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Is there a weight to drunkeness ratio?

Is there a weight to drunkeness ratio? Is there a way to figure out how much beer and booze you can drink before getting drunk based on your weight? Or is getting drunk more of a personal thing?

Getting drunk is a very personal thing. People of the same weight and gender may be influenced differently after consuming the same amount of alcohol. Blood alcohol level can however be estimated if you know amount, weight and gender. Try http://www.health.org/nongovpubs/bac-chart/ for one. --hydnjo talk 17:37, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'd like to add that ethnicity plays a role as well. The proteins that break down alcohol vary in quantity based on a persons genetic heritage - generally speaking, caucasians have more than asians.--inks 01:02, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Muscle/fat ratio also effects drunkeness, so using just weight could be misleading.--Commander Keane 09:24, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Why are the lights on police cars in one state red, in another blue, and in another red and blue?

Why are the lights on police cars in one state red, in another blue, and in another red and blue? Why isn't there a national standard?

My question to you is why does there need to be? If you see flashing lights, you know to get out of the way. If there's no need to do something, why do it? It would just create more red tape for something that isn't really necessary. Dismas|(talk) 19:19, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As one example, Americans would feel silly pulling over for the blue flashing lights of an Ontario snowplow (or, Ontarians would feel silly wondering why the snowplow kept up with them on as they sped along an Arizona interstate). — mendel ☎ 19:35, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I was always under the impression that red flashing lights (or red and blue, or red and any other color) meant that you need to pull over or otherwise yield to that vehicle, while other colors like blue or yellow are used for things like snowplows, construction, or otherwise warning of hazards. kmccoy (talk) 22:24, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
In Britain, flashing blue lights indicates an emergency vehicle (police, ambulance, fire engine), yellow indicates a highway contractor, and green is occasionally used by doctors. If you see a red flashing light here, they might have installed it themselves... Ojw 19:09, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
In New York State a blue light indicates a volunteer firefighter while a flashing green light indicates a volunteer medical vehicle.[1] Is green ever used anywhere else? Rmhermen 22:01, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This page says that the red-blue combination is for better visiblity although I am not sure I believe the exact details. As to why they differ by location, remember that the U.S. does not have a national police force, we have approximately 18,760 separate ones, each subject to and enforcing the laws of the own jurisdictions. Rmhermen 22:08, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Is there or has there been a movement to give DC back to Maryland?

Is there or has there been a movement to give DC back to Maryland? I think it would make more sense to make it part of Maryland again, perhaps that would actually improve things!

The US Constitution requires that the United States capital be not part of any state, so at least the Capitol building and some of the federal buildings would not be able to be in Maryland. There has been discussion of making the parts of DC which are not immediately around the Capitol a seperate state, but Republicans have opposed that, since it would be a permanent Democratic state, considering current voting patterns. User:Zoe|(talk) 20:42, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Where does the Constitution say this? As far as I can tell, the only mention of the district is in Article I, Section 8: (Congress shall have the authority) to exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings. So it seems to me that the framers were saying that if Congress created such a district, then it would be sole authority over the district; but it doesn't say it has to create one, and doesn't say what should happen if such a district were not created.--20:54, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
OK, I've always understood that to mean that the district could not be a part of any state, but that could be a misreading of that clause. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:06, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Oh. (hitting self on head) Capitol vs. Capital. (thump) It does say it can't be part of any state, actually: it requires cession by the state.
(Inserted response) No, it doesn't; it says may be ceded and become the seat of government, not shall be. --Anon, 05:45 UTC, Sep 17, 2005
I have always wanted to see the documents by which Maryland ceded its territory, and also by which Virginia did so, and how Virginia got their part back. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:45, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. It's called "retrocession." See [2] Mwalcoff 15:37, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Voting rights in Washington, D.C. might help also. --Sum0 21:17, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

watchwatchlist

Is there any way that I can see other peoples' watchlists? I'm sure I stumbled across someone's before. Drop me a message pls if u answer it. --Wonderfool t(c) 19:37, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sure. Just sign in as the user of interest and hope that their password is "password".  ;-) --hydnjo talk 03:55, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
In other words, you can't. A lot of folk have a list of articles they're interested in on their user page, and I would guess that's what you stumbled across. Doing a Google search on their user name (and restricting the search to this site) can throw up lots of relevant stuff, especially if they sign their name on Talk pages. Shantavira 08:39, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You can also go to the person's talk page or their page and click on their contributions, which will include pages where other people made contributions ... it looks kind of similar to a watch list. AlMac|(talk) 21:03, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

How to make a "public watchlist": Make a user-subpage where you put links to all the "watched" pages, then on your proper userpage you add a link to Special:Recentchangeslinked/<your watchlist page>. Anyone following that link will then see all recent changes to the pages that are linked to from that subage. Not 100% identical to the watchlist (shows multiple edits to the same page within the given timeframe), but quite close. Only works for users who have made such a setup though. --Sherool 00:33, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

free perpetual calendar gregorian

This is a reference desk, not a search engine, so in the future you may want to ask your question as a complete sentence, as it will be read (and hopefully answered) by humans. That said, you might find what you are looking for here, although the Gregorian dates shown on that calendar only go back to Oct. 15, 1582 (which is when the Gregorian calendar was first adopted anywhere, so trying to find Gregorian dates for anything earlier than that is purely an academic exercise); earlier dates are Julian dates. You may also be interested in this, which tells you more than you probably ever wanted to know about when different countries adopted the Gregorian calendar. Chuck 22:36, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Chinese random number websites

I've noticed a lot of Chinese websites that seem to be a bunch of random numbers, e.g. http://www.163888.net/. What's the deal with the numbers? Is there some hidden meaning or pun if you read them aloud due to words sounding the same? --128.123.81.209 23:38, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The reason is threefold.
Firstly, now that China's equivalent of rural rednecks can go on the internet, the whole demographics of internet users in China has changed. It used to be the professionals, academics and students that goes on the internet, now pretty much everyone can. As such, many users in China do not know English. Websites which have easy-to-remember names, such as wikipedia and yahoo, are not so easy to remember for these English-illiterate users. (Just tell a redneck to remember a few characters of Hanzi...)
Secondly, domain names in Chinese (and non-Latin scripts) are a really new innovation, so not every browser, webhost or registrar would be able to handle them. Rendering domain names in Chinese would also be inconvenient to people without Chinese input programs.
Thirdly, you are right, some seemingly random sequences have meanings. Take 163888 for example. "8" represents prosperity in Chinese culture, and 3 (as in three 8s) is a metaphor for "many". 163 is the name of another popular Chinese portal, but I've no idea where its name came from.
Hope that helps. --Miborovsky 01:10, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Who is the Author of Wikipedia?

Everyone is. Sounds positively Borgish, doesn't it? --Miborovsky 01:38, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia for more info on what the Wikipedia is and when it started, etc. If you're looking for information on how to cite Wikipedia for a school project or paper, see Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. Dismas|(talk) 02:04, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

LIGHT SOURCE

Hi

Can assist in explain the difference between continuous and discontinuous light sources? And the relevance of light source type in selecting sources for certain applications

Kindly reply to fongce@singnet.com.sg

Thank you


Cybersix Comic Books

I have a question regarding the Cybersix Comic books. How many comic books have been written and does the original artist still produce these books?

There are twelve volumes, though I'm unsure exactly how large each "volume" is. The series is no longer in production, and the series has not been translated into English. This fan site has a lot of good info on Cybersix, including the comics. Garrett Albright 03:40, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

U.S. British relations

When did the U.S. and Great Britian become Allies?

---Jon

The first major joint military alliance was World War 1, but the countries intermittently acted together on more minor issues for most of the latter 19th century. The last period of serious hostility was during the American Civil War, when significant sentiment in Great Britain favored the Confederate States. The British government avoided egregious violations of neutrality and US-British relations steadily improved thereafter. alteripse 03:34, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Remember that Great Britain has not been a country as such for over 200 years (see Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, it was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, then after the partition of Ireland in the 1920s it gained its current title of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Incidentally, although the British Isles (terminology) article says that the terms "Britain" and "Great Britain" are interchangeable (and mean England, Scotland and Wales) I know a number of people who do draw a distinction, and for whom "Britain" includes Northern Ireland while "Great Britain" does not. I don't know how common this is. Loganberry (Talk) 11:31, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Pedantically, Brtain refers only to the largest island in the British Isles, exluding the island of Ireland, and all offshore islands like the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Lewis even the very small offshore islands like Steepholm and Lindesfarne. This use is very uncommon though. Britain and Great Britain are used commonly to refer to both England, Wales and Scotland and as a shorthand for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. British almost exclusively is used to inlcude people from Northern Ireland as well as those from the other "home nations". If you want to exlude the Northern Irish for any reason, then the individual nationalities are normally explicity mentioned, although in practice this is not as often as you might think. Legally (afaiu) the entity of England and Wales is assumed unless it is explicitly stated otherwise. Some legislation appies to England and Wales and Northern Ireland but not Scotland. Thryduulf 13:01, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I regard "Britain" as an ambiguous term that typically resolves to the United Kingdom. Bovlb 14:40, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia & Me

... This is my 1st visit to your website. As a print journalist of 35 + yrs. (in both the gay & mainstream media in the U.S.- 17 yrs. with Billboard Magazine in L.A., Vegas & the Buffalo/ Rochester markets + 2 major PR firms in L.A.), I'm wondering what I could contribute.

I'm writing my 1st book about being a Gay (now former) Mormon & working on my 1st TV Pilot.

Also, does your organization have a business address? (or where is it located). I found out about your group via the "Coast To Coast AM" national radio program, which was dealing with a program on Jack The Ripper Thursday night.

Thanks for your help & time. And keep up the good work!

... Sincerely,

Hanford W. Searl Jr. East Aurora, N.Y. (The home of Fisher-Price Toys near Buffalo, N.Y.)

movies

how can we differentiate between a motion feature film and t.v feature film?

Well there are a couple ways you could do it. First you could list film and television work in seperate sections. Or you could list them together chronologically in one big filmography and put something like "(TV movie)" or "(TV series)" after the name of the television work. Take a look at a few actor bios to get an idea and go with what works. Dismas|(talk) 12:18, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

pictures of florida

If the pictures in the Florida article aren't enough, try our sister project Wikimedia Commons. When there, try the Florida category: [3]. --Celestianpower hab 17:30, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Battleship, the game

Does the game Battleship actually involve any skill at all? Is it possible for a player to employ a tactic that will be reliably better than playing randomly and leaving everything to chance? -Fang

Yes, there is. For instance, say I have already guessed incorrectly a spot somewhere in the middle. Guessing a spot one space off from that for my second guess wouldn't be very wise, as the only way that guess would be correct would be if the ship were right up against my original guess. Say, however, I guess a spot two spaces to the side. Now I had the chance of hitting a ship whether it is right next to my original spot, one space over, or two spaces over. The chances of making a hit there are much higher. Thus, as sections of the board get marked off, the remaining spaces have different probabilities of getting hit, and, if you were to calculate them individually, you could work out which squares would reap the best rewards (or, alternitively, which spaces whould cut down the number of remaining options most efficiently). Also, one should pay attention to what kinds of ships the enemy has left. If there are a high number of large ships left, you don't what to be guessing spaces in areas which have been well-covered by guesses, where it is very unlikely that a large ship would have escaped. Finally, there is an element of human psychology, of knowing your oponent, to know whether he is more likely to squeeze his shps tightly together, to spread them out, to keep to the edges, and so on. — Asbestos | Talk (RFC) 13:09, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As a trivial example, consider the case in which you get a hit on your first play; a good next move will involve one of the four squares immediately adjacent to the hit, a 1 in 4 chance, while playing randomly only gets you something like a 16 in 99 chance of a hit. — mendel ☎ 19:49, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

katrina disaster

I want to give a message to the people who were-Idon't know the exact word to say but-involvedin this disater.i don't know how to say it but i want to tell them that there's always a hope and they have been really brave facing it like that.how to do that.i mean i don't want them to think that i am not the one who has seen what happened and i shouldn't say that they should be brave i hope you get my point rimsha

Did you have a question? The best way to offer your condolences would probably to donate blood and/or money to the American Red Cross. Garrett Albright 14:12, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is flash memory and why is it used in storage devices

I want to know please tell

See our flash memory article. Garrett Albright 14:12, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
In a nutshell, because it is relatively:
  • non-volatile
  • cheap
  • fast
  • low-powered / no moving parts / random access (co-listed as these are all interlinked)
  • re-usable
For extra credit, compare and contrast with Write Only Memory. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 15:35, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

non volatile storage

why isb flash memory considered this

Unlike what we colloquially refer to as RAM, flash memory does not require an active power source to maintain state. That's the volatile vs non-volatile distinction. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 15:26, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

LIZARDS

There are lizards In Louisiana,that are very quick to hide. The small ones are almost transparent; their organs are visible under the skin. They can climb on glass windows and are about 3-4" long. Since the floods, they are invading homes. What are they? and is there any controling them or keeping them out of the house? DLM777 in Louisiana

You might be talking about what we in Texas called anoles (they sound way more like yours than what the article describes, so it must be the wrong name). They eat small bugs, so I'm sure after the flooding there's been quite a feast for them. We always considered them rather a blessing since they cut back on insect populations, so we never even tried to get rid of them. — Laura Scudder | Talk 22:14, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Glass making with lighting rods

Is it possible to make a glass art/sculptures by inserting a lighting rod into a sandy beach- most likely during a lighting storm? Will a magical glass shape apear out of the ground? I work in a glass blowing studio and a woman got this idea from the movie "Sweet Home Alabama"; she in turn asked me if this was possible. In theory, I belive it is possible, but if it is possible, who on earth has done this sort of thing??? I would really like to know if this technique is being used. Thanks. -Vicky

You could probably create fulgurites in this way; whether or not they constitute sculpture is a more subjective decision. Our article on Lichtenberg figures may also be relevant. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:52, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know if fiction is any indication, but the male lead in Sweet Home Alabama (film) did just this, and created sculptures with the created glass. (Yes, it's sad that I know this. My wife loves chick flicks, and as chick flicks go, that one isn't terrible.) android79 19:38, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I would agree that if you can get the lightning to hit the rod, it would work as it did in the movie. However, I think you'd have a deuce of a time getting it to strike there in the first place. Most beaches are surrounded by higher objects. Trees, buildings, cliffs etc, and lightning would preferentially strike there instead. You'd need a huge huge expanse of flat sand. And a big rod.--inks 08:54, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

comparison between heterogeneous and homogeneous

A comparison isn't really a correct term, as our articles on heterogeneous and homogeneous indicate that they are antonyms. Regardless, I expect what you're looking for is found in those articles. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:55, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sir Peter Landry, The White Rabbits, Donald The Black, and New York City Flooding article possibly for entry.

Give me anything you know please? --Godblessthelord 18:41, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Flooding in New York any counts on inches fallen? --Godblessthelord 19:08, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Manute Bol tallest or someone taller?

--Godblessthelord 18:58, 16 September 2005 (UTC) Thanks[reply]

Robert Wadlow was and is the tallest human recorded in modern times. As an aside, please make sure that the context of your questions is clear, I can't make heads or tails of the line above this one. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 19:04, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Basketball Player? --Godblessthelord 19:06, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

My guess is that the original poster of the question wants to know if Manute Bol was the tallest person ever to play professional basketball although it's hard for me to tell since there aren't any complete sentences used. As for the answer, I don't know. Though the article might say, I haven't read it. Dismas|(talk) 19:40, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

w Yeah tallest basketball player? Godblessthelord 19:50, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Gheorghe Mureşan. This information is in the first paragraph of the Manute Bol article. android79 20:03, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Skinnest object in the world?

Skinny like whatever you have? --Godblessthelord 19:01, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Kate Moss. --anon

How about a nanotube? (apparently 50,000 times skinnier than a human hair) Or if you don't mind theoretical objects see string theory. Shantavira 08:12, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Dinosaurs Breath?

What did it smell like? Maoririder 20:11, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Meat-eating dinos' breath smelled like partially-digested meat. Grazing dinos' breath smelled like partially-digested vegetation. User:Zoe|(talk) 20:42, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Are there no dinos with breath like sweet springtime rain? No wonder they're extinct! - Nunh-huh 02:08, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Not unless there were dinos whose diet consisted solely of mint leaves.  ;) User:Zoe|(talk) 21:52, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
What about the Tictacosaurus? DJ Clayworth 17:35, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Monkey acting nasty

Why? Scrathing genetils and everything Maoririder 20:13, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

No doubt they itch. Anyone who can get the Aloe Vera consession for Monkeys ought to really clean up :) DES (talk) 20:52, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Landry family? Acadian

What do you have on Landry?

We hear they're Acadian. But it's supposed to be a secret. --Tagishsimon (talk)

currency devaluation

We've got an article on it; see devaluation. Garrett Albright 13:51, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is the definition of poverty?

Poverty is most frequently defined by a poverty line, though such definitions are arbitrary and vary by location and defining agency. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 00:49, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

a "cide" for food supply?

My son, the Bobby Pendragon fan, was curious. Is there a term for the deliberate poising of a world's (or some other large group of people) food supply?--67.51.171.106 23:44, 16 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's effectively a non-racist form of genocide. Orson Scott Card advances the word Xenocide in a similar context (racial extermination of non-humans). However, I doubt that there's any specific linguistic notion for "by food poisoning" -- even if you take common examples like driving over a person, it's vehicular homicide—no special word per se. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 00:44, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A closely related concept is salting the earth: making food unavailable to a conquered people, though in this case one is poisoning the ground rather than the food proper. - Nunh-huh 00:47, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

words that start with the letter x

Pick a dictionary -- any dictionary -- and open it to the W's. Now turn to wyvern and start reading from there. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 00:40, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Prison Mail

Are inmates in maximum security prisons allowed to send and receive mail? -anon

Yes, although it may be opened and read before they get it. I suspect that mail priviledges in prison would depend greatly on the country and degree of security involved. --inks 08:50, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Jubilee necklace gardens

Where exactly Jubilee necklace gardens locate in Hyderabad. This is the place where a music concert will be held on September 24th. --anon (moved from WP:ASK — Asbestos | Talk (RFC) 09:46, 17 September 2005 (UTC))[reply]

who sang aeiou in the 1980s

I did a Google search for "singer aeiou 1980s" which had some results that didn't tell me exactly but they also mentioned a band by the name of EBN-OZN. So I then searched for "singer aeiou EBN-OZN" and the first result was this which says that the group had a song called "AEIOU and Sometimes Y". As to whether this is the same as the song that you're thinking of, I don't know. Dismas|(talk) 14:32, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I remember this song and I agree that it was EBN-OZN. --Metropolitan90 05:22, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • About.com confirms that it was EBN-OZN see [4]. It was a hit around 1983 EBN went on to join Scritti Politti. Allmusic.com confirms it see [5]

Capitalistroadster 11:03, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There was also a song called AEIOU by a band called The Europeans which came out in 1983. LarryMac 13:42, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Antidisistablishmentarianism

what does antidisistablishmentarianism mean?

See http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=Antidisestablishmentarianism -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 12:28, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Both Wikipedia (Antidisestablishmentarianism) and Wiktionary (wiktionary:Antidisestablishmentarianism) have articles on this word. Thryduulf 23:37, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Why was Ned Kelly infamous

Have you tried reading the article on Ned Kelly? Dismas|(talk) 13:21, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

He was a highwayman

time

Hi,I have a question actually,not comment. There is this one 'thing' that has been bothering my mind for a long time.I know that whatever we see or feel need sensory nerves to send impulse to the brain so that the brain can interpret what actually is happening.The impulses must have needed some time to be sent to the brain and got interpreted and send reaction to the muscles to react.So it actually need time to send impulse to the brain and reply from the brain to the muscles.Example,our eyes are looking at a ball falling from a table.The light reflected from the ball to our retina and then to the brain later interpreted and back to our eyes needed time.What I'm curious about is,is it whatever that happen in front of us is actually happen a few seconds ago?I mean,we get the 'message' from the brain later than the incident.

