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November 12

hping2 and the ymas flag

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

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

Thanks -- KneeLess 05:50, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

allen iverson and his so-called injuries

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

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

Florida statistic

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

Wiki on CD

Dear Sir

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

Best regards

Engr. Abdul Momen Khan

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

How big would that be? I believe there are a few hundred thousand pictures on Wikipedia and if they are 100 kB on average that would mean tens of GB for the pics alone. Or would such a cd/dvd only have the images in the size used in the article? DirkvdM 10:15, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

All the information you need is under Wikipedia:Database download - yes, you can download the database, but it won't be in a very "presentable" form. The June 2005 dump (as to give you an idea) was apparently 17GB. There is also a group of users working on Wikipedia 1.0, a version of Wikipedia suitable for release on eg CD or DVD. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 10:41, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Or twenty-five CDs, as the case may be. It'd probably be a bit smaller if they compressed it somehow and removed all the fairuse images, though. --Aquillion 01:49, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

if im not mistaken this was already done once for the german wikipedia, it was just one dvd i think, but not totally sure. Boneyard 15:21, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Who was modelled on the Michelin Man?

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

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

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

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

Elected Officials 1954

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

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

cannibalism

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

No, but if you knew what they are made of, you'd wish it was human meat. To quote Mayor Quimby "I'm outraged! You promised me dog or higher." -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:15, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If that was true, there would have to be slaughter on a truely ghastly scale to fill all the kebab takeaways in most cities. To quote Krusty the Clown "The animal we made the Ribwich from is extinct." "What! The cow?!" "Think smaller, and with more legs..." smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 22:48, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Chester, I removed the underlining from your sig 'cause it was affecting the rest of the page. Two in one day! Am I making this up? Sharkford 22:47, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Alright, I'll be the one to point this out then (just in case some readers start to wonder). It's döner kebab. And it's from Turkey or thereabouts and predates the Donner party. Sorry about being such a spoilsports. :) DirkvdM 09:20, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I had to actually read that question twice. You admit to having read the article Döner kebab (which Donner kebab redirects to), so you must have seen its correct spelling. Yet you ask if the food gets its name from a political party with the same name as an incorrect spelling? Is this supposed to be a joke? — JIP | Talk 19:21, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Blank maps

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

Look at commons:category:World maps, and Wikipedia:WikiProject Maps/World.-gadfium 18:10, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Try the National Geographic Atlas and select the PDF. The nice thing about these vector maps is that you can enlarge them much as you want without them getting blurry/pixelated. --24.20.130.253 18:35, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I eventually dredged up one from Commons - Image:World map blank black lines 4500px monochrome.png - and resized the image to a much higher-resolution but physically smaller map. Lines are pretty heavy, which isn't the best option, but it'll do... I'll try printing out a draft soon and see what it looks like. Thanks all. Shimgray | talk | 21:48, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

who desinged it

who desinged radio city music hall.

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

Wikipedia

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

Rex

There is a list of wiki software packages at List of wiki software. Wikipedia uses MediaWiki, which has a number of features related to performance and scale you might not need. In particular, it uses an actual database to store the articles rather than a simple file system based approach. Most wikis are open source and can be freely downloaded. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:40, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Now that you've got a good answer to that, may I suggest you (also) let your pupils work on Wikipedia as an assignment, starting, contributing to and possibly even correcting articles? That way they'll get much more satisfaction from their 'homework' because they're doming something useful. And another advantage of course is that they'll indeed be doing something useful for humanity. And since many kids seem to have a tendency to vandalise Wikipedia, this could be a way to divert that energy in a positive direction. Which would make us happier - and thus the world as a whole because that's what we are. It might just mean more work for you, but, hey, it's for a good cause. :) DirkvdM 09:35, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If they are not contributing to existing articles, please be sure they don't create duplicate topics that will have to be merged. That seems to be the most serious issue with influxes of organized editing(as an assignment or as a group). Superm401 | Talk 09:40, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There is some relevant information at Wikipedia:Schools' FAQ. --hydnjo talk 14:40, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

i forgot my credit card number

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

Luckily no. Fraud. Don't you have your actual credit card? The number is on there. -- Ec5618 21:52, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If you've lost your credit card, you should call your credit card company to issue a replacement. In the meantime, you could try phishing. ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 21:58, 12 November 2005 (UTC) ( OMG!, Good Answer! )[reply]

It will be on your credit card statements, however you will still need your expiry date and security number. If you have lost your card you should cancel it immediately and get another in case it has been stolen. If you use the Google toolbar you can store your credit card information for the purpose of automatically filling out online forms. You will still need a password to access this information. Shantavira 14:33, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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

Halo 2

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

there could be liquid oxygen stored inside of the ship and there is obviously some oxygen because the people in the ship could breathe. But setting aside those things, there couldn't actually be a fire. Broken S 23:53, 12 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The answer I always use is... You are absolutely correct. There is absolutely no way that there can be a fire in space. All that garbage about stars burning is space must be some sort of space alien propoganda. Thanks for pointing out this obvious error in (fill in the fire in space example here).

Then, I wait for someone to tell me to stop being a smartass. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:43, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

That answer suggests that you believe that stars produce energy by combustion - that is, by oxidation of fuel rather than by thermonuclear fusion. Which is probably not something you want to advertise<g>. - Nunh-huh 08:17, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 13

What is a Certificate of Equity?

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

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

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

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

Yes, it does. Think about the rain - it dissolves whatever is in the air and brings it straight to the ground... --HappyCamper 00:35, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

See Acid rain: "The resulting increased acidity in soil and waterways has proven to be harmful to fish and vegetation." Also check out this photo of an old statue from David's Roman Holiday photos. All the brown, nasty stuff is air pollution that's been deposited onto the white marble and etched away some of it's surface.

well, i guess i'll have to research more about this study...i actually bought some pH soil testers... i tested 3 types of soil...i from a major highway (I 94), one in front of my house, and one from the suburbs...i tested each soil 6 times...3 times with an pH soil tester (do it manually) and 3 times with a pH soil meter (electronic)...and in the end, my results concluded that air pollution doesn't affect the soil's pH...but i guess i was wrong... ♥Hot F.L.I.P.

Does anyone read Amaraic script ?

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

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

regards. Bill Griffin Cumming, GA

According to our article on the Aramaic language, it is spoken by around half a million people today, scattered all over the place. It's certainly not dead - indeed, it only really dates from about 1000 BC! I doubt the scroll is several thousand years old for pragmatic reasons - original documents dating back more than a thousand years are exceptionally rare - and if I was able to hold it I'd be able to give you a first guess as to age... but obviously that's not a useful option here.

What does the alphabet look like? Does it look like Hebrew, like Syriac, or Mandaic? This may give us a first guess as to what it contains... Shimgray | talk | 02:12, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

As shimgray is implying, there are a number of things which have been called Aramaic. If you take it to some bible scholars (academic or clergy) who are particularly learned in Semitic languages, they should be able to have a go. If it is close to Hebrew script, though, any rabbi should be able to get by on reading it, although some of the vocabulary and syntactic forms may be unfamiliar. jnothman ^talk 09:31, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Actually you could compare it to the dead sea scrolls, which have been scanned and displayed in a library in San Diego, CA. and at the library of congress. The number of different compositions represented is almost one thousand, and they are written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. --Artoftransformation 17:48, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

[1]

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

About Hurricanes & Hurricane Katrina

I want to know about -

)A Hurricane
)How does it form
)Why is the same called a Typhoon,Cyclone
)Course of Hurricane Katrina.
)Economic loses caused by Hurricane Katrina in the US.
)The damage cost.
)Coastal Damage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.2.68.41 (talk • contribs)

See Hurricane. -- Ec5618 11:34, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Jesucristo Lizard

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

Possibly the Common Basilisk, also known as the "Jesus Christ" lizard.--Commander Keane 17:35, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I thought that it might be kind of large (JESUCHRISTO!) but alas. Its pretty:

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

I have seen a small 'Gecko' type lizard with wide webbed feet that let it run across water, and that was refered to a Jesus Christ lizard. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 22:30, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Did you get his picture? --Artoftransformation 09:01, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There's an article at Brown basilisk. DJ Clayworth 19:28, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lost E-mail Address

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

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

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

Well, there is the difference that the name was misspelled the first time. But I don't see how that makes a real difference. DirkvdM 08:05, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I just spoke with my friend from Erithrea, East Africa. He said for things things:

A majority of internet access there is throuh internet cafes. You might email some of those, and post a reward.
Almost everyone there is in the Capitol, if they are not, it is very unlikely that you will be able to reach them. Do you know anyone else there?
Altough there is a couple of million people, it should not be hard to find someone.
If this person has been conscripted into national service, then you will NOT be able to reach them.

GTA Vice City

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

Apparently, you get it as part of a quest as given to you by 'love fist, see Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

There is also a 'Love Fist Limo.' Take it to a garage during one of the Love Fist missions. There arelinks at the end of the GTA:VC article that have game hints in them. --Artoftransformation 09:10, 14 November 2005 (UTC) 20:45, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Info on Vanna White circa 1987

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

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

the ten greatest films about wars and empires

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

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

They don't exist. Thriller films are much better. - Mgm|^(talk) 23:25, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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

Any famous people borned from a raped mother?

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

Sandra Reaves-Phillips, a famous blues singer, claims to have been born out of rape. --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:26, 13 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In most societies this is something that would never be mentioned, including by the mother to the child, but there must have been some. CalJW 09:25, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Abstinance educator Pam Stenzel says that she was conceived when her mother was raped. Gospel/jazz singer Ethel Waters. Also Leonard Reed, creator of the Shim Sham Shimmy tap dance routine, who was also credited with breaking the color barrier in the Professional Golfers' Association in 1951. Crypticfirefly 05:45, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

King Arthur's mother Igraine of Cornwall is sometimes raped by Uther. 216.43.124.150

November 14

What is the vegetation of Winnipeg

See Winnipeg --Artoftransformation 09:13, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

WWII Flying Tigers

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

The Flying Tigers were part of the American Volunteer Group. You'll find a roster of the American Volunteer Group here, but he's not on it. Someone might conceivably say they were in the Flying Tigers when they served in the 14th Air Force, also called Flying Tigers. Their website is here. You could possibly inquire further at one of these websites or the Flying TIgers forum. - Nunh-huh 02:04, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Spitfire MKV

How many connon rounds did the SpitfireMKV carry?

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

Supermarine Spitfire
	Mk.Ia	Mk.Vb	Mk.IXe	Mk.XIVe
Armament	8x .303 inch (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, 300 rounds/gun	2x 20 mm Hispano HS.404 cannons, 60 rounds/gun 4x .303 inch (7.7 mm) Browning M1919 machine guns, 350 rounds/gun 2x 250 lb (113 kg) or 1x 500 lb (230 kg) bombs	2x 20 mm Hispano HS.404 cannons, 280 rounds/gun 2x .50 inch (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns, 500 rounds/gun 2x 250 lb (113 kg) or 1x 500 lb (230 kg) bombs	2x 20 mm Hispano HS.404 cannons, 280 rounds/gun 2x .50 inch (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns, 500 rounds/gun

Hope this helps. Brisvegas 11:02, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

how to select a real system of chair

information about chairs

.How to select a real system of chairs?

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

.what are the forces acting on chairs?

Gravity holds them down.

They form a support for weight, similar to that of Arches, Bridges and tables. They spread the force of the weight on their feet, while supporting the weight from lateral (Horizontal movement). --Artoftransformation 10:15, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

World soccer question

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

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

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

Can anyone help?

Steve from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.

sheffield united

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

Jimmy Aubrey

Hi,

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

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

Tree Felling politicians

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

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

headlights on automobiles

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

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

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

expiration date.

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

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

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

Larry Bauer 407-862-0416

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

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

Funeral Photos

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

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

Jean Claude Van Dam

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

The scene goes something like this:

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

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

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

Judo footage/photographs

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

Olivetti

Where is the United States Headquarters for Olivetti Corporation?

According to their website, they don't have a US headquarters. They have:

Italy: 800-369120
France: 01-49077272
Austria: 0810-002002
Germany: 01805-257574
Switzerland: 022-5675210

Perhaps they are in the US under a name other than just Olivetti. --Kainaw ^(talk) 00:47, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Generics

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

Often the named and generic products are made at the same factory, so you're getting exactly the same content. Why would anyone pay more? In very general terms, companies try to convince people that there's something special about their name brand product so they'll buy it even if they have to pay more. Read about branding and marketing to learn more about these tactics. --Avijja 23:29, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Pharmaceuticals often have enormous research and certification costs as well. The original (branded) manufacturer needs to recoup these but the generic producers just copy the (already certified and researched) branded formula. Lisiate 23:32, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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

evaluation of marxism, functionalism, interactionsim

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

You're in luck! Just enter those terms into the Wikipedia search and you'll soon learn more about those subjects. You can also get some great results by entering these words into Google. Although we're glad to help, we can't do your homework assignments for you. --Avijja 23:42, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

International style (architecture) and Bauhaus were popular in the USSR, which is one reason the nazis didn't like it, so the architects (Bauhaus was German) fled to the USSR, which only strengthened the effect. Now that's the USSR, which is not the same as Marxism, but there's obviously a link. I suppose it has in part to do with both socialism/communism and modernism being about a 'brave new world'. Out with the old, in with the new. An example of the architectural international style is the Glaspaleis ('Glass palace' in the Netherlands), which was also nicknamed a 'palace for the people'. Another 'palace for the people' is the Moscow Metro, and a metro is good example of modernist efficiency (and thus functionalism). Then again, the ornamentations are very baroque and thus non-modernist and non-functional.

Don't know from interactionism. DirkvdM 09:06, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I applaud DirkvdM's thoughtful analysis of a fairly complex problem from an architectural viewpoint. I would add that proto-Marxist states favored functional, modernist architecture because their simplicity and low cost enabled the government to house many people efficiently; the identical buildings enforced a sense of classless social uniformity; and the very lack of frills was a deliberate break with the Tsarist-era bourgeois decadence styles. However ... "functionalism" is a term with different meanings in architecture and sociology. The reason I said "do your homework" was because these three terms are some of the first things covered in Sociology 101 and offer theories on the reasons why people interact, establish social institutions and why these institutions take a certain form -- see Interactionism and Functionalism (sociology). I find it amusing that the very lack of context in the question made it possible to interpret it a way that simply didn't occur to me, yet made a great deal of sense. Cheers! --Avijja 04:32, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I end with 'Don't know from interactionism' and I get applauded! Should do that more often maybe. :) DirkvdM 07:21, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

a mordern day version of the story of dr.faust

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

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

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

Also, check out Dr. Atomic. Very recent, fairly Faustian. --Fastfission 04:13, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Cecil 'Tiny' Thompson

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

Thank you. MEB 207.194.162.119 23:01, 14 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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

Am I Too Late?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please review the documents that you signed. It doesn't matter how many times you sign the papers, but what's important are the words in the contracts you signed. Please speak with your recruiters, tell them you don't want to join, and that you didn't understand that you could be called up for active duty. If your recruiters aren't helpful, find out who their bosses are and talk to them. Ask your councilor at school, they may know where you can go for help. If all this fails, you might be able to find a lawyer that will help you for free. Do NOT delay, ignore this or decide not to show up for basic -- it will be too late and you might go to jail. If your recruiters didn't tell you that you might end up on active duty, then they did something very bad, and you should be able to get out of this. Good luck. --Avijja 00:01, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This is how my DI introduced himself on my very first day of boot camp: "I am your Drill Instructor. I am your mother and father for the next three months. I don't care what your mother or father says and I especially don't care what your recruiter says. The first person who begins any sentence with 'My recruiter said...' will be spending a whole day in the pit until his mind is so numb that he doesn't remember having a recruiter. Let me make this brutally clear so that even the dumbest pile of rocks can understand. Your recruiter lied to you. It is his job to lie to you. It is my job to be honest and, honestly, I can't see more than half of you lasting more than a week." Ahh, sweet memories of Hotel California. --Kainaw ^(talk) 00:41, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

But they said that it was a coalition of the willing... ;) Ojw 20:42, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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

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

I don't know. If you mean to suggest that that makes that clear, the problem is I'd have to read a substantial bit of the question to figure that out. If I would have known in the first place. It would be a lot handier if people were more specific about what exactly the topic is, preferably at the beginning of the question. See point two above about 'how to ask a question'. DirkvdM 12:07, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 15

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

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

names of sudama

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

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

- Kuchela is one --Tachs 07:32, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Typography - section break images

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

I'm not an expert, but I think that the term dingbat is sometimes used. --DannyZ 03:20, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Code

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

^4$$_ !'#&8~~
=`^^74( 5!)
3!=8~82 =!~`67`~
9!$64 6`$28`
=`6684 6$`24
8`~ %!=4$7`-34$
9!%7 7!--!(`_
3`~84- 08=
4*`~64-8~4 -8--_

If it is a substitution cypher, it is not difficult to figure out. You just look for an obvious clue. For example, the last "word" is -8--_. How many words have the same letter three times like that? LOLLY, BOBBY, DODDY... Once you figure that out, you can replace the other letters and pick it apart. Of course, this is all based on the assumption that this is a substitution cypher. --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:22, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, the result may need to be an equation of some sort, so frequency analysis won't help a bloody bit.

Checking "lilly" for the last word, it turns out to be a list of names as follows:

 Terry 0'Quinn
 Matthew Fox
 Dominic Monaghan
 Jorge Garcia
 Maggie Grace
 Ian Somerhaler
 Josh Holloway
 Daniel Kim
 Evangeline Lilly

I have no idea what this list of names is for though. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:21, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently that makes it the cast of the tv series "Lost" which makes a lot more sense than the jumbled stuff I had. How did you think of checking for lilly? - Mgm|^(talk) 18:34, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

As I said, the last word was very limited. I already thought of LOLLY, which made a lot of sense, but the O didn't look right. So, I used LILLY. That led to guessing LINE at the end of Evangeline. That pretty much solved the rest of it. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:42, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I solved the puzzle this code was part of after another Wiki search on Lost. :) - Mgm|^(talk) 22:25, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Arabic books mentioned on the site

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

Thanks!

A

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

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

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

Eddie Guerrero

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

Urgent:

It wasn't a heart attack. It was heart failure. His heart was enlarged and worn thin by heart disease brought on by "past drug alcohol and drug abuse." There was no trauma.

How can you rationalize this as urgent? --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:29, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What else on Eddie? Maoririder 20:05, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Date systems

moved to Talk:Calendar_date

world cup goals

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

According to this site the highest scoring match was 7-Austria to 5-Switzerland. Which, as shown on this site was during the Quarter finals of the '54 World Cup in Switzerland, on June 26, played at La Pontaise. Though I imagine there were higher scoring matches during the qualifying stages, for example, I'm pretty sure Australia regularly scores higher than that during their qualifying games, I'll try to look into that. Akamad 23:47, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The record in a world cup match would be the game between Iran Vs. Maldives. This was a qualifing match for the 1998 world cup. The score was Iran 19 - Maldives 0.--Aytakin 22:24, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

That's not true. In 2 world cup qualifiers in 2001, Australia scored 22 goals against Tonga, and beat American Samoa 31-0. [3] Please do your research before posting an answer. Proto t c 13:21, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[4][reply]

world war 2

when did Germany attack France in world war 2?

