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</noinclude>

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 (talkcontribs)

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)

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 (talkcontribs)

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 (talkcontribs)

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

Homyel, Belarus

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)

File:Barkokhba-silver-tetradrachm-bw.png

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 (talkcontribs)

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. ☢ Ҡiff 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.

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 (talkcontribs) 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 (talkcontribs) 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 (talkcontribs)

(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

"X" 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)

Interesting. What is it from? How do you get the air in and out? --Justanother 23:31, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
There is a lock cap which slides over and engages the core to secure it inside the stem. The core is hollow about 3/4 of the way down where it is tapped on the sides and covered with tubing. The tubing both seals the seat of the core inside the stem when the lock nut is tightened and covers the holes that tap the hollow core such that it forms a one way valve by allowing air to enter under excess external pressure but does not allow air to escape under excess internal pressure. The valve comes from China (those clever devils!) and the fitting may actually be Presta. Adaptron 00:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Nope, not a Presta. It's a Woods valve, aka Dunlop valve. In Finland, and presumably in some other countries as well, it's still quite common on your basic/ordinary/plain bike tyres.--Rallette 07:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
No I meant the threads appear to be Presta. Actually the reference you made says a Presta pump will fit them. Adaptron 12:24, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

December 8

Naruto ressembalnce

Does this person look alot like Naruto?http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o71/Baku-Aoki/ME0000484000_1.jpg. It's been all over the internet on forums and with stuff like forums and message boards;whats true and whats not?His nickname is Nazoto(a combination of "Nazo" meaning "mystery" and "Naruto".I've heard that they're brothers or something,cant be true can it?And who is this "Nazoto"?I wanna know the truth behind this mystery!Please and thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.244.187.211 (talk) 00:37, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

in my opinion, he looks nothing like naruto.

job in history and geography

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

Well, there are definitely ways of doing history that emphasize geography. And there is a small field of the history of geography. In either case your best bet is to cling to the academy. --24.147.86.187 03:11, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
I interpret that last response to mean that teaching history would likely be the best way to combine the two. StuRat 08:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
There is also Historical Geography for you to look over. Clio the Muse 03:14, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

ragtime guitar music

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

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

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

What on earth could this animal be?

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

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

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

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

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

Which country has the strongest military?

Which country has the strongest military?

See Superpower or Super-Duper Power Not a total answer as many other factors than military play a part in the designation. --Justanother 05:36, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Well, the People's Liberation Army of China is the largest...which doesn't mean strongest per se. - Zepheus <ツィフィアス> 06:29, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Yes, America's is much stronger technologically --froth 07:06, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
One way to compare is by expenditure. See List of countries by military expenditure. Note that the U.S. spends about half of all the military expenditure of the whole world. A lot of that money is lent to the U.S. by other countries. -THB 08:37, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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

I have a quibble with your comment about the British Armed Forces. See Second Anglo-Dutch War, American Revolutionary War, and Irish War of Independence. Also, England was defeated and driven from Calais in 1558. Marco polo 20:45, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Offensively, the U.S. If the Commander in Chief is an idiot, it doesn't mean the army isn't the strongest, just that it's being misapplied. The U.S. has the logistics and by far the best navy and air force to attack anywhere in the world. On defense, probably the Chinese or maybe the Russians, just from sheer numbers. But the Chinese can only attack their nearest neighbors. They can't even seriously threaten Taiwan in the face of American opposition. And let's not forget the Sino-Vietnamese War - they didn't do so well there. Clarityfiend 20:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
"Just from sheer numbers"? The U.S. active miiltary is 40% larger than Russia. And you forgot India and North Korea which both also have larger militaries than Russia. (See also List of countries by number of active troops)
Geez, how the mighty have fallen. I don't put much stock in the Indians or North Koreans though. Their equipment must be pretty obsolescent. The North Korean army is especially suspect, since it hasn't fought a real war since 1953. Clarityfiend 02:37, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Yes, remember that navies and air forces are extremely expensive and america is one of the only nations that actually fields a sizable navy/air force. --froth 21:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

The question is which currently has the strongest military, not which could, in the future. Europe "could" have the strongest military, if they wanted to, but they lack the political will to do so. StuRat 13:27, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I would probably say either America or even China. I have read that China's military has the most members/militants, but I am not sure that it would make them the strongest. — Seadog 13:34, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Hot and cold

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

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

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

Youngest presenter

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

John Humphrys says this site. I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for, but it might help! Laurən 15:00, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Will check that. - Mgm| 18:48, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Not entirely what I'm looking for. It said "Aged 28, John became the BBC's first full-time television correspondent in the United States and the youngest television foreign correspondent." News correspondents are markedly different from regular presenters. - Mgm| 18:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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

