Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 August 31

= August 31 =

Making Fun of Spanish language Telenovelas
Could you make fun of Spanish language telenovelas and get away with it? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 00:44, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * This would seem to depend strongly on what context you're in, how you make fun, and what constitutes getting away with it. I'm sure I could drunkenly rant against them in my local without problems. Algebraist 00:46, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I really can't see why you couldn't. Considering your obvious, uh, fervent interest in the topic, Ericthebrainiac, this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but there are a lot of people who just don't care all that deeply about them, if at all, and have no problems making fun of them. (Really, considering that people can get away with making jokes about rape, murder, war, religion and a multitude of other subjects that most people take very seriously, making fun of some soap operas strikes me as a non-event.) I mean, I'm sure there are some circles where those would be fightin' words, but that'd be a pretty exceptional situation. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:37, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * In most present-day developed countries excluding China, I think you'd be okay.--El aprendelenguas (talk) 19:52, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * What, China don't take no crap off no telenovela haters? Man, the People's Republic never ceases to amaze me. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:53, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

2 different degrees
How common is it for people to study 2 whole degrees in 2 different subjects and is there any logic to doing such a thing? For example, a Bachelor's degree in Classics and then another Bachelor's but in Maths. the reason im asking is that I find both maths and classics interesting but dont know which to choose to study. On one hand the applications of maths are obvious and i like the kinds of job opportunities it offers. On the other hand, Im not sure I'd like many of the jobs I'd get with Classics but feel i like the subject more. So i dont want to end up with a job i dont like but I really would like to study classics? So thats why Im thinking of doing CLassics and then Maths. --212.120.246.239 (talk) 00:53, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Some universities over joint degrees, sometimes in wildly different subjects. That might be preferable to taking two full undergraduate degrees. Where are you planning to study? Algebraist 01:01, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * It's not uncommon for people to get more than one bachelors degree, but usually it's because they've decided to go for a completely new career later in life and go back to uni to get the second degree, rather than planning to do both from the outset. Doing some form of combined degree would probably be a better option. If you can find a university offering "Mathematics with Classics" or something, then great (such a course may well exist somewhere), otherwise you could looking a more general combined course that lets you pick and choose modules from various departments ("Combined Arts" and "Natural Sciences" are the two such degrees offered by my Uni). --Tango (talk) 01:18, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * This was the case a number of years ago; I do not know if it still applies today: once you get a, say, BSci degree, you have the BSci degree, and you can't get another. You can get a BA or a BAE or BFA, but not another one of what you already have.
 * It's kind of like virginity, but in reverse. --Danh, 70.59.119.241 (talk) 02:13, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * What's your source for this? It sounds extremely unlikely. I can't see why you should be able to keep getting as many BScs (say) as you like (I certainly know people with two). Algebraist


 * What would be the point in getting a second BA in the same subject? And what, really, is the point in doing a second BA anyway?  With one BA you can move on to an MA, which you can probably get in the same amount of time it would take to get a second BA.  If you're going into a vastly different subject area you may be required to take additional foundation courses.  The other option would be an interdisciplinary degree, which are very sexy right now.  I'm sure there's some way to combine classics and mathematics.  Exploding Boy (talk) 02:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Funny you should mention that. I started out on a Mathematics degree, intending to do a double maths major.  I got the first major out of the way, and decided I was sick to death of left-brain stuff.  On a whim, I checked out the modern languages department, and found that I could do Russian as my second major, with full credit for the work I'd already done, as long as I changed the name of the degree to a BA in Modern Languages (plural, even though I only studied one language.  Go figure.  That offended both my mathematical brain and my language brain, but not so much as to actually prevent me from going down this path).  The irony is that I increasingly rarely use either maths or Russian these days.  The saga took so long (I was doing it part-time while working in a more than full-time job) that the thought of doing a second bachelor's degree, in a third discipline, was anathema - let alone a Masters.  But if I ever did do a second degree, it would have something to do with history or politics.  Or music.  (I like to cover all the bases.)  --  JackofOz (talk) 02:33, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * No-one has suggested doing two bachelors degrees in the same subject, that would be pointless and I can't see any university letting you. We're talking about doing them in different subjects, and that is pretty common. I know of nothing which prevents someone holding two BSc's. (And I very much doubt there are rules preventing you from doing a second BSc but allowing you to do a BA, since the distinction varies from university to university, for example Cambridge calls everything a BA, if memory serves.) --Tango (talk) 02:41, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There would probably be very little point in getting a second BA in the same subject - unless you passionately wanted a higher grade and retook the course in order to get it - or perhaps you had a BA in some subject at a crappy degree-mill and then decided to retake it somewhere very prestigious. But 70.59.119.241's claim that you can't have (say) two BSc's in different science subjects is flat out untrue - I know quite a few people who have multiple BSc's. SteveBaker (talk) 02:47, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I doubt any university would let you try and improve your grade like that - the grading system is designed for people that have spent a certain about of time studying it, if you spent twice as long you will almost certainly do better, but that doesn't mean you are actually better at the subject (you're just better at sitting exams in the subject). --Tango (talk) 02:55, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * So let me get this straight - you don't believe that studying a subject for a longer period makes you more expert at the subject? If you're prepared to study for six years instead of three - isn't it likely that you'll understand the material better, get a better grade AND actually deserve that grade?  I'm guessing that most universities wouldn't let you do it - but that's because places on most courses are limited and they'd prefer to let someone else take a shot at it.  But someplace where you pay them a large pile of money to do the course ought not to care. SteveBaker (talk) 05:55, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Sure, you'll be better at the subject, but not by as much as your grade would suggest. A university grade doesn't just assess your knowledge and skills, it assesses your ability to learn, and your ability to learn is no better than it was the first time round. --Tango (talk) 12:50, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't buy it. If the value of the degree is in measuring your ability to learn - then why would a second degree in a totally different subject be acceptable?  Didn't you learn how to learn when you took your first degree? SteveBaker (talk) 15:46, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Universities are not in the business of giving credit for things students already know. That's why  native speakers of Spanish are not allowed to take 1st year Spanish classes, for example.  There would be absolutely no value in taking a second Bachelor's degree in the exact same subject.  No university would permit someone to do it, and there's no point in it anyway: where's the value in having 2 BAs in the first place?  And for both to be in the same subject?


 * Anyone trying to suggest such a thing would be told to move on to an MA if they're still interested in studying the subject. The generalized courses offered to undergraduate students are not suitable for someone who already has 4 years of study under their belt: they take the more specialized courses offered to advanced students, who have already mastered the undergraduate-level material  Sticking with Spanish, someone who has a BA in Spanish could go on to do an MA in a variety of related fields: Spanish linguistics, literature, history, politics...  You can get an MA in 2 years, which is the same amount of time it would normally take to do a second BA.   The only reason to get a second BA is if you want to move to a vastly different subject area for your MA, an area so different that you are lacking the foundation required to study the new subject at an advanced level.  Even then, it would probably be better to be unclassified for a couple of terms, only take the courses you absolutely require, and then register as an MA student.  Exploding Boy (talk) 16:12, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * See Conjoint degree. Or look at for examples. Note this is (usually) only if your are trying to get different degrees, e.g. a BA and a BSc. If you just want two majors, you can usually do a double major or for a BA a major and minor. At least here in NZ you can do certain Maths majors under BA as well so that might be an option depending on what you want to do. But be aware that if you are planning to do something like this it can be quite intensive and because you are concentrating on two subjects, it means you may have little room to do other courses outside your majors which in some cases can lead you to an option you might not have considered Nil Einne (talk) 05:28, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Combined degrees (Arts/Asian Studies, Arts/Science, Science/Economics, etc.) are very common at my (Australian) university. I did Arts/Asian Studies - which, if I wanted, could have been something like Indonesian, Chinese History and Drama. I know someone doing a degree in Music and Chemistry, and had a friend who, at one stage, was studying Psychology and Geology. As to the wisdom of combining them, it depends on your career choice. The usefulness of many degrees are in their demonstration of your ability to achieve critical thinking, written communication skills, understandable logic and making a coherent argument, rather than specifically on what you have learnt. Steewi (talk) 04:12, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Odd Behaviour of BBC RSS Newsfeed
Each time I open up the default BBC newsfeed that came with my Firefox browser, I noticed that about halfway through all the headlines, there is a block of headlines that is considerably shorter in length and more esoterically titled than the other titles.

Here is a compilation of a few shots to demonstrate what I mean (Work-safe, 123kb):[] The portion highlighted in red is the block of headline that I am referring to.

Why does this occur? I thought perhaps this is a function of the time of day that I check it at, I live in the NYC Eastern Time Zone, but regardless of the day and time of the day that I check the feed, there is always that block of short titles in the middle of the feed.

Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 02:15, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * It looks like they are from the "Features, Views and Analysis" section (at least, one of them is in that section on the home page now, and articles in that section usually have short names like that). I guess they are all uploaded together each day, so end up in a group. --Tango (talk) 02:44, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

small business
The pay as you go tax system is part of our australian activity statement. Could you help me find out what this means for my small building company. Like what taxes fall under this category and what they mean ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.30.47.167 (talk) 04:06, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I recommend you ask a tax accountant. Useight (talk) 07:59, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Agree with Useight. Our article on the subject is Business Activity Statement.  Darkspots (talk) 08:25, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Being watched
What's the WP's term for a feeling of being watched? Eyes burning a hole in the back of your head, etc.? --Johnny (Cuervo) 04:15, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * We had this question a couple of years ago. As I recall, we couldn't come up with a word for this, but maybe this field of research has developed since then.  I also recall claiming that it's possible to make someone feel uncomfortable by simply watching them, even though they have no overt evidence that any such watching is going on.  Others disgreed with me, but I still believe this.  And your question seems to support my view.  --  JackofOz (talk) 04:48, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * And from what I recall, someone found a page that was discussing some online military game. On that page someone had quoted a US Army manual which said that while doing recon, you shouldn't stare at the human target for fear of them "feeling" you stare at them.  Dismas |(talk) 05:31, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * That's amazingly silly! SteveBaker (talk) 05:51, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Edward B. Titchener, an early experimental psychologist, wrote in 1898 about "the feeling of being stared at," (cited in but reported that lab tests showed no such ability. This failure to detect whether one is being stared at has been replicated several times since. Edison2 (talk) 06:40, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I think that's one of the types of experiment that could only prove/disprove the effect in the particular case of the subjects they were monitoring. I don't see how they could conclude that, just because it didn't work in the controlled test, it would never work in non-testing conditions.  People have been talking and writing about this phenomenon for hundreds of years, so there's plenty of evidence that something's going on.  --  JackofOz (talk) 06:50, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * As they say, "The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'." Consider your statement, but substitute a different topic.
 * People have been talking and writing about ghosts for hundreds of years, so there's plenty of evidence that something's going on.
 * People have been talking and writing about angels for hundreds of years, so there's plenty of evidence that something's going on.
 * People have been talking and writing about Yeti for hundreds of years, so there's plenty of evidence that something's going on.
 * Sure, there is something going on&mdash;but it's just more evidence to support the confirmation bias built in to the human mind. Consider the infantryman on patrol.  Every so often he gets a twitchy feeling between his shoulder blades, and decides to have a look behind him.  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he sees absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, and carries on with his rounds.  No big deal, he's supposed to be looking around anyway, it's what he does for a living.  Nothing special, nothing to remember.  One time out of a hundred, he turns around and sees an enemy scout looking at him.  He shoots the scount, and reports back to base.  "Sarge, I took out an enemy up in the hills.  I swear, I never woulda got him, but it was like I could feel him lookin' at me."  And so the legend is strengthened.
 * 'Aha', you say. Surely this shows that his sense of being stared at does work, it's just usually lost in the noise from all his other twitches and peculiarities.  He did, after all, turn around the one time where he needed to.  Well, that's fine&mdash;except that we're missing data.  We didn't hear back from the other infantrymen who didn't turn around when they were being looked at.
 * We could also take the evolutionary biology point of view. Knowing when something large and predatory is looking at you would confer a tremendous survival advantage.  If there were any hint of such a trait in our genetic makeup, it would almost certainly be both conspicuous and omnipresent by now.
 * Suggesting that it's simply a flaw in our controlled experiments is all well and good, but these aren't particularly difficult or costly experiments. Why, in hundreds of years, have we not been able to reproduce this phenomenon in any trial?  Can you prove a negative?  Well no.  But at some point you have to be prepared to say that the hypothesis is unlikely. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:32, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't think there's a specific term for this feeling, and there's no reproducible experimental evidence to prove that it's based in fact, but people do experience it and it does change their behaviour. See this. Ka renjc 19:18, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * That link's a bit different from what's being discussed here, though. People certainly change their behaviour when they can clearly see eyes watching them, and there is ample experimental evidence of that. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:26, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The term paranoia seems useful as an answer to the querent . There is no difference between reality and imagination for those who believe their experiences to be factual.  Of course, this applies to religion, as well.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:31, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There is no laboratory-replicable ability to tell when someone is staring at the back of your head, but humans are extremely good at detecting with peripheral vision when someone is looking in their direction, and fixing the looker with their own baleful stare ( This may be the basis for the belief that one can tell when someone is staring at them. Turn it around: has anyone every "caught you" staring at them, when they were seated in front and a bit to the side of you? Edison2 (talk) 18:30, 1 September 2008 (UTC)


 * It's also worth remembering that humans put an immense amount of importance on eye contact, probably more than any other species does (if our extra-large sclera are any indication). As we all know, when you lock eyes with someone it's electric for the human brain—something goes through you, a little "holy shit wtf" switch is tripped no matter who is doing it. So when we casually turn around in a crowd and are scanning the heads and our eyes inevitable lock on to someone else, we notice it, big time. We probably sometimes fool ourselves into thinking we've detected them watching us in the first place. As has been brought up before, there's been a lot of work recently on the evolution of the large sclera in humans speculating that being able to tell where other humans are looking has played a major role in our evolutionary history. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 20:45, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Staircases
As I recall, on the television show "Faulty Towers", when people are shown going up the stairs to the bedroom level, they appear to arrive on a small landing and then have to DESCEND a few steps to reach the hallway floor.

I have seen the same thing on the series "Father Ted", which is set in Ireland.

Is there some feature of English and Irish construction that would make sense of this "up then down" stair? CBHA (talk) 04:30, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * It's possible that it's needed in order to get over an internal structural beam or something. It's also possible that the room beneath the the landing has a higher ceiling than the room beneath the area where the bedrooms are.  My house has a couple of steps down into the (upstairs) media room because it's built over the garage - which has a lower ceiling than the rest of the house. SteveBaker (talk) 05:50, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Incidentally, the up-and-downy stairs in Father Ted were included as an intentional homage to Fawlty Towers.
 * The reason the stairs are constructed in that way has nothing to do with "English and Irish construction" - it is because the sets in question were built in a flat studio, and without that little landing, the characters could not be seen ascending the stairs at all. Given how much of Fawlty Towers involves Basil frantically running up and down the stairs, the set designer evidently felt that this was the best solution to the problem. Malcolm XIV (talk) 09:23, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Regardless of set design, this is very common in older houses in the UK. The last three houses I lived in all had this sort of feature somewhere, and in my brother's house you have to step down into an upstairs bathroom. Most houses here are at least 100 years old and have undergone various alterations and extensions. Most small hotels were originally family homes and may have been altered several times. My present house was divided into two flats about 20 years ago, which required a landing with split levels. In my previous house, the entrance hall and reception rooms had higher ceilings than the kitchen, which meant stepping down into the bedroom that was above the kitchen. Also small houses were often knocked together, and they may have different levels.--Shantavira|feed me 09:27, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I've known houses where you have to step down into the upstairs bathroom as well. It makes a certain amount of sense for a bathroom - prevents flooding from getting into the rest of the house. --Tango (talk) 11:23, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Stepping down into a set is a very common device, as it highlights the actor's entrance onto the set. Examples would be the Dick Van Dyke Show (the Petrie residence, Andy Griffith Show (the courthouse), the Mary Tyler Moore Show (Mary's apartment) and Cheers.  Acroterion  (talk)  03:10, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Cancer-Project or Cancer Scam
Is "The Cancerproject a scam? I was told it is a front for PETA since it claims that eating animals will give you cancer. Are they for real or really full of shit? The Cancerproject just started advertising on the radio, during Coast To Coast AM and George Knapp was anchoring instead of George Noory. 65.163.117.223 (talk) 06:57, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Almost anything would cause cancer eventually... But this has to be BS. Humans evolved by eating meat, if it gave us cancer we wouldn't have evolved to be able to eat it so much. Some people in northern russia for example eat only meat and apart from say scurvie and a few other vitamin defficiencies they actually show less amounts of cancer (as do most people living in non industrialised counteries).--58.108.249.161 (talk) 10:44, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Err, humans ate meat pretty differently in their evolutionary history than they do today (much greater volumes of it), and your argument about how evolution would have put a limit on our meat intake is, well, a bit unsupported. It's pretty well known that red meat can probabilistically increase your cancer risk (see Red_meat), and that grilled meat in particular carries a high level of mutagens in it. That being said it's a probabilistic risk, not a sure thing, and a lot lower than the carcinogenic risks we're more familiar with, like smoking. As for the Northern Russians I wonder what their average lifespan is—cancer is a much more "modern" disease in part because people live a lot longer than they used to, and many forms of cancer take 10-20 years to really develop after initial exposure to whatever caused it (as an anecdote, in my family, almost all the males used to die of heart attacks; with the invention of medicine to treat that, now they all eventually die of cancer! fix one thing, another steps into its place). (And in any case, from what I gather from National Geographic, these particular people spend most of their time eating fairly lean reindeer meet, a far cry from buckets of cheeseburgers.) --98.217.8.46 (talk) 15:06, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

building
I have found ab building near Bill Gates House, what looks very interesting. What's this for a building? Who's the owner/which company is working inside this building? Photoes of the building at ([Google], [Live] and [Panoramio]) --79.210.195.88 (talk) 11:55, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Webster Hall in NYC
This may be a long shot, but I'm hoping that someone familiar with the area will be able to help me. A couple months from now, a friend and I will be attending a concert at Webster Hall in NYC. What we didn't realize is that doors are at 11:30 PM. This seems somewhat risky, as we will need to be back to Penn Station by 1:41 (I think) with enough time to make it onto our last train. I've e-mailed the venue with my concerns and to ask if they have additional details about when the performance will most likely start and end, as well as requesting information they might be able to give about subways etc., and while I hope they will reply helpfully I am still a little anxious. What I don't know, and hope that someone may be able to assist with, is what the best (and quickest) way to return to Penn Station from Webster Hall will be. I know almost nothing about subways, and can't determine online which line would be quickest (or even running so late), or how long the transit might take. I figure that the best choice may be to take a taxi instead. A quick glance at the rates online suggests that it would definitely be an affordable way to avoid the risk of missing our train, so my next (and perhaps only) question is whether anyone knows how hard it might be to find a taxi nearby at that hour, and how much spare time we should leave open for us to find one, ride, pay, and rush in towards our train. Sorry that there's so much to this question. Thanks for any help. :)

The poster of the "building" section seems to have accidentally overwrote my whole post :(, so this is a repost!

-- 64.0.112.2 (talk) 12:13, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * As you suspected, your best bet is to take a yellow cab. It's only 20 blocks or so from the venue, and I suspect the fare would be $10 or less, which you could split with your friend.  It is extraordinarily easy to find a cab in the East Village at night, especially on a weeknight.  If this concert is on a weekend, you might have to compete with a more people, but you'll still find one in a matter of minutes.  To minimize stress, try to get to Penn station a good 15 minutes before your train departs (and buy your train ticket in advance), which means try to hop in the cap no later than 25 minutes before your train leaves.


 * If you want to save a couple bucks, take the subway. You'll just need to allow yourself much more time, because the subway runs far less frequently at night (try to get to the subway station maybe 35-40 minutes before your train at Penn Station leaves; you could cut it much closer, but TFM doesn't want you to have to run for your train).  From Webster Hall, you could walk to the Union Square (14th St.) station and take the N/R/W or Q uptown to 34th Street and then walk 2 blocks to Penn Station from there.


 * Or, if the weather is nice, and you want to walk a bit further, try walking to Washington Square (West 4th St station) and get on the A, C or E train uptown directly to Penn Station.


 * Sorry if this is a convoluted answer. Problem with NYC is that there are far too many options.  Don't forget to bring a map!--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 14:48, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks for writing such a helpful reply! It will be on the weekend (and of course right outside of a popular nightclub), but if you're right about everything then it shouldn't be too terrible to pay ~$10 (my sister's guess as well) for a quick and relatively stress-free cab ride. You've also helped illustrate that saving a few dollars by taking the subway doesn't seem like it'd be worth being that much more pinched for time (not to mention not worth any potential confusion). Beyond praying that the show begins quickly and doesn't stretch on until after we have to leave, what I will most likely try to do is escape the place with no less than 30 minutes to go and snag a cab. The walking in nice(?) weather and riding the subway will perhaps be best utilized as our method for getting to the concert, so I'll note those suggestions.


 * And as a completely random bit of trivia, "the fat man" is a nickname that my ex-girlfriend and I used to almost exclusively call my cat (who fortunately has always come back) :). Speaking of my ex-girlfriend, my next question is: what's the best way to survive attending a NYC trip and concert with someone who dumped you two months prior? Just kidding... :( -- 64.0.112.2 (talk) 16:09, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Take the cab up to Penn Station. If you have