Revision as of 20:29, 11 December 2006

Reference Desk

December 8

Naruto ressembalnce

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 209.244.187.211 (talk) 00:37, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

in my opinion, he looks nothing like naruto. Well can you tell me what anime he's from then?

job in history and geography

is there a job/career that deals with history and geography together? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.14.39.103 (talk) 02:07, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Well, there are definitely ways of doing history that emphasize geography. And there is a small field of the history of geography. In either case your best bet is to cling to the academy. --24.147.86.187 03:11, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I interpret that last response to mean that teaching history would likely be the best way to combine the two. StuRat 08:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

There is also Historical Geography for you to look over. Clio the Muse 03:14, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

A career in the military would be greatly enhanced by sound background in those humanities. --Dweller 12:49, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Or a career in diplomatic service, international journalism, or, less glamorously, reference or textbook publishing. Marco polo 19:00, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

ragtime guitar music

To whom it may cocern ,I would like to know if there is available in either music or guitar tab form the following ragtime songs.

Memphis Rag by R.L.Watson And Josiah JOnes and a 2nd song titled ...Praying on the old campground and lonesome blues I don't know the composer or player of the 2nd song.If there is a source other than yourselves that you may direct me to I would appreciate it ... thank you for any assistance .. Don Peace —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.81.224.19 (talk) 02:25, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

“Mississippi Delta Blues Jam in Memphis” Vol. 1 Various Artists. CD 385. CD upc: 096297038529. This also has Furry Lewis, the worlds best old time bottleneck guitar player, who recorded on the Edison label, and whom I had the priviledge to hear live. $13.89 at Overstock.com . Sheetmusic? Do you think the musicians worked from sheet music? I expect they used 'head arrangements.' Edison 05:25, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

What on earth could this animal be?

A friend and I were at a playground. I thought I saw a patch of red fur, but it turned out to be leaves, but now I wonder if the creature was at that spot then hid behind a tree or bush. Then, my friend saw something that looked a bit like a fox, but bigger jump from a tree. I thought I heard a growl. Then I heard leaves rustling. Suddenly I realized that this might be a chupabraca! I told my friend to run, and when I looked back, I could have sworn I saw a rusty-furred thing were we were standing! It was about 2.5-3 feet tall, but I was about twenty feet away, so it must have been bigger up close. It had little bumps running down it's back . It's body was hyena-like but the rest of it was fox-like. If you saw this sighting on my talk page, I added a bit more detail and edited it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Thylacine lover (talk • contribs) 04:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Sounds like a Pooka. B00P 05:47, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Aren't chupacabras mythical creatures? --froth 07:01, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Where do you live? That would help figure it out. Sounds exciting but a little scary. Maybe it was a chupacabra or a puca. -THB 08:42, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds to me like a Dhole. They live in south Asia, and are visually a cross between a red fox and a dog. They're pretty cool to watch too, I've sat at the local zoo and watched them run around and communicate with each other for quite a while. --Maelwys 12:52, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Which country has the strongest military?

Which country has the strongest military?

See Superpower or Super-Duper Power Not a total answer as many other factors than military play a part in the designation. --Justanother 05:36, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, the People's Liberation Army of China is the largest...which doesn't mean strongest per se. - Zepheus <ツィフィアス> 06:29, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, America's is much stronger technologically --froth 07:06, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

One way to compare is by expenditure. See List of countries by military expenditure. Note that the U.S. spends about half of all the military expenditure of the whole world. A lot of that money is lent to the U.S. by other countries. -THB 08:37, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes the USA does have the biggest expenditure and the most technalogically advanced military but I would suggest that is NOT the strongest, in fact I strongly deny that it is, referance the cockup in Vietnam , Afghanistan and now Iraq. But lets not turn this into a political debate. I don't think we have seen China's PLA in action so I wouldn't like to say, the Russians? whats their army like? How about the British Armed Forces? Undefeted since the Hundred years war with France I believe. IDF? up untill about 6 weeks ago they had never been defeted before, but can you really call them a Military? Then there is the Swiss, always overlooked, stoped the Germans pretty quick in WWII. Which poses a question, did the Swiss military actually invent The Swiss Army Knife? AMX 19:26, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I have a quibble with your comment about the British Armed Forces. See Second Anglo-Dutch War, American Revolutionary War, and Irish War of Independence. Also, England was defeated and driven from Calais in 1558. Marco polo 20:45, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Offensively, the U.S. If the Commander in Chief is an idiot, it doesn't mean the army isn't the strongest, just that it's being misapplied. The U.S. has the logistics and by far the best navy and air force to attack anywhere in the world. On defense, probably the Chinese or maybe the Russians, just from sheer numbers. But the Chinese can only attack their nearest neighbors. They can't even seriously threaten Taiwan in the face of American opposition. And let's not forget the Sino-Vietnamese War - they didn't do so well there. Clarityfiend 20:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