I specified television presenter, and I should've said I wasn't looking for segments in fictional shows. The kids on David Letterman would qualify if they were recurring. Thanks for trying to help anyway. Other suggestions are still welcome. - Mgm| 18:48, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
To clarify, Arthur (TV series) has a segment in the middle where real kids (not cartoons) present something. StuRat 19:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Must be an American thing then, because the few times I watched it on the BBC out of boredom, I didn't notice any real kids. - Mgm| 01:05, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
I've noticed it's very common in the US for cartoon shows to have added segments, some with real kids. One reason for this is that many kid's shows are shown on PBS, which lacks ads, so they need to "pad for time" relative to commercial broadcasts. Thus, a brief live action spot with kids is a good, inexpensive way to add the needed minutes. I've also seen such time-padding in foreign-made cartoons shown on PBS, such as "meet the author" segments on Redwall and "meet the grandparents" segments on Jakers!. StuRat 08:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Old western hanging scene

hi all,

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

thanks

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

Don't know, but that method wouldn't work, as hanging is designed to break the neck. There is a form of hanging (without the "drop"), meant to be more horrific, where the person slowly suffocates, but that's not what was typically used in the US. StuRat 14:53, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
This is bizarre. Even if it did work, and that he could somehow keep this tube in place without choking on it or swallowing it completely, what did he think would happen next? First thing they would do after hanging him is check he is dead.--Shantavira 15:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
I had the thought about the neck too but it would not be the first time a movie got it all wrong (laff) so I do not doubt that there is such a film but I was not able to find it. --Justanother 15:27, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Not necessarily so. There is a pub on the Grassmarket (there are actually very many), but the one I refer to here is called, "Maggie Dickson's". In the days of yore and public hangings, poor and single Maggie had the temerity to hide from the City fathers the fact that she was pregnant (a local bye-law had earlier been enacted to prevent the many infanticides and abortions carried out by single women and prostitutes). The punishment (following the safe arrival and despatch of the alive child into the poorhouse), was the public hanging of the mother. Maggie was duly hanged "by the neck until ye be dead - and may God (certainly not the guid folk of Edinburgh), have mercy on your soul". But she was from a neighbouring town called Musselburgh. And it fell to that latter town to inter her remains. So the carters who cut her down and put her in a box and took her to Musselburgh to be buried in unconsecrated ground there, stopped for a thirst-quenching drink at a pub on the way, "The Sheep's Heid", still standing in Duddingston village. And when they emerged, Maggie was sitting up in the open topped box rubbing her sore neck. You see, in those days, the "drop" was not as scientifically prepared as in latter executions, in fact, most condemned people simply choked to death. In Maggie's case, the long journey over the cobbled roads of the time had revived her. And she couldn't be re-tried or re-hanged as she had already been pronounced dead. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.169 (talk) 19:10, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Eric Moussambani Contact

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

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

Why not go through the Equatorial Guinea Olympic Committee?
Eric Moussambani
Equatorial Guinea National Olympic Committee
Comite National Olympique Equato-Guineen
National Olympic Committees, Athletic Associations/Organizations
Ministerio de Educacion y Deportes MALABO , EQUATORIAL QUINEA:
Tel.: +240 93326
Fax: +240 93313
E-mail: coge@intnet.gq
-THB 14:35, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Graphs using ARCHIM

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

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

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

mercats

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

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

Meerkat Manor, the Meerkat soap opera, has this:
Shakespeare, Zaphod's courageous son. He survived two bites of a puff adder, but is now presumed dead after successfully saving Flower's pups from an attack by Big Cy of the Lazuli group. Shakespeare's death and/or disappearance at the end of the first series, with no closure, has been a matter of dispute among viewers.
Sorry. Doesn't sound good. -THB 14:42, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Both Tosca and Mozart were kicked out for having pups, and in Tosca's case, also for trying to take over. Mozart was let back in, but Tosca is out for good. Clarityfiend 20:28, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Churchill

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

It's not badly laid out at all. Here's the link to the text of that particular speech. Why don't you read it while waiting for one of the Churchill experts to explain? -THB 16:35, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
I have nothing to add in response to the question - but I have to say, as an Englishman who loves his country and its history, how very grateful I am to Misplaced Pages as the medium, and to THB, the luminary above, who so knowlegeably and timeously in response to the question, not only drew on an obviously immense fund of Churchillian history and (his) speeches, but also pointed me to yet another fount of my country's history, of which I was previously entirely ignorant and unaware. Thankyou both. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.169 (talk) 18:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