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

leading goal scorer in world cup

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

Please see [5]. -- Rick Block (talk) 05:25, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hardware secondary storage.....

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

If you are talking about computer data storage, then see secondary storage. Yes, it's all hardware, but primary storage in this context is (volatile) main memory, which is also hardware.-gadfium 18:48, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hardware is the part of the computer that you can physically touch. Secondary storage is a kind of hardware, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM. To store information, you must use some kind of hardware. See Computer hardware for more details. --Avijja 18:58, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

So you've got it the wrong way around. Secondary storage is part of computer hardware (as is primary storage). DirkvdM 13:18, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

taking care of mums

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

I'd say treat them like houseplants - replant them in appropriate sized pots, put them in some sun, and water them every day or so. 216.43.124.150 21:19, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Clarification - If you put them in your basement and do not water them, you will have dead mums. 216.43.124.150

Analysis of Alicia Keys

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

putting information on a computer chip

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

Roy Downing

You are looking at it the wrong way. It is a lot more complicated than "press a key and a letter appears". You need to look into ASCII codes commonly used by keyboards, input buffers which hold typed codes, and video display registers, which allow you turn pixels on and off.

Very briefly, you press a key and a code is stored in the input buffer. A program pulls the code from the input buffer and decides what to do with it. If it wants to display it on the screen, it looks up an image map for the code (usually in a font library). It then tells the display controller to draw that image map in a specific spot on the screen. The display controller converts that command to setting the pixel color of each pixel on your screen. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:20, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You may also be interested in Programmable read-only memory, which discusses one method of programming data into a chip, though data does not directly translate to functionality. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 22:04, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

And keep in mind that what is stored in a computer is just binary code (zeros and ones if that's what you want to call it) that can be interpreted in any way one sees fit. It could represent a letter (as with the ascii code) or a number - either as ascii or as a binary number. Thus, you could do arithmetic with letters, which is not as stupid as it sounds. For example, the ascii codes for small and capital letters are 32 'positions' apart; 65 (decimal) is 'A' and 97 is 'a'. So by substracting 32 from a small letter you can capitalise it. DirkvdM 13:30, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's a very complex process. You could start with the article on computers to get a basic idea of how a computer works and go from there. --Robert Merkel 01:49, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hurricane Katrina

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

There's some info on this in the Hurricane Katrina article... least there was the last time I looked... Dismas|[[User talk:Dismas|(talk)]] 06:34, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Unicorns and Scotland

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

Paris Street Directions Paris to Cimitiere des Chiens

A user on the Wikipedia helpdesk has posted this question.

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

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

the youngest person ever to be tried for crimes aganist humanity

who was the youngest person ever to be tried for crimes aganist humanity. Their were some concentration Guards, during WWII who were in their early 20's.

Stop signs

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

See Stop sign. --Kainaw ^(talk) 00:37, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 16

refinancing

what is prepaying the interest on your existing mortgage when refinancing?

Let's say in 2002 you got a 5-year mortgage for $100,000 from your bank at 8% interest. Now in 2005, your outstanding principal is $95,000, and you want to build an addition on your house and pay for it by borrowing $30,000, i.e., increasing the outstanding principal of your mortage to $125,000. Let's say that the bank's interest rate on a 5-year mortgage has dropped to 6%. Of course, you want to pay 6% on the new money that you are borrowing. If the bank gives you a 6% mortgage on the full $125,000, it loses out 2% interest on $95,000 for the next two years. So you have to compensate the bank for that loss by pre-paying the interest that it will lose. By doing so, you get the bank to let you out of the old 8% mortgage, and give you a new mortgage at the lower 6% rate. (This is somewhat simplified, but I hope that it answers your question.) Ground Zero | [[User talk:Ground Zero|t]] 15:38, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

WTF? If you have to pay the bank a fee on your old loan when you refinance, that is known as a prepayment penalty, and is a feature of the contract you signed when you closed the loan. It doesn't have anything to do with the difference in interest rates offered at the time, again it is just a feature of the contract you signed. Prepayment penalties may be structured something like 2% for 3 years, 1% for 3 years, 3% for one year, etc, but there are regulations on how long they can go and how much they can be, varying by state in the US at least. They are assessed based on the amount of the principal paid early, before the term of the loan is up. Ex. if your balance is $100k and you refi while you have a 2% prepayment penalty, you'll pay a 2k penalty. That's not prepaying interest but may be what the asker was confused with. That is one possible meaning for prepayment in relation to loans. Possibly what the asker was referring to is you can prepay interest on a loan you are going to get by paying a fee to the lender upfront. For example a lender may offer a 6% interest rate with no fee, or a 5.5% interest rate with a fee. The fee is called points, or prepaid interest, and is usually a percentage point of the loan balance you're taking out, thus the name. Because it is counted as prepaid interest you get to deduct it as interest paid on your income taxes. That's all for the US at least, maybe commonwealth or other countries use similar terms differently. In any case, our mortgage and refinancing articles are pretty terrible. - Taxman ^Talk 16:11, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

My answer was based on my recollection of getting out of a 5-year mortgage in the early 1990s in Canada. I paid a penalty based on the difference between the posted rate and my mortgage rate. My mortgage rate was 9.5%, and the short-term rates had dropped significantly. I waited to switch to a short-term mortgage until there was a brief rise in rates in order to minimize the penalty that I had to pay. It was not a fixed amount. And we don't get to deduct mortgage interest either :-(. Ground Zero 16:20, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hence my wtf. That's wacky, and exemplifies things can work very differently in diff countries. People on the RD rarely tell us where they are from. I suspect that's because you refinanced with the same bank you held the old loan with. If you financed the new loan with someone else you would have just gotten whatever rate they offered. Your fee was still likely set out in the old loan contract though, so it may have specified an even larger fee if you refinanced with someone else. Anyway, mortgages are large and complicated and it pays to read the fine print or have someone you trust explain it to you. - Taxman ^Talk 16:35, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Water

If a cup of water has been sitting for a while, Why do little bubbles form on the sides in the water?

I suppose imperfections in the surface of the glass function as seeds (analogous to crystals) for the aggregation of gases in the water. Why the gasses want to group together I don't know. Nor why they need seeds for it. DirkvdM 13:40, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Water is viscous. The surface tension traps bubbles if there is something next to the surface to trap the bubbles against (like the side of a glass). Keep in mind that even if there is no gas in water when you put it in a glass (which there always is because you can't be perfect), water still breaks itself down into oxygen and hydrogen. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:15, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Probably more significant than the breakdown of water is the fact that really pure (deionized) water will disolve atmospheric gases such as CO2 very easily, so if there's no gas to start with, their soon will be. --Bob Mellish 19:19, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Ford Motor Company

Was the Ford Motor Company ever involved in the cement business? If so, when and where?

Killers' full names

Why do we tend to refer to killers by their full names? Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wayne Gacy come to mind. If they'd won Nobel Peace Prizes, they'd be plain old Lee Oswald and John Gacy. Why is this? JackofOz 06:20, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

One explanation - who knows if it's right or not - is that it's a way of preventing libel suits. If you report two names rather than three, there's a greater likelihood that someone has the same name, and will sue you for implying they are are a murderer. There are lots more Lee Oswalds than there are Lee Harvey Oswalds. - Nunh-huh 07:06, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hmmm ... Thanks for the suggestion, but it doesn't exactly ring my chimes. The media do certainly have a vested interest in ensuring they don't inadvertently get into trouble with the libel laws. However mentioning eg. Michael Brown (and not his full name Michael James Brown) in the specific context of a story about a murderer, where it's clear that you're talking about Michael Brown the murderer and not any of the thousands of other Michael Browns, surely could not be an invitation to sue. I know the libel laws do differ from country to country, but have we really gone that far down the path of litigiousness? Could a private citizen who just happened to be named Saddam Hussein sue a paper for not disambiguating him from the former Iraqi leader? I don't think so. JackofOz 10:08, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I'm with Jack on that one. The world knew of Lee Harvey Oswald (all three names) before the States really started getting excessively litigious. I just don't buy it. The movie Conspiracy Theory, with Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts, mentions this a bit. In it Gibson's character mentions the fact that killers who actually succeed are known by all three names whereas people like John Hinkley, who failed to kill his target is only known by his first and last names. Dismas|^(talk) 10:26, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe it's just a convenience to help distinguish successful killers from failed ones? — JIP | Talk 10:39, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yeahbut: Lynette Squeaky Fromme. "Oh Shit, I shot it!" (3 name failure) Mary Seurrat (2 name "success") William Henry Harrison (not a killer)... Of course the fictional "Ralph Hinkley" (alter-ego of "The Great American Hero") had to become "Ralph Hanley" in the aftermath..... Most likely a way of making people who have done what we consider "important" deeds have "important sounding" names. Nunh-huh 10:53, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

"Squeaky" was just a nick name though... Dismas|^(talk) 11:03, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks folks. The more I think about it, the more I think it has to do with what happens when a well-known person is murdered and they catch the killer. The media naturally want to report the full story as early as possible, so all details of the killer are fair game (full name, race, sex, marital status, unusual things about height or weight, etc). So the first name presented to the world is a triple barrelled one, and first impressions count. Other journos parrot the story, and the name quickly becomes firmly embedded in both the national consciousness and the brains of journalists. Then we have the trial, where the defendant is asked to confirm that he is "Michael James Brown", and so on it goes. But interestingly, murderers who only kill their family members or some other unknown person, rather than some VIP, don't get the same treatment. Melbourne seems to be the murder capital of Australia, and there are always people knocking off their wives and kids (I exaggerate, of course), and they get a lot of media coverage, but we only ever hear their first name and surname. This 3-name phenomenon seems restricted to murderers of VIPS. JackofOz 10:50, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's not uniform though Leon Czolgosz (Killed McKinley) isn't known as Leon Frank Czolgosz for one example. Neither is Ramón Mercader (Killed Trotsky) known by his full name. Similarly the assassins of some famous people only have 2 names (eg John Bellingham(Killed Spencer Percival))AllanHainey 11:57, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Two names is a lone gunman, three names and you have a conspiracy. MeltBanana 00:05, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

cricket

Would you know the name of the Captain of the English cricket team who toured Australia in 1873 please.