"Just from sheer numbers"? The U.S. active miiltary is 40% larger than Russia. And you forgot India and North Korea which both also have larger militaries than Russia. (See also List of countries by number of active troops)

Geez, how the mighty have fallen. I don't put much stock in the Indians or North Koreans though. Their equipment must be pretty obsolescent. The North Korean army is especially suspect, since it hasn't fought a real war since 1953. Clarityfiend 02:37, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, remember that navies and air forces are extremely expensive and america is one of the only nations that actually fields a sizable navy/air force. --froth 21:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

An economics comment: Much of the money spent on the military is "recycled" back into the economy of the nation in the form of pay to soldiers, money to defense contractors, etc., so we shouldn't just view all money spent on the military as being "flushed down the toilet". There is a true economic cost, however, in that soldiers are prevented from otherwise contributing to the economy (they aren't building cars or growing corn, for example). Countries which buy their weapons abroad and/or hire mercenaries would thus have a higher "true cost" than those which spend the same amount of money domestically. To justify the economic expense of the military, this true cost would need to be compared with the costs of lacking a military entirely. StuRat 09:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Back to the original question: "Which country has the strongest military?" I honestly don't think it is the USA, I would think it is either going to be China, once they have modernised their Navy and Naval airforce they will take Taiwan back and there will be no stopping them. Or "old europe" Great Britian , Russia or Switzerland...Do any of the old soviet countries (appart from russia) have a worth-while military? Ukrain? Czec republic?AMX 11:54, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

The question is which currently has the strongest military, not which could, in the future. Europe "could" have the strongest military, if they wanted to, but they lack the political will to do so. StuRat 13:27, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually the question is "Which country has the strongest military?" not "which currently has the strongest military" as that makes no sense.

I said "could" not becuase I was refering to the future but becuase I do not have every fact about every military force on the planet at my finger tips and thus, like everybody else, I cannot give a definite answere.AMX 18:24, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I would probably say either America or even China. I have read that China's military has the most members/militants, but I am not sure that it would make them the strongest. — Seadog 13:34, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Could you please define America? Last time I checked America was a vast land mass consisting of two main continents and one sub-continent none of which have their own military.AMX 18:24, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

you dont have to be flipping albert einstein to know what hes talking about. Dont be so perdantic, its aggrovating, of course hes obviously on about the United States. P.S. I'm sorry for mocking your condition if you are actually so oblivious that you didnt realise. Philc _TC 18:29, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I said it becuase its bloody annoying when people talk about the USA as America and vice-versa THERE ARE OTHER COUNTRIES IN AMERICA.AMX 18:38, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes there are other countries in america, but who cares, the point of language is to express something to someone else, and if the context makes it completely obvious what they meant, how it was worded is irrelavent. If the point was conveyed sufficiently for you to sarcastically mock its inaccuracy it just serves to show that you have some sort of inability to work with people who make mistakes. So in response, it is more annyoing when people are perdantic and act like social retards, than when people mis-use terminology. Philc _TC 18:40, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh sorry AMX, I was referring to the United States of America, I sometimes forget these things, please forgive me. — Seadog 18:39, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Right, the USA, I must contest this most strongly; The USA haven't won a war on their own EVER, now I know they won the war of independance but they weren't the USA back then , battle strategies weren't exactly brilliant and you didn't need to have studied it for 6 years before you were in command , also they were fighting an enemy (the British) who were thousands of miles away before the invention or rather use of stratiegic aircraft by the military. When you look at the facts the British weren't that bothered about keeping hold of it. Ok so they were involved in both the world wars but lets consider Vietnam; the USA's military had every mod-con , satelite communication , air supperiority and naval support. They were beaten by a buch of guerrilla's with AK47s. They're having trouble in Afganistan and losing in Iraq. Also I think there are others but I cannot remember the place names right now.AMX 19:01, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

There are other countries in the Americas. Yes, some people, at least in some contexts, use the unmodified word "America" as a synonym for "the Americas", but it's not really usual anymore. I don't think you're going to be able to change it, so for the sake of your blood pressure you might as well get used to it. --Trovatore 18:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Please do not SHOUT AMX, it is not good style. Also once again I am sorry it was an honest mistake, I was just waking up to do my wiki-chores and I thought I could help out here. I am sorry that I offended you, but for the sake of everyone please calm down. We are trying to help. — Seadog 18:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

If you don't want me to shout by using capitals then I will try not to, I'm not angry and my bloody peasure has only gone up through laughing. Oh and there is no need to appologise.AMX 19:01, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Reminder: The reference desk is not a chat room. Please keep your answers relevant to the question asked, as stated in "How to answer a question". Friday (talk) 19:04, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

The thing is the USA in both Vietnam and now Iraq are trying to rebuild the countries after overthowing some nasty people for the citizens benifit and future, whether or not we agree is irrelivent. If they wanted them destroyed, or if a country was actually at total war with them they could nuke them, simple as. So if the UK, for example launched some of their Trident missiles at the USA - not that it'd ever happen - and they were both at war, the USA would win. If China invaided Alaska, and China and the USA were at total war, the USA would obv. win. If the USA wanted to do away with the entire country of Iraq (or Vietnam, back in the day), they could. But they don't want to, and didn't want to. Numbercattle 21:06, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I would NOT want to be charged with the task of capturing Switzerland or Japan! Mathiemood 06:25, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Hot and cold

The article on Hangover says that taking a shower and changing it back and forth from hot to cold can be unhealthy. I've experienced this before (mostly with cold draughts and warm rooms) and it produces a violent sickening sensation in the pit of my stomach. Why? --froth 07:00, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps because the body suddenly shifts blood from peripheral blood vessels to more central ones. See thermoregulation. -THB

I would guess that your body takes this as a sign of disease, as temperature control problems are common with infections. The nausea may be to get you to vomit, in case the pathogens are contained in the stomach. StuRat 09:06, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Youngest presenter

I asked this a week ago without any result, the answer got archived, so I'll try again. Who is the youngest television presenter in the United States? And who would get that title were the question worldwide? - Mgm| 11:12, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

John Humphrys says this site. I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for, but it might help! Laurən 15:00, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Will check that. - Mgm| 18:48, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Not entirely what I'm looking for. It said "Aged 28, John became the BBC's first full-time television correspondent in the United States and the youngest television foreign correspondent." News correspondents are markedly different from regular presenters. - Mgm| 18:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean a regular presenter or a guest ? I believe I've seen kids news shows where they are the presenters. There are also segments in many kids shows, like Arthur (TV series) where a kid or group of kids presents something, like "here's my dog, Spot". Kids are also featured on shows like David Letterman's, where they each present a science experiment. I would guess that the answer would be a 1 year old, as some 1 year olds may be mature enough to "present something", like their dog. StuRat 15:12, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I specified television presenter, and I should've said I wasn't looking for segments in fictional shows. The kids on David Letterman would qualify if they were recurring. Thanks for trying to help anyway. Other suggestions are still welcome. - Mgm| 18:48, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

To clarify, Arthur (TV series) has a segment in the middle where real kids (not cartoons) present something. StuRat 19:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Must be an American thing then, because the few times I watched it on the BBC out of boredom, I didn't notice any real kids. - Mgm| 01:05, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I've noticed it's very common in the US for cartoon shows to have added segments, some with real kids. One reason for this is that many kid's shows are shown on PBS, which lacks ads, so they need to "pad for time" relative to commercial broadcasts. Thus, a brief live action spot with kids is a good, inexpensive way to add the needed minutes. I've also seen such time-padding in foreign-made cartoons shown on PBS, such as "meet the author" segments on Redwall and "meet the grandparents" segments on Jakers!. StuRat 08:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Old western hanging scene

hi all,

I remember watching a film were the cowboy his set to be hung so he swallows a steel tube to re-enforce his windpipe so he won't die when hung. can someone please tell me the name of the film this scene belongs too.

thanks

217.33.203.18 12:56, 8 December 2006 (UTC) Eoghan

Don't know, but that method wouldn't work, as hanging is designed to break the neck. There is a form of hanging (without the "drop"), meant to be more horrific, where the person slowly suffocates, but that's not what was typically used in the US. StuRat 14:53, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

This is bizarre. Even if it did work, and that he could somehow keep this tube in place without choking on it or swallowing it completely, what did he think would happen next? First thing they would do after hanging him is check he is dead.--Shantavira 15:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I had the thought about the neck too but it would not be the first time a movie got it all wrong (laff) so I do not doubt that there is such a film but I was not able to find it. --Justanother 15:27, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Not necessarily so. There is a pub on the Grassmarket (there are actually very many), but the one I refer to here is called, "Maggie Dickson's". In the days of yore and public hangings, poor and single Maggie had the temerity to hide from the City fathers the fact that she was pregnant (a local bye-law had earlier been enacted to prevent the many infanticides and abortions carried out by single women and prostitutes). The punishment (following the safe arrival and despatch of the alive child into the poorhouse), was the public hanging of the mother. Maggie was duly hanged "by the neck until ye be dead - and may God (certainly not the guid folk of Edinburgh), have mercy on your soul". But she was from a neighbouring town called Musselburgh. And it fell to that latter town to inter her remains. So the carters who cut her down and put her in a box and took her to Musselburgh to be buried in unconsecrated ground there, stopped for a thirst-quenching drink at a pub on the way, "The Sheep's Heid", still standing in Duddingston village. And when they emerged, Maggie was sitting up in the open topped box rubbing her sore neck. You see, in those days, the "drop" was not as scientifically prepared as in latter executions, in fact, most condemned people simply choked to death. In Maggie's case, the long journey over the cobbled roads of the time had revived her. And she couldn't be re-tried or re-hanged as she had already been pronounced dead. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.169 (talk) 19:10, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Eric Moussambani Contact

Hi There... I am trying to get in touch with Eric 'The Eel' Moussambani. He is from Equatorial Guinea and swam in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. Any information to help me get a hold of him would be much appreciated, I would like to write his story.

Many thanks Rita Litamb 13:24, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Why not go through the Equatorial Guinea Olympic Committee?

Eric Moussambani

Equatorial Guinea National Olympic Committee

Comite National Olympique Equato-Guineen

National Olympic Committees, Athletic Associations/Organizations

Ministerio de Educacion y Deportes MALABO , EQUATORIAL QUINEA:

Tel.: +240 93326

Fax: +240 93313

E-mail: coge@intnet.gq

-THB 14:35, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Thank you so much THB.. brilliant idea, great help! much appreciated!

Graphs using ARCHIM

Can someone please tell me how to draw the graph of a parabola?? i am using a software called ARCHIM (www.stochastic-lab.com for free download). every time I use the standard equation some innovative error comes up. Please hlp —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 221.135.177.214 (talk) 14:29, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

(Someone please move to Computing IT or Math Desk, I'm not sure which is more appropriate. Thanks -THB 14:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC))

I would go with the Computer Desk. Can you tell us which equation you entered and what errors you got ? StuRat 14:46, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

mercats

could someone please assist me> in the show mercats, what happened to shakesphere? was he ever seen again? why was one of the females forced out of the den?

any help would be appreciated...thank-you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 204.138.85.6 (talk) 14:37, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Meerkat Manor, the Meerkat soap opera, has this:

Shakespeare, Zaphod's courageous son. He survived two bites of a puff adder, but is now presumed dead after successfully saving Flower's pups from an attack by Big Cy of the Lazuli group. Shakespeare's death and/or disappearance at the end of the first series, with no closure, has been a matter of dispute among viewers.

Sorry. Doesn't sound good. -THB 14:42, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Both Tosca and Mozart were kicked out for having pups, and in Tosca's case, also for trying to take over. Mozart was let back in, but Tosca is out for good. Clarityfiend 20:28, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

thank-you every one, your information was very much appreciated. jm

Churchill

I was recently told a quote by Churchill,...The Years of the Locust... To what was he refering? sorry if this question is badly laid out —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.144.161.223 (talk) 16:00, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

It's not badly laid out at all. Here's the link to the text of that particular speech. Why don't you read it while waiting for one of the Churchill experts to explain? -THB 16:35, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I have nothing to add in response to the question - but I have to say, as an Englishman who loves his country and its history, how very grateful I am to Misplaced Pages as the medium, and to THB, the luminary above, who so knowlegeably and timeously in response to the question, not only drew on an obviously immense fund of Churchillian history and (his) speeches, but also pointed me to yet another fount of my country's history, of which I was previously entirely ignorant and unaware. Thankyou both. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.169 (talk) 18:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you (Joel 2:25). I believe Churchill was refering to the years in which Nazi Germany rearmed, and England slept.EricR 19:03, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Even before they were over, people started calling the 1930s "the locust years," Sir Thomas Inskip, Britain's minister for coordination of defense at the time and a man who knew his Bible, first used the phrase, borrowing it from the Old Testament prophet Joel, who described a hard and ugly era as "The years that the locust hath eaten." Winston Churchill picked the phrase up for The Gathering Storm, his book on the prelude to World War II. For Churchill, it described the years 1931 to 1935, when in the great English statesman's memorable words, "the entire situation on the continent of Europe was reversed" for the worse. It was a "dismal period" when "horrors and miseries ... beyond comparison in human experience" became inevitable, Churchill wrote. Goode, Stephen (April 2003). "Great Powers Paid Price for 'Peace'". Insight on the News. 19.

EricR 19:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

xbox flight stick list

there is a place that i can see a list of xbox flight sticks, i am planning to buy one??? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.78.236.139 (talk) 17:25, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

what does god look like

who come know one can describe god? who created god? is there another universe? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 204.138.85.6 (talk) 18:36, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

(1) See god. (2) Gods are not created. (3) No but see multiverse and parallel universe.--Shantavira 18:42, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

• That is because according to the Bible God was the first to exist and create everything. We haven't proven He exists scientifically, so all your questions are unanswerable. - Mgm| 18:44, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

See metaphysics. Questions about god are metaphysical questions and not addressed by natural science. A religion, any religion, could be termed as a locus of agreements about metaphysical issues. Many of them describe god. Some do not. Scientology, for instance, does not deal with that level of truth and states that one must come to his own understanding of god. I am sure other religions take the same tack. Basically you pick the one or none or many or whatever you like. Everything else is just opinion. I like my steak medium rare. --Justanother 18:54, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe there are some religions where gods create other gods, possibly in a finite or infinite loop. This just reminds me of "it's turtles all the way down", however. StuRat 19:12, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Greek gods are described in detail (zeus being manly and strong, aphrodite being sexy and seductive) but most gods nowadays are described as spirit, without physical form. --froth 21:04, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Look in the mirror because man is created in God image. What you will get is a pretty lousy image of God. 220.239.110.225 02:01, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget that man also made the mirror -- so any distortions will be of his own doing.

Also, I'm with Froth -- the Greeks knew what a god looked like -- wise, sexy, and fit ss fuck. Mathiemood 06:28, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

thanks everybody for responding to my question.remember, someone had to create in order to begin. hence, god must have had a point of origin in order to create the heaven and the earth. where did the basis of his ideation come from otherwise?

Movie

What Kind of a movie is "Don't let your Meat Loaf"? made in 1995 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.77.41.100 (talk) 18:52, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Apparently it is a comedy following 3 black comics trying to raise enough money to open a comedy club...see this link (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dont_let_your_meat_loaf/about.php) for more details. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ny156uk (talk • contribs) 18:57, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Traditional song

My mother remembers a song about a woman lamenting her own life, and the different colours of what she wore throughout: Red to attract a man White for her wedding Black for his funeral, etc Can anyone help? --Bearbear 23:04, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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)

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)

• 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.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.

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)

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)

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)

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

medicine

Frequent refrence desk responders may wish to review hidden comments below

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)

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)

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