Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Unionized workers

About what proportion of blue-collar workers in the US belong to a union? About what proportion of these live in blue vs red states (only very roughly)? Thanks!

Just to clarify: What I'm really looking for is, if you're a blue-collar worker, are you more likely to be unionized if you live in a blue state or a red state? Thanks again.

I'm afraid you'd have to do some maths yourself, but here's the 2004 figures for unionisation rates on a by-state basis, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics - [1] (the main text is here - [2]). Should be fairly easy to draw some quick conclusions from that for "proportion of union members in a state's workforce". Note that this doesn't cover unemployed union members.

However, it doesn't give any breakdown by industry or salary (ie, white or blue collar) - you'd have to look elsewhere for that. Shimgray 22:50, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

It might also be helpful for you to look up the statistics which states are Right to work at will and other variations on labor law. At the federal level there are laws managed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB}, then each state can amend those rules. AlMac 23:19, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

What is heavy metal music?

I really can't understand heavy metal music. A few questions here:

• Why is heavy metal music so aggresive, with all the distorted electric guitars and loud screams?
• Some people associate drugs, crime, and occult with heavy metal. To what extent is this true?
• Are rock 'n' roll, oldies, and classic rock synonymous with heavy metal music?
• Is the hippie culture related to heavy metal music?

Thanks. — Stevey7788 (talk) 23:17, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

Why is heavy metal music so aggresive, with all the distorted electric guitars and loud screams?

Why not?

Some people associate drugs, crime, and occult with heavy metal. To what extent is this true?

Uh...well it seems like at least once a week there's some news report on a rockstar using drugs or being criminal or something.

Are rock 'n' roll, oldies, and classic rock synonymous with heavy metal music?

No, that's why they're called what they're called. Heavy metal is surely encompassed by Rock 'n' Roll, though.

Is the hippie culture related to heavy metal music?

Yes. I believe I remember watching some documentary which claimed one of the (possibly the) first reference to "heavy metal" was a description of Jimi Hendrix's playing. The quote was something like "[Jimi Hendrix's music] is like heavy metal falling from the sky". ¦ Reisio 23:42, 2005 July 14 (UTC)

I believe the term 'heavy metal' was first coined by Lester Bangs (a rock journo, I think) to refer to bands of the late '60s & early '70s with names like Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly and one or two others jamesgibbon 17:17, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

http://lists.village.virginia.edu/lists_archive/sixties-l/0021.html
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/lists_archive/sixties-l/0033.html ¦ Reisio 04:36, 2005 July 17 (UTC)

Nature sees to it that male mammals in their prime are full of energy and aggression. In humans this results in most violent crime being committed by males 16 to 26 (or so), each generation in that age group being attacted to music that expresses how they feel (full of energy, to be nice about it), and many other interesting consequences. Humans imprint (sort of) on the music styles of their youth. Each generation in Western culture likes to set itself apart with its "own" music styles. So one generation loves light to heavy rock (includes heavy metal), another likes light to heavy rap, and so on. 4.250.138.52 09:23, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

World's Safest Country

What is the safest country in the world today? (preceding unsigned comment by 219.89.168.71 2005-07-15 01:22 UTC)

• If you mean that literally, the country where you are least likely to die over time, I suppose that would be the country with the highest life expectancy, which I think is Japan.--Pharos 01:50, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
• There are some competing claims for the world's lowest crime rate. Japan's up there; so is Saudi Arabia. Likewise China and Myanmar. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 02:01, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
  • I said life expectancy should be the most general measure; why should "safety" be only an issue of crime? Comparatively few people's safety is most threatened by violent crime. Japan is "safe" not only because of low crime, but because of low rates of serious disease, low rates of work-related accidents (I presume) etc.--Pharos 02:11, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
  • Saudi Arabia?!?! *cough cough * — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 02:16, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

It's a tradeoff, dictatorial countries will have less crime, but are likely to imprison or harm more innocent people. More democratic nations typically will let the occaisional criminal go, rather than run the chance that the state might harm an innocent.

This might distort safety statistics to some degree. :-)

My guess is the Vatican is probably one of the safest. Unless you count old age as a risk. DJ Clayworth 16:58, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

In 1996, the Captain of the Swiss Guard, his wife, and another guard were found dead; it's not completely clear who killed who, but there was certainly foul play involved. Given the tiny population, that's bound to have a disproportionate effect on the murder statistics. Shimgray 14:18, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

In many nations, to get the benefits of the high quality safety, you have to be a male of the right religion, and have certain connections.

Heavy urbanization has more random crime, while rural areas less quality of life and poorer infrastructure to service you if an emergency.

Consider high or low risk of wild fires, serious flooding, avalanche, earthquake, volcano eruption, tidal wave, tropical storm, tornado, sufficient warning one is coming so you can get to cover.

Local terrain & its utilization support good plentiful food supply, as opposed to the place being a nation of starvation.

Human infrastructure well developed for safety ... do you take your life into your hands any time you go on the public highways? What are the odds that an appliance plugged into the electrical system will have an electrical fire, and burn down your home with you in it?

Within individual nations there are Atlases on best places to live. AlMac 19:01, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Permanent deletion of Psilocybe Fanaticus article

I noticed that the article for Psilocybe Fanaticus was deleted on October 25, 2003. The cause for deletion was not mentioned, but the words(As discussed on Votes for Deletion). Is there a way to view the discussion that took place regarding the deletion of this article? And is there a reason why no new page has been created to replace it in the nearly two years since?

Please take this question to the wikipedia:Help desk as it deals with operation of wikipedia. alteripse 02:44, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

The reason is probably either that no-one has got round to it, or that there is no verifiable information on this species. See Psilocybe for more details. Physchim62 13:03, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

According to Google, "Psilocybe Fanaticus" is not a species, but an ex-company that sold equipment for recreational use of Psilocybe cubensis. In theory you could look back through the history of Wikipedia:Votes for deletion to see if you can find the relevant discussion, but I doubt it would be worthwhile. From reading Google, it looks as though the company wouldn't even merit a brief mention in the Psilocybe cubensis article. Gdr 13:35, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

World stamps of the year 2000 and their issue cities.

What is the name of the countries and other … that have postal authorities for mail in said countries and other … issuing stamps in the year 2000 and the name of the city or town thatissued the stamps their.

I am a topical stamp collector and wish to give my granddaughter a gift from me that she can keep that is from the year she was born from me. I need information to complete this task with in the next year. Thank you, Geo.James

New stamp issues are covered in philatelic newspapers traditionally. One of the oldest is Linn's [3], which is weekly. For a past year, you can check a current copy of Scott catalog at a local philatelic dealer and check the year 2000 for each of the hundreds of countries that issue stamps. You have quite a job ahead of you to collect all the issues for a year from around the world. It also occurs to me that some of the larger companies like Harris or Minkus might offer a service for wealthy collectors of all the issues for a recent year. You might check if money is no object. alteripse 03:11, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Some countries release collections themselves, for example New Zealand Post puts out beautifully-illustrated books with information and photos (and, of course, the stamps). That would add even more expense to an already grand undertaking, but would be easier than trying to buy them up separately. Stamp shops (especially online) should sell backissues of things like these, but it's unlikely that the postal authorities themselves do.

Oh and of especial interest might be the, um... um... I forget... United Somethingorother... anyway it's all of endangered animals etc., and all beatifully illustrated. No country issued them and they had no value (as in Cinderellas), they were a special commemorative production. Garrett^Talk 11:27, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

How should one convert Russian grades into US grades?

I am interested how the Russian grades 5 and 4 are considered in the US. What US grades are similar to the Russian 5 and 4???

1. Are you talking university grades? In that case I would assume a 5 is an A, a 4 a B, etc., depending on how many there are and which the top number is.
2. Are you talking about school grades? In that case I really don't know. Garrett^Talk 12:53, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Don't be so sure about the first one - a good few systems use 1 as the highest grade (the Scottish exam system, for example). Shimgray 13:11, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

... and the German, and the Austrian, and so on, yes. Without further information as to how many grades there are and which ones are the best ones, I doubt we can say much more to that. Nightstallion 13:20, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

How badly do you need to know? If it's just for your own interest than I don't know how to help, but if it's because you want to work/study in the US then I should think there is an agency that will provide a comparision (for a fee). For example, here in the UK, you would go to The UK NARIC MyNameIsClare talk 14:57, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

I don't know anything about Russian grades, but you seem to so let me tell you how our system works and see if it helps. At my University average was a B, so:

A - Above average

B - Average

C - Below Average

D - Barely passing (most institutions won't accept for transfer credit)

F - Fail

Of course for exams the system usually worked differently:

A - more than two standard deviations above average

B - more than one standard deviation above average

C - average

D - more than one standard deviation below average

F - more than two standard deviations below average

You could get a rough idea by overlaying the Russian average grade onto a low B and then trying to fill out the scale. Of course, my experience with translating German grades (a B for being in the top 10% of the class) has taught me that it can be incredibly arbitrary, but you can get an idea. --Laura Scudder | Talk 15:27, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

I am pretty sure my Russian teacher said that in Russia, 5 is the best, 1 is the worst. How that would apply though depends on which "American" system you use -- A is the best, F is the worst, da, but usually A = 90%+, B=80%+, C=70%+, D=60%+, and F=50%, and anything below 50% is still just an F. No idea if the 5-1 system is the same way or not. In any event, I could ask her on Monday if it is still an open question, I am sure it is an easy answer. --Fastfission 21:53, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

• If you're thinking of applying to a university or job in the States or in England, you might be better off stating your class rank if you know it (e.g. top 20%). It can be difficult to convert the meaning of the grade, instead of just listing the equivalent. I know my 3.5 average here in Edinburgh is very good, but also know that it's less good in the states where grade inflation means that everyone gets As as a matter of course (you should have seen the number of tears shed for B+'s at my undergraduate degree). — Asbestos | Talk 23:41, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

My Russian teacher said:

• the grades go from 5 (best) to 1 (worst)
• that a D in the USA is the same as a 1 in Russia
• they don't do anything like the +/-

Hope that is helpful in some way... her English is nyet harasho, and I am not 100% sure I understand her response... --Fastfission 20:39, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

So I asked a friend who works for a service that converts transcripts and she said they just use

• 5 Otlichno Excellent A = 4.00
• 4 Khorosho Good B = 3.00
• 3 Udovletvoritel'no Satisfactory C = 2.00
• Pass Zachot or Zachteno Pass P = Pass
• 2 Plokho/Neudovletvoritel'no Unsatisfactory F = 0.00

which isn't that surprising. --Laura Scudder | Talk 17:57, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Coastal Survey Schooner Phoenix

The Coastal Survey had acquired Phoenix from the U.S.Navy in late 1845. In November of 1845 Coastal Survey Schooner Phoenix sailed from New York to the vicinity of Mobile Bay and was the first vessel of the Survey on the Gulf Coast. In 1847 she was used for hydrographic studies but was soon relegated to the role of providing transportation and housing for triangulation and topographic parties for the remainder of her life in the Survey. The Coast Survey Schooner Phoenix was a typical Coast Survey vessel with a length of 70 feet, a beam of 17 feet, and draft of 7 feet. The Phoenix served with the Survey until 1857 and her final disposition is not known.

I am looking for additional historical information regarding this schooner as well as any images (line drawings or photographs)of the schooner.

Thank you,

Robert M. Pendleton Email: ultralt2002@yahoo.com

Name on back of vintage photo 1880-1900

I cannot read the name on the back of a very old Cabinet photo that I have. It is from the Odessa, Washington area and probably dates in the 1880's. I believe that the photo is of children of imigrants that came to America. The name on the back of the photo looks like it could be Hebrew. I have made a copy of the front and back of the photo and am hoping that someone could let me know what it says. I can email the copy to someone if they are interested in helping me and I would really appreciate any help. The words look like: Jolhlinb Yofmomb iful of ifur. Thank you.

Upload the image (with the name)? ¦ Reisio 13:20, 2005 July 16 (UTC)

Liver Disease in Southern Italy

My mother was born in Bari, Italy, and came to the US in 1948. She died of Non-Alcoholic Cirrhosis of the liver (NAHS)at age 75. Her mother and sister also died of NAHS, and her father died from cysts on his liver. They did not have hepatitis, and were not drinkers.

Does anyone know if Non-Alcoholic Cirrhosis and other forms of liver disease unrelated to alcoholism are common to this region of Southern Italy?

JoAnn - USA

There are many inherited liver diseases that are increased in incidence in small-gene-pool populations (potential consanguinity) in general but most cause trouble earlier in life. One of the most common inherited liver diseases which may casue cirrhosis later in life is alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency; it may occur in southern Italy but is even more common in northern Italy and northern Europe. Thalassemia is the disease most doctors associate with southern Italy, but the liver is severely affected in only the worst cases and the diagnosis should have been easy to recognize from the complete blood count. We need a gastroenterologist! alteripse 18:48, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Legal dilemma arising from a random pub discussion

BEWARE!

If a conjoined twin were to commit a murder, is there anyway for the law to punish him (or her) without infringing on the rights of the completely innocent twin? (I'm most interested in the case under UK law but the perspectives of other countries would be welcome too) I suspect he (or she) would be able to get away with murder. Any views? Does anyone know of a real-life criminal case involving a conjoined twin? Dmn / Դմն

Mark Twain was way ahead of you. He dealt with that possibility in the novel Pudd'n'head Wilson, based loosely on accounts of the real Siamese twins, Chang and Eng. alteripse 01:17, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

...is there anyway for the law to punish him (or her) without infringing on the rights of the completely innocent twin? - easy! You seperate them and give all the vital shared organs to the innocent one :) →Raul654 01:19, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

Wow, you're a regular Solomon!--Pharos 01:22, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Seems logical. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 01:25, 15 July 2005 (UTC) I agree! alteripse 01:26, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

JADP: the conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton were in a movie about exactly that, Chained for Life. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:28, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Could be worse - it could have been Nicky and Paris Hilton →Raul654 01:31, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

I wish there was a rolling-eyes smily up on wikipedia. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 01:34, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

If twin one kills someone, wouldn't twin two be in trouble for allowing his twin to commit murder? --Think Fast 01:42, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

That's what I was thinking. Also logical. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 01:45, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

If person A kills person B in front of you, in all jurisdictions I can think of, you are under no obligation to intervene. You might read about Kitty Genovese →Raul654 01:50, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

In the US if the innocent twin saw her sister preparing to commit the murder knowing what she was doing or was present for any attempted concealment of the murder then since neither can move without the other (unless only one twin controls all the legs) the innocent twin could be an accessory. --Laura Scudder | Talk 04:10, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Think it would be hard to prove which "one" did it using forensic methods. But if it were proved, the punishment aspect is easy -- the law makes little provision for the harm imprisonment causes relatives, loved ones, friends, etc. That "innocent" twin would go to jail too, too bad. Good reason to keep your attached twin from doing a crime.DavidH 02:32, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

I would think that the ACLU would have a field day with this aspect considering an "innocent" person was being sent to prison for something they didn't directly do. Is there any legal precedent? Dismas 09:38, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

My suspicion would be that, as Laura said, they'd be considered an accessory to the crime. IANAL &c, and I really, really wouldn't want to be the judge for this one. Shimgray 11:04, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

You could tell which twin did the crime from the pattern of fingerprints on the weapon. According to Dr. Hibbert, in cases like this, it is always the left hand twin that is the evil one. -- Solipsist 13:37, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

But one can easily imagine situations in which the other twin can't be considered an accessory to the murder. For example, twin A hires a hitman while keeping all details secret from twin B. So the "accessory" theory is just a get-out to avoid confronting the dilemma head-on. Gdr 13:47, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

I suspected people may try to weasel out of the problem this ways. From now let's assume the innocent twin is indeed innocent of all crimes. The problem with a seperation is it requires the innocent twin to agree. In most countries the consent of the guilty twin would be required too. Int he UK I'm not sure if the murderer can even be subject to electronic tagging with the innocent twin's consent either as this would effectively tag him (or her) as well. The greatest puishment I can think of is some sort of fine! Dmn / Դմն 16:09, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Since there are two brains there are also two pain centers. So, Just punish the guilty one by whomping him upside the head with a frying pan every day. ;-) hydnjo talk 18:40, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Consider the legal precedent of some Insanity variants. It is a quite common theme on TV shows about crime & punishment to have the accused be someone with the psychriatic condition of two or more minds in one body. I not know how common in real life. In most western criminal law, a person needs to know they were doing wrong at the time of the crime, in addition to proving they did it, to be found guilty. This not apply in some cases of Insane Temporarily Insane Mentally deficient and extreme youth.

The legal system has to decide whether to lock up the body, or do whatever punishment, when one or more of the minds, occupying the brain, are probably innocent.

AlMac 18:48, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Icicles which grow up in the freezer (not down)

I read somewhere describing a procedure to make icicles grow upin the freezer as opposed to down. I recall something like taking an ice cube tray, and filling the compartments with (possibly) boiled distilled water (or something of that manner). The boiling removes the dissolved air in the water, and I suspect the distillation just makes the water crystallize better. Anyway, the idea is that ice cube will freeze from the top to the bottom first, and from the the edge towards the center. As this happens, it's able to push the water through the middle of the top surface, and if the freezing is done at the correct rate, you can get icicles about an inch or two high. Has anyone else come across this? Brownie points if you can supply pictures :-) --HappyCamper 16:54, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

My ice cubes almost always have a little mountain (ok, hill) in the center. hydnjo talk 18:34, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

They're called "ice spikes", and this page explains how they form and how to encourage their growth and provides photos. You seem to be on the right track with your explanation. — mendel ☎ 20:23, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

Wow, that was the most informative link I've seen in a long time on a subject I'd never heard of before. There's even a pdf paper on it I haven't read yet. The reference desk really is a great place sometimes. (Off to see if I can get some ice spikes.) And by the way, you're both now required to make sure there is an article on those. :) - Taxman ^Talk 21:27, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

misaligned satellite images

• Somewhere in Iraq

How do I call these misaligned satellite images? Is there a jargon for it? -- Toytoy 17:33, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

I've seen them called "misregistered", a reference to the analagous misalignment of colour layers in printing. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:43, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

I think that the alignment/registration is quite good. The color differences may be due to segments of the "mosaic" having been taken at different times with different weather conditions or even different film or photo processing. The important thing on these maps is to show what is where even if not "picture perfect". hydnjo talk 18:28, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

There is some misalignment (some of the farmland is not lined up correctly). — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 21:56, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

I agree about the misalignment (20 meters or so) and I spoke out of turn there. The color differences caught my eye and I didn't even notice the misalignment. Sorry 'bout that, hydnjo talk 22:49, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Want to know the name of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation!

(The spoiler warning is because it will give away the ending of one episode of the series!)

I'm trying to find out the name of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode in question is the one where at the end Dr. Beverly Crusher tells a young woman that she must marry an old man for genetic reasons, and I am hoping that a fan might be able to help with this query.

Thanks in advance.

--Tracey Lowndes 18:17, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

I don't know the answer unfortunately, but you might try also asking the question at Memory Alpha a wiki dedicated to Star Trek - Main Page Reference Desk. Thryduulf 18:42, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

The closest I can think of is Up the Long Ladder, where at the end Dr. Pulaski advises the primitive Bringloidi to interbreed with the high-tech Mariposan cloners in order to integrate the two groups and stabilize the degraded cloned DNA. The ending features a young pseudo-Irish woman asking "Three husbands?" If that's not the one you're looking for, you'd might have better luck asking at Memory Alpha's Reference Desk. -- Cyrius|✎ 19:13, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Pastiche or roman a clef?

Is The Iron Dream a pastiche or a roman a clef? It's a great big metaphor for Nazism, except it's the way Hitler would have wanted it---he (well, "Feric Jaggar") is a big strapping blond fellow, and he conquers the world. grendel|khan 21:31, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps it is more accurately an Allegory.

Copulation article: definitions of "copulation", "mating" and "sexual intercourse", and origin, evolution and function of copulation

What is the exact definition of "copulation"? Which animals do or are said to copulate? (Please name the exact taxons those animals belong to, if possible.) In which geological period did animals start to copulate? How did copulation evolve biologically since then? Why do animals and humans "copulate"? What is the function of copulating, as opposed to, for example, spawning like fish or spreading pollen like anthophytes (flowering plants)? What is the exact difference between "copulation", "mating" and "sexual intercourse"?

All those questions are not clearly or explicitly answered on the article called "Copulation". Should there be separate articles for those terms ("copulation", "mating", "sexual intercourse")? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 21:32, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

• A look at the wiktionary entry suggests these are all synonyms, which would explain why copulation is redirected to sexual intercourse. - Mgm|^(talk) 22:12, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

• • That's too bad, since they are not all synonyms. Bacteria, for example, copulate, but can hardly be said to be having sexual intercourse. And verbs (as well as conjunctions) can be "copulative". - F. X. Leyendecker 03:49, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

• Copulation is just a flowerly way of saying "joining", which is just a G-rated way of saying "having sex". ¦ Reisio 23:16, 2005 July 15 (UTC)

• Or you could reject the validity of evolution and tell your professor that all copulation started "after the fall", in the pornocene era, and it hasn't evolved since then, it's just gotten dirtier. And the only legitimate function of course is procreation. The three different terms of course refer respectively to sex had by you, by the folks down the street, and by your parents. Apparently there was a bill introduced recently in the Florida legislature to require professors to allow you to learn an alternate theory, so if you are going to school in Florida, you might be home free. alteripse 23:24, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

• I'm surprised that the reason behind sexual intercourse is not specified in the article. Basically, sexual intercourse and copulation involve penetrative sex. This is because sperm and eggs were evolved under water, and their mechanisms depend on them being in water (the sperm need to swim, for instance). When animals migrated to the land, sexual intercourse evolved to allow the animals to mate on land while still having the sperm and eggs in a watery environment (instead of requiring the animals to go back to the water to reproduce). I believe birds evolved cloacal sex from penetrative sex. "Mating", however, is more general, and isn't really a perfect synonym for sexual intercourse, as one regularly talks of fish mating. — Asbestos | Talk 23:31, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Could someone please help expand the article accordingly? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 15:52, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

British law citation?

I've found a citation that I'd like to look up, but I have no idea what it means:

• 3 Hansard CCII: 817 (25 July, 1870) and CCII: 1006-09 (26 July, 1870).

I suspect it is some sort of British law citation or something like that -- it relates to a bill proposed to Parliament to modify the 1871 census. Anyway -- where would I look this up? What do the citations mean, specifically? (that is, I understand U.S. citation like 23 SB 1070 means "23rd Senate, Bill 1070" etc., or whatever it is) --Fastfission 22:05, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

• Hansard is the documentation of British parliamentary proceedings. It is published by HM Stationary Office, [4]. I don't understand the citation, but I suppose it is referring a particular page number and paragraph. smoddy 22:10, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

• Excellent, that helps a lot. Sorry to be so ignorant all of the sudden, I don't know much about British bureaucracy! --Fastfission 22:11, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

• Hansard hangs out here, but sadly is only digitised as far back as 1988/9. Any yes, they're references to the volume (CCII) and page numbers (817, and 1006-9). --Tagishsimon (talk)

BTW, have you had a look at Court citation? -- Jmabel | Talk 06:05, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

name for words which are themselves examples of what they describe (like TLA)

Is there a name for words which are themselves examples of what they describe, like TLA? -Lethe | Talk 00:09, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

autological --CVaneg 00:18, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Douglas Hofstadter would probably call them self-referential words. hydnjo talk 00:26, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

And I was calling them self-descriptive! This question bugged me, and I made a page in Wiktionary, trying to explain it to mysefl

Livingston

Is there any Livingston estates in Wales that haven't been resolved? There is a family story that there was a Livingston that left 20 million dollars to his family in America? Sincerely, Pamela Clark

What creature is this?

This was found in the USA [5] [6] [7] [8] and since I couldn't find a reference desk at wikispecies I thought I'd ask here.

"those pinchers did catch the persons finger who was holding it, And when it grabbed on it thrashed around really hard like it was trying to rip his finger off." 81.154.236.221 01:47, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Wow, that's quite the bug! You might also want to ask the same question at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Tree_of_Life and check both pages since there might be more insect experts over there than the reference desk here. --HappyCamper 02:51, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

It is a male dobsonfly. Our article doesn't have a picture so feel free to upload one to the article, though if you still have the bug, maybe a picture without hands in the background would be better. It may have thrashed around, but as our article says, "Despite the fact that the males' mandibles are much bigger than the females', they are unable to harm humans. They are used excusively for grasping the females during mating. The female's mandible are smaller but able to inflict painful bites." The female's are actually much smaller as you'll see from pictures. So it was probably just trying to get away, I doubt it was trying to mate with your finger. The first external link in the article is this which doesn't have a full body picture of the male, but shows the male mandible's well. The third one has an ok full body picture of the male. - Taxman ^Talk 04:00, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

Sugar wine

What do yeast need to grow, besides sugar? We have had a kilo of sugar in the cupboard for several years now, and have come up with no use for it. I thought it would be fun to brew it into an alcoholic beverage, and was curious what would be the minimum I could add to it to sustain yeasty life. I have seen several recipes for home-made wines and beers that seem to be approximating this because the quantity of refined sugar they recommend substantially exceeds that of the ostensible main ingredient, but I'm interested in taking it as far as it can go in that direction. (My wife and I are both well over the legal drinking age for our jurisdiction. :))

Thanks — Pekinensis 03:41, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

You've had a kilo of sugar for several years and have no use for it? I've never considered a kilo very much — I take it you never put sugar in your coffee or tea, and never bake or make deserts? Anyway, I've made several batches of home-brew beer, and while refined sugar may sometimes be used in small quantities, it gives the beer a bad flavor if used as the main carb. Generally one uses one or more types of malted grains and no sugar. It can be done, though, but you'd need to buy some extra equipment (air-tight bucket with valve, bottles, caps, etc), and some extra ingredients (hops and brewer's yeast), and at that point you may as well do it properly and use malt. Find another use for your sugar.

Yes, yeast can grow with just water and sugar. But you pretty much would get an awful flavored water alcohol mix. Better would be to look up some wine recipes online. Googling for "wine making" gets tons, varying in sophistication. One of the simplest some friends used to make was yeast, sugar, and apple juice in one of those children's balloons that can expand to the 3-4 foot diameter size or bigger. Tastes decent, even pretty good sometimes. That may be too much sugar for some yeast varieties, so you may need to experiment. - Taxman ^Talk 15:00, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for your responses. My wife did bake cookies once; I think that's why we have the sugar. My palate tends to be quite coarse, so I'm not too worried about the flavor. I'm more motivated by curiosity. I'm going to try just sugar, water, and yeast then. Perhaps there is a short-term supply of nitrogen and other nutrients in the yeast mix? Thank you — Pekinensis 16:23, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

U.F.O.s

Dear Readers, U.F.O

Why is there no discussions on this serious subject ???? or have the governments managed to convince you all that they dont exi st ? surely just the complex crop circles should twig your interest. I would suggest this subject is most important as in the near futer ie 2012 the end of time will come and its only 7 years away.

Yes i may sound like a an unbalanced being but i assure you i have travelled the world 3 times and am 68 years old studied a great many things and the governments disinformation has had no effect on me.To start with a place to find intresting stories is----

INDIADAILY.COM IS AN ONLINE NEWS SERVICE PLRASE LOGON AND SEARCH.

I HOPE I HAVE TWIGD SOMEONES INTREST

KIND REGARDS

george ormondy melbourne australia e/m address is gormondy@yahoo.com

See:

• Unidentified flying object
• Crop circle
• 2012

Thryduulf 07:43, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

See also: Crop cylinders David Sneek 07:57, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Sir, Wikipedia seeks to be neutral with respect to what different people believe. Many people believe in God, some do not Athiesm, some believe in many Gods ... that is a belief in Polytheism... which to some people is nonsense, if there are several how can they all be God ... that is Monotheism belief, then there are people who have not made up their minds, and not want to be harrassed by the believers Agnostic. The function of Wiki is not to expound on any of these points of view, but to explain in an encyclopaedia way what it all these people believe, without taking sides. You talk about when you think the world will end 2012. This is like a religious belief, that for Wiki to have anything on it, the presentation needs to have a lot more than the notion that it is true because you believe it to be so.

Unidentified flying objects are like that. If you are a strong believer, you may be offended or annoyed by a presentation that does not take a stand on whether they exist, or they are a bogus phenomena.

I saw on one of the science TV channels a special on how different people create Crop circles as a kind of agricultural Graffiti. Of course just because many of them are created by human Artists does not mean that all of them are created that way.

I am age 61 and enjoy speculation on many topics. I believe a case can be made that Unidentified flying objects are vehicles not from some place in space, like another solar system, but from another dimension of time that we earthlings not have the technology to travel into let alone detect or measure, thus any effort to capture credible evidence is doomed to failure because if anyone gets close, the UFO can retreat into a time where we cannot go. However, this wiki is not for various people's flights of fancy, or what you or I might believe, but for what can be proven scientifically. The only place here for my speculations about parallel time traveling UFOs is in Science Fiction because my speculation is not even in the Mainstream of Popular beliefs.

AlMac 18:21, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

righteous

what is the definitions of a righteous manÉ

• It' probably a better idea to ask this over at wiktionary or check dictionary.com. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:21, July 16, 2005 (UTC)
• Also see Righteousness. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:22, July 16, 2005 (UTC)
• Or try the Euthyphro by Plato. -- Essjay · Talk 08:35, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

The Jewish and Christian answer is in Micah: What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8)

Hearing my system clock through headphones

When I put on headphones from my computer, I can hear the ticking of the system clock. This isn't a precise "tick", so I don't know exactly where it's coming from, but it is certainly noticable and is synchronous with the ticking of the second hand when I open up the system's clock. I don't hear this from the computer's internal speakers when I'm not using headphones. What is this, and how to I get rid of it? It is slowly driving me stark raving mad. Thanks!

you probably hear any CPU activity, i.e. when you open the system clock, you hear the CPU performing the calculations required to render the clock. I imagine this is because the wire leading up to the headphone jack is insufficiently shielded from surrounding static. There is nothing you can do about it short of buying a more expensive computer with better shielded wires. dab (ᛏ) 13:49, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

The CPU is multitasking millions of discrete operations for hundreds of processes each second. You are not hearing the CPU. You need to experiment and assume nothing. Are you wearing a mechanical watch? Do you hear the tick when you wear the headset and the computer is turned off. Do other people hear anything? Assume nothing. Vary one thing at a time. Good luck. 4.250.138.52 09:47, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

That's a good point, but here's what I have:

1. I certainly hear the sound, and it is certainly at the rate of one per second. With my eyes closed and headphones on, I can count 60 "ticks" and be precisely accurate as to when a minute has passed. I've noticed this ever since I bought this computer (a laptop)
2. It isn't to do with rendering the clock, since I hear the sound just as clearly when the clock window isn't open.
3. I'm not wearing anything at all at the moment (I just woke up...)
4. It's very clear through any headphones I use; it's non-existant through my internal computer speakers.

So... any further thoughts welcome.

"Assume nothing. Vary one thing at a time" is the key debug technique for the unknown. As for specific ideas other than what I said before:

• try a different headphone
• know, understand, kill individual processes (some running program is causing it)
• know, understand, vary individual options ("sound=on" buried god knows where; I have four such on different menus on this laptop)

I can't think of a single once per second cause of line static in a laptop - computers do everything at hugely faster rates. 4.250.138.52 10:47, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Try taking the machine - you said it was a laptop - elsewhere; go to a different room, or for preference a different building, and see if you still get the effect there? (Maybe get dressed first, though...) Shimgray 11:59, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Malaysian Business Environment

Assalamualaikum/hello/hi, how can i find information about Malaysian Business Environment. the information that i need should relate to the Malaysia's Geography, Demography, population,education,health,politic,legislation,economy,GDP n others that can tell more specific about Malaysian Business Environment. i really hope that someone could help me. thank you.

Assalamualaikum/helo/hai, bagaimana saya boleh mendapatkan maklumat mengenai Malaysia Business Environment. maklumat yg hendak saya cari harus mempunyai kaitan dgn Geografi dn Demografi Malaysia termasuklah populasi,pendidikan,kesihatan,politik,perundangan,ekonomi,KDNK(keluaran dalam negara kasar)atau GDP(gross domestic product) dan pelbagai lagi maklumat yg boleh menerangkan dgn lebih terperinci mengenai Malaysian Business Environment. saya amat berharap agar ada sesiapa yg dapat membantu mendapatkan maklumat berkaitan tajuk tersebut. terima kasih.

NUR,16/07/2005;sabtu(saturday)

Wa alaikum a salaam! Try Malaysia for general information, Malay language for language information, History of Malaysia for its history, Politics of Malaysia for politics, Geography of Malaysia for geography, Demographics of Malaysia or Culture of Malaysia for information on the people, and Economy of Malaysia for economy information (including the Malaysian business environment). Also Transportation in Malaysia, Communications in Malaysia, List of hospitals in Malaysia, Education in Malaysia, Cinema of Malaysia, Music of Malaysia, Cuisine of Malaysia, and Holidays in Malaysia may all be interesting to you. All those pages are available on the main Malaysia page. Proto t c 12:21, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Microsoft spreadsheet formula patterns

Hi,

I'm using Microsoft Works spreadsheet and I often use formulas for which the program doesn't understand the pattern.
For instance, normally if I fill in the first two cells of a column

=AVG(A1:C1)
=AVG(A2:C2)

and drag the little corner of the box down to the bottom of the column, it will fill in all the other cells correctly:

=AVG(A99:C99)
=AVG(A100:C100)

However, I often find myself using perfectly rational formulas for which it doesn't understand the pattern. E.g.:

=AVG(A1:A1)
=AVG(A1:A2)
=AVG(A1:A3)

If I use these as my first three cells, I get

=AVG(A1:A1)
=AVG(A1:A2)
=AVG(A1:A3)
=AVG(A4:A4)
=AVG(A4:A5)
=AVG(A4:A6)
=AVG(A7:A7)

etc. Is there any way to make it understand that what I want is:

=AVG(A1:A[the row I'm currently on])

?

Any help appreciated, thanks, --James.

There is a simple solution to this: Simply put a dollar sign $ in front of the thing that you don't want to change. Alternatively, you can press F4 in that cell; Excel will then shuffle around the dollar signs for you. Just keep pressing F4 until you are happy. So in this case, you'd want your cell contents at the top to look like =AVG($A1:A4). $A means that the A column is fixed. When you drag this down, you'll get exactly waht you need. Try also dragging horizontally and see what happens. These dollar signs are quite good for making lookup tables and multiplication tables of sorts. Cheers! --HappyCamper 16:19, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Hmmm, that must be an Excel thing rather than a Works Spreadsheet thing. Doing that results in my same sequence of formulas as above, but with a $ in front of the first digit (the cell it references still changes, just like above):

=AVG($A1:A1)
=AVG($A1:A2)
=AVG($A1:A3)
=AVG($A4:A4)

The numerical value of the expression is exactly the same as it was before. Also, pressing F4 while a cell is selected does nothing. Is this one of those (many) things that Works can't do?

Oh wait! I hadn't understood that O needed to do "=AVG($A$1:...)". I thought the one dollar sign was sufficient. Thanks!

Oops. I should have put 2 $ signs in my example. I lost sight of your original question when I was answering - Glad it helped though :) --HappyCamper 18:36, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Thank you so, so, so much! I had the exact same problem on a group of nine sheets that I update daily. It was bothersome to have to rewrite the formula every day nine times, but I didn't have a way around it until now. Thanks again. --Think Fast 19:13, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, there are quite a few nifty "tricks" in these programs. Keep in mind that these programs were written to be helpful, so chances are, these little but useful things are already implemented in them. If you find yourself doing the same repetitive and tedious thing for more than 5 minutes, chances are there's a better way to do it. --HappyCamper 19:23, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Except if it happens to be trying to use TWO criteria for any of the functions that take them... not straightforward at all! ;) --Fastfission 00:28, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

If I understood correctly, in these cases, you could name the cells. Simply press Alt-I-N-D to do so. Afterwards, you can use this name in the formulas on your spreadsheet. --HappyCamper 01:24, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Oh yeah, the F4 key is a shortcut in Excel. I'm not too sure what its equivalent is in Works though, but should be documented in the help file somewhere. Try doing a search for "shortcuts" or "shortcut keys" and see if you get anything useful! --HappyCamper 19:26, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

reference

How would this website be referenced APA style?

See Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia for sample citations in various styles. Shimgray 15:32, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Finding the equation for a hyperbola

If it is known that one focus of a hyperbola is the origin, and there are two points known to be on the hyperbola, is it possible to determine the equation of the hyperbola? If so, how? -anon 15:22, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

It should be possible to do so, since the equation of a parabola has 4 unknowns, 2 of which are already known. In your case, you have h and k equal to zero, so all you need to do is solve for a and b. You can do this by substituting your two points into the equation of the parabola, and then solve for the unknowns with the two system of equations. Things might not work out though if the points have a particular symmetry, since there is a squared term involved. --HappyCamper 16:26, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Correction: h and k are not equal to zero; one is zero and the other is a function of a and b, since a focus is at the origin. Which one is which depends on whether the hyperbola is horizontal or vertical; if this is not known, there will be two possible solutions. I can't imagine the situation where the answer would be indeterminate, but I suppose it must exist. Nickptar 20:34, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Oh yes, thanks for catching my mistake! --HappyCamper 16:16, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Wichita State University Alumni needs some addition

Wichita State University has had the owner of educating one of the US Presidents, the four star general Dwight D. Eisenhower. And he's not listed as one of the Wichita State Alumni, I'm sure he's one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, Alumni of Wichita State. Can we add him to the list as well? Thanks.

--anon

Try the edit this page link at the top of the relevant page. That's what it's there for (and it's fun as well). Physchim62 16:35, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Translating the Lawrence Kudlow article to Japanese

Could someone please write a stub for the Lawrence Kudlow article in Japanese? Is this the right page to ask such a question? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 17:33, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Did you try asking on the Japanese Wikipedia? -- Cyrius|✎ 18:31, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

No, I actually didn't ask on the Japanese Wikipedia, because I don't know Japanese. That's why I ask here. 2004-12-29T22:45Z 19:55, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

You can sign your answer with four tildes like this "~~~~" to make sure the time and date display correctly. BTW, I'm sure the Japanese Wikipedians won't mind a question in English if it's about translation. You could also look up Japanese wikipedians here using Wikipedia:Babel or Wikipedia:Wikipedians by nationality. - 82.172.23.66 07:46, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

They have a discussion page for non-Japanese speakers. Perhaps you could try it there. David Sneek 07:45, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

It can be a little bewildering posting questions on a foreign language wiki. One tip, is to learn the keyboard shortcuts for editing — <alt>-e to start editing, <alt>-p to preview and <alt>-s to save. You will probably find the rollover tool-tips are still in English too. -- Solipsist 16:53, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

If you don't know Japanese, why are you requesting an article on him in Japanese? -- Cyrius|✎ 01:50, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Help identify starlet in featured picture

Have you seen this woman?

This photo was taken by User:Ericd at the Cannes Film Festival, "probably in 1979". It's been made a featured picture, but noone has been able to identify the woman. It would add to the information value of the photo if we actually knew who this subject of fleeting fame was.--Pharos 18:08, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

What a great picture! I think it only adds its meaning that nobody has any idea who the woman is. --Fastfission 00:57, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Have you asked on fr:Wikipédia:Oracle? Maybe I will... Dunc|☺ 13:36, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Nevermind I have, fr:Wikipédia:Oracle#Qui est la starlette dans le photo ici. Dunc|☺ 13:43, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

(pasting the Altavista Babelfish translation of a reply by fr:User:Jean-no -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 12:17, July 18, 2005 (UTC))

"During the festival, there is a habit which is to photograph these "starlets" who want to make known themselves but generally do not have a catalogue of films and even, will never have. It is quite possible that this person is... nobody."

Sorry but I don't who she was... Ericd 09:33, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Latin

Which of the languages spoken today such as English, French, Italian, Spanish, et cetera is closest to Latin in terms of lexicon and grammatical construction?

Karl

Latin and German both come from Indo-European, which came from Proto-Indo-European, so I guess you could call them brothers. French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, and Romanian are the five romance languages (languages coming from Latin). This isn't a complete answer, but I hope it helps. --Think Fast 19:20, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

A simple answer is that English isn't as much related to Latin as are the so-called Romance (Roman-Latin descended) languages: Italian, Spanish, and French (and Rumanian and others). English has a lot of precedents in Anglo-Saxon that the others mentioned don't.

It's often said that Italian and Spanish are closest to each other -- speakers of one can understand a lot of words -- especially nouns I suppose -- of the other. I can't comment on syntax. Latin has many cases and other syntactical complexities which I do not believe are present in modern Romance languages. Check out Romance languages Hope that helps. DavidH 19:29, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

There are many other Romance languages, including Portuguese, Catalan, Galego, Siciliano, and, more obscurely Ladino, Provençal, Aromanian, and Asturiano. My guess is that the closest to Latin for its grammar is Romanian: of the Romance languages spoken today, it is the only one that retains a genetive and hasn't added a definite article. For vocabulary, I'd put my money on Spanish or Italian, though I wouldn't want to bet large. -- Jmabel | Talk 21:40, July 16, 2005 (UTC)

Am I right to conclude that (1) in vocabulary Italian and Spanish are closest languages to Latin, (2) Romanian is the closest language to Latin in its grammar, and (3) German is not related to Latin? Karl

Well, many linguists think all languages are related, but German is only a distant cousin of Latin. In contrast, the Romances are direct descendants. Superm401 | Talk 05:37, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

Italian has had the fewest outside influences on it's vocabulary of the major romance languages, although Sardinian is an even better contender for "closest to Latin". It is true that Romanian retains some noun declention for cases, but I would be wary of getting into the often-heated debate about the origins of the Romanian language... I would say that none of the modern romance languages have much similarity to classical Latin in their grammar (they developed from colloquial Latin, which seems to have been somewhat simpler). Physchim62 16:18, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I'm voting for Ecclesiastical Latin. ; - ) -- Essjay · Talk 16:42, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

In all of my Portuguese classes the teachers went on about how Portuguese is the language most closely related to Latin. I'm in no position to verify that, but I thought I'd pass it on. Manning 21:33, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

I think most linguistis would say the question is unanswerable because there's no objective way to measure how close one language is to another. It's purely impressionistic, and so the answer will vary from person to person. --Angr/_{tɔk tə mi} 18:26, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Los Angeles

What does los in Los Angeles mean? I couldn't find the answer in a Spanish to English dictionary.

Karl

"Los" is the masculine plural equivalent of the English word "the". 'Los Angeles' literally translates to 'The Angels'. -- Cyrius|✎ 19:06, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

"Los Angeles"? Never heard of it... oh, you must mean El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula, founded 1781 (I think it's in California), which means "The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of the Porziuncola".--Pharos 19:56, 16 July 2005 (UTC)

Excellent answer! Karl.

lewis

Am researching family of son in law his gggrandfather Harris Lewis left Poland and emigrated toLondon england. On various records his name is recorded as Lewis Lewis and Harris Lewis. Some records show he came from B.S Russian Federated States would that be Balyastok in Poland and what would the original name perhaps have ben Levy. Unfortnately none of the family are aware of the original name. Many thanks for your assistance.

I don't like your chances of finding help here - unless this person is historically significant in some way it is unlikely you'll find anyone who has knowledge. Why not try a genealogy site? Manning 21:36, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

Moving to US

I am 16 and I always wanted to live in the United States. I would like to move there as soon as possible, go to highschool and then college. What options have I got to (legally) live (and get permenant residene) there. What documents would I need and how can I get them. I don't have any relatives there. I have a Polish passport and currently live in the UK. Please help me as this is very important to me. Thank You, F.S.

Visit a US embassy or consulate to find out the rules. Contact one of the many Polish-American organizations in the US. alteripse 02:00, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I must say this sounds odd to me. My two best friends and I have been considering moving out of the USA (to Europe, most likely), as a great many turns for the worse have been happening here the past few decades (moreso than decades before, even). I hope you know what you're doing. ¦ Reisio 02:25, 2005 July 17 (UTC)

Also, importantly, see the U.S. government bureau U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as the Polish American Congress, the main Polish American organization.--Pharos 02:52, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• Just out of curiosity, what do your parents think of this idea? Superm401 | Talk 05:38, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

• Let me warn you: You probably don't want to live in the United States. My country has a lot of beautiful places and really nice people, but teenagers have absolutely no freedom. They cannot go anywhere or do anything. In many communities, young people can be arrested if they're out on the streets outside of a few given hours of the day, and even when they are allowed to go somewhere, many businesses won't let them in. And you can't get anywhere without a car anyway, unless you live in New York City or somewhere like that. Mwalcoff 06:07, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

This sounds like a 13 year old complaining that his parents "make" him go to school. When he grows up he will understand that too much freedom for American teenagers is 1000 times more of a problem for them than too little, especially when compared to the rest of the world. Good grief. alteripse 15:33, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

First of all, I am 28 years old. I am not talking about compulsory education, which I suppose is a preequisite of a free society. Every civilized country has that. But I lived in Europe for two years, and it was a completely different world. There were no curfew laws; young people came and went as they pleased. I never once saw people being "carded" as a requirement to get into a bar or club or concert. They couldn't drive, but there was no reason to, since everything was accessible by public transport. Instead of trying to make them feel unwelcome, the local mall held dances and parties to try to get teenagers to come in to the mall. Despite all of this freedom -- or, more likely, because of it -- the many young people I met in Europe seemed very well-adjusted. Had I been raised in another country, my youth would have been much happier, and I would be much happier now. I can't imagine a teenager from another country wanting to go through what American teens go through. Mwalcoff 16:52, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Well, that makes it even clearer, just in case anyone had any doubt what sort of oppression you were alluding to. I probably would not have admitted to being old enough to have normally gotten over those feelings, but be who you are. alteripse 18:19, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

"Admitted?" I don't think there's anything shameful in having empathy for others. Anyway, I apologize if I've taken this discussion out of the normal jurisdiction of the Reference Desk. Mwalcoff 18:33, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps this depends on where you live and what your parents were like. I certainly never had any of the problems you've described. I don't believe American teens have it worse than any others. Unless drinking and smoking are a major part of your entertainment, you probably won't have that much trouble (since you have to be 21 to legally drink and 18 to buy cigarettes). Restrictive curfews are rare. They mostly come into play when teen gangs are taking over the malls and such. Just do some research into the community where you want to move. It's a huge country.

Actually, if you really want to move the U.S., I would recommend waiting until you are ready to go to university, anyway. Many international students come every year, college students have even more freedom than most other adults (since they are expected to be a bit irresponsible), and you can see how you like it before making a decision. -Aranel ("Sarah") 19:50, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• As I've said, I would probably not move TO the USA, but what Mwalcoff is describing I have never experienced. ¦ Reisio 06:57, 2005 July 17 (UTC)

from above: "I can't imagine a teenager from another country wanting to go through what American teens go through." I'd imagine a teenager who's employed in a sweatshop sewing clothes, or doing farm labor somewhere, like in most of the world, wouldn't mind trading that for some American-style oppression of teenagers. (I'm being a little unfair here; the original subject was in relation to Europe...) Anyway, I'm pretty well past being an American teenager too, but Mwalcoff's description doesn't match my experience either; it might be the difference between living in a proper city and a suburban wasteland, but I think that's just my urbanite bias talking. CDC (talk) 18:26, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I'm sorry, I meant any industrialized country. Mwalcoff 18:33, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

So… Your best chance of getting here and listening to this sort of bickering first-hand would probably to be to come here for college on a student visa. If you can get accepted to an institution of higher learning here -- even a community college -- you'll generally be able to obtain a student visa. Then, once here, you can work on the permanent visa. Far easier to make happen from here than from Poland. -- Jmabel | Talk 19:15, July 17, 2005 (UTC) Ya hafta like this answer-- makes me glad I live here! alteripse 00:04, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

You might also look into high school exchange programs. I had a friend who graduated in Russia and then came here and got an American high school degree. She found out she liked it and was able to get into a university much more easily. But in general, interenational students at American universities are quite common. -Aranel ("Sarah") 19:50, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I second that idea. If you can get into any sort of college, I would do that, but if not, your best chance is to go over as an exchange student first. Since public high schools are funded entirely by the government, they don't usually give out visas to just come over and go to school for free unless it's part of an established program. --Laura Scudder | Talk 20:06, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Also, ending up trapped in suburbia is probably not what you're looking for as you might pick up from the bitterness farther up in the thread. I'd check out where you're planning on going first, asking someone from there first if you can. There's some really cool places to live, but there's also some really soulless places created by white flight. --Laura Scudder | Talk 20:13, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

And we can argue about anything! Lots of folks would consider the above "Trapped in suburbia" and white flight comment an astonishingly offensive, narrow-minded, and cruelly snobbish opinion held mainly by the privileged minority who have a choice or those who somehow think living in an unpleasant urban environment confers moral superiority. Most of the world thinks a single-family house with a low crime rate and a decent school would be heaven. alteripse 00:04, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Having grown up in suburbia (a moderately wealthy suburb whose school district had the biggest suicide problem in the country in addition to a serious heroine-abuse problem due to lack of other things for teens to do) and lived in a wide variety of places since then, I don't think my opinion (and it is an opinion I acknowledge) is narrow-minded, but rather personal experience-based. Every town is different, which is why I recommended asking someone from the area, but I've lived in many places (both cities and small towns) that were much better than most of the newer suburbs I've lived in. I'm glad you apparently had a better experience. --Laura Scudder | Talk 05:15, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

It has always seemed to me (opinion as well) that the more freedom, the more money, and the less real threats and external stresses that teenagers have, the higher the rates of dissatisfaction with their environment, their parents, and themselves. The extreme of freedom may be western europe, while the extreme of affluence may be USA, but both seem to breed anomie, disaffection for one's community, and inability to develop adult ambition, responsibility, and sense of belonging, leading of course to drug abuse, suicide, and attitudes of victimhood and despair instead of gratitude for being in the richest, freeest, most privileged 1% of teenagers in all of human history. Why is that? That we are better off when our parents have not been able to overcome the ordinary challenges of earning a living and providing financial security? That if we don't have external challenges we have to invent self-destructive ones? That self-respect only comes when you work for it? That the whole cultural institution of American adolescence which we invented for the first time in human history after 1945 is extremely unhealthy for Walcoff and all the rest of the suburban teenagers not forced to start earning a living at age 16? I don't know the answer, but both the fashionable scorn of the "easy life" in the suburbs and the juvenile complaints of "not enough freedom" by the likes of walcoff seem shallow, fatuous, and self-centered. You can certainly call me a curmudgeon, but can't you see that the obvious alternative to American teenage culture is what the rest of human societies have always done: expect you to earn your keep by mid-teens, one way or another? How do you reconcile scudder's opinion that the environments with the most freedom and privilege breed despair and drug abuse, and walcoff's opinion that teenagers need even more of that freedom and privilege? alteripse 03:30, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

See, I think the problem is too few real relationships with adults too much free time instead of freedom. In previous eras, most every adult was training someone to replace them, whether a son who will get the farm or an apprentice, which meant lots of time with an adult invested in how you turned out. Now we have all sorts of cobbled together mentorship programs to replicate a system where every young person has a role model adult. This is only neceesary because the schools are thirty kids (all at the same age forming little Lord of the Flies societies inside high school) to one teacher that no one respects because society doesn't even respect her enough to pay a competitive salary. Meanwhile, dad doesn't work at home, and barely makes it home if he's a big executive. Maybe mom works, too, or maybe there's only one parent. The result is that teens have no real relationships outside their age group, and so only feel social pressures from their peers rather than from their elders. --Laura Scudder | Talk 16:33, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

To become educated you do not need to attend any school. Make sure to use up-to-date textbooks. Check out Prentice Hall,Houghton Mifflin, and Brooks Cole.

In addition, you will need some money to move into ANY country. U.S. does not provide an apartment, camp,or shelter for its refugees like Western Europe. Do you have rent money for at leat 2 years? A single is at least $600/month in U.S. Do you have money to buy an old $5000 car? How are you going to make a living? Do you know a single dependable person here who will truly help you? Only in movies and certain novels, you come with $1000 to the airport and live in a mansion in 5 years. Know all the facts.

Cost of living varies dramatically across the USA. New Jersey costs 300 times as much as in Louisiana, thanks to tax rates. Check Economic Atlas for typical costs of living ... lodging, utilities, food, transportation, etc.

In high school exchange programs, you live with an American family for a school year, in which they act in place of your parents, while your parents host someone about your age from America.

Depending on your Visa, you can be prohibited from having a job in USA.

Since 9/11 many rules got changed.

Can you afford a summer vacation in another nation? Cheaper than airplane is to work a job on a ship traveling between USA and UK, assuming they will hire you for the two voyages.

I believe some US bases in Europe are moving to Poland and other Central European nations. Perhaps get a job working at one (not the same thing, I agree) but gets you in another door. Used to be a non-citizen joined US military and part of the oath of allegiance was a route to citizenship, but that is no longer the case.

You can actually become a citizen through the military still[9]. You have to serve for 3 years or serve in a time of hostilities. James 04:36, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Also look into Sister Cities. It is often easier and cheaper to visit one of them.

It may be easier for you to move from UK to a British Commonwealth nation like Canada. Canada is very similar to the USA, only politically to the left, like UK is, and because the climate is colder, the people are warmer (more cooperative, less independent). Watch out about climate ... UK is even with Canada relative to how far north of Equator, but UK climate much warmer and less extreme because of Gulf Stream and being an island. North American climate much more extreme, from blizzards to Heat that can kill. A tropical storm with winds strong enough to uproot a tree and send it flying, ditto tornados ... how often you get that where you live?

Restrictive curfews are also triggered by teenage cruising cluttering business districs. Suppose I drive to the mall with a shopping list in my head and am half way home when I realize I forgot something, so I turn around and get that. I just violated Indiana's law that defines cruising as driving along same roadway section three times withing 1/2 hour. The law says nothing about age. I am age 61.

The curfews make promiscuity easier since kids are encouraged to spend the nite at a friend's house, and unbeknownst to the parents, opposite sex sometimes involved in this.

There's also lots of laws not enforced. I've seen teens on bicycles at nite on major unlighted streets, with no lites on bike, no safety helmet, and dark clothing. They should be picked up by police, for the crime of attempted suicide, and paroled to their parents. They probably will get killed by a speeding car before the police can see them.

AlMac 07:00, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Re: "Trapped in suburbia": I have a friend from Madrid who had some pretty heavy culture shock being as an exchange student in American suburbia. It took her a few months to discover she was within public-transport striking distance of a city, because her host family pretty much never went to the city. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:06, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Forest Evolution

What adaptations do creatures evolve in forests? Do they tend to be bigger than animals in other enviroments?

The Forest Elephant is one example of a type of animal being smaller - all other Elephants are larger and do not dwell in thick forests. My guess is you'll find that generally larger creatures end up smaller in forests, and generally smaller creatures (bugs in particular) are probably larger. ¦ Reisio 02:33, 2005 July 17 (UTC)

Evolution of the Horse may also be interesting.82.210.118.102 08:22, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Removing epoxy from wood floors

A previous resident of this house I am now renting made a ridiculously stupid design decision (one of many) that I am thinking about trying to undo. Basically, there is a lovely wood floor in the living room which extends into the master bedroom and one of the other rooms (an office). Some idiot decided that the best thing to do with this was to go around the edges of the room with eight inches of gray tiling -- like in a bathroom or something. The result is both hideous and odd (I'm sorry if my description fails to make any sense, this defies all aesthetic sense), and is also somewhat of a physical inconvenience as they are somewhat raised above the floor by about five millimeters or something like that. Blah.

We had to pry up a few of them with a crowbar already so that the piano could sit level against the wall (doesn't it sound like we have nice and sophisticated things? If only it were so!), which was not too hard but it is clear that these tiles, which have just been epoxied straight on to the wood, will leave behind a hard and ugly glue/epoxy residue.

Now, it'd be possible to pull up most of these in an afternoon, I'd reckon, but I'm not sure if the result would look better than the current state of things, which, for its problems, is at least somewhat "finished" looking (only somewhat, though). An eight inch border around the room of scratched and old epoxy is not necessarily better.

So in the end, after all this explanation, the question is: would there be any easy way to remove the epoxy from these floors if we pried up the tiles? I've used some stuff to remove glue residues from stickers (the name of which escapes me, but it is yellow and works pretty well) -- would that work on a tile epoxy? Sanding it might work, but I'm afraid that would take a lot of effort (I don't have an electric sander nor am I keen on buying one) and might scratch up the floor real bad.

Any thought and ideas? --Fastfission 00:45, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I don't know if sanding is the right thing to do, but if you do decide to do that then you should be able to rent an industrial floor sander from your local plant hire place. It'll be much cheaper than buying one, and you'll get a far better one that a normal hardware store sells. They should also be able to provide you with the necessary eye and breathing protection too. One word of caution: the nasty tiles may be there because parts of the edge (that you've not yet exposed) are missing or damaged, perhaps due to the removal of old fittings and fixtures. So be prepared to patch it. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 15:43, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

I've just spent the last two weeks sanding two rooms of my house and re-finishing them using those rentable floor sanders Finlay mentioned (we got ours at Lowes). Using a 36-grain sandpaper (a very rough kind), you can really sand the crap out of the floor, EXCEPT for around the edges. Most sanders are circular, and cannot sand within 6 inches of the edge of the room (for this, you need a belt sander). →Raul654 15:56, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

I would have to agree with Finlay's caution. There's probably a reason the stuff is there, but there is also always a chance the former people liked the stuff. There's no accounting for taste. Anyway, you're not likely to be able to get any normal solvents to remove the epoxy, since that's kinda what epoxy is all about. Certainly Goo Gone, which is one brand of what you are talking about will not work, since their advertisement doesn't even try to claim it works on epoxy. :) But you could try to test if it is really epoxy by trying a few different solvents on it if you haven't already. Failing that, I also agree tool rental is your best bet. A good belt sander won't run you much and wont take you long, but may take a while to get used to. If the moldings and wall surfaces are important to you, you may want to figure out something else, since the belt sander may get away from you and ruin those. They can pull pretty hard, though one made for floor edging may have a system to avoid that. An option is a rotary planer. It's got rotating blades, but otherwise works like a belt sander. Not sure you can get one that would cut all the way to an edge like you would like to do for a floor though. Maybe you could remove the moldings to get enough extra space. The advantage to the planer is that you can set it just to plane off very small amounts and you may be able to get all the glue off while taking off little to no wood. Talk to a good tool rental place and they should be able to advise you on the best tool for the job. - Taxman ^Talk 04:25, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

Band Operated Schools

Band Operated Schools must be administered by locally elected School Boards, and operate outside the direct control of the local Chief and Band Council.

Does this included Isaac Beaulieu Memorial School, on Sandy Bay First Nation Reservation? This school does not have an elected school board and is under the direct control of the local chief and council.

• Context? Is this Canada? -- Jmabel | Talk 19:20, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

Setting camera defaults on Canon A95

Hi, Is there any way to set the defaults on the Canon A95 so that you can easily revert to you own custom settings? Thanks --Fir0002 01:51, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

Yes. I don't have this camera, so I can't tell you how in detail, but you set the mode to Custom, which serves to recall a set of preferred camera settings which have been saved previously in one of the P/A/S/M modes. Do you not have the user manual for the camera?-gadfium 02:29, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Yeah I knew about the C function but it isn't really what I want. Perhaps I should explain more. This camera (the A95) belongs to my local Art Gallery. It's a camera for hire, and they've asked me to give some workshops, etc., and we've worked out the best settings on the camera (in respect to image size/quality, the light metering etc.) and I'd like to be able to make them default settings, so that when someone borrows the camera it's easy to revert any settings that the borrower changed. So the C function is quite what I want, as most people borrowing the camera will be novice photographers and will probably be using the automatic functions. Nothing, as far as I can tell, in the manual describes such a function. Hope you can help, --Fir0002 09:55, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

discontinuous universe in electrons

When an electron orbiting a nucleus changes energy levels, does it momentarily exist between those two energy levels or does it instantly swich energy levels without existing between them? --Amanaplanacanalpanama 03:32, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• Just as an aside, I love your palindromic username (A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!), referring to the canals original designer, Ferdinand De Lesseps - Adrian Pingstone 14:39, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

An electron in one orbital (they don't "orbit") at one energy level emits or absorbs a photon to decrease or increase its energy level and thereby instantly be at a new energy level in a new orbital. While in an orbital the electron has no exact position, only a probability of interaction three dimensional math object called an "orbital" that can have any of a variety of continuous and discontinuous shapes and called things like sp3. 4.250.138.52 10:03, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

The quantum "jumps" which are often used to explain the emission and absorption of energy in a system is an oversimplification - they do not exist! The change that occurs is all smooth. The wavefunction which describes the electron (let's say, in a hydrogen atom) is time dependent when interactions with electromagnetic radiation are taken into account. This wavefuntion is a linear combination of ground and excited states. When this frequency of light happens to be in resonance with the energy difference of the ground and excited states (just as an example), the oscillation of the time dependent wavefunction becomes rapid. This oscillation peaks when the Bohr resonance condition is met, and hence a "transition" is said to have occured at that frequency. This transition is the quantum "jump" that occurs, although this jump is not discontinuous. Remember that energy in the form of light is a wave, and hence there must be some sort of oscillation occuring. This oscillation, is in fact related to the oscillation of the wavefunction for the system. --HappyCamper 23:18, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Tim Curry's Sexuality

I have often wondered about Tim Curry and how he identifies. This site has him listed under "gay, lesbian, & bisexual.." but nowhere in his article does it mention anything pertaining to his sexuality. Is there an answer to this question anywhere?

Please e-mail any responses to: MonkeeBzz@aol.com. Thank you.

Considering the remarkably few results a Google search for "tim curry is gay" and "tim curry is not gay" return, my guess would be that this is not exactly offical information. ¦ Reisio 07:03, 2005 July 17 (UTC)

The unofficial policy is not to mention a subject's sexuality in the article unless it directly bears on their notability and work. Hence, the sexuality is only given in the category. I have no particular reason to doubt the given categorization that Tim Curry is gay or bisexual; in fact I think I recall in an interview that he is gay (but don't hold me to that).--Pharos 07:15, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia doesn't censor. If sexual identity is ENCYCLOPEDIC for a person, it deserves to be in the article. Tim Curry achieved initial fame playing a character that was bisexual (among other things). That could be a reason for the category. In any case ANYONE CAN EDIT. Anyone who wants to can change that categorization or add a quote from a valid source that says he was or wasn't gay or bi and it would not be vandalism. 4.250.138.52 10:13, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Playing a gay character doesn't make you gay. (Russell Crowe, anyone?) Playing a heterosexual character (or a long series of them) doesn't make you straight. (Rock Hudson, anyone?) Sounds like this should go unless there is a much better basis for it. -- Jmabel | Talk 19:25, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

French building that looks like an elephant

... it's referred to it Victor Hugo's Les Miserables... what was it called and where was it? do we have an article on this thing? - Ta bu shi da yu 07:54, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• Do you mean Charles Ribart's unbuilt plan for the site of the Arc de Triomphe?--Pharos 07:59, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Well, in New Jersey in 1881 they thought it had never been done according to this: "Retaining an architect, Lafferty, in 1881, set out to design a building in the shape of an elephant from the exotic land of the British Raj celebrated in the period's illustrated adventure magazines. Simultaneously retaining a patent attorney, Lafferty also sought to prevent anyone else in the United States from constructing animal-shaped buildings unless they paid him royalties. The U.S. Patent Office examiners found Lafferty's to be a novel, new and technologically significant concept. In 1882, they granted him a patent giving him the exclusive right to make, use or sell animal-shaped buildings for seventeen years." [10] 4.250.138.52 10:24, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• You (anon user) of course mean Lucy the Elephant. What a coincidence; I was just recently preparing a major upgrade of that article (not yet implemented).--Pharos 16:15, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

There's one in Moulin Rouge!.

Was José Rizal born José Rizal or not?

Please follow this link.

Maybe he got the surname Rizal from his mother, while Mercado was the surname he inherited from his father's side. See Spanish and Portuguese names: "In Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan speaking regions of the world, people have at least two surnames. One is inherited from the father, the other from the mother." David Sneek 09:24, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

No, his mother's name was Teodora Morales Alonso Realonda y Quintos... David Sneek 09:28, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I see his father's name was Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro, so he was born with it, yes, but possibly the family only used Mercado. David Sneek 09:34, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

The above is still a bit confused, but I hope this link explains it all. David Sneek 17:45, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Judging from his father’s name and the fact that Rizal comes before Mercado in José’s name itself, it probably could be inferred that Rizal never really was a surname to start with, but I guess that one’s for another day.

All the same, thanks very much! I really appreciate it.

homosexual rights in germany

i am representing germany in a mock united nation. our topic is homosexual rights. therefore, i would like to know germany's stand on the issue. thank you.

Currently, a generally open situation, except for non-recognition of gay marriage. You might find Paragraph 175 very illuminating for historical background. -- Jmabel | Talk 19:28, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

And see civil unions in Germany for the closest thing to recognition of gay marriage here. --Angr/_{tɔk tə mi} 18:33, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

find out why people are declared dead when the brain stop functioning even when the heart still beating

(the above exhortation or implied question was moved from the Help desk)

Several centuries ago we learned that the brain is the organ of a person's "self." You can get a new heart by transplant and you are still "you" with a new heart, but if you lose your brain, your beating heart is just a heart. So doctors now consider a person dead when the brain stops and is dead, not when the heart stops.

That is the basic answer. As you might suspect, it is a little more complicated than that because for many centuries, and most the time even now:

1. if the heart stops and dies, the brain dies a few minutes later, and
2. it has always been a whole lot easier to tell when the heart stops than when the brain stops.

So traditionally a doctor would say a person was dead when the heart stopped because there were no situations where the brain could survive and stay alive if the heart were dead. It has gotten much trickier in recent decades because now medical care can produce situations in which the brain stops temporarily but can be revived, or the heart stops temporarily but can be revived, or in which the brain is dead but the heart continues to live, or in which the heart is dead but the brain continues to live. So although we have shifted to basing death on whether the brain is still alive or can be revived, there are some cases and situations when this becomes uncertain or difficult to determine. How to handle these difficult situations is a subject of much controversy and disagreement. alteripse 17:58, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Interesting note: generally organs can only be donated in the case of brain death (in the U.S., at least). Because there are machines that keep oxygen and blood flowing (which is why the heart can keep going after the brain stops), the organs are more likely to survive to be transplanted, which can save many lives. This is one reason why it might be desirable to be able to legally and medically define brain death. Of course, it is still a difficult and sensitive issue, but there are some cases where something good is able to come out of a horrible situation. -Aranel ("Sarah") 18:11, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

If you can get a copy of controversial philosopher Peter Singer's book Writings On An Ethical Life, he has an essay on the concept of brain death, which he views as an ethical fudge to allow us to do sensible and compassionate things without facing up to the fact that sometimes killing a patient is the right thing to do. In the essay, he goes into a lot of the history of the development of the "brain death" concept; if you're really keen you can try tracking down some of his primary sources. --Robert Merkel 01:25, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

You're generally considered brain dead when you cannot pass an Apnea test, even if you heart is still beating →Raul654 01:40, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

The law in most, if not all American states, has been changed to brain death rather than when the heart stops at the behest of the transplant people so they can harvest organs, e.g. the kidneys spoil if not taken right away, so they want to get them as quickly as possible. There have been instances where the surgeon harvesting organs was ruled to have killed the patient rather than the trauma that brought him to the E.R. PedanticallySpeaking 17:06, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

Humans migrations during ice age

this

with this

equals:

While I was doing a map for the migrations of the human race I decided to cross it with some information from the ice age article. And for my surprise the result is that the human migrations were mainly during the colder periods of the ice age. The Bering Strait crossing coincided with a real cold period. Why is that? Is the data wrong, or is there a conclusion to be taken that i didn´t understand?--Alexandre Van de Sande 18:53, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

When the earth is colder more water is locked up as solid ice, so there is less in the sea and ocean. The lower sea level joins place that are now separated by open water. People walked the Bering Staight (or perhaps the Aleutians) because there was land there. Similarly the english channel was dry enough to walk (even farm, probably), but the rising sea levels swamped this. Places on either side (notably Norfolk and the Netherlands) are barely above water now. Also some places (e.g. the mainland of Britain) were partially covered with ice. The weight of the icesheet bearing down on Scotland lifted southern England up (like a seesaw). Now that the ice sheet is gone England is sinking and Scotland rising (this is post-glacial rebound). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:01, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

I suppose as to why the coldest part of the ice age (I'm guessing here): given a couple of particularly bad winters might make a nomadic tribe move further than normal, hoping to find greener pastures (and conversely, if the weather's not too bad, there's no point in moving from your cushy home). And humans (partularly humans with basic technology like fur clothing and flint tools) are generalists, able to take advantage of environmental changes, which may drive away dangerous or competing specialists like wolves. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:16, July 17, 2005 (UTC)

excellent map! since you ask about the letters, they are markers for individual mutations, i.e. you can trace the migrations by watching how the letters move along the arrows. for example, the B mutation occurs apparently in East Asia and travels across the Pacific and North America to South America. I think the letters are used universally, i.e. the "A" "B" "C" alleles etc. are technical terms agreed upon by geneticists, so I decided to include them in Image:Human mtDNA migration.png.

As for the temperature, I doubt there is a direct causation, at least for the first 'gap': people were still in Africa, and I don't see how a warm period would have kept them from emigrating. It just so happens that they didn't emigrate for another 60ka or so. Further phyla that were formed within Africa between 130k BP and 70k BP are probably just not shown in the diagram because they don't correspond to large movements. dab (ᛏ) 19:45, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I figured out that it was something like that. But without a further explanation the letters are only usefull to help you guide in a otherwise confusing map of lines. I believe the new map is better organized so this won´t be necessary - on the contrary they only add noise to the map (i tested). If we can figure out which lineage each letter refers to, so as to help someone inters]ested gather more information about each lineage (Aborigine, Asiatic, Indo-european etc) then the letters would be interesting. My theory is never add anything that cannot be univerally understood, suposing that some geneticist will understand... By the way if someone would be nice enough to manage a high resolution dymaxion map we could have a yet higher resolution version of this guy...--Alexandre Van de Sande 20:51, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Oh they are called Haplogroups. I just found out in this great online encyclopedia I know. There is something about that in Supercluster (genetic). Can somebody link the letter in File:Human mtDNA migration.png to the actual names?--Alexandre Van de Sande 21:06, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

I agree that the map looks better without the letters. It's just that if the human migration article is to discuss these haplogroups, it would be useful to have them in there, and I do hope that at some point the article will give that amount of detail. dab (ᛏ) 08:07, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

This info is great! Can it end up in an article, instead of archives from here? AlMac 07:28, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

What does Graphic Language mean?

Has the media taken another word away from us or what? hydnjo talk 23:03, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

When I've heard the term used it's been a PC way of saying "swearing", "cursing", "cussing", etc. Or avoiding words that the speaker finds uncomfortable to say, e.g. "make love" instead of "have sex". I don't know if this is the same as the context in which you heard/saw it used though. Dismas 00:47, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

"Graphic language" is a phrase that generally refers to a description of an unsettling event/object/situation that gives more detail than would suit polite conversation. (Eg: "They were caught in a sexually compromising situation" vs a thorough description of body parts, actions and noises. With a quick google I found a usage of the phrase dating from 1955, and I'm sure it's been around for longer than that. Manning 03:17, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

Make the Windows clock show military time?

(posted on Talk:24-hour clock): Are there any freeware programs that can make the Windows clock on the taskbar display in military time? I looked on Google and couldn't find any. --pile0nades^{talk | contribs} 23:06, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• Mine automatically displays the 24-hour clock. Dmn / Դմն 23:41, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

• Here's how I would do it for Windows XP. Other versions may be slightly different.
  1. Go to the Control Panel.
  2. Select Regional and Language Options.
  3. Click on Customize.
  4. Select the Time tab.
  5. From the Time format pull down, choose HH:mm:ss
  6. Clock on OK until all of the dialogs go away

Pburka 23:51, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

It worked, thanks. --pile0nades^{talk | contribs} 00:49, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Note that true military time omits the separator (:). Windows will not allow you to type a format without a separator, but you can get rid of it if you really want to: open the registry and change the value at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International\sTimeFormat to (for example) HHmmss. You will need to log off and back on to see this change. Use at your own risk... JRM · Talk 18:27, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

wha is critical thinking

We have an article on it: Critical thinking -Dismas 00:43, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Wild Chamomile

Question moved from Wikipedia:Help desk. — Asbestos | Talk 23:46, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

how do u kill it . prefere a nature or atleast not kill grass around it . hope u understand that it needs to be something not drastic harm to ground or plants around it if possible. i can replant the grass but the ground needs to be able to grow it.

any help is helpful. u can answer to my e-mail ,if u put chamomile in subject line please

dla39 **AT** hotmail - com

Why do you want to kill it? Make tea out of it instead! What prevents you from just pulling it out? If you want, you can use something like Roundup, which is wide-spectrum and doesn't leave residues, which will make the area barren around it for a few days, but then things can regrow around it again. -- Natalinasmpf 19:10, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Swedish trips

What is the cheapest way to get from the south coast of UK to Sweden by plane? --Wonderfool t(c)

First - get to London. You can then fly from Luton or Stansted to Stockholm for as little as £8 one way. Check out Ryan Air Manning 03:06, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

Watch out for the taxes though! Plus, they are quite stingy on their baggage allowance MyNameIsClare talk 11:46, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Logically, stowing away is the cheapest way, though it's rather difficult to do. Let us know how you get on. (I'm assuming we rule out taking a job as a pilot or cabin attendant, of course.) --Tagishsimon (talk)

Can you swim? That's cheaper than flying. AlMac 06:16, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

William Henry Gates III

What subject was William Henry Gates III majoring in at Harvard University? Karl.

In a Google search for "Bill Gates" Harvard major I found several pages which assert that his declared major was pre-law, but I didn't find any sources which I would consider authoritative which mentioned that. Chuck 16:53, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

And if he doesn't say it, Harvard probably won't ever tell. They are very protective of the records of students and former students, even after their deaths. Also, I'm pretty sure Harvard (like most universities) doesn't have a "pre-law" major; that is usually a catch-all term for any track which is meant to get you into law school, but is usually in some other major such as political science or history. --Fastfission 00:34, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure "pre-law" is not a major at Harvard. You can be "a pre-law student", but all that means is that you are selecting appropriate courses to head toward law school. You still need a major. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:10, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Unless you happen to never declare one, which may be a possibility if he dropped out before that... --Fastfission 17:37, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Bill Gates fully completed three years at Harvard, but he did not return from his summer vacation to complete his fourth year. Since his friend Ballmer was a mathematics major, could Bill Gates have been a mathematics major as well?

Jesus of Nazareth

(1) In what year did Jesus of Nazareth (circa 4 BCE-30 CE) start working as a carpenter? (2) For how many months or years was he a carpenter? (3) Was he self-employed? If he was working for another person, then who was his employer?

Karl.

You seem to want hard and fast facts about Jesus when they simply don't exist. He probably existed. He was likely a carpenter, but there are some people who argue that he was actually a stone mason (the aramaic words are fairly similiar). Only one incident between his infancy and his adult life is mentioned in the Gospels (although New Testament apocrypha go into these details, some quite extensively). At the age of 12, Jesus was left behind by his parents after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On being missed, he was found 'instructing the scholars in the temple'. So, long story short - nobody knows. →Raul654 03:44, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

I believe that the Gospels never detail this information. Not sure if JC was covered under an award either (sorry, Aussie joke). Ta bu shi da yu 03:46, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

It sounds like that the IRS is going after Jesus Christ. I know they are working for Satan and that's now for sure. :) -- Toytoy 06:25, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

He certainly worked as a carpenter; I saw in the movie The Passion of the Christ, which was rigorously checked against all available sources, how He invented the modern dinner table. David Sneek 07:22, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

all that is known can be found on our infamous Historicity of Jesus article :) dab (ᛏ) 08:03, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

shaolin monks--more info pls

I want to know what the 6/9 dots on the head of a shaolin monk means, and why they shave their heads

It's a mostly obsolete ritual seen only among Chinese monks. You don't see Thai, Tibet, Mogolian, or Japanese monks wearing these incense-burned marks (戒疤; jie4 ba1; [religious] displine scars). The marks, generally from 3, 6, 9 or 12 at the top of the head, are used to show a monk's devotion. You burned the marks on your head, it's with you for the rest of your life. It was a reasonably good way to weed out draft-dodgers or tax-evaders before the invention of national ID and computers.

The ritual of scar-burning started in the Yuan Dynasty and was officially abolished in the People's Republic of China in 1983. It is still pacticed in the Republic of China (Taiwan) by some, but not all, monks. Many buddhists openly against this ritual. -- Toytoy 06:50, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

So do you add more marks as you progress through your training, or do you get them all at once? Interesting... I always assumed it was painted or something... as for the logistical side of things, I suppose that's in a way comparable to Christian monks' piebald heads (although, again, it's mainly meant for religious purposes). Garrett^Talk 10:03, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

As far as I know, the scars were burned on the day you are accepted by the temple. Some belived the more scars the stronger the faith. The elder monk would shave your hair, do some prayer and burn the marks. This is generally not practiced these days. -- Toytoy 09:23, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Ah, interesting... but "the more scars the stronger the faith" makes it sound like they're done continually until you beg for it to stop or... um... something. Otherwise why wouldn't you always get a full "set"? Garrett^Talk 23:32, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

A quick web search resulted in some links in Chinese. It looks like in the very beginning, some monks self-mutilate to show their devotion. They might chop off fingers and burn them or burn a string of rosary beads on their chests. However, in recent years, no one except the mad ones are so foolish. I have never seen a monk ever done that. They possibly just follow the chief monk's order. I don't know if they are allowed to request more or fewer scars. You know, "One for the money, two for the show, three to get laid ... ladies ..." -- Toytoy 00:10, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

LOL! A bit more than I wanted to hear! But thanks again! :) I'm taking a paper on the religions of India this year, so this is somewhat related to my studies. All very interesting... Garrett^Talk 04:18, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Is Adolph the husband of Mammy in Uncle Tom's Cabin? If not, then is he married to any of the other St. Clare slaves? Karl.

Volkswagen

How should we pronounce the name "Volkswagen"? Please include the pronounciation in the article on the subject jojo anthony

Folksvagen [11], approximately, but for the article it should definitely be done up in IPA (not that also having 'Folksvagen' for us ignorant English-speakers would be necessarily bad), for which we'll either need a recording of a native German saying it (correctly, mind you, just because they're German doesn't guarantee they know how to say it right :p), or a native German that knows IPA, or just someone very smart or knowledgeable. ¦ Reisio 10:27, 2005 July 18 (UTC)

Sure, if you want to be all correct about it. :P The American way of (mis)pronouncing it is done by pronouncing the "Volks-" like the word "Folks" and the "-wagen" like "wagon" like the little red wagon you may have had as a kid. Yes, we mispronounce it but then some of us also say "Porsch" instead of "Porsche"... -Dismas 10:45, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

I live in the US on the east coast and cannot remember ever hearing anyone say "Folkswagon" (as the average American would pronounce "folks", anyways) - most everyone says "Volkswagon". ¦ Reisio 10:50, 2005 July 18 (UTC)

Sorry, I meant that the first part was pronounced like "Folks" but with a V sound instead of an F sound. Dismas 21:24, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

I live in south-west England and the most common pronunciation I hear is Volks-wagen, with the first sound the same as the first sound in Polka. I sometimes hear Vulks-wagen as well, with the first part rhyming with "hulks". In both cases the final vowel is best described as a Schwa. Thryduulf 11:07, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

In the UK I've heard the hybrid 'volksvagen' frequently as well. DJ Clayworth 15:05, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

checked on various german words starting with VOLK; all are spoken as FOLK with "L". so FOLKSWAGEN is a good guess: Tom

The IPA transcription of Volkswagen in German is [ˈfɔlksˌvaː.gən]. However, in English, it is most often pronounced as [ˈvɔlksˌwæ.gən]. As you can see, IPA is a way to avoid playing the sounds-like game. --Gareth Hughes 15:20, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

demons

How did you discover the names of all these demons?

A good question! I am assuming you're talking about Demon. All of the names there are from some fictional or religious work or other so were created by (or told to) their respective authors back in whatever year, and we've merely collected them from there. We didn't exactly hold a sayance (sp?) to summon them and ask them their names over some wasabi if that's what you're thinking... well, then again maybe we did, I don't edit that page so how would I know the methodology? :) Garrett^Talk 09:49, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Someone probably looked them up. Dismas 09:58, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

See Faust for the grizzly details... Physchim62 11:53, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Take a look at Demonology and at Christian demonology for some historical background. (The latter article lacks references, however). Gdr 14:09, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Easy. You look them up in the Necrotelecomnicon. -- Arwel 15:47, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

sprite as preservatives on cutflowers

I've heard of people doing that, but what's your question? Dismas 21:20, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Thank you very much in Spanish

Which is more correct: "Mucho gracias" or "Muchas gracia"? Google search finds over twice as many hits for the first (2 million+ vs 900,000), but most of those were English websites, while most hits for the second were in Spanish. Is the first a gringo mistake? Does it make a difference if you're in S. America or in Spain?

Thanks! Alex

"Muchas gracias" is the correct way to write it regardless of where you are in the Spanish-speaking world, though some spanish speakers don't pronounce the last "s" of each word, making it sound like "Mucha gracia". It is never written that way, however. The two phrases you suggested are both grammatically incorrect. --Spangineer (háblame) 12:18, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

"Did you wear the black armband when they shot the man ..."

Who said "peace could last for ever"?

From Civil War [12], by Guns N' Roses

Most likely refers to Martin Luther King, Jr. or John F. Kennedy. Their deaths both have conspiracy theories involved, supporting the "they" (whereas, for example, it is accepted that John Lennon was killed by a single person [Lennon was also killed much later than King & Kennedy, and after the Vietnam conflict ended]). Which of the two I can't decide on, but here's a list of pros for each - maybe other people can add to it or something. ¦ Reisio 14:45, 2005 July 18 (UTC)

Supporting King:

• was outspoken against the Vietnam conflict, and the song is roughly anti-war
• won Nobel Peace Prize
• Kennedy is explicitly mentioned two lines later, which would be redundant
• Kennedy was actually involved with the Vietnam conflict (though not very much)

Supporting Kennedy:

• probably spoke more of peace in general - King was usually focused primarily on race issues
• King was assassinated after Kennedy, so if it's King, the verse would be anachronous

Voluntary Expenses

Hi Can you tell me if you pay shop volunteer out-of-pocket expenses and what you include i.e do you buy sandwhiches if you volunteer for more than 4 hours? Do you support your volunteers with child care?

As a volunteer, no payment is required...but it would be nice to get sandwiches and some out-of-pocket expenses covered, wouldn't it? Child care sounds hard to organize, but if it's practical, that'd be cool, too. :) ¦ Reisio 15:00, 2005 July 18 (UTC)

What if we're young enough to still be considered children? Can we still reap the benefits of this hypothetical plan? Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 04:28, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

I think you've ended up at the wrong site; this is an encyclopedia. What site did you think you were at? -- Essjay · Talk 13:14, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

I'd like a cookie! Dismas 01:06, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

why are our bones not completely solid?

One answer is that our bones are not solid because they are living tissue and need spaces for blood vessels, etc. Also, some bones contain marrow which is vital for replacement of blood cells. Another factor is that the density of our bones is a compromise between the need for strength and the need to keep them as light as possible. Animals that need to be very light, such as flying birds, have hollow bones, sacrificing some of the strength of the more solid bones in terrestrial animals. WormRunner | Talk 15:53, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Also, there isn't any evolutionary advantage to having more solid bones. After reaching a certain strength, I don't think making them more solid would be beneficial. -- Natalinasmpf 16:00, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Hmm. Like the length of the tailfeathers of a peacock? :-) Biologists love to spin evolutionary tales like this, but be careful; it's too easy to be both convincing and completely wrong. JRM · Talk 17:17, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Keyboard problem

I have a QWERTY keyboard, and use Windows XP. It always typed the " symbol UK-style - shift, then 2. I liked that. However, it has suddenly switched places with @ so when I do shift2 it says @ and when I do shift' it does ". How do I get it back to the old way?--anon 16:07, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

I beleive what you need to do is set your keyboard properties in the control pannel to the United Kingdom layout. In Windows 2000, this is achieved by going to Start -> Control Pannel -> Keyboard. Then selecting the "Input Locales" tab, and setting the input language to be English (United Kingdom) and the keyboard layout to be United Kingdom. I think it is the same in Windows XP, but I'm not 100% certian. Thryduulf 16:43, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Yes, that is correct. Also, pressing alt+shift changes the keyboard layout automatically. You may have done that by accident, and that would have caused your keyboard problem. Graham 12:43, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

In a related question, I used to have my keyboard settings to that if I typed 'a, it would automatically type á. However, when I formatted my computer, this was lost, and I don't remember how to do the setup for it anymore. Any help? I'm using XP. Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 04:26, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Vocal profile is missing

Why in the Mariah Carey page,the party named"Vocal Profil"Was deleted?

See the discussion on the talk page for that article. Chuck 17:16, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

Going commando

When and where did the term "going commando", meaning wearing no underwear, originate? I checked the gold standard, the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, and it is silent on the term. PedanticallySpeaking 17:02, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

The only origin I've ever heard for it is that experienced soldiers in the Vietnam War learned not to wear underwear as a way of avoiding fungal infections of the, um, crotchular region. --FOo 17:48, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Going Commando has more speculation on the origins. --Laura Scudder | Talk 18:01, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Aids Bike Ride

Hello, I am trying to locate a movie that I saw in the middle of the night on TV about 3 friends who went on the Aids Bike Ride. One woman was the husband of the man who died of aids and his brother also went on the ride. Any ideas on how to locate this movie. I am sure it a few years old.

Thank you in advance.

JoAnn Bedell

If you could provide us a few more details such as the names of the participants or the filmmaker it might help to track the movie down. --Robert Merkel 01:26, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Bob Butterworth's middle name

Bob Butterworth's full name is Robert A. Butterworth. What does the middle initial stand for? Neutrality^talk 19:55, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

• Why don't you just email him? I'll spare Mr. Butterworth the spam and just direct you to his page at St. Thomas University, which has his email address at the bottom.--Pharos 20:08, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

sourcing Wikipedia in a publication?

If I am writing a paper and want to properly note that some information came from Wikipedia, what is the proper way to do that?

See Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. Shimgray 20:54, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Trying to track down source of Hipparchus image

I was trying to track down the source of Image:Hippachus 000A.jpg (an illustration depicting the ancient astronomer Hipparchus.

Googling, I could find numerous copies of this image online, but no information about its author or origin. (The style looks 19th-century to me.) However one of the web pages was a summary of a book, Planetary Systems From the Ancient Greeks to Kepler, by Theodor Jacobsen; if anyone has access to this book, could you please check whether it contains (probably in Chapter 3) this image with a description?

(If you find information about the image, please go ahead and update the image page directly.)

—Steven G. Johnson 21:53, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

I can check the reference tomorrow, no problem. I agree that it looks like a 19th century woodcut (in particular the details on the armillary sphere), but I'll see what I can come up with. --Fastfission 00:22, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

And that's a negative. The Jacobsen book only has illustrations of various models (lots of orbits) and lots of equations; no pictures of people at all. --Fastfission 17:29, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Futon woes

I have a metal frame futon whose mattress pad consistently feels like it is "sinking" into the wire frame, so you can actually feel the frame under your butt when you sit on it for any amount of time. I've tried flipping it upside down but that didn't help much. Is there anything I can do to alleviate this which is cheaper than buying a new mattress or frame? Searching futon sites didn't turn up any obvious accessory which would help with this, and I'm not keen on spending too much money (in part because I don't have the money to spend!). --Fastfission 00:26, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

What about something like a block of foam, like the stuff used to make "egg crate" mattress pads? You could probably get it from a fabric store, and it would provide extra padding. -- Essjay · Talk 00:39, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

If the problem is the spacing of the slats of the frame, almost anything you can lay over the frame to decrease the spacing between supports would help. If the supports are way too far apart, only a really stiff foam will prevent any sinking. --Laura Scudder | Talk 05:03, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

A thick sheet of stiff corrugated cardboard under the mattress would do the job. Or multiple sheets if you can't get really thick stuff. Don't get the shiny coated stuff or you'll slide off the futon. Proto t c 12:10, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Hmm, I'll check out the cardboard idea and maybe foam, that sounds like it might work. --Fastfission 17:34, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

What does "384Kbps-1.5Mbps" mean for a downstream speed of SBC DSL?

What exactly do the two numbers (384 kilobits per second and 1.5 megabits per second) mean for the downstream bit rate when SBC offers DSL? Why the two numbers? Isn't just one number necessary to describe the downstream speed? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 00:31, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

It's a range, right? Like, at the slowest 384kb, at the fastest 1.5 mb? -- Essjay · Talk 00:40, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Why do DSL companies sell it like that? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 00:55, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

They have to, because speed is not remotely guranteed on any internet connection. The speed varies depending on load, distance from the CO, line clarity, etc. James 00:56, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

To be more specific, the problem is that when you sign a contract with them, they are promising to provide you with a connection and you are promising to pay them monthly in return. If they didn't make it clear that they are only guaranteeing you a range of speeds, then you could sue them for breach of contract if you thought you were promised an average speed of 1.5 megabits and your actual average speed turns out to be 400 kbps or something. So the use of two numbers is partially a result of the fact that the Internet Protocol suite (at least in its current form doesn't really have any mechanism to guarantee quality of service, and partially a result of the fact that your ISP has very careful lawyers. --Coolcaesar 03:29, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Be aware that DSL frequently has different upstream and downstream speeds -- you get greater speed for downstream than upstream on the assumption that you need more bandwidth to receive images on web pages than you do to send clicks to web sites -- although you mentioned only downstream, but thought I'd mention it. DavidH 05:14, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Blood Transfusions and Religious Beliefs?

Hello, I m a nursing student and am writing a legal-ethical paper on the above topic. I was wondering if I could obtain some information about blood tranfusions, why it is against the Jehovah Witness beliefs, and if there are any acceptable alternative's such as artificial blood (Perfluorocarbons). Thank you in advance for your help.

Larry

See this and this. James 01:13, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Changing Firefox cache directory

How do I change the cache directory of Mozilla Firefox? Currently it defaults to my profile, which is a real pain. I can certainly reduce the cache size, but how do I change the location?! there doesn't seem to be an option in the config menu! - Ta bu shi da yu 03:26, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

• Find the relevant prefs.js file -- it's down below Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles. While Firefox is NOT running, add this line:

user_pref("browser.cache.disk.parent_directory","desired-pathname");

That should do the trick. I've not tried it, but I found it in this discussion. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 04:06, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

DDG Destroyers

Could you advise me what does DDG actually stand for please.

Regards Garry

DDG means "Guided Missile Destroyer". It comes about from the Hull classification symbol for regular destroyer, DD, which performed anti-submarine missions onling. DDGs perform anti-submarine, anti-aircraft, and anti-surface warfare. James 04:43, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Meyerton Enquiery

I am terribly sorry to bother you. I am struggling to find Hoerskool Dr Malan in Meyerton's e-mail address - it's quite urgent for me to have it. Will it be possible for you to find it for me. 'P L E A S E' ! My e-mail address is jessemaile@yahoo.com Kind regards Yolande

Hoerskool Dr Malan's email is hsmalanATmwebDOTcoDOTza--Jcw69 08:16, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

What is a president (in corporate governance) in the U.S.?

What exactly is a "president" in a U.S. publicly traded company? What does he do? What are his functions as opposed to a chief executive officer or a chairman of a board of directors? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 07:40, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Presidents and CEOs are typically the same officer; often the title of this officer is Presidet and CEO, or President and Chief Executive Officer. They are typically the senior officer responsible for the administration of the company. The Chairman of the Board is exactly what the title suggests: the presiding officer of the company's board. While this may ential oversight or administrative functions, and in some companies may be the same individaul as the President/CEO, the basic job description is to preside at board meetings. The powers of individual officers/directors would be spelled out in the company by-laws, so there is the possibility of different powers at different companies, but for the most part, the Pres./CEO is the "head" of the company, appointed (employed) by the Board, and the Board Chair is the P.O. of the Board. -- Essjay · Talk 19:07, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

H2G2 theme song

What are the notes for the theme song of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy BBC tv show? --elpenmaster

I don't know what the actual notes are, but the song is Journey of the Sorcerer by The Eagles. I know it exists online as an mp3, I preusme it will exist as a midi file as well. From teh midi you can extract the score if that is what you are after. Thryduulf 07:48, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

If I have time, I can write the contour notes/chords out for you if a link to it can be provided, much like what I did here previously. HappyCamper 08:13, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

The utterance "ninety nine" and lungs

A friend of mine went to a doctor to have his lungs checked out. The doctor was diagnosing a pain in one of the locations of the lung. In addition to the typical use of the stethoscope, the doctor told my friend to say "ninety nine" as the doctor placed two fingers between different gaps in the ribs on the back. What might have been the purpose of the utterance? What was the doctor feeling for or observing? Does the pronounciation of the syllables "ninety nine" require the whole lung to function or something? --HappyCamper 08:29, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

AFIF, the utterance of "ninety nine" causes my lungs to deflate releasing most of the air. -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 08:51, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

I would guess it's because "ninety-nine" is a relatively long word that's all liquids and vowels (meaning, you never stop your airflow uttering it, at least most people who don't alliterate the "t" too much)

The specific physical finding the doctor was testing for was "vocal fremitus" (if he could feel the vibrations from the speech over a certain area, vocal fremitus is said to be present there, and it indicates an area of consolidation, as might be found in pneumonia). As for the reason "ninety-nine" is used: habit, nothing special about the words; in fact, the original finding was described in German and the request was that the patient repeat "neun-und-neunzig". Words with many vowels or diphthongs facilitate the finding of fremitus: the German words have such diphthongs, their English translation, unfortunately, doesn't. So "ninety-nine", nearly universally taught and used, ought not to be used, but as physical diagnosis has largely been replaced by x-rays, it doesn't matter so much. [13] - F. X. Leyendecker 23:26, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Linguistics articles in Wikipedia

A minor question/observation: Is it just me, or do the linguistics articles in Wikipedia seem to be rather well written? Is there a WikiProject dedicated to the maintenance of these pages somewhere? --HappyCamper 08:33, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

For your first question:it may be due to a number of factors like the sentimental attachment that people often have to their "mother tongues", and the importance that linguists are likely to attach to grammar and style while editing articles. -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 08:53, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:WikiProject Linguistics and its many offspring. Physchim62 10:08, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Of course all of the linguistics article I've contributed to are well written! *grin* --Angr/_{tɔk tə mi} 18:20, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Is shoe polish a colloid?

Is shoe polish a colloid, and if so, what kind of colloid is it? Cheers. Proto t c 09:02, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Grammar question

There is a series of articles on past and present Canadian electoral districts. Where a district no longer exists because of redistribution, which is correct:

• "Don Valley North was a former electoral district", or
• "Don Valley North is a former electoral district"?

I believe that the past nature of the district is captured in "former", and that adding the past tense to the sentence is either redundant, or "undoes" the past nature. Another editor suggests that using the present tense makes it inconsistent with the following sentence that describes where the district "was located" (i.e., it uses the simple past tense). Assistance would be appreciated. Ground Zero 14:10, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

• I'd lean towards "is a former district"; regardless of a following sentence changing to past tense, saying something "was a former district" sounds illogical and seems to imply that somehow it's now a district again. If tense inconsistencies cannot be worked around, why not just say "was a district" without any former at all? -- Ferkelparade π 14:42, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
• Yes, it should just be 'was a district'. No need for 'former'. Proto t c 15:27, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
  • Seconded. "Former" is a negator masquerading as an adjective and clarity is instantanly improved by losing it. Now, any reason you're calling it an "electoral district" instead of "riding"? Sharkford 15:53, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
    • I'm quite fond of riding as a distinctly Canadian usage of the word, but it is colloquial -- Canadian elections agencies do not generally use it. They use "electoral district" or similar bureaucratically bland terms. Also, I didn't create the articles in the first place. Other more industrious editors did so. Thanks for your comments. Ground Zero 18:19, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
• You can either say it "was a district" or "is a former district". Saying it "was a former district" is a double negative in English and strictly means that it is no longer a former district, and is now an active district. --Fastfission 20:47, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
  • "is a former district" is also wrong by usage, though grammatically correct. should use "was a district" - anon

USA Heritage railroads

Is there a list of heritage or preserved railroads in USA?

Tony

Constructing a perfectly equilateral triangle in paint or gimp

The completed task!

I'm having trouble constructing a perfectly equilateral triangle in either gimp or mspaint. It needs to to have perfectly equal sides, be situationally symmetrical...and fit snugly inside a Weiqi image; basically it's going to be used for Template:Game of Go Position, and all of the three vertexes must be equidistant from the edge of the circle (which I managed to get equalised - it has a diameter of 362 pixels, I believe, straight pixels anyway, it's specifically going to be used for the images with the triangles in them, upon which I just tweak the liberty lines as needed for each occurrence. The circle's four points which lie at right angles to each other are 22 pixels away from the edge of the image, which is 405 pixels by 405 pixels. Anyway, the vertex lies on a slightly smaller circle I've marked out in light blue, it's 350 pixels straight wise (as 22+6=28; 405-28*2+1=350) in diameter. So we could start from there....

The centre of both circles have the coordinates (202, 202), but the programs count from zero, so you could assume it as (203, 203). I've marked it with a tiny red pixel.

Note that I'll use "straight pixels" for length, ie. the same amount of pixels it would take if the line were horizontal or vertical....when it starts getting diagonal it gets a bit tricky and that's where my problems start. For example, both the green and purple lines are equidistant from the centre and the light blue circle, but the purple one is made up of 123 pixels, and the green one made up of 174 pixels, not counting the red centre pixel in itself...well because the diagonal length of a pixel is longer than a vertical or horizontal one. This makes it complicated. I've managed to calculate the number of pixels at 123 as the diagonal length is 1.414+ (basically sqrt(2)), which (1/sqrt(2))* 174 = 123.03+. However, this is only for an angle of 135 degrees from the green straight line, which is a problem - I need an angle of 120 and 240 degrees, as I'll explain.

I worked out a method, which involved basically finding the centre (which I did), drawing a line starting pixels away from the circle, until ending at the centre. This is the green line, (again, 174 pixels "long" vertically wise), the top of which is marked with a darker blue dot. Then, I thought, could simply draw two lines of the same length as beore, at 120 degrees and 240 degrees respectively from the straight line, and the end of the lines will reveal two points, then I simply join my three points (including the end of the green line). This is where I encounter my main problems:

• I don't know how to calculate the length, or construct a line of such length, for a diagonal line (in pixels), that is equal to the straight line, but is 120 degrees away from the straight line (or 240).
• I don't know how to find an angle in either gimp or paint.

I had the idea of using the formula for construction of an equilateral triangle triangle, which would help me find the three points, as I know the centre of the triangle or circle, and know one unit of its length (174), but I don't know how to go about it. I suppose I can turn the image into a Cartesian plane, and the centre, [(202,202) in paint] becomes (0,0), and the blue dot at the top end of the green line could be (0, 174).

Can anyone help me? Thanks! -- Natalinasmpf 15:27, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Maybe try drawing a perfectly large equilateral triangle in Word, then taking a screenshot of that, and then pasting it into paint, then shrinking it to the desired size? --HappyCamper 15:43, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

The problem is that the lines have to be 120 degrees (positively or negatively) away from each other in order to be perfect. How do I do this? -- Natalinasmpf 15:50, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

In that case, why not start out with a hexagon instead? Then, draw a little equilateral triangle or a line inside it to help guide the rest of the things you need to draw. Press shift while dragging out the shapes to make them regular. --HappyCamper 16:06, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Um...I don't know how to fiddle with these image things in the Wiki so I just uploaded a picture to your frame. Please feel free to revert if it isn't what you were looking for... --HappyCamper 16:33, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Start with your final sentence, where you have transformed the coordinates so that the center is at (0,0) and your one point is at (0,174). By convention, this point is at 90°. (The rightmost point is 0°; the leftmost is 180°; and the bottommost point is at 270°.) You want the points which are 120° and 240° away from the point at 90°, so you need the points at 90+120=210° and 90+240=330°.

The formula for the coordinates of a point on a circle of radius r (174 in this case) centered at the origin and located at an angle θ is (r*cos θ, r*sin θ). So you need the points at (174*cos 210°, 174*sin 210°) and (174*cos 330°, 174*sin 330°). Rounding to the nearest integer, these are (-151, -87) and (151, -87).

Add back the coordinates of the center in Paint (202, 202) to get coordinates in Paint of (51, 115) and (353, 115). Chuck 16:17, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Use MetaPost for exact drawing, not free-hand drawing programs. And certainly not Word, unless you really are a glutton for punishment. JRM · Talk 17:12, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

I must be using ancient technology! :-) --HappyCamper 18:14, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Word is actually older than MetaPost, if you don't count Metafont which it was based on... but then, the first version of Word had no image support, of course. :-) When you're after exact pictures, learning MetaPost is well worth it. An equilateral triangle is one thing, but if it gets any more complicated I wouldn't like to be stuck with Word... JRM · Talk 19:03, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

...and done using Inkscape

Wow, I was an utter fool to ever have used paint...from now on I'll take the trouble to download gimp at school; I thought gimp was unnecessary for simple tasks of creating geometric images, but apparently I was wrong...I didn't realise there was a built-in protractor. Anyway thanks, Chuck, your explanation of the formula helped me confirm the coordinates, although paint, for vertica/y-axis parts of coordinates, "up" means a lesser value, and "down" means a higher one, so it was actually (51, 289) and (353,289)....as for "ancient technology", hey this method is part of the Euclidean era! ;-) Thanks all! I'm going to save this explanation in my notepad as a wonderful example of how trigonometry affects graphical design. :D Onwards! (Oh, does anyone feel up to the task of helping me antialiase the hundreds of images (or going to be used for Xiangqi) in Template:xiangqi-position and Template:Game of Go Position?) -- Natalinasmpf 20:14, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Just for future reference, this takes about 3 seconds to do in Inkscape. Click polygon tool, set sides to 3, drag it into creation (holding CTRL if you want it straight). The end. Even less time for a circle. ¦ Reisio 22:57, 2005 July 19 (UTC)

Including perfect symmetrical alignment into an existing circle? That was one of my main problems. ;-) -- Natalinasmpf 23:17, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

One simple way: Select circle tool. Move the pointer to a point, noting the X/Y position (bottom left, just right of zoom percentage). Hold SHIFT and CTRL while you drag & create a perfect circle. Select polygon tool (setup for triangle). Go back to the same X/Y position. Drage & create a perfect triangle (holding CTRL to have it 'straight'). There's probably a better way than that, but I'm quite new to Inkscape. ¦ Reisio 01:00, 2005 July 20 (UTC)

VC, OBE, MC winner

I am searching for the identity of a VC, OBE, MC winner. He finished his career as a Major General. Other distinguishing items are his39-45 star, Africa Star, Defense medal, War medal. He also has two mentioned in dispatch oakleaves. The uniform has a 1st Corps patch.

The problem is that there were a lot of VCs won in WWII - almost 200 - and a lot of the officers will have ended up at general rank. I Corps fought in France 1940 and then NW Europe 1944/5; however, he presumably also served in Africa. It doesn't help us narrow it down, really. Again with the other decorations - they're likely to be common to most VC winners.

Can you see any other distinguishing features about the uniform? Is there a recognisable cap badge, or other unit identification other than the I Corps badge? Any coloured flashes that might indicate branch of service? Shimgray 17:53, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

You know, I think I've tracked him down. John Charles Campbell, VC, DSO & Bar, MC. Got the VC when a Brigadier, later became Major-General. KIA in Africa in 1942, so not entirely sure when he'd have been in I Corps. (He seems to be the person for whom Jock columns were named...) - does this sound like him? Shimgray 21:44, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Please Advise

To who it may concern:

I have just received a message from Lifeisunfair reprimanding me on recent postings. I apologize if I have inadvertently published my requests for further information regarding in the wrong sections of your web site.

I have deleted the postings I included in the article section and posted them to the talk section instead.

I will ensure that this mistake does not happen again. My apologies if my mistake has caused you a great deal of unnecesary work.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Kind regards,

User: eddiedonovan

User talk:132.38.190.10 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

You appear to have made some valid additions, but you also have repeatedly engaged in flagrant, obscene vandalism. If the latter type of conduct continues, you will be reported. If you wish to continue contributing to the Wikipedia community, please stop misbehaving. Thank you. —Lifeisunfair 23:34, 7 Jun 2005 (UTC)

If I observe one more instance of vandalism on your part, I will report you. —Lifeisunfair 14:57, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Instead of posting new articles for your questions, you may post them on the Wikipedia Reference Desk (found at WP:RD). --Several Times 16:30, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

If you look at the contributions associated with your IP address (here) you'll see, as Lifeisunfair says, a mixture of perfectly good edits and some nasty vandalism (like this one). I guess this is because you share the IP address with someone with a rather poor sense of humour. By getting yourself an account you'll avoid futher cases of being mixed up with this guy. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:41, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Guitar amps...

Okay, I play the mandolin, right? So, just about a week ago, I bought one of those clip-on pickups and a mashall amp so I can rock out on my mando. (Trust me, it sounds better than it sounds) The amp works great, nice distorion, great volume, everything. But one thing is bothering me, whenever I turn on the amp, I hear a buzzing sound and it continues ntil I turn the amp off. Is this normal? and if not, How do I stop it? 67.160.39.151 17:35, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Is the buzzing high pitched or low pitched? You might be able to get away with a lowpass or highpass filter... --HappyCamper 18:12, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Guitar noise is usually caused by interference. If it's highish and sort of annoying buzz, try turning off all fans, flourescent lights, CRT monitors etc. and altering your position in the room. If it's a low 60-cycle hum, if I recall that could be caused by what's called a ground loop, try plugging into a different socket.

By 'Socket' do you mean like, wall socket? Because I've tried like, four or five sockets in my house and they all buzz, I've even tried it through my surge protector. The buzz is low, but it's rather loud on the higher levels, and it's especially apparent when I crank the overdrive up. Stupid Marshall amp, Pete Townshend was right when he smashed you.

• Does the sound happen without the mando plugged into the amp? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 19:36, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

YOU'RE RIGHT! Could it be the pickups? How would I fix that, if I can? I don't want to have to digitally touchup every recording I make with my new marshall, if you know what I mean.

Turn the gain down a little, and shell out on a really good cable / lead. People pay a crapload of money for their equipment, then use the same duff lead that came with the amp. Your local music shop should be able to point you in the right direction of a decent lead. Proto t c 11:51, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Alright, I'll see what I can do about that. The problem with turning my gain down, though, is that I lose that great Mashall overdrive, and that's the main reason I bought the amp! It doesn't buzz when I play it clean, but it doesn't rock, if you knoa what I mean. I'll look into getting some better cables.

Two things

I'm very computer illiterate and your site is very difficult for me to find my way around.I'm doing the best I know how.

I have been playing bridge since early 1953.I am far from being a whiz but really enjoy random rubber bridge.I have not been a stick in the mud when it comes to learn more updated methods.

A long time ago When the weak twos really started to be the way to go I was playing partner with a fellow I had never seen before or since.He said would you like to try something a bit different and I said yes.He wrote out a system on a sheet of paper {very Simple}and I loved it and over the years since have passed it on to a few of my friends and we use it when we are partners and It always works great and I must add keeps our opponents totally confused.The person who wrote this system out for me titled it at the top of the sheet{WEAK TWO'S VERSION TWO}.When I would refer to it that way all I ever got was and "ARE YOU CRAZY LOOK" As time went on I saw precision and I say that it was very close.Still looking I found on the net B-M PRECISION.It was as if I was handed a fresh copy of the oridignal sheet.He had never heard of weak twos version two. My question is this can you shed any light on this? Sincerely LARRY I don't know if I can find a reply if you sent one so here is my E-mail address larryeh at msn dot com Thank you.

• Dear Larry: You posted this question perfectly on the right spot. Unfortunately, I can't help you here, but I'm sure there's other bridge players around. Just check back to this same page for your answer. - Mgm|^(talk) 18:15, July 19, 2005 (UTC)
• I assume it's a "house rules" variant (i.e., in putting cash on Free Parking in Monopoly). This would explain why no-one else has heard of it. Garrett^Talk 23:11, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Buskers

My husband is working on an article about busking and asked a group of people (including me) if we knew of any famous buskers in various cities. I think he's interested in any city, but particularly in Canada. He's writing about Ben Kerr in Toronto and a guy known as "Spoonman" in Montreal. I thought, well, Wikipedia is the perfect place to check, I'm sure there will be a Category:Buskers and we can get all the really famous ones. But alas, no, no one has thought to put all the buskers in one place. Can anyone help? moink 18:41, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

I'm not sure what he's called (I knew once), but there's a man in San Francisco who carries a fake leaf down by Fisherman's Wharf. Aha! See The World Famous Bushman. He's the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Meelar (talk) 19:00, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

If I remember correctly, it was the Phoenix family that did some busking before gaining fame. Try the articles on River Phoenix for a start. Either that or try a google search of the Wikipedia with the word "busking". Dismas 19:52, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Worth learning LaTeX?

I'm just about to start writing a thesis, due at the end of August. It will probably be about 60 pages long, have a number of diagrams and a few formulas, and no more than about 40-50 references. It will only ever be in one format - i.e. I'm not sending it off to get published in a journal or anything.

Is it worth learning LaTeX? Does it really make your life easier? Will I be better off with LaTeX than simple OpenOffice Text? Biased and un-biased opinions welcome!

I think LaTeX is worth it. I find writing equations in e.g. Equation Editor a serious challenge. Also, trying to lay out figures can be a big big issue, and getting the references to update themselves and not get really ugly. But that experience is with word, not OpenOffice, so I'm not sure how applicable it is. LaTeX handles all of that for you, especially if you use BibTeX which is a great help. A few questions which will help you decide: 1) What will you be using to generate the figures? I like xfig for diagrams, Matlab for mathematical figures. 2) Does your university have a template for the thesis? Mine has it in both Word and LaTeX, and the LaTeX one comes with instructions that make it very easy to use, barely knowing LaTeX (except you need to know how to format the math). 3) Will you ever be writing technical papers again? Going to grad school, being a scientist? If so, the time to learn LaTeX will pay off in the long run.

Here's a good introduction to latex: [14]. A longer, PDF tutorial: [15]. moink 19:14, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Well... already in grad school, so already on the trek to becoming a scientist, I guess. I realize I need to learn it at some point, I'm just worried that, with only two months to write the thesis, learning LaTeX might slow things down. I guess I'm put off by tutorials with titles such as "The Not So Short Introduction to LaTeX2e". Also, my diagrams are going to be most likely from either Excel or OpenOffice Spreadsheet. Can I use these in LaTeX?

For a one-off project? Smallish? Not formula-intensive? It doesn't matter much. If you have an affinity for these things and find you can pick up LaTeX quickly, then by all means try it, because it produces beautifully typeset documents (the worn-down Computer Modern that everybody insists on using notwithstanding)... But if you already know your way around WYSIWYG land, just using OpenOffice will get you results faster than entering LaTeX.

If you have formula-intensive documents, LaTeX is without peer in both editing and typesetting—it's not too much of an exaggeration to say that LaTeX is one of the foundations of modern mathematics, at least as far as its looks are concerned. :-) For other types of documents, it is still without peer for people who want to control typesetting on a logical level rather than a visual level (quickly and consistently changing around formatting of an entire document is something most WYSIWYG editors are still poorly equipped to do, as is managing a large, multipart project), but for most applications WYSIWYG editors are "good enough" (or "quick enough"). Conversely, in graphics-heavy projects WYSIWYG editors have the edge because formatting a document based on visual layout is something LaTeX (or rather the text editors typically used) are in turn poorly equipped to do.

As always, YMMV. :-) JRM · Talk 19:23, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Update: forgot the good point Moink made—LaTeX (and the various bibliography packages) are excellent with references, while I've had nothing but bad experiences with references in WYSIWYG editors (hard to insert, hard to keep consistent). 40-50 references would be enough for me to seriously consider LaTeX. But then, I already know it. :-) JRM · Talk 19:23, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Alright, so I'm basically convinced. However, now I have to ask the classic newbie question: how do I get it? The LaTeX article doesn't seem to be of any help. Neither the [LaTeX primer nor the not-so short introduction appear to discuss this. The LaTeX website does kind-of tell you, but not in a way that's remotely easy to understand. Apparently, first I need to get TeX, and they recommend TeX Live, however, they tell me I need to be a member. I thought it was all free? And then I can still find no help on how I'd download and install the files — I've never been good with anything that doesn't come as a simple .exe file... Finally, nowhere does it tell me how I'd actually get to view the final product (on Windows). How do I turn it into a simple .pdf?

Any simple advice for a complete newbie?

Windows? Get MiKTeX. Tailored to Windows, complete with setup wizard and maintenance tool. Editing? Get WinEdt (not free, but free trial)—it's a complete doozy to use. From there, Accessories -> PDF -> PDFLaTeX should do exactly what you want (you can also configure your project to always use PDFLaTeX for output, but I forget how). JRM · Talk 20:02, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Wisconsin Speeding Ticket

I'm having trouble finding how much a typical wisconsin speeding ticket for 36+ mph over the speed limit is. Can anyone tell me how much this type of ticket would be, or how they figure out the fine? Is it the same throughout the state? Thanks. -- BMIComp (talk) 19:35, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Umm...forget to read the sign? — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 20:03, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Every state that I've ever lived in arrested you for hazardous driving or some such similar charge for anything 20+ over. I'm shocked that all you got was a fine. Anyway, I would think that the ticket should have a number to call if you have questions, etc. I know the couple tickets I've had over the years did. They should be able to answer the question for you. Maybe better than we could here. Dismas 21:08, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

First, TINLA. I used to live in Kentucky, and the threshold there for "Reckless Driving" was 26 MPH, but an arrest was at the option of the officer. However, even if a citation was issued, it mandated a court appearance. Perhaps you could contact the Wisconsin Bar Association to locate an attorney who can attempt to have the charges reduced. You can see the text of the traffic laws (and the complex system of determining fines) here. Again, IANAA and TINLA. -- Essjay · Talk 21:30, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

I was having major trouble figuring out what TINLA was. All I could guess was though I never licked.... But of course we have an article with the answer in it. As an additional note, there is probably not a typical ticket amount. Each municipality or jurisdiction can set their own fine. The state laws may define what the state police could charge, but some local rules could differ, including immediate incarceration for reckless driving. - Taxman ^Talk 22:30, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

I don't know; traffic fines are usually set by state law, while local Courts have some leeway on how much they can charge for court costs. That's where they get you, a $25 fine and $150 in court costs, whether it goes to court or not. -- Essjay · Talk 22:58, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Not in MI at least. Here, every city/jurisdiction can set their own. I've personally seen different amounts from the ticket I got to the ticket a friend of mine got. And here, traffic tickets don't go to court at all unless you appeal the ticket (or the violation is a misdemenor, felony, etc), so there wouldn't be court costs at all. In one city 1-5 over was $115, while the max for 25 over was $125. Over 25 in MI is defined as reckless driving I think. - Taxman ^Talk 13:54, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

According to state law, there is no set amount for different speeds. The minimum is $30 and the max $300. I doubt you woud be cited for wreckless driving, since it is required that you at least endanger someone's life, which I doubt you were, even at 36 mph over. James 23:04, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

Weird, they gave me a $412 ticket! Hmmm, i'll have to investimigate this. It is a speed that is considered reckless though, as it is 25+ over. I'm used to Illinois which is 40+ over. Reckless speeds -- BMIComp (talk) 06:16, 20 July 2005 (UTC)'

And I was cited with 346.57(5) disobeying the posted speed limit. Apparently, according to 346.60, Penalty for violating sections 346.57 to 346.595, the maximum penalty is $300, unless it is my second offense in a year, which it is not.[16]. Thanks for the help everyone. -- BMIComp (talk) 06:24, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

If you've got the time, go fight it in court. You may get lucky. If the officer doesn't show up to a formal hearing you're off the hook. If they got you with a radar gun, the burden of proof for the state is that the radar gun they clocked you with has been calibrated within a certain required amount of time. You could get really lucky and find out they were late on that too. If it has though, you're cooked, because they've met their burden of proof. I don't think you can win on claiming it was another car and they made a mistake, since they close that loophole. - Taxman ^Talk 13:54, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

It may sound a little silly, but demand a jury trial. Long before I got into theology, I was a paralegal, and one of our tricks was to demand a jury trial on speeding tickets. You'd usually get one, and the prosecution would DWP (dismiss with prejudice (meaning it can't be brought back)) rather than take it to trial. I've actually seen them tried, and when you count up the costs, it ends up costing the state like $5000 to get $150 for the ticket (my state had statutory fines; they couldn't charge you more than that no matter what it actually cost to try you). So, file a motion to set for jury trial, and watch it disappear. -- Essjay · Talk 14:04, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

BOTOX

Bottulinum toxin is supposed to paralyze muscles, so why does it control underarm sweating? And why, for that matter, does it fix sagging/wrinkled skin? — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 20:04, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

It not only paralyzes muscles, but also disables the sweat glands. 145.222.138.134 20:40, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Sweat glands are contolled by nerves. Botox works on nerve endings. As far as i know it doesn't fix sagging skin, it only relaxes the muscles underneath skin. This prevents you from moving your face and so showing the wrinkle lines that are visible when you smile for instance. People who take it for non medical reasons are nuts IMHO. Theresa Knott (a tenth stroke) 23:27, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

Who's quote is this?

"It doesn't matter if the glass is half full or half empty...it's evaporating either way."

Anyone know? --Scapegoat pariah 03:04, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

• Maybe it's better to try this at Wikiquote. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:55, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

looking for a program...

I'm looking for a (hopefully free) program, that would allow me to view files made by Microsoft Works 95 (wps, wdb, etc.). Anybody know of one? Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 04:12, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

libwpd, which apparently has import filters for both AbiWord [17] and OpenOffice [18]. ¦ Reisio 04:45, 2005 July 20 (UTC)

It says it's for Wordperfect, is that the same group of files types as Microsoft Works? Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 04:56, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

I believe it will work...would take all of a few minutes to find out yourself. ¦ Reisio 05:25, 2005 July 20 (UTC)

I believe there is an OpenOffice.org (or was it Microsoft Office?) plugin for Works support. Not sure though.

If all else fails, the contents of at least .wps (and maybe the others) is plain text (unlike, say, a PDF file), so you can even view it in Notepad, as long as you don't need to see the graphics and fonts and whatnot.

Either way, hope that helps! Garrett^Talk 11:06, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

From where did this picture of michelle trachtenberg come from?

[19] -- ?

It's from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - the "S" is for Sunnydale High School. ¦ Reisio 05:20, 2005 July 20 (UTC)

Sources say it's the seventh season episode "Him". -- Cyrius|✎ 06:49, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

what is rubber process oil?

What kind of oil? Fossil fuel oil, or something produced directly by an organism? -- Natalinasmpf 06:12, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

• From recently transwikified dic def: Process oil = An oil used for lubrication but as a component of another material, or as a carrier of other products. Rubber is often produced by a certain type of tree, but can also be made synthetically. It depends on whether it's made of rubber or used on rubber. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:01, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

• • Rubber process oils are used in vulcanization of rubber. you could check out on this link, too. http://www.waxindia.com/Paraffinic_Process_Oil.htm - anon

Claiming copyright on public domain works in the UK

The Science and Society picture library claim copyright on all the images in their website [20]. Some are copyrighted, since their authors died less than 70 years ago. Others however are public domain, yet they are claiming copyright on them. Now I do not believe that there has been a Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp. case in the UK yet.

My questions involve the differences between US copyright law and UK copyright law. And secondly, what can be done about it? We should start a campaign! Is there anyone that could sue them for us? Or would they have to sue someone for copyright infringement first? (and would they be willing to do that?) Dunc|☺ 11:12, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

UK copyright law holds that if anything substantially different from an exact reproduction, a photograph of a PD artwork can be copyrighted. If they've made these copies themselves and put some effort into them, they may well fall under this restriction. Shimgray 11:20, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

However you're right that there's been no Bridgeman v. Corel equivalent, and so it's never properly been tested. Artlaw puts it like this: "There is no case decided by the UK courts which has clearly determined whether photographers of an artist's original work will acquire copyright in their photographs. From what has been said above about originality, there is a very strong argument that such photographs do not acquire their own copyright: although there is considerable skill, labour and judgement required to be exercised by a photographer of, say, a painting, the resulting print or transparency will in effect be a 'slavish' or 'mere' copy of the painter's original image." OpenToppedBus - My Talk 11:33, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

Yeah - but, conversely, the relevant legislation does explicitly provide special status to photographers (it automatically grants them a pass on "artistic", f'rex). A court could rule either way, but... I wouldn't touch it for now ;-). (I looked at this in some detail on Wikien-l a couple of weeks back, over a BL-originating photo; I'm decidedly unconvinced we get to use them). IANAL, &c, of course. Shimgray 12:00, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Harmful effects of masturbation

Hi, I am a 19 yr old male..I read the article about masturbation on ur site but I am still confused about the effects such as premature ejaculation due to masturbation. I masturbate twice a day normally It would be kind of you if u reply...Akshay Jain

Premature ejaculation because of masturbation? I thought that was the point? Though I suspect you are a troll in addition to being a wanker. Dunc|☺ 12:35, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

I think Mr. Jain is expressing his concern that his ejaculations might be premature at some point in the future when he will not be confined to masturbation anymore. dab (ᛏ) 12:51, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

The only ill effects you're likely to see from masturbation are chafing, an RSI, and dehydration if you do it more than a thousand times a day. Enjoy yourself now; when you're seventy, you'll probably have arthritis and won't be able to do it anymore. -- Essjay · Talk 13:48, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

What about going blind and growing hair on the palms eh? ;-) Theresa Knott (a tenth stroke) 13:59, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

You can't go blind in both eyes from it, and isn't losing one eye worth it? As for the hair on the palms, as long as it's soft hair and/or you remember to use a quality creme rinse, it will only add to the experience! ; - ) -- Essjay · Talk 14:21, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

• If you're worried masturbation will cause you to ejaculate too early when you are having sex later you can relax. It's quite unlikely. If it's not you can use the "stop and go" method to proong the experience. - Mgm|^(talk) 14:39, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

baikal

what is mean word baikal

• Have you checked this entry: Baikal? --Edcolins 14:17, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

Telecopy

What is the difference between a telecopy and a facsimile? It there is one, what is the difference? From Google, it looks they are synonymous but I can't find a reliable source of information. Thanks. --Edcolins 14:15, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

I don't think there is one; it's like "copy," "photostat," and "Xerox." I've heard them called fax, facsimile, telefax, telecopy, telefacsimile, but I think it's all the same thing. -- Essjay · Talk 14:18, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

BTW, I've redirected telecopy to fax; feel free to undo it if someone comes up with a difference between the two. -- Essjay · Talk 14:24, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

There is no difference, "telecopy" is the ten-dollar word preferred by law firms etc. "Facsimile" is (or was) a more general word, for example a "facsimile edition" of an old book (being an edition printed by photographic copies of the pages), or "reasonable hand-drawn facsimile" etc. People aware of this usage probably wanted a new word that referred uniquely to the new device, hence "telecopy". But "fax" is much more widely used and, to my knowledge, refers only to telecopiers, never to the generic uses of "facsimile". Sharkford 15:00, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Thanks a lot. It makes sense. --Edcolins 18:10, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

diabetis.

which food reduces the blood sugar?

No food reduces blood sugar. Carbohydrates raise the blood sugar fastest. Insulin reduces the blood sugar. See diabetes mellitus. alteripse 15:42, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Muntinlupa as the Emerald City of the Philippines

How did this come to be? I’m really curious.

Now that we've covered indentical twin murderers...

I have another legal question regarding persons with handicaps. Specifically: is there any special treatment given to little people in sentencing? Let's say a little person is found guilty of a serious crime, and is sentenced to 30 years in prison. I can't conceive that they'd allow someone so vulnerable to abuse to go into a general prison population.

So, is there any precedent in jailing little people? Brian Schlosser42 16:32, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean by "little people" - juveniles? physical midgets? Shimgray 16:45, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Yes, dwarfs. Midget is not an appropriate term, and is viewed as a slur. Of course, the whole question is kind of inappropriate...Brian Schlosser42 17:25, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

I think he's being PC; he means "midgets" (and any other technical class of "small" people). My guess, and I'm not an attorney so I don't know for sure, is that they would be segregated into a special wing. -- Essjay · Talk 16:53, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

My great-aunt would have wondered why we were jailing the little people... but anyway. I doubt there's any major differences. The incidence of dwarfism in the general population is rather low; a back-of-the-envelope guess says that if they're equally likely to be imprisoned, you'd get about fifty in the entire US prison population. With those kind of numbers a special wing, or the like, is impractical; I'm not sure how the prisons handle it, but presumably mix them in with the general population unless this is percieved to pose a risk to the individual by the prison system.

I don't see it as particularly likely that a court would change its sentencing based simply on stature unless it had clear reason to worry about the possibility for abuse in prison - it's more likely they'd sentence as normal, and then leave it to the prison system to sort out how they're dealt with. Shimgray 18:51, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

why men love war

Men meaning males, or men meaning humans? Frencheigh 17:29, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Dalek-like voice

Is there any text-to-speech software that has a Dalek like output voice as one of its options. The more ancient the machine you can run it on the better. I have a Windows 98 Pentium II (266MHz) and I'm a total noob at sound recording and don't have any such equipment available, so don't tell I should buy a modulator. I know, odd question... - Mgm|^(talk) 17:30, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

Swollen arms from I.V.'s

Why do arms swell after a person receives multiple I'V.'s?

tour de france question

Why does Alexander Vinokourov's jersey have different color that his teamates on T-Mobile? Thank you Graam@aol.com

Because he is the Kazakhstan national champion. His jersey's design (his own design) is based on the Kazakhstan national flag. -- Arwel 19:21, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Cleopatras Needle, Embankment London UK

Hi

I am resaerching my family history and it has been brought to my attention that my family may have been involved in supplying the scaffolding for Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment, London.

My ancestors were of the surname Parsons, and I think it may have been a George Robert Parsons involved with the Parsons and Sons haulage contractors of Commercial Rd London.

Just a long shot but would you know anything about this or where I could look to try and authenticate the story.

Thank you hopefully

WendyBull