Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

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Latest comment: 18 years ago by Kainaw in topic Stop signs
Science Mathematics Computing/IT Humanities
Language Entertainment Miscellaneous Archives
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November 8

New York

Why are there so many Mcdonalds in Manhattan within a just a few blocks from each other?

So people don't have to expend many calories walking between them. alteripse 02:49, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

I think MacDonalds has a stated goal of having a store within 2 minutes of everyone, wherever they are. I can only assume that the propensity of stores in New York is an attempt to achieve this. AllanHainey 08:23, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Lunch and Skyscrapers. Artoftransformation 15:13, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

DJ Tiesto

Hi There,

I have a bet running at the moment in regards as to who is worth more, earnt more in there caree out of Mariah Carey and DJ Tiesto. The answer is quite an obvious one but if you have any information or can answer this question it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

"Mariah Carey, who received $US30 million ($A50.48 million) last year to end her contract with the EMI group, ranked number eight on the list."

"DJ Tiesto" was not mentioned on the list of top entertaiment earners. Artoftransformation 15:10, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Dj Tiesto to many is a musical god, but he is only known to only certain crowds. On the other hand, Mariah Carey is world-wide known. And technically DJ Tiesto only makes money through club performances and CDs. Mariah Carey does large concerts, CDs, and advertisings. Club performances do not usually generate as much money as concerts. --69.199.106.244 02:18, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

TV timing in the US

Looking at both Television in the United States, and the "television schedule" pages, something is still confusing me. An example from the former is:

prime time begins at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST and MST)

If a programme is being aired nationally at 8pm ET, wouldn't that be 6pm MT and 5pm PT? Particularly for the pages on the schedules listing the times as Eastern and Pacific but listing only one time. Chris talk back 03:01, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Programs don't start at the same time nationally. East coast primetime broadcasts start at 8 p.m. Eastern, and West coast primetime broadcasts start at 8 p.m. Pacific. Central primetime broadcasts start at 7 p.m. Central (which is 8 p.m. Eastern). —Wayward Talk 03:50, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
In the U.S., broadcast networks have affiliates in every major city. Therefore, a CBS program can air at 8 EST (7 CST) on WOIO in Cleveland and WBBM in Chicago, 9 EST (7 MST) on KCNC in Denver and 11 EST (8 PST) on KCBS in Los Angeles. A live program would run at 8 Eastern, 7 Central, 6 Mountain and 5 Pacific.
I have no idea why programs would air at 7 in the Central and Mountain time zones and 8 on the coasts. -- Mwalcoff 23:53, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
7C would make sense with 8E, as the program(me) could be broadcast at the same time over these zones. Similarly, 8M/7P would also make sense, as they too are equivalent. Oh well, the quirks of trying to broadcast across a continent ... Chris talk back 17:29, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
For prime time network programming there are two feeds, an "East Coast" feed and a "West Coast" feed. Monday-Saturday the prime time feed starts at 8PM Eastern for the East Coast feed and 8PM Pacific for the West coast feed. Stations in the Mountain time zone can either take the Eastern Feed and delay it or take the Western Feed. The major choice in the Mountian time zone is to start prime time at 7PM. Hopefully I have dumbed this down enough to make sense to people who know nothing about the industry. NYTVGuy 20:38, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

AIM Saved Passwords

If I have a password saved on computer A and someone on computer B changes the password, will I still be able to sign on to the password on computer A?

Noter For AIM

NO. The password you use, although stored on the computer A, is actually verified by computer C, that maintains AIM Security as a Username, Password Pair, thus if someone on computer B changed the password, the Computer C, will recieve the new password information, and when the signon attempt is made from computer A, it will not match the Username, Passowrd Pair stored on Compter C, the Password Authority, for AIM.
If you are using Active Directory, and the Username, Password Pair is stored on the Server, then, the Active Directory Server is Compter C, and is the Password Autority, and like the AIM password, It changes on computer B, and on the Server, Computer C, so that a local setting of a password on compter A will not work.
You are confusing Local Settings, ( the AIM password stored on Computer A amd B), with the Authoritive Setting: The Username, password Pair stored on the Authoritative computer. I do not know what the Authoratitave compter for AIM is. --Artoftransformation 09:47, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Elections

Why can't more than on person from the same political party run for the same office in an election?

This would depend on where you live, in Australia for example, from what I remember, the last time I voted there was sometimes more than one member from a single party running for the same electorate. However, this was about a year ago so I can't recall exactly. Akamad 07:28, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
See McGillicuddy_Serious_Party#Candidate_selection for a non-serious party which did try running multiple candidates per seat.-gadfium 07:57, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Generally, a country's electoral commission will identify a candidate with a party label only if he or she is officially nominated by that party. A political party will usually want to increase the chance of its candidate being elected by nominating only one candidate for each electoral district. In a "first past the post" system, the candidate who wins the most votes wins. Let's say there are ten voters: four are Conservatives, and six are Liberals. If the Liberal Party nominates two candidates, and each wins votes from three of the six Liberals in the electorate, the Conservative Party candidate would win with four votes. If the Liberal Party nominates only one candidate, he or she would win with six votes.

(Inserted comment) In other words, the scenario of multiple candidates from one party would go against the basic purpose of having political parties, which is to accumulate the voting power of as many like-minded people as possible, rather than "splitting the vote". We do sometimes see elections where candidates with similar positions run against each other, either in elections without political parties or if one party splits into factions. If both candidates have significant support, they very often lose -- see U.S. presidential election, 1912, for a famous example. --Anonymous, 00:25 UTC, November 9, 2005

In some voting systems, more than one member of parliament/congress/legislature may represent an electoral district. In these cases, parties will nominate a candidate for each of the positions available. Ground Zero | t 14:41, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Where you have only one seat available, the rules might actuallly prevent a party rfom sponsoring more than one candidate. In cases where a senior member disagrees with the selection and decides to run themselves, they run as independent candidates, though they will have to leave the party if party rules prohibit running against a party-nominated candidate (see Peter Law, who was expelled for running against his party's candidate, and Ken Livingstone, who ran as an independent before his party could deselect him). Chris talk back 17:35, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

the other thing on the Patriots field

On the pats field the is the dude, above and below it are "things" what are they? They look like leaking wrenches...thanks Kirk.

Are we to assume you mean the American style football team New England Patriots? And their stadium, Gillette Stadium? If so, I was unable to quickly find a picture of the field but you might want to try e-mailing the people at the web site for the stadium. The web site is http://www.gillettestadium.com/ Dismas|(talk) 06:29, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
It would help if you could specify what you're looking at. Judging from this, there's nothing above or below the main logo; the corner artwork in the endzone is the logo for Gillette Stadium itself[1].

What he's talking about is a gray and yellow shape a bit like a large building or a hammer, I can't figure out what its supposed to be or why its there either. -Drdisque 20:55, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

It is the logo of Gillete Staium (which is visible on their homepage [2]). I think it is supposed to be a profile of the stadium with fireworks coming out the top. --Kainaw (talk) 17:59, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Calories

How are calories removed from food, and what does a calorie look like?


Calories are removed from food either by removing much of a caloric constituent like starch, sugar, or fat. Food can be made with less calories by using substitutes for starch, sugar, or fat ingredients. A calorie is no more visible than a degree of temperature. alteripse 04:55, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Calories are removed from Milk by a Cream seperator. It Looks like milk, but a bit more Yellow.

Food becomes reduced calories in diffrent ways, each way involves the removal of part of the food, so it looks similar to the food from which it was removed. Artoftransformation 14:46, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

'Calorie' is a unit of energy. It's obsolete now - Joule should be used in stead, becuase it makes more sense (being part of the ISO system). The Joule is in a sense not a unit of itself but derived from the basic ISO units for mass, length and time, thus: 1 J = 1 kg·m2·s−2. But the calorie is probably still in use because many people are used to it when referring to the nutritional value of food (no article on that?). Unless they're forced by law, companies are probably not going to change that and people are going to keep on being confused, like you. I wonder where you get the wording 'removing calories from food'. From some commercial perhaps? That's like saying you 'add Celsius to a room' when you heat it up. One does not remove calories but energy and that is measured in Joules (or Calorie, if you prefer). The one is a quantity (energy, heat or length) that is measured in units (Joule, Celsius, metre).
By the way, what nutritional value means is not how much energy it contains, but how much a human body would extract from it and I now wonder if that does not differ from one person to the next. DirkvdM 08:58, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Calorie is, of course, not obsolete, though some would prefer it so. It is the most common unit used in measuring the quantities you are asking about. - Nunh-huh 01:07, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

medallion of Deianeira

I am searching to find if Deianeira of mythology wore any type of medallion or symbol. I have named my daughter Deianeira and am looking of a design specific to her name. thanks for the help06:04, 8 November 2005 (UTC)

You're a cruel parent. Proto t c 12:20, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

I would start by looking at Google -> Images, and also Yahoo -> Images. ( I didnt find anything, but I didnt look to closely at the Urns Artoftransformation 14:37, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Definition of mother tongue

Can mother tongue also mean the langue your mother speaks? Because I read many articles about that and saw both: 1. the language your mother speaks 2. the language a baby learns first

pls n help

T0T0 06:52, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Mother tongue is an 19th century misnomer at least to me. All over the world, people learn to speak their family's language (usually the local language unless they are immigrants). In a typical paternal society, a family's language means the father's language because most of the times, a man stays on his land although he may marry a non-local wife. An extreme example is mail-order bride.
Let's say an Egyptian male lives in Germany. Possibly, he has to learn German to get a decent job. He marries a woman from Sri Lanka and has a baby. So which language does the baby learn first? I guess it must be German if the man has been in Germany for several years. See first language. -- Toytoy 07:13, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

You guys are all kidding, right? This is a specious distinction for nearly alll of us: 98% of the time the two meanings coincide. The first language a child learns is the one his principal caretaker teaches him in the first 2 years of life. For most human beings in most cultures, the principal caretaker is his mother and she talks to him in infancy in the language with which she is most comfortable. alteripse 10:46, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Interesting takes. I live in the U.S. My parents speak Portuguese. I learned Portuguese before I learned English. I was educated in English (no biligual education for me, thank goodness). I speak English much better than Portuguese. I would consider English my "mother tongue", though I would not use this terminology. Nelson Ricardo 12:01, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Usually when we use the term "mother tongue" we use it to describe someone's most preferred language rather than his/her mother's language. I would not want to know your mother's language preference if I am a beaucrat and you're coming to me for business.
In a typical paternal society, a man usually lives with his own people but his wife may be from elsewhere and speaks another language or dialect. A man usually marries (or buys) a woman from a less powerful culture. Generally, the wife has to speak the local language or his husband's language. And her child usually learns that language too. That first language will usually become the child's most preferred language later.
However, in some cases, a child may learn to speak another language much better later. For example, a German-speaking boy who migrated to Japan at 5 may learn to speak Japanese when he grows up. In this case, even the term first language can be a huge misnomer.
  • Father: Chinese
  • Mother: Italian
  • Used to live in Germany
  • Moved to Japan when the child was 5
  • Sent their child to a local Japanese school
I think that child must be speaking Japanese when he grows up. -- Toytoy 01:02, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Scanning the comments here, it appears that everyone assumed mother in mother tongue refers to a parent. It is more likely to be an abbreviated way of saying language of your mother country. It is not common to hear people refer to mother country anymore, but it was very popular during colonial times when people were commonly citizens of one country but living in another. --Kainaw (talk) 18:02, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Pyinmana?

From Pyinmana:

Pyinmana officially became the capital of Myanmar on November 7, 2005.

Where is this city? Can't find it with the Google Earth. -- Toytoy 07:22, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

According to the Myanmar article, it is located at 19°74′N 96°20′E / 20.233°N 96.333°E / 20.233; 96.333 Coordinates: latitude minutes >= 60
{{#coordinates:}}: invalid latitude. –Mysid (talk) 07:43, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
No, 19°74′ N is out of range. It's on 19.74° N 96.20° E. -- Toytoy 13:34, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Human external genitals

Recently there has been a discussion about human pubic hair. Some seemed to believe the remaining hair covering the genitals was caused by sexual selection. I beg to differ.

A man may want a woman with big boobs and fat buttocks (see Venus figurines). But are men also picky about women's labia sizes or pubic hair shapes? As a man, I think the answer is usually no. I mean if this woman comes to me and asks me "Your place or mine?", it would be insane for me to examine the length, size and color of her pubic hair before I make the decision. I just want to f*** her. I don't care if she has a big clit or a small one. Are you going say "Angelina, I can't have sex with you because I hate Brazilian waxing? Come to me with nice looking hair next time."

I think the shapes of human genitals are the least sexually selected anatomical part. A vagina that works is all I need. No, I really don't care if she has puffy lips or not. -- Toytoy 07:49, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

I have no idea if the original proposition was correct, but you're reasoning from a modern perspective. Human evolution has taken place over millions of years. Well, that depends on what aspect you're looking at, in casu when humans lost their hair, except for in some places. Also, modern humans wear clothes, but maybe when the hair-evolution thing happened they didn't and pubic hair was for some reason one of the criteria. Though I can't think how and indeed I find it rather unlikely.
There is a tendency in the last few decennia or so in the West for women to shave off at least part of their pubic hair. I wonder what one might conclude from that. That might give fair-haired people (who have less pubic hair - at least less visible) an edge. We don't have to be still running around naked for that because the other hair is a good indication. Has there been any research into that? Whether people prefer fair-haired mates more than, say, a century ago?
By the way, you want to f*** her? Ah, you mean 'fuck'! If you want to use the word, use it. If you don't, don't. But don't be halfhearted about it because that just looks very silly. Alternatively use 'make love' or 'copulate', although I don't see anything wrong with the word 'fuck', which is perfectly good English. But then that might be my Dutch upbringing, calling things by their name (the Dutch are indeed often considered rude because of their directness). DirkvdM 09:16, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
I had the impression that the hair, at least (probably not the lips), had more to do with warmth and protection than appeal. Protection of progenation is generally important when it comes to evolution. Then again, the testes are kept a little cooler than body temperature rather than warmer. Not much of an answer, eh? jnothman talk 10:25, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Children don't have pubic hair, so it has to be something sexual (why would they need less protection?). OTOH, both men and women have it, so it is unlikely that it's around because of sexual selection. Like the article says, it probably either serves to store pheromones, or as a way to visually distinguish adults from children (together with the rest of the body hair that appears in puberty). --Chl 02:43, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Children don't have wrinkles. That doesn't make wrinkles sexual. If the question is "why do humans have pubic hair" the answer is "we don't know, but have many guesses." - Nunh-huh 03:13, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Yeah, but wrinkles don't start exactly at puberty, so that still seems a good point. But the counterargument that both men and women have pubic hair isn't. I assume you mean that it's the men who do the selecting, but women do so too, just usually in a more subtle manner (foxes indeed :) ). Another angle I think of now is that maybe all hair is evolving away and pubic hair is just the last remnant. The reason for this might be something totally irrelevant to the process, like it being a different kind of hair (which it is) that happens to be more persistant. DirkvdM 09:21, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Right, both men and women do selecting, but how likely is it that they both selected for the same feature? -- If pubic hair is still around because it's more persistant than other hair, then why have children lost it? --Chl 02:48, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
My theory: John doeesn't want a woman with beards. Jane doesn't want a man with hair on his back. Joe doeesn't want a woman with a hairy torso. Judy doeesn't want a man who looks just like Chewbacca. ...
No one cares if his/her sexual partner has pubic hair. When it comes to the time to have sex, everyone is too crazy to be any critical.
Pubic hair is here to stay. And human external genitals come in a variety of sizes and looks. -- Toytoy 09:54, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Photograph of Callender's Minstral

Hello, I am new to this so here goes. I have a photograph of my granduncle Phillip White as a member of Callender's Minstral-Mngt. Black ????. I am trying to find some of the places that they may have played at. I also have a list of names that goes along with the photo. I'm trying to get an idea of where my ancestor's might be from.

I didn't know how to insert the photograph so that you could see it. I apologize for this.

Thank you for your help. Cynthia F.

You upload a photo by clicking 'upload file' in the left sidebar. But you'll have to be very sure the photo is free of copyright, which can be difficult. If it's on some webpage you could add the link in square brackets, thus: [put_the_url_here]. And you could of course give us the names, but all we can do with that is Google them and you could do that yourself too (this is meant in a helpful way, not to put yo off :) ). DirkvdM 09:22, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

European Union

Dear Sir/Madam,

I can not find the answers to the following questions on wikipedia:

  1. Where can I find what year of proposed by Commison ( 2004 year of education trouh sport)?
  2. whats the time set for an instittutition to answer to obusman regarding an eqiury?( ,2,3,4,months)
  3. in what proportion commission act?( simply or qualifiyd majority)
  4. how can be- on what base an officails of Commossion can be removed from his job place?
  5. Does the codecision procedure give the European Parliament a right to veto?
  6. what does a bureau of the european parliament consist of?
  7. By whom was the European Charter of Fundamental Rights drafted?
  8. What does "mixed agreement" mean?
  9. what procedures are used by commissions rules of procedure?

I'm afraid there are many questions but I would really appreciate to have answers as soon as possible, since I'm going to attend a test on the EU on 11 November.

Yours sincerely, Anna Zelnikova

Dearest Ms Zelinkova: I regret to inform you that it would behove you to do a bit of homework in the ensuing days before your test. I would recommend the article European_Union as a start, then read Maastricht_Treaty, and follow the links there.

There is also: [[3]]

So to answer question #2, The Answer is No time limit is set by statue for responding to an Ombudsman Inquiry. and the Answer to #4 I am sure is in the link. Artoftransformation 14:30, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Civilization IV Theme

Hello,

I am interested in finding out more about the Civilization IV Theme, which plays in the Opening Menu and is, in fact, titled "OpeningMenu" in the sounds folder for the game. Was this song produced specifically for the game? If not, where can I find more? One of the things the series has consistently done well with is the music. I want to find more music like this. Can anyone help me out?

Sorry for the esoteric question. :) -- Demonesque talk 10:51, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

The song is called "Baba Yetu", Swahili for "Lord's Prayer", the lyrics are here. The version heard on the game is performed by a group called Talisman A Cappella and composed by Christopher Tin. PS: I agree, it is fantastic music :-) Akamad 12:07, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
And as it turns out Talisman A Capella have an album out. And reading the news section on Christopher Tin's site, the song was specifically made for the game. Akamad 12:12, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

1960 olympic gold medal team

I have an autographed hockey stick that has the autographs of all the team members on it. 1960 Gold medal team Can I get a list of the team members as I can not recognize some of the names? Also..was John Riley from Wisconsin their coach then.? Also what is the value of this item...it is a 24 inch stick...that was signed in tampa. florida. Thanks Marv Elliott Cape Coral florida..(Wisconsin)

This site has a list of the players from the 1960 team that are in the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame. Since I don't play hockey and I live in Australia (ice hockey is not very big over here), I am not aware if this is the whole team or not, but the players that they have listed are:
  • Coach: Jack Riley
  • Ben Bertini
  • William Cleary
  • Robert Cleary
  • Eugene Grazia
  • John Kirrane
  • Larry Palmer
  • Richard Rodenhiser
Hope that helps. Akamad 12:29, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Can I play songs on a podcast?

And btw,I've recorded and encoded it into MP3.What's next?Tan Ding Xiang 陈鼎翔 11:59, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Podcasting is a verb. Do you mean an iPod? Take a look at those articles. Shantavira 13:49, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Maybe they were attempting to ask if there was any legal reason barring them from playing a copyrighted song as part of their podcast? :shrug: Dismas|(talk) 14:12, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Maybe they mean "Can I play songs on a podcast", ie, how do you incorporate an MP3 file (a song) into a larger MP3 file - the podcast (with a person talking, introducting the song etc). I imagine some software can do this for you, but don't know which.--Commander Keane 00:07, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Audacity is a free program that will (amongst other things) join two or more mp3 files. Trollderella 16:56, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Dr.Roberto Coronel Agriculture plant breeding Dept.

To whom it may concern,

Hello, Mabuhay ,

I am trying to contact the above person, Dr. Roberto Coronel .At The University of The Philippines at Los Banos - College if Agricukture ( Institute of Plant Breeding.

I was in touch with him before But have loss contact with Him .

Please give Him the following information so He can contact Me regarding Rare Fruits in the Philippines.

Mr. Bill Wandt - Email address: [removed] , mailing address [removed] Phone: [removed]

Thank You Very Much for any assistance that You can give Me in contacting Dr. Coronel.

Sincerly, Bill Wandt

Formatting fixed, contact info removed. Please do not post your contact information on this board unless you want to get junk mail or random phone calls. Anyway, why don't you try contacting the University and tracing Mr Coronel's trail that way? Wikipedia is not a telephone directory… Garrett Albright 15:29, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Help!

Good morning -

I have been searching for ages and am hoping you can help me with some information. I am looking for an old company- "Havey E. Dodds Limited" - they made ski's in Sudbury. I would like to know the years that this company operated. I thank you in advance for any help you can give me. With regards, Jan 216.209.108.135 16:28, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
fixed formatting. Please don't use spaces to begin lines. -Rholton 18:32, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

kariba dam is not in zambia

in your site you state that kariba dam is in zambia but in actual fact it is in zimbabwe.

Thank you for your suggestion! When you feel an article needs changing, please feel free to make whatever changes you feel are needed. Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit any article by simply following the Edit this page link. You don't even need to log in! (Although there are some reasons why you might like to...) The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use out the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. Thryduulf 19:00, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Kariba Dam spans the Zambesi between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Or at least it did the last time I was there. --Tagishsimon (talk)
Unless I read the article wrong, I can't find where it says the dam is in Zambia. Akamad 22:27, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Arsenic & your complexion

I think I read somewhere that in the victorian times women took a small dose to arsenic & that infact gave then a better complexion.Is this true?

Yes, though the fashion started a bit earlier, in the 18th century, and lasted into the early 20th. Anemia is one of the symptoms of arsenic poisoning, and anemia causes pallor—just the thing when a pale complexion is the height of fashion. It may seem idiotic nowadays, but people have always been willing to harm themselves for the sake of fashion; then they ate arsenic, now they get skin cancer, damage their feet, and inject themselves with one of the deadliest poisons on earth. —Charles P. (Mirv) 19:33, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Question

When writing, should you put 1 or two spaces between sentences?

According to the Wikipedia Manual of Style, "There are no guidelines on whether to use one or two spaces after the end of a sentence [for Wikipedia articles]". In your own writing you can use whichever you prefer, but if you are producing text for an organisation or publication, check to see whether it is specified in the house style. Thryduulf 19:12, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Whichever you please. Typing two spaces after the end of a sentence is a holdover from the days of typewriters with monospace fonts, which were easier to read when sentences were double-spaced. With proportional fonts, which are overwhelmingly common nowadays, it's not so important. In an HTML document, it's entirely irrelevant; most web browsers collapse any number of spaces into one, as you can see by examining the text of this post. —Charles P. (Mirv) 19:10, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

McDonald's

How does McDonald's prices compare to other fast food resteraunts?

How does McDonald's differentiate its products from other fast food resteraunts?

Please e-mail response to <email address removed> Thanj you for your time

I have removed your email address, as posting it here is an invitation for spambots to target you.
For the questions, the second one particularly looks like a homework question. If you read the very top of the page, then you will see that we will not do someone's homework for them. Thryduulf 18:51, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
After you have read the McDonald's article read the Burger King and Wendy's articles to gain some insight into their product differences. Also, their websites may be helpful. As for pricing, try calling or visiting some of the stores. --hydnjo talk 22:11, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
The answer to both your questions would change from region to region, best thing to do would be do investigate it yourself, for example see how much a burger costs at your McDonalds, and compare it to another fast food joint. Akamad 22:17, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
There was a rumor several years back that McD's put worms in their hamburgers to increase protein content. Their response was classic:
"We would never use worm meat...because it costs more per pound than the meat we buy now." StuRat 23:01, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
A first consideration is what you compare. The chips in one joint are not the same as those in other joints. If at one place the chips are more expensive that could be because they're made from actual real potatoe chips (not a compressed half-product like at McDonalds), which is becoming more and more a rarity. And that's a simple product. With other products, a comparison could be impossible. Also, if it is littel more than an outlet , like FEBO that will reduce the cost condiderably, but one may wonder if that still counts as a restaurant (and what you had in mind). DirkvdM 12:41, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Polo Shirts

Why do some Polo shirts have a little triangular cut outs on the bottom sides?

As an expedient against them being ripped from the bottom up when stretched, as one plays an enthusiastic game of polo. And hence to give the impression that the said shirt is made for action, and to differentiate said shirt from its sans-cutout cousin. --Tagishsimon (talk)

volcanoes

I can't find the latitude and longitude for Mauna Loa

Please see Mauna Loa, it gives coordinates there. Akamad 22:30, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Also, if you want to see some real volcanoes, please see Io, one of jupiter's moons, the gravitational tides are so strong the entire moon is geologically active--Hello'from'SPACE 23:43, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
(Note: I edited the above sig because it was making all following text small and green.) --Kainaw (talk) 00:42, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

how do i find the shape pattern eyesight of an bald eagle

Crips

What's involved in the Crip iniation?

According to this site one of three things must be done:
  • "Committing an armed robbery with other gang members as witnesses."
  • "performing a drive-by shooting."
  • "letting members of the gang physically beat up the prospective member, which is referred to as the “kangaroo walk” or “bullpen”."
I certainly hope you don't plan on doing any of these. Why not join Wikipedia instead ;-) Akamad 02:32, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Yes, our initiation isn't any worse than the Crips. Still you have to admire a gang that welcomes the physically handicapped. StuRat 02:49, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
I no longer have questions about StuRat Sanity. He is just as crazy as I am. --Artoftransformation 11:30, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

SupermanComic's

--24.92.55.225 23:27, 8 November 2005 (UTC)I've searched everywhere on some info for any info on a Superman comic book I have. (SuperMan Meets The Motor Sports Champions). Any info would br great!Reply

What would you like to know? -- Ec5618 01:14, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 9

Translation of TXF title

The "easy" Latin to English translation website is not working for me. Can anyone give me a good translation for the X-Files title Amor Fati? Mothperson cocoon 02:20, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

"Love of Fate", usually translated as an admonition to "Love your fate". Probably an allusion to Nietzsche, but with X-Files, who knows? - Nunh-huh 02:47, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Ah HA! Thanks, Nunh-huh. Mothperson cocoon 02:58, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

You have your facts wrong.

You have the wrong information in one of your definitions. The naming rights for Rich stadium in Buffalo, New York, were purchased by Rich Products in Buffalo, New York not the Louise Rich food company. These are two different companies. You will find the misinformation under the information for Ralph Wilson stadium.

Ok, if you are sure, go ahead and update the article yourself. StuRat 02:47, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
That's the great things about a wiki like Wikipedia, anyone (yes, that includes you!) can change any article! All you need to do is click the Edit this page link. Don't worry about making honest mistakes (in fact, be bold!). If you're a bit unsure about how editing works, you can always check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to experiment a bit. Welcome to Wikipedia!. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 08:43, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

The frigate ORYOL

To whom it may concern:

I am interested in the whereabouts of the replica ship ORYOL. I understand the hull is made of steel and was not completed.

Is the hull for sale? Could someone direct me to a contact person for more information?

Thank you very much.

Regards,

Allen Rawl

There is no web refrence for this. I suggest you contact something like Lattitude-38. Artoftransformation 09:48, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

And if you find out, could you add the ship to the ship replica article and maybe even write an article about it? Or else let us know where to find the information so we can do that ourselves? DirkvdM 14:50, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Russia launched it's first warship in 1669. The frigate's name was "Орёл", sometimes spelled "Орел", which means "Eagle". The name is almost always incorrectly transliterated to English as "Orel". Maybe you'll have better luck with these alternative names. Unfortunately, every search I could think of kept bringing up scale models or more recent ships with the same name, rather than full-sized replicas of the sailing frigate. --24.20.130.253 23:31, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Self Expression

Would it be possible for someone to "Declare" thier independence from a Municipalty or something?

You can declare it but unless you happen to have your own army (& are prepared to use it), or are recognised by a number of important foreign countries as a sovereign state, your independence won't be recognised & you'll still have to pay taxes, etc. AllanHainey 08:25, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
See microstate, the most famous of which is arguably the Hutt River Province. I say this through gritted teeth, because some of the microstate proponents are amongst the most persistent and annoying cranks we've had on Wikipedia... --Robert Merkel 13:21, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Also of interest might be Freetown Christiania in Denmark, although there's been a heavy crack-down in September and the future is therefore uncertain. DirkvdM 14:53, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

What is the meaning of the Sardinian flag with 4 heads????

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/66669/150px-Sardinia_flag.png" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

I would love to know! Thanks in advance.

According to [4], the four moor's heads represent Moorish kings defeated or captured in combat. - Nunh-huh 11:18, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Though note the Saint Maurice interpretation, as well... Shimgray | talk | 11:51, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Energy from Medical Waste

Hi, I want to know is there any concept in Bengal HOW TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY FROM MEDICAL WASTE? I have a solution how can I proceed? I want to speak to local Government regarding this plan and machine.

Thanks Tanmoy Bhattacharya New Delhi -49

Tanmoy, as far as I know none of the regulars who answer questions on the reference desk live in India, let alone Bengal specifically, so we likely have less insight, and less opportunity to find out, about the waste disposal practices of the hospitals there than you do. I did a search for "electricity medical waste" on Google, and it didn't come up with any specific proposal to do so; but some of the links I found may be of interest to you, for instance, this company's medical waste sanitizing machine.
Might I suggest the easiest way to proceed is to contact some hospitals and ask them about their current waste disposal methods; if you know some doctors they might be able to help direct you to the correct people within the hospital. From there, I guess you'll need to build a prototype plant somewhere to demonstrate your solution (which will probably require venture capital to form a startup company to do so, and possibly the seeking of patents to protect your invention), at which point you can then start selling your process to local governments.
One small problem I can forsee with this scheme is that some of the medical waste will contain bits of human tissue (dressings and so on). Some people may have moral objections to the generation of electricity from waste that contains human tissue, even if that tissue is incidental. Just something to think about when you're trying to to market your product.
Congratulations on your enterprise, and I wish you luck perfecting and selling your idea which will help reduce a real environmental problem. --Robert Merkel 13:18, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Psychogeriatrics

What is the prevelence of physical restraints on psychogeriatric wards in either the UK or Ireland?


Nursing Student

Verifying Serial Numbers on 2 Colt Single Action Army Pistols

I have two nickle plated SAA with matching stag horn grips in a custom made two gun holster that does not have bullet holder straps (cartridge inserts). I wanted to know where I can look for information based on the serial numbers. The first one is 171371 with a loading gate number of 003. The second one is 125752 with a loading gate number of 168. thank you for your time.

chemicals

what chemicals do you find in shampoo that is harmful to your person, or the one using the shampoo, any shampoo? thank you kindly for your answer.

I've heard that methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone aren't too good for you. —Keenan Pepper 01:34, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
  • Anything can be bad for you given the right amount. There's also water in shampoo. Only 1 cm of water is enough for a person to drown in if they are head down and unconcious. Peanuts and thus peanut butter can be bad for you if you've got an allergy. My point is, don't be too scared just because they are "chemicals". It's quite unlikely any shampoo would be allowed on the market if it had any ill effects on its users. - Mgm|(talk) 10:18, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Actually, everything is made of chemicals. Chemistry is just a way of describing stuff around us. But it has also incorrectly come to mean synthetic (non-'natural') materials, which doesn't necessarily mean they are bad in any way (although the chances are greater). Having said that, 15 years ago I was losing hair rapidly. When I stopped using shampoo the 'fallout' stopped after about a month and I now still have most of the hair I had then. DirkvdM 15:01, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Serialized RPG story

Approximately 8 or 9 years ago, I read a serialized story that someone wrote based on their experiences with a role playing campaign they ran. As I recollect, there were hundreds of episodes, and I believe it had quite a following. Is this ringing a bell for someone? Hipocrite - «Talk» 17:57, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Answering my own question [5] The Adventurers - I got the timeframe right on the nose. Hipocrite - «Talk» 18:01, 9 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 10

Mymonides

Who is Mymonides? I get nothing when I search Wikipedia and only a couple hits from Google which don't tell me much. Is it misspelled?

Try Maimonides. alteripse 00:45, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply


Tin or aluminium cans Corned beef without plastic inner lining

How long is a Tin or aluminium can of beef eatable after production ? What are the storage Limits in Celcius, both Minimum and Maximum temp-C and if so ehat is the danger temp - C for storage that produces fast rotting or decay ? Is canned beef 100 % free from irregulair parts (non animal)

As long as the tine remains unopened, a long time. I have a tin here I bought a few weeks ago with a 'use by' date of February 2009. Tinned food is hermetically sealed. No air = no rotting. I would imagine that the long-term storage lower limit would be 0°C, as a frozen can would split (due to corned beef containing water). Cooked meat should not be re-frozen, so I would advise against eating the corned beaf once it had defrosted. Proto t c 15:34, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Also note that lack of free oxygen prevents oxidation, including that of tin or aluminum. However, once the can is opened, the food should be removed from the can and stored in another container, otherwise it may take on a metallic taste as the oxygen in the air begins to oxidize the metal and this oxide "rubs off" on the food. If a plastic liner is used in the can, this problem won't happen. StuRat 18:23, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
On television a few years ago, Ray Mears and his guest (someone who was in the jungle during the Vietnam war) shared a tin of Pemmican, unopened since it was issued for rations in 1960-something... Ojw 21:45, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

surrogae mothering

hi. I'm a student at saydel high school and i'm trying to find opinions on whether surrogate mothering should be allowed in the united states or anywhere else in the world?

thank you for helpig me with my poject.

ericka holst

We have articles at surrogate mother and surrogacy. I'm not sure how helpful they'll be: a good deal of space is devoted to politically "correct" terminology. I'm assuming you already know that surrogate mothering is allowed in the United States and other places. - Nunh-huh 22:32, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

That is indeed a confusing term. I thought a surrogate mother was a 'post with a nipple' that one could use to feed a chimpansee (or whatever) for lack of a mother (or as an experiment - it turns out that when that baby grows up and gets a baby of its own, it lacks all maternal instincts). What would that be called then? For example when an article is going to be written about it.
The Dutch word for what is meant here is, literally translated, 'carrymother'. 'Surrogate womb' would also be a good term, although that doesn't refer to the woman as a whole and can thus come across as rather rude. DirkvdM 13:02, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

a specific information about physiotherapist's job

See Physical_therapy --Artoftransformation 08:42, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

searching for where to go to pitch a timely talk show idea

Hello! Is there anyone available to indicate where one might go to pitch a very timely talk show idea? It is educationally oriented but can be made very exciting and alluring to get the viewership...I could "guarantee" success, given what I know about what people are interested in and what they want and need to know! Please lead me in a direction to speak, discuss, network, etc., with those who can guide me in the proper way! Thank you so much! Sincerely, Dolah --71.243.165.242 19:32, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Try So you wanna pitch a TV show? --Quasipalm 22:31, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

self-harm

Can undersleeping or not sleeping be copnsidered a kind of self harm or self injury? 216.43.124.150 19:51, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Sure. Not getting enough sleep is harmful. As such, self harm is an apt way of putting it. --Quasipalm 21:32, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Different people need different amounts of sleep, which can be hard to accept for people with regular sleeping patterns. If a person is getting less sleep and this goes on for a long time, then this could cause minor harm. However, the real danger is if the person engages in hazardous activities like driving while unable to concentrate. This behavior can also seriously harm the person's career, studies and relationships. Although a person could choose to torment themselves by avoiding sleep, it's far more likely that they're having trouble sleeping because they're worried or excited about things going on in their lives. I believe it's more important to focus on the reasons this person might act or feel this way rather than being concerned just about the sleep. --00:31, 11 November 2005 (UTC)
Not sleeping at all can be very harmful. I believe that's mainly to do with lack of dreaming. If you don't sleep at all for a week or so that will likely result in permanent mental damage (you go nuts). Just a little bit of sleep will make a great difference, I believe. Of course it's only self injury if you do it to yourself. Sleep deprivation is a well known torturing method. In Guantanamo Bay, it seems the lights are on continuously and I'm sure that will have a debilitating effect on the prisoners. Whether this results in permanent damage, I don't know. DirkvdM 13:18, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Johnny Haynes

Try Johnny Haynes --Quasipalm 22:34, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Political questions

  • Can anarchism exist in today's economic globalisation without a return to precarity?
  • Why do free market advocates (neo-liberals) believe a truly free market can improve the state of poor countries when liberalism intrisically impoverish some at the benefit of others?

Thank you, --anon 20:48, 10 November 2005 (UTC).

Have you read Anarchism and Free market? --Quasipalm 22:37, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
The reason most likely given will be that, although a totally free market (well, totally free would be unhealthy) may cause an increased difference in income, the economy as a whole will profit and, in the end, the poor as well. So one reason might be that, although people now will suffer, their offspring will benefit. The West, for example, largely has the misery of the poor workers of the 19th century to thank for its present wealth. And since the people living today are just a small fraction of the people that will live in the future (centuries, milennia, millions of years...?) and 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few' we should really all be slaving away for the future generations. But then, that same thing applies to those next generations as well, until infinity, which defeats the argument. Try reasoning yourself out of this logic, Spock. :)
Having said that, almost all present day countries are capitalist. And that doesn't seem to help because the vast majority are poor. So that's one down for capitalism. But you're referring to globalisation. And breaking down international trade barriers like protectionism should help poor countries. If they produce more cheaply then they will attract more industry, which should boost their economy. How that wealth gets divided internally is a different matter. As you may have guessed, I'm in favour of global capitalism and local (mild) socialism.
Anarchism? Well, what about the Internet in general and Wikipedia in particular? It's totally global and non-commercial. Of course, the non-commercial bit means that poor countries can't make money out of it. But if everyone would have unlimited instant access to this modern day Alexandria then that would constitute the greatest spread in knowledge in the history of mankind. And knowledge is at the very basis of industrialisation and wealth. So anarchism actually does exist in modern globalisation (though not economic globalisation) (and you're taking part in it right now) and in the long run it may help create more richess where it is most needed. We're living Utopia! :) DirkvdM 13:46, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Jew Tassels

I work with an orthodox Jew. He wears these white tassels on both sides of his pants. What are they called? (My guess is not Jew Tassels.) Why do orthodox Jews all dress the same? --Quasipalm 21:33, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Those are called tzitzit, I believe. [6] has some more about Orthodox (specifically Hasidic) Jewish clothing. —Charles P. (Mirv) 21:42, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Many orthodox Jews wear the tallit katan all day - please see the article for more information. Rhobite 21:53, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Thanks for the tips! It can be hard to find something when you have no idea what it's called... --Quasipalm 22:27, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
I don't mean to be rude/blunt/etc. but why not ask him? He may appreciate someone asking for information about his culture/heritage. Dismas|(talk) 22:40, 10 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Incidentally, you might want to note that the use of the word Jew as an adjective is generally considered offensive. You should say Jewish.
Not all Orthodox Jews dress the same. "Modern Orthodox" Jews dress like everyone else, except that men will generally keep their head covered (with a hat or yarmulke), and women will generally wear long dresses and often wigs. -- Mwalcoff 00:12, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Great questions. In very general terms, the reasons for "why" some Jews wear those similar-looking outfits are much the same as those for why a police officer dons a uniform before going out on patrol. The "uniform" announces the wearer's personal allegiance to world, yet also makes them mindful of their idealogical duties and treatment of other people. The outfit is deliberately plain, modest and undifferentiated to emphasize the person's commitment to religious responsibility rather than fleeting worldly concerns such as fashions, passions and social status. Not all Jews wear an outfit as specific as that of the Hasidim, but the themes I described are often translated into modern equivalents. --24.20.130.253 01:19, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 11

Ivy League

Ivy League article states the following:

"All of the Ivy League institutions share some general characteristics: They are among the most prestigious and selective schools in the U.S. They represent seven of the nine colonial colleges founded before the American revolution (the two remaining being the public universities Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and The College of William and Mary);..."

Shouldn't this state the "three remaining being...", since three are listed?

That's two, not three. Rutgers is The State University of New Jersey. So either [1] "The College of William and Mary, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey" or [2] Rutgers University, and The College of William and Mary would be clearer. An unexpected complication of universities adding advertising slogans to their names and monarchs ruling jointly. Since we have wikimarkup, we can form the links in such a way as to make the sentence clearer than mere punctuation would. ("All of the Ivy League institutions share some general characteristics: They are among the most prestigious and selective schools in the U.S. They represent seven of the nine colonial colleges founded before the American revolution (the two remaining being the public universities The College of William and Mary and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)." - Nunh-huh 02:04, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Who was Stuart of Stuart's Law of Retroaction?

On the help desk mailing list, Fritz Gheen asked Who is the referenced "Stuart" in "Stuart's Law of Retroaction" (easier to ask permission than forgiveness)?

Thank you, Fritz

I checked and we do not have an article. A Google search was indefinitive but appeared to suggest that it originally came from a Slashdot post see [7]. As I advised Fritz, I am posting it here.

Thanks for any advice that you provide. Capitalistroadster 02:21, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

The phrase certainly predates Slashdot. When I first encountered it it was called the 'Jesuit Principle of Management'. It may have been a Slashdot post that first applied the name 'Stuart's Law' to it. DJ Clayworth 17:31, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

International business environment

What is meant by international economic groupings? Elaborate it.

What is meant by do your own homework? Elaborate it. —Charles P. (Mirv) 06:21, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Searching for a name of a Japanese themed video game of the late 80's

Hello I am searching for the name of a videogame which has as a protagonist a Japanese character, using playing cards as weapons. The game was presented in a top-to-bottom scrolling playfield. Any help with this question will be greatly appreciated. 66.50.62.96 03:16, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Except for the character being Japanese, the protagonist sounds like Gambit from the X-men. Are you sure you remember this correctly? Dismas|(talk) 14:31, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Thank you for your response. The videogame was released on the arcades around 1986-87 and it had completely Japanese characters(demons, oni etc.). I've ruled out Gambit as the main character in this game. Again many thanks for your suggestion 65.23.251.165 01:14, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Why not try asking at a more specific game-related site? Questions like this often come up on the Home of the Underdogs forum, here; post in "The Gamer's Corner." You'll probably find more people knowledgeable about obscure old games there. --Aquillion 02:10, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
That sounds an awful lot to me like Pocky & Rocky (as it was called in the US/UK) or Kiki Kaikai (to give it's Japanese name) --Noodhoog 02:59, 15 November 2005 (UTC) (edited to remove "IP" login, and replace with my proper one after realising I hadn't logged in. oops!)Reply

Foreign add-ons on the end of names of cities/countries

Why do so many central Asian countries have the word "stan" on the end of their names? (Pakistan, Kazhakstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) and what does it mean? Also, why do many Northern European cities have the phrases "stadt" or "holm" on the end of their names, and what to they mean?

-stan, in country names, is simply Persian for land: Afghan Land, Kazakh Land, etc. Stadt is German for city; holm I'm not sure about, but I think it's Swedish for small island. —Charles P. (Mirv) 06:24, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Thanks.
Do note, however, that Pakistan does not mean "Land of the Paks" — this name is actually an acronym, if I recall correctly. File:Austria flag large.png ナイトスタリオン 09:12, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
According to our List of country name etymologies:
PAKISTAN. The Cambridge student and Muslim nationalist Choudhary Rahmat Ali coined this name. He devised the word and first published it on 28 January 1933 in the pamphlet "Now or Never". He made the name an acronym of the different states/homelands/regions, which broke down into: P=Punjab, A=Afghania (Ali's preferred name for the North West Frontier Province), K=Kashmir, S=Sindh and the suffix -stan from BalochiSTAN, thus forming "Pakstan". An "i"-sound later intruded to ease pronunciation, producing "Pakistan". Rahmat Ali later expanded upon this in his 1947 book Pakistan: the Fatherland of the Pak Nation. In that book he explains the acronym as follows: P=Punjab, A=Afghania, K=Kashmir, I=Iran, S=Sindh, T=Turkharistan (roughly the modern central Asian states), A=Afghanistan and N=BalochistaN. Another shade of meaning is added with the Persian word پاک Pāk, which means "pure"; the full name therefore meaning "land of the pure". Use of the name gradually became widespread during the campaign for the setting up of a Muslim state in what was then British India. Note too the Persian suffix -stan meaning "land".
The land-of-the-pure double meaning is rather clever. On the original question, "holm" may mean island, but in the sense of "small hill in marsh or valley" as well as "place at sea", so you get a few "-holm"s scattered in swampy areas. If you can find a dictionary of place-names, these often have a few pages at the back listing the meanings of the most common prefixes and suffixes. Shimgray | talk | 12:21, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
This would be an idea for an article; etymology of placenames maybe? That could include suffixes, but also the origin of much used specific names, such as 'Woodstock' (finding the place where the festival was held drove me nuts - the US is full of Woodstocks). I suppose that means a place where chopped down trees were stored. And then there are placenames that have changed, such as New York (New Amsterdam) and St Petersbug (St Petersburg - Petrograd - Leningrad - St Petersburg again). So here we have three more suffixes: -dam, -burg and -grad. Some others are -gorod, -ia, -nesia, -polis, -dal, -sund, -ford, -tricht/trecht. -ton, -mouth, -shire. And that's just from a quick glance through my atlas. Do any such articles already exist? (Before I continue a pointless research) DirkvdM 15:20, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Woodstock was named for Woodstock in Oxfordshire, which was originally Old English wudu (wood, forest) + stoc (place, outlying farmstead or hamlet, secondary settlement) - so "settlement in woodland". New York, incidentally, wasn't named for York the city but for York the person - the Duke of York, later James VII/II. (York dates back two millenia as a name - it's pre-Roman, latinised as Eboraceum, and originally meant "yew-tree estate" in Celtic)
For a collection of articles, see Placename etymology, though be wary that anything involving etymology tends to breed slightly flaky original research. Shimgray | talk | 19:14, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Shimgray seems to have found the right article for this content. Unfortunately the article distributes entomology based on modern-day countries and I don't see where supranational suffixes would fit into the current structure. For what it's worth, here are some more suffixes:

  • Based on native words indicating a settlement or territory. -bad: Islambad. -grad: Novi Grad. -grade: Belgrade. -grod: Grodzisk. -gorod: Novgorod. -pol: Stavropol. -krai-: Kraina. -kray: Krasnodar Kray.
  • Based on native adjectives. -ski(y(e)): Chernyayevskiy. -skaya: Kargalinskaya. -skoy(e): Nagutskoye. -naya: Gornaya.
  • Based on native words for hills. -gor: Krasnogor. -gorsk: Magnitogorsk. Gór-: Górna.
  • Based on common last-name suffixes. -ov: Saratov. -ów: Leśników.
  • Other commonly used place name suffixes. -o: Stalino. -an: Yerevan. -ka, e.g. Głowacka. -sk: Chelyabinsk, Minsk.

--24.20.130.253 19:32, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Hmmm, I don't see much on the study of insects in that article. :) But jokes aside, this might become a separate section there. And I suspect it might even grow big enough to become a separate article. But let's start here. I'll move these suggestions to the talk page there, see if any more people pick it up. DirkvdM 09:57, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
DirkvdM -- Good call, that Talk page seems to be the right place for further discussion. Thanks for moving the text over. Sorry about the insects. :) --24.20.130.253 18:10, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

rights issue

What is rights issue

construction

hi, i am having difficulty locating information on construction techniques from 1850 to present day. specifically related to floor construction and materials. could you please help. thankyou. jo-ann harrison, architectural student.

You can look in McMansion as a starter. Try floor, Craftsman, tile, plywood, linoleum, brick, concrete, I-beam, vinyl etc. You get the idea. --Ancheta Wis 10:04, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

"House Contruction Details". Burbank, N. and Romney A., 7th Ed. --69.181.232.116 11:20, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

UK TV Listings for August 1989

I'm trying to find tv listings for August 1989, in particular I believe that "The Godfather" was aired on UK TV that month, and am trying to find out which date and which channel. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help Michael

1901 Battersea Park Road

I'm trying to find out if Battersea Park Road was originally named just Park Road. Tracing some family history I have ancestors living in Park Road in the Municipal Borough of Battersea and the Ecclestical Parish of St Mary. St Mary's Church still stands and is in Battersea and near the Park, no other Park Road seems to exist in 1901 or now so I'm wondering if the Road name changed to Battersea Park Road in later years. If anyone can shed any light on this I would be most grateful.

  • Looking at area using http://www.old-maps.co.uk , an 1880s map shows what is now called Battersea Park Road was then called "Lower Wandsworth Road" at that time. Of course it's possible its name changed several times. However, there's a road near the north-west corner of the park marked as "Park Road" between Battersea Bridge Road and the (now) Albert Bridge Road. It's called "Parkgate Road" on modern maps. Hope that helps. --Bob Mellish 15:43, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
  • [8] is a good source for old maps of London. CalJW 09:23, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

WWI Veterans

11/11/05 Is there any specific information on veterans KIA or MIA from WWI? and if so where would I began to look? Thanks

It really depends. What specific information are you after, and for what country and service? For basic information about Commonwealth troops, try the CWGC Shimgray | talk | 14:15, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

the national guard of italy

what is the equalvilent of the national guard in italy.

See Military of Italy --Artoftransformation 08:19, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

athletics

I would like to know male & female current record holders of running in their category( From 100m - marathon).

e-mail address

hi An important person gave me his yahoo email address when he left for his country & i lost it. I can't reach her with any means except by this yahoo email address. How can i get this address? My friend's name is Fiory negash & his residence is in Eritrea, East Africa.

I did a search on people.yahoo.com for just the last name, and it came up with these results. But when I put either the first name in, or just the initial, there were no results. Are you sure you have the spelling correct? Akamad 19:38, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
That's a neat utility. I might try to use it to find people named 'Schunck' who might contribute to the Schunck article. But isn't there a similar utility that isn't limited to Yahoo? Also, would this be ethical, sending a bunch of emails to people just because of their last name? DirkvdM 10:05, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
That could possibly classify as spam. I certainly would get annoyed. It's an interesting idea though. Akamad 03:19, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Well I wouldn't call it spam, because it's not commercial. But, come to think of it, couldn't spammers easily use such a facility to find valid email addresses? I thought that people could in principle only get my email address through me (or other people who have (indirectly) obtained my email address through me). This worries me a bit. If only Yahoo does this then there should be a warning outm although on the other hand it is a useful service.
Anyway, when I search for 'Schunck' at Yahoo, the Wikipedia article is the first hit. And when I Google 'Schunck' it's the 6th main hit after the commercial ones at the top (a nuisance that has grown in the last few weeks and even days - is Google going down the drain?). So when those people are interrested they'll probably find it anyway. So I won't send the emails. DirkvdM 09:02, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
You probably have to give permission for your email to be listed on that site. Akamad 23:12, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Need help finding a quote

I have been searching for a quote and can't find it. I thought it was by Thomas Jefferson, but don't see it listed anywhere under his quotes.

The quote was basically in my words that - "the greatest threat to our American liberty is if we become willing to give up freedom for security."

Does anyone know the correct quote and by whom.

Thank you, Dawn Marie Caruthers email removed

Amniotic Fluid

I would like to know if possible, from you, what happens when a baby swallows amniotic fluid at birth...can it cause a child to have difficulties with normal growth patterns,such as delayed speech, delayed walking,and learning disabilities ? Thank you for any info you can give me. Pat Tillman

Babies swallow amniotic fluid during intrauterine life before birth. The only problem at delivery comes if during the labor the baby has pooped meconium into the amniotic fluid and then inhales ("aspirates") some of it into the lungs with the first breaths after delivery. Swallowing more of it would cause no trouble. alteripse 21:17, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

How can I contact the Blackfoot tribe/cheif for advocate work?

Hi Iam new here, my name is irisdancinghorse aka iris5441. Iam doing studies on tribes and want to contact a tribunal leader, or a affliate of the Blackfoot tribe? I've tried doing searches and have had no luck. anyone know if theres a way to contact them personally via email, and write them? I would greatly appreciate any input on this:) ty iris

Hi, I suggest to look in article about this tribe and related articles for external links. -- Xil - talk 23:47, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
If you are referring to the Blackfeet nation of the northwest plains, see Blackfeet Nation. That page contains contact information for the tribe. Note that there are other tribes referring to themselves as Blackfeet. Do you know which Blackfeet you are referring to? --Kainaw (talk) 02:07, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Here is another one http://www.blackfoot.org/ I think it wasn`t in any external link, however I still suggest to look in articles - there was some message board in one of those links that also could help -- Xil - talk 23:33, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

sulfaric acid in jfk`s casket

according to a website i logged onto sulfaric acid was poured into jfk`s casket is there any truth to this.

And which website would that be? --hydnjo talk 04:52, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

There might be seawater in JFKs casket: [9]

"Two weeks after that conversation, documents show that the coffin, loaded with sandbags and riddled with holes, was taken from the basement of the National Archives building in downtown Washington and dumped from an Air Force C-130 into the Atlantic Ocean at 10 a.m. on February 18, 1966."

[10]

"On June 1, 1999, the National Archives released this fascinating set of documents relating to the "sea burial" of the ceremonial casket used to transport President Kennedy's body from Dallas to Washington on the afternoon of November 22, 1963. The casket was dropped into 9000 feet of water off the coast of Maryland from a military helicopter in early 1966."

Id start here. [11]

Your still going to have to wait 35 years to see the national archives opened.

--Artoftransformation 08:36, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

comperative anatomy of birds

what is the diference between chicken and pigeon urogenital anatomy?

Pigeon: Large, paired, irregularly lobed kidneys. Ureter opens into cloaca. Male-- Paired testes in upper abdomen. Ductus deferens empty into cloaca. Female-- Right ovary and oviduct become vestigial. Oviduct secretes hormones over eggs. [12] Chicken: The kidney in the chicken is multilobulated with no separation into cortex and medulla. The collecting tubules empty into the ureters which empty directly into the cloaca, a common vestibule into which the digestive and reproductive tracts also empty. No bladder is present. The kidney has a renal portal circulation as described previously. Uric acid is the main nitrogenous waste product excreted in birds. Urine of birds is usually cream coloured and viscous but under certain conditions it may be thin and watery. It is voided at the same time as the faeces and diuresis may give so-called wet droppings. [13]

They seem quite similar (it would be nice to know if the right ovary in chickens becomes vestigial like that of the pigeon, though). To find out, and find differences, you may need to consult a textbook. - Nunh-huh 23:15, 11 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 12

hping2 and the ymas flag

I was using hping2 and found in it's help a listing for the ymas flag. I know what the xmas flag is (urg+fin+push), but none of my friends (or even google) know what the ymas (apparently "bogus flag 0x80") really is.

-Y  --ymas       set Y unused flag (0x80)

Thanks -- KneeLess 05:50, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

allen iverson and his so-called injuries

I saw a commercial which shows allen iverson sitting on a metal counter(i think). then it highlighted allen's bodyparts in a robot-lookin analyzing way. And when it highlighted all of his parts some commentater said "he's a warrior". Then allen was walking straight to the camera saying(without moving his mouth) "time to go to work"? i'm just wonderin if thats even true about those injuries he had. if thats true, how did he get them?

  • Iverson has had quite a few injuries according to this page on the NBA web site. A USA Today article cited Iverson as No. 2 among the "10 toughest athletes" for playing through many of his injuries. Iverson is relatively small for an NBA player (6'0", 165 pounds), and the USA Today article says "his hellbent style often leaves him battered and bruised." --Metropolitan90 05:36, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
  • DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON T.V. Professional sports are filled with few whiners.

Florida statistic

List Florida cities/towns established by date chronologically65.32.234.82 06:30, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply


Wiki on CD

Dear Sir

Is it possible to get a CD copy of your Wikipedia? If so, what is the procedure to completet?

Best regards

Engr. Abdul Momen Khan

Not yet, but there are ways to download the database (which you could then render in HTML and burn, or use it in conjunction with Mediawiki on your computer - at least I think so). Some places to look are Wikipedia:Forking FAQ. You will find people who can tell you more at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). - Nunh-huh 08:48, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

How big would that be? I believe there are a few hundred thousand pictures on Wikipedia and if they are 100 kB on average that would mean tens of GB for the pics alone. Or would such a cd/dvd only have the images in the size used in the article? DirkvdM 10:15, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
All the information you need is under Wikipedia:Database download - yes, you can download the database, but it won't be in a very "presentable" form. The June 2005 dump (as to give you an idea) was apparently 17GB. There is also a group of users working on Wikipedia 1.0, a version of Wikipedia suitable for release on eg CD or DVD. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 10:41, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Or twenty-five CDs, as the case may be. It'd probably be a bit smaller if they compressed it somehow and removed all the fairuse images, though. --Aquillion 01:49, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
if im not mistaken this was already done once for the german wikipedia, it was just one dvd i think, but not totally sure. Boneyard 15:21, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Who was modelled on the Michelin Man?

Brian Wightman of London has asked the following question on our Help Desk mailing list:

Hi! I wonder if you can help us answer a quiz question. "who was modelled on the Michelin Man?" It seems unclear whether Bertie basset was or not and then there's the Kandy Man,the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the Pillsbury dough boy. The answer needs to be or represent something well known in British homes,maybe not now but was common in many homes way back in the twentieth century. Hope you can help us, Kind Regards Brian Wightman London N3

Thanks for any help you can give. Capitalistroadster 10:36, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Isn't the question the wong way around? In which the answer would be the Michelin Man was modelled after a stack of tyres. But that's too easy an answer so I suppose you got the question the right way around. DirkvdM 09:13, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Elected Officials 1954

I need a list of elected officials who served in House & Senate during the year 1954. I am using this for a research project. Thanks!

I assume you mean the US House and Senate, if so, the US Senate website has this search feature. Just search for 1954 in the "Year OR Congress" field. It shows the results for both Senate and House. Akamad 03:30, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

cannibalism

Do donner kebabs get their name in any way from the Donner Party? Yeah, the article says its from Turkish, but I know reckon that donner kebabs are actually made up of human meat. --Dangherous 13:55, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

No, but if you knew what they are made of, you'd wish it was human meat. To quote Mayor Quimby "I'm outraged! You promised me dog or higher." -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:15, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
If that was true, there would have to be slaughter on a truely ghastly scale to fill all the kebab takeaways in most cities. To quote Krusty the Clown "The animal we made the Ribwich from is extinct." "What! The cow?!" "Think smaller, and with more legs..." smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 22:48, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Alright, I'll be the one to point this out then (just in case some readers start to wonder). It's döner kebab. And it's from Turkey or thereabouts and predates the Donner party. Sorry about being such a spoilsports. :) DirkvdM 09:20, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Blank maps

Random question: Where can I get or generate a blank world map, preferably as a single high-resolution image file? I'm wanting something that can be printed at about 16" by 20" and still look reasonably good - for preference, a simple outline or block-colour map, rather than a full colour "atlas" style one. (It's for the background of a smallish wall poster) Shimgray | talk | 15:43, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Look at commons:category:World maps, and Wikipedia:WikiProject Maps/World.-gadfium 18:10, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Try the National Geographic Atlas and select the PDF. The nice thing about these vector maps is that you can enlarge them much as you want without them getting blurry/pixelated. --24.20.130.253 18:35, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
I eventually dredged up one from Commons - Image:World map blank black lines 4500px monochrome.png - and resized the image to a much higher-resolution but physically smaller map. Lines are pretty heavy, which isn't the best option, but it'll do... I'll try printing out a draft soon and see what it looks like. Thanks all. Shimgray | talk | 21:48, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply


who desinged it

who desinged radio city music hall.

Radio City Music Hall says Donald Deskey.--Commander Keane 17:36, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply


Wikipedia

I am currently making a website for my school that lets students upload files. however i want them to be able to edit the files, like on wikipedia. Is there any way someone can tell me the program that wikipedia uses to let anyone edit everypage? can you please email it to [email removed].

Rex

There is a list of wiki software packages at List of wiki software. Wikipedia uses MediaWiki, which has a number of features related to performance and scale you might not need. In particular, it uses an actual database to store the articles rather than a simple file system based approach. Most wikis are open source and can be freely downloaded. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:40, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Now that you've got a good answer to that, may I suggest you (also) let your pupils work on Wikipedia as an assignment, starting, contributing to and possibly even correcting articles? That way they'll get much more satisfaction from their 'homework' because they're doming something useful. And another advantage of course is that they'll indeed be doing something useful for humanity. And since many kids seem to have a tendency to vandalise Wikipedia, this could be a way to divert that energy in a positive direction. Which would make us happier - and thus the world as a whole because that's what we are. It might just mean more work for you, but, hey, it's for a good cause. :) DirkvdM 09:35, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
If they are not contributing to existing articles, please be sure they don't create duplicate topics that will have to be merged. That seems to be the most serious issue with influxes of organized editing(as an assignment or as a group). Superm401 | Talk 09:40, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
There is some relevant information at Wikipedia:Schools' FAQ. --hydnjo talk 14:40, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

i forgot my credit card number

i just went on amazon.com to order something but i forgot my credit card and i can`t find my credit card can i go to the company website if not can i go to another website to see what it is.

Luckily no. Fraud. Don't you have your actual credit card? The number is on there. -- Ec5618 21:52, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
If you've lost your credit card, you should call your credit card company to issue a replacement. In the meantime, you could try phishing. ᓛᖁ 21:58, 12 November 2005 (UTC) ( OMG!, Good Answer! )Reply
It will be on your credit card statements, however you will still need your expiry date and security number. If you have lost your card you should cancel it immediately and get another in case it has been stolen. If you use the Google toolbar you can store your credit card information for the purpose of automatically filling out online forms. You will still need a password to access this information. Shantavira 14:33, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Why don't I lend you my credit card number? It's 6022 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0.

Halo 2

Question, at the begining of Halo 2, they show an explosion (with fire) of Halo in outer space. How is there fire in a place with no oxygen?

there could be liquid oxygen stored inside of the ship and there is obviously some oxygen because the people in the ship could breathe. But setting aside those things, there couldn't actually be a fire. Broken S 23:53, 12 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
The answer I always use is... You are absolutely correct. There is absolutely no way that there can be a fire in space. All that garbage about stars burning is space must be some sort of space alien propoganda. Thanks for pointing out this obvious error in (fill in the fire in space example here).
Then, I wait for someone to tell me to stop being a smartass. --Kainaw (talk) 18:43, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
That answer suggests that you believe that stars produce energy by combustion - that is, by oxidation of fuel rather than by thermonuclear fusion. Which is probably not something you want to advertise<g>. - Nunh-huh 08:17, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 13

What is a Certificate of Equity?

My grandmother was recently placed in a home and while going through her stuff we found a box with dozens of Certificates of Equity from the 1970's. What are they and could they be worth anything?

It's some sort of investment. We would need to know details. Could you post the full text of one of the certificates with your grandmother's name removed? Superm401 | Talk 09:41, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Does air pollution affect the soil; it's acidity?

while i was doing my science homework...i know it sounds stupid...but i came up with this question..and i don't know...i guess i'm just curious...♥Hot F.L.I.P.

Yes, it does. Think about the rain - it dissolves whatever is in the air and brings it straight to the ground... --HappyCamper 00:35, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
See Acid rain: "The resulting increased acidity in soil and waterways has proven to be harmful to fish and vegetation." Also check out this photo of an old statue from David's Roman Holiday photos. All the brown, nasty stuff is air pollution that's been deposited onto the white marble and etched away some of it's surface.

Does anyone read Amaraic script ?

I have a friend who has a scroll which seems to be written in Amaraic which I believe is a descendant of Phoenician language which disappeared about 1000 BC.. It was used later by Hebrew scribes to document ancient Jewish canons and common laws I think.

I have a picture of the scroll.. and will forward it to anyone who emails me at [email address deleted; see page history] ... subj REQUEST SCROLL JPG its really interesting.. I have never seen anything like it anywhere.. It could be several thousand years old. No one seems to have any idea of what language it was written in, nor what it might say, or where it came from, nor who used it or for what reason ?

regards. Bill Griffin Cumming, GA

According to our article on the Aramaic language, it is spoken by around half a million people today, scattered all over the place. It's certainly not dead - indeed, it only really dates from about 1000 BC! I doubt the scroll is several thousand years old for pragmatic reasons - original documents dating back more than a thousand years are exceptionally rare - and if I was able to hold it I'd be able to give you a first guess as to age... but obviously that's not a useful option here.
What does the alphabet look like? Does it look like Hebrew, like Syriac, or Mandaic? This may give us a first guess as to what it contains... Shimgray | talk | 02:12, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
As shimgray is implying, there are a number of things which have been called Aramaic. If you take it to some bible scholars (academic or clergy) who are particularly learned in Semitic languages, they should be able to have a go. If it is close to Hebrew script, though, any rabbi should be able to get by on reading it, although some of the vocabulary and syntactic forms may be unfamiliar. jnothman talk 09:31, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Actually you could compare it to the dead sea scrolls, which have been scanned and displayed in a library in San Diego, CA. and at the library of congress. The number of different compositions represented is almost one thousand, and they are written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. --Artoftransformation 17:48, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

[14]

Yes, but there are also multiple scripts used in the Dead Sea Scrolls, just for Hebrew, so I assume also multiple scripts for other languages. jnothman talk 10:41, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

About Hurricanes & Hurricane Katrina

I want to know about -

  1. )A Hurricane
  2. )How does it form
  3. )Why is the same called a Typhoon,Cyclone
  4. )Course of Hurricane Katrina.
  5. )Economic loses caused by Hurricane Katrina in the US.
  6. )The damage cost.
  7. )Coastal Damage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.2.68.41 (talkcontribs)
See Hurricane. -- Ec5618 11:34, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Jesucristo Lizard

Is there such a thing as a Jesucristo lizard, I thought I read about one once and can't seem to find anything on it.

Possibly the Common Basilisk, also known as the "Jesus Christ" lizard.--Commander Keane 17:35, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
I thought that it might be kind of large (JESUCHRISTO!) but alas. Its pretty:

[15] "Bazilisk (Jesus Christ Lizard, Basiliscus, basiliscus, Lagartija Jesucristo), Costa Rica, Central America " --Artoftransformation 17:39, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

I have seen a small 'Gecko' type lizard with wide webbed feet that let it run across water, and that was refered to a Jesus Christ lizard. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 22:30, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Did you get his picture? --Artoftransformation 09:01, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
There's an article at Brown basilisk. DJ Clayworth 19:28, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Lost E-mail Address

hi An important person gave me his yahoo email address when he left for his country & i lost it. I can't reach her with any means except by this yahoo email address. How can i get this address? My friend's name is Fiori( I just corrected the spelling) negash & her residence is in Eritrea, East Africa. I also need the email Address of Senait Zereay or Sesen Zereay also from Eritrea. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.200.102.38 (talkcontribs)

You aksed this earlier this week. It's up above on this page: here. I'll give you a few hours to read this, and then will delete this repeated question.--Commander Keane 17:46, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

When you do that, Commander, perhaps you could get this one as well. TheMadBaron 22:02, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Well, there is the difference that the name was misspelled the first time. But I don't see how that makes a real difference. DirkvdM 08:05, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
I just spoke with my friend from Erithrea, East Africa. He said for things things:
  1. A majority of internet access there is throuh internet cafes. You might email some of those, and post a reward.
  2. Almost everyone there is in the Capitol, if they are not, it is very unlikely that you will be able to reach them. Do you know anyone else there?
  3. Altough there is a couple of million people, it should not be hard to find someone.
  4. If this person has been conscripted into national service, then you will NOT be able to reach them.

GTA Vice City

Where is the streatch limo in vice city? I have been looking for it forever. Someone help me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ztocchi (talkcontribs)

Apparently, you get it as part of a quest as given to you by 'love fist, see Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
There is also a 'Love Fist Limo.' Take it to a garage during one of the Love Fist missions. There arelinks at the end of the GTA:VC article that have game hints in them. --Artoftransformation 09:10, 14 November 2005 (UTC) 20:45, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Info on Vanna White circa 1987

I've been having a bit of a hard time finding some info about Vanna White. Specifically about the media reports and possible lawsuit (from what I recall) that surrounded her appearance in Playboy magazine. I had thought that she sued the magazine at the time the pictures came out but I can't find anything with various Google searches. Since it was 1987 I thought that maybe there is a bunch of stuff that's not online as newspapers and such may not have had their articles on the web then so I might have to go to one of those library things.  :-) So, any ideas where to look on the net or searches to use that would help me out? Dismas|(talk) 21:41, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

I know she sued (and won) Samsung for using a robot Vanna White in their ads. --Kainaw (talk) 23:15, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

the ten greatest films about wars and empires

what are the ten greatest movies about a war or an empire what country are the directors of those films from and what country does that particular film take place and just in case your wondering iam not doing my homework. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.161.135.80 (talkcontribs)

Well: Star Wars Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back is about wars and empires! Seriously though, I don't think there's a set list of '10 Greatest'. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 22:27, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Ben-Hur and Spartacus immediately come to mind. Probably two of the greatest epics ever made. The latter is by the fabulous Stanley Kubrick, who was an American, but made most of his films in the UK. William Wyler was the director of Ben-Hur (1959).

Any famous people borned from a raped mother?

I think I remember knowing a foums person who's mother was raped and born from that incident. Not sure if thats just my imagination, so has there been anyone famous person born in this manner? --Ice_Jedi5 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ice Jedi5 (talkcontribs)

Sandra Reaves-Phillips, a famous blues singer, claims to have been born out of rape. --Kainaw (talk) 23:26, 13 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
In most societies this is something that would never be mentioned, including by the mother to the child, but there must have been some. CalJW 09:25, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 14

What is the vegetation of Winnipeg

See Winnipeg --Artoftransformation 09:13, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

WWII Flying Tigers

In Oceanside California there's a man named Frank Bravo who says he's, at 90 years old, a former member of the WWII Flying Tigers. Does anyone have any information on him? --209.247.222.89 04:11, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Spitfire MKV

How many connon rounds did the SpitfireMKV carry?

It depends which version you are referring to; the following table is from Supermarine Spitfire:

Supermarine Spitfire
Mk.Ia Mk.Vb Mk.IXe Mk.XIVe
Armament
  • 2x 20 mm Hispano HS.404 cannons, 280 rounds/gun
  • 2x .50 inch (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns, 500 rounds/gun
  • 2x 250 lb (113 kg) or 1x 500 lb (230 kg) bombs

Hope this helps. Brisvegas 11:02, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

how to select a real system of chair

information about chairs

  1. .How to select a real system of chairs?

Play a song, with one less chair... Actually, I have no idea what your question means: See Chair ( Excellent article )

  1. .what are the forces acting on chairs?
Gravity holds them down.
They form a support for weight, similar to that of Arches, Bridges and tables. They spread the force of the weight on their feet, while supporting the weight from lateral (Horizontal movement). --Artoftransformation 10:15, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

World soccer question

Can anyone tell me when the quickest own goal was scored by a debutant in a soccer match?

I am following Wycombe Wanderers who are in League Two of the English Football League. On Saturday, Richard Keogh made his debut and scored in his own net after 36 minutes.

I am told this is by no means the quickest and that Steve Bruce of Norwich City achieved the feat much quicker.

Can anyone help?

Steve from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.


sheffield united

by ratio wins to losers I'd like to know who is Sheffield United most successfull managers a list in order would be nice

Jimmy Aubrey

Hi,

Would it be possible to tell me who is the estate for Jimmy Aubrey?

Would it be possible for you to be a little clearer about what your question is? Cheers 01:29, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

Tree Felling politicians

Hello, William Ewart Gladstone was well known for felling oak trees as a hobby. I heard a while ago that Donald Rumsfeld also enjoys this hobby (although using a chainsaw) as does another neo-con politician. I can't remember who the other politician is, does anyone know? or does anyone know of any other politicians or famous people who enjoyed felling trees as a pastime, rather than as an occupation? Thanks. AllanHainey 12:43, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

George Washington? :-) DJ Clayworth 19:25, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

headlights on automobiles

Will you please tell me - when the light switch was moved from the floor of an automobile to the steering column. Thank you.

It would depend on the car. Many cars still do not have the light switch on the column stalk but on a dashboard switch panel. -Drdisque 17:49, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

In my experience the headlamp on/off switch was always dash mounted; the floor switch was the dimmer switch, used to change the headlights from high beams to low beams. It carried the full headlamp current, and gave way to switches integrated with the signal light stalk when relays came into play, allowing thinner wires and smaller switches. When? Hmmm. My dad's '72 Chev pickup still had a floor-mounted dimmer, but trucks were not in those days the first to get new convenience features. Sharkford 22:27, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

expiration date.

I'm trying to get a phone number for the Kirkland Signature company; as I would like to determine the expiration date for some Kirkland Signature "Balsmic Vinger" of Modena.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask; but the internet doesn't see to give their information.

If you can help me, I would appreciate it very much.


Larry Bauer 407-862-0416

Kirkland signature is a simple badge that generic products sold at Costco are placed under. I am not aware that Vinegar expires since microbes can't grow in it. -Drdisque 17:47, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

[Food Shelf Life Recommendations] states than an unopened bottle of vinegar lasts 24+ months, while an opened one lasts 12.

Funeral Photos

In the the movie "The Others" Nicole Kidman finds an album of pictures of people after death that are posed for pictures. This is a book of the dead and my understanding is the photos in the book in the movie are real. I find these photos very interesting. Is there a book or website out there that displays these?

Several books of formal funeral pictures have been published. At different times and places, it was the custom to take a formal photo after death. One of the stranger and more poignant was entitled if I remember correctly, Wisconsin Death Trip or something like that: all the photos were from old 19th century glass plates. In a bookstore I have also seen a book of death photos by a big city police and news photographer: many were crime scene or autopsy. The books are usually categorized as photography books in book stores and you could try searching the usual online used book sources. However, if you are more of a movie person and want a specific book from a specific movie, I can't help you. alteripse 18:43, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Jean Claude Van Dam

I am trying deperately to locate the origin of a movie quote. I do believe it is from a Jean Claude movie.

The scene goes something like this:

Two guys are in a bar, the villian throws a punch, the punch is 'caught' mid blow, one handed by the hero and says something to the effect of "not today."

Any help would be greatly appreciate as there is a lot riding on a wager.

I posted this on the Jean Claude Van Damme talk page, you might get some luck there. Akamad 10:21, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Judo footage/photographs

Please could you help me find footage/photographs/information/write-ups (basically anything really) on Judo championships from around the years 1964-1991? The reason i ask is that i'm trying to trace any of the above which contain information/photographs of my very good friend, Mr Alan Konderla, as a surprise. He was born in South Wales, Great Britain, in February 1951 and he stopped competing in 1991. I know he has taken part in competitions in Denmark, Sweden, North Wales, South Africa, and many other countries although when and where exactly these contests were, i have no idea. I know that SOMETHING exists with him in because both he and his mother have spoken of watching his matches on televisions in their hotels. I've trawled many internet search engines and exhausted searches on loads of television channel websites from these countries but to no avail so maybe i'm going about this the wrong way (or possibly looking in completely the wrong place!!) Therefore, if anyone can help me, or simply point me towards a more hopeful destination, i would be extremely grateful !! Many thanks, 86.135.117.146 19:54, 14 November 2005 (UTC)karenReply

Olivetti

Where is the United States Headquarters for Olivetti Corporation?

According to their website, they don't have a US headquarters. They have:
  • Italy: 800-369120
  • France: 01-49077272
  • Austria: 0810-002002
  • Germany: 01805-257574
  • Switzerland: 022-5675210
Perhaps they are in the US under a name other than just Olivetti. --Kainaw (talk) 00:47, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Generics

Why are generic brands cheaper than name brands? Why does one can of corn cost forty cents but the other sixty, I mean they're both cans of corn. This can apply to all generics materials including drugs, why does one bottle of pain reliever cost six dollars and the other just three when they both contain the same ingredients and dosage?

Often the named and generic products are made at the same factory, so you're getting exactly the same content. Why would anyone pay more? In very general terms, companies try to convince people that there's something special about their name brand product so they'll buy it even if they have to pay more. Read about branding and marketing to learn more about these tactics. --Avijja 23:29, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
  • Pharmaceuticals often have enormous research and certification costs as well. The original (branded) manufacturer needs to recoup these but the generic producers just copy the (already certified and researched) branded formula. Lisiate 23:32, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Read Oligopoly and Monopolistic competition and you might get an idea why. -Drdisque 03:32, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

evaluation of marxism, functionalism, interactionsim

i need to evaluate the follwoing subjects. marxism, functionalism and interactionism and i do not know the strenghts and weaknesses of these can you help

You're in luck! Just enter those terms into the Wikipedia search and you'll soon learn more about those subjects. You can also get some great results by entering these words into Google. Although we're glad to help, we can't do your homework assignments for you. --Avijja 23:42, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
International style (architecture) and Bauhaus were popular in the USSR, which is one reason the nazis didn't like it, so the architects (Bauhaus was German) fled to the USSR, which only strengthened the effect. Now that's the USSR, which is not the same as Marxism, but there's obviously a link. I suppose it has in part to do with both socialism/communism and modernism being about a 'brave new world'. Out with the old, in with the new. An example of the architectural international style is the Glaspaleis ('Glass palace' in the Netherlands), which was also nicknamed a 'palace for the people'. Another 'palace for the people' is the Moscow Metro, and a metro is good example of modernist efficiency (and thus functionalism). Then again, the ornamentations are very baroque and thus non-modernist and non-functional.
Don't know from interactionism. DirkvdM 09:06, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

a mordern day version of the story of dr.faust

are there any mordern versions of the story of dr.faust and by mordern day i mean based on christopher marlowes play about faust

Thomas Mann wrote Doctor Faustus in the first half of the 20th century. I am sure there are others. alteripse 23:13, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

There's a wide variety of versions both modern and not, listed at Faust. - Nunh-huh 01:33, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Cecil 'Tiny' Thompson

Can you tell me who I can contact about an error on your page relating to Tiny Thompson's birthdate? Also, where did he die?

Thank you. MEB 207.194.162.119 23:01, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

The fantastic thing about Wikipedia is that if you find an error on a page, you can fix it yourself because anyone can edit! So best thing to do would be to go to the Tiny Thompson article and click the "edit this page" link at the top of the page and change the date. But according to this site, the correct birthdate is on the article now. But either way, happy editing! Akamad 23:26, 14 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Am I Too Late?

Hello: Sir/Maa'm On October 18th I signed some documents with the Army National Guards stating that I will contract with them for 2 years reserve and 6 years active duty. My question is that since I was not told of all the facts before hand and was rushed into this whole process of signing. After becoming aware of some facts I do not agree on doing am I still liable for complying with this contract or am too late to back out?

I've talked to a friend of mine who said that he signed also the same documents with the marines, but before his time for basic training was up; he told them he did not want to do it afterwards and he never showed up to boot-camp. He said he did again one more time and end up not going to basic training and he never had any problems with his criminal record as being "Other than Honorable Discharge". He said they (the military, whatever branch is) is not suppossed to assume that you are part of their branch until you signed a second set of papers just before getting to basic training.

Is this correct? If not, could you tell me what exactly are the consequences for signing these papers the very first time and end up not going thru the whole process. See my case is the one like I believe very many have taken place before, I was attracted to the Army national guards because the recruiter told me I only was required to show up a weekend every month for drilling and that I was going to get paid about $190.00 every month for doing that and on top of that my tuition and fees were going to be paid in full for 36 months. However, I was not told that after going thru basic training you become immediately activated and can go to war(Irak) any time after. My basic training is scheduled for May the 29th. Am I still on time to back out and let them know I am not interested anymore without taking any chances of comprimising my criminal record?

I talked to the recruiter about this and he said; "if anybody is to backed out after signing those papers things like this could happen 1) that person can get arrested and put in prison 2) he/she can get a felony on his/her criminal record for failing to comply with contract 3) he/she can get a dishonorable discharge.

I did some research on the internet and found out that when someone signs the very first set of papers before basic training that person is under what they call DEP Delayed Enlistment Program and that yes anybody can back out of their agreement but the writer explains that a "Other than Honorable Discharge" could be placed in that person's record.

Who is right? that writer from the Internet or my friend? I sure do not feel obligated to comply with something I was not told with all the facts, pro's and con's.

I would appreciate if someone has an answer for this and let me know of all the things that could or could not happen in case I do not want to proceed with this.

For your help and time to in keeping people like me informed, I truly appreciate you guys!

Please review the documents that you signed. It doesn't matter how many times you sign the papers, but what's important are the words in the contracts you signed. Please speak with your recruiters, tell them you don't want to join, and that you didn't understand that you could be called up for active duty. If your recruiters aren't helpful, find out who their bosses are and talk to them. Ask your councilor at school, they may know where you can go for help. If all this fails, you might be able to find a lawyer that will help you for free. Do NOT delay, ignore this or decide not to show up for basic -- it will be too late and you might go to jail. If your recruiters didn't tell you that you might end up on active duty, then they did something very bad, and you should be able to get out of this. Good luck. --Avijja 00:01, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
This is how my DI introduced himself on my very first day of boot camp: "I am your Drill Instructor. I am your mother and father for the next three months. I don't care what your mother or father says and I especially don't care what your recruiter says. The first person who begins any sentence with 'My recruiter said...' will be spending a whole day in the pit until his mind is so numb that he doesn't remember having a recruiter. Let me make this brutally clear so that even the dumbest pile of rocks can understand. Your recruiter lied to you. It is his job to lie to you. It is my job to be honest and, honestly, I can't see more than half of you lasting more than a week." Ahh, sweet memories of Hotel California. --Kainaw (talk) 00:41, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
But they said that it was a coalition of the willing... ;) Ojw 20:42, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

It might help if you started by saying what country this is all about. DirkvdM 09:08, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Do any countries other than the US have a National Guard that is not the same as the Army? DJ Clayworth 20:35, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

November 15

Are Mount Saint Helens, Mount Hood and Mount Adams close to each other?

Have a read of the opening paragraph in a section of the Mount St. Helens article here, which plainly says how far apart they are. This paragraph can be found here. Harro5 04:45, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

names of sudama

pl inform me what are the other names of sudama friend of lord krishna

please inform me other names of sudama childhood friend of lord krisna

Typography - section break images

Is there a proper typographical term for the small images that some books use between sections of text or at the end of a chapter? -- Tarquin 08:46, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Code

Has anyone got an idea how to solve this code? I think it is supposed to be a calculation and that it is some sort of substitution based on a certain keyboard. Any tips?

^4$$_ !'#&8~~
=`^^74( 5!)
3!=8~82 =!~`67`~
9!$64 6`$28`
=`6684 6$`24
8`~ %!=4$7`-34$
9!%7 7!--!(`_
3`~84- 08=
4*`~64-8~4 -8--_
If it is a substitution cypher, it is not difficult to figure out. You just look for an obvious clue. For example, the last "word" is -8--_. How many words have the same letter three times like that? LOLLY, BOBBY, DODDY... Once you figure that out, you can replace the other letters and pick it apart. Of course, this is all based on the assumption that this is a substitution cypher. --Kainaw (talk) 15:22, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
  • Actually, the result may need to be an equation of some sort, so frequency analysis won't help a bloody bit.
Checking "lilly" for the last word, it turns out to be a list of names as follows:
 Terry 0'Quinn
 Matthew Fox
 Dominic Monaghan
 Jorge Garcia
 Maggie Grace
 Ian Somerhaler
 Josh Holloway
 Daniel Kim
 Evangeline Lilly
I have no idea what this list of names is for though. --Kainaw (talk) 18:21, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
As I said, the last word was very limited. I already thought of LOLLY, which made a lot of sense, but the O didn't look right. So, I used LILLY. That led to guessing LINE at the end of Evangeline. That pretty much solved the rest of it. --Kainaw (talk) 18:42, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Arabic books mentioned on the site

Hi, Where and how can I obtain the following books? Also, are they in Arabic script or transliterated English?

Thanks!

  • A

▪ Palestinian Rural Arabic (Abu Shusha dialect), 2nd ed.. Kimary N. Shahin, University of British Columbia. LINCOM Europa, 2000.

▪ A Practical Dictionary of the Standard Dialect Spoken in Palestine, Moin Halloun. Bethlehem University, 2000.

These books are mentioned in the article about Palestinian Arabic. The first, Palestinian Rural Arabic (ISBN 3-89586-960-0), is available via the publisher's website or try our book sources pages for other possible sources. The second, A Practical Dictionary..., seems quite hard to find, there's a German website which seems to be selling it: http://www.deuxmondes.de/vertrieb.html (Google's translation into English) and the Jerusalem Media & Communication Centre may know of a source. For the dictionary, those are the only pages that I can find that mention it that aren't wikipedia mirrors, except for a german library catalogue. Hope this helps, AJR | Talk 20:39, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Eddie Guerrero

When Ken Kennedy hit Eddie in the head with a chair on Friday Night Smackdown! did this cause the death? I know he died of a heart attack but when Kennedy hit him it might have caused something to go wrong. Has Kennedy said anything about Eddie's death? Please write as soon as possible. 216.220.231.226 16:16, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

  Urgent:

It wasn't a heart attack. It was heart failure. His heart was enlarged and worn thin by heart disease brought on by "past drug alcohol and drug abuse." There was no trauma.
How can you rationalize this as urgent? --Kainaw (talk) 20:29, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Date systems

Why does the American date system follow a MM/DD/YYYY pattern as opposed to DD/MM/YYYY. It seems counter intuitive (there is no order to it) but presumably there must be some logic behind it. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 16:55, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

It's possibly a shortening of the spoken form - "When's your birthday?" "April seventeenth"? Shimgray | talk | 16:58, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Yes but that doesn't really give any more information; the European format would be a shortening of "the seventeenth of April" but the question is, why is there a difference in order in the first place? I'm curious about this as well. —David Wahler (talk) 22:57, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Hey, it's just the way of our people! You gotta problem wit dat? alteripse 00:00, 16 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

world cup goals

When, where & between whom was the more goals scored in one game in a match of world cup?

world war 2

when did Germany attack France in world war 2?

See Battle of France. Shimgray | talk | 19:52, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

leading goal scorer in world cup

Who is the all time leading goal scorer in fifa's world cup& How many goals scored. Who scored the most goals in one game in world cup match & how many goals? I would like also to know who scored the most goals in one tournment of world cup & how many goals?

Hardware secondary storage.....

Okay this is probably a really stupid question but is hardware part of secondary storage?...See I have a project to do one hardware secondary storage but I can't find it. When I look it up it only gives me storage. Is there a link that explains hardware secondary storage in detail????

If you are talking about computer data storage, then see secondary storage. Yes, it's all hardware, but primary storage in this context is (volatile) main memory, which is also hardware.-gadfium 18:48, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
Hardware is the part of the computer that you can physically touch. Secondary storage is a kind of hardware, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM. To store information, you must use some kind of hardware. See Computer hardware for more details. --Avijja 18:58, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

taking care of mums

I was given two bushels of mums in dirt, not in pots. It is too late to plant them now. I am in Northeast Pa. Can I keep plants in basement until spring. Will they go dormant or do I need to water them once in a while? Thank you. Florence Chew

Analysis of Alicia Keys

I am a 19-year old musician myself; and Alicia is one role models. I am seeking information on the analysis of Alicia Keys song "Unbreakable" in terms of the musical elements (such as texture, tempo, dynamic, instruments, tone color, etc). Please assist me!

putting information on a computer chip

How do they enter information on a computer chip. I have studided how the chip is made but I can't find out how the numbers and letters are put on and how they are returned to me when I press certain keys on the keyboard. I know the numbers are put somewhere but where and how are they assembled into the information I'm asking for?

Roy Downing

You are looking at it the wrong way. It is a lot more complicated than "press a key and a letter appears". You need to look into ASCII codes commonly used by keyboards, input buffers which hold typed codes, and video display registers, which allow you turn pixels on and off.
Very briefly, you press a key and a code is stored in the input buffer. A program pulls the code from the input buffer and decides what to do with it. If it wants to display it on the screen, it looks up an image map for the code (usually in a font library). It then tells the display controller to draw that image map in a specific spot on the screen. The display controller converts that command to setting the pixel color of each pixel on your screen. --Kainaw (talk) 20:20, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply
You may also be interested in Programmable read-only memory, which discusses one method of programming data into a chip, though data does not directly translate to functionality. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 22:04, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Hurricane Katrina

Do you know what cities the victims of Hurricane Katrina evacuated to? And do you know approximately how many went to each city?

Unicorns and Scotland

Traditionally, the unicorn was used as a symbol for Scotland, as a corrolary to the English lion (which still crops up occasionally). This was derived from the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland - the "supporters", animals on each side of the shield, were unicorns. It's not clear when this came into use - our page suggests the twelfth century. Does anyone have any idea why unicorns, specifically? Brewer's doesn't have anything, and it's normally a good source on this sort of thing, nor do any of our various heraldic/mythology pages. Shimgray | talk | 22:03, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

Paris Street Directions Paris to Cimitiere des Chiens

A user on the Wikipedia helpdesk has posted this question.

I am looking for directions on how to get from Paris city center to the Cimitiere des Chiens . Somewhere I read to take Metro line 13, Gabriel Peri-Anieres/Genevilliers, however I can find no further directions .

Thank you very much for any help. Capitalistroadster 22:46, 15 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

the youngest person ever to be tried for crimes aganist humanity

who was the youngest person ever to be tried for crimes aganist humanity.

Stop signs

Were ordinary stop signs originally yellow? When did they change to red?

See Stop sign. --Kainaw (talk) 00:37, 16 November 2005 (UTC)Reply

refinancing

what is prepaying interest on your mortgage when refinancing?