Try looking here: English national cricket captains. But England didn't play official international cricket until 1877, so maybe try History of Test cricket (to 1883) too. Good luck. Harro5 07:21, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

world cup goals

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

Please see [6]. -- Rick Block (talk) 15:26, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to this site the highest scoring match was 7-Austria to 5-Switzerland. Which, as shown on this site was during the Quarter finals of the '54 World Cup in Switzerland, on June 26, played at La Pontaise. Though I imagine there were higher scoring matches during the qualifying stages, for example, I'm pretty sure Australia regularly scores higher than that during their qualifying games, I'll try to look into that. Speaking of which Australia is going to the World Cup! Huzzah!!! Akamad 23:51, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Here it is, Australia scored 31 against American Samoa on April 11, 2001, at Coffs Harbour in Australia during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Akamad 23:57, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Which comic strip was this?

I remember a comic strip I read many years ago. I remember the dialogue word for word but not which strip it was. It went like this:

Girl: I'm going to be a marine biologist when I grow up.
Boy: You can't.
Girl: Why?
Boy: Marines don't take girls.
Girl: You might want a brain when you grow up.
Boy: I'm going to be in the Salvation Army and shoot guns.

Can anyone help? — JIP | Talk 10:24, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Which country has the most atheists? Vegetarians?

Which country has the highest rate of atheism? Ditto for vegetarianism.

Our atheism article says that the Czech Republic is probably the most atheistic country, but that is hard to exactly pin down. Yeltensic42.618 15:41, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The most vegetarian country is probably India. Most of the country is Hindu, which forbids meat-eating. Not to mention it has over a billion residents... Articuno1

I haven't read the atheism article and it probably states this, but not being religious is not the same as being an atheist, so the conclusion about the Czech republic is too strong. It's merely an indication. The Czech republic article is more accurate by saying that 59% are agnostics or atheists. The Netherlands scores fairly high too, by the way, with 42% non-religious and 70% never going to church, according to the article. DirkvdM 09:00, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't that pretty much what I said? I said that the Czech Republic was the most atheistic, not the least religious. After all, there are a number of atheistic religions, such as Buddhism and Confucianism (although it's possible to combine either of them with a theistic religion, and therefore still be a theist)...not to mention the Invisible Pink Unicorn, but that's a different matter. Yeltensic42.618 16:47, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Careful, I've noticed that some people can react rather aggressively (ironically) when Buddhism is called an atheist religion. And anyway, I'd sooner call it agnostic, because that doesn't make a religious statement. For clarification, as I see it, agnosticism means "I don't know if there's a God", atheism "There is no God", belief "There is a God" and religion "This is the one true God" (as put down in the Holy Book - and let's massacre those who think otherwise). Where 'God' can mean any supernatural being (including oneself? - Another interpretation of Buddhism). One could say that atheism is inherently a belief (and if put down as a dogma a religion) because it makes a statement about the existence of God. About the Czech republic, in the atheism article it says that 59% have no religion and the conclusion is that it could therefore be the most atheist country in the world. Which is nonsense because there are no statistics (mentioned) on how many atheists there are. They could all be agnostics. DirkvdM 07:40, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, that is pretty ironic...but I have to wonder why they react that way, it's not like it should be a big deal (by the way, if you haven't seen my userpage, I'm an atheist myself, I didn't say that to attack Buddhism). I will point out that atheism doesn't have to mean "belief that there is no god(s)" in the same sense that theism is "belief there is a god(s)"; it can mean "believe" in the same sense as "I believe that you are telling me the truth", as atheist Douglas Adams has said; in other words, it's still possible to be convinced otherwise (i.e. if God suddenly poked his head out of the sky and announced his existence. I also have noticed that we've hardly addressed the question of vegetarianism. I couldn't find any stats on that. Yeltensic42.618 01:54, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Some Buddhists believe in deities, some don't, and some believe that wanting a specific stance on this is silly and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Atheism is generally understood as an absolute belief in the nonexistence of god(s), which is how DirkvdM seems to be using it. Some lesser-known forms of Atheism, which Yeltensic may have referred to, do not proclaim absolute knowledge, but only a belief or opinion. Most people would lump this latter form with Agnosticism. I recommend you read the articles on Atheism and Agnosticism to learn about their various forms. In closing, please state data labels as they were recorded, rather than translating them using your possibly valid but unconventional definitions. :) At least that's how it was explained to me by the Pink Unicorn, Blessed Be Her Holy Hooves. --Avijja 06:24, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Back to the original questions.... According to Adherents.com research, East Germany is 88.2% atheist. I imagined the number would be high because of the terrible abuse these poor people suffered through during the last century, but the number seems too high. The Vegetarianism article claims that 20-30% of Indians are vegetarians, which is a very high percentage. --Avijja 06:24, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting...but the last I checked, East Germany is no longer a country. It is good, though, that someone finally answered the vegetarianism question after all the discussion of the godless hellbound. ;) But here's something to illustrate how the form of atheism I mentioned (and happen to be a member of) differs from agnosticism: Jeff says,"You guys, I just saw the sasquatch!" Gus says,"I believe your every word." Aloysius says,"I disbelieve your every word." Declan says,"I don't know..." Yeltensic says,"I don't think you saw the sasquatch...well, I suppose it's hypothetically possible. Show me some good, solid evidence. Or maybe you saw a gorilla. We'll examine the possibilities." In case anyone reading this couldn't tell, Jeff is a religious text, the sasquatch is God, Gus is theism, Aloysius is atheism according to the most common definition, Declan is agnosticism, Yeltensic is my brand of atheism. You could also imagine this as a spectrum with theism as 1, agnosticism as 5, and Aloysius atheism as 10; yeltensicism is in the high single digits. Or you could categorize yeltensicism as akin to political affiliation rather than religious belief. By the by, on the subject of Buddhism, all I meant about it being an atheistic religion is that it lacks a diety; that isn't to say you can't combine it with another religion like Shinto, as I gather many people in Japan do (though I think I read somewhere that most Japanese people don't believe in the Shinto gods, even if they are Shintoists). For example, my mother is a Buddhist who believes in the Abrahamic God. Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Yeltensic42.618 07:42, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Avijja, that's a rather odd reasoning. You expected a high 'atheism-score' because of the history of suffering? I thought that when people suffer they actually tend to become more religious. And where religion has been suppressed (or disapproved/discouraged) for some time, such as in Cuba and the former east bloc, it resurfaces instantly when allowed again. But the table is from 1991 and the stats probably older, so they're most likely a fabrication. DirkvdM 08:04, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

(Since no one mentioned it before) China, with over a billion people, is officially atheist. Raul654 08:09, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't expect much of a link either way between suffering and atheism, but I could imagine something like the concept Avijja is talking about, in which people lose faith because their suffering indicates that God has turned his back on them. But DirkvdM is right in that many people become more religious due to suffering. However, about the resurfacing of religion when allowed again, it seems that most of the former communist bloc in eastern Europe is still largely irreligious; maybe it doesn't resurface. Then again, western Europe is quite secular too, maybe in the Czech Republic etc. it has more to do with being in Europe than having been communist. Yeltensic42.618 19:43, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Authors

Who are the authors of this site, and do they do extensive reasearch?

Questions about Wikipedia belong at the Help Desk, not the Reference Desk.
Thousands (millions?) of people all over the world are the authors.
Some of us are quacks or pranksters, but others do amazing research.

—Keenan Pepper 16:55, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There are approximately 500,000 users with accounts. Yeltensic42.618 07:53, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What's up with my signature?

My signature, which previously worked perfectly, now looks like this: Mark[[User talk:Markalexander100|1]] 17:22, 16 November 2005 (UTC) Why? It's been like this for a few days now, working from different computers. Mark[[User talk:Markalexander100|1]] 17:22, 16 November 2005 (UTC) (I've just realised we have a help desk, but since we're already here...)[reply]

See WP:SIGHELP. android79 17:35, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you kindly! Mark ¹ 19:48, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's not just you. Mine changed all of a sudden as well. I hadn't changed my preferences in months and then earlier today it was all weird like yours. I played around with my preferences a bit and it fixed it. Don't know why it went wrong in the first place though. Dismas|^(talk) 20:55, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

signs of the cross

what is the meaning of the cross on the forhead, then on the mouth, then on the heart the last is the full cross. Is there any special meanings and what is the prayer that is recited.

Sign of the cross has what you're looking for. I've removed your email, as I'm sure you don't want more spam in your Hotmail account. android79 19:52, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Post-Roman Britain Fashion

Can someone point me to some good information on the fashions of post-Roman Britain? I can only find Roman Britain, and my Google skillz are not what they used to be. 216.43.124.150 21:12, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I have found the book, Dress in Anglo-Saxon England by Gale R. Owen-Crocker to be a useful resource. Many years ago a group of historical reenactors in the Society for Creative Anachronism published a well-researched newsletter called Early Period that might help you. Other online sources include the website for the British Museum and the BBC's Schools pages. Crypticfirefly 03:24, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. 216.43.124.150 16:56, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Rules of conduct for Congressmen, benefits

can you please tell me what the rules of conduct, the special privliages and benefits congressmen are? i have searched all over the place and cannot find the answer to the above.

Wikipedia heals?

Has anyone ever had a life saved directly from being on Wikipedia? --Wonderfool t (c) 23:41, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If I understand your question correctly, not that I've heard about. On the flip side, there have been a number of rather disturbing questions on the reference desk from troubled souls. Not to put too fine a point on it, nothing that indicates that they are in immediate danger (and certainly everybody who answered did their very best to help), but people who clearly need professional help of one kind or another. There was one question posed by somebody who was very likely suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness; due to his circumstances I fear this person will not get the help they need. Of course, in that situation there was nothing the Wikipedia or individual Wikipedians can do; it's just disturbing to be confronted with such a situation.

I was also contacted (privately, but because of contributions I had made to the Wikipedia), by an individual seeking information about euthanasia drugs. They claimed to have a legitimate purpose for such knowledge (I can't recall what it was, now, but it was plausibly medicine-related). I didn't have the knowledge to answer in detail; even if I did, I wasn't prepared to pass such information on to somebody who may not have been what they claim to have been. I suspect some of our medically-knowledgeable Wikipedians have had similar questions; they may or may not wish to comment on this.

More broadly, information is good, and I'm sure on balance we do a lot more good than harm. But to your specific question, I don't know.--Robert Merkel 13:31, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

We've had at least one on-line suicide note, which was reported to the appropriate places. This may or may not have made any difference. - Nunh-huh 01:51, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia in C.Vs

Do you 'pedians put in time spent on Wikipedia in your CVs? Does this help to get a job, do job-givers actually care, would being an admin look good on a CV? Personally, I've never told any "real life" people about my being an editor of Wikipedia, and I've been here over a year. Is this normal behaviour or does it have connotations that Wikipedia is like a vice? I'll read any replies soon. Thanks --Wonderfool t (c) 23:41, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I briefly mention it on mine, in the "other interests" bit (where I pretend I'm a well-rounded human being) - but it's only one short line. I certainly don't belabour the point. For techie folks who're impressed, it gives us something to talk about. For others who aren't, the brief mention doesn't make it look like it's an unhealthy obsession. This (assuming you're able to continually keep up a respectable wiki-presence, and don't have anything embarrassing contributions you wouldn't want someone to find if they googled for you) is one reason to use your meatspace name here. -- Finlay Mcwalter | Talk 23:55, 16 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I mentioned it in my personal statement when applying for a place at UCL. They asked me about it in the interview and we talked for a bit - about whether one can use it as a reliable source, etc. I got the place. --Oldak Quill 17:35, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Mmm, but a personal statement isn't quite a job application... I've made passing references in interviews to close familiarity with it - I'm a librarian, so random online reference sources is actually a Relevant Thing for other than Finlay's techies ;-) - but never anything specific. Partly there's the name issue - whilst I don't actively hide anything I do on the internet, my username here helps you find a mostly dormant journal of mine; whilst there's nothing embarrassing there, there are tangential references to past employers, which is something I try to avoid doing now and I'd prefer people didn't get the wrong idea. But also there's the fact that, without knowing what works here, what can someone see by looking? Some articles I wrote, many of which are of highly limited interest (some are wonderful, but if you only click on two...). A few notes I left myself. A sparse handful of one-sided conversations. Not much there; making something of it may cause someone to look, and what they see may be highly unrepresentative. Shimgray | talk | 02:19, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm thinking it'll go in my Other Interests when I rewrite my CV. What's trickier is that one of the Wikibooks I work on is apparently going to get published before I write any journal articles. I'm not really sure if I should list it under my published works.

I wonder if any unpublished people applying for writing-intensive jobs find citing particularly good articles they've written here helpful. — Laura Scudder ☎ 18:15, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I don't list Wiki-editing in any professional sense. I do have a link to it from my homepage. I also use it daily. I'm always having odd questions asked at work. I used to go to Google first, but now I go to Wikipedia first and then Google. I tell everyone that they could just go to Wikipedia, but they prefer to ask me a question and have me do it. --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:52, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I can't remember whether it was in my CV but I mentioned it in the last interview I had. I got the job. David | Talk 20:06, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 17

Tax cuts stimulating the economy

Tax cuts are supposed to stimulate the economy. What I don't understand is "what is the difference if the money is spent by the consumers on televisions, home improvements and such or retained by the government and spend on roads, military equipment, FAA traffic control towers?" In either case, the money is spent and according to the commonplace explanations, spending the money will create jobs and the money from those jobs will produce more spending and so on. So why are tax cuts reported by the government and the media considered economic stimulus? Its all the same. I do not understand this.

Aime Casavant

Because they want to make them. Which government are you talking about? If a government wants to increase taxes they're likely to state the opposite. I believe the two sides are best exemplified by Keynesian economics (government spending can be used to boost the economy) and Monetarism. There should really be a discussion of this in Fiscal policy, but alas there isn't yet. And I'm no expert, so I'm not going to do it. Anyone? DirkvdM 09:18, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

For starters, standard microeconomic theory is that tax causes direct market inneficiencies through dead weight loss. See that article and the section in tax on that. When average tax rates are over 30% of GDP, the dead weight loss is not insignificant. For another, it is believed that the government does not make efficient use of the money they do take in. Distributing money to the poor does not increase GDP because they simply spend it instead of creating more economic growth through starting a business, etc. Many people believe of course that we should give money to the poor because it is the right thing to do, but that is separate from the efficiency and growth issues. The fiscal conservative belief is that people can make more efficient use of their own money, by spending or investing it for future growth. Here's a paper that explains some of the theories behind how marginal tax rates effect output. It's from a foundation that is clearly fiscally conservative, but they do good research and put out a lot of papers that may help answer what you're looking for. I don't think anyone really argues the opposite, that higher taxes can stimulate economic growth, but simply that the government can make better use of the money that individuals will by providing for the poor, roads, etc. I could be wrong, maybe some people do argue that. - Taxman ^Talk 15:58, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Taxman's answer, but there is a simpler, alternative answer. Aime assumes that the level of government spending is linked directly to the level of tax revenues. In the short run, it is not. A government can borrow to finance tax cuts while maintaining its level of spending. In the short run, then, tax cuts alone are stimulative because people have more money to spend. There is no offsetting reduction in total spending if the government does not cut its spending to finance the tax cuts. Over the longer term, however, a government's ability to borrow may be impaired if its debt levels rise too high, and it may have to cut its spending to reflect reduced tax revenues. And here's where we get into Taxman's answer. Ground Zero | t 16:06, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This could turn into an endless discussion (one that has probably plagued humans as long as private property exists). There is no answer here, just opinions and different aspects that could be pointed out. The matter is way too complicated. Still, som input from me. Of course, the tax by itself takes money out of the economy, but that money is also spent. And when the government spends it on the sort of stuff that companies do (but maybe don't have the funds for by themselves) then the circle is full and there's just the question who is best fit for a certain job. Roads are an obvious thing to leave to a government, because else, how would you distribute the financing (let's not get into the horror of toll roads .... :) ). But if the money is used for redistribution of wealth then that may still even be a better stimulus to the economy. The rich are more likely to spend a large share of their money on (absurdly) luxury goods that have little or no relevance to economic growth (an extreme example being a sheik putting an observatory in a desert when it would have been much more useful on a mountain - that's pure waste). If the (sub)average people get more money, they'll be more likely spend it on things that make sense for most other people as well, which makes dollar voting work and will thus lead to a boost for the economy (well, I really mean welfare in the sense more useful goods being produced). Of course, there are many more considerations and someone is bound to point that out next ..... DirkvdM 08:03, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

have there been any film adaptations of the giver

have there been any film adaptations of the giver and if not why haven`t there been.

Have you read the article on The Giver? It answers the first part of your question quite well. And as far as why Hollywood or anyone else hasn't made "Movie X", that's hard to say. The answer could be as simple as "Nobody has thought to make a movie about [insert name of novel]". Dismas|^(talk) 13:52, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thinking Machine

Has any company used the Thinking Machine which was once produced by The Thinking Machine, Inc.?

Have you looked at the Thinking Machines article? --Avijja 06:32, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

kiss beetle

i need some info on the kissing beetle. do you have any info on it or would you where i could get it from. please e-mail me back [email removed] thank you.

I removed the email address, if someone wants the email it's available on this edit. - Akamad 08:39, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Are you talking about the Kissing Bug which spreads Chagas' disease? --David Iberri 12:41, 17 November 2005 (UTC) (Also e-mailed OP, but e-mail bounced back.)[reply]

Royal Navy

Why is the Britain navy called the Royal Navy?

It's not just the navy, there's also the Royal Air Force and Royal Marines amongst others. I imagine it's called that simply because the United Kingdom is a monarchy, therefore, when we refer to the Royal Navy, it means the Queen's Navy. Then again, I'm just guessing. Akamad 12:21, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I believe that the English navy has always been referred to as the Royal Navy & when Scotland & Ireland joined with England officially to form the United Kingdom of Great Britian and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland it was just easier to keep calling it the Royal navy than tho tack navy onto the end of the official name of the country. AllanHainey 12:36, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at History of the Royal Navy. Basically, the RN as we know it today dates back to after the English Civil War - during the War, the Navy mostly rebelled against the Crown. When reforming the Navy after Charles II returned to the throne, it was felt to be wise to make it Pretty Damn Clear whose ships they actually were, so it became the Royal Navy rather than the English Navy - in other words, they were the King's ships, not the country's. This still stands today, incidentally - the military is nominally loyal to the Crown, and maintained by the Crown with money provided by Parliament, but only by permission of Parliament.

The same renaming wasn't done for the Army as a whole, as regiments tended to still be raised by individuals not the King directly and the "army" as a single force wasn't a very well-established idea, but the individual regiments were often named in accordance with the same theme - if you have a look at one of the old regimental lists, there's a lot of Royal X Regiment of Foot, or King's Own Something, or Prince Whoever's Light Infantry, or the Loyal Regiment of X, or... you get the idea. The Royal Marines were originally just a regiment of infantry as above, but then became His Majesty's Marine Forces, and then the Corps of Royal Marines; you can see the evolution of the name.

If what was originally meant is "why are they called the Royal Navy without a national qualifier", it's probably the usual reason for something like this - they were the first nation to form an organised Royal Navy as a single force, so got to use the name without having to use a qualifier (like the Royal Netherlands Navy, or the Royal Canadian Navy, &c) Shimgray | talk | 12:41, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

school site near active private airport

Are there restrictions as to how close a school may be built to a private active airport? --anon

Undoubtedly; but the specifics are going to vary by jurisdiction. You'll have to be more precise in your question if we are to have any chance of helping you. --Robert Merkel 13:36, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I once attended an elementary school near an airport, in fact the school was on a road called Airport Road, but I still don't know about what restrictions there are (telling us where you live might be helpful for research). Yeltensic42.618 17:10, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Serious Sam

Are there any secret levels in the Serious Sam: Next Encounter singleplayer mode?

The only secret levels are the ones you earn by getting Golds. Here is a GameFAQs page which links to a Secrets FAQ (due to GameFAQ's policy I cannot link directly to it). Taiq 13:38, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Aidan

Is Aidan a male name, a female name, or both? — JIP | Talk 15:05, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Both. Just looking at hollywood you have Aidan Quinn (male) and Aidan Pendleton (female). --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:11, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In this part of the world (UK), it's almost exclusively a male name. I get the impression that there's a trend in the US towards using traditional male names for girls, but it doesn't seem to have caught on here. Then again, I don't know very many people with small children, so I might be a bit out of date... Nicola79 16:57, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

See this for info about the name. See this Java site for its use through history. Dismas|^(talk) 18:12, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This is a name from the Turkish communities in Iran. The name is for males and the correct spelling is Aydin, but someohow over time it changed to Aidin. But to answer your question, It is a male name. --Aytakin 22:19, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's a common (well, not very common, but I know two or three personally so it's not obscure) English-language name, which came into general use from Scots or Irish (probably the latter); it happens to have become quite popular in recent years. It is, however, an old name - Aidan of Lindisfarne immediately springs to mind, and he was seventh-century. I doubt recent Western usage, given the popularity of other "Irish" names, comes from Turkish. Shimgray | talk | 00:52, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Splog

Just wanted to let you know that the term splog was actually created in January 2005 with the creation of thesplog.com. My blog site was named thesplog, which is shorthand for Spaulding Sports Blog. But, I guess I will be changing it!

Thanks...

Thanks, but we're not really interested in newly created words until they achieve general usage. Let us know when you get an entry in the OED. DJ Clayworth 21:21, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I might be reading your reply to our anonymous poster incorrectly but there already is an entry for Splog. The way I understood his comment was that the article on Splog is what he was referring to. Dismas|^(talk) 23:58, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Strange noise from computer fans

I use a ThermalTake Tsunami Dream case for my computer. The fans in the case keep making some strange sort of noise. I can't explain it very well, but it sounds like some object is hitting against the blades, or the blades are briefly stopping during rotation. I don't understand at all where this is coming from. Opening up the case stops the noise, and when I inspect the innards, there seems to be nothing whatsoever that could move anywhere near the fan blades. As long as the case is open, the noise is gone. Putting the side panel back and screwing it in place causes the noise to reappear. And there's more: tilting the case to its side, either left-right or front-back, stops the noise. The noise reappears when the case is put back horizontally. Lifting the case in the air doesn't help, so it can't be resonation from my table or anything. I know this a very vague description, but it's the best I can give. Does anyone have any idea? — JIP | Talk 20:02, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe a cable resting against the fan when the case is closed is rattling? Dismas|^(talk) 20:12, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This was my first guess, too, but opening up the case, I see that the power cables to the fans are tied so tightly against the fan casings that they can't come into contact with the blades. Thermaltake appears to have had the foresight to put a plastic bar across the fan from its center to its edge, and tie the power cable to the bar, so it connects with the fan in the centre, and goes to the motherboard from the side. The motherboard's own power cable and the IDE device cables have some freedom of movement inside the case, but by gently testing them, they seem to be tight enough not to move anywhere near the fan blades on their own. And if it were a rattling cable, why would the noise stop when I tilt the case in any direction whatsoever, and then almost immediately reappear when I put the case back horizontally? — JIP | Talk 20:27, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Could it be due to some item loose in the case (a cable or whatever) that is rattling against something due to the airstream coming from the fan? Opening the case would alter the direction of air movement, and so stop the rattling. --Bob Mellish 21:44, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Your fan proably just ran out of oil on it's bearings and is now banging around. Drip some 3 in 1 oil on it. Make sure none flies loose and wipe your hands. --Ewok Slayer 02:38, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

mice

do field mouse and comman mouse hibernate in the winter?

After having looked over the articles for mouse, meadow vole, and wood mouse it seems that none of them hibernate. The wood mouse article specifically says that they don't and the other two don't mention it, thus I would think that they don't. Dismas|^(talk) 20:33, 17 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Trying to find a lifetime Movie

Does anyone out there know the name of a Lifetime tv movie that deals with rape. The story goes like this as much as I can remember. This lady is a business executive and starts to have mental problems and starts to get in trouble with the law. She starts to remember her past. She remembers as a little girl her Mother taking her to the babysitter's house while she went to work. They were a man and woman farmers. He would raped her and then the wife would give her a bath to clean her up before the Mother picked her up after work. While being raped and molested in her brain to combat the ordeal she would make up poetry.

That is about all the I remember about the movie on tv. It has been some time since I saw it so it is most vague in my mind at the moment.

Marg

November 18

Twin Towers of New York City

I would like to know when the Twin Towers in New York City were built. I think they started building them in the late 60's, but didn't finish them until later. I need to know the dates they were being built. Thank you very much for helping me with this dilema.

4.239.231.121 01:44, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to this page], construction for the World Trade Center began in 1966. The north tower was opened in December 1970 and the south tower in January 1972; they were dedicated in April 1973. Our article just states they were constructed from 1966-1972. - Nunh-huh 01:48, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fair Use of Trademarks

On this site I see a picture of a bottle that says Bayer Heroin on it. The picture is new but the bottle is very old. The author of the picture says that the picture was taken by him/her and is being released into the public domain. (There is also an advertisement of Bayer on the same page with no mention of its lawful use.)

Does the author have the right to release a picture with a trademark into the public domain? Do I have a right to use the picture with a trademark on it? In other words would it be fair use to use use the picture in my website in an article about heroin's history?

Sigal USA

There's no problem with reproducing a trademark in an educational context. If you were using it to sell heroin, you'd have a problem. - Nunh-huh 03:50, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Does the author have the right to release a picture with a trademark into the public domain? Yes. Herostratus 03:50, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

11.18.05 THANK YOU very much for your answers; so fast and so helpful. Do you know where I can find it simply written on a govenment site? Thanks again.

Sigal USA

The Walking Drum (Film)

About 13 years ago I saw an idependent film called The Walking Drum. The film was about gypsies from all over the world. Since then I have not been able to locate a copy.

Where can I get a copy?

Sigal USA

There was a movie called Latcho Drom (1993) which otherwise meets your description. If that's what you're thinking of, it's still available on VHS. --Metropolitan90 04:41, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

11.18.05 You are amazing. I cannot believe you knew what I was talking about. I was starting to think I imagined seeing this movie. Thank you.

t-bone

what does t-bone mean as in "t-boned by a vehicle" or something like that involving motor vehicle accident?

A t-bone occurs when one vehicle (going, say, north-south) runs straight into a vehicle on an approximately 90 degree angle (going, say, east-west). The informal term comes from a T-bone steak, which got its name from its resemblence to the letter T. --Maxamegalon2000 05:35, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Phone numbers

If one number was added to phone numbers to make it a 11 digit phone number, How many more phone numbers would potentialy be available?

There are 10,000,000,000 (10 billion) possible numbers that can be created with ten digits. There are 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) possible numbers that can be created with eleven digits. Eleven digits allows for 90,000,000,000 (90 billion) more combinations. --Maxamegalon2000 05:31, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I meant, lets say i have the phone number: 212-555-0112. Phone numbers could potentially runout then you could add one digit, then a new phone number would be: 212-555-01120. Wouldn't this only add 10 extra numbers per 10 digit number. Also, 100 billion phone number are not available right now, because there are no Area codes and prefixes that begin with 1 or 911.

I don't get your reasoning. Adding one digit will add 10 extra numbers per 10 digit number. But there are 10¹⁰ of those. Also, I suppose you're talking about US numbers (given the fact that you don't specify that). I don't know how that works, but in the Netherlands we also have 10 digit numbers (for less than one tenth of the population!). Cities get a three-digit code with 7 digits remaining for the population of the city. Which corresponds to 10 million. In the case of Amsterdam that's already an overkill (less than a million inhabitants), but for other cities its even worse (Heerlen also has a three-digit code but less than 100.000 inhabitants. With 9 digits it would still be way sufficient for Heerlen, but Amsterdam might run into a problem if its' population grows. So you lose a lot of numbers to this 'overhead'. Unless you distribute the numbers at random, not using city codes. DirkvdM 08:23, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Spoof in a Simpsons episode

In the Simpsons episode Boy-Scoutz N the Hood, there's a few scenes where a bunch of campers head into the woods and are trailed by two shadowy figures. Towards the end, they're attacked while sitting around the campfire. I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether the writers made this up, or if it's a spoof of something? Deliverance came to mind, but only the vibe of it (none of the specific incidents).

SNPP.com also claims the rafting scene is from Deliverance. - Akamad 06:39, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I always assumed that it was a spoof of the Slasher Horror genre in general:

- Group gets lost in spooky woods.
- Finds abandoned hut/town/summer camp.
- Sits around happy, despite the fact that the viewer knows something awful will happen
- Someone (Ernest Borgnine in this case) gets attacked by strange monster when he least suspects.

smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 15:59, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Type of Music in Fashion stores such as Zara, armani exchange

What is the type of music called that retail fashion stores such as Zara, armani exchange, aldo, etc. play during hours of operation and where do they find this kind of music?

Thanks

You may mean Muzak or Elevator music AllanHainey 09:01, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

When was the last time you were in an elevator that played Muzak? They seemed to disappear about 40 years ago. alteripse 10:22, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Eddie Cooper

I'm planning an article on young actor Eddie Cooper. I think his filmography speaks for itself when it comes to notability, but I would still like to boost it by properly including his voice acting on the game of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Electronic Arts. Unfortunately, Google is being a pain. Loads of sites are copying eachother and none state the character he voices. Could someone with the game in their posession help out and tell me which character he voice and possibly source it with the game manual or something? - Mgm|^(talk) 11:46, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

El Nino research vesseal

Looking for the name or a picture of a research vessel ship that studies the El Nino by completely turning vertical and i mean with one end out of the water. cant find any website with a picture or info so any help is much appreciated

It took a bit of searching on google but I found the ship that you're probably thinking of. It's been some time since I heard about this in the news... The ship is called FLIP and is apparently made by a company called Scripps. We also have an article about it here, R/P FLIP. --Dismas|^(talk) 17:43, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Why is Wikipedia so slow?

Just wondering. Wikipedia is a great resource, but at times it is just so slow that googling for information is much quicker. Is the bottleneck in the server, the bandwidth, the database...? --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:30, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Might this be of use to you? --Optichan 20:54, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Computers with modem's or cable servers are usually slow if you have dsl wow in another world. I think? --Maoririder 20:57, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Person

Hi I need information on Jean Anne Kennedy Smith. 8th child of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennnedy. Sister of the 35th President of the USA.

I need a boigraphy on her, she was born 20 February 1928, married Stephen Edward Smith 19 May 1956. I need to know her schooling achievemnts and general information, children etc.,

The article here doesn't have her middle name in it: Jean Kennedy Smith. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:18, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

SAARE- Commercial Scheme

SAARE is an abreviation of a US calculation scheme. It covers certain cost e.g. a for administration and helps to come from a purchase price e.g purchase price X plus 15 % saare plus 5 % margin. Any ideas

fenway park

Hi i would like to know the area coverd by grass in fenway park and the type of grass in the park .It does not have to be the actual values i just need an estimate .I have to approximate the blades of grass in the park and i am hopping this will help me get an estimate

                             thank you

The article on Fenway Park provides the dimensions of the park. You would however have to subtract the area of the dirt infield. Dismas|^(talk) 17:45, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Mack Daddy?

What you got? --Maoririder 17:54, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry. The server could not complete your request. Optichan 20:56, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

He'll make you Jump? (And so will Daddy Mack.) --Bob Mellish 21:25, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Mack Daddy not Daddy Mack but thanks

"Mack Daddy" is a character in the animated TV show Daria. The article explains who he is.--Commander Keane 08:53, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Is Elvis Presley alive?

Is it possible that Elvis hoaxed his death?

Everything is possible. Elvis hoaxing his death is improbable. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:02, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, not everything is possible. JackofOz 00:02, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

For example, it's impossible for me to crawl through your monitor screen as if it were air, crawl through a tunnel to the other end, and come out of your monitor screen. Well, maybe. Yeltensic42.618 05:23, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Zeppelins

As a child in the mid 1930s, I recall seeing a German Zeppelin fly over my home town of Johnstown Pa. This caused much excitement and the newspapers speculated that the Germans were photographing our steel mills.my question is: Was this the Graf Zeppelin or the Hindenburg?

Kenneth S. Tomb

Almost certainly the Graf - the Hindenburg was not completed until 1936, and was only used for the Atlantic passenger run. The Graf was the 'show' airship which did world tours and the like. David | Talk 21:33, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

hastings a coup

does the battle of hastings count as a coup d`etat.

Not by conventional definitions. Shimgray | talk | 22:45, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It was an invasion

Table football

Do we have an article like de:Menschenkicker, table football but with real-sized people? I'll write it if we don't, just gimme a reminder. --Wonderfool t (c) 23:24, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Europe

My daughter is doing a project on Europe and needs information on the following:

Bodies of Water: Oceans (bordering), Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Gulfs and Bays

Landforms: Mountain Ranges (highest mountain, lowest point), prairies/grasslands, Deserts and Islands

Borders-Gen. Info.: Bordering Continents, Number of Countries and their names (lines of Latitude/Longitude from ____ degrees (N,S) to _____ degrees (E,W), hemispheres it is in

Can you PLEASE help us and provide any information? Thank you for any help you can provide. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.63.31.250 (talk • contribs)

With all due respect, if someone just gives her all these answers, then she won't learn the most important lesson: how to find information by herself. If she doesn't know where to start, have her look at maps of Europe and search Wikipedia for articles of the individual countries. --Avijja 23:54, 18 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm feeling sympathetic to anyone wanting out of schoolwork, so I'll answer (sorry, Avijja).

Oceans: The Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean

Seas: some are the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea (sort of an arm of the Mediterrranean), the Tyrhennian Sea (Mediterranean arm, I think that's the right spelling, but maybe not), the Aegean Sea (another arm), the Black Sea, the English Channel doesn't have "sea" in the name but I think it counts.

Rivers: some are the Volga, the Danube, the Rhine, the Ruhr, the Rhone, the Loire, the Don, the Thames, the Shannon, the Severn, the Humber, the Ouse, the Mersey, the Tyne, the Neva, the Po.

Lakes: The Caspian Sea is despite its name the largest lake in the world, Lake Geneva, Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Lough Neagh.

Gulfs: The Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland

Bays: The Bay of Biscay, the Bay of Naples, the Wash, Tor Bay, Morecambe Bay.

Mountain Ranges: The Alps, the Caucasus Mountains, the Ural Mountains, the Jura Mountains, the Kjolen Mountains, the Apennines, the Grampians, the Cumbrians, the Cambrians, the Pennines, the Pyrenees, the Sierra Nevada, the Carpathians.

Europe's highest point is Mount Elbrus in Russia, in the Caucasus Mountains. The highest point in Europe other than Russia (which is mostly in Asia) is Mont Blanc on the border of France and Italy, in the Alps.

Deserts: To the best of my knowledge, Europe's only desert is Almeria in Spain. Greece might have desert too, though.

Islands: Some are the British Isles (including Great Britain and Ireland, and the Channel Islands, including Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark), Iceland, Crete, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands (including Majorca), Corsica, Zealand, Svalbard, and Thera.

Borders on Asia (unless they form Eurasia)

Hemishperes: Nothern, Easter, and (a smaller part) Western

I know there are grasslands (steppes) in eastern Europe, but I'm not sure what they are called.

If you need more help, feel free to reply here and/or on my user talkpage, which is here. Yeltensic42.618 04:40, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 19

plimouth rock in rhode island

is plymouth rock in massachusetts or rhode island.

The answer is in the Plymouth Rock article. --hydnjo talk 00:33, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

auto production stateside

Can anyone please tell me how many autos were produced in the US last year or the most recent year for whichj statistics are available? I am not simply thinking of the Big Three (GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler) but also the fairly recent newcomers such as auto producers from Japan, Germany and South Korea such as Toyota, BMW and Hyundai.

Can anyone help, please? I really would be grateful.

Best wishes Hopeful Anne - (delete email - check history if needed)

See Car production in the United State. --Avijja 02:41, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Maintenance of Way Cyclopedia

A Wikipedia user has posted this on the Help desk mailing list and I am posting it here to see if anyone can help this gentleman.

I linked to your site from the Conrail Cyclopedia site. I don't know if you can help me but I'll try any way.

First off: My quest has nothing whatever to do with model railroading! I'm looking into the way the railroads ordered stuff back at the turn of the century(1900s).

As an example, If it was decided by the "powers that be" to run a telegraph/signal line from one town (station) to another I've been told by an old time railroader that the "STORES DEPARTMENTS" were the ones that supplied the required materials (i.e.. poles, wire, insulators, signaling devices, telegraph stuff, etc.). He further told me that they would consult a source known as the "Maintenance of Way Cyclopedia" that told them what was available and where to order it. He further told me that the cyclopedia was used by different rail lines and was not unique to any one line.

Now, I'm trying to find a copy of this "Maintenance of Way Cyclopedia" to look at. I want to see who they would order the supplies from. I know that this is a crazy request to a fellow such as yourself who seems to be more involved with rolling stock. Would you have any suggestions as to where I might locate this resource? I've tried the Smithsonian, various libraries and many rail fan sites with no success.

I'd appreciate any info you can provide. By the way, I'm not a school kid doing a term paper. I'm a 76 year old retired telephone engineer who's father put 40 years into the Santa Fe as fireman, brakeman, electrician, and a few more jobs. He brought power into the Dallas/Ft Worth yards when they opened up. I'm just doing a little personal research.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks for any help you can give him.

Capitalistroadster 01:29, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

"More concerned with rolling stock"? It's always nice to be mistaken for a specialist...

The Library of Congress has a copy of:

The maintenance of way hand book, containing tables, rules, etc. for use in the construction departments of standard railways, with tables of wages / Klumpp, Charles M.. Union City, Ind., M. of W. hand book pub. co., 1895.

My understanding is that these were general reference books. Your engineer would know he needed to buy a pile of 4.54" flanged triple whatevers, so he'd pull the handbook off the shelf, find a triple-flanged-whatever manufacturer in there - if they were in the book, they were probably reliable - and wire them an order. A sort of cross between a catalogue and a directory. Equivalent things exist in some fields today - I think I've stumbled across building ones, and some IT fields still have them - but mostly I believe they're gone. (On the other hand, a lot of individual large companies now have something like this - a big internal list of pre-selected suppliers for things, so if you need to buy something standard you can check the book and phone them up rather than having to go and figure out where to get it)

The thing is, though, there wasn't one book - there were plenty, probably dozens at different times. I assume the Cyclopedia was one particular version; there's one or two in the Library of Congress, under various names, and I suspect I could find more if I tried hard (These things tended not to get to libraries, though; they go out of date fast, so tend to be replaced by new ones if a library carries them at all). There's a company selling a scanned copy of the 1922 version here, which isn't quite the same, or someone selling an actual 1921 copy [7], but...

The other solution, of course, is to go to someone who knows about these and get them to tell you. I suspect there's a group of rail nuts who collect them - bound to be - but finding them might be tricky; leaf through a few magazines and see if there's anything like this mentioned? Shimgray | talk | 02:46, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Nice writeup, Shimgray. I had a hard time understanding how this book was used based on what little information I found, but your answers made a lot of sense. A modern day equivalent of the Cyclopedia is the Electronics Source Book, which helps electronic engineers find manufacturers for, say, 4.54 jiggawatt triple-channel gizmos. --Avijja 03:31, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lat Long Coordinates for Jimbocho?

Hey, I was wondering if y'all knew what the Lat Long co-ords were for Jimbocho, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. It's the huge book-selling district. I don't really need anything too precise, just gonna mark it on Google Earth as a place I want to go ^_^ Thanks ^_^

68.217.63.60 01:45, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to this Fujitsu document, Chiyoda, Tokyo is at N35.40.39.0/E139.46.18.1. I searched Google for "Jimbocho OR Chiyoda latitude longitude". --Avijja 02:46, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

35.695783, 139.757359. Go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/) and paste "神保町" (Jimbocho) into the search box, you'll get a highly detailed street map of that area. Trust me, it's book lovers' heaven. It's Mecca if you're interested in any aspect of Japanese culture. There are many antique/2nd hand book stores.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.695783,139.757359&iwloc=A&hl=en

Some search terms: "東京" (Tokyo), "千代田区" (Chiyoda Ward) and "神保町" (Jimbocho). If you visit there, don't forget to ask for a free map of the bookstores. -- Toytoy 12:33, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Scrabble Resources

In Scrabble, is there a website or a book somewhere that has words listed with common word parts, like all the words that end in -tion or all the words that end in -ing for example?

Aeroplanes

Hello, Please can you tell me which parts of London did the Lancaster bomber fly over?

Could have been almost any part during its operational service but normally they would fly directly from their bases (overwhelmingly in East Anglia) to their targets in Germany. On the off-chance that you mean the only currently airworthy Lancaster which is part of the Battle of Britain flight, its London flights are only over the Thames and then up the Mall and over Buckingham Palace before going back to its base at RAF Scampton. David | Talk 20:42, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Set top box screen flickering

I have just acquired a standard definition digital set top box, and occasionally (couple of times an hour) the TV screen (rear projection) flickers. The flickering always occurs when there is a change in scene (eg changing from an ad break to a TV show, or changing scenes in a movie). The reception (from an external aerial) is excellent and the flickering occurs on all channels, so I'm not convinced that is the problem. Could the problem be the set top box or the TV? I am located in Australia. --Commander Keane 11:52, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Geography Scotland

Can anyone tell me about the black rock faultline that runs through the stone quarry at Crarae in Argyll It seems not to be part of the Highland Boundary Fault Many thanks Alan G Jones

Number of government employees

What is the number of government employess january 1, 2000? What is the number of government emplouyees January 1,2005?

Which government? Dmn 16:14, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Query about old treasure

I have a small, beautiful, old what appears to be prayer book written in some kind of Czech (I'm told it looks like 19th century, German-influenced) which language faculty at Dartmouth College have told me is "Heavenly Path" A calendar of holy days and saints for the whole church year; fervent prayers (for both sexes); Budapest & New York; Catholic Publishing Co. J. Steinbrener, royal bookprinter.

Does anything in this description strike a cord with you?

All the best, Judith Rocchio

Stock Market

Whats the difference between earnings per share and dividends?

There's no strong relationship between the two. Earnings per share simply means the total revenue the company brought in minus expenses (more or less, see EBITDA) divided by the number of shares in existance. Earnings can either be retained by the company, or passed along to shareholders through a dividend. Some companies never pay dividends no matter what their earnings are, like Berkshire Hathaway. Other companies have a specific dividend that they pay each quarter (Radica Games is like this, they pay 4.5 cents per share each quarter as of this writing). Some companies declare their dividends based on their performance. On an extremely rare basis, a company will actually borrow money to pay a dividend (I recall the Motley Fool critising someone for doing that last year). - RedWordSmith 00:24, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

My Next Soap Opera

I want to film "The Wedding Veil" in London, England and set the soap opera in a fictional Orlando, Florida neighborhood called "Jason's Circle". Would Victoria Wyndham be the right person to play the main character, a nice lawyer named "Charlotte Bigglesworthy"?

Seeing faces?

There was a wikipedia article about why humans see faces in seeming random collections of lines and dots. It featured a picture of an alarm clock which appeared to have a frowning face. Unfortunately, I can no longer remember what it was called. What is it called? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 21:55, 19 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Pareidolia (google search for "human see faces site:en.wikipedia.org alarm"). -- Rick Block (talk) 01:53, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Historical Depilatories

Hello, As an author, I need to know what women used as depilatories in the 19th century, - particularly pastes and their constituents. Were they dangerous (poisonous)? I understand that thioglycolic acid is used today, but believe it was only developed about sixty years ago. Were any arsenic based products used? Were they highly poisonous? I shall be most grateful for information. Thank you. --- David

Tweezers and razors. Pastes and such tended to be "home-spun" rather than actually dangerous. [8] mentions (18th century) cat dung, egg shells, vinegar and quick-lime. Nothing specifically 19th century but their 20th century page points out that Nair (the thioglycolic vanguard) was developed when stockings became scarce during WWII, a connection I hadn't thought of... - Nunh-huh 01:14, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Hey there, David. I can't vouch for the accuracy of this page, but it does make mention of depilatories used by women in the early 1800s. I quote the site — "A typical formula now is one that contains chopped oak and white French wine; it is to be digested in a hot water or vapor bath for 24 hours. Another recipe calls for distilled water and celandine roots, and walnut oil is a popular hair-removing ingredient." Deltabeignet 01:23, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 20

Freaky banned author

So I read this story in this anthology of banned writers. It was about this girl who kills this girl's pets because girl 2 flirted with a boy girl 1 liked. Then centipedes killed girl 1. I can't remember the name of the story or the book or the author, but the story might have been somethig like 'love centipedes'. 64.12.116.73 01:52, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Dragons vs Tigers in Chinese Astrology

A user e-mailed the following question to the Wikipedia help desk.

I am a Dragon on the Chinese calendar. I always find pictures of the Dragon and Tiger in battle with each other. I would really appreciate it if you could explain why it is this way. Thank You.

Any advice you could give this gentleman would be greatly appreciated.

Capitalistroadster 02:48, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There was a Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon (龍爭虎鬥; long zheng hu dou; literally: dragon (龍) fights tiger (虎); a frequently used Chinese four-character idiom). When two good players are fighting a good fight, a Chinese would say it's "dragon fights tiger". It can be used to describe a great boxing match, Coca Cola v. Pepsi, NATO v. Warsaw, or any other heated fight. Maybe you can say "lollapalooza".

It's unthinkable for a big cat to purr and a large snake to drop dead and become a stick. There really was a Cantonese dish called "龍虎鬥" (dragon fights tiger) which is a soup made by a cat and a snake. But anyway, dragons and tigers are not always fighting each other in Chinese mythology. They do have their own shows. They do not need to meet and fight each other all the time. -- Toytoy 03:11, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

who are you?

hey its ♥Hot F.L.I.P. again...i was just curious, the poeple who answers my questions here in wikipedia, are they often correct?, i mean like do they base it on facts that they actually learned about, or are they just saying what they think? , also, since anyone can answer my question on this site (young or old), does that mean that the dumbest person on the planet can just comment on my question and say something like, "trust me, i know lots about this subject, my dad was a doctor"...

Hopefully when people answer questions, they provide a reference, which would hopefully provide credibility. But the fact that anyone can answer any question means you should always be careful with interpreting the results. But you can always believe my answers because I know lots about this subject, my dad was a doctor. Akamad 03:05, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

But did he play one on TV? - Nunh-huh 03:13, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Haha, we're all liars and make things up, but also none of us knows what we're talking about, so more often than not it cancels out and you get the right answer anyway. =P

But seriously, what reason do you have to trust the authors of a paper encyclopedia, or any other source? —Keenan Pepper 03:19, 20 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]