  • Yes, what you described is essentially correct. Both light and electricity travel at finite speed. When a ball falls from a table, for example, it takes non-zero time for the light reflected from the ball to hit your eyes, and further non-zero time for the electrical impulses to travel through the optic nerves to your brain. It even takes non-zero time for your braincells to figure out that what you just saw was a ball falling from the table. So yes, you notice things happening after they've already happened, not at the same time. — JIP | Talk 13:40, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • When we first learn how to drive on the public highways, there is a rule about how close is safe to drive behind vehicles in front of us, generally measured in car lengths and multiples of 10 mph. Basically, we need to see the tail lites of the car in front of us, which go extra bright when the driver steps on the brakes (assuming the electrical system working properly), so that we can do the same thing to avoid crashing into the car in front of us.
    • There is a time delay the car in front signalling slowing down, getting to our brain, then our brain deciding do what about it, then sending the nerve impulse signals to step on our brakes, and likewise our car actually slowing down. For this reason we are not supposed to be tailgating, and when roads are wet, allow additional distance. Most people do not follow these rules, which is one reason there are so many traffic accidents. AlMac|(talk) 21:10, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sport-Patrick Viera

When was Patrick Viera Born

The first result from a quick Google search says that he was born on June 23, 1976. Dismas|(talk) 14:00, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As does Patrick Vieira. -- Arwel 09:46, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Antarctic Living

If you wanted to, could you legally set up residence in Antarctica and live there? Whose laws would you be under? ---Anon

Interestingly, many of the people living in Antarctica have been told that they must pay taxes to the United States. Don't think it applies if you set up your own camp though... Ojw 19:32, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The law that governs Antarctica is the Antarctic Treaty System. Citizens of signatories are subject to the laws of their home country while present in Antarctica. The 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty has as its first article:
The Parties commit themselves to the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and hereby designate Antarctica as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.
The tone of the rest of the treaty, while not specifically prohibiting permanent residence by private citizens, contains enough clauses to almost certainly rule it out as incompatible with preserving the Antarctic environment unless those permanent residents were carrying out research work. --Robert Merkel 00:45, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

When did Hurricane Katrina become a hurricane (date)?

2005-08-25. See Hurricane Katrina. Ojw 19:53, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

gaelic

See Gaelic! Gareth Hughes 17:37, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Isle of Coll

I am trying to trace my family history, which seems to originate on Coll. The farthest back I can go is 1720 and the place name appears to be "Triallon" or some variation thereof. Is this a town, county, burgh or whatever on Coll? Or could my ancester have travelled from a neighbouring island? Is there a Museum or Government Office on Coll which I could access? TI can be reached at: bionicbitchofbytown@yahoo.ca. Thanks for your assistance, Linda D. MacDonald ----

According to our Coll article, it has a population of less than 200 people, so it's probably not that hard to research the genealogy of the entire island. A Google search for isle of coll turns up a number of interesting links, including this one from the Isle of Coll Association with a map on it. There is an email address on that page, which might be a good place to ask. --Robert Merkel 12:24, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What M&M's stand for

What do M&M's stand for?

Check out M&M's. The answer is there. Joyous (talk) 22:12, 17 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

TV Cubes Website

I remember seeing a website that sold little cubes that you would stick on your television screen (with a little suction cup) and when you filled the screen with these cubes the cubes would all light up with the light that it gets off from the tv. anyone know the address of this site? i forgot it, and ive tried all kinds of queries on google : ( chris

I remember this! I saw it on Cool Hunting, Funfurde, or Moco Loco. Here's a German one but that's not the one I remember, and your description seems to match the one I remember better. Aha, it's a Groovetube! I found it by searching Google for "imedia_tv mocoloco", to see if anyone else had blogged it, and someone did, comparing it to the Groovetube as I had hoped they would. It's too bad "large" only goes up to 27" or I'd order one right now. — mendel ☎ 19:01, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
YES! thank you for finding it! -chris

earth, astronauts veiw

(no question)

Jumpseat

Where did the name jumpseat originate?

This tread [6] on an aircrew forum appears to give the answer. Thryduulf 23:34, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what are the seven longest rivers in the contiguous united states and what are their lengths

what are the seven longest rivers in the contiguous united states?

  1. The Mississippi River is probably one of the longest, which is 2,340 miles long. AlMac|(talk) 01:59, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    1. However, this source [7] claims the longest is the Missouri River, which as a tributary of the Mississippi river, is 2,540 miles long. AlMac|(talk) 02:02, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
      The Mississippi is a tributary of the Missouri, not the other way around. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:54, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
      Depends on how you think about it. When a stream runs into a river, we say the stream is a tributary of the river. Typically, we think of the Mississippi as starting in Minnesota and heading down to Louisiana. In that sense, the Missouri is a tributary. However, where the two meet, just north of St. Louis, the Missouri has the greater flow. So you might call the Upper Mississippi a tributary of the Missouri + Lower Mississippi combination. By the way, the Missouri is also longer than the Upper Mississippi, which results in a relevant fact: The longest river in the U.S.A. is the Missouri + the Lower Mississippi. — Nowhither 17:40, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  2. The Rio Grande, which runs along the border of USA and Mexico, is 1,900 miles long. AlMac|(talk) 02:08, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  3. The St Lowrence, which flows into the Great lakes seaway is also 1,900 miles long. AlMac|(talk) 02:08, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The length of a river can change over time, so different sources can show different lengths for the same rivers. Here is a link http://www.usgs.gov/ to the US Geological Survey, which is the dept of US government in charge of categorizing this kind of thing. AlMac|(talk) 02:08, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

major rivers in North America

  • Here's a link [8] you might find helpful.
  • According to this [9], the Yukon (1,265 miles long) is the 3rd longest river in the USA, but it is in Alaska, and is frozen October thru mid June.

AlMac|(talk) 02:18, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Do you come from a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

  1. not me ... is this from some poetry? AlMac|(talk) 02:09, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It's from the Men at Work song Down Under. Joyous (talk) 02:12, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fun&games

what are the favorate way inwhich to pop balloons?

Let's see,
  • With a pin
  • Stomping (with shoes on preferably)
  • Over inflation (ie, keep on blowng up the ballon until it bursts, what out for wayward condensation though)
  • I've never seen it, but releasing a helium filled ballon and watching it burst when it reaches a height with low enough atmospheric pressure could be fun too. --Commander Keane 06:44, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
'Filling it with water and throwing it at someone' has always been one of my favourites. DJ Clayworth 17:30, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Who's watching me

I don't know anymore

Are the neighbours watching me

Who's watching

Rockwell asked the same questions, but I don't know if he ever got an answer. --Metropolitan90 05:18, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And neither are you by the looks of things. It depends on who you are, where you are and what you believe in. Some commons ones are: God (and various other religious figures), 4 dimensional people, dead relatives, friends and pets, aliens ... the list goes on. By the way, that's almost a Haiku! --Celestianpower hab 18:47, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

world heritage site

what is the criteria to be declared a world heritage site

See http://whc.unesco.org/criteria.htm#debut -- Enochlau 07:16, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is a flight "sector"?

IANA airplane pilot, but I believe the a flight's sector refers to the flight's path in terms of its origin and destination. For example, check out an airline article such as Tiger Airways, where you'll see a chart of various flights and their sectors, such as Bangkok to Singapore. Garrett Albright 10:14, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Where does a band like slipknot get their inspiration for their songs?

I don't know any band like Slipknot, but from the look of their album list at Slipknot (band) I would say their local Accident and Emergency Department. Shantavira 08:31, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

refineries in eastern europ

My name is Malcolm Geary. A client requests me to locate eastern european oil refineries capable of supplying 15,000 metric tonnes per shipment of gasolene, diesel and kerosene.

I would appreciate Refinery names and e mail contact details if u have this information,

best regards,

malcolm geary

e mail = malcolm.geary@btopenworld.com

You might try Ploieşti in Romania, which is the most famous oil region of Europe. The article mentions several oil companies. alteripse 12:40, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You might also try Google Answers. That sort of question is what they usually deal with, and for the measly sum of USD$200 (which I'm sure a client who wants 45,000 tons of petroleum product can afford to part with), you can get a very comprehensive answer in a very short period of time. Full Disclosure: I have nothing to do whatsoever with Google Answers, I just know it exists.--inks 23:26, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

old people

what is the demography of old people in kerala and how is the situation of elderly in kerala in reference to caring(of elderly) and grandparenting? d.s

sites for knowing cross cultural studies

i want to learn about the status of old people of china and usa and kerala can you give me some sites which can be visited for this?- d.s.

Concerning the use of electricity.

That which is known as 220 and 110 at the household outlet.

Which consumes the most electricity if all things are equal, 220 or 110?

Bob

I've removed your address and telephone number: it's not a good idea to post it here. Those numbers refer to the voltage of the supply, which refers to the ammount of energy carried by each unit of charge. If you were to connect a 60 W ligh bulb to a 220 V supply it would draw a current of 0.27 A. If the same lightbulb were connected to a 110 V supply, it would draw 0.55 A. The actual rate of consumption of energy is the same (60 W). However, with the lower electromotive force of 110 V, a higher current is required to provide the same ammount of energy. Gareth Hughes 13:59, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And remember - voltage doesn't kill - current does. →Raul654 16:59, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The above is not quite true. The resistance of a light bulb is constant (ish); if you took a 60W bulb designed for 220V and connected it to a 110V supply it would draw half the current, not twice, and only consume a quarter the power (and probably give much less that a quarter the light). However if instead of using the same bulb you used a 60W bulb designed for 110V you would get the results described above. DJ Clayworth 17:26, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is a genius?

Perhaps wikipedia's article, genius, might be helpful. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:12, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wall St. Journal/Dow Jones and Co.

Did the WSJ publish a Saturday edition back in the first half of the 20th century? Thanks. Rick Peterson, Duxbury, USA

bornage judiciaire bornant prime

(no question)

Good Burger

Where was "Good Burger" filmed? -anon

history of the avertising for JIF peanut butter

(no question)

Who were Ma & Pa Kettle?

They're characters from The Egg and I and ten other films. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 19:53, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

how did hurricane katrina affect people

coca-cola

Hello, I am doing a coca-cola research, and I've went to google, fortune 500, ect. but I just can't find the answers! I would appreciate it so much, if you could help me. I think it would be rude to ask you to completely do them all, so if you want, you could just tell me were to go to get the answers! :) ! But it'd be really, really great if you could just flat out tell me the answers, because I've been reasearching a LOT. Ok, here are some of the questions that I have left: :) :

Questions:

what are 3 of coca-cola salaries,

what is coca-cola's rank, (what sites rank exp: Hoover's rank is 345),

what is the number of coca-cola locations and/ or stores,

who/ what are coca-cola's subsidiaries and/or affiliates,

what are last coca-cola stock price________ High________ Low________ 52 week range,

and coca-cola's price/earnings ratio. :) 205.188.116.131 21:39, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If you could answer those, it would be a humongous help! Thank you Soo much!!!

The salaries, # of locations (bottling plants?), and subsidiaries can all be found in Coca-Cola's latest annual report, which you can download from their investor relations web site. I'm not sure what you mean by rank though, there are many ways to rank companies. Maybe you need their Fortune 500 rank (based on revenue), or their market capitalization rank. Their stock information and p/e ratio can be found on any financial site such as http://finance.yahoo.com . Coca-Cola Co's ticker symbol is KO. Hope that helps. Rhobite 21:52, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

How do I care for my thunbergia plant?

How do I care for my thunbergia plant? [10] and [11] both offer advice on caring for a thunbergia. Note that there are many different types and varieties of thunbergia so a more specific name would probably be more useful. For reference I found the above two sites by doing a google search for: thunbergia care. Thryduulf 23:24, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Cat Worms

Our Worm page suggests cat worms are most likely to be either Cestoda (Tape worms) or Roundworms. If you would like a more specific answer, please ask a specific question as requested at the top of this page. Thryduulf 23:01, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

information on order of precedence with regard to drafting principles

i need info on "order of precednce" with regard to drafting. Al LeSage

birch beer

Is any part of the birch tree used in making birch berer? Stillken

See birch beer. Dismas|(talk) 00:00, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Egg Shells?

How does one make an egg shell white?

What is the purpose of making an egg shell white?

White eggs come out of the bird that way. Of course, many eggs are not white, but if there is is someone out there who makes it their business to turn them white, then I've never heard of him, and I wouldn't know how or why he does it. Anyone else? — Nowhither 23:57, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Nope, though I suppose you could paint or bleach them. --fvw* 00:02, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Eggs come out of the chicken white. Bleaching might harm the yolk inside and make it inedible since the shell is semi-permeable. Yolks can even be different colors. They can be green and still have the same flavor. It's dependent on what they eat. Some breeds like the Araucana will lay what people refer to as "Easter eggs" since they come out in a variety of pastel colors such as blue, pink, green, etc. The color of the shell is dependent on the breed of the chicken, the yolk is dependent on what the hen eats while forming the egg in her body. Dismas|(talk) 00:08, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
According to an episode of the Martha Stewart show I saw once, the color of a chicken's eggs is the same as the color of the chicken's earlobes. I have not personally validated this. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:00, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
According to a number of pages that turn up on a Google search, chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs, and chickens with red earlobes lay brown eggs. I haven't seen any source for this that I would call "reputable", however. — Nowhither 17:19, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hi

Can you please explain your 'globe' logo:

http://www.wikipedia.org/

Why is it missing the north part (no top hat)? Is it a puzzle? What do those symbols represent? Kindly give me maximum information.

Thank You

Zameer H. Mir

{EMAIL REMOVED!!}

I don't know if there is an official explanation but to me the reason for it not being "complete" with the top part missing is because there are still articles being added by people. In essence, it's never "finished". And yes, it's a puzzle. To represent all the info fitting together to explain everything in the world. And the symbols, to me, represent the many languages that Wikipedia is written in. Hope this helps, even if it isn't the official word on it. Dismas|(talk) 00:12, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Some long and torturous discussion went into it.--Fangz 23:50, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Order of academic degrees after name

I can't quite remember the rules for the order in which academic degrees should be placed after a person's name. I have a vague memory that higher degrees are placed first, and then degrees of equal rank are place earliest to latest. Can anyone find a definitive source on this? Gareth Hughes 23:52, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know about a definitive order, but literally from the age of five I was taught to use ascending order, such as B.A., M.S., Ph.D. -- Jmabel | Talk 03:58, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
For what it's worth (since I know where to find the list), the University of Durham seems to style its senior staff in ascending order - "BSc, MD, PhD, (various hon. degrees)", or "BEd, MEd, MA, PhD". Honours and decorations (if any) precede this, "professional" qualifications and memberships follow. Shimgray 09:09, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I always list mine in the order I received them, except that I usually omit the non-doctorates and honoraries. A full list, as I would prepare it, would be: B.A., M.A.R., Ph.D., J.C.D., S.T.D. (h.c.), Th.D. (h.c.), but as not to be pretentious, I usually just cite Ph.D., J.C.D. as the first two are assumed in the Ph.D., and the final two are honoraries (for the most part, attempts to get me to make donations). Perhaps I've been doing it wrong all these years! -- Essjay · Talk 17:13, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You get honourary doctorates on spec over there? Here they generally wait until you've given them a million or two before awarding one... Also, I don't know about you academic chaps, but in the real world people often prefer not to have STD on their business cards ;-). Shimgray 20:50, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

They're both religious degrees (i.e., from a seminary, rather than a university) and thus, much easier to come by. I have a friend who is an Archbishop, and he has thirteen or fourteen of them! By the way, for those who might not have been aware, S.T.D. is Doctorate in Sacred Theology not sexually transmitted disease. -- Essjay · Talk 00:07, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I looked it up; the US seems to go in much more for specifically named degrees than we do over here. It's interesting - not sure why, but it's probably indicative of something interesting. Shimgray 22:07, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Availability of sources to pre-screen for ability/aptitude for foreign language training - - anon

Admission to Stuyvesant HS from private school

My junior high does not provide applications for Specialized High School Exam. Where can I get it from? Please help. Thank you.

sunset

what time was the sunset in raymond, new hampshire october 17, 2000?

According to the U.S. Naval Observatory Data Services, sunset would have been at 5:58 p.m. EDT on that date. DannyZ 04:14, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

watergate

The article on Watergate starts with the sentence "On February 30, 1972..." As far as I know, February in our calendar does not have 30 days. Could we fix this? -anon

  • Hi - welcome to wikipedia, thanks for noting this problem. Anyone can edit wikipedia. All you need to do is find the correct date, click the "edit this page" link and fix the article. If you like editing enough consider signing up for an account. Good luck! -Ravedave 06:28, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]


fo ti tieng

(no question asked)

Wikipedia does not have an article on "fo ti tieng". However, a quick Google search turns up the information that it is "a registered trademark name for an herbal product containing gotu kola (Centella asiatica), cola nut (Cola nitida), and Indian physic root (Gillenia trifoliata)". If that was not what you wanted to know, you could try again, and ask a question. — Nowhither 17:27, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

How many cars are there in the world?

How many cars are out there approximately? This doesn't include large vehicles such as trucks. Is there a good, reliable number on this?

Arrrrr, there be about 500 million today according to [this website]. I doubt it's possible to be any more accurate, since even if one could collate all the manufacturing numbers, it would be impossible to know how many had been scrapped. Shantavira 17:27, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Places such as the DVLA, state DMVs, etc. will tell you on a per-country basis how many cars have road-tax paid on them each year. For example, the DVLA "maintains records on 32.3 million currently licensed vehicles" (in the UK) according to their annual report.
You could also try the census websites, for example the 2001 census shows 17,761,885 households in the UK with at least 1 car or van [12]. I'm guessing they don't count company cars, unsold cars, etc.
It's worth noting that the hypertextbook.com website mentioned above uses articles such as Cars Emit Carbon Dioxide published online by globalwarming.enviroweb.org as references, which doesn't look like a primary source. Ojw 14:32, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Flight 93 Memorial

Is the chosen Flight 93 memorial actually going to be built? David Simpson

Have you read the article on Flight 93? It says that it will be built but that there is some controversy around it. Dismas|(talk) 12:10, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Defintion

What is the exact definition of Gender Bias.

A prejudice against a particular gender. Dismas|(talk) 12:33, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yarr, ye be findin' more information at our sexism article. Arr. Garrett Albright 16:17, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

english translation of japanese word: tsumi

i would like to know what the english translation of the word 'tsumi' is... some sources i have found say "sin" or "crime" but i'm not entirely sure. can someone help with this one?? thanks

kattus

I've answered you at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language; there's no need to place your questions on more than one page. —Cryptic (talk) 14:11, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

do you have any information about hirricane katrina

Some people would say we have some info about the hurricane at Hurricane Katrina but I wouldn't believe them if I were you, that'd be too obvious. Dismas|(talk) 14:28, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

who is the "piano man" actually?

See Andreas Grassl or http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4177530.stm -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 15:37, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fascinating link. Billy Joel is another possibility. Nelson Ricardo 02:32, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

spiders

what is the name of the spider who is a medium brown color and has a golden brown fleur de lei on its back? -----Jes

Arrr, that sound loike it be George, the European garden spider. Have ye a look at that arrticle. (They be not confined to Europe.) Shantavira 17:12, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

house of representatives

the house of representatives in the US congress has 435 members plus 4 delegates and 1 resident commissioner

sounds about right. Did you have a question? You might check United States House of Representatives#Members and elections. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:08, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

AM aerial

how do I make an external AM aerial for my tuner?

just about anything long and conductive will do for an AM radio antenna. I used to use a long length of fencing wire mounted underneath our gutter... --Robert Merkel 01:23, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Horizontal piece of wire that's approximately some fraction (1/2, 1/4 etc.) of the wavelength you want to listen to. For example 800KHz would be about 380m, so an 11m wire would be 1/32 of the wavelength. See Antenna (radio). Ojw 12:12, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Idiom

Who said the idiom first, who deduced it?

  1. "Never change a winning team", soccer (Bobby Charlton?)
  2. "Never touch a running System" information technology
  3. "Never change a running system", mixture of both above?

-- 172.182.61.57 19:50, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

re: missile launch

Is a Bried a viewing platform of some sort? Thanking you,Tanya

context? -- Jmabel | Talk 07:07, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

define the word driver

driver

see Wiktionary:Driver. Thryduulf 20:28, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or Wikipedia disambiguation page Driver for several articles depending on meaning. --hydnjo talk 20:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

RE: Aviation question on old saying??

Hello to all, does anyone know where the term... "winchester" comes from in regards to all bombs or ammunition gone???? from Aircraft??? Thanks once again, Tanya

I don't know about the specific aviation context, but I would guess this has to do with the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and their Winchester rifle.--Pharos 22:15, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
List of such abbreviations if anyone's interested, although without explanations. Looks like they're defined by NATO. Ojw 12:04, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Do Sea Stars have a brain?

I read recently as a little known fact, that Sea Stars (star fish) do not have a brain. I would like to have this theory proved, before I use it in a workplace discussion.

Many thanks Jenn K

Sea star indicates it is an echinoderm; that article tells us "most echinoderms, with the exception of the sea cucumber, have a brain, although it is very small." See also Sea star#Nervous System. Radagast 21:34, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The page at http://www.wonderquest.com/sea-stars-nights-space-radiation.htm explains a bit more. They have a neural network that acts in a similar fashion to a brain but isn't located in just one place. It's more distributed over the entire body. Dismas|(talk) 21:38, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Jenn: The concept of a "brain" as we normally think of it is really limited to vertebrates (animals who, like us, have backbones: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish). Whether other animals have a brain really depends on your definition of "brain". For example, in their heads, insects have clusters of nerve cells called "ganglia" (singular "ganglion"), which you might call a "brain", or you might not. However, while these ganglia are important, in a pinch an insect may be able to do without them. Cut off an insect's head, and it can no longer see or eat, but many types of insects can otherwise get along quite well (until starvation sets in, anyway). As for echinoderms, the article is probably talking about similar maybe-it's-a-brain ganglia (and the article should probably be updated to reflect this). Some animals, like hydras, have a completely decentralized nervous systems with no ganglia at all. Other extremely simple animals do not have nervous systems. These animals clearly do not have "brains". But for most others, it really depends on what you are willing to call a "brain". — Nowhither 18:26, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

how do i get berry juice in emerald?

i need to know, please!

I think you're referring to the 'Berry Juice' item in Pokemon Emerald. As a sidenote, please try to write your question more clearly in the future, since I'm not quite too sure what you're asking. If that's what you're asking about, though, the GameFAQs.com site ( http://www.gamefaqs.com ) should have information on that--just search for Pokemon Emerald, and then read through the guides. A Google search might also be useful. I'm personally not familiar with Pokemon Emerald (although I am with Red/Blue/Yellow), so I can't help you directly there (sorry!). But good luck with your search, in any case. :) ~GMH talk to me 02:53, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Law/theory about keeping population in check

Two years ago while taking notes in world geography my teacher named this law or theory. It had someting to do with what keeped population stable and I think it had 3 factors, 2 of wich I think I remember (war and famine). I did some google search and even on wikipedia. If possible can you give me the name of the theory or law?


--Ice Jedi5

Try looking at Malthusianism and Thomas Malthus. See if that is what you are recalling. DES (talk) 21:44, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Damn edit conflicts. Yeah, see Malthusian catastrophe and Malthusianism - it was probably being referred to as Malthus' Law, though we don't have an actual article by that title. Note that it isn't generally seen as being correct under modern conditions. Shimgray 21:46, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I tried the links provided, none of wich look familiar enough to be the thing I was looking for. Thanks anyway for the help --Ice Jedi5
Population generally follows a a sigmoid curve - does that ring any bells? Shimgray 22:02, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Are you referring to the population of PEOPLE in which the main controls are: birth rate; death rate; immigration (legal and illegal); and the opposite (people leaving to go to another nation), or are you referring to wildlife, in which a major factor has to do with the food chain. Overpopulation of a species can lead to over consumption of whatever it is they eat, leading to starvation, leading to underpopulation. Then there is what mankind does to try to fix things, like making it too easy for there to be wildfires. Have you heard of Mad Cow disease, the result of mistakes managing agriculture, which has now spread to Mad Deer variant, and all kinds of other wildlife. 68.179.177.137 23:06, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I did not notice that Wiki had kept population in check by logging me out. AlMac|(talk) 23:09, 19 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I am refering to population of people. --Ice Jedi5

polotics

What is the purpose of goverment according to the natural rights philosophers?

Although the title refers to parasitic infections of polo horses (and players?), I would draw your attention to our finely written articles on natural rights, inalienable rights and John Locke. Gareth Hughes 22:02, 19 September 2005 (UTC) Government should only make sure ones exercise of his rights does not infringe on other rights.[reply]

sims 2 alien babies

how do I make my alien babies in sims2 grow into toddlers?

It is vital to know the exact species of alien involved before giving any rearing advice. Using the wrong technique could result in death or injury for the mini-martian or for you. Please take the time to study our article on extraterrestrial life for more information. Gareth Hughes 00:18, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or go straight to astrobiology... Gareth Hughes 00:20, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or rephrase your question so someone has a clue what you are asking, or if (as I suspect) you are asking about a game, you'll probably have better luck on a gamer site. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:11, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]


have you checked that you don't have the aging cheat off? and also maybe you need to buy a birthday cake and get either an adult or teenager to carry the baby to the cake so it may grow up... they should grow up normallly...remember they stay toddlers for 4 days before moving onto the next age... i hope this helps... Kattus 08:03, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Why not soften

Why do the laundering instructions for some fabrics indicate that softeners should not be used ? 12.73.132.172 00:29, 20 September 2005 (UTC)Dan J[reply]

Because the fabric may not be able to withstand the "harsh" effect of the fabric softener without some degradation of the fabric. --hydnjo talk 04:03, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It also makes materials less water absorbent, so it should not be used when washing towels. Shantavira 07:49, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what keeps spiders away?

  • Avoid having whatever it is they eat, which may be unavoidable (there is some critter in my home that likes to eat the paper than my books are made of).
  • Get some other critter in your home that likes to eat spiders, which may lead to other problems with that critter.

AlMac|(talk) 03:50, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I've heard spiders are very averse to the smell of bleach; spreading bleach along cracks and other places where they might enter may help. ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 04:32, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Worlds largest selling books

I would like to know which 3 books in the english language are the largest selling in the world. I believe the Bible is number 1, and had heard that Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seus was number 3. Is that correct? and what is number 2? Thanks

  • I suspect a Dictionary is pretty high up there, especially in places where English is not the native language. AlMac|(talk) 07:12, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • I suspect some kind of "How to" or "owners manual" is the most bought and least read book in the western world. I mean, every home computer comes with some kind of documentation, which almost no one reads. AlMac|(talk) 07:14, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Does it count if we get it but don't buy it, like our income tax form? AlMac|(talk) 07:14, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • The Guinness Book of Records is the world's most sold copyrighted book. Fredrik | talk 07:31, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • Here is where definitions get tricky. In what sense are two books "the same"? For example, the Bible is certainly the all-time bestseller. And most Bible translations are copyrighted (or were when they were first published). If you counted all sales of copyrighted Bible translations as sales of the same book, you would probably exceed the sales of the GBoR. But when talking about copyrighted works, we would generally distinguish between different copyrighted translations. Now, should we distinguish between sales of different years of the GBoR? That would make its effective sales plummet. — Nowhither 18:34, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is FLying Spaghetti Monsterism?

It is a parody "religion" satirising creationism and specifically intelligent design. See Flying Spaghetti Monster. --Robert Merkel 01:36, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

2 Live Crew Lyric

Hi - I want to know the meaning of a lyric in a 2 Live Crew song, "We Want Some Pussy". In one of the lines in the song they say "Let's have group sex and do the Rambo". I want to know what they mean by "do the Rambo"? I realise that this is explicit and I apolagize if this question offends, but it is something I have wondered since I was a young teen. Cheers.

Urbandictionary.com has what seems to be the relevant definition. Subtle fellows, the 2 Live Crew...--Robert Merkel 01:29, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, seeing as 2LC has put this song in six different albums, all with different motifs, it's anyone's quess. ;-) --hydnjo talk 02:12, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of the Ninja v. Pirate feud

I was engaging in some light-hearted banter with friends the other day when ninjas and pirates came up. Does anybody know what the origin of this "feud" is? I googled it, and it mainly brought up mock answers, and silly articles. But is there some true, pop-culture reason or something for the ninja/pirate feud?

Truly, the feud is rooted in mockery and silliness. Also in throwing stars, parrots, and eyepatches. Arr! — Lomn | Talk / RfC 05:15, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I'm fairly certain that Real Ultimate Power is the source. See [13]. Garrett Albright 14:47, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

request of information

Request: The tv show "the next great champ" (everything on it, boxers(bios)(like you did with the Contender tv show), etc.), the dispute and controversy on cam'ron and mase(both rappers, how did it start all the way through to the lose touch thing), the roc-a-fella records break up(the separation between jay-z and dame dash,how and why there were a separation, etc.),roc-a-fella records history(from how they start,to the disputes and controversies to todays bases), what tracks Swizz Beatz produced(apart from hit singles like you did with timbaland) and list of diss songs from rap artist(s)(all,every last one, from the start of diss songs to the today) description on the diss songs from target,motive,brutal bars(lines from songs that hurt or disrespect the target more) and availablity.

tutor, (how to) elementary school language arts

What is SAP?

  • This is the acronym for a computer software company ... I forget what the letters SAP stand for.
  • There is something in a tree known as sap.
  • Sap is also a word sometimes used to describe a person who has behaved in a naive or idiotic way.

AlMac|(talk) 06:33, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Additional possibilities include:

  • A weapon consisting of a leather bag filled with sand or lead shot.
  • To Sap, a form of military engineering were enemy defenses are undermined by digging a tunnel under their foundation.

--Allen3 talk 13:33, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

pictures of the band VAST

does anyone know a site where i can find pictures of the band Vast (Visual Audio Sensory Theature)????

i have some of their songs but i don't know what they look like or who's in the band...

if you could help that would be great thanks!!!!

kattus & em

I take it you've read our article on VAST? Which would lead you to their official website? And done a Google image search? Dismas|(talk) 08:10, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Australia

What are the names of the premiers for the following states and territories. Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania.--203.122.73.172 09:12, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I've wikilinked the names of the territories so that you can go to the articles about them. The info should be there or at the very least, linked off of those articles. Dismas|(talk) 10:10, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
At each of those links Dismas has kindly created you will find the information you need in the infobox (specifally under the map on the right). The Northern Territory doesn't have a Premier, but the Chief Minister is equivalent. --Commander Keane 10:51, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

how poor is romania ?

hello again, this question is in regrds of how poor is romania ? is there a comparison ? for exapmle, how much does a house sell for in american currency ? or is it literally cheap over there ? thank yu again keep up the good work :D

A good starting point would be taking a look at Lists of countries by their GDP. --Commander Keane 16:24, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It sounds like you need a cost of living comparison. Many companies sell software and investigative reports on cost of living. Usually these are sold to international companies which use this information to set their internal adjustment rates for payment of oversea labor. (And stipends for expatriate workers). I have investigated this myself for my own overseas move and I did not find a lot of freely available data. The most relevant report I found would have cost $500 dollars to access. I eventually found some relevant figures by googling "cost of living adjustments" and "cost of living comparison" along with the country name. If your company is planning to move you overseas you may be able to ask them to get you some information on the cost of living. Various US government agencies also keep this information but it is not published online and is based on the cost of living at a particular consulate or expatriate community. I have found that housing is not a good measure of comparison, neither are the costs of particular goods without having a good idea of the average wages and taxes. --Darkfred Talk to me 15:56, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

A lot is incommensurate. Romanian currency is generally undervalued in terms of international currency exchange, so the local purchasing power of the leu is 4-5 times what it brings in foreign exchange. The ratio of property prices to Western Europe is comparable: if you pick, say, a city in Spain and a comparably sized city in Romanian, a comparable housing unit in Romania will cost about 15-25% of what it does in Spain: 15% in poorer rural areas, 25% (maybe a little more this last year or two) in Bucharest, or in some of the Transylvanian cities, which have stronger economies than the general economy.

Most Romanians own rather than rent their dwellings, which also makes comparisons difficult.

Does that more or less answer your question? I probably won't be looking at this topic again (I usually zip through these topics once each), so if you want to follow up, ask me on my talk page. You don't mention what countries you are comparing to, or exactly what scenario you are looking at. -- Jmabel | Talk 06:28, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Police crest

What is the police crest at the bottom left of this picture?[14]

--213.18.248.22 10:09, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The blue ring around the badge would normally carry the name of the force, but in this picture the ring simply reads POLICE. I think the scene is meant to be in Westminster, so the Metropolitan Police Service (you can see a picture of a Met police car in that article) would be the correct force. However, many scenes for the series were filmed in either Cardiff or Swansea, where the South Wales Police would be the force. However, the badge is different from that used by either force. It might be a prop badge rather than that ofa real force. Gareth Hughes 12:47, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

So you mean it's a "generic" symbol?--84.51.149.80 16:24, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it might be an invented badge used as a prop. However, the van in the background does seem to have the long blue badge that is used by the Met. I really don't know anything about the different badges used by different forces in the UK: I just know that each has its own, and might just be able to recognise tha of my local force. Perhaps you should take a look at http://www.police.uk/forces/ as it list all the different forces in the UK, and links to their official sites. Gareth Hughes 21:49, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I've had a look through the badges of all the police forces in England and Wales (all except Dyfed-Powys have decent images on their website) and it doesn't match any that I can tell. The badge looks like it is based on the coat of arms of somewhere. My initial thought was Essex, but the Essex police badge isn't remotely similar to that. The scene in the photo is almost certainly outside the central police station in Swansea [15]. Swansea is in the South Wales Police area, like all the Welsh forces they use bilingual signs and badges (i.e. South Wales Police - Heddlu De Cymru). Thryduulf 00:51, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Budgerigar training

How do you train a budgerigar?

have you checked the budgerigar article on wikipedia? Boneyard 11:55, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

callao bird

Can I see an image of a callao bird and its research.(from the Philippines)

are you sure about that name? google doesn't turn up much about it. and what do you mean with its research? Boneyard 11:59, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Foolish or Brave

I have reasently been thinking about the different types of people in my school, and indeed different people out side of school. One thing that struk me was that there are manny people trying to be people that they are not, or are trying to acomplish somthing, and ultimatly, will never be able to do so, due to there very nature. This led me to thinking are these people foolish or, are they brave to try and be or do somthing they are not? Now Correct me if I am wrong, but the general consensouse is that, it is brave to for go peoples expectations and be somthing different, good or bad. I on the other hand am not convinced, if you try and do/be somthing but you will never acomplish it then why start in the first place? Wouldn't these people be wasting their time and effort, when they could be doing somthing much more acomplishable? But then again isn't that brave? Trying to do somthing that they will fail in? I leave this to you to answer. It would be much appreashiated. Andy p.s. sorry about the spelling and punctuation. I'm not very good at that sort of thing.

Wow! This is the most interesting question I've seen here for a long time. It is not easy to answer as it opens up lots of ethical questions. I suggest you talk to your teacher about this so that you can discuss specific examples. Our article on courage says "some distinguish between courage and foolhardiness in that a courageous person overcomes a justifiable fear for an even more noble purpose. If the fear is not justifiable or the purpose not noble, then the courage is either false, or foolhardy". In other words, the difference often depends where you stand politically, ethically, or philosophically. For example, some people think that going into battle is a very brave thing to do, some think it extremely foolish, and some would say "it all depends..." Shantavira 12:35, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Another related thought is if you ask people, what is it that they consider to be their most important reason for existing in this world, this life, because that has a great impact on their philosophy of what risks are worth taking.
    • Try to make oodles of money so as to improve quality of life for self and family.
    • Do a good job raising a family, so that the kids are better off than we were when we were kids.
    • Service to nation, to protect nation, and help make it stronger, and better.
    • Converting people to one's particular relgious beliefs.
    • Become the best at ones's chosen career.

AlMac|(talk) 18:01, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • There's a fine line between bravery and foolishness, or even insanity. For example, someone is determined to learn how to fly by jumping up and down and flapping his arms and he fgures that eventually he'll get it right. Is that person foolish? Insane? Or maybe he's enjoying seeing other people's reactions to their behavior, in which case he's possibly being brave for risking ridicule for his experiment in interpersonal relationships. How about the person who has lost both legs in an automobile accident and yet wants to become an Olympic champion? There are plenty of examples of people with missing limbs or artificial limbs who have accomplished amazing physical feats that would be out of the reach of even most healthy people, but they probably had to endure many people telling them that what they were trying was impossible.
As an example, Christopher Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down but wanted to walk again. He achieved amazing results in being able to move parts of his body and to be able to breathe on his own for short times, way beyond what most medical experts thought he'd be able to do, because he didn't give up on that dream. Although he never did walk again, his determination and his time spent promoting work that would help others to someday walk has probably made a big difference in the future of other people with paralysis. He could have just spent the time at home, lying in bed, watching old movies, being spoon-fed ice cream; instead, he endured tremendous effort and pain and constant defeats in his efforts to get what he wanted and to travel to spread the word. Was it foolish for him to keep trying against all odds? Personally, I don't think so. Elf | Talk 19:08, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fluorescent colours in MS Word

How do I get fluorescent colours in MS Word?--213.18.248.21 12:45, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

  • I assume you mean for fonts, MS limits its initial choices to colors which display well on paper but you can create custom colors. Click on the font color drop down window (an arrow next to a capital A on the toolbar) -> click "More Colors..." -> click on the "Custom" Tab. You should now have a control where you can create any color. --Darkfred Talk to me 16:17, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Collective Nouns

Is there a collective noun for a 'collection of collections' i.e. numerous collections?

Ron Redfern

Ron: I don't think so. But you could try "metacollection". — Nowhither 18:44, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Tun Mahathir

who is tun mahathir

He is a former Prime Minister of Malaysia. "Tun" is an honorific. See Mahathir bin Mohamad. — Nowhither 18:38, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what does avatar mean?

See Avatar and Avatar (disambiguation). And please put soem text after the subject of your questions in future, and sign them with four tildas. DES (talk) 15:43, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

counties that relate to a street address or city/town

Hi !

Do you know if a downloadable file exists that would tell me what county a street address, zip code or city/town belongs to?

Wally Wittenberg

Our article on List of ZIP Codes in the United States says there's a free downloadable database at http://www.cfdynamics.com/zipbase/ Shantavira 18:34, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

speed record

did mccoy attempt a new land speed record

I can't find any references to anyone named "McCoy" doing such a thing. Maybe you could provide a first name? — Nowhither 18:43, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

White Rabbit Restaurant, Onset, Massachusetts

(no question)

Did you have a question? — Nowhither 18:48, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hot Air Balloons

Does the barometric pressure have anything to do with restricting a scheduled flight? Are they equipped with an altimeter?

Wind speed and cloud cover are much more important than air pressure itself, though these factors are all connected. The barometric pressure will have a small effect of the lifting capacity if that's what you were wondering. The article hot air balloon gives more details. They certainly carry an altimeter and quite a few other bits of gear. Shantavira 08:40, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
While the barometric pressure doesn't affect a balloon's capabilities as such, it's an indicator of what kind of weather is coming, so a pilot might say "the barometric pressure is dropping so we are going to cancel the flight", meaning that bad weather is on the way. DJ Clayworth 17:48, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

oceana

can anybody find a recipe from oceana

Using Google brought this result. The top result is http://www.uktvfood.co.uk/index.cfm?uktv=recipes.recipe&iID=514183. Try using a search engine. Gareth Hughes 21:37, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps you mean Oceania? If so, you can find some recipes in Wikibooks:Cookbook:Pacific cuisines, or the Australian or Tahitian sections of RecipeSource. Chuck 22:48, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
While Oceania is a much bigger and more varied place than just Australia, if you want some "authentic" Australian bush recipes, you could try this teenager]'s collection. Particularly the witchetty grub soup (personally, I'd demand photographic evidence that somebody has actually eaten this) :) Note that we do have an article on Australian cuisine. Beyond Australia, one of the great traditional culinary practices of New Zealand and the Pacific is the Hangi. This is a cuisine that I'd actually heartily endorse :)--Robert Merkel 23:39, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

World Tour Grossings

Where is a good reference source to find out how much music world tours have grossed for any specific artist?

Maybe Billboard? This is probably hardcopy library research. -- Jmabel | Talk 06:39, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Rough and Brittle Hair

What is the solution for rough and brittle hair?

Conditioner maybe? Dismas|(talk) 21:03, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the "SORRY!" board game

How do you print out a "SORRY!" board for the boardgame "SORRY!"?

Sorry! is under copyright and a high-res picture of its board (suitable for printing) would not be permissible under fair use laws. However, that shouldn't prevent you from finding an interpretable picture of the board and constructing one yourself. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:59, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Mountain lion habits and behaviors in Central Arizona

I am becoming interested in the behaviors and habits of central Arizona mountain lions.

I would suggest you start with articles like mountain lion and progress from there. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 22:01, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Zeitgeist

Who first used the word Zeitgeist in Phsycology?

The concept of zeitgeist goes back to the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder. However the word itself was coined by the philologist Christian Adolph Klotz in 1769. - Mgm|(talk) 10:35, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the levees in new orleans .

was the levee to be fixed every year to keep it from flooding ? or a major repair one time thing or every year to keep it fix? thank you rick okoneski

You might find some useful info via the Hurricane Katrina article.
I believe it was an on-going effort by the local (allegedly corrupt) government to spend money on continual upgrading, and reviewing needs, with the help of Federal funds and the US Army Corps of Engineers. A major issue was whether it was supposed to be able to protect against a storm of a particular intensity, and what the drainage of water was doing to the risk of a major flood.

AlMac|(talk) 00:17, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is homecoming?

Homecoming can have a couple different meanings. Normally it just means "coming home". In college and high school sports, esp. American football, it is generally the first home game of the season. At the school the game is normally held on a Saturday and a dance is traditionally held that night for the students to celebrate. A Homecoming Queen and king are generally chosen from the student body as part of the celebration. Dismas|(talk) 00:08, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The article Homecoming (tradition) might also be of help. -- Essjay · Talk 00:18, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Radio Transmissions in Space

How can our radio transmissions be traveling way out in space if radio transmissions seem to weaken the farther you are from the Transmitter?

There's no atmosphere to travel through in space (or at least very little). Thus the signal isn't running into anything. Dismas|(talk) 00:13, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, they get weaker and weaker, but they never entirely disappear. That does mean that anyone hoping to hear our radio transmitters on some planet around another star is going to need a very sensitive antenna. Our article about SETI has some interesting stuff about one planet listening for another. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 00:15, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Alaska

How many days of daylighthas Alaska through the year?

I beleive this varies with latitude as some, but not all, of Alaska is within the Arctic circle - areas outside will have daylight every day of the year, at the artic circle I think you will get one day without daylight, with more such days the further north you go. Have a look at the Alaska article and the others I have linked as they might have some more information on this. Thryduulf 00:56, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It's worth noting that because the Earth is revolving, every point on its surface receives exactly the same amount of daytime over the course of a year, i.e. it's daytime half the time and nighttime half the time. However, the closer you get to the poles, the lower in the sky the sun will be, so the amount of actual light received (and hence warmth) decreases. Shantavira 08:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The amount of light varies greatly with latitude, and Alaska covers a lot of latitude. However, most of the state is south of the Arctic Circle; in such places the sun rises and sets every day. On the other hand, 'way up north in Barrow, Alaska the sun will set at 1:40 p.m. on November 18, 2005 and will not rise again until 1:01 p.m. on January 23, 2006. Keep in mind, however, that just because the sun is below the horizon does not mean it is dark. In fact, Barrow gets at least a couple of hours of civil twilight every day of the year. — Nowhither 01:05, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

when did the exorcism of emily Rose occur?

The Exorcism of Emily Rose was filmed in 2005. It's a movie. Fiction. Never really happened. It was inspired, apparently, by the starvation/exorcism of Anneliese Michel who died on June 30 1976. - Nunh-huh 01:42, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]


what is save for a rainy day?

The expression "Save for a rainy day" just means to put something aside in case hardship comes. For example, if you won a large sum of money someone might tell you to put some of that money in a savings account so that if something bad happened, "a rainy day", you would have that money to draw from. Dismas|(talk) 02:39, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

free website

I would like to know why there are so many free websites available on the internet; and who pays for these websites; An example of the websites I mean are:

  • A website that helps you convert temperature or volume from the decimal to the metric system and vice versa. available on the internet for free; or other websites that helps one translate a text from one language to another etc.

thank you anon.

Both questions don't have simple answers. Websites are paid for by their operators, who in turn receive revenue from advertising, membership payments, or from a supporting organisation. For example, Babelfish is supported by Altavista. Why are there so many websites? Because many people enjoy having them, or many can make money from them, or it doesn't cost much to have one....the reasons are endless really. --inks 03:38, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Many people and organizations believe that the true value of the internet is in sharing information, and they are willing to absorb the cost of doing so to make it happen. For example, my nonprofit dog club pays a monthly fee for the right to have a web site and we can post whatever we want there. So we post lots of information that has been useful to us--text files, photos, Excel spreadsheets that we've created--so that other people can benefit from our experience and knowledge without having to pay for it. I, myself, have a personal web site that I pay a monthly fee for and on which I can post whatever I want; again, I like to share information that I think will be useful to other people. So, for example, when my dog became ill with cancer, I posted information about the cancer as I learned it; since then, I've received many dozens of emails from people whose dogs also had cancer, and they were extremely grateful to find information to help them through their painful times. Neither I nor my club post advertisements or derive any income from our web sites; we are repaid in goodwill, gratitude, and the belief that (as mentioned above) we are making the world a better place for others. Elf | Talk 17:56, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It's worth also noting that the cost of entry for publishing information on the internet is much lower than, for example, starting a television network or a radio station, or even printing a book, magazine or flyer. Absorbing the cost (to use Elf's term) of running a small to moderate-sized web site would be trivial to someone working full-time in an industrialized nation. It's simply not much of a burden; quite fun, actually. Garrett Albright 18:59, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Searching for information on my late father Armando Molina.

I am looking for informaation about my father Armando Molina who just passed away. I received an american flag two metal plaques one that reads his name and another that says VETERAN. I can include DOB and more information,if you can contact me he was an Army soldier and in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

Are you looking for his service records? See this link to NARA. As next of kin you can use vetrecs to request them. - Nunh-huh 03:37, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

SAF Designations.

Can anyone tell me what SAF designations mean and where I can find a full listing of them? Also SRM Designations. --ViolentGreen 02:55, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What doeso TKO stand for

Technical Knock Out: it's a boxing term that is extensively discussed in that article. --Robert Merkel 06:14, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Largest Truck Fleet

What company has the largest truck fleet in the World?

According to the St. Petersburg Times (Florida), Walmart owns America's largest truck fleet lots of issues | leave me a message 10:12, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

what is a cat herder

There is no such thing as a cat herder. There is an expression that goes "... is as hard as herding cats". The idea of the phrase is that cats do what they want and are very hard, if not impossible, to train. Therefore they would go all over the place if you tried to herd them together. I suppose if you called someone a cat herder, it could mean that they spend all their energy trying to do things that just won't work. Dismas|(talk) 09:00, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As an aside, there was a Super Bowl commercial about 5 years ago on cat herding. [17] — Lomn | Talk / RfC 13:15, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If there is no such thing why does this expression get 31,000 Google hits? I had not come across this before either, but it seems that since 'herding cats' is a near-impossible task, a cat herder is someone who is good at organizing people, especially getting them to do things they don't want to do, like all meet up at the same time and place. Shantavira 07:56, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

field hockey

what are short and long corners in field hockey?

Ah! A question I am actually qualified to answer rather than just making it up as I go along :)
Basically, a "long corner" is a free hit awarded when a team accidently plays the ball over their defensive back line. The penalty is a free hit taken from a spot on the side line, five yards from the backline, on the side closer to where the ball went out. Conceding a long corner is no big deal for the defending team; while they would obviously prefer to be in possession of the ball and/or for the ball to be at the other end of the field, it's quite an easy position to defend (you can't lift the ball into a more advantageous position directly in front of goal like a soccer corner kick).
A "short corner", also known in the rules as a "penalty corner", is awarded if the defensive team commits a foul (such as the ball striking some part of their body other than the stick) inside the "circle" - actually a semicircle 16 yards from the goal from which the ball must be struck to score from. In these, five defenders (including the goal keeper) line up behind the backline. One attacker takes the ball from a spot on the backline 10 yards from the goal, and any number of other attackers line up around the edge of the circle. The attacker with the ball must push it to a teammate, the ball must travel outside the circle, and then it is brought back in and (if they can) take a shot at goal. If the ball is hit (with a backlift), an additional restriction applies that doesn't in general play - for the goal to count, the ball not rise higher than "the backboard" of the goal, which is about 18 inches high. A "push" or a "scoop" can be at any height.
At the elite level, penalty corners are scored from a reasonable percentage (maybe 25%?) of the time; some teams have players who are particularly fearsome at them - there was a dutch player called Bovelander whose hit was so hard as to be almost unstoppable, and a Pakistani called Shabaz who had a deadly lofted flick shot. However, at junior and lower senior levels the percentages are much lower. They are also one of the more dangerous situations for defenders, as they often place themselves directly between an attacker with the ball and the goals.
For completeness, if a defender commits a deliberate offence inside the circle, or one that directly prevented a goal being scored, a penalty stroke is taken, analagous to a penalty kick in soccer.
If this material isn't in the field hockey article, it really should be. I'll check :)--Robert Merkel 13:26, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Marta Bus Lines

Hi! I need to know what Marta bus line I should take from the Indian Creek Station to get to Memorial Drive?


Thanks!

Where? There are multiple mass-transit groups known as MARTA. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 14:04, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Original poster: To clarify, we don't know what country you are in, much less what city. (We can guess your planet, but, hey, even that might be wrong.) — Nowhither 01:11, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
But having a wild guess that you meant MARTA in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, this page lists the buses leaving from Indian Creek Station. There appears to be five of them, so have a look at the five until you find the one that you're looking for. --Robert Merkel 03:08, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

re:Re:Aviation question

Hello to all once again... I thank Pharos for the links on the winchester rifle. Sadly I had checked them once before with no success. It does refer to my question however, but not who or where it first originated from...I think I will slowly go crazy in trying to find the answer to this one. Thank you from "Downunder" Tanya.

  • I've got a book on rifles that may hold the answer, but I don't have access to it right now. If I haven't answered this by tomorrow, consider leaving a message on my talk page which is linked in my signature and I'll look if I got some info at my earliest convenience. - Mgm|(talk) 21:29, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Star Wars 3

The Wikipedia Star Wars 3 page states that the DVD release of Star Wars 3 will be November 1. Will there be a VHS release of Star Wars 3?

Yes, there will be a VHS version released at the same time. Proto t c 15:46, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Accounting - fixed asset depreciation / amortization schedules

I am searching for fixed asset depreciation schedules for not-for-profit organizations. Primarily, buildings built before and after 1986. IRS does not have specific information for not-for-profit depreciation. Miller and Wiley not-for-profit auditing materials do not specify depreciation schedules either. Local library is small and does not have current accounting books.

ropskp@juno.com

Disclaimer: I'm an accounting student, but I haven't taken fund accounting and I'm not very familiar with not-for-profit issues. However, I believe that for IRS purposes, tax exempt organizations are required to use straight line depreciation under ADS (longer recovery period), for property placed in service after 1986. According to pub 946, the recovery period for nonresidential real property is 40 years. See pub 946 (do a text search for "tax-exempt"). If you owned the building in 1986 you may have used accelerated depreciation methods - I'm really not sure about this. publication 534 deals with pre-1987 depreciation, but it doesn't mention any special requirements for tax-exempt organizations. If this question deals with an actual company, you should really look through your records for prior depreciation schedules. If you don't have them, I'd assume that you just bought the buildings? In that case it doesn't matter when they are built, it matters when they were placed in service. If you just placed a building in service under ADS, it is depreciated over 40 years using straight line. Make sure to use the right convention in the first and last years - I think real property always uses the mid-month convention. Use table A-13 in pub 946. None of this is tax advice by the way. Rhobite 19:32, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

democratic and republican parties

If you're looking for information on the parties of those names in the U.S., see Democratic Party (United States) and Republican Party (United States). If you're referring to the parties in some other country, see Democratic Party and Republican Party for lists of similarly-named parties throughout the world. Chuck 17:44, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Poetry

Can you submit poetry and such onto the site?

In the context you probably intend, no. Wikipedia is not a webhost for personal use, things like LiveJournal or Blogger are far better suited. If you are instead refering to famous poetry (say, Walt Whitman), then uploading depends on copyright issues. You can generally upload small segments of a poem as fair use and public domain poetry can be uploaded in full at Wikisource. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:14, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You can, like this, just type it in,
So do not feel defeated.
But as to if you should, well no,
It will only get deleted.

low-lying areas

where do I find information regarding how to determine low-lying areas of south florida that may be flood prone.?

thank you Jean Markese

Please do not post your email address on this page, or it will be spammed. Probably the easiest way to find out if you're in a flood-prone area is to call up a local home insurance company and ask them; they would be the ones who would know more than anyone, methinks. Garrett Albright 19:02, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The local town office or county office might have some information on that as well. Dismas|(talk) 20:37, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

excalibur

(no question)

Costume designer in desperate need of help

Hello! Okay so here is the deal I am a costume designer who is working on a movie where there is a shot of someone recieving a Nobel Prize. So naturally the king and queen of Sweden are there. I need to know what the different medals they both where mean or why they wear them. I have some pictures of what they look like but I need some more info. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! I look forward to hearing anything from you!

The Royal Court of Sweden webpage has an English-language section, including a discussion of some of their royal regalia. The page also has a link to the "Information and Press Department" contact details (no email, just phone, fax and snailmail) which may be worthwhile contacting if you can't find an answe on the webpage. You might also try contacting the Swedish Embassy (or the most convenient consulate) in your country for help. Good luck! --Robert Merkel 03:04, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Robert Merkel's suggestion is excellent: you should drop a line asking which orders and riband and medals are worn to the (1) Awards ceremony and/or (2) the Nobel Banquet by the king and queen (depending on which your movie will show). In most pictures King Carl Gustaf seems to be wearing the Grand Cross of the Order of Seraphim (unfortunately without the collar, which is an eyecatcher), the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword, and the Order of the Polar Star. as well as one other I can't make out, and four medals. Queen Sylvia seems to restrict herself to wearing but one Order (but has some rather nice jewelry....) - Nunh-huh 04:21, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Also, kudos to you for taking the time to ensure an accurate costume, rather than just making something up. Superm401 | Talk 08:41, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
In the UK, you'd get this sort of information (at least partly) in Debrett's or Whitaker's; both reasonably common reference books. If there is a Swedish equivalent, the local consulate is bound to have a copy available, and if you ask nicely can probably at least tell you what all the King's decorations are; if you're lucky they may have someone who knows all this off the top of their head. A good library should then be able to find you a book with high-quality illustrations of these, so you can match each one to the actual shiny thing. Shimgray 12:38, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

trees in Wyoming

Dear Sir, I would like to know what kind of trees grow in Wyoming and what kind of trees grow in the Big Piney region specifically. Thank you Robin Schwarz

According to this site, aspen and lodgepole pine grow in the Cottonwood Creek area of Big Piney Ranger District of Bridger-Teton National Forest. Rmhermen 14:24, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

is it possible to defecate up someone's ass?

Okay, as gross/esoteric as this is, my ex-girlfriend and I basically had a yearlong ever-escalating threat war. We exchanged vows of disgusting punishment until we arrived at what I found to be a realistic threat of assault. So...given proper tubing/environmental circumstances, is it possible to use one's own excretory force to reverse flow of the out tube? Any suggestions you have are appreciated.

"Suggestions"? I suggest you don't try it. — Nowhither 01:12, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
쥠軔傰入兩凁! --01:26, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
གྷ༽྅ྴᆩᆺᠠ₥❤༂ฉҗ!??? --01:32, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Military Armament Corp

Do you know the address of the Military Armament Corp in Powder Springs,Georgia?

Font colors

Is there a table of font colors like this in WP that can be called by name rather than Hex code? --hydnjo talk 01:20, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hi - sounds like you're looking for Web colors. This is less a Wikipedia issue than an HTML and browser issue (meaning I don't think the WP software cares what you use for a color name). -- Rick Block (talk) 02:14, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Scorpions

Why do scorpions glow under ultraviolet light?

The quick and simple answer, is that they absorb energy in the form of UV and reflect some back as light at a visible wavelength. Several websites found via Google suggests that this ability aids hunting.--inks 02:32, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Namesake

My name is Richard Sr... my son is Richard Jr... He is expecting a new son to be named Richard. What would his title be, Richard III ?

As far as I've always understood the system, yes he would be Richard III Although very few people would get the Shakespeare jokes he'd get.  :) Dismas|(talk) 03:39, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Of course you could also go for Little Richard.  :)--Pharos 03:43, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
He might get the hump about his name :) -- Arwel 10:43, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Tall buildings

After the events of 9/11, why doesn't the government recommend putting parachutes in all tall buildings?

Just a few ideas off the top of my head as to why they don't:
    • You would have to be on a high enough floor to give the parachute time to open and break your fall
    • The parachutes would all have to be packed and folded properly or they wouldn't open correctly
    • The expense of all the chutes and people to inspect that they're folded correctly
    • The windows would have to be able to open and thus possibly cause law suits when someone decided to cash in their chips by jumping without a chute
    • The space it would take up for literally thousands of parachutes
    • Everyone would have to know how to put one on, release them, etc. Training for that costs even more money
    • If there were a fire in a story below them, the parachute may catch fire on the way down
    • People may slam into the neighboring buildings
    • The time it would take to put the parachute on might be time that they could have used to escape via other methods
I'm sure I could think of more but that's just off the top of my head. Dismas|(talk) 03:46, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Cost versus risk. Despite what you'd think if you watched the news, the actual risk of dying in a terrorist attack on a skyscraper is far smaller than dying in a car accident, let alone a heart attack. Therefore, it's a much better use of funds to install, for exampleAutomated_external_defibrillators in office buildings rather than parachutes.
Furthermore, you might consider hiring Farenheit 911 and watching the segment, taken from one of the breakfast TV shows, of a prototype parachute for just this purpose. Let's just say it's not exactly convincing as to the practicality of the device :) --Robert Merkel 04:14, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This parachute idea would be BASE jumping. The article indicates jumping from buldings is highly dangerous, with concerns about winds, parchute failure etc. --Commander Keane 08:52, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fizzing or bubbling sensation in the back of my neck

Occasionally I feel a rather odd sensation in the back of my neck. It usually occurs only when my stomach is empty, and growling, though I cannot say that with absolute certainty. It lasts for only a few seconds, and can occur several times in an hour, though I've gone for months on end without experiencing it. I can feel it when it happens as well as hear it through the tissues in my head (much like the slight crackling sound bubbles in your saliva can make every time you swallow--though much more profound). I've discussed this with several coworkers who claim to have felt the same sensation. One coworker claimed it occurred after he felt a popping somewhere in his upper back, almost like (IIRC) the fluidic padding around one of his vertebra broke (much like cracking your knucles) and the released fluid bubbled its way up the spinal column. This is, however, just a guess.

Web searches (with keywords such as "spine", "fizz", "bubbling", etc.) turn up nothing substantial, with the exception of a phonetic pronunciation of the word "physician" à la fizz-ish'-in :).

Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this or can explain what is happening?

--Silvaran 05:56, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]


Taxable Income versus Gross Income

What is the difference between the two?? Should the figures be different and why? Ams

  • The taxable income is the one over which you need to pay income taxes. This income is calculated by by substracting subsidies and tax reductions and adding other things. If I remember correctly the gross income is the one you actually earn. - Mgm|(talk) 09:56, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And yes, they can be different, but they're not always that depends on your personal situation. If you need more info about your own tax situation, try contacting an accountant or a friend that is more knowledgeable about taxes. - Mgm|(talk) 09:58, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Ford Jaguar

what are the aims and objectives of Ford Jaguar?

  • If you are referring to the car manufacturer, I would expect sell as much cars and get as much customers as they possibly can. If that's not what you want to know, I'd like you to be more specific. - Mgm|(talk) 10:01, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

define: health and safety act

Woodepcker Finch Information Needed

I was given a homework assignment that involves research on Darwin's Finches. I have chosen the woodpecker Finch. Surprisingly, I am having a relative amount of difficulty finding which island in the Galapagos this bird is mostly found on. If you know the answer to this, please help me out.

I'm also wondering about some information on the general structure of a woodepecker finch that may make him different from other finches. I would much appreciate your help here, too. I am not looking for details, I just need a little help to get started.

Regards, -Connor

  • Connor

We don't yet have an article on the Woodpecker finch. However, our Darwin's finches article looks at the finches of the Galapagos. The Beak of the Finch (ISBN 0679400036) looks at the work of Peter and Rosemary Grant into changes in these finches. According to this article by Robert L Norton of Santa Fe Community College, the woodpecker finch is known for tool use see [18]. That should be enough to get you started. Good luck on your project. Capitalistroadster 13:20, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

PS. This site contains further info on Darwin's finches. [19]

Paris bank fire

Which is the bank mentioned in the Backup article : "A few years earlier (to 2001), during a fire at the headquarters of a major bank in Paris, system administrators ran into the burning building to rescue backup tapes because they didn't have offsite copies." ? Jay 14:01, 22 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Applicatrion of Aloe Vera extract for eye problems

Is Aloe Vera extract useful as eye drops for eye problems? Will there be any side effects if it is instilled in the eyes? L.S.Dogra, New Delhi, India

24th amendment

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