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

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

EricR 19:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

xbox flight stick list

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

what does god look like

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

(1) See god. (2) Gods are not created. (3) No but see multiverse and parallel universe.--Shantavira 18:42, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
  • That is because according to the Bible God was the first to exist and create everything. We haven't proven He exists scientifically, so all your questions are unanswerable. - Mgm| 18:44, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
See metaphysics. Questions about god are metaphysical questions and not addressed by natural science. A religion, any religion, could be termed as a locus of agreements about metaphysical issues. Many of them describe god. Some do not. Scientology, for instance, does not deal with that level of truth and states that one must come to his own understanding of god. I am sure other religions take the same tack. Basically you pick the one or none or many or whatever you like. Everything else is just opinion. I like my steak medium rare. --Justanother 18:54, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

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

Movie

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

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

Traditional song

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

Wikimedia Commons

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

Some images are only available under licenses allowed on Misplaced Pages (Some smaller Wikipedias have had uploading disabled.) Commons only allows completely free licenses, no fair use but if those conditions are met, and the image is likely to be useful in multiple languages, please do upload/move it to Commons. Rmhermen 00:36, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Fair use images can't be uploaded to the Commons. Other than that, most/all free images should probably go there, since it makes it far easier to gain access to them across languages. There's no need to upload to both. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Underpants

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

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

Civil War widow's benefits

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

The Oldest Living Confederate Widow, Maudie Hopkins, is still alive (although that article says that after 1939, she was not eligible for a pension. (Not to be confused with the subject of the book Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All). Rmhermen 01:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Alberta Martin got a state pension from 1996 or 7 until her death in 2004. Rmhermen 02:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Some calculations: Theoretically a U.S. (or Confederate) soldier might be 16 at the end of the conflict in 1865. He might marry an 18 year old when he was 80, in 1929. There was a case similar to this; a pension is a powerful inducement to marry. She then has a child in 1930, presumptively that of the her husband, and the child is handicapped. She collects a pension when the veteran expires, until she dies at age 90 in 2001. The handicapped child then continues to receive the pension until he dies at age 90 in 2020. The last payment for benefits from a war might thus be 155 years after the end of the war. By this logic, if the Iraq war ends in 2007, the last payout to a veteran's survivor might be in 2162. Edison 18:45, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

xbox troubles

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

Is it a v1.0? Chances are, especially with the earlier versions, that the DVD drive has gone bad. Since you're "not an electronics person", the only solution may be for you to pay someone else to fix it. There should be a phone number in the manual or such to get in touch with Microsoft. It's not unlikely that the repair bill will cost as much as a new or used Xbox does nowadays, though. There is a guide on Xbox drive repair, but you should only follow it if you actually read and comprehend everything in it. If you just skip through it you're liable to screw something up. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:01, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
If cleaning your current drive doesn't work, its possible, and (relatively) easy to replace the dvd drive in an xbox, I have a modded 1.0 that I've had to disassemble several times. If you've ever worked on a PC, you can work on an xbox. The same site consumed linked to has replacement drives for sale here (Ive heard the Samsung drives are excellent, dunno first hand though), as well as a guide to open it up and get to the drive here. Be aware opening it up will void your (likely already expired) warranty. Cyraan 21:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Eidting

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

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

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

Uranus

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

No. He's probably pulling your leg. --Wooty Woot? contribs 01:38, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Also I think you mean Hawking radiation --froth 02:09, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
A black hole would suck everything into itself. So no. BenC7 02:10, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Yes apart from Hawking radiation--Light current 02:14, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Yep, its very supermassive properties cause it to leak. Nature's inexorable irony. IIRC Hawking radiation also keeps us safe from black holes created in the laboratory because they'd be so small that they'd peter out into hawking radiation almost instantly --froth 02:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

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

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

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

Book Subjects

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

Doubtful. A brief look at the International ISBN Agency website shows that there are more than 760,000 publishers out there. There would be too many books to fit into a single catalogue, and then finding the books themselves would be another task in itself. Try a few university libraries or a state library if you are having trouble finding books on a particular subject. Also try amazon.com. BenC7 02:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Well, I agree with BenC7, but I think Amazon.com wouldn't be a bad bet. Just to test, I searched for a peculiar topic and got 286 hits, a lot, I was surprised. It may be only the books in print, but then again, it may be a lot more than that. I would also suggest the Library of Congress (Library of Congress here on WP), but I don't know if they do online searches. Anchoress 02:28, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Sure they do. Just follow the "Library Catalogs" link. --Anonymous, December 9, 02:48 (UTC).

Many Movies,Many Romances

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

Why ask just the 20 or so RD regulars, when you could have the opinions of thousands of movie critics, angry loners and artsy hangers-on? Anchoress 02:29, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Romance film and Romantic drama film list some examples and suggest some links. Personally, I don't think they're particularly good examples of "great" romance films, but it's all a question of taste and opinion. It's better to watch a few examples and decide for yourself in which direction you wish to go.--Shantavira 10:13, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
the internet movie database (www.imdb.com) has lists of the top 250 films as voted by their users. They have a section that allows you to filter by genre, so try there for a list. Personally I believe the IMDB has a very reliable top 250 list. They seem to have most of the critically acclaimed films up there instead of just the big films from the last 5 years (best-of lists tend to suffer from long-term memory loss, focusing predominantly on newer films). If you want romantic comedies then I personally enjoyed Serendipity (film), You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally and the Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina. ny156uk 11:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

U.S. penny

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

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

It's a mint mark, in this case indicating the penny was made at the Denver Mint. -- Rick Block (talk) 02:45, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Similarly, S indicates the San Francisco Mint and the absence of a mint mark indicates the Philadelphia Mint. Other US coins also use these marks, but in different places; in some cases P is used for Philadelphia.
D does stand for denarius (which was a specific ancient coin, not a word meaning "coin") when it is the abbreviation for the old British penny; this traditional abbreviation conveniently left p available for the new penny when they decimalized their currency 35 years ago. Thus £1 = 240d. = 100p. --Anonymous, December 9, edited 03:01 (UTC).
Nail sizes are called "penny" but abbreviated "d" for denarius, perNail (engineering). But this has nothing to do with the U.S. "D" mint mark. Edison 18:49, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

Fingerprints

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

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

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

I think those are great questions! Don't think they can be answered here, but some could be the subject of a good Google search. --Zeizmic 03:31, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Well, let's start by observing that Hitler was convicted in 1924 in connection with the Beer Hall Putsch. Fingerprints as a criminological technique were 25-30 years old by that time, so presumably the Germans would have routinely fingerprinted him then if not at any other time. Whether that fingerprint record still exists and where, after all that has happened since then, is another matter. --Anonymous, December 9, 04:46 (UTC).
I suspect any records of criminal behavior on his part would have been destroyed once he became dictator. StuRat 08:22, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
I'm not sure, the Nazis were remarkably fastidious when it came to record-keeping, which came in handy at Nuremberg. GeeJo(c) • 17:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
South African citizens all have their fingerprint taken for the Identity Document (issued at 16 years), and for many when they get a drivers licence (18 years). That information is not available to police for use in investigations. -- Seejyb 12:07, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Then what is it for? Rmhermen 15:25, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Presumably to prevent identity fraud. Rockpocket 22:23, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Archivists are tenacious. When Stalin became ruler of the Soviet Union, the archivists of the Secret Police were ordered to destroy all documents on his pre-revolution activities, but reportedly they retained copies but certified that the original records were destroyed. Edison 18:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
George Bush was likely fingerprinted being arrested for drunk driving, before he was "born again". Works by U.S. ferderal employees as part of their jobs are in the public domain. --Nelson Ricardo 13:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

LSD#Flashbacks and HPPD Rmhermen 06:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Almost all psychoactive drugs can have long-term effects. There is a very good chart of psychoactives at Psychoactive drug, with links to each drug listed. SWAdair 07:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

ninjutsu

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

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

Logically Defending Beliefs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I believe that many of them do attempt to come up with scientific-sounding explanations. One example is the 'New Age" crowd, who use some real properties of crystals to imply that they can do magical things. I should point out, however, that none of these religions/beliefs actually uses the scientific method, which would have them start with ALL the evidence, then that would lead them to a theory, which they would then test, where possible. Instead, they start with a "theory", then selectively pick any bits of "evidence" that could possibly justify their religion/belief, and ignore the much larger accumulation of evidence against. Scientists who engage in this type of behavior are quickly discredited. StuRat 08:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
For a jumping off point for info on what sort of work is done in parapsychology, see that article. Reading that, one notes that your assumption of "very few" is not valid. Observations of the processes at work can be subjected to standard statistical analysis, and analysis of the work on paranormal would suggest that something is definitely happening. Explanations for observed phenomena are not that easy. -- Seejyb 13:08, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Religion, including Christianity, is an area based on faith, and not on science. There is no way to logically prove a faith based system. Of course religions have a collection of facts around their faith, but in all cases, it boils down to that a person has to accept or reject a concept that is presented to them, or that they have come to realize based on faith. Some would say that having a believe in a religion is designed to be a matter of faith. That this design in and of itself is an important part of the faith, and is what makes up the line between determinism and non-determinism. What is primarily important is that we each have a path through life that we follow, and we use a set of values and judgements to make decisions. Whether a particular religions faith is "scientifically true" or not is irrelevant. The path you choose to follow directly affects the quality of your life, and your ability to help others through their path.
Trying to incorporate faith into a scientific only system fails, as does trying to incorporate science into a faith-only based world. Science is the accumulation and system of categorization, and proof of things that we know. Religion is the accumulation of values and mores based on faith (believing without facts). At any point of history, there is a multitude of things that humanity did not, or does not know.
What is important is that we respect others rights to follow their path, and know that regardless of their similarities or differences to our own path, that they lead to the same place eventually. There is no religious system that is more correct than any other, only paths that are more heavily traveled than others. A more heavily traveled path may offer more companions, but still takes just as long to get "there". What is most important is to focus on the adventure of the travel, and not on the destination. Atom 13:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

Anyway, are there any books, websites, or articles that contain or are about their (any the people I've mentioned up there) statements and arguments to logically defend their faith and their responses to the criticisms of their beliefs?User:The Anonymous One

Major to Minor

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

I'm not sure if you really mean you want to change key, or if you just want to use some minor chords. But, maybe those articles will help. See also relative minor if you want to know which minor chords work easily with which major ones. Simple answer: if you are using a third in your music, try dropping it a half step to a minor third for that "minor" sound. Friday (talk) 07:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Great a music questing. I love music questions! If you can provide more information about what exactly your doing I will be able you help you better. Usually going to a different key in the middle of a piece will require a modulation to sound right. To avoid any change of place on the staff go to the relative minor. In other word the minor key that has the same number of flats or sharps as the key your in. Simply change the cords. For instance go from C major to A minor. Here are some links that might help you. Feel free to ask me about anything that is confusing you.
S.dedalus 07:29, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

The simplest thing to do, if the key (as here) is E flat major, is to change the signature to that of its parallel key, which is (surprise) E flat minor. Then you may want to change some of the seventh and sixth degrees of the natural minor scale to those of the harmonic or ascending minor scale where that sounds better in the melody, which in this case means restoring some D flats to D and C flats to C. This then may necessitate changes in other voices as well to get nice harmonies. Of course, the accidentals in the score must in general be appropriately adjusted, for which there is no straightforward method; for example, you can't leave the F sharp in place and at the same time change the next G to G flat: either "naturalize" the G to a G natural, or change the F sharp to an F by leaving out the sharp accidental.  --Lambiam 14:59, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
OK are you wanting to use the same melody but with more minor-sounding chords? If so, I just did a bit of fiddling with the guitar, and with my copy of the song in F, I'd change the opening F to Dm, the C7/F to Am, the Dm to G7 (kooky but just to have a different 2nd line opening), the E7 to Em, the F/A to Am. I didn't bother doing the second verse. Anchoress 21:59, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

"What's Up"? and other social awkwardnesses

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

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

Another question I have regards seeing teachers in the hallways.

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

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

Not really the answer you were looking for but if you ignore them and don't say anything, people will stop talking to you and thus your problem will be eliminated. You say "I prefer not to talk to others", so why encourage them to talk to you by responding to their greetings? Dismas| 07:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
If they start it with "what's up", it's generally a greeting. If they give a different salutation and then the "what's up?", it's a question. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:06, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
When someone says “what’s up” it’s a slangy equivalent of “how are you?” Not to sound harsh or anything but usually when people use greeting like this they’re not actually interested in the well being of the person they are addressing. It is simply a polite gesture that acknowledges the existence of another human being. Usually a “nu’in much” or if you prefer “nothing much” is sufficient to leave all concerned with the pleasant feeling that they have made the world a little happier. Even if this is not the case. As to your second question: when passing some one you know custom usually dictates that you at least make eye contact with the person and perhaps give your head a slight nod (up-down) to show that you remember seeing that person before at some time in your life. S.dedalus 07:09, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
"What's up?" (in a greeting or passing-in-the-hall context) isn't a question. It's a piece of stereotyped dialogue: one of those phrases people exchange as a constant reminder that we're part of the same culture. It's like saying "thanks" when the cashier hands you change - it has nothing to do with gratitude; it's just what's said. The easiest response to "what's up?" is "not much", or "not much, you?", or just a grunt of acknowledgement. Sometimes, since the content really doesn't matter, I'll respond to a "what's up?" with a "how ya doin'?", to which I don't expect a response. It's just noise we make, like ducks quacking at each other. If you don't respond at all, you'll come across as unsocial, which may be just what you want, as Dismas suggested above.
As far as greeting teachers in the hallway, I don't think it's expected. Doing it wouldn't be bad either. Some people just aren't bubbling forth with "hello"s for everybody in the world; teachers know that. -GTBacchus 07:14, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
It can be an actual question, especially if preceded by another salutation (i.e. "Hey, what's up?"). The response to such a question is usually brief though ("I just got fired, you?"). It does depend on where you are and who you're talking to, like anything else. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, a lot depends on tone. Sometimes, "what's up?" is a challenge. Sometimes, it's a sincere question about how you're feeling. I guess it has to be clear from context whether the person is trying to pass you in the hall, start a conversation, or assault you. -GTBacchus 07:25, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reporting a pedophile.

