< Misplaced Pages:Reference desk

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Neptunekh2 (talk | contribs) at 17:49, 7 September 2012 (→what is the Status of the princesses of Japan?: new section). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 17:49, 7 September 2012 by Neptunekh2 (talk | contribs) (→what is the Status of the princesses of Japan?: new section)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Welcome to the entertainment section
of the Misplaced Pages reference desk. skip to bottom Select a section:

Shortcut

WP:RD/E

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Misplaced Pages

How can I get my question answered?

Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
Note:
- We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
- We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
- We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
- We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Guidelines

The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

September 1

Bourekas films list

Is there a website that list Israeli films as Bourekas films? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.23.58 (talk) 02:22, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

French films

Are there French films that deals with a hero of non-French origin (Arabs and African origin) and a heroine of White French origin? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.23.58 (talk) 02:42, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

The TV series Engrenages (marketed in English as Spiral) featured, in series 2, an undercover cop named Samy, of (I think) Moroccan descent. The main female character throughout the series, Captain Laure Berthaud (Caroline Proust), is white. I'm not sure to what extent either could be described as a hero/-ine though. They both have fairly serious character flaws, despite being on the side of the 'good guys'. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:28, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

It was an American film, but the characters and actors were French, Inglourious Basterds features a French couple which has an important heroic role in the film. He's black and she's white. --Jayron32 19:51, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

2 Days in New York is in theaters now (in the US). The story is about a married couple played by Julie Delpy (white French) and Chris Rock (african American). Staecker (talk) 11:40, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Taxi (the French film, not its inferior US remake) and its sequels, star Samy Naceri (of Algerian descent) trying to woo his white girlfriend Marion Cotillard while helping the police. Astronaut (talk) 19:19, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Sound recording error in Mrs. Brown ?

Near the end, when Queen Victoria and other women are walking down the hall to visit Mr. Brown, on his deathbed, the sound of rustling dresses overwhelms the sound track. Was this intentional, or a mistake ? StuRat (talk) 03:25, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Does the sound obscure any speech? If so, turn on the subtitles and see what they say. You might also want to check that both sound channels are working.--Shantavira| 07:50, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

OK, thanks. Yes, both sound channels were working. StuRat (talk) 15:57, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

Power balance in ParaCycling

I'm watching the cycling at the Paralympics - right now it's the B1 time trial for blind cyclists on a tandem with a sighted pilot. The visually impaired athlete sits at the back and acts as the stoker. What I'm wondering is how much effect each of the riders contributes to the overall speed. Is the stoker the 'engine room' of the team, or could a better pilot have a disproportionate effect on performance? In other words, if I (a reasonably competent but unfit and slow cyclist) was to lose my sight, how close would I get to a Paralympic medal by teaming up with Sir Chris Hoy? (I'm aware that there are restrictions on using current world-championship cyclists, but let's assume that Sir Chris would give up his career for the chance to pilot me.) If it helps, the teams seem to be using in-phase pedalling, suggesting a fairly close balance of leg strength. I'm happy to pedal out-of-phase with Sir Chris when when we get to Rio though. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 09:42, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

If you look closely at the bike, you will see that the stoker's pedals are also connected to the pilot's pedals by a long chain. This arrangement seems to be quite vulnerable to mechanical failure as we have seen today. It means that the stoker provides most of the motive power for the tandem, as opposed to the "normal" tandem which is, in effect, two bikes stuck together as far as the pedal arrangements go. --TammyMoet (talk) 13:12, 1 September 2012 (UTC) The long chain is clearly visible in this image. --TammyMoet (talk) 13:14, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Sorry to be dense, but I don't quite understand. What's the difference between this arrangement and a "normal" tandem (assuming that I've linked to a normal tandem), and what effect does the chain link have on power? Is there anything like a Dynamometer test showing respective power of each rider? - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:38, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

I see what you mean. I'd seen another picture of the paralympic tandem with two sprocket arrangements on linked by the long chain, but with each rider's sprocket also attached separately. There is a short chain as well as the long chain. I'll try and find another photo showing that. I had found a photo showing that but couldn't link to it. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:49, 1 September 2012 (UTC) Meanwhile, here is a link to our tandem article which covers different drive arrangements. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:52, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

I'm quite frustrated as I can't find a still picture of the coverage of the broken tandem that happened yesterday that showed the set up clearly. However, as I'm watching it this morning I can report that the pilot is pushing a smaller sprocket than the stoker. There's some sort of mechanism that allows both cyclists to pedal at the same rate. --TammyMoet (talk) 08:46, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Morning. Is the 3rd picture on this page what you're looking for? I'm starting to see what you're getting at - I can now see a visual difference between this arrangement and the road tandem - but I'm still not quite sure what the effect this has on power output - or whether this is a deliberate effort to ensure the stoker does most of the work, or a reaction to the fact that the stoker is a stronger pedaller. I found a discussion which asserts that 'the captain' (the front guy) does most of the work, but there's no citation for that - Cucumber Mike (talk) 09:47, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Ah yes. Now you can see that the pedals of the pilot are not attached to his own wheel at all, only to the pedals of the stoker. The pedals of the stoker are attached to his own wheel and to the pedals of the pilot. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:02, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

That's the same for any bike. The pedals are never attached to the front wheel. 109.99.71.97 (talk) 18:02, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Not necessarily: see Tandem_bicycles#Independent_pedaling .--TammyMoet (talk) 19:13, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Early bicycles had the pedals on the front wheel. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 22:22, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Early television programming

The History of television article says there were television sets available in the UK from 1928 on. What sort of advertising was available that early? 69.62.243.48 (talk) 23:48, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Perhaps none. The article TV_advertising says that the first TV ad in the UK aired in 1955. RudolfRed (talk) 02:34, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

The first British television broadcast was made by Baird Television's electromechanical system over the BBC radio transmitter in September 1929. Baird provided a limited amount of programming five days a week by 1930. What kinds of programs were provided? 69.62.243.48 (talk) 03:28, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

The first British television play: The Man With the Flower in His Mouth on 14 July 1930. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:20, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

The first commercial television station didn't start broadcasting until 1954. --TammyMoet (talk) 08:43, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

September 1955 to be exact. Before that, the British Broadcasting Corporation had a monopoly. The BBC is funded by everybody buying a licence for their television (in those days you needed a radio licence too), and so is wonderfully free from advertisements. Whether it's worth the £145.50 we have to pay for it these days is a matter of debate. Alansplodge (talk) 21:13, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Some information about BBC TV in the 1930s is here.

But most of that is about radio. I also found The First Colour Television Transmission which mentions Baird's television demonstrations at the Olympia exhibition hall in London; "...which included half an hour of songs and droll Irish stories by a star of the day, Peggy O’Neil, and the world’s first television advertisement, for the Daily Mail. In 1929 Baird provided the first-ever BBC television programme, in black-and-white, which led to half-hour programmes five mornings a week, and in 1931 screened the Derby, with much favourable publicity." Alansplodge (talk) 21:28, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

There are a few scanned pages from the Radio Times here, covering 1936 to 1939. (The 1936/37 pages cover the period when the BBC alternated between the Baird system and the Marconi/EMI system each week). Primetime highlights for a Friday night in November 1936 include "A Laundry Demonstration" with Mrs Daisy Pain, which included "some tips about ironing" FlowerpotmaN·(t) 22:38, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

(PS) And there's a programme schedule for the Baird 30-line broadcasts from December 1930 here. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 22:56, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for those links, Flowerpotman, which I found absolutely fascinating. Leaving aside the dubious political correctness of some of the items, I think it says a lot that I would rather watch variety acts and laundry demonstrations than what passes for entertainment on British daytime TV these days. - Ka renjc 12:10, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

September 2

Infield fly

Resolved

Baseball question—why do infielders catch a ball when the infield fly rule is invoked? The batter is out anyway, so why do they make the effort to catch the ball? Is it counted as an error if they let it fall? 71.146.4.142 (talk) 19:52, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

If they let it fall, and it takes a bad bounce and gets away from them, the runners could advance. RudolfRed (talk) 19:57, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Indeed, while the batter-runner is out when the infield fly rule is invoked, the ball is still live, so if the infielder were to let it drop, and it bounced off unpredictably, the other runners are allowed to advance. --Jayron32 20:05, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

RudolfRed and Jayron32 have nailed this one. (A secondary point is that if it's not clear whether the ball will land fair or foul, the infielder would need to set up to catch the ball to get the out even if it winds up foul. The batter is automatically out under the infield-fly rule only if the infield fly is fair.) Newyorkbrad (talk) 20:14, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Plus, there's also the practice of catching the ball is so ingrained in baseball players that it is difficult not to. It's also why basketball players will still lay the ball into the hoop even well after the score wouldn't matter (like at the end of the quarter of obviously after a foul or shot clock violation). They've got the ball in their hands, there's a hoop, and they just put it in without a careful assessment of whether or not it is the best course of action. Likewise, the baseball player catches the ball just because he can, not because he's carefully weighed and considered all of the various implications, and decided that it is absolutely necessary. A lot of sports is automatic: you do what you are trained to do. There isn't time to think, so you train yourself to react and not think. --Jayron32 20:25, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. 71.146.4.142 (talk) 00:43, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Another way to put it is that although the batter is out, it is otherwise a normal fly ball. So, as noted above, if the infielder lets it drop, accidentally or on purpose, runners can try to advance, or they can stay put, as they choose. However, if a runner has wandered off base before the ball was caught, the ball could then be caught and the runner could be doubled up. That would be known technically as a "bonehead" play by the runner. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 22:12, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. 71.146.4.142 (talk) 00:43, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

There are occasions when the fielder will let the ball drop on purpose, hoping to catch a runner trying to advance. 69.62.243.48 (talk) 02:42, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

The infielder has to be careful. As per rule 6.05(l): If he lets the ball hit the ground untouched, you're right. But if he touches it on the fly and then purposely drops it, then the batter is out, the ball is dead, and the runners are not forced. This is true in any force situation, i.e. even if there is only a runner on first base. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 13:42, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Yes, although that's always a tough call for an umpire. The most famous non-call where that allegedly happened was in a World Series game in the 1970s—I was reading about it in an umpire's memoir, probably one of Ron Luciano's books, I'll have to find it—but the controversy over whether the ball was dropped on purpose was swallowed up because that was the same play on which (depending on whom you believe) a throw hit Reggie Jackson in the hip, or Reggie Jackson put his hip in front of a throw. Newyorkbrad (talk) 15:09, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

1978, Game 4, 6th inning. Box score: There may be some Youtube footage, but my buffering is slow as a dog today. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:57, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. 71.146.4.142 (talk) 00:06, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

September 3

"Mermaids: The Body Found"

What kind of game are the producers playing in Mermaids: The Body Found? It's aired on Discovery affiliates like a documentary; it starts out with a very plausible description of the Navy being involved in some kind of very loud low-frequency sound production that injured and killed whales. But then it moves into complete weirdness about mermaids at sea, based on photos so iffy that even a sympathetic eye can't find in them what is claimed. I looked up "Paul Robertson" and NOAA and see claims online that he is altogether imaginary. Is this some kind of Navy disinformation campaign about what's really going on with underwater noise, or producers with half a dozen reels of snippets trying to splice together an hour-long feature, or what? Can anyone explain the genesis of this ... object? Wnt (talk) 01:29, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

The article Aquatic ape hypothesis could be of interest. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 11:03, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Unfortunately, some of the specials run by channels that are supposed to be "educational" are giving false credence to conspiracy theories and hoaxes. I recall something the History Channel ran last May, which was riddled with factual errors and consequent crazy speculation. I saw that "mermaid" ad the other day, and my immediate thought was, "The Discovery Channel has literally gone off the deep end." ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 13:34, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Hey, I believe in the "aquatic ape hypothesis", sort of, if you count that what I mean is an origin at the Okavango Delta where fire and water periodically reshape a highly chaotic landscape. Several species evolved special foot adaptations there, of which humans would be one; navigating the deep waters upright is known to the Chacma Baboons ... and the regular pattern of wildfires surrounding the area creates a huge precedent of cooked food waiting for those clever enough to dodge the flames. And I believe in mermaids, at least if you count sirenomelia... it's just the part about free-ranging tribes of ocean-faring humanoids that I balk at. Wnt (talk) 23:42, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

If they've got evidence to present in support of that hypothesis, that's fine. But as you noted, the ads for the show are slanted in the same way as you might expect from a pseudo-documentary about the Loch Ness Monster. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 00:00, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Oh, to be clear, that's not just the ads - the "documentary" involved more computer animation footage of tribes of underwater humanoids than many sci-fi series; they were not thinking about Namibia, that's just me. Wnt (talk) 22:40, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Junk like that may draw viewers, but it harms the credibility of the channel. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 23:21, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

The NYT review cited in the article says:

... if you take “Mermaids: The Body Found” seriously. Which you shouldn’t. The film, Sunday night on Animal Planet and part of its Monster Week, is a fictional account built on a few strands of fact and made to look like an actual documentary. If you know those ground rules, it’s a rather enjoyable and intriguing piece of work, in the same vein as “The Blair Witch Project.”

--115.67.130.50 (talk) 07:30, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

I am looking for a good RP(Role playing) experience online

I am looking for a good RP(Role playing) experience online. where can i get one i have thought of making a few games on here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.16.47.115 (talk) 03:35, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Our article Role-playing game links to various places you may find helpful, including various lists of role-playing games. If by "on here" you mean hosting role-playing games on Misplaced Pages, I'm afraid that's not permitted: Misplaced Pages is not a webhost or a social networking site. - Ka renjc 08:22, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Crazy Horse

I'm trying to identify the band members of Crazy Horse on this picture. I'm fairly sure the one on the left is Danny Whitten, and the one on the right might be drummer Ralph Molina. The picture was taken on 21 June 1972. Who can help me? Mathonius (talk) 16:16, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

I think the one with the mustache is Billy Talbot (bass) - check this photo here. --TammyMoet (talk) 18:04, 3 September 2012 (UTC) And the one with the shades is Jack Nitzsche, per this image here. --TammyMoet (talk) 18:09, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Thank you very much! :) Mathonius (talk) 18:34, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

I'd've thought the guy on the left would be Sitting Bull. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 22:03, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

By the way, the photo is a cropped, b/w version of (or, at least, taken at the same shoot as) the photo on the cover of Gone Dead Train: The Best of Crazy Horse 1971–1989. The full photo shows a 5th person, standing with their back to the camera. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 08:28, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Episode plot about a community in which everyone stays youthful but has to die when reaching a certain age

I think it's an episode of some TV show that I saw years ago. The storyline is roughly this: there's an out-of-the-way town or community with a secret--the residents stay youthful despite their physical age but they have a covenant among themselves that when someone reaches a certain age (100 years old, or something like that), the person will have to die.

I thought it was an episode of The X-Files, but I've searched the Web and couldn't find the it.

Can someone help? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.49.9.225 (talk) 22:39, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

It sounds like a varient on the well known book and film Logan's Run, though the age when everyone is expected to die is 21 (in the book) or 30 (in the film), not 100. There was also a short lived TV series Logan's Run (TV series). The theme of programmed death at a certain age is a common one in various works of dystopian science fiction as well. --Jayron32 22:43, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

The arrangement Jayron32 describes – a government/society imposing mandatory suicide/euthanasia at a specified age – has long been a theme in science fiction. Our article on benevolent suicide mentions several works that incorporate this concept; Isaac Asimov's Pebble in the Sky is probably the earliest well-known work of this genre.

However, none of those stories deal with effectively-immortal (or extremely long-lived) individuals who commit suicide as a (rather dramatic) way to conceal their extremely slow aging. Most secretly-immortal fictional characters tend to take the less-final approach of periodically assuming new, younger identities (sometimes as 'their own' child or grandchild); see TV Tropes' entry for My Grandson Myself for any number of such examples.

TV Tropes also offers up the theme of We Will Have Euthanasia in the Future for yet more mandatory-suicide dystopias. Unfortunately, I still can't find the TV episode the original poster is looking for. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 23:26, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

"Miri" (Star Trek: The Original Series)? Clarityfiend (talk) 03:25, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Also "Half a Life" (Star Trek: The Next Generation). → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 03:57, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Darn. Someone beat me to the Star Trek cites. Newyorkbrad (talk) 13:26, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Closest X-Files storyline is Gender Bender, which is half the story arc. Dru of Id (talk) 04:39, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Jack Vance's novel To Live Forever has a related motif. —Tamfang (talk) 19:21, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

It's a little bit like Children of the Corn, although they age and have to die to the "man who walks through the corn" when they reach a certain age. Shadowjams (talk) 06:23, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

September 4

Who or what the robot Calculon in Futurama was based on?

Who or what the robot Calculon in Futurama was based on? Neptunekh2 (talk) 20:25, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

I don't think he's based on any person in particular, although our article suggests his voice is reminiscent of Orson Welles. He's more of a generic stereotype: the over-actor that succeeds despite being terrible at his craft. Lots of actors have been similarly criticized (Michael Caine is one whom I've heard that criticism leveled at, but Calculon is clearly not a spoof of "Mikoh Cayn"). Actually, the closest analog might be Jon Lovitz's Master Thespian (holy crap, we have an article on that?!) character from his Saturday Night Live days. Matt Deres (talk) 21:44, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

Where can I read sailor moon Kodansha comics online? Not the old mixx version.?

Where can I read sailor moon Kodansha comics online? Not the old mixx version.? Neptunekh2 (talk) 20:44, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

They are copyrighted material and thus not legally available to be read online. The Reference Desk will not direct you toward warez. —SeekingAnswers (reply) 01:25, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

The exception would be if the publisher themselves posted them online. I'm supposing that Neptune has already investigated that? ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 09:34, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

The publisher's official website is http://www.kodanshacomics.com, where one can find links to buy (but not view) such comics. —SeekingAnswers (reply) 15:38, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

September 5

university of nevada reno football players in the NFL

How many football players from the University of Nevada Reno have made it to the NFL and who are they?>>>> — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:100E:B029:9208:D9CD:5223:815A:D867 (talk) 00:08, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

Try this site and scroll down to "Nevada-Reno". Hue Sat Lum 00:33, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

That only shows current players, HueSatLum. For current and past players, the answer is apparently 54. Deor (talk) 00:37, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

Deor, that site is apparently out of date since, at a minimum, it doesn't include Colin Kaepernick, who has been in the league two years now. 69.62.243.48 (talk) 05:44, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

This page, from a usually very reliable suite of sports websites, says 52 and lists them: Kaepernick is among them, but I haven't compared the two lists to see what accounts for the difference in numbers. --Xuxl (talk) 13:58, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

n-in-a-row game

There is a certain game with a rule similar to the "tic tac toe" game, of making a line of n-in-a-row items (horizontal, vertical or diagonal). However, unlike that game, players may not put their play anywhere in the board: the board has vertical slots, and the player selects one of those slots and places a coin with his colour in it, the coin falls to the bottom of the board, or above the coin placed the last time in the slot.

So, to make a line of 3, you may drop the coin in 3 unused slots (horizontal), 3 coins in the same slot (vertical), or one in a slot, two on the next, and three in the next (diagonal).

Do you know the name of the game I'm talking about? Cambalachero (talk) 13:44, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

It has various names depending on where and by who it's being played, and by whether the aim is to match 3, 4, 5 or more pieces. But the most well-known form of the game is marketed by Milton Bradley under the Connect Four trademark. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 13:52, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

An ancient predecessor of this game is "Three Men's Morris" - a Roman example can be at the Verulamium Museum. Alansplodge (talk) 14:28, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

There's a 3D 4×4×4 version called Score Four. Pogo.com also has an online 2D version, called Blooop, with a 10×10 board where you try for 4 in a row matches or better: . StuRat (talk) 01:38, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

September 6

Topknot ponytail hairstyle

What do you call the type of hairstyle worn by, for example, Kelly Bailey in the portrait currently used in the infobox in her article? It's sort of like a ponytail, but originating much higher on the top/back of the head, like a topknot, and angled so that the tail first goes vertically up before coming down (unlike a typical ponytail, which either goes straight down, or horizontally back before going down). It's a fairly common hairstyle which I've seen a lot of people wear, so I assume it has some specific name? —SeekingAnswers (reply) 01:30, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

That specific style was very common in the 1980s, though I don't know that it had a specific name aside from "pony tail". The "attachment point" of the pony tail varies considerably from woman to woman depending on where she chooses to put it, I don't know that each orientation gets it own name. --Jayron32 04:00, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

In the UK someone wearing their hair like this would probably be identified as a chav. The hair is pulled tight, making the skin around the face taught and giving the wearer a look similar to that of women who have botox injections. The overall effect is known (disparagingly) as a Croydon facelift. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 06:48, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Off screen TV characters

Norm Peterson's wife Vera on Cheers, Ernie's mom on The George Lopez Show, and Howard Wolowitz's mom on The Big Bang Theory all seem to be examples of unseen fat women. Are there other examples ? StuRat (talk) 02:19, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

If I recall correctly, Vera appeared in a Thanksgiving's episode of Cheers, face obscured. She wasn't fat. Mingmingla (talk) 02:28, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

I was just about to mention that. She walked in the room just in time to have a pie thrown in her face. I believe it was season 5 or 6 and I know it took place at Carla's house. But going back to the question at hand, TV Tropes has a number of examples though they don't categorize them by gender or body size. Dismas| 02:30, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

On Frasier, Niles's wife Maris was always described as exceedingly thin. Nricardo (talk) 03:47, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Also Home Improvement 's Wilson, and The Drew Carey Show 's Mr. Bell. --Jayron32 03:57, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

That list doesn't seem very complete. It's missing every example discussed here, and many others, such as Charlie from Charlie's Angels. StuRat (talk) 10:20, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Surely the original must be Mrs Mainwaring, wife of Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army. The extent of her appearances were Mainwaring's weary replies of 'yes, Elizabeth' to her inappropriately-timed phone calls, and her rather large outline in the top bunk whilst sleeping in their air raid shelter. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 06:53, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

We also have a small unseen character article although that also points to the category. Adam Bishop (talk) 09:58, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

List of unseen characters has been redirected to Unseen character but was once a long list: . PrimeHunter (talk) 10:40, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, Prime. What a shame all the work that went into that list was deleted, and now we have a pathetic list of only 22 rather obscure items. StuRat (talk) 10:46, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Miss Cathcart in Hi-de-Hi never made an appearance AFAIK.--TammyMoet (talk) 10:57, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

We didn't ever get to see how fat "'er indoors" from Minder was... Britmax (talk) 09:41, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

We Will Rock You

In retrospect, this song is so obvious. The rhythm is so simple, so easily performed by anyone, that I'm surprised that it didn't happen earlier. Or did it? That's my question: does the rhythm and meter of the song occur anywhere else relatively prominently in pop music before it came out? Mingmingla (talk) 19:44, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Quite likely. Nothing is coming to mind immediately. But Queen was not above being "inspired" by other artists or beats in the pop music ether. Compare the baseline from "Another One Bites The Dust" with "Good Times". The beat in WWRY is so simple it probably shows up in like a million songs; what makes WWRY stand out is the fact that it is just the drum beat. Just a 4/4 beat, one hit per beat, and a rest on beat 4, and nothing else. That sparse instrumentation totally makes that song memorable. --Jayron32 02:16, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Current events in Marvel Comics

I've been catching up with Avengers vs X-Men and this being the first time I've really read a story arc, I'm curious to know how far back the roots of this event go and what they are connected to. From what I have learned, it started with M-Day, then Civil War, and then Norman Osborn's grab for power. Am I missing anything important? --Melab±1 ☎ 20:34, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

To see what you're missing, navigate your way through the articles of Template:Marvel events, starting from the House of M (2005) entry. —SeekingAnswers (reply) 06:34, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

September 7

Raising Arizona

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj6MlOaV50Y&feature=youtu.be

When the Unpainted Arizona commercial ends content wise, it doesn't stop but still goes on for a couple more seconds with Nathan Arizona pointing into the camera and pretending to be a freeze-frame. Why is that? Why didn't they actually freeze the footagee if they wanted a still image of the guy? Was this supposed to show that it was a local, non-professional commercial? 193.224.66.230 (talk) 13:09, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was done that way to highlight the fact that it was a low quality commercial. --Jayron32 13:13, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Paralympic classification

Athletics at the 2012 Summer Paralympics has a summary of the classifications from http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/classification/ . Can anyone find a link to the details of the classes? -- SGBailey (talk) 14:01, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

This links to a 77 page document on the clasification process. It's very detailed, but it doesn't seem to have a super-easy summary. hint hint -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 14:06, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

The UK's Channel 4 has a rather nice interactive classification tool called Lexi. You can find it at http://lexi.channel4.com. I'm not sure how well it works outside the UK and Ireland. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:13, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

what is the Status of the princesses of Japan?

In the article Emperor of Japan, there a lot of information about the marriage of emperors and crown princes, and about which brides were considered to be suitable for them to marry, but I can find no information about the Imperial princesses (nor about the younger princes not being heirs to the throne either, but that is a different matter), and I am curious to find that out. Which status did the Japanese princesses have? did they have any role to play in the court? Where they secluded, or allowed to meet men? Did they marry, or where they expected not to? If they did, which partners where considered suitable for them? Only relatives? Did they keep their status as royals after marriage to a non-royal man? Perhaps it is different depending on which time period: I am very curious about the early modern age. Thank you 17:49, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

what is the Status of the princesses of Japan?

Categories: