4 times now. It's really uncomfortable and i have to stand over the toilet for an hour or else i feel like im going to pee my pants. No lubrication used, so it wasn't a reaction. What is this?? Help! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.7.0.44 (talk • contribs) I AM A MALE. AND THIS ONLY HAPPENS AFTER I ORGASM. NOT DURING PLEASURE.

Are you male or female? Were you able to void normally? Is it only after coitus? Probably you should talk to a urologist if you're male or your gynecologist if you're female. It's not always a problem but it could be. Do you have the feeling during intercourse as well? When exactly does it start? -THB 21:31, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Medical questions are one area where the reference desk is particularly ill-equipped to give the necessary help. I would suggest asking this question to a doctor, or check a medicine-specific website such as webmd.com. Good luck. Friday (talk) 21:33, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Definitely talk to a doctor, I'm NOT one but it could be a mild thrush or non specific urethritis. In any case, I wouldn't be too worried, most of those things are trivial to clear up but will need to be identified and treated. Vespine 21:56, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the additional info. It's not an unusual feeling but it normally does not last so long. There is no need to panic, but you do need to see a doctor and if your sexual partner has any symptoms or if your doctor diagnoses you with an infection he or she should see a doctor as well. It is not unusual for someone with an asymptomatic infection to reinfect their partner repeatedly. You might try emptying your bladder prior to intercourse as well. It could just be from irritation, there are many possible causes. Let us know how everything turns out. -THB 23:10, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Read sexual intercourse. During sex (or orgasm), urination is prevented to allow ejaculation. This is my speculation, but don't take my word to seriously. bibliomaniac15 01:30, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Heeeeeey...didn't I ask this question a while ago? (As it turns out...yes, on the science desk. At the beginning of the year. Funny how things like this come full circle.) Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:29, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Gambling

Is online gambling legal in California and where are the sites licensed or registered usually?

Online gambling is generally held to be illegal under U.S. federal law. See more deatil in link. Rmhermen 01:58, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, it is legal to play poker (and I assume casino games as well) online in the U.S., except in a few states, e.g. Washington, where it is specifically banned. Bush recently signed the SAFE Port Act in which an earmark made it illegal for banks, credit card companies and Neteller to deposit money for you to a gambling site, but if you already had a balance there, you could still play. You can also deposit money other ways that are not so convenient, but still legal, e.g. money order. Check out Pokerstars, Bodog, etc. for info about where they are registered. Clarityfiend 02:14, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Fountain Speed

I always hear about "60 gallons per minute" or such numbers for a fountain, or generally any type of water spout like a bathtub, but is this fast or not?

For example, what is the speed of a single small one inch diameter water jet that comes out of a fountain at moderate (normal) speed? I assume that this, multiplied by the number of such water jets, would result in the total output (as above, 60 gpm) of the fountain? Or is there some exponential factor because more fountains dilutes the pressure?

possible answer: from what i have learned, it simply means the amount of water that passes through a system within a given time period. increased pressure increases the amount, as does increased tube diameter. if your talking about a simple home zen fountain, 60gpm is crazy, but the fountain in front of the plaza royale is about that amount.

A water-conserving toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush. A water conserving shower uses about 2.5 gallons per minute. So 60 gallons per minute would be like flushing an efficient toilet 37.5 times in a minute or 24 efficient shower heads flowing at once. -THB 23:04, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

This is a question in fluid mechanics. If you know the size of the jet and the height you want it to reach, you can calculate the needed pump capacity. --Justanother 23:08, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Two good links for you: a tutorial in fountain design and a cascade nozzle spec sheet that gives flow rates. --Justanother 00:38, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

the definition of triple action.

i am looking for a definition of a "triple action weapon". from what i can tell it means one of two things. 1)a three barreled gun, but i doubt it. that would be too cool 2)a weapon that shoots three rounds with one trigger pull.

Automatic weapons like an M-16 often have selective fire; single shot, full auto, and burst modes with burst being three shots. --Justanother 23:03, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

See Trigger (firearms) for info on "double action" and "single action". I've never heard of anything called "triple action" but maybe it was made up by someone who didn't understand what "double action" and thought it sounded one better. Friday (talk) 23:05, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

There is no such thing. A single action weapon, is one where, to simply put it, pulling the trigger causes the hammer to drop from the cocked position, striking the firing pin against the primer, and shooting the round. A double action weapon is one where pulling the trigger first cocks the trigger, then fires the weapon. The difference is that a single action weapon requires that the hammer be cocked prior to trigger pull, and a double action one does not. Some weapons are Double Action/Single Action, in which the first trigger pull is double action, and subsequent ones are single action (after the first shot, the hammer recocks itself). Others are double action only (DAO), in which the hammer remains in the down position after every shot until the next trigger squeeze. Hope that helps. ⇒ SWATJester 23:26, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Sonic Advance 2&3 Final Zones

Why are the final zones for Sonic Advance 2 and 3 called "True Area 51" and "Nonaggression" respectively?

(This refers to the videogame series Sonic Advance.) 惑乱 分からん 01:18, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Because the game designer is obviously CRAZY. I wouldn't know; I haven't been that far yet. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:30, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

December 12

Album

I'm looking for the title of an album I have, I'm pretty sure its a store-bought, not a mix

the songs, in order, are 1. Presidential Speech Montage - Various Presidents 2. The Pledge of Allegiance - Children of America 3. America the Beautiful - United We Sing Chorus 4. Amazing Grace - Lee Greenwood 5. God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood 6. Made in the USA - The Wright Brothers 7. America - The Wright Brothers 8. The Star Spangled Banner - Sarah Austin 9. God Bless America - Hope's Temple 10. Alleluia - The Wright Brothers

--Omnipotence407 00:27, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

An American Collection or God Bless The USA. Are these homemade compilations? --Justanother 00:33, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Crumpers

Just tell me this if you know. Why do the big crumping farts leave more impression on the underwaer than the silent emissions.

Umm...maybe this is regional slang, but would you mind explaining what "crumping" is? bibliomaniac15 01:27, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Its like Kerrr- ummpp sound Tair

Is it like "hydrated flatualation" on this list: ? That's the way I understood it but apparently there is some confusion. -THB 03:47, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. -THB 02:55, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

This would be the kind of fart you associate with the standard fart "sound." And it probably has something to do with the fact that there may be little bits of fecal matter in your...uh...fart gas. I don't know; IANAD. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:32, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Easy access songs on the Internet

After reading this article, I became hooked by its easy access over a funny website . Now, whenever I'm editing, I play this song in another tab and I get all hyped up. Is there any other equally easily accesible songs from Trans-Siberian Orchestra and others out there? --JDitto 01:40, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

The i-Tunes store has plenty of their stuff. -THB 10:37, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Sharing Weed pipes

Are there any risks of contracting diseases, infections, illnesses by sharing metal/wood marijuana smoking pipes with someone else? Jamesino 01:40, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

All these lovely diseases. Anchoress 01:43, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

No more so than french kissing everyone you're sharing them with. -THB 02:38, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Some pastors/priests and altar guild ladies in churches believe that wiping a communion chalice with a linen napkin between people sipping wine from it reduces the chance of catching the previous 100 persons' colds or other pathogens. Seems like it would operate on much the same basis and with as little efficacy with respect to spreading disease. Edison 06:43, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

That would be considered quite rude unless you made a big joke about someone slobbering all over the shared drug delivery device. -THB 10:31, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Design question - Looking for a specific typeface

I am trying to recreate a screen from an old vector-based videogame. Does anyone know of a typeface that replicates the look of text in Asteroids or Tempest? --72.202.150.92 02:39, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Could you provide us with links to examples of the fonts you listed? Anchoress 02:41, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Try here (actually, try "Alien" there too) or continue from google. --Justanother 02:43, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

One problem you'll encounter is that the old vector-generated typefaces tended to not be "constant brightness". That is, near the end of the strokes, the electon beam often moved more slowly, creating a higher intensity of light on that portion of the stroke. To truly replicate the effect, you'd probably need fonts that are not just black/white but include grey-scale effects. Noise on the deflection systems also tended to make the strokes of the characters wander a little bit. And, of course, the entire image flickered based on how quickly the vector system was able to refresh the entire image. For these reasons and more, true vector graphics are still very distinguishable from all but the very best raster-graphics simulations of vector graphics.

Atlant 15:21, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd recommend simply drawing them by hand, providing you only have to write the odd "1UP" or "GAME OVER". Alternatively, the font OCR A Extended looks vectorish in capital letters, although you would need to tweak the odd letter pixel by pixel. Laïka 16:38, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Here's an example I found. I'm not looking for pixel perfection, just something close. --24.249.108.133 17:25, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, no can see image (work cybernanny says no games). --Justanother 17:49, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

You'd almost certainly have to add the bright spots by hand; I don't know of any fonts with those sorts of corners. Laïka 19:54, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Smurrayinchester raises a good point above. OCR A extended (and its monospaced friends OCR A and OCR B) all make good sort of 80's computer game font simulations like you're looking for. Using the right options in a program like Photoshop, you could easily get them to look like something from Asteroids; try varying your font width and height. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 13:54, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Courbet

Why is there an image of a famous Courbet painting at the articles on Susan Sarandon and Jake Gyllenhall? It seems out of place. -THB 04:20, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Follow-up: Would that be considered to be pornography even if the original painting is not considered to be pornography? -THB 04:22, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

There's been some problem over the past few days with sneaky vandalism to templates; nudie pics etc. If it's not gone very soon you should report it to WP:AN/I or the help desk. Anchoress 04:56, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism of this type is intellectual pornography. JackofOz 05:19, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

No vandalism is intellectual, in my opinion (no acronyms for me!). bibliomaniac15 05:25, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, Susan Sarandon is my favorite actress so it seemed an appropriate homage there but on Jake Gyllenhall the pic of him in the article has him with a sort of beard and mustache so it looked a bit like him and was humorous in a disturbing way. Of course, I'm sure none of that was intended by the vandal. -THB 10:23, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Repairing Damaged Cash

I have a Canadian 5 dollar bill with some tears here and there. I used some tape to fix it up a bit. I wondered if this was even legal? I'm going to try to see, just for fun, whether someone will accept it tommorow. It's not in horrible condition or anything but you can see the tears and you'll see the tape keeping things together with just a second of investigation. - Pyro19 05:59, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

• The US government, anyway, is extremely liberal about accepting damaged currency. I remember some story about a cow eating hundreds or thousands of dollars, and the farmer recovering it from the cow's stomach to mail it in to the Mint. Amazing, he was compensated in crisp new bills.--Pharos 06:06, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

If nothing else, you can take it to a bank and they'll trade you for a nice one. As long as it's legal tender (and not a half a bill), the government will buy it from the bank and recycle it. Go Canada! Anchoress 06:46, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Like the first respondant, I'm not aware of the Canadian laws but I would think that the U.S. laws are similar. In the U.S., as long as you have the serial number portion of the bill, I think a bank is required to give you a new bill. I know someone who cut the grass for my town's parks. He sometimes would see bills as they exited the mower. He'd grab the biggest parts he could find and turn them into the bank for a new bill. Didn't happen often but it did happen. Dismas| 08:38, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

You might contact the Bank of Canada for more info. The page they have on mutiliated currency: doesn't specify, but in the U.S., you must have over 50% of the bill to redeem it. Even if repairing a bill is a crime, I think it unlikely that you are charged. -THB 10:29, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

The U.S. law concerning the tearing or whatever of bills and coins can be found here . Dismas| 10:57, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Under Canadian law, there's actually no specific reference to defacing notes. Instead, the law (as written) refers only to 'coins', the defacing of which is illegal: . (Mind you, the Bank of Canada appreciates it if you don't deface banknotes, just because it shortens the notes' lifespan and makes more frequent replacement necessary: .) In any event, making an effort to maintain or repair a damaged note certainly shouldn't be a problem. Wherever you spend the note, the merchant will deposit it with their bank; the bank will then pull the note from circulation for replacement with a fresh one from the Bank of Canada. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:20, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I would reccomend taking it to a bank and asking the cashier. In the UK its still legal so long as you have both serial numbers IN FULL and the queens face with the number attached to one or more of these bits. As Canada is ex-empire I would hope that it is the same. HTH AMX 18:54, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

preseason football 1966

you'd think it would be on the web somewhere but i'm drawing a blank... need a site with preseason results for NFL and AFL games 1966, preferably with dates the games were played...thanx ---stolf

I don’t know of any one site that has preseason scores. But if you go to individual teams’ websites, you might be able to find them. I looked up 1966 for you. (For regular season scores, go to The NFL History Network.) — Michael J 06:59, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

National Football League

Monday, August 1

Philadelphia Eagles 9, Atlanta Falcons 7 (at Atlanta)

Wednesday, August 3

Baltimore Colts 35, Washington Redskins 0 (at Washington)

Friday, August 5

Green Bay Packers 38, College All-Stars 0 (at Chicago)

Saturday, August 6

New York Giants 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 14 (at Ithaca, N.Y.)

Philadelphia Eagles 40, Chicago Bears 21 (at Chicago)

Minnesota Vikings 6, Detroit Lions 6 (at New Orleans)

St. Louis Cardinals 20, Atlanta Falcons 10 (at St. Louis)

Los Angeles Rams 16, Cleveland Browns 6 (at Los Angeles)

Sunday, August 7

Dallas Cowboys 24, San Francisco 49ers 13 (at San Francisco)

Thursday, August 11

St. Louis Cardinals 28, Detroit Lions 14 (at Detroit)

Friday, August 12

Chicago Bears 13, Green Bay Packers 10 (at Milwaukee)

Saturday, August 13

New York Giants 14, Atlanta Falcons 7 (at Nashville)

Dallas Cowboys 20, Los Angeles Rams 10 (at Los Angeles)

Baltimore Colts 31, Philadelphia Eagles 17 (at New Orleans)

Minnesota Vikings 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 6 (at Portland, Oregon)

Sunday, August 14

Cleveland Browns 28, San Francisco 49ers 17 (at San Francisco)

Friday, August 19

Baltimore Colts 33, St. Louis Cardinals 17 (at St. Louis)

Saturday, August 20

Chicago Bears 24, Washington Redskins 10 (at Norfolk, Va.)

New York Jets 31, Miami Dolphins 14 (at Jacksonville)

Dallas Cowboys 21, Green Bay Packers 3 (at Dallas)

Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Diego Chargers 21 (at Anaheim, Calif.)

Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 10 (at Minnesota)

Pittsburgh Steelers 34, San Francisco 49ers 17 (at Portland, Oregon)

Cleveland Browns 42, Atlanta Falcons 3 (at Atlanta)

Sunday, August 21

New York Giants 17, Detroit Lions 7 (at New Haven, Conn.)

Friday, August 26

Minnesota Vikings 30, Washington Redskins 27 (at Cleveland)

Baltimore Colts 24, Cleveland Browns 17 (at Cleveland)

Saturday, August 27

Philadelphia Eagles 24, New York Giants 23 (at Princeton, N.J.)

Dallas Cowboys 20, Detroit Lions 10 (at Tulsa, Okla.)

Green Bay Packers 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 6 (at Green Bay)

Los Angeles Rams 32, St. Louis Cardinals 14 (at Los Angeles)

Atlanta Falcons 24, San Francisco 49ers 17 (at Columbia, S.C.)

Thursday, September 1

Baltimore Colts 20, Detroit Lions 10 (at Detroit)

Friday, September 2

Dallas Cowboys 28, Minnesota Vikings 24 (at Dallas)

Chicago Bears 22, St. Louis Cardinals 20 (at Chicago)

Saturday, September 3

Green Bay Packers 37, New York Giants 10 (at Milwaukee)

Washington Redskins 35, Philadelphia Eagles 20 (at Washington)

Los Angeles Rams 29, San Francisco 49ers 9 (at Los Angeles)

Cleveland Browns 14, Pittsburgh Steelers 10 (at Birmingham, Ala.)

American Football League

Tuesday, August 2

Houston Oilers 26, Oakland Raiders 17 (at Houston)

Saturday, August 6

San Diego Chargers 38, Miami Dolphins 10 (at San Diego)

Kansas City Chiefs 32, Denver Broncos 30 (at Denver)

Sunday, August 7

Buffalo Bills 19, Boston Patriots 13 (at Boston)

Friday, August 12

Kansas City Chiefs 33, Miami Dolphins 0 (at Miami)

Buffalo Bills 25, Denver Broncos 3 (at Buffalo)

Saturday, August 13

New York Jets 16, Houston Oilers 10 (at Birmingham, Ala.)

Oakland Raiders 17, San Diego Chargers 7 (at San Diego)

Saturday, August 20

Boston Patriots 21, Oakland Raiders 10 (at Anaheim, Calif.)

New York Jets 31, Miami Dolphins 14 (at Jacksonville)

Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Diego Chargers 21 (at Anaheim, Calif.)

Buffalo Bills 28, Houston Oilers 16 (at Little Rock, Ark.)

Wednesday, August 24

Denver Broncos 28, Miami Dolphins 16 (at Memphis)

Saturday, August 27

San Diego Chargers 31, Boston Patriots 13 (at San Diego)

New York Jets 34, Buffalo Bills 17 (at Allentown, Pa.)

Kansas City Chiefs 31, Houston Oilers 20 (at Kansas City)

Sunday, August 28

Oakland Raiders 52, Denver Broncos 21 (at Denver)

Thursday September 1

New York Jets 41, Boston Patriots 3 (at Mobile, Ala.)

Crabs

I think i have crabs, butdo not want to go to the doctor. further more there are no pictures of them along with the article, so i cant be sure so... 1 is there an easier way to get rid of them other than going to the doctor and 2 wether the answer to question 1 or by going to the doctor, will the treatment damage the hair? 3 if i have it in underarm hair, and dont seem to have it anywhere else, does that mean it is only underarms or that it is everywhere and i just cant see it

Please review our article on Crab louse Hipocrite - «Talk» 16:21, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

You can do a Google image search for "crab lice" : but remember that they are very small and best seen with a magnifying glass. Most people don't go to a doctor for treatment and use over-the-counter medication. However, some lice are resistant to treatment and in that case there are indeed prescription medications available. You would have to read the label to see if the medication damages hair. If you have hair anywhere else on your body including your eyebrows and head you might have lice there as well. The over-the-counter medication usually comes with a comb to remove the eggs which are attached to the base of the individual hairs as well as instructions on cleaning bedding, etc. -THB 16:30, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

If this is a recent question...why is it archived? Someone needs to go kick the archive bot in the arse. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:34, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Archive bot has nothing to do with it, that was User:Hipocrite's addition. --Maelwys 16:37, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Then, for the love of sanity, it shall be User:Cernen's omission. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 17:08, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much, that is much appreciated, and how much would it cost? Uk prices? :-)

Sorry, someone from the UK will have to answer, in the US, no more than the equivalent of 7 or 8 pounds. -16:41, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

If you go to the article sucking louse, you will find that there are (at least) three species of lice that infest humans. If you really have crabs, or pubic lice, they are unlikely to live in the hair on your scalp. Pubic lice tend to stick to the pubic area, where they tend to arrive via sex with an infected partner. They may also live in armpits, beards, and eyebrows, however. Other kinds of lice are more wide-ranging. Marco polo 17:06, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Frank Zappa used to recommend Gentian Violet. But he was a musician, not a doctor. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Why not just shave? Or is that too simple a solution? Anchoress 22:58, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought that was supposed to not work... Cbrown1023 23:11, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe. What do I know, I've never had them, lol. It just seems logical that if you have bugs living in your armpit hair, shave your armpits. Anchoress 00:17, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

They burrow and live below the surface of the skin, so washing or shaving won't help. Instead, apply neat whisky which makes them drunk, happy, and careless and they will fall off as a result. It's called killing with kindnes.

Home made

Are there any narcotics that can be made easily at home?

Coffee --Justanother 16:34, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh, please. Coffee is not a narcotic. The answer is no, unless you can get your hands on some marijuana seeds and a couple of fluorescent lights. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 16:35, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, if you look at narcotic that refers to opium derivatives or, less formally, any illegal drug. Since we will not address illegal drugs (I hope) we are "converting" the question to one on legal drugs and in that context caffeine is most definitely a drug - a stimulant. So set me up, Joe. I got my works right here. --Justanother 17:00, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Touché. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 17:06, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Papaver somniferum is perfectly legal to grow in most countries. The seeds are frequently found on bagels and other baked goods. -THB 16:37, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Overall, if you want to know which drugs are easiest to grow or make, simply look at the price. Generally, the lower the price, the easier to make or grow, and the higher the price, the more difficult it is to make. Economics can answer many questions not asked of it. -THB 17:05, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Please do not provide innacurate information on the Reference Desk, as you have done above. Econometric studies have made it very clear that the major driving factor in the price of drugs is the cost of capture. Review "Economic Aspects of Illicit Drug Markets and Drug Enforcement Policies," ADAM WAGSTAFF, Addiction Volume 84 Issue 10 Page 1173 - October 1989, among numerous others. Hipocrite - «Talk» 17:17, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

A friend once gave what he thought was chemistry ebook. It turned about to be a guide how to make recreational drugs. I read the introduction, but I didn't have the chemistry background to understand the rest (hence I need a real chemistry ebook). The author basically said that you shouldn't try to make drugs unless you have a strong chemistry background and a few thousand dollars to spend on quality lab equipment. So to answer you question - NO, you can make drugs at home but it is costly and difficult. Jon513 17:57, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Chloroform, which is an anesthetic, can be made using ordinary kitchen and laundry chemicals. –mysid☎ 19:17, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe its a bad idea to be taking drugs, anyway... Taking drugs can kill you. They're a bad idea. Anyone agree with me? Ilikefood 21:30, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Ilikefood, please note that "The Reference desk is not a soapbox" (see the guide to answering questions above). - CHAIRBOY (☎) 22:31, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Please note: the questioner did not ask about narcotics that could be made legally or economically. The question said easily. (I don't have an answer, but some of the answers above did not relate to the question.) — Michael J 22:45, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

The answer to the original post is is that the only "easy" drug to produce would be opium and papaveretum, as per THB. Anything more would require a very good knowledge of chemistry. Poppies grown for flowers are not the type used for opium production, but some do still contain it. The cost of the product is low (in my country less than 1$ per gram for morphine powder), due to the relative ease of production, no development or patent expenses, and no illicitness. Codeine is synthesised from morphine, so it works out to be more expensive, though less controlled and considered "safer". Eating a few poppy seed rolls can cause qualitative blood tests for opioids to turn up positive. THB's point is well made, scientific and valid. --Seejyb 22:55, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Salvia divinorum is legal in some places, was made illegal in Australia and some states of the US, there is a list in the above article. I've had it and enjoyed the experience, if it isn't illegal where you are I recommend you try it before it is made illegal.. If you are into that kind of thing;). Vespine 23:49, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I've known of a bunch of idiots who made Methamphetamine in their homes without high priced lab equipment. This satisfies the low technical knowledge and "at home" standards. Dismas| 01:37, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Acutally, I agree with User: Ilikefood. I don't think we should be answering questions like this. A little "WP: soapbox" rule does not preclude common sense. Providing people with information on which drugs they can grow the most easily is irresponsible. By the same argument you could say that we should be giving people advice on what the most painless way is to commit suicide. BenC7 02:24, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Rope tied to a tree, then around the neck, then you stomp on the gas and start driving as fast as possible. Wait, was that a question? "Common sense" is anything but common, and it sounds like you're advocating censorship. Misplaced Pages is international, so if you're concerned about legalities, then perhaps you should keep in mind that there are other countries than where you reside. If it's a moral issue, then I look forward to reading your explanation on why you know The One True Way. Please provide references. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 02:31, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh I'm sorry! You're right, let's contribute to an international problem. How silly of me. BenC7 11:05, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I suggest any people following the legality thread here take a look at the Paladin Press lawsuit Rice v. Paladin in the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the book Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors which sparked it. The full text is easily found with a google search or through the link from our article on the publisher. This came up in one of my university courses titled The (U.S.) First Amendment and the Internet. —WAvegetarian•(talk) 03:31, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I looked, but I didn't understand. Could you summarise it or link to a news item? Anchoress 03:35, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Guy writes book "How to be a hit man"; another guy follows instructions and kills three; family of victims sues publisher and publisher settles for millions. Implication being, I imagine, that we should not give advice that can get wikipedia in trouble. --Justanother 05:49, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Is the further implication of that that you should not have mentioned that book? --Justanother 05:52, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Grow shrooms. Cheap, little specialized knowledge required, legal in many countries, (and best of all) plenty of info available on Misplaced Pages. I think the encyclopedia itself has sidestepped the issue of Reference Desk gatekeepers. Lowerarchy 17:56, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Supermarket/Retail psychology

I'm looking for resources that explain shop design/retail science, ideally free online content but if not some links to good books. I remember reading somewhere about how supermarkets organise the layout of their stores, or how many shops do not put clocks in-store as it is a trigger for people to think 'oh i must go'. I also heard that most stores organise their layout to make it easy to get 'deep' into the store where the high-profit produce is and much harder to leave. Anything that looks at things like this in greater detail would be very welcomed. ny156uk 17:37, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

You may wish to review Supermarket which links to "Henry Petroski, Shopping By Design: Supermarkets, like other inventions, didn't just happen; they were designed, developed—and patented., American Scientist Volume: 93 Number: 6 Page: 491" - http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/47364 Hipocrite - «Talk» 17:46, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Try this Google: . -THB 17:48, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

An aside: like all things, reading a book is not going to help you much in becoming an expert in store layout design. It's a matter of good sense; a book cannot confer good sense, no matter how well-written it may be. Vranak 18:23, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Most large stores have instore bakeries, the smell of freshly baked bread makes you hungry and thus buy more or atleast thats the idea, this is probrably done deliberatly but I can't prove it.AMX 19:22, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks the responses, proving most valuable. ny156uk 19:41, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

If you've ever been to Ikea, you'll know just what a nightmare this psychology can be: the main route through the store is long and windy, taking you through every showroom whether you want to go there or not; the short cuts are always behind so they seem like long cuts, the lack of natural light and twisty path disorientates you, and by the time you get to the tills, you are exhausted/disoriented that you'll buy some extra stuff at the tills (sweets, light bulbs, screws, meatballs) just as a "reward" to yourself for succeeding. And yet people will stampede their way into the shops to experience this! Now that's psychology! Laïka 19:58, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

N156uk, you might also look briefly at casino design. It has some overlapping characteristics and some of them are taken to extremes. -THB 20:32, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Using your web site on a work cited page

I am writing a paper on Gian Lorenzo Bernini and I used your web site as one of my sources. I am having trouble finding the name of the editor of the page I viewed, the electronic publication and the name of the sponsoring institution. Do you have that information?

See WP:CW. Pay particular attention to the cautionary statements. -THB 21:29, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

For the newer folks who may be reading this, WP:CW is a shortcut for Misplaced Pages:Citing Misplaced Pages --hydnjo talk 21:58, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Best way to eat a lot

After Christmas, on the 26, my friends and I go out to eat. We always hold a little contest to see who can eat the most buffalo wings, or something like that. I am curious--is there a way to prepare for this, without radically changing my diet? Can I use a stratedgy while eating to maximize the amount of wings I can eat? Thanks for any suggestions. --71.98.10.52 23:06, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Competitive eating mentions training with water but I would also imagine that you would want to start training by eating large quantities of food too. --Justanother 23:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm... 2 weeks? I don't think there's enough time for that. I think the best you could do would be to just not eat for a day or so before the contest. I doubt there's any stomach stretching training you could do to practice. What I understand is that competitive eaters have an advantage partly because they lack fatty layers between their organs, so their stomachs can stretch more. So maybe instead of practicing by overeating, you should go on a diet. Anchoress 23:23, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Ahhh. I've always been surprised at how trim and fit champion eaters are. That always struck me as counter-intuitive. --Justanother 23:46, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

As disgusting as it may sound, if you are serious about competitive eating, you need to learn to prevent yourself from expelling vomitus. Competitive eating has been a topic here before. If you allow vomitus to escape your mouth, you're disqualified. -THB 23:26, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Well thats pretty clear othervise bulimics would be the worlds best super eaters. Joneleth 23:31, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I think skipping a day of eating is a bit extreme, depends how serious you are taking it I guess! I used to have these types of contests with my friends too and I think skipping one meal before is almost as good as skipping any longer amount of time. Your stomach will be practically empty just from skipping one meal. Also, if there is no time limit, pace your self, do not eat quickly even more importantly CHEW very well. Chew until you think you have chewed enough and then chew a little more, literally until you can feel the food as paste in your mouth. That way you'll get the biggest amount of food in the least volume into your stomach. Vespine 23:43, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I think that if you started stuffing yourself with one large meal each day from now to Christmas and then just a light breakfast on the big day, that you will have conditioned yourself as much as you can in that period. --Justanother 23:48, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

@Vespine: You might be right about the time of not eating, but I disagree with you about eating slowly. After 20 minutes of eating your brain gives the signal to stop being hungry, so it's better to try to beat that clock. That's why they tell people on reducing diets to eat slowly. Ditto on the chewing thing; you feel fuller when you really chew your food. Anchoress 23:51, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for all of your responses! This has really been enlightening. This isn't too serious, just a little contest my buddies and I have, mainly for bragging rights and a free meal. Again, thanks a bunch. --71.98.10.52 23:55, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

What you're hungry for will depend on what your body wants. If you crave turkey, it's because you want turkey enzymes and proteins and so on. Really, the best way to binge would be to binge on something you haven't had in a long long time. Vranak 00:52, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Do you really want to skip Christmas dinner just to win the day-after contest? Sounds like cutting off your nose to spite your face. User:Zoe|(talk) 19:11, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Just eat as much as you can, as quickly as you can. The hard part is keeping it in afterwards... | AndonicO 19:39, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Every time I've eaten an incredible amount of food, I've noticed that it has been after a few days of excessive eating. People who go to three or four Christmas dinners with the extended family might have noticed the same thing. I can't think of a solid reason, but it seems that my stomach is all stretched out and ready for a huge meal... so my advice: eat more, not less, for a few days beforehand. Lowerarchy 20:17, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I find that if I'm really hungry, I can't eat much before I get full. Maybe the stomach shrinks when it's empty? I wouldn't go for more than a day beforehand without eating --froth 20:32, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

To train for competitave eating, try to eat very little for about a week ahead of time. eat mostly simple carbohydrates and stay away from large amounts of fatty or protein rich foods as these are more difficult to digest. then the night before a competition, eat as much simple carbs as you can. i suggest about 3 or 4 pounds of mashed potatoes, about a quart of chicken broth, about 2 or 3 pounds of spaghetti and meatless sauce.and plenty of room temperature water. this will stretch the stomach out without bogging you down with the digestion of proteins and complex fats. on the day of the competition, refrain from eating anything and drink only water. avoid sugars of any sort.

i hope you do well in your little competition with your friends. i too enjoy competitive eating with friends. --Simon

December 13

1999 Euro Coin

I have a 2 Euro euro coin from France i think and it is dated 1999. But per Euro, physical coins and bills were only released in 2002. Can someone explain this? Thanks. Jamesino 00:11, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I cannot explain the discrepancy but there are plenty of 1999 Euro coins: . -THB 00:26, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

The article Euro coins states:

The year featured in the coins can date back to 1999, when the currency was formally established (only on French, Spanish, Belgian, Finnish and Dutch coins). These countries traditionally put on the coin the year when it was minted rather than the year in which it was put into circulation.

惑乱 分からん 01:03, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

According to this site the Euro was a valid currency from jan 1, 1999. http://www.24carat.co.uk/eurocoinsframe.html Joneleth 01:09, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but the coins and banknotes hadn't yet entered public circulation. 惑乱 分からん 03:16, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

finding a website

Anyone know the name of the site that is like this: -In the site, there was a message that said to the user of the site think about a thing. -then the site ask questions like this thing is yellow, and there are answers to you choose, like yes, no, almost... -then he maked another question, and then another and sometime he would discover what you was thinking what is the name of this site??

20q.net. (Apperas to have been updated since I was there...) 惑乱 分からん 01:09, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Dungeons & Dragons for academic credit?!

I read in a book from the 1980s that a version of Dungeons & Dragons has been played for academic credit in some US high schools. I'm intrigued. Is this true? For what subject, and as what proportion of the course? Where can I find out more? Is it done in Canada? NeonMerlin 01:41, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't know about high school, but you might be interested in a program at Oberlin College called the Experimental College. Students and community members can teach and take for credit courses on just about anything. Recent courses include a course on Super Smash Bros. and one on competitive Scrabble, which I will be teaching in the upcoming spring semester.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 03:44, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Looks good, but at 557 km away from me, it would be quite the commute! :-) I hope Wikiversity starts something similar. NeonMerlin 21:10, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

In high school in Canada, a bunch of us played wargames for a math class...until the teacher wised up and realized we weren't learning anything. Clarityfiend 07:44, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

When I was in high school (also in Canada) there was a group of us that regularily played Euchre in our Finite class once the teacher was done with the lesson. We convinced him that we were studying the probabilities of drawing certain good hands, and things like that... ;-) --Maelwys 13:12, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

It's quite possible; a lot of high schools offer credit for intramural activity participation. I know mine did, but it was only for sports-type stuff. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 13:49, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Image problem

The image above won't load, at least not on my computer.

However this works.

Is there something I did wrong? I traced a image (to produce above image) in Portace in Inkscape. --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 03:49, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I've fixed the image. It may have been the original GIF you forgot to remove from the SVG. –mysid☎ 05:44, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah...thanks! --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 01:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Paul McCartney

I've heard many rumors about many people being dead or some other ridiculous, untrue facts. But one I happened upon a few days ago was that Paul McCartney was dead! Now I'm a huge Beatles fan and now for a fact that he's been performing forever! That person said that he died after they first got their success in the U.S. in a terrible car accident. They said that his close family tried to cover it up and quickly replaced him with a look-a-like. They claim to see another guy's name on the back of the CD, and he said, just listen to Come Together. All those words do make sense to say that one of their members died, and I know it was recorded before Lennon got shot. Please help me tell this guy he's nuts! Is it really true? What is the evidence? Thanks so much guys!

See Paul is dead. Rockpocket 04:26, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I just read the lyrics to "Come Together", man they must have had some great drugs!Vespine 05:41, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Since when has he been "dead"? | AndonicO 19:42, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

information about advertisement industry

I need some informations about advertisement indutry in India and also the details about opportunities in this field

Review our article on India, Advertisements and Employment. Hipocrite - «Talk» 13:14, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

That would be a start, but the Misplaced Pages articles do not specifically cover the advertising industry in India. You might want to explore the links on this Yahoo page. Marco polo 14:11, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Extraterrestrials in different cultures

Our article on "greys" (a supposed kind of extraterrestrial being) says that the greys "make up approximately 75% of all aliens reported in the US, 20% of all aliens reported in Mainland Europe, and 12% of all aliens reported in Britain." So, this begs the question: What is the most common type of extraterrestrial being seen in continental Europe and in Britain? What about other parts of the world? — BrianSmithson 13:25, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Without reliable data, we can't provide an answer. Since there haven't been any verifiable sightings of extraterrestrials, making a determination on the racial breakdown of the invaders is tricky. Usually, Census data would be useful in determining this type of information, but the success at collecting relevant data for alien visitors has been spotty at best. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 16:01, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Chairboy, it is clear they are asking about what people report seeing, not what aliens there actually are... Skittle 17:47, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Do people actually believe this stuff? L(aughing)O(ut)L(oud)! | AndonicO 19:44, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

It is not implausible Sandman30s 13:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I see now why people have been complaining about the Reference Desk being too prone to flip and sarcastic answers. Of course I was asking about what types of "aliens" are being reported. This data probably exists (in police reports, etc.). So who are the ETs the Europeans are seeing? The Japanese? Brazilians? -- BrianSmithson 02:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Although I don't know this answer, I will be happy to have a serious discussion about aliens at my talk page. Sandman30s 13:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Alien sightings ?

Is it true that the number of reported alien sightings has decreased since the widespread use of camera phones ? StuRat 04:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Now that would be funny. The same way the number of incarnations of god have decreased. Sandman30s 13:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Australia's military dependence on the USA

It's common knowledge that Australia is greatly dependent on the USA to help defend Australia in the event of an invasion, but I can't seem to find a specific quote for that. Google and Misplaced Pages have failed to turn anything up. Can anyone help me? Battle Ape 14:00, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Review ANZUS specifically, Australia#Foreign_relations_and_the_military, Australian_Defence_Force as additional points of info. Hipocrite - «Talk» 14:04, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Mmm...lessee here. This may help. While it doesn't make SPECIFIC mention, it does dance around a bit. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:06, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't know how far I trust some guys blog. I'd definently read our articles and the sources they cite before relying on a blog. Hipocrite - «Talk» 14:10, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Now now. Blogs are an important part of political commentary. Without blogs, CNN would have nothing to run in the spare time they often end up with. (Har har.) In all seriousness, though, he's a university student, and this may be something he is doing for an essay, so it's a good idea to have something to either try to prove or refute. I'm not saying trust it, I'm saying it might help. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:15, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

The US is the only remaining superpower with a major high-seas navy, so everybody either depends on them, or lives in fear of them. The exact actions in various war-planning scenarios (China vs. Taiwan, etc) probably change from day to day, and are only known to a select few. --Zeizmic 17:39, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

For people that know nothing about secret high-level war planning (with scenarios), here is a nice document. This is a bit general, the specific bits about what to do exactly if North Korea launches nuclear missles, is always secret, and cannot be referenced. --Zeizmic 03:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Unjust Reservist Salaries

I am writing in regards to a television report that I viewed over the summer. It suggested that there are over 30,000 reservist who were paid monthly salaries to report to their tour of duty and did not report but yet collected their pay as if they were on active duty.

I am aware of such a person. He was to report to Puerto Rico in Jan. of 2004 along with his entire barrack. He did not report as the others had and yet collected his monthly salary for the following two years. I would like to know if there is a department that would actually follow this up. I find it awlful that people would do this (collect money and not report) especially at a time like this when our country is in such need for military assistance and our soldiers are overseas earning their pay. Any information that you could give me is greatly appreciated.

Thank you Cynthia Querry

Sounds like you could probably contact his commanding officer and report him AWOL, but that would probably get him put in jail. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:08, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I would guess his commanding officer is probably well aware that he is AWOL. There could be many ways in which this info fails to make it to the payroll department (or equivalent in military-speak). The CO may be a friend and unwilling to report him, there may be somebody in the chain that has failed to do their job and pass on the info, or, perhaps, a hearing must be held to determine the soldiers status, and there is a backlog. StuRat 04:24, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Ah, yes. Good old bureaucrazy. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Piles

I heard that excessive coughing can cause 'piles'. can anyone confirm or deny that?

Review our articles on Hemorrhoid for some causes. Hipocrite - «Talk» 17:25, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Our article does not mention coughing. But this one does.

Heavy lifting or a chronic cough from asthma, smoking or any chronic lung disease causes hemorrhoids because of increased intraabdominal pressure. This increased pressure is just like straining at stool in that the pressure obstructs the flow of blood through the veins causing them to swell.

--Justanother 17:50, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Departments

Who are the (current) secerataries of Justice, Agriculture, and Interior in the U.S.? Thanks. 209.81.119.178 17:53, 13 December 2006 (UTC).

See United States Federal Executive Departments. Яussiaп F 18:00, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Australian culture

The aussie culture is primarily dominated by what culture? Are the ancestors primarily british? 17:55, 13 December 2006 (UTC)~

You may wish to review our article on Australia. Hipocrite - «Talk» 17:59, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

These days, aussie culture is mostly dominated by aussie culture.--Shantavira 18:23, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the ancestors are primarily British...and many of the aborigines still roo the day they arrived. StuRat 04:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Secretary of labor

Who is the secretary of labor and health and human services?— Preceding unsigned comment added by Jjohnson 55 (talk • contribs)

Our articles on United States Secretary of Labor and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services should prove helpful. Hipocrite - «Talk» 17:58, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

.. always assuming you mean in the United States...--Shantavira 18:19, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Where is Saddam now?

Where and when will Saddam be hanged? Is there going to be public viewing? I would doubt it but a friend says it may.

You may wish to review our article on Saddam Hussein, which states that "According to the New York Times, Saddam Hussein's verdict and sentence would "come under review by the nine-judge appellate chamber of the trial court. There is no time limit for the appeal court's review, but Iraqi and American officials who work with the court said that the earliest realistic date for Saddam Hussein's execution, assuming it stood up to review, would be next spring." Iraqi law requires executions to take place within 30 days of the end of the appeal process; however it also forbids the executions of people aged over 70 years old, a status Saddam Hussein acquires on 28 April 2007. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hipocrite (talk • contribs)

Dragging the process along until his birthday would be a legal tour de force by his defense team. But hanging him before then would eliminate the bringing out of his many other alleged crimes in public trials. It is amazing this ticking clock issue has not been discussed in the media, since this is the first I've heard of it. Many countries have a lower limit on the age of criminals for capital punishment, but an upper limit of only 70 seems wierd. Many dictators have ruled far beyond that age, and they would have no fear of capital punishment for crimes they committed in office. Edison 21:17, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I would hedge my bets that a video will show up on YouTube no matter what. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The Salem Witch Trials

Question moved to Humanities Reference Desk by User:Hipocrite. See link at top of page. -THB 18:39, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Abuser

Russian F keeps putting different pictures on my page? How do i report him?— Preceding unsigned comment added by Jjohnson 55 (talk • contribs)

Try WP:AIV. -THB 18:32, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

rally driver coarse

I am an engineering student currently doing engineering from bhopal,India.I want to become a rally driver so I wanted to know about what to do for it.where are the driving schools in india providing this courses , what it costs,what are its future prospects and related all the things that you can provide. THANK YOU.

How old are you and how long have you been driving? Professional driving isn't usually picked up, I suppose there are exceptions but the vast majoroty of people in the sport are long time enthusaists who showed potential and keen interest from an early age. Don't let me put you off, but that's the reality. Many drivers first discover their talent and potential on the go cart track. Vespine 00:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Animal Face Off

In a theoretical battle, would a male leopard in his prime be able to kill a male rottweiler in his prime?

You may wish to review Bait (dogs) for a history of animal fighting. One of the listed references may discuss such a fight - you should probably go to the library and check them out. Hipocrite - «Talk» 19:05, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

According to the article on leopards, they prey on wild pigs. From my personal experience with rotweilers and wild pigs, I would have to say yes, it would not be a difficult task for a leopard to be able to kill a rottweiler. Wild pigs can be quite large and viscious. -THB 19:44, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

You've had personal experience with rottweilers and wild pigs?? :) According to the articles, male leopard in his prime can be up to 90kg, male rottweilers max out at about 60kg. Now I know weight isn't everything, but I think the leopard would have the upper hand.Vespine 00:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

A rotty is nothing more than a wolf that's been mutated, ruined, and made subserviant to man. A leopard would likely dispatch a wolf (with slashes to the head, forepaws, and flank), but would surely sustain injuries in the process. So, a leopard would either humilate, injury, or kill a rotty, I would bet. That said, beautiful animsls like leopards are not going to engage another animal with teeth and claws unless it has good reason to. They value being unmaimed. And, as a leopard wouldn't likely dine on dead rotty, you'd have to come up with some very exotic situation to get the rotty to march to its doom towards a cornered leopard. Vranak 00:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't even think the leopard would get injured. AFAIK all the big cats are capable of breaking an animal's neck with one bite. That would make it a pretty quick fight. Anchoress 01:48, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, leopards will do that to an animal that they've been chasing. Face-to-face with a wolf (or rotty), they can't simply pounce-and-bite the neck with one fell swoop. A suicidal wolf or dog would face down the jaguar, and eventually get slashed to ribbons. That's how I could see it going down, anyway. Cheers. Vranak

I doubt the fight would last long (the leopard would win). | AndonicO 01:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

My guess is that most dogs are only really problematic against major predators like big cats when they are in packs. --24.147.86.187 02:13, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

websense

Can you guys give me a list of websites that allows me to play games that are not blocked by websense, besides uneekonline.com or giosphere.com? Thanks.

I'd try the Computer Ref Desk for this one. StuRat 04:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

If you are playing during work, and your boss put on websense so you won't waste your (his?) time, please consider if you should stop because it is Dishonest. Jon513 13:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Not that this justifies anything, but it may be a high school student. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:01, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

No, i'm just a fourteen year old that is looking for something to do in school this week since i am exempt from all of my exams.

Hanukkah/Epiphany

Why is Epiphany thought of as the fulfillment of Hanukkah?

I see your problem. In the article Epiphany (Christian) it is stated that "The feast was initially based on, and viewed as a fulfillment of, the Jewish Feast of Lights." This reads like a statement of fact, but one has to ask: Is this true, or likely to be true? What is the evidence for this statement? Now having expanded the question (correctly, I hope) I have to admit that I have no idea as to the reason for this claim. I hope some of the other editors have information on this. --Seejyb 23:20, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

To the best of my knowledge Hanukkah is not called "Feast of Light" (it is called festival of lights). In fact there is no feast on Hanukkah at all. The only think done on Hanukkah is light candles. I don't see how the can be based on Hanukkah, but I don't really know. Jon513 13:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

That's too literal. "Feast" and "festival" can be used interchangably, if your language is a little stilted and archaic. They're both inadequate translations of the word "chag", which has meanings about enjoying oneself. Furthermore, as usual in Judaism, there is indeed a food element (although no stipulation of a formal meal as with other festivals). There are well-founded traditions of eating oily foods, in commemoration of the miracle of the oil. Latkes and doughnuts are two of the most common manifestations of this tradition. --Dweller 13:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like our article might have it wrong (tell me it ain't true, Joe). It may be that both Epiphany and Hanukkah are termed the Feast of Lights and yet not be related. See this rather "flowerly" article.

JANUARY the 6th is recorded in the annals of the Christian Church as an ancient celebration of an event in the life of Jesus Christ which is considered as the beginning of His official dedication to His Divine Mission in the presence and manifestation of the Triune Christian God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This celebration is called Epiphany, a combined Greek word which is derived from epi: to and phainein: to show, to show forth, to shine upon; the noun is epiphaneia, meaning appearance, manifestation.

Also see this definition of Hannukah:

Judaism: An eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, commemorating the victory in 165 b.c. of the Maccabees over Antiochus Epiphanes (c. 215–164 b.c.) and the rededication of the Temple at Jerusalem. Also called Feast of Dedication, Feast of Lights.

I am not that familiar with Christianity but perhaps I will address the article but it might be better if someone more knowledgable did. --Justanother 13:48, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Frisbee ?

What'[s the best way to throw a frisbee? 20:48, 13 December 2006 (UTC)20:48, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

There is no "best," (depends on the situation) but there certainly are quite a few mentioned at Disc throws, along with reasons you might use each and illustrations. Hipocrite - «Talk» 20:50, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Many Movies,Many Laughs

What do you think are some of the funniest movies of all time.

That movie Mr. Bean did was funny. I don't think many movies are very funny. -THB

It all depends on your humour. Films such as airplane, or Naked Gun are funny if you like the slapstick/play on words humour. the goat by Buster Keaton is a classic short film highlighting just why black and white silent movies can still be highly amusing. Romantic comedies produce a series of 'classics' if you like that sort of comedy. I enjoy the frat-party humour of films like Old Skool and Wedding Crashers, American Pie and Anchorman. That sort of recent film does a good job of catching the current mood/generation but maybe doesn't transfer to history too well. Others prefer black comedies that are quite unusual such as the secretary which is plain weird if you ask me (though a good watch nonetheless). I would have to say that my favourite 'comedy' films include...Coming To America with Eddie Murphy, the goat with Buster Keaton, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray (comical if not rip-rawingly so) and I am a sucker for Home Alone around christmas time. Mr Bean was, personally, the worst work that Rowan Atkinson did, but I understand it was tremendously popular. ny156uk 00:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

1. Monty Python's Life of Brian, and The Holy Grail
2. Being John Malkovich, and Adaptation (film)
3. There's Something About Mary, Me, Myself, and Irene, Dumb and Dumber
4. Austin Powers (the first two)
5. Kung Fu Hustle, God of Cookery, Shaolin Soccer
6. Best in Show
7. And a few TV shows: The Office (UK version), People Like Us, Seinfeld, The Simpsons (mid-90s), Golden Boy, SNL Vranak

Again, countless experts and lay people have weighed in on this topic, happy reading. Anchoress 00:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Snakes on a Plane. Sashafklein 05:59, 14 December 2006 (UTC) The Big Lebowski Sashafklein 06:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Aside from maybe Dracula, I would say:

• Bean (1997 film)
• RV (film)
• The Pink Panther (2006 film)

Those are my personal favorites. Now around Christmas, you might want to try Jingle All the Way as well. | AndonicO 11:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

"I liked The Money Pit. That is my answer to that question." --Peter Griffin; As for me, Layer Cake and Snatch were pretty hilarious. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I would recommend Scary Movie one through four, if you like that kind of humor. I would also recommend Liar, Liar" one of the funniest movies i have ever seen.

Historian

How can you obtain your employment as a historian?

See: Academia. -THB 23:05, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Pretty much. There are non-academic historians (i.e. a historian of a company or a government office) and a few private-practice historians (rare), but they all are from the same general academic track (PhD or MA in history). Of course the term is often used to describe popular writers of history with little or no advanced historical training, but that's usually a somewhat different breed of historian (though they usually write quite better than the academics). But most historians are employed as professors in universities. --24.147.86.187 02:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Some historic places, like Colonial Williamsburg, could use a few on staff to keep things realistic. Also, historians can sometimes make good book authors. StuRat 04:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

How to keep cat hair etc. from "sticking" to black clothing

How do I keep cat hair, dust etc. from "sticking" to black clothing?

It sticks to other colors too, but it's not so visible. Try deionizing spray, also marketed as anti-cling or anti-static spray. --froth 00:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I daresay that such a thing is impractical, if not impossible. Cat hair sticks to just about everything. You could try such sprays as Froth mentioned above, but really, why not seek to reduce the amount of shedding your cat does in the first place, instead of going all high-tech (and money-spending)? This can be addressed by such means as letting outside occassionally (or often), to feeding it better food, and most importantly, grooming it yourself, and getting rid of the hair and dander afterwards. Vranak 00:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Awesome answer, Vranak. Also, original poster, there are commercial products (lint rollers) that will remove hair, lint, fur, etc from clothing. You can make one yourself by wrapping tape sticky side out around your hand. Wow, Misplaced Pages has an article on pretty much everything. Anchoress 00:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Some cats like to be rubbed with a "love glove": . -THB 00:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You could always get a cat to match each outfit, so the fur won't show. :-) StuRat 04:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Now we know why witches always had black cats, because the black fur wouldn't show on their black clothes and hats. :-) StuRat 04:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

well, i heard that a rubber glove can rub off the cat fur off of furniture, i'm not to sure about clothes though.

Santa

Hey my mummy said you have rolled up the santa story becuase hes a troll. whats a troll? Katie (age 6) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.8.127 (talk • contribs) 00:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

For the definition of what a troll is, see Troll. As for the rest of your question, I'm confused what "rolled up" means. Dismas| 05:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

or perhaps Misplaced Pages:What is a troll? The Santa Claus article is currently semi-protected, which means it can only be edited by established users. This is probably because someone (a troll) has been vandalizing or disrupting the article; and not because Santa is a troll. --Spoon! 09:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Cell phone through washer

Last night I accidentally put my cell phone through the washing machine. It's been about 24 hours and there's a ton of condensation inside the display. It doesn't turn on at all. Do phones usually recover after being washed? Is there anything I can do to fix it? I talked to someone today and they said dipping it in alcohol would dry it out. Is that a good idea or completely ridiculous? Thanks, Xcfrommars 01:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

try going to a repair store or something. If the phone has flash memory, it should be fine, with a bit of drying, but if it has a hard drive, then its about time you invest in a new phone, but still, you should take it in to somewhere like radioshack and ask if they can do something about it. It might also have a warranty or something. As for the alcohol, that's a bad idea probably. Ilikefood 01:17, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Take the battery out and let it dry. It may take a few days, but you should be patient. With the battery out, use a paper towel to sop up any moisture you can and clean the contacts for the battery. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 01:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Applying any kind of heat to speed drying would be a bad idea, but you can place the opened phone in the gentle stream of a fan or a hair dryer (on a cool setting), OR if you have a dryer rack in your dryer (for shoes), and a cool 'air' setting, you can put the phone (covered) on it and run the dryer on the 'air dry' setting. Anchoress 01:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The paper towel might be a bad idea because if your fingers get wet, you could get zapped by the battery and that wouldn't be good, even if its not deadly, it may be painful. Best idea is to check the warranty. Ilikefood 01:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

At least this is better than a friend of mine, who was leaning over to fix a public toilet that was running full blast,,,, drop and whoosh! --Zeizmic 03:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

We should probably ask what type of detergent or bleach you used, as they might cause irreversible corrosion of the circuit board inside. StuRat 04:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, I can tell you that dipping electronic devices in Alcohol isn't generally a good idea; I did that with a print head once to try and clean it, and ended up setting the printer on fire. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:59, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Pickles

Can Pickles be packaged with less salt, or is that needed in the pickle juice?

Salt is necessary for the brine for the actual pickling. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 01:25, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

This link will answer your question and explain why. Anchoress 01:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

New York style "fresh pack" cucumber picles are made with no salt or just a little for flavoring, not for the actual pickling. Sweet pickles also have little or no salt but use sugar instead. See . -THB 02:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I could probably listen six or eight distinct ways of preserving food. You only really need to use one of them, unless you're planning on storing a foodstuff for many months. So, you can get away with pickling with just vinegar, or packing in sugar, or packing in salt, or coating in oil. The thing is, these unmoderated solutions don't have the best effect on taste, when you finally getting around to eating the pickles.

Long story short: yes, you can pickle without any salt at all -- but it may not taste good. Vranak 16:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Tennessee Governor's Inaugural Ball 2007

I'm hoping to find information on the 2007 Inaugural Ball following the inauguration of Phil Bredesen. It would be nice to know date, location, and how to get tickets/invited.

wikipedia success

Eric Goldman said that wikipedia will fail in 4 years because of heave vandalism and spam. Bots alone can't revert vandalism forever. Do you think Misplaced Pages will survive in the next few years?--PrestonH 05:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

This seems like a request for an opinion/speculation. The reference desk is better suited towards finding answers that are a bit more... empirically based. Now, if, say 4 years from now you ask whether Misplaced Pages survived, we can help there. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 05:13, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, Chairboy, the nature of the reference desk is such that speculative questions are quite common. As for your question, PrestonH, bots aren't the only things reverting vandalism; we have a whole task force of volunteer editors that focus on just that sort of thing: the Misplaced Pages Counter-Vandalism Unit. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Watch the recent changes some time. The sheer quantity of changes is quite something. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You could make the same argument for the Internet. Repent! The end is nigh! Clarityfiend 07:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

• Developers are working on a new feature that allows editing while stable versions are shown. Vandalism is a lot less fun for the vandals when they can't see it show up immediately. - Mgm| 12:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think that it will take a little more than four years for wikipedia to fail, although people are losing all of their trust in wikipedia after finding numerous pages that have a bunch of nonsense in it.

tomb of Averroes

Was he buried in Marrakesh? I wish to pay homage to him.

There is a biography about him here (pdf). It is in Arabic, and I can't read it. maybe you can. Jon513 13:14, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Supposedly he was buried in Marrakesh but later exhumed and re-buried in Cordova but I can't find any detail on the exact location. I always think that the best way to pay homage to any writer is to read his works. meltBanana 16:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Alan Watts on Christianity

how are Watts' works on Christianity viewed by modern theologians and his contemporaries? Is he thought of as a rouge or a true apologetic?

This isn't a homework question, I've been reading Watts and I want to know how "reliable" his views on Christianity are with more established thinkers, especially those of the Church. I know he's been considered a rouge academic, and therefore I suspect he's been considered a rouge Christian theologian, but I want to read the where and how of it. I've deleted the last comment lest it prevent others from answering.

DMT

so what's the deal with Dimethyltryptamine?

From the article, it doesn't seem too harmful, only a 30 minute high max when smoked? And in the 1990's researchers have conducted experiments in the USA with it? So is it comparitively safe?

I want to get my hands on some how can I? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.225.160.106 (talk • contribs).

You may get a more complete answer to the first part of your question at the Science Desk. Dismas| 08:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The problem with drugs is not always physiological side-effects. A large part of drug-caused mortality and morbidity (i.e., injury, illness) is caused by accidents related to drug use, for example when people drive or go to work while under the influence of a drug. Drug-related crime is also a major problem. BenC7 11:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

If it's anything like Diethyltryptamine - don't expect a 'high' - expect to be lying on the floor with blue lips - feeling like you've just been really hit by a truck - they are hallucinogens - but don't expect it to be 'fun' like some speed or cannabis or shrooms - it isn't. As for safety - nobody ever died from eating shit - but how many repeat the experience...83.100.174.70 11:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Why not read the Dimethyltryptamine page twice? Expect a 'near death experience' - this includes feeling like death, also expect to hallucinate aliens (see machine elf for more info).

Construction crane construction

How do they assemble one? The article doesn't say. Clarityfiend 07:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

With telescopic truck mounted cranes I think. See the image.

. Shinhan 08:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

• How do they make those? - Mgm| 12:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
  • With very little regard to safety; in Washington state, there are very few enforcable (or enforced, for that matter) regulations surrounding the safety of construction cranes, and recently, one fell over in Bellevue, Washington and killed a man in his condo. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

one section at a time. According to an article at howstuffworks.com. Jon513 13:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages Grafffiti

Hey i was just looking at a page on Adam Smith and saw a line that said "i like boobies" it was graffiti, so i refreshed the page and it was gone. it just made me wonder: what is the wikipedia page that gets the most graffiti?

Misplaced Pages. God is vandalised quite a bit, too. Jpeob 07:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

See Misplaced Pages:Most vandalized pages --froth 09:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Amazed to see relatively obscure Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper on the list. Must be a lot of angry Canadians... Clarityfiend 09:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you hear? Stephen Harper eats babies. --Wooty Woot? contribs 10:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Nonsense. Stephen Harper doesn't eat babies; it's obviously cabal propaganda. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:47, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The thing is, about a third of Canadians are 'Liberal for life' -- they have never, and will never, vote for any party other than the Liberal Party. So, you can always expect there to be a significant amount of criticism (and vandalism) directed at a non-Liberal Prime Minister -- especially one who is very popular in Alberta. For some reason, the rest of Canada doesn't seem too fond of Alberta or Albertans. Could just be jealous of their oil and gas wealth, of course. :) Cheers. Vranak 16:26, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Silver /Gold

Which is more rare Silver or Gold? In above ground supplies. thanks,Mark

Gold is much more rare --froth 09:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Gold B00P 09:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

As we used to say in debate, "define your terms." What do you mean by "above ground supplies?" Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:48, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I read somewhere that if you melt all the gold in the world, it would fit in a volume the size of a tennis court. Now that is alarmingly rare, and shows as well the quantity of cheaper metals that are added to make jewellery. Now I wonder, why does man use gold as a yardstick for wealth? Gold is just pretty and 'rare' but there are elements that are more rare. Gold does not have intrinsic value. Sandman30s 13:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe I'm missing something but a tennis court doesn't have a volume, it's a two dimensional area. Or did you mean that the height of the net would provide the third dimension? Dismas| 13:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. If you want to be technical the height varies, but the whole volume measurement is an approximation to give the layman an idea of the size. Sandman30s 14:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I saw a program on, I believe, the Science Channel, saying that, if all the gold in the core of the earth (which they said makes up only 1% of all the materials there) were melted, the entire land mass of the world would be covered with gold almost a meter deep. I'm doubt that's the volume of a tennis court, but you do the math. ;-) | AndonicO 13:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think that Sandman was referring to the gold already mined on the surface, which is no doubt a minuscule fraction of the gold inaccessibly contained in Earth's core. Marco polo 13:54, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, again :) Sandman30s 14:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh, ok. I guess we have to invent a really big drill now... I'm getting to work, and I might not edit wikipedia for a few years now. ;-) | AndonicO 14:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The article on gold says: Gold in antiquity was relatively easy to obtain geologically; however, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910. It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube 20 m (66 ft) on a side (8000 m³).

Silver is so common that a lot of the supply comes as a byproduct of mining for other metals such as gold and copper. -THB 14:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Free fall from space

Would it be possible for an astronaut in high orbit to fall straight down to earth and survive? this and this sparked my interest --froth 09:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

No, because he couldn't fall straight down.

Now, please clarify, is he in some sort of craft as he spirals in? B00P 09:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

If an astronaut jumped out of a space ship in orbit, he would also be in orbit, and would circle round the earth rather than fall straight down. If he did find a way to fall straight down his parachute wouldn't work, because there is no atmosphere up there. When he did reach the atmosphere, the friction would burn him up. --Auximines 09:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The 'easy' way to fall straight down would be to have a rocket firing sideways to reduce the circular orbital speed to zero (or, looking at it another way, to equalize the relative speeds of the top of the Earth's atmosphere and the astronaut). Then gravity would bring the astronaut straight down. Now add another rocket firing downwards, and you can slowly move downwards in complete safety. Unfortunately, this would require prodigious amounts of rocket fuel.

Extending the question, what I've never been clear on is how the Earth's atmosphere reacts to (a) the rotation of the Earth; and (b) the motion of the Earth through space. Does the atmosphere trail off behind the Earth as the Earth moves in its orbit around the Sun? Does the top of the atmosphere move at a different speed to the part of the atmosphere in contact with the Earth's surface? Carcharoth 11:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You are wrongly assuming that space exercises appreciable drag on the atmosphere. There is no reason for the upper atmosphere to be moving at a different speed due to drag. There are coriolis effects (see also ) and other meteorological factors but space drag is not one of them. --Justanother 14:26, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. No drag. Sorry if it looked like I assumed that (I didn't actually). I was thinking more of effects like the way the heliosphere trails through the interstellar medium, as seen at Image:Voyager_1_entering_heliosheath_region.jpg. The Earth's magnetosphere sees a similar effect, due to the solar wind, but the atmosphere would be largely unaffected by all this, being neutral. Sorry for the confusion. Carcharoth 16:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

So this would be the ultimate example of I've fallen and I can't get up. (Gawd, I love wikipedia.) Clarityfiend 10:19, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

NASA studied possible emergency procedures for the astronauts to evacuate the shuttle in orbit in their spacesuit and come back to earth. I think the idea has been put on hold because of too many technical difficulties and of the feasability of integrating all the gear needed for a return to earth into the spacesuit. The main way to make the high speed transition into the atmosphere was with a huge balloon slowing down the astronaut and keeping him stable. I can't find the ref. on that though. Keria 10:46, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I found these two articles: and . The first link is the system proposed after the Columbia disaster, the second (an astronautix entry on 'Rescue') looks at the history of such systems, and has some pretty pictures. For future reference, I found these with a Google search using the following separate terms: "nasa" "astronaut" "emergency" "reentry" "balloon". Carcharoth 11:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

We already have an article on one of these systems at MOOSE. Our material on the FIRST re-entry glider seems to be at Rogallo wing and Paresev. But that is only 2 of the 35 re-entry systems listed at the astronautix 'Rescue' page I linked above. Does anyone want to check out Misplaced Pages's coverage of the other re-entry systems? Carcharoth 11:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The article atmospheric reentry might also be of interest. I'm going to ask the people maintaining that page to have a look at this question, and to add something about re-entry for individual astronauts. Carcharoth 11:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Highly unlikely - the main problem is heating when re-entering the atmosphere. An astronaut in low Earth orbit is moving at 8 km/s (relative to the Earth), he needs to shed most of this speed in order to land safely. Also, if your astronaut is in a stable orbit you first need to reduce his speed enough so that the periapsis of his orbit is far enough inside the atmosphere to slow him down further - this will require rocket engines of some sort strapped to your astronaut. Once you've done that, the astronaut will re-enter the atmosphere at the above 8 km/s. Think of what happens to the Space Shuttle when it re-enters the atmosphere, it glows white-hot from the friction of re-entry - that kind of heat will reduce your astronaut to cinders in a few seconds. So you need to encase him in some kind of heat shielding, which will probably end up looking more like a miniature spacecraft than a space suit. Assuming you can survive the brutal heating, a multi-stage parachute (à la Project Excelsior, which you linked to) should get your astronaut down the rest of the way, assuming he hasn't spun out of control during re-entry. Bottom line: theoretically possible, very hard to do in practice.

<geek hat on>The Mandalorians used a tactic similar to this in planetary assaults, they would encase their soldiers in power armour, and drop them into the atmosphere of a planet from orbit, where, with the help of a Basilisk war droid, they would reduce their speed enough to be able to land near the target and attack it directly... </geek> — QuantumEleven 11:58, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, the 8km/s is the escape velocity needed to attain the orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface needed to avoid falling to Earth (ie. to instead fall in a parabola large enough to fall continuously around the Earth - which is another way of describing the process of orbiting the Earth). The heating when re-entering the atmosphere assumes that you re-enter at this speed. This orbital speed (I'm assuming it to be 8km/s) is only needed if want to orbit by free-falling around the Earth. As I said above, you can reduce this orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface by firing a rocket against the direction of your orbital movement, and you then naturally fall to Earth as the endpoint of your parabola falls below the horizon. But if you also fire a rocket straight downwards, you can hover in orbit at that point. Takes far too much energy to do in practice, as to reduce the orbital speed to zero you have to expend the same amount of energy used in take-off to attain this orbital speed in the first place. But once you've done this, then the "8km/s problem" vanishes, though you do need to have continuous upwards thrust equal to the weight of the spacecraft to hover at that position in orbit. Reduce the orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface to zero while maintaining this upwards thrust, then manouevre over a particular point on the Earth's surface, then remove the upwards thrust and watch the spacecraft fall downwards towards that point. Terminal velocity in the upper reaches of the atmosphere is quite high, so you might want to adjust things so that the craft doesn't burn up. Once the craft reaches the denser parts of the atmosphere, it will fall normally at terminal velocity until it hits the surface. I'm not sure how much effects winds and the Coriolis effect would have, but I suspect that because the object is not moving laterally relative to the Earth's surface below, the Coriolis effect would not apply. Carcharoth 14:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The likelihood of an Astronaut (or anyone else for that matter) free-falling from anything above 20 meters, let alone 20 kilometers, and surviving the ordeal is vanishingly-small in my estimation. Vranak 16:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Add funds to paypal using credit card?

Can you add funds to a non US paypal account using a credit card? How? I tried looking through the help pages but couldn't find a definite answer. Thanks. WP 09:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Im quite certain you can as long as its international card. Joneleth 10:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, you can, the same way you would use a credit card for a US account. I have a non-US PayPal account and add money to it using my credit card. — QuantumEleven 11:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You would probably have to register the cc with them first. That is where they deposit two small amounts to the account and you tell them what the amounts were. --Justanother 13:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Roman Numeral Clock Face

If the correct way of indicating the number"4" in Roman numerals is "IV", why are all clock faces having Roman numerals showing the number "4" as "IIII"?

See Roman_numerals#Calendars_and_clocks for some possible explanations. Skarioffszky 10:44, 14 December 2006 (UTC) P.S.: Not all clock faces, by the way.

A Sex Question

Note that it is clearly labeled. Anyway. My supervisor, a shop lead and I were having a bit of a discussion at work today about sex (God knows why my supervisor, a single adult middle aged male, an elderly woman who looks like the Crypt Keeper and myself were having this discussion, but it's a factory, anything's possible), and my supervisor asked me if it was possible to catch a cold from an act of oral intercourse. (He used more colorful language...) I told him no; not all bodily fluids are the same. He asserts that you can, while the lead (the woman) said, "See? I told you so. It's not possible." So...uh...I guess the question is, can you catch a cold from oral sex or not? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

My uninformed non-medical-professional opinion would be yes, because the cold virus is transmitted through the mucous membranes, which exist in the mouth, on the glans penis and the vulva/vagina. Anchoress 12:11, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

As a side note is there any chance of having a Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Bodilyfunctions and sexual behaviour(age restricted) section where people of like mind can discuss their diseases/unnatural bodily growths etc to there hearts contents... Not that I object... Maybe we could call it medical anatomy/human behaviour - there seems to be a lot of interest. Dr.Misplaced Pages.83.100.174.70 12:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd just like to point out how bizarre it would be to have a "Bodily Functions" page be age-restricted.Pesapluvo 15:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I suggest it be age and gender restricted to only boys under 12. :-) StuRat 16:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

New desks have to be approved...somehow...I don't know how, but there's probably no chance of it considering the Misplaced Pages:Content_disclaimer. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:44, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The issue of splitting up Ref Desks was discussed a few months ago, with the decision made to put any split on hold for the time being. If you wish to propose that again, however, Misplaced Pages talk:Reference Desk is the proper place to make such a request. Here is where this issue was previously discussed: Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk/Archive_12#New_ref_desk_division. You will see that the proposal included a "Sex and relationships desk". StuRat 16:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

My understanding is that cold viruses infect the respiratory system. Thus they would not infect reproductive organs. However, cold viruses are often transmitted via the hands of an infected person (who may frequently wipe or blow his or her nose). It is not unusual for hands to touch reproductive organs before or during sex. In this way, oral sex could contribute to transmission of the virus. That said, if an infected person washed his or her hands and genitals thoroughly with soap and water immediately prior to sex and kept hands away from face during sex, and if the sex did not involve kissing or other face-to-face contact, I think that it would be reasonably safe, from the point of view of cold transmission. Marco polo 13:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

See: Common cold. This type of virus is usually spread through droplets. If you're close enough to someone to have oral sex with them, you're close enough to inhale droplets. (Unless you hold your breath.) -THB 13:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Gift Certificates

What is the reasoning behind giving gift certificates (Scrips) as presents? They're basically money that can only be used in one store, and has an expiry date.--Codell 13:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

As far as I'm concerned, say you give a book voucher, it's like saying "I know you like books, but don't know exactly what you want or already have - so here is a voucher to go and buy one you'd like". It's just a bit more personal than cash as it shows you've considered what the person may like, where they may like to shop, and you've actually made the effort to go out and buy something for them instead of just pulling some cash out of your wallet. --jjron 13:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Not all gift certificates have expiry dates. Also, though I (and others) call book vouchers, vouchers, it seems that the precise meaning of voucher differs from that of gift certificate (a redirect to scrip). I'd never heard the term 'scrip' before. Thanks for linking to that. Carcharoth 13:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The voucher article says "A voucher is a certificate which is worth a certain monetary value and which may only be spent for specific reasons or on specific goods". I'm not sure how that makes it an invalid term - certainly seems to cover gift certificates. It may vary in different places, but it's certainly a very commonly used term in Australia. --jjron 13:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I meant this bit: "The term voucher is also a synonym for receipt, and is often used to refer to receipts used as evidence of, for example, the declaration that a service has been performed or that an expenditure has been made." - you are right though, voucher has two meanings. Carcharoth 14:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I saw that too - must say I've never heard of voucher being used in that context. Is that legit? --jjron 14:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I can confirm that the travel industry issues vouchers. I think it is to do with the way the money circulates. You pay the travel agent. The travel agent books the hotel and gives you a voucher. You give the voucher to the hotel and stay there. The hotel sends the voucher to the travel agent (or scan it) and the hotel get their money from the travel agent. I think that is more like a coupon than a voucher. But though these processes of circulating money and paper substitutes are distinct, the terms used can sometimes be rather fluid and interchangeable. The linking with receipt might be a misunderstanding, as people might think the voucher is a receipt for the money they gave the travel agent. Carcharoth 15:24, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

There are also gift certificates for non-material things. Day spas often offer gift certs for massages, facials, etc. Dismas| 13:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

A lot of what we see is differences in usage between English-speaking countries along with the desire to WP:NOT a dictionary and to keep the usages together. It is possible that voucher should be WP:MERGED to scrip. --Justanother 14:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

While I did know what scrip was I'd never heard of it used in reference to gift certificates before, as Carcharoth also said. Now I'm not sure where Carcharoth is from, but while there could be an argument for merging these articles, I'm not convinced that 'scrip' is the best or most widely used term. --jjron 14:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I am not either but there should be a good general term for these types of things and it would likely include coupon too. The best might be something like Currency substitutes. That eliminates regional differences. --Justanother 14:59, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, good point. I notice that there's also a Trading stamp article. Any others come to mind? And furthermore, trading stamp links to half a dozen different articles on different brands of trading stamps. There'd be quite a bit of work in merging all these successfully. --jjron 15:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

It might be better to collect them into a category to help decide what to do first. Category:Sales_promotion contains coupon and trading stamps. Voucher is just a stub. Scrip, for some reason is in Category:Exonumia. The mother lode is Category:Payment_systems, and I guess things should be organised around that. Carcharoth 15:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Gift certs were originally sold at a discount, so there was a value in them. For example, a gift cert for $100 in merchandise might only cost $50. This $50 gain had the potential to offset the following losses:

• Risk that the cert will not be redeemed at all, due to loss, expiration, or the recipient not caring to shop at that store.

• Interest lost on the money during the period between purchase and redemption.

• Risk that the cert won't exactly match the purchase amount, and either a portion of the cert will not be redeemed, or extra money beyond the value of the cert will be spent.

• Risk that the recipient will buy unwanted items to "use up" the gift cert before it expires.

• Extra cost of buying items at that store, likely not on sale, versus on sale and/or elsewhere.

Over time, however, retailers realized that people bought the gift certs more as a quick gift that doesn't require much thought, but doesn't seem as crude as cash. Thus, they reduced, then eliminated, the discount, added exclusions such as "no sale items", shortened the period before expiration, and now have started to have them lose value, before expiration, as well. Thus, they no longer make financial sense. It's up to each purchaser to decide if the convenience of not having to put much thought or time into a purchase is worth the additional cost of a gift cert. StuRat 15:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

That's interesting. Do you have any sources so this can be put in articles? A timeline would be good as well. What sort of dates are you talking about here? Carcharoth 15:33, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't have any sources, no, perhaps a retailer's trade mag or the Wall Street Journal might have such info. The change has mainly taken place over the last decade or two, I would say. StuRat 15:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Interesting, but I'd like to see some refs. We used to get/give 'record vouchers' in the 80s, there was no discounting from the retailer. In fact, if I remember correctly, some stores in fact charged for them (like $1 above face value). Some probably still do. --jjron 15:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Here's a site where you can view some of the terms for certain gift certs, although it doesn't address the historic changes in gift certs: . StuRat 16:06, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Another reason gift certs might be preferred over cash is to provide the giver with a degree of control. For example, giving gift certs for a clothes store might be a parent's way of getting their teens to buy new clothes, while still allowing them the autonomy to shop for themselves. StuRat 15:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Another reason is so that the receiver thinks of the giver when making the purchase, and associates the item purchased with the giver. Cash is far more likely to just go in with a lot of other cash. --jjron 15:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Within a family or between close friends, the smartest and best gift certificates are those which are written out by the giver and included in a card. It could say "This gift certificate entitles (insert name of recipient) to the leather jacket of his choice, cost not to exceed $(Insert estimated price of nice jacket). This coupon expires (insert date not too far in the future, to get them to actually go and get it." If the giver knows the receiver wants a set of diamond earrings, a plasma TV, a speedboat, a new computer, a new celphone, an audio system, a PS3 which is almost unavailable but will be common as dirt in a couple of months, a telescope, plastic surgery, a remodeled kitchen or bathroom, a new car, or cosmetic dental work, this shows that the giver wants the recipient to actually get the thing, and soon, and guarantees the cost, but avoids the pitfalls of certificates which get eaten up by exhorbitant "maintenance fees" by the store, or arbitrary expiration dates, and it serves as a reminder to make sure they go ahead and splurge out of a common bank account, and it gets around the problem of it being sometimes impossible to know which size, color, model, features, appeal to another person. The doorman, mail carrier, or cleaning lady prefers cash. Edison 16:20, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

An excellent suggestion. But why not take it further and make it a non-material gift cert like "entitles the bearer to one free foot massage" or "may be redeemed for one free gutter leaf removal service" ? StuRat 16:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Disagreement

Nine out of Ten Americans belive that One out of Ten americans Disagrees with the other nine Why is this? For What reason do we have to always argue over pointless things? Why do we do this? Is it in human nature? Catman503 13:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC) Catman503

This is a very strange question - where did you hear "Nine out of Ten Americans belive that One out of Ten americans Disagrees with the other nine"? In any case, it's human nature to disagree, people have different views of the world. — QuantumEleven 13:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure, but this question sounds like a joke or something... | AndonicO 13:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Why do people disagree?.. If we didn't we'd all be the same - like clones, not a very good answer, sorry. Also perhaps it's good to argue over trivia - we agree on the important things - don't like being chopped in to bits, like food, squirrels etc. - at least it encourages humane interactions.. Some people don't argue over pointless things, but they often lead quite quiet lives - see hermit or asceticism.83.100.174.70 13:49, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

iq scoring

How is iq of a person calculated? Is there any fromula to do so?

Through an IQ Test. Refer to Intelligence quotient for a start. I won't go into the questionable validity of IQs and IQ testing, but there's plenty in the article. --jjron 13:47, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

new desk

I can't help thinking a new reference desk - Misplaced Pages:Reference desk#human psychology and phsysiology would be appropriate - especially considering the number of questions coming in relating to warts/drugs/nutcases etc etc. Anyone agree and where do I ask for such a thing...(Obviously it would have the "we are not doctors" discalimer very clearly displayed).83.100.174.70 15:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Not saying I agree, but wouldn't Misplaced Pages:Reference desk#Medicine or Misplaced Pages:Reference desk#Medical be a bit more succinct? --jjron 15:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes83.100.174.70 15:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

There are obvious problems with anonymous persons of unknown qualification and motivation answering people's psychological and medical questions. Someone who died or was harmed by bad medical or mental health advice would likely have a cause of action against the anonymous adviser, and possibly against the Misplaced Pages Foundation. That is the reason for the disclaimer which people often forget to include in their response. In contrast, GoAskAlice.com is an online Q & A service of healthcare professionals at Columbia University, which has a library of FAQs and which will answer questions about what could be causing the voices in a questioner's head or the soreness and oozing from their private parts. Better them than random volunteers at the Reference desk of Misplaced Pages. The instructions at the top of the Ref Desk page would be improved by links to such online or phone help lines for people with medical or posychological questions, and with llinks to suicide help lines, since sometimes people ask questions implying an intent to harm themselves or others. Edison 16:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The issue of splitting up Ref Desks was discussed a few months ago, with the decision made to put any split on hold for the time being. If you wish to propose that again, however, Misplaced Pages talk:Reference Desk is the proper place to make such a request. Here is where this issue was previously discussed: Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk/Archive_12#New_ref_desk_division. You will see that the proposal included a "Health and medicine desk". StuRat 16:11, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I read the archive - and think it was a good idea. I can give two extra reasons - 1. shorter desks will mean that the archiving is less often - I can't help thinking a few days before the question dissapears into the mists of the archives is not always a long enough time to get a good response. 2. More specialised desks may improve the overall quality of the responses, I've noticed more than once that people respond to questions that they are not really qualified to answer - ie giving an obviously wrong answer (not saying I never mess up or do this). Dividing the desks into departments (like at a university) seems like a good idea. For people who are a little confused there could be a reference desk:science general - and then their question could be directed to the more specialised place..I'd like to promote again the tree like structure proposed by person "freshoftheuk"83.100.174.70 16:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I would call such a Reference Desk 'Psychology and Personal Advice'. If you called it 'Counselling and Psychiatry', persons practicing those professions would likely frown upon it. Vranak 16:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I was really hoping it would not deal in advice but facts and theories..either as a medical subsection or as two subsections "biology" and "psychology" - the latter would leave the science desk as a 'physical sciences' question place.83.100.174.70 16:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Composite cable splitters.

In a local hardware store, I've seen devices for sale which I would find quite handy: you plug three sets of composite cables into them, then plug the device into the composite cable ports on your TV. Would these degrade the signal at all? I've seen some for sale for $80, and some for $15 -- how big would the difference be, and why the massive difference in cost? I have four or five machines, all using composite cables, so something like this would be excellent -- but if it introduced flickering, blur, or any other flaws into the picture, I wouldn't want it. I'd appreciate someone enlightening me about these devices, and what they're actually called. Pesapluvo 15:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a switching box -

a. these shouldn't be expensive at all - the $80 ones I would guess are a rip off unless they have other functions.

b. I wouldn't expect any noticable degredation of the signal (unless the thing is really badly made)

You obviously mean like this http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tvcables/component-video-switch.html?id=jBwS5cu5 this one is expensive but has a remote control so I guess it's not that bad a price (still quite a lot), or this http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&DOY=14m12&ModuleNo=46677&criteria= (scart contains rgb signals) as the maplin site says "ALL connections can result in siganl loss (eg SCART Plugs, phono plugs etc, etc) but this is genreally un-noticable." I'd have no worries about buying one of these - and unless you need extra functions and a remote - buy the cheap one..83.100.174.70 15:19, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I know what you mean, one of my friends has one of these. Of course adding any complexities to the cabling can and will degrade the signal, but it's really not noticeable in general use. And it is convenient. The one my friend has has I think four inputs, and a switch to select between them. The biggest problem is with cables coming loose; I'm guessing it wasn't a very expensive one. I suppose the more you pay the better quality plugs, switches and internal wiring, but whether the difference is that significant ($15 to $80), who knows. Mind you, it could be worth the difference if you got that remote with it. --jjron 15:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Mystique

Widgie board is as mystical as the word itself. The word widgie does not even appear in English dictionary. Even the Misplaced Pages misses it out. Most people know its mystical powers as a means of communication with non-worldly presence. There are real life accounts of such phenomena (not just in movies).

So, what do we really know about widgie board?

Thank you. --Jefri Basiuni 16:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You should look at Ouija - the word is a trademark constructed from french "oui" and german? "ja" for yes. Maybe "widjie" is a corruption of "ouija"??83.100.174.70 16:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe that the usual spelling is 'Ouija board'. Cheers. Vranak 16:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You might have more luck searching for Ouija board. -sthomson 16:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Nazi

I recently saw a television show about the holocaust. It was filmed in Poland during the cold war. Many lay people were interviewed such as women and old people. They stated in a matter of fact way how the Nazi killed all the Jews, but left one boy alive to burn bodies, he was kept alive because he could sing well. They showed him, the only Jew left, standing infront of a church where many were gassed. Who was this man? Where in Poland did this take place? What was the name of the show?

Also, does wiki have any articles on Jews who survived the war, while remaining in Poland.

Thank you

Was it possibly part of Shoah that you saw? I haven't seen it for many years, but your description is reminiscent of parts, especially the "matter of fact"ness of the interviews, the church scene, the one kept alive. If I remember correctly (and I may not) many of those stories came from Treblinka. Antandrus (talk) 16:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and this article History of Jews in Poland may help point to some answers to the second part of your question. Adolf Berman remained until 1950. There may be other articles on Polish Jews who remained, but many left after the Kielce pogrom in 1946. There is a chapter on these events in Martin Gilbert's book on the Holocaust. Antandrus (talk) 16:41, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Has anyone ever heard of an Italian pastry called a Catidad?

After my Nana passed on, we were unable to find a recipe for a sweet honey drenched pastry she used to bake. She called them Castidads...does anyone know how to make them or what the true name for them is??? Thanks, DB

Analog Land Phone Line

Does anyone know exactly what an analog land phone line is or refers to?

analog telecommunications would be a good start - follow the links. Carcharoth 16:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

And from there we get to analog signal and Telecommunications#Telephone. Carcharoth 16:51, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

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