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

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

I'm really confused as to who's talking to whom and what it has to do with your computer but you may be able to get something done just by making an anonymous phone call to the local police. Dismas| 07:01, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
You need to speak to local law enforcement, which you can do anonymously. They will advise you. Try the sex crimes or child exploitation or internet luring divisions (depending on which your local law enforcement has). Or call an anonymous tip line, and get advice from them. Anchoress 07:02, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
They should have an anonymous tips line. Use a pay phone or something if you're really paranoid, or nuke the computer. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 07:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
CC, I disagree with your last piece of advice. IMO this poster is looking for legal advice, and we are not authorised to advise someone to destroy evidence. On a more personal note, if the contents of the OP's computer could put a child predator away and s/he decides to take your advice then changes her or his mind, people could actually get hurt. IMO we should not be telling this person anything other than to talk anonymously to law enforcement. Anchoress 07:06, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, or to a lawyer, who is qualified to give legal advice. -GTBacchus 07:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
You have no idea what sort of things I have on this computer. It would hurt a LOT more people if some of this stuff got out. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.247.88.142 (talk) 07:11, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

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

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

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

If a child is in imminent danger that must take precedence over any possible problems you might have because of, say, kiddie porn on your computer. Why don't you talk to a lawyer for advice on how best to proceed? The faster you take care of this, the less likely something will actually happen. -THB 19:16, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
If it is that important to the questioner, why couldn't he buy a "clean" cheap second-hand computer, and use it for communicating with the bad guy and getting enough illegal emails on it that when it was turned over to the police it could furnish proof for conviction. And why would anyone hold tenaciously to a computer which has documents on it which incriminate him? When is freedom worth less than the cost of a replacement computer? It seems like a real dilemma if the questioner is so attached to the incriminating info he cannot stand to get rid of the tainted computer. How does one really get rid of the info on a hard drive, anyway? Edison 20:39, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Well for one it would take money and time to buy another computer and get all that incriminating data on the other computer. To get rid of info on a hard drive you just delete it. Of course this only marks it as "usuable space" - the data is still written to the disk. To get rid of this data you'd have to zero those blocks (replace all of the binary data that was there with a long series of 0s). Some filesystems do this automatically when you delete. Macs do this, and they call delete "secure delete". Which is frankly a stupid idea, since it's faster and more efficient to just mark those blocks as available. --froth 23:48, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Wikiholics

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

Did you check out WP:Wikiholic? --Shantavira 10:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Thanks. Its found here. Hehe wonder how my friend will do. Termia kasih, shantavira. Crisco 1492 00:04, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Undervalued stocks

What is under valued stocks?

This article isn't in great shape yet, but see Undervalued_stock. Friday (talk) 15:53, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Undervalued stock is shares of ownership (stock) in a company that are selling for less than some calculated worth. See List of finance topics#valuation, especially stock valuation and fundamental analysis. Note that there are many methods of valuing stock. See also efficient market hypothesis. -THB 15:53, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
But note, however, that if you received an email telling you that some stock was undervalued, that's just some fraudster trying to trick you into buying a stock he owns, so he can sell it and take your money. See Pump and dump -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 16:15, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Fiji coup

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

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

The PM has already addressed these questions in an interview. Fiji's armed forces while small is well-trained and bloodshed would have been certain, Australia has already deployed troops to a number of other nations. See . Rmhermen 15:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Hmmm, okay. The way he said "we would be effectviely invading Fiji" just sounded to me like he thought ivnading a country was unthinkable unless the USA was right alongside us. But if it was a logistics matter, I suppose that's reasonable. Battle Ape 17:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
I don't think invading countries to paternalistically determine what their governments ought to be like is exactly considered in vogue right now. --24.147.86.187 18:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Who the heck is this?!?!

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

Typeface identification

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

Sample: Parallax Software logo

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

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

The letter a in the second line differs from those in the first line: the upper part is flatter and extends farther to the left. Could this be an ad-hoc creation?  --Lambiam 20:29, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
The second line is shorter than the first line, so it might be a simple difference in size. About it being ad-hoc: I've wondered about that myself, but I don't have any real idea... --Kjoonlee 20:33, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Itz Fritz. None of the online examples I've found look exactly like it, but your example looks exactly like the Fritz font I've been using on my computer for about 12 years. Anchoress 20:34, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Fritz is superficially similar, but the letters seem quite different on closer inspection. --Kjoonlee 20:39, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
As I said, online examples are different, but your example is exactly like the font called Fritz that I use on my computer. Anchoress 20:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Ms A may be right. The group Fritz-Quad, FritzQuadrata, FrizQuadrata BT, and FrizQuadrata-Thin (note spellings!) is the closest I have on my machine - take a look at the last one, in bold. I do not know the origin of the font. --Seejyb 21:00, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Moving Pages

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

Hello. All logged in users, with a certain level of experience, can move pages (though there are some circumstances in which administrator tools are required. See WP:MOVE for advice. But you first step should be to get some editing experience. Rockpocket 22:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
To clarify, by experience I really mean time, not number of edits. Newly created accounts can't move pages. Rockpocket 22:24, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

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

Retail Fabric Store

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

I followed you until you mentioned scissors. The fabric cutting tables I've seen have a blade on a handle, much like a giant paper cutter, so you get a smooth cut, unlike what you get using hand scissors. StuRat 22:58, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
Fabric store, both large and small, with which I am familiar just have a long table or counter, with the top perhaps covered with hardboard, with a yardstick nailed to the edge. The fabric is spread out along the table and cut with scissors. The table is nothing special. It would likely be built to order by a carpenter. There is not goal of making a precise smooth cut, since the fabric will be measured and cut according to a pattern. Pieces of fabric are not generally cut to exact size in the store and then sewn together along the store's cut line. They do not use a plastic cutting guide and rotary cutter such as is used in making things of fabric. Edison 00:24, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
But isn't there a problem that a rough, hand-cut edge is likely to cause the fabric to unravel ? StuRat 13:07, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
If you do a Google image search for "fabric cutting table" you can quickly identify which websites have them. www.modernstorefixtures.com carries cutting tables and other fixtures like bolt racks. It might be cheaper and better to have someone make you one like in these plans. -THB 00:46, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

some instructions

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

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

Plea Bargaining

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

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

outselling the bible

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

I'd say there is a good chance a fiction book that outsold the Bible would be made into a movie. If you compare a list of bestsellers with movies that an average cinema goer might be aware of, you see a pretty strong correlation, especially in the last 30 years. Infact, it seems that least 3 or 4 of the top 10 best selling books for every year in the 1990s has been made into a movie (mainly because there are books written by Steven King, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton and John Grisham featured pretty much every year). If you consider the best selling books of all time, every single fictional book the he top 20 has been made into a movie.
As for how significant it would be. Well, if it was the best selling book in history, I'd say that would make it very significant. Better start writing.... Rockpocket 00:34, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Considering the Bible's sales/distribution has been around 6 billion, and that the next nearest single book (the Quran) has sold less than 2% of this figure - do I need to complete the sentence? BenC7 02:13, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Please realize that many best-sellers get bought by motion picture companies, then enter Development hell for perhaps decades. Edison 04:17, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

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

How to join forum?

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

  1. As far as i'm aware, the Misplaced Pages:Forum for Encyclopedic Standards is a voluntary group. I can find no eligibility requirements, so I see no reason you cannot join.
  2. Membership of the forum is not an administrative position.
  3. This page is archived regularly, see Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Archives. Rockpocket 00:39, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Yes, this page should be archived! I'll get RefDeskBot on it soon! Martinp23 00:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Tourist Cities in Mexico (Near Tempe, AZ)

Hello everyone:

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

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

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

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

The Jetsons

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

No. See this page --froth 04:22, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Maybe. From the same source as above: "The ground does show, for example in Invisibly Yours and The Flying Suit". Although it's pointed out previously in the same document that the ground is never shown except for floating islands. So either the document controdicts itself or the ground mentioned in what I quoted is referring to the islands. Dismas| 09:59, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I swear I saw one episode in which George crashed the flying car and hit the ground, which was all rocky like Mars. I don't know if that was one of the original epiodes or one of the ones made in the 80s. -- Mwalcoff 14:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Wikiproject setup.

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

accuracy rate

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

Some articles probably are completely correct, there's no "error rate" for an average article.... --froth 04:36, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Nature did a publicized study and found that the average science article on Misplaced Pages had about four inaccuracies, compared to three for Britannica. Of course, that was a while ago, and it could have gotten worse, but more likely better. Also, if you really need to make sure of something, you should look up the source it came from: that's the whole point of citing sources. —Keenan Pepper 05:07, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Socialism or Religion?

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

Socialism probably. Deaths related to religious conflict mostly occurred in pre-modern times, and communist states arose later when the human population was in the billions. I suppose it would be helpful to have an actual figure for how many people Stalin killed.. the figure ranges from a few hundred thousand to 30 million --froth 04:28, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I would tend to disagree, basically there have been more wars over religion than anything else. You have to think about the Holy Crusades and many, many more different wars/conflicts that I do not want to state. Also remember that religion has been around for a "long" time. So basically I would have to say religion. — Seadog 04:32, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
It depends what you mean by "led to". If you tally all those that lived (and thus died) under socialist/communist regimes throughout human history, and compare that to the number that existed in societies underpinned with religious doctrines, then I think the latter number would be much higher. What is unclear is to what extent the doctrines contributed to the death of the individuals. To be a bit more flippant, once could argue eternal life awaits those who follow (most) religions, therefore the answer must be socialism. Rockpocket 04:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Religion, clearly. In one way or another religion was the justification of almost every major conflict in human history. Slavery, the Holocaust, even the extermination of the Native Americans. There are of course elements of all these events that were not religious, but even Stalin's socialism had an element of religiously motivated justification (even if it was a lack there of). --Cody.Pope 04:57, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Basically this question would be a very hard if not impossible question to answer, since if you think about it no one can know for sure. You have to take into consideration of what counts as religion and what doesn't also what do you mean by "led to" as what Rocket pocket has stated. — Seadog 05:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I disagree. I'd say that the number of people that died as a result of a modern concept of socialism is finite and at least estimatable (not a word but come on), whereas the number of people to die as a result of religion is very hard to estimate, but using just modern times numbers you can easily pass socialism. --Cody.Pope 05:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I just think that "religion" being much, much older than Socialism — religion would most certainly have to pass the modern concept of socialism. I was just trying to say that some people look differently at what constitutes for religion. — Seadog 05:10, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
I think we both agree that it is religion but disagree about how provable that is? --Cody.Pope 05:17, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

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

What about those nations that are socialist AND religious? Most of Europe's nations have at least one major socialist party and most of Europe (particularly the EU) are christian-dominated societies with many having a national religion. If we were to look at the things both can do that 'lead' to death (and one presumes this is a premature death) we could have: war, poverty, famine, persecution and oppression. I do not believe that you can put a figure on these but since socialism is relatively 'new' compared to the world's main religions, also because religion is more widespread than socialism (whose power is limited to whether it can convince enough people to vote for it) I would say the answer is almost definitely going to be religion.
If you made the question more broad and said 'what led to more deaths, religion or political ideology' that would maybe be a more fair question, since socialism is one strand of the political range but religion encompasses many many religions. ny156uk 12:13, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

colours of Thailand

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

See days of the week.--Shantavira 09:51, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
According to this website, the custom of birthday colors orgininated in the Ayutthaya period. That narrows it down somewhat. -THB 10:20, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

What the heck is an OP?

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

It means the Original Poster (the person who asked the question). We should try to avoid using such confusing abbrevs. StuRat 13:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Thank you. --Nelson Ricardo 13:04, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
ur 'come OP. --Bowlhover 14:26, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Well suitly emphazied. Proto:: 14:57, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
While I agree with Stu that we should be intelligible to newbies (another term) I admit that I am guilty of using OP to refer to the "asker". I guess since asker is only two keys more than OP (shift = one key) I will use that instead. --Justanother 15:10, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

COW!

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

See here: . StuRat 13:44, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
The reference StuRat cited indicates that there is about 500 lbs of edible beef on a carcass. So 4 eaters x 2 meals/day x 6 oz/meal = 48 oz/day = 3 lbs/day yielding an answer of 500/3 = 167 days assuming that they are not picky about which edible part of the cow they eat and more if the children eat less that 6 oz/meal. --Justanother 16:06, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
.....and they have a big freezer.--Shantavira 17:00, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Essays

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

You want to write an essay about English ? If so, pick the link for our articles. If you want to write an essay on something else, let us know the topic, please. If you want us to choose the topic, no problem, write an essay on wombats. StuRat 13:50, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
You seem to be asking if it would be OK with wikipedia if you used the essays here instead of writing your own essays and, if not, where could you get some good essays to use? I am going to answer what I think is your question. Please do not take offense if I misinterpreted your question. Misplaced Pages does not really care what you do with the material here provided that you cite (let people know where you got it). Click "Cite this article" on the left of any article to see exactly how to cite that particular article. Note the warning

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

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

I'm just wondering

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

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


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

Indo-US Nuclear Bill

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

Category: