Revision as of 17:17, 10 December 2006

Reference Desk

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December 5

Peanuts

Hi im the peanut farmer who asked bout storing my peanuts in the forsest. Sum one rubbed out my questin. i have lots of theft from my storeroom so i thot to store my crop in the forast. is that legal? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.113.185 (talk • contribs)

It would depend upon the laws wherever it is that you farm peanuts and on who owns the forast. -THB 02:19, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't think your peanuts would be safe in the forest - thieves and wild animals would find them there. --Shuttlebug 02:21, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Im not sure on the legality of storing them. AS THB says, it could depend on who owns the forest. My concern would be more one of protecting your nuts from attack by wild animals. Squirrels apparently would have a taste for your nuts. --Light current 02:26, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Light current, peanuts aren't nuts, they're legumes. I assumed they would be stored in proper containers to protect them from bugs and animals. Surely thieves would have more trouble finding them in the forast than in a storeroom known to contain peanuts. I'm not clear on why someone would steal peanuts. They're quite cheap. It would be more lucrative to steal copper or something. -02:28, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Apparently stealing almonds can be lucrative. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:00, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, farmers are getting ripped off left and right in California and across the country--fuel, machinery, crops. Almonds are significantly more expensive than peanuts. -THB 03:04, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Paying employees (in) peanuts

One suggestion is that you pay your employees (if that's who you suspect of theft), at least partially, in peanuts. For example, you could give them 5 kg of peanuts each a week, and decrease their pay by the cost of those peanuts to you (wholesale cost, not retail). The object here is twofold:

1) To satiate their desire for peanuts, so that they won't feel the need to steal them.

2) To increase their perceived pay, as they think of the value of peanuts as the retail price, which is much greater than the price you pay for them.

You could also increase security, by hiring guards, etc., but that can be quite expensive, and the guards might steal peanuts, too.

As for the legal issues, I would think those peanuts would be legally considered to be "abandoned", and therefore anyone who found them could take them. Also, the police might wonder what you are up to, and suspect you of smuggling drugs. StuRat 06:59, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

What does that say about your employees if you pay them peanuts? 8-)--Light current 07:04, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure they will never forget this gesture (especially compared with the other gestures you might have made when finding out they were stealing from you). StuRat 07:11, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

StuRat, I don't think you should be giving legal advice about abandoned property, as that would vary by location, and we don't even know where the OP is, except that he is on a farm and there is a forsest nearby. I think the OP should contact a lawyer specializing in property issues. The lawyer could help with the trespass issues as well. -THB 07:18, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Can you think of any jurisdiction where leaving sacks of peanuts in the forest wouldn't constitute abandonment ? StuRat 09:06, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I just couldn't comment as I am not a lawyer. -THB 16:50, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

The above idea about paying employees in peanuts is how a few companies operate. It may work for the OP. Jack Daniels gives its employees a free fifth every quarter or some such thing. From what I hear, Hershey's Chocolate lets the employees take chocolate. And I've known several people who have worked for Ben & Jerry's who got free pints of ice cream. Something like 2 pints a day. Dismas| 08:27, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't think I would recommend giving away liquor at work, that could have undesired consequences. StuRat 10:03, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Wal-mart apparently pays their workers peanuts. They're going to give them a shirt every five years now that they've capped wages. -THB 15:39, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

There are legends that trolls are fond of peanuts. There should be a Ref Desk for trolls where questions like this could be asked. Edison 15:52, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I did not know that peanuts were native to Scandinavia. Perhaps the original question-poster could clarify the location of the peanut farm near the forast. -THB 16:48, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

It in calhoun county

Which Calhoun County? There are eleven. -THB 20:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Risk versus reward

If storing peanuts in the forest makes sense to you, then do it. However, you should be psychologically prepared to have them confisicated, by police, squirrels, or anyone else that wanders upon your cache. Theavatar3 17:26, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

If he buries them underground in the forsest, they will be safer. -THB 17:47, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Where are the Serious Q&A Only Police when you need them?Edison 20:24, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

sheet music

where can i find sheet music for a beginner/int. guitarist, actual free sheet music, i dont care what it is thanks

sheetmusic.org ~~snak3

mudcat.org --Shuttlebug 02:22, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

sibeliusmusic.com has a few free examples, but the majority is not. bibliomaniac15 02:55, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

• If you don't live in too much of a rural area, you probably have a 'brick and mortar' instruments and sheet music store in your vicinity. And since it won't take any shipping costs it will be considerably cheaper than buying online.- Mgm| 11:01, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Does it have to be guitar tabs (is that the right word?) or can it be just chords? eg. Gm=G minor? You will find a lot of guitar chords, comme ca, on "normal" music.martianlostinspace 16:51, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Hmm...basically google "guitar tabs" and you should find plenty of useful sheet music of various difficulties and genres. If you do not know what tabs are then feel free to contact me here as I would be glad to help. — Seadog 04:23, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

POV tags

Not sure I'm asking this in the right place. If not, I apologise. Having read WP:NPOV and related pages through again, I see that it is expected that use of the {{POV}} tag is accompanied by a reasonably full explanation on the talk page of the article. I was wondering is there any concensus that such tags can be removed if no explanation is given (or it is only a very basic ie. "I disagree" comment is made without citing problem areas and explaining the discrepancy)? There is a huge backlog of tags which undermine articles. Many seem to just be added when someone reads the topic which does not support their own POV on the subject. Thanks. WJBscribe 01:45, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Not sure about this one, but I remember reading somewhere that it can be. As a general rule, if you add a tag, you should say why on the talk page. --Wooty Woot? contribs 01:47, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

This isn't the right place for this topic (you might want WT:NPOV) but it seems easier to just answer than try moving it. Like many questions about editing, this is a judgment call. Tags with little or no explanation would generally be safe to remove. When in doubt, explain yourself well on the talk page and you should be fine. Friday (talk) 02:01, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, I will ask at WT:NPOV. WJBscribe 02:34, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

This may be better on the Help desk--Light current 02:02, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I leave POV tags even if no explanation is given if it's obvious. I think the duty to inform potentially naive users is more important than some technicality. -THB 02:33, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

It is sufficient, perhaps even preferred, to give a reason for removing POV tags and the like in the edit history. If you go to a talk page to discuss your change, you will appear to be inconfident in the eyes of others. And if you inconfident in your edit, do not make it at all. Theavatar3 17:28, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

On the contrary, I would say (particularly if the template was added by an anon who is unlikely to come back and see any questions you ask) take bold action if you feel it is probably needed, but make it very clear what you have done and why in the history and talk page. If you ask first in the talk pages of many articles, months will go by with no reply and no action. If you take action and consensus deems it wrong, people won't take it badly if they see your reasoning. If someone reverts you, but you made a positive edit, there is a trail of reason for others to follow and potentially restore your edit. Skittle 23:58, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

edits

Just out of curiousity, how many edits per second (or minutes) are in the recent changes (including new user accounts, deletion logs etc.)--PrestonH 05:11, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

This site claims that in January Misplaced Pages was updated 4,223 times per hour and 110 new users were registered every hour. Thus, it may be safe to estimate 4,500 total events per hour, which is 1.25 per second. –mysid☎ 11:34, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Interesting, I thought it would have been much more. But I guess that goes with the info I found some time ago that that would indicate that most edits are made by what is now maybe 1000 editors and if you figure how many of them are active in any given hour and how many actual constructive edits are made (most articles being fairly stable). Also, my guess is about 75% of edits are very minor or maintenance, vandalism, or repairing vandalizsm. --Justanother 12:40, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Looking at the time stamps at Special:Recentchanges will give you a better idea of what's going on.--Shantavira 13:52, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Of course, some large percentage of the edits are school kids vandalizing Wiki during study hall. An RCPer's work is never done!

Atlant 17:33, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

pal 4 chat

Is there any scope 4 chat in wikipedia..? if so give me the links in detail or directly..? Temuzion 06:13, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

No. Misplaced Pages is not a social networking site. Unless you mean a "chat room" like Misplaced Pages's IRC? --Wooty Woot? contribs 06:24, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Absolutely none.--Light current 06:57, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

What about WP:PUMP and IRC? Anchoress 06:59, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Thats serious discussion 8-(--Light current 07:06, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

AFAIK this desk is the closest you'll get to a Misplaced Pages chat (even though it shouldn't really be used for that purpose), plus you'll learn something every day! However, you might like to browse the Misplaced Pages Fun department for further ideas.--Shantavira 09:32, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually the pump looked to be a little less formal than the RDs when I lookd last. IRC i cant get into it/dont understand it--Light current 15:08, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Depends on topic. See on some popular topics, you see templates at the top of talk pages - limiting the scope of the topic.martianlostinspace 16:47, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

eg. Talk:Microsoftmartianlostinspace 16:48, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Those templates are only clarifying the existing rules on talk pages that have a history of violating them. All talk pages are for discussion to improve the article (or ask questions about the topic that are not answered in the article, so people can include them in the article). You're not supposed to be chatting about the topic generally on any talk pages. Skittle 23:51, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I can't understand the concept of that village pump & IRC...what's this all..? Temuzion 08:41, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Check out this page: WP:IRC. ---J.S 03:19, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Leaving Misplaced Pages due to death threats

How many people per annum leave WP due to so called 'credible' death threats? Ive just been astonished to find someone admitting to this action.--Light current 06:57, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

They admitted leaving because of a death threat or they admitted making a death threat to cause someone to leave? -THB 07:30, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

No leaving of course!--Light current 08:21, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

It's extremely rare, as there are all sorts of checks and balances that can be invoked before a dispute gets that bad. Unfortunately, I guess some users might not know that, or not know where to ask for help.--Shantavira 09:37, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Some of the questions - and not a few of the responses, are enough to bore a person to death.

Yeah esp mine! 8-)--Light current 14:54, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, I suppose, death threats are so extreme that they might be too scared to stay to tell anybody. That way, it's difficult to tell.martianlostinspace 16:44, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Like, say, if you were a publisher of The Satanic Verses? Vespine 22:03, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

CSI:Crime Scene Investigation: Built To Kill, Part 2

Our article on the episode and several other places are unclear about this. What is the significance of the doll picture on the back of the miniature portrait? Is this ever addressed again? Grissom appeared to have an aha moment, but for me it was a very confusing ending. - Mgm| 12:54, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

• Aha, a glance through the upcoming episodes indicate I have to wait for Post Mortem (CSI episode) to show. - Mgm| 13:00, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

search on user

Hi, Can you search the work and articles submitted by one specific user? Can you search the work of a user i e.g. Norway from the English page? br Iris Frøybu 14:50, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

There is a "User Contributions" link on every user page - that'd be the way to do it. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I don't understand the second part of your question. If you are referring to the Norwegian and English Wikipedias, a contributor would need a separate user account for each. They might or might not use the same user name (or IP address) for each account, so it could be difficult to associate their contributions on each Misplaced Pages.--Shantavira 15:31, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I think he means "Can you search within the works of only one user?". If I'm right in that interpretation, I think the answer's no.martianlostinspace 16:43, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

To integrate the above (for my own clarity, too:)):

• (From martianlostinspace) You cannot do a search for keywords in the contributions that a specific user has made (i.e. you cannot do a search by username), but
• (from Tagishsimon) you can get a list of the work and article edits made by a user by going to her user page, and clicking on the "User contributions" link found inside the "Toolbox" on the left. From there on you would have to click on every entry and read it to see what it was.
• (From Shantavira) You cannot search the Norwegian language Misplaced Pages (nor any other language Misplaced Pages) from within the English one, you have to actually browse to the Norwegian Misplaced Pages pages (Norwegian Misplaced Pages (Bokmål)or Norwegian Misplaced Pages (Nynorsk)to do that.
• The user you are searching for can have a different username on every Misplaced Pages that she belongs to.

Is the above correct? -- Seejyb 18:20, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Yup. And you could download copies of any and all wikipedias and knit your own search engine, but you'll have to have considerable coding-fu to be able to do this. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Users can also have multiple usernames and no username at all. -THB 19:45, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks to all of you for clarifying responses. br Iris

admission

Hi! i am looking for admission in any school or college in ontario. I have been in canada for two years,living in Quebec since then. but recently I have moved to ontario. and I am facing many problems in understandinG Ontario's educational system as it is way different from Quebec's. I am over 19, and i still do not have high school diploma. it is because Quebec demands French Sec-5 (equivalent of grade 12) too. so i had to start all over. And now as i have moved, and i no more need any french credits, Could anyone please suggest me what is procedure of admission for a student like me, who needs admission in the mid-stream of course. and what college or school should I approach. I am intented to take business stream. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.52.19.232 (talk • contribs)

I live in Ontario, have kids going to university here, and have no clue what you are talking about. I hope somebody else does, or else you will have to do more work by yourself, such as talking to various admission officers for the colleges and universities. --Zeizmic 16:17, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

In the unusual situation you're in, Zeizmic is giving excellent advice. Talk to the admissions people at a couple of the schools you'd like to go to. You may be the same questioner who asked about not having a high-school diploma a while ago. Canada appears to have GEDs. -THB 16:38, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Please don't take offence at this, but is English your native language? If it isn't, you haven't got far to go, from what I can see in you question. But I would suggest you brush up on some of your English grammar - things like the letter "I" always being a capital letter when it is used as a word by itself. If you did, you might vastly improve your chances of being accepted.martianlostinspace 16:41, 5 December 2006 (UTC) And by the way, it isn't too bad. I've seen a lot, lot worse!martianlostinspace 16:42, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, if you aren't a Canadian citizen, that's an issue the admissions office would need to know about. I'm not sure how it works in Canada, but in the US, you would likely need to obtain a student visa to be allowed to stay in the country while in college. Also, you can probably expect to pay more for college than native Canadians. Your English might be good enough, as is, for a Math/Science/Engineering course of study, but not for a major in English Lit, for example. So, you may, or may not, need to improve your English skills first, depending on your intended major. StuRat 16:50, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Zeizmic, do not be discouraged by martian's remarks.

It is no wonder that English visitors are often treated brusquely by the French. Theavatar3 17:31, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

??? Zeizmic is not the OP. How do the French enter the picture?  --Lambiam 06:50, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

any 1 tats read some postz in da internet nows how bad laik english canget u now?

waddup -THB 19:44, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

See also Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 November 24#Education in Ontario. If you give some feedback on the replies, or in general include all relevant information, it may help to find a good answer.  --Lambiam 06:50, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I didn't mean to offend him/her: if I did, I'm sorry, but I think it was a valid comment. I also asked them not to be.martianlostinspace 18:08, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Telling someone not to be offended before insulting them makes it worse, not better! -THB 18:25, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Worldly newspapers

Hallo! For a market research I need to know how many copies of newspapers are printed daily (or per year) in the world.

Thank you for your answer.

Regards,

Rosa —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.174.59.26 (talk • contribs)

Start with Newspaper. It's a difficult figure to pin down as there are so many newspapers in the world. In addition, many newspapers have internet editions. Do you count unique viewers of those editions? -THB 16:54, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

That's as good as guessing. Can you try and limit it, to say - English language, daily or by country?martianlostinspace 18:06, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Volcanoes

Does anyone know of places in America and Mexico where volcanoes erupted and destroyed the land that was once maybe forests but now just barren (or changed the land), like it did in the Virgin Valley in Nevada?

Do you mean recently, like Mount St. Helens? -THB 19:40, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

From Yellowstone National Park: "Yellowstone has registered three major volcanic eruption events in the last 2.2 million years with the last event occurring 640,000 years ago. Its eruptions are the largest known to have occurred on Earth within that timeframe, producing drastic climate change in the aftermath". Gandalf61 20:03, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Kilauea. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:31, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Our supervolcano#Known_eruptions article section lists 5 major supervolcano eruptions in what is now the United States, but none in what is now Mexico. StuRat 12:13, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Think of England

Warning: People who watch Stargate Atlantis, haven't seen ep 3x11, and care about small spoilers, shouldn't read on.

A cultural question; in a recent Atlantis episode, replicators had taken over Atlantis, and were taking information from a character by means of inserting their hands in foreheads, and extracting it directly from peoples' minds. When one asked "How was I supposed to resist that?", another, an American General replied, "Well, I like to close my eyes and think of England". What I'm wondering is... what did he mean by this? When Americans are in pain do they like to think of medieval churches? Or is there some level of cultural allusion that I'm missing? I'm English, so it was a bit of a surprise (I might have expected something like 'Close my eyes and think of Minnesota', since it was his home, but England was a surprising thing to stick on the end). --Mnemeson 20:04, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

You are English? Male, I imagine! It was traditionally the advice that maters are alleged to have given to well brought up 'gels' just before their wedding night; Well, my dear, just lie back and think of England. I hope that helps. Clio the Muse 20:26, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Haha, it's even in Misplaced Pages: Lie back and think of England -sthomson 21:51, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Good grief! Is there anything that Misplaced Pages does not have? Clio the Muse 00:00, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

No. That's the whole point of WP. JackofOz 01:23, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps a List of product placements in Video Games... such as Mentos in FFXII:P Crisco 1492 06:47, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

If you had known my ex-wife, you would agree that thinking of any country - including Afghanistan with its women under the Taliban and the Burkha, would have been infinitely preferable. As to thinking of England - my home country, I would not have insulted it by associating it with my ex-wife.

Rectus abdominis - Getting a six-pack

What diet and exercise would be appropriate to define the abs? Thanks --Weird question? 20:38, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Try an ablounge and weightwatchers, they have great results. If you don't have the money, just do situps and other exercises for at least a half an hour a day. Remember to always eat your small snacks between meals (fruits) and make sure you have a lot of different colors of foods on your plate (and i don't mean candy). hope this helps, oh and remember to stretch!

Almost everyone already has a six pack! It is just covered over by body fat. Doing crunches will help if you have a low body fat percentage, but according to Men's Health you need to be at about 5%-10% to get definition. So, if you're already really skinny do crunches. Otherwise, cardio, cardio, cardio. You'll need to do at least 45-60 min a day, 5-7 days per week, for at least a month to start getting results. Then depending on your size it could take as long as six months to "get a six pack". It's not easy. Also, watching what you eat will help. And remember, building muscle and losing fat at the same time is difficult without paying attention to diet. Increase protein, decrease calories for carbohydrates and fats. The healthiest way to lose weights is 1 lb a week. Which means you need to burn 500 Calories a day. Good luck! --Cody.Pope 19:52, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm going to give a brutally honest answer; there are three ways to improve the tone of your six-pack:

1. swimming
2. walking
3. you-know-what

Of course cycling, skiing, jogging, skating, playing any sort of sport or doing anything outside will likely help. Mathiemood 16:48, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

wii searchingf

what is a good website that could help me to find the wii?

google.com. Friday (talk) 21:22, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Find is as in find a store that has it in stock?? Well, google will not help much there as the unit is probably selling out as soon as it comes in. I passed a Best Buy the night before it was released and people were camped out to buy it (I had never heard of it before asking them what they were camped for and it really threw me that they said thay were waiting for a WEEEEE). You can find it on eBay, of course. Otherwise call around to every electronics store in your area or wait til after Christmas. --Justanother 22:01, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

refreshthing.com

If Google doesn't do it, try froogle. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:32, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

If you want to chance throwing $6.50 down the toilet, there is this site. Who knows. If you do then please let us know how it works out. --Justanother 05:39, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Gold, Diamonds, and Gems

What are the forces that come together to create gold, diamonds, and gems? I believe gold is created from sand and water but what else?

Gold is an element found in the earth's crust. See Diamonds#Formation for info on diamond formation. The articles on individual other gems may include sections on how they are formed. Friday (talk) 21:32, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Gold is made from sand and water, diamonds are solidified fairy dust and other gems are fossils of angel tears. sorry couldn't help it;)I'd go with the above.Vespine 21:48, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

See alchemy and philosopher's stone also. --Justanother 22:03, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

There are Apache's tears ... User:Zoe|(talk) 03:34, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I wonder if the original poster thought "gold is created from sand and water" because they knew about panning for gold (see placer mining). What's actually going on there is that in some places sand can have tiny amounts of gold mixed in with it, and water is used to help separate it out. --Anonymous, 05:45 UTC, December 6.

In case you are wondering, gold, as well as other heavy elements, was primarily created in supernova explosions before the formation of our solar system. Thus, gold then became part of the cloud from which the Earth was formed, and, by various geologic processes, accumulated in certain areas after the Earth formed. StuRat 12:06, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually new research show some bacteria shits gold, which is one of the explainations for gold dust in rivers. Joneleth 18:47, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but excretion of gold can only take place if the microbes have already ingested it - the gold isn't made there, it simply 'passes through' them. See the middle of this science paper for a bit more info on that. Inner Earth 20:02, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

magneto

This is more of a technical than a science question so I'm asking it here. How does grounding the primary of a magneto shut down the secondary (the high voltage winding part that send the spark) when the other end of the primary is already grounded and when the the power comes from the magnets on the flywheel rotating past the magneto core? 71.100.6.152 21:43, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I can't be sure whether you are asking about a transformer, a generator, or an induction coil. Please elaborate. If you ground both ends of the primary, whatever the device, that will constitute a shorting out of the winding, which is not the case if only one end of the primary is grounded. With one winding of a transformer shorted out, it will tend to collapse the voltage on another tightly coupled winding. But I can't quite be sure what you are talking about with primary, secondary, and flywheel with magnets. Edison 01:10, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Edison, he is referring to a magneto, which is the ignition system on most small engines like lawn mower engines. --Justanother 01:18, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes Edison that is correct. I am refering to an ignition magneto coil. If your answer is still applicable then that would explain why a primary that is grounded at one end will allow the secondary to function as the source of ignition current but prevent the secondary coil from firing if both ends of the primary are grounded. Although magnetos are suppose to be very reliable I can see then how say in an airplane one might not want to use a magneto with a primary if that is possible. 71.100.6.152 05:33, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, small piston-powered aircraft have not one but two independant (redundant) magneto igition systems. On pre-takeoff runup you check each individually and then fly with both. This site shows an electronic replacement for magnetos. Back in the day, any racecar or hot rod worth anything had Mallory magneto ignition, too. --Justanother 05:45, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I think it's fine to post such a question on the Science Ref Desk, as engineering is basically "applied science". StuRat 12:00, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the "shorted primary" will cause most of the electricity generated by the magneto to take the easy path (through the shorted primary) rather than the difficult path (through the spark plug), hence, no spark.

Atlant 13:05, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

A shorted winding on a transformer, or even a turn to turn short, will in general cause the other windings to look like they are shorted as well when AC voltage is applied to them, because of the tight coupling between windings due to the common ferrous core they are wound on. Edison 15:28, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I thought that grounding the primary windings causes the induced current in the secondary windings to collapse and the current in the secondary is what takes the difficult path, hence, yes spark. But I am notoriously weak on electricity and am not sure of the mechanics of it; I mean is there an actual current in the secondary prior to collapse or only some sort of potential and why can't it just quietly go back to where it came from (the ether? - joke) instead of making that big leap. PS: remember we are talking DC current here if that makes any difference. --Justanother 22:27, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

A permanently-shorted primary is, of course, a different situation than an intermittently-shorted primary.

Atlant 12:52, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

In the case of an ignition magneto the current through both windings is generated by the magnet(s) exciting the core rather than a current through the primary exciting the core and the core exciting the secondary. It makes sense that by ground the primary at both ends the magnatism of the core is draind by the primary being shorted before it can excite the secondary. Correct me if I'm wrong. Adaptron 04:57, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Names and what they mean

how does the sorority community come up with all the different names and what they mean for that Faternity or communitty?

I'm just going to point you to fraternity, sorority and greek alphabet. -- 23:16, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps someone here knows if there is some meaning given to the letters chosen as a general rule? For example, Phi Beta Kappa Society got its greek initials from

Phi Beta Kappa (ΦΒΚ) stands for Φιλοσοφία Βιοῦ Κυβερνήτης or philosophia biou kubernetes — "Love of wisdom, the guide of life."

--Justanother 01:27, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I've seen examples of social fraternities & sororities where there is a motto with those initials (like ΦΒΚ). A member of Kappa Alpha Theta told me those letters stand for something in Greek & wondered about the accuracy of the translation. But the motto is considered secret, so she couldn't divulge it. My impression is that most Greek letter organizations have some phrase (or series of nouns) in mind. Wareh 03:23, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Following up to an "identify this city" request

Came across this image while clearing out Category:Flickr images needing human review and thought it looked suspiciously like a photo of a mystery city that was posted here a little while ago. The OP wanted help in identifying where it might be. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the original question in the archives (most likely because it wasn't answered), so I'm posting here. The city in question appears to be Homyel, Belarus. If anyone remembers who originally asked it, perhaps you could contact them. Thanks. howcheng {chat} 22:34, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Someone found the answer by Googling "Mystery City", I think it was Moscow. Unfortunately every city in the world looks like every other one these days. -22:56, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Eastern European cities certainly don't look like American ones. Compare Moscow to Ashville, North Carolina. -- Mwalcoff 02:07, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

They should make cameras with GPS, so they could put the location of the shot in the metadata as well as the date and time. NeonMerlin 23:46, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Good idea! I am sure that one is not far off. --Justanother 23:54, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

They are here already. Search for "camera +gps" to find models and reviews. -- Seejyb 01:31, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

• Here's the archived question and discussiojn. As stated above, it turned out to be Moscow -- and identifying the picture was the subject of some sort of informal competition. Here's the web page that was linked to earlier, giving the answer and making clear that this is one of a series of competitions. --Anonymous, 06:06:06 UTC, 2006-12-06.

Reporting a deceptive eBay listing

An eBay listing is described in one of the grey-box attributes as shipping worldwide, but the description states that it only ships within the United States. As a Canadian, I hate it when web site offers turn out not to apply to me because some idiot assumed a website or magazine was only read within the States (and I think they should be required to put in a disclaimer). But it's even worse when a listing is shown on the Canadian edition of a website, and intolerable when it says it ships to my country and then doesn't. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to fit into any of the categories eBay provides for complaints. How should I report it? I've already written to the seller, but I'm not sure I can count on him to answer (especially since the listing closes in two days). NeonMerlin 23:21, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Why not ask him for his reasoning? I have sold lots of stuff on eBay and sold all over the world. On a number of occasions a Canadian buyer has maintained a US address, say in Detroit, if they live near there, to avoid duties and additional postage. Perhaps he is shooting for those buyers. IMO, he is clear in the auction text about US addresses only and seems to have phrased it as politely as possible. I am sure that you have experienced cases where that was not the case, perhaps? Re reporting, you are right, there are no appropriate reporting categories. You can report it under miscategorized items if you think it needs to be reported; perhaps eBay will send him a warning. --Justanother 23:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the text states it only ships to the US, once you get down to the end. But what one sees first is the first screen, where the grey box clearly states, "Ships to: Worldwide." If it doesn't ship worldwide, it shouldn't claim to in the grey box, and it shouldn't be specifically set up to appear on non-US editions of eBay. This is at best negligent and inconsiderate, and at worst a bait and switch. If I worked at eBay, I wouldn't let that seller off with a warning, I'd immediately change all their listings to "Ships to: United States" and tell them they'd have to sort out which ones shipped worldwide and which ones didn't. I'd also warn all bidders and tell them they could retract their bids if necessary. And if it happened again, I'd suspend their account. NeonMerlin 00:10, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

eBay justice is very slow and rather ineffective. This is really a pretty mild infraction (which is why there is even no way to report it) and, at best, he would get a warning but existing auctions would not be affected. Bidders are NEVER informed of eBay justice unless eBay pulls the auction in which case you get a notification that the auction was pulled but not why. I pasted one below.

SB NOTICE: eBay Auction XXXX Cancelled - Results Null and Void

Hello XXXX

The following is a courtesy notice from eBay Trust & Safety regarding:

Item Number - XXXX Item Title - XXXX

Our records show that you bid on this listing. We have removed the listing from eBay because it violated eBay policy. You are not required to complete the transaction. The seller is free to relist the item in accordance with eBay's online policies. If the seller relists the item, you are free to bid on that item.

For more information on eBay policies please visit:

http://www.ebay.com/help/policies/hub.html

If you have additional questions, please use the "Contact Us" link found on eBay Help pages.

Regards,

Customer Support (Trust and Safety Department) eBay Inc

Really, shoot him an email and see what his logic is, if you care to find out. --Justanother 01:01, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

December 6

chad vader

how many chad vader episodes will there be and when is episode 5 finally coming out?

See Chad Vader. According to the article, there's no date for a fifth episode. Dave6 01:49, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Bakufu Slash Kizna Arashi

what does that mean in japanese?and how come it is not released in the USA?

See shogun for bakufu. Arashi means storm. --Kjoonlee 03:09, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Bakufu part is actually bakufū (kanji: 爆風), a wind caused by an explosion. Kizna, written in katakana キズナ in Japanese, might be related to kizuna (kanji: 絆), meaning "bond". Arashi (嵐) means storm. --Kusunose 05:43, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Odd question about potatoes

I'm working on a project (in the interests of science) and I need to find a large source of cheap potatoes. My time is somewhat limited (less than a week), but they don't need to be edible. What happens to potatoes that don't pass "inspection" or whatever process they go through at the farm? Would these be destroyed or put to some other use?
--Xerol 02:04, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

See Food bank for what might happen to otherwise "unwanted" food. But for you, you need to do this google and start making calls. --Justanother 02:48, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Be aware that potatoes are frequently sprayed with a sprouting inhibitor which may adversely affect your "project" if it involves fermentation. In that case a good washing or peeling would be helpful.  :-) --hydnjo talk 03:55, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, I doubt that'll affect the aerodynamic properties of them. Even if they were edible to begin with, they're not going to be in any condition to be once we're done with them. Anyway, thanks for the link, I'll make some calls tomorrow. --Xerol 04:45, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Potatoes are quite inexpensive as is, especially when purchased in large bags (in many cases, they are literally cheaper than dirt). How many do you need ? If you need a ton or more, then I see why the price would become an issue. For much less than that, I suspect you will spend more money to travel to a place where you can buy inedible potatoes in bulk, than you will save. StuRat 11:52, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

So how big is this spud gun?--Shantavira 12:18, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Ethnic?

we were studying something on Ethnic and how it effect everyday lives. This WAS a homework assignment, but I was interested in this and wanted some more opinion on the matter. There were twin sister one name Meg and the other name Irene. Irene is a well like person in school and Meg is not, Also, Meg is a little depressed because she think that her parent love Irene more than she. Then Irene needed a kidney transplant so that she could live, but Meg would not give one of her kidney to Irene, because that she has always disliked her. Irene will die if not given the kidney. This was also set in the 1950's when there was no other way to be able to have a successful transplant without it being from another twin. You are the Doctor in charge of the surgery What should you do, should you back out or should you operate. Dragonfire 734 04:53, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Dragonfire 734: Your question cannot be answered because it DIRECTLY asked for opinions which the References Desks are discouraged from offering. The question seem to be on the subject of Ethics. Please feel free to reword your question in a manner that does not ask for personal opinions of the editors. Thank you. --Justanother 05:13, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure why we're having a rash of people objecting to questions which require an opinion - even if this is an example of one of them, which I would dispute. I imagine there are protocols for donor surgery which the surgeon would follow; so, for instance, she would check that there is informed consent on the part of Meg. It is possible that others on the RD might be able to flesh out the sorts of considerations which attend, without having to reach for an opinion. Meanwhile I'm not sure what this question has to do with ethnicity, but there you go. --Tagishsimon (talk)

There is a difference between your opinion guiding your answer to an even somewhat properly-formatted question (how could it not) and asking an open-ended question that asks only for opinions. I was going to reword the question a bit but, in the end, that is not a great precedent and it is better all around that the OP post a proper question. --Justanother 05:24, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

In this instance, the poorly worded question, which perhaps begged answers of "operate" or "don't operate", at least led to the concept of protocols and the importance of informed consent. I'd argue this demonstrates that it is possible to answer alleged "opinion please" questions with pointers to factual content. All of which is better than deleting the question, and probably more useful than chiding a questioner about the form of their question or stating that it cannot be answered here. --Tagishsimon (talk)

It more led to the concept of ethics, morals, philosophy, and religion. I don't think the question should of been deleted and I was putting it back the same time Friday did. I do think that questioners and "answerers" can and should be notified when their questions or answers are not in the spirit of the Reference Desks, whether they be obviously asking homework questions, asking for how-to advice on illegal activities, or turning this desk into a discussion forum. --Justanother 06:05, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I will be glad to give an opinion but I'm not sure where the ethical conundrum is. Both the donor and recipient of a transplant must give informed consent. Minors might not be able to do so on their own behalf. I don't think that this was really the issue though, unless the implication was that Meg was so depressed that she couldn't give informed consent. Please clarify why the surgeon is hesitant. -THB 06:40, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

In addition to informed consent, AFAIK live organ donors go through counselling which is meant to weed out coerced donations and donors in it for the wrong reasons. The proposed situation likely wouldn't get as far as the surgeon having to decide whether or not to proceed; the transplant team would probably be constrained by their own protocols to deny the operation. In the situations I am familiar with at least. Anchoress 06:51, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

This is a medical ethics question. While medical ethics vary slightly from country to country, they are relatively consistent. How well liked a person is, for example, is never used in the decision making process, either for them to be a donor or recipient. Also, by the following:

but Meg would give one of her kidney to Irene

did you mean to say:

but Meg would not willingly give one of her kidneys to Irene ? StuRat 11:48, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. The way it is worded there is really no ethical question there at all for the doctor. But if Meg does not want to donate but Meg is below the age of informed consent then can the parents over-rule her?? And if they can and do, then there is a valid question here. What should the doctor do? Valid but basically inviting opinions and points at topics of ethics, morals, philosophy, and religion along with legal responsibility with the final answer likely being one of legal responsibility which is another area we don't really deal with. But rewording the OP's question to that extent seems to go a bit far so I refrained from doing it. Better that we ask the OP to rephrase and clarify. --Justanother 12:46, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I left a message on the questioner's talk page asking for clarification. -THB 15:51, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Mysterious Movie Mechanics

Sorry, I couldn't resist the alliteration. Anyways, straight to the point. I was watching "The Grudge 2" yesterday with my friend, and about twice during the movie, a double O appeared on screen in yellow text. I've noticed that this happens with every Western movie I watch in the theatre here, although never the same letter. D, M, O, W... so on and so forth. At first I thought that this was a way of keeping the projector on track, but I've decided its doubtful. Are these letters part of the subtitling done to the movies? If not, what are they for? Crisco 1492 05:59, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

To help out, could you explain where "here" is? Also, by "Western" do you mean like cowboys and indians or like Western hemisphere? Also, where on screen are these letters, what size are they, etc. Dismas| 06:17, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Sorry Dismas. I am currently in Indonesia on an exchange program, and Western would mean American, French, English, and Australian. The letters are in the middle vertically, and placed parallel. I'd say about 1/4 of the way out from the left and right edges, similar to the spacing of the red bars on the Canadian flag. They are always the same colour as the subtitles. Oh, and does this happen in many countries where films are subtitled? I never watched a subtitled film in theatres in Canada, (although I meant to see Hero). Sorry again. Crisco 1492 06:59, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Could they be Cue marks (aka "cigarette burns"), telling the operator when to switch to the other projector/reel?

They don't sound like cue marks - wrong position, and mostly wrong shape. Sounds like an artefact of the subtitling process, but I have not a clue why or what. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Is it still there when you turn the subtitles off? - Zepheus <ツィフィアス> 18:31, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

It is in the Movie Theatre, not in a DVD or VCD. I think Tagishsimon is right, and they are a remnant of the subtitling process. However, it mustn't be too hard to erase it, can it? Crisco 1492 23:05, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

No need to apologise at the start. Alliteration's always acceptable. It shows you're thinking about what you're writing, and is a compliment to the reader.  :) JackofOz 01:59, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Just Joking, JackofOz... I just wanted to start off with a light comment, to make it interesting for the reader. Who want's to read a question like its out of a textbook or a lecture? "And who can tell me what the purpose of floating letters in the middle of the screen signify?" (Without further explaination, I'd probably say you need stronger glasses, but... I'm no doctor... anyways, thanks guys and girls for all your help. Terima Kasih Banyak, teman-temanku. Crisco 1492 06:07, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The letters could be part of an anti-pirating technique. Perhaps different letters are added to different prints of the movie. Then if someone makes a video recording of the movie, it may be possible to figure out where it was done. --Anonymous, 09:05 UTC, December 7.

That's an interesting concept. To know if that is definitely the answer, I need to know: most pirated copies of a film, are they done by the theatre, or theatre goers? Pirating certainly is a problem here (Casino Royale was released on VCD immediately after it was in the theatre ((maybe even beforehand))). Did Casino Royale get a simultaneous release of movie and DVD in the States and Europe? Crisco 1492 23:14, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Find a suitale college or university!roi

I am a kindergaten teacher in viet nam.In order to furthur my knowledg,i want to go to study at Australia.However,i could'n find out the college or university that suitable for my current job.Could you please give me any suggestion about my problem? I'm looking forwarwd to hearing from you and thanks in advance.

This is an area currently undergoing change in Australia as far as qualifications, etc are concerned. However also be aware that in Australia things will vary from state to state, so you may need to consider what state/s you are wanting to live in.

Can I suggest you investigate the Myfuture website here where you should find the information you need. Perhaps the easiest approach is to just do a basic search for Kindergarten Teacher. Good luck. --jjron 09:41, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Adelaide has three Universities: Flinders University, the University of South Australia and Adelaide University. Sydney also has a lot. I'd suggest you go to their websites and look at their programs of study to figure out what they have. Australia's educational system is mirrored off of the UK's and has a lot of internationally recognized certification programs. --Cody.Pope 19:40, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

A good starting point might be List of universities in Australia. JackofOz 01:56, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Marketing/Advertising

Someone's asked me to find a source (or refutation) of a maxim in their workplace, along the lines of "people take no notice of marketing messages until they've noticed them seven times, in three different forms". This would seem to go against putting all your eggs in one media channel alone, which I'm sure must be successful from time to time... I'm also surprised against the "seven" bit; if it's impactful (Hello Boys comes to mind... probably too often) I reckon once is enough. --Dweller 09:11, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Check this page: Saying. The problem's with the definition, it's not really a Maxim in the true sense of the word. I would agree with you, once is enough if it's impactful. Remember the 1984 (television commercial)? vs. the commercial I saw the other night that ran every thirty minutes all night long and I can't even remember what it was advertising. Advertising is an art, not a science. -THB 16:43, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Having been in marketing/advertising for over 40 years I can say with authority that any sensible or crackpot phrase or claim can be made without any foundation except hunch. David Ogilvy - possibly the greatest copywriter and advertising agency owner - said in Ogilvy on Advertising that "Everyone has a vested interest in prolonging the myth that ALL advertising increases sales to some degree. It doesn't." He also illustrates several cases where advertising has had a negative effect on sales. He also explains how Ford ran an ad in alternate copies of Readers Digest for a year. Sales figures for those NON exposed were higher than those from people actually exposed to the ads. Finally - one can never be wrong in advance of a campaign, and one can always explain failure in hindsight. Hooray for marketing research. petitmichel90.4.117.27 17:00, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

No, I don't remember it. I don't live in the USA! But I do take your point.--Dweller 16:57, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I found a rather dubious source repeating the seven times idea (and calling it a maxim!) () but not the three forms... and it also agrees with THB and myself about stand-out. Anyone got a proper marketing source for the seven times concept/maxim/saying/nonsense? --Dweller 16:57, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I can think of one company who was successful because of just one commercial: HeadOn did that annoying commercial where they say "HeadOn! Apply directly to the forehead!" three times in a row. I only needed to hear it once and when I went to a drug store i specifically noticed that particular product on the shelves. Not a believer in homeopathic medicine, I didn't buy it of course, but they had terrific sales afterwards. Sifaka 21:15, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

An advertiser's dream. First, it gives you a headache, then it offers a "cure" for it. Sucker! Apply directly to the wallet! Clarityfiend 06:17, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Sida

Hi, once again i need to have a question answered from my Memory so if anyone can help it would be appreciated My question is this: Around the 1960's there was this legend about a Man named Sida and he was weird and bizarre and everyone left him alone for some reason..And i belive there was a film made or something Can someone help me out with this and tell me where i might find some more Information on it? Catman503 10:29, 6 December 2006 (UTC)Catman503

More information would help. Where are you from? B00P 10:53, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

More Information Uh..Okay well from what i remember I think he was from the Middle Eastern..and that he might have died of a Broken heart or something along those Lines and that was the only reason he was considered evil or weird...i can't remember anymore than that unfortunatly

A search of IMDB.com is giving nothing useful. -THB 15:51, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Unless you mean Sita. (Trials and tribulations, forest hermitage, but the character is female and subcontinental).

Maybe you're thinking of Siddhartha. JackofOz 01:53, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

material specifications

There is an S.A.E material spec 1112, I would to know if anyone can give the the equal of that material. It seems to be an outdtaed spec from somewhere around the 1960's. Thanks

Don't know about outdated; I find plenty of reference to SAE 1112 steel, here for example. Also known as AISI B1112. See AISI steel grades - 0.12% carbon steel (low carbon steel), resulfurized. --Justanother 15:42, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Mourning Dove Call Whistle Sound??

Can anyone do a really good mourning dove whistle?? I need a sound file of an actual person doing the whistle for a project I'm working on.

Thanks!! LDR

If you want an actual call, there appears to be some here. I'd give the artificial call a shot but my roommate is sleeping (yes still at 4:30 -_-) --froth 21:31, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

i would just like to know what type of project this is..hahaha. Or do you just want people to make weird birdie noises for you..lol..jk --Kittycat rox 01:26, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

US Citizenship

What is exactly the purpose behind making the citizenship test difficult? 20:31, 6 December 2006 (UTC)~~

To ensure that people who want to become citizens actually know something about this country. StuRat 20:35, 6 December 2006 (UTC) (reply restored by froth, wth User:85.50.130.179 ? I'm glad I caught that)

Thanks. Perhaps my answer was taken as "flippant", but all I meant is that the test is actually just what it appears to be, a way to ensure that those granted citizenship are knowledgeable about the country. I don't feel the need to ascribe some ulterior motive to the test. StuRat 15:25, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd imagine that as sturat said it's to make sure that immigrants have been thoroughly naturalized. Ideally it shouldn't be difficult to a naturalized immigrant. --froth 21:29, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

According to the section on citizenship test in the article United States nationality law, the candidate must answer six of ten questions that are chosen from a total of 96 questions. The 96 questions and most of the answers are available ahead of time. Some people would not consider such a test difficult, although it does involve memorization. Anecdotally, some candidates are only asked two or three of the easiest questions. -THB 22:16, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, there has been a recent announcement that the test would be made harder, and would require a test-taker to answer questions based on their interpretations of American culture and civics, and not so much on memorizing answers. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:14, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Because generally you want people who are willing to apply themselves to the task. Think of it as a test of your determination, as a way of telling if you 'bring something' to the US other than your simple flesh and bones. People generally want new citizens to 1. be industrious/productive members of society 2. be willing to assimilate and show some knowledge of the culture 3. possess basic skills to get by i.e. literacy/numeracy and a grasp of the English language. Robovski 00:54, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

It's just a way to make sure that the immigrant really wants to become a member of the United States. When you think about it though, people who are willing to go through all the trouble to get the citizenship are the people one wants in the country. They revitalize it to some extent. -- AstoVidatu 04:50, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

It's a pretty loopy requirement; I don't think people in the US have ever been really comfortable about what it means to become an American citizen other than "you were born here" which is an easy one. The nation is almost entirely one of people who were immigrants at some point. The real sad part is that I would bet that most American high school graduates would flunk an American immigration test. --24.147.86.187 03:19, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yea, those Americans who don't understand our history and geography should leave the country, and move to New Mexico. :-) StuRat 15:22, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Torchwood Song

Again, agonising over where this question goes but decided this was best! Can anyone tell me what the song was that played in the Torchwood episode "They keep killing Suzie"? It was right towards the end when Jack came back into the Hub and him and Gwen shared a long (possibly meanigful?) look. It's just one woman singing from what I remember and I really liked it and now I want to find it!

Thanks in advance Farosdaughter 22:21, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

The song is called "Gorecki" by Lamb; it was inspired by Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs and is used in the soundtrack to Baz Luhrman's film Moulin Rouge!. Gandalf61 22:43, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I love you! :D Farosdaughter 22:49, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Wow, talk about pay! --Justanother 23:12, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

music video on You Tube ...and others. 71.100.6.152 23:25, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

powered magneto

A magneto has a primary and secondary coil which are energized by magnets on the flywheel moving beneath an open core which the primary and secondary coils surround with one end of each grounded and the other end of the secondary coil used to produce a spark in a spark plug and the other end of the primary coil used to stop the flow of current in the secondary coil by shorting it to ground. Can a voltage be switch on through the primary coil at or near the moment the magnets pass the core to assure the generation of a spark at low RPM, i.e., when starting to assure the production of a current in the secondary and hence a spark at the spark plug and if so what must this voltage be? 71.100.6.152 23:06, 6 December 2006 (UTC).

I guess you mean can the magneto also function as a normal ignition coil which has the primary circuit powered by the car's battery rather than by moving magnets. Sure, I imagine but why? Engines with magnetos start up just fine. --Justanother 23:11, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Not always! Try cranking a Briggs & Stratton 8 Hp generator by hand at three in the morning if the power goes off! Under these circumstances the very least that is needed is an assist with the ignition. 71.100.6.152 00:00, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Just a brief note, I assume you mean Magneto (electrical) as the link? Sorry to seem to be picky, just wanted to get the link in for the archives. Skittle 23:14, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Correct. 71.100.6.152 00:00, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

So you think you need a fatter spark then. How about a tune-up and some starting ether? I know that is not an answer to your question. I see how the spark boost might help if you have some oil-fouling due to wear. Perhaps there are higher output ignition systems in the aftermarket? --Justanother 00:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

There may be but even replacement parts are overly expensive. Currently using starter ether which helps. There may also be a problem with a cranky oil level guard which can be disconnected but that is another issue. Adaptron 00:45, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What you're describing is called a magneto booster, at least when it's installed on an aircraft.EricR 04:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

How do people know what Jesus looked like?

I see al the paintings and movies but how do they know he looked like taht?

They don't. See Images_of_Jesus. Friday (talk) 23:39, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

The short answer is that we do not know what Jesus looked like. All later portraits and depictions, from Byzantine icons onwards, are idealised images. Clio the Muse 23:43, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I suspect the images of Christ have been influenced by interpretations of the Shroud of Turin. And a pancake somewhere in Britain. Although the pancake looks more like Captain Morgan, if you ask me. Anchoress 23:47, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

The shroud's proven existence dates only from 1357. There were many images of Jesus prior to then. It may one day be shown that the shroud dates from around Jesus's time, but until then it couldn't be used to argue that the images of Christ are modelled on the shroud. JackofOz 01:49, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, and there have been an awful lot since. If you'll look, you'll see I'm not saying the depiction of Jesus is from the shroud, I'm saying 'I suspect images of Jesus have been influenced by the Shroud of Turin. If you look at pre vs post renaissance images of Christ, they actually do start to look more like the shroud, and progressively moreso over time. I'm not saying there's a direct connection, but I do stand by my assertion that His image has been influenced by that artifact. Anchoress 06:24, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Since Jesus descended in the main line Jews there is a good chance that his features would represent an atypical composite of jews today. The Bible says there was nothing spectacular about his physique. Adaptron 00:14, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Nobody does know, because the bible says almost nothing about his appearance. It is not important to concentrate on his appearance, just on his lessons. But, there are some things that give clues. He was a carpenter, and since there were no tools back then, we can assume that he was a very strong man to be able to handle wood. Not much else can be found.

No tools?????? So he sawed wood with his bare hands????? And the soldiers hammered the nails in likewise????????? Come on - get real - it was only 2000 years ago - much earlier man was using flint axes long before Christ was a carpenter.

well, what i meant was no power tools. sorry.

LOL Well thank you Jesus for giving me such a moment of light relief here. Im sure you did not need power tools!--Light current 03:03, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

"What if God used Black and Decker..?" --Wooty Woot? contribs 03:06, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't it be awful publicity for black and decker if the roman centurions used a B&D nailgun to crucify Jesus? =) --froth 20:56, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

By some strange coincidence, Jesus often looks very much like whatever people are describing him. In reality, he probably looked a lot like a Sephardic Jew or a (shudder!) Palestinian.

Atlant 12:54, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Adaptron, Jews from different countries can look very different. Furthermore, there's been 2,000 years of occasional intermarriage since Jesus' time, mixing up the gene pool nicely. I can't think how you'd find an ancient, sympathetic depiction of a Jew, as at the time, Jews considered this as making a graven image (see for example, the "heads"less coin struck by Simon bar Kokhba (right). All in all, I'd say it's pretty much impossible to say. As our article Images of Jesus states, Jesus' depictions tend to reflect the society making the image - compare Ethiopian, Byzantine and modern American/European images. --Dweller 14:09, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Agreed! Sammy Davis Junior would probably not fit the atypical image of a Middle Eastern Jew... perhaps not even an Ethiopian Jew! But that was not my point. In terms of the hereditary line of Jews. (They did keep accurate records of heredity back then and I assume they have since, do now and will always.) What I am saying is that if you find a line of Jews who have records going back 2000 years then you probably will find (even with mingling of cultures some resemblance or idea of what Jesus may have looked like. Otherwise I do not think the term “Crooked nose Jews” (or is it hooked?) would stil be used today to derscribe certain Jews. Anyway Middle Eastern Jews even with the mingling of cultures tend to retain certain physical characteristics that everyone identifies with Jews. However what is important to note here is that no matter what Jesus physically looked like then or will physically look like when He returns that is not how you will know that it is Him. Adaptron 14:59, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Jesus looked quite a bit like Che Guevara going by some of the depictions I've seen of him. --81.77.246.46 15:10, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Not in terms of philosophy or religion, i.e., in terms of dealing with the cause of equivalent social conditions any more than you can equate the act of driving a plane into the World Trade Center as being equal to the work of Jesus despite similar grounds for taking action. Besides all Maxists are notorious for making such false comparisons between the work of other Marxists and Jesus Christ. Been there, done that. Adaptron 19:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Can you provide the chapter and verse that supports your statement above that "The Bible says there was nothing spectacular about his physique"? I think it's much more likely to be the case that the Bible makes no reference whatever to his appearance or physique, hence the assumption is there was nothing notable about it. JackofOz 00:59, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I stand corrected. The Bible doesn't say there was anything special about His physique. Adaptron 13:00, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

philippians 2:8 - And being found in appearance as a man... --froth 21:01, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Really? That is news.  :) JackofOz 00:06, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

December 7

Which Songs Are These?

I was wondering who sings the songs with the lyrics along the lines of 'NAH NAH NAH NAH, NAH NAH NAH NAH, HEY HEY HEY, GOODBYE' and 'HI HO, LETS GO'? Thanks.100110100 00:17, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The first song is Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) by Steam, and the second song is Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones. Syckls 00:33, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

soccer fan stuff

where can i get these soccer fan stuff? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.14.32.228 (talk • contribs)

Perhaps you could be more explicit about what exactly you are asking. If you are looking to buy soccer gear in Canada you could try here or of you would like fan merchandise you could ship from here here. Rockpocket 01:40, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Drivers who hit people and don't stop.

I'm trying to find out roughly what percentage of drivers don't stop after they've hit someone. I can't seem to find anything on wikipedia or the rest of the internet. Can anyone help? -OOPSIE- 02:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

See hit-and-run as a start. That's the official term, so things should be easier to find now. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 02:06, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I already looked there, and it didnt have any percentages.-OOPSIE- 02:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You don't say whether you're interested in the stats for the whole world, a particular country, or a local jurisdiction. It would probably vary from place to place within a country, and from country to country, not to mention over time. For a particular country and a particular year for which stats are available, you could make a reasonable estimate by finding the number of all hit-run drivers, divide it by the number of road accidents involving injured pedestrians or bike riders, and multiply by 100. JackofOz 02:10, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I was mainly thinking about the UK, but any information, especialy about a western country would be good.-OOPSIE- 02:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Googling "hit and run capital" yields Miami, Florida as hit and run capital of the US and 2/3 of the drivers don't stop. See this. --Justanother 05:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

My wife got rear-ended in Miami, while on business. They switched the driver before the police came, and they didn't have insurance. I'm sure they would have ran, if their car still worked... --Zeizmic 13:02, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Some statistics from Hansard - scroll down to the tables. There are also some words on the difficulty in getting statistics. Per annum, at 2001, there were about 24,000 reported hit-and-runs, on a rising trend. And I'm sure I heard some news in the last month that London police were concerned about the rising trend ... but I can't find the story right now. --Tagishsimon (talk)

1454 people lost their lives to hit and run drivers in US during 2005. you just have to word it a thousand differant ways and use other search engines other than google. --Kittycat rox 01:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Sophie Karp

Misplaced Pages has a copy of a poster of Sophie Karp from 1893. She was a very prominent performer in the Yiddish Theatre and would be my Great Great Aunt if she were still alive. I am trying find out if I can procure actual reproiductions of that poster for some of Sophie's ancestors, my mother, her two sisters and a cousin as well as myself. I was referred tothis program to inquire about the poster reproduction. Thank you. Alan Pedoldsky

The image we have should be good for printing at about 5x7 size. You could try contacting the New York Public Library who owns the poster. They could probably hook you up with a higher quality photo that could be printed at a larger size but it would probably be expensive. See NYPL Photographic Services and Permissions Rmhermen 04:47, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The image is in the public domain, so it should be fine (legally) for you to print your own poster - but this can be expensive (A0 posters usually more than £15). The image on the page is from this page on Wikimedia Commons. The link on that page goes to NYPL, which has a link to buy posters on it. --h2g2bob 13:28, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Geography

Am trying to find which is closer to the South Pole, Australia or Africa. When measureing the distance they are to close to call. Thank You —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.206.0.40 (talk) 04:34, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Well, the most southernly point in Africa is Cape Agulhas at 34°50′00″S 20°00′09.15″E / 34.83333°S 20.0025417°E / -34.83333; 20.0025417. If you consider Tasmania as part of Australia, Hobart is at 42°52′S 147°19′E / 42.867°S 147.317°E / -42.867; 147.317, meaning Australia is further south. (Even if you don't count Tasmania, its still Australia, as Melbourne on the mainland is at 37°48′50″S 144°57′47″E / 37.81389°S 144.96306°E / -37.81389; 144.96306). Rockpocket 04:48, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Assuming you mean mainlands, and not islands, then Australia: South Point (Wilsons Promontory) is at 39°08′20″S while Cape Agulhas is only 34°50′00″S. Found using Extreme points of the world. Rmhermen 04:51, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The it gets tricky, though, if you do count parts of Africa or Australia off the mainland. South Africa's Marion Island is at 46°54′45″S 37°44′37″E / 46.91250°S 37.74361°E / -46.91250; 37.74361, but even that is trumpted by Australian Antarctic Territory (from 60 degrees south to the Pole.) Thats pretty hard to beat in terms of southernly co-ordinates! Rockpocket 05:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Considering mainlands only, Australia is closer than South Africa. Extending the comparison to islands that are part of their respective countries, the southernmost are Tasmania (42 S 52) and Marion Island (46 S 54), so South Africa wins. Extending it to islands that are territories but not part of the country proper, Australia wins with Heard Island and McDonald Islands (53 S 57) compared with Marion Island at 46 S 54. Including territory in Antarctica itself, SA doesn't have any but Australia does. So, take your pick. Australia 3, South Africa 1. (Sounds like the result of the next test cricket series). JackofOz 05:58, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You didn't ask this, but the South American mainland extends farther south than either Australia or Africa, with Cape Froward, Chile at (53°53′46.70″S, 71°17′39.53″W). StuRat 15:10, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

ACT statistics

What are the national rankings for the ACT test by number of students? How many students get a 36, 35, 34, etc. every year? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.231.205.94 (talk) 04:49, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Have you read the article on the test, ACT (examination)? It includes some rough statistical information with a reference to a much more detailed source. -- Rick Block (talk) 05:18, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I read through the article and its sources but I still cannot find more precise numbers other than anything about 30 is in the 99 percentile. I was curious as to how each of the 30+ numbers differed by number of student. Perhaps that info isn't published?

Interesting non-fiction books?

What's an interesting non-fiction book I could read? Yes, I'm aware that this question is asking for opinions, and that it probably doesn't belong here. I'm just asking for some odd and interesting suggestions. Cheers. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.10.86.63 (talk) 04:56, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Perhaps any of the works in Category:Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction? -- Rick Block (talk) 05:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What are your main interests? History, geography, music, arts, politics, science, society, etc? Pick a category or two and it will be easier to recommend something. --Richardrj 09:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The best non-fiction book of all time must surely be The Bible - Old and New Testaments. All human life is there. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.198 (talk) 12:27, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Or indeed any religious text (see Category:Religious texts). Reading about many religions, especially if they're not your own religion, can help with understanding of different cultures and attitudes of people all around the world. --h2g2bob 13:11, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Some of my favourites, in no particular order (and with a bias towards science): Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter; Longitude and Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel; The Book Nobody Read by Owen Gingerich; The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder; anything by Bill Bryson; The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler; and (perhaps stretching the boundaries of "non-fiction") Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. Gandalf61 13:37, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Two non fiction books that have recently sold by the boatload in the UK include Longitude and Eats shoots and leaves. Both deal with topics you wouldn't normally associate with popularity in book sales - engineering and punctuation respectively. I recently enjoyed Why girls can't throw, which is a great "toilet read". And perhaps the funniest book I've ever read is also non fiction The Timewaster Letters (there's an excerpt here here though I think there are funnier examples). --Dweller 13:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Here are two modern lists Category:Modern Library 100 best non-fiction, http://www.listsofbests.com/list/10362. As for pre 20th C try London Labour and the London Poor Muqaddimah, The Anatomy of Melancholy and Parallel Lives. meltBanana 15:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

A treatise on cosmic fire by Alice Bailey.

• Anything whatsoever by John McPhee. --jpgordon 17:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

• Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and The Corner by David Simon (for stories about inner-city Baltimore), or for something completely different, Brainiac, about trivia. howcheng {chat} 19:30, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Bill Bryson is a good recommendation. I really liked Mother Tongue, which is a history of the English language. And I'm really glad I read Thus Spoke Zarathustra. --70.112.100.172 23:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

William Safire's compilation Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. JackofOz 01:25, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm reading through articles for the books you guys have mentioned, many of them seem quite interesting. I'd actually also appreciate recommendations for books on music -- not particular bands, but mixing/performing/production/anything at all, really.

It's not about music, but I almost forgot Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson. --70.112.100.172 16:54, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Right now, I am re-reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin for probably the 10th time. A first-person account of a man whose life was fascinating from childhood to death, and inflential even today. — Michael J 20:21, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

question about boats

I was trying to look up information on crew quarters and amenities in modern day naval ships, but I found very little information after a massive scour through articles. I have a couple questions... If someone already answers a question, but you have something to add I would love the extra info. I am hoping I can use this information when when I have to write (for fun not school) a little about a group of people living on ships. Sifaka 05:49, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

1. Ships have to cram a ton of people on board, so what are the sleeping quarters like? Depends on the size of the ship/boat.
2. How many people bunk per room? Depends on the Size.
3. What happens when two people don't like each other? Can they be moved? I guess people could talk to each other and swap.
4. What are the beds like? Are they cots or hammocks? Hammocks went out with Steam engines, cots are usually camping matterases and so quite comfortable.
5. Do you get any private space like a nightstand or wardrobe? Depends on the size.
6. How many pairs of clothes do you have? As many as you take with you.
7. How many bathrooms are there per person? Do they use salt water? Usually its people to bath rooms and no they don't use salt water.
8. How much nicer are officer's cabins? Do they get special stuff or their own rooms? Officer's cabins are usually "nicer" in spacial allowance.
9. Do officers get any other special amenities? They might get small shaving sinks, depends on a multitude of factors.
10. What are the mess halls like? Clean, warm and relaxed as in you don't have to worry to much when you are in there.
11. How do you get your food and where do you eat it (i.e. and benches?)? You collect it and eat in the mess.
12. Is the food good? Do officers get better food? Everybody gets the same food.
13. What do people do for fun? Watch TV , DVDs , read chat and drink when allowed.
14. Is there a dedicated "fun" space, like a lounge, or do people just set up stuff impromtu? the mess is usually the lounge, some posters are allowed so long as no1 is really offended by them.
15. Do people decorate with posters or are people strict about that? If its in your space you can do what you like.
16. If you have been at sea for a long time and have gotten to know everyone pretty well, are military protocols relaxed any? (like salutes, knicknames...) knicknames are allowed only when not in the presance of an officer. Salutes are never relaxed except in the mess.
17. What are the good chores (assuming you do chores) and what are the really crummy ones? Good chores? I'm sure thats an oxymoron. Bad chores = Cleaning the heads.

This thread from AskMetafilter answers some of your questions. Natgoo 09:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

extra terrestrial interest

I heard from some unknown source that a space shuttle(or rocket i can't remember particularly)which has capability of converting its exhaust smoke again into fuel and thus goes on for an infinite period, was left into space on a mission to find the extra-terrestrial life and it was engraved with these words on all languages "whoever found this ship at any part of this universe can send it back to us ..so that we can find you out"..first language on it was sanskrit..and i also heard that this one recently crossed the solar system..and my question was is this all believable or its just a myth.. sorry if i made you bored.... Temuzion 09:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Not a myth. See Voyager I and Voyager II. However, neither can go on for an infinite period. --Wooty Woot? contribs 09:35, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What's that famous picture that was included on some space probe or other? IIRC it had a naked man, woman and child on it, some kind of map of the solar system, and (this might be what the OP had in mind) some text in various languages. It was intended to explain, to anyone out there who might see it, who we are and where we come from. Anyone know what I'm talking about? --Richardrj 09:45, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

This or this?WP 10:52, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks very much! It was the Pioneer one I was thinking of, but the Voyager one looks a lot nicer. --Richardrj 11:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Note that no ship has a method for converting exhaust into fuel, but they don't need a continuos fuel supply, as inertia alone will carry them on forever, or at least until they hit something or are pulled in by gravity. Although, if the speed is less than the escape velocity for the galaxy, then it won't ever leave the Milky Way. StuRat 14:07, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Old School Ties

Which school wa the first to have an Old School Tie?

Thank you! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by S A Brained (talk • contribs) 09:47, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

It could be that you're specifically interested in ties, but generally (in the UK at any rate), the term "Old School Tie" refers to the Old boy network (and indeed Old school tie redirects there). It's a euphemism for the social networking and other advantages that can be gained from having attended a certain school. As it's an intangible, your question cannot be answered, because the name was created in response to an existing and fairly widespread phenomenon. If however, you are interested in an actual physical tie, someone else will need to help you. --Dweller 10:59, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

According to our article the first institution to have a membership tie was Exeter College, Oxford in 1880. Unfortunately, it doesn't specify the first actual school to adopt one. -- Necrothesp 16:28, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

making my own country

i was wondering how i would go about making my own country. thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.193.66.130 (talk) 11:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

As I understand it, all you need to do to "make" your own country, is to declare independence. The tricky bit is establishing a legal basis for your claim and gaining recognition from the international community. Not least, there's the dicey process of getting agreement, and taking control from whichever country currently claims the bit of land you no doubt have an excellent claim to. There's a hilarious treatment of the subject in the classic British comedy, Passport to Pimlico. --Dweller 11:43, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

In international law, the two most common schools of thought for the creation of statehood are the constitutive and declaratory theories of state creation.

One set of criteria for statehood under international law is defined by the Montevideo Convention. This asserts that a defined territory, permanent population, government and the capacity to enter into relationships with other sovereign states are the only foundation requirements for a sovereign state.

see also List of unrecognized countries. Jon513 12:16, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

See also Micronation Rich Farmbrough, 12:26 7 December 2006 (GMT).

If you have any natural resources worth a damn, you'll also need to work out how you will interact with certain bigger countries (who may have opinions about how your natural resources should be exploited, and by whom). You might want to see The Mouse That Roared, Salvador Allende, and Iraq War for several alternative views of how this could play out.

Atlant 13:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

One way is to create some new land. In areas of shallow international waters, that may be fairly easy, just hire some barges to bring in the appropriate fill, dump it, and plant your flag. StuRat 14:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

or wait for a volcano to create a new island. Could be a bit dicey at first, but excellent geothermal potential! --Zeizmic 14:16, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

So look for the next Surtsey, but try to assure it's in international waters. (Wasn't a new island just in the news in the last few weeks?)

Atlant 16:48, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

i was thinking more along the lines of what Danny Wallace did - making a country in his own flat. i was wondering if there was any proper instructions on doing that?

Did you try looking at the micronation article yet? That's what you're talking about. --140.247.251.173 18:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Joshua A. Norton simply declared himself the Emperor of the United States and lived pretty well, issuing currency etc, as people played along with his delusion or scam. He did not have to find a volcanic island. It may be easier to assume governance of an existing country than to establish a new one, with many of the same rewards. Emperor Norton I was unsuccessful in his attempts to get Winfield Scott to direct the U.S. Army to disperse Congress, a clear attempt at the violent overthrow of the U.S. government, but his proclamations that the nations of the world should unite in a League of Nations and that San Francisco and Oakland should be united by a suspension bridge (the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge) and a tube railway all actually came to pass in the century after his death. He was noted for dispersing an anti-Chinese race riot. Edison 18:54, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

He should have called himself the Emperor Norton, rather than Emperor Norton I... unless and until succeeded by Emperor Norton II (at which point he would retrospectively have become Norton I). Then again, if he was potty enough to declare himself Emperor of the USA, he was certainly of the frame of mind to ignore naming conventions! --Dweller 12:02, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

"Prince Leonard" tried it in 1970 with Hutt River Province, which he's since upgraded to the Principality of Hutt River. He's tolerated by the Australian Government, presumably as a source of tourism revenue, but no country recognises his claim. JackofOz 01:32, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Drug testing Fortune 500

What percentage of Fortune 500 companies test employees for drugs, including pre-employment testing? Source? Thanks--71.212.160.45 14:30, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Next superpower

Which country will be the next superpower? (India/China)

16:31, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Books could be written on this subject. Try checking out Superpower#Emerging_superpowers- China and India both have articles on them as emerging superpowers. Friday (talk) 16:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Go on then i'll throw my opinion in to the ring. The next world superpower will be a multinational organisation of governments rather than a single nation. Until such a time I don't believe any nation has the desire, nor abilty to be able to replace the Usa. China/India (or Chindia) may end up having economies as strong and powerful as the Usa, but few nations can compete with the exportation of culture and lifestyles that Usa does. I think most would question my choice of multinational orgainsations since the ones in place are so powerless and regularly overruled, but I believe that in the future more and more power will be centralised into organisations of this nature and as globalised business practices and increased communication make the world smaller and more similar (on a high level scale) then so to will political and economy boundaries blur until such a time that world-policy will be dominated by multi-naitonal organisations.

No stats or nothing interesting to back this up, just my opinion, and the question seems to suggest that is what you wanted (well not mine specifically but you get the point). ny156uk 17:14, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

This isn't by any chance related to the recent post about making one's own country, is it? —Bromskloss 19:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

USA can be replaced. I cant vehemently support the above argument, as the US is not the only superpower. The same as with the exportation of cultures and lifestyles as the east can easily compete and accept the lifestyles of the west but the west cant follow in suite. So there is no written mandate that supports the above opinion, just because the US has resources and access to the superior quality of life or the so called american dreams. People are becoming self sufficient in India & china The Gdp is on the rise, its just a matter of time. 21:58, 7 December 2006 (UTC)~

Again, just my opinion, but I would be shocked if China doesn't move quickly into what is commonly thought of as a 'superpower' in the next 10 years. Combine rising economic growth, a huge population base, and increasing technological capability with local powers who aren't so keen on doing what China wants (Russia, Japan, India, Taiwan - the list continues) and you'll begin to see some nice cold-war tension coming back to the fore. Russia could make a resurgence, and India is on the rise as well (with many of the factors listed for China). The EU could have some radical shift and end up a 'proper' superpower but I doubt it, at least not in the next 10 years. No, the real place to put your money for future tension between 2 superpowers in the 10-20 year term would be the declining USA vs. the rising China. Plenty of sparking points come to mind - North Korea, Japan, Taiwan, world trade and competition for resources... Robovski 01:09, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Foreign relations of the People's Republic of China is worth a read. I'll put my money on China; not least, their foreign policies look a lot saner than those of the US/UK. Other articles of interest are India as an emerging superpower and China as an emerging superpower. --Tagishsimon (talk)

This is a hard decision, since China manufactures much of the goods purchased in the U.S. and holds much of the debt of the U.S., while India provides most of the computer tech support for the U.S. Edison 05:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

mcse

hey guyz am doing i have just cleared my a+ certification n i intend to know sit for the international examz.i wanted a site where i can do some practice sets n their marked there n then. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.49.92.208 (talk) 16:39, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Hello and welcome to Misplaced Pages. I assume from your post that English is not your first language. It would help us if you explained a little more about what international exams you would like information about. I'm not familiar with "a+ certification" either. Finally, please sign your posts here by typing this ~~~~ at the end of your messages on this page. Thanks. --Dweller 17:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

A+ Certification is a computer hardware certificate (showing a certain level of understanding with computer hardware). The international exams he's referring to are probably the MCSE referred to in the subject (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, another computer-field certification). To answer the original poster: The best place to find that information is probably on the Microsoft site itself, they have a lot of links there to resources to preparing for and taking the tests. --Maelwys 19:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Works of the United States Government

When they say that works of the United States government are free from copyright, does "government" include its agencies? More specifically, I would like to know if this is why NASA material is not copyrighted. —Bromskloss 17:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Works wholly produced by the US Federal Government, or their agencies (including NASA) are not copyrighted. Buuut: some of the national labs are managed by other institutions (such as universities), so it's not always clear what the copyright status of their work is. And a lot of work NASA does is in cooperation with other agencies, particularly ESA - for those joint ventures the other agency still owns copyright, even if NASA doesn't. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:07, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The very link you've linked to above discusses this in some detail. Read the part about contractors. --140.247.251.173 18:13, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I am being misunderstood here. I know that involvement of others may render works copyrighted. Still, many things are free from copyright. My question is whether it is the law that talks about works of the government that is the reason for many NASA works being free from copyright. Put differently: Is agencies included when that law talks about the government? —Bromskloss 19:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. B00P 19:24, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Broadly speaking, yes, but only again if you are talking about the federal government (not state governments and not government-owned, contractor-operated facilities). --24.147.86.187 03:15, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the law is talking about the federal government. I just didn't know if agencies were considered a part of the federal government. —Bromskloss 13:40, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Agencies (NASA, CIA, NIST, etc.) are all branches of the executive. The only agency-like thing that I can think of that isn't is the Federal Reserve. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:46, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

cost of postage

hello, how much postage do I need to send 6 pieces of printer paper from IL to IA? Thanks. -STeve —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.126.226.206 (talk) 19:17, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Six standard 8.5"x11" 20# letter-sized sheets of paper probably will require only one stamp. Larger or heavier paper may require an extra $0.24 stamp. howcheng {chat} 19:21, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Houston/Spring, Texas White Pages

I have been unable to access a telephone directory from Houston/Spring, Texas without paying People Search a charge for this. I am trying to find my brother, who I understand now lives in Spring, TX. If you can access a phone directory that covers this area, I will appreciate your sending me the phone and address so that I may contact him. Thank you for your help. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Gcgarner (talk • contribs) 19:28, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Did you try switchboard.com? If he is listed you can get it free, otherwise you will have to pay. --Justanother 21:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You can also try whitepages.com, anywho.com, and my favorite, google.com. I work customer service for a gift company and we use those sites very often to find addresses and such for people who mis-type their own addresses and those of their friends and family. Google is very handy since the other two may not list a certain address or phone number. Just last week, I was able to determine that an order wasn't fraudulent by googling someone's address and I found a copy of the minutes of a town meeting that verified that the person lived at that address. It was the only link and whitepages and anywho didn't list the person at all. Dismas| 21:40, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What is his name? Edison 05:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Copying

I found a page thats been directly copied of "CIA World factbook" is that allowed? Joneleth 20:05, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes! It's in the public domain. See The World Factbook for further information. Is the page you found in Misplaced Pages? If so, please point it out - while the Factbook may be in the public domain we can do better than copy and paste. Natgoo 21:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

And we have to identify material taken from the public domain as such (we can't claim it is copyrighted, even under the GDFL). --24.147.86.187 03:14, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

looking for a college friend

Hello, My name is Yelena Devyatova and live in San Francsico. I have a brother, Eduard Pel, who lives near Moscow, Russia.

He is trying to locate a long lost friend. Her name was Lilya Vainberg (Wainberg). Eduard and Lilya met in Tashkent. They both were students at the University of Tashkent in 1957-1960. He studied physics, and she studied math/physics (?)

She left Russia long ago, and supposedely live in New York. She has some affiliation with Russsian newspaper "Jewish World".

Would you suggest how to approach this situation? I wasn't able to contact "Jewish World".

Thank you very much for your time and assistance,

Yelena Devyatova —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.141.123.78 (talk) 20:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Yahoo's People Search didn't locate anyone by that name, but one of their affiliates did. SWAdair 06:28, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

college rankings

I need to find the top 20 universities in the U.S. by enrollment. I only see a top 10 list on your site. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.106.10.199 (talk) 20:56, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

The external links at the bottom of this article: List of largest United States universities by enrollment have that info. -THB 21:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Know what this is from? Lost? Anime?

Does anyone know where this is from? I had it as a website layout about 3 years ago. I thought it was called "Lost" but I can't seem to find it. --Stacey 21:23, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Looks like Lain to me. I remember another anime character that looks similar to her, with hair hanging down both sides of the face and tied in a similar fashion, but I forgot the name of that one. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Ah! Yeah that's it :D Thank you very much. --Stacey 12:40, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Sex & Playmate

Do playmates engage in constant sex?? Minimum how many times or to what extent is there a self moral control? Is there a difference between playmates and sex addicts?

22:13, 7 December 2006 (UTC)~~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kjvenus (talk • contribs)

(ec)Did you read the article Playmate? There's no reason to think that their libidos are different from those of other people. -THB 22:26, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You may also wish to read Sex addiction. -THB 23:03, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought nymphomania was the same as sex addiction, but I see Hypersexuality is something completely different. Carcharoth 00:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

You may also wish to read Playboy. But only for the articles, of course. --Justanother 23:34, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Possibly the questioner might have meant the term sexmate. Carcharoth 00:13, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Of course, they do. They become positively irrational when they think about π. I hear they do it 3.14159 times a night. Clarityfiend 01:45, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought friday removed this thread.. --froth 07:02, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Are we talking about the playmates, as in playboy girls? Watch The Girls Next Door. You can learn more about what they are really like! Laurən 15:04, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

How good is the girls next door TV Series? What goes on in the lives of some irresponsible playmates? How does one differentiate between the Girls Next door TV Series and the Nip Tuck series? 20:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)~~

It would be easier to compare them if you looked at the articles on The Girls Next Door and Nip Tuck. -THB 01:16, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Reminder: Misplaced Pages not a chat board, so everyone please remember what we're here for. Friday (talk) 20:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

tire valve core and fitting

What is the name of the tire value that uses this type of core and fitting? Adaptron 23:27, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

EricR 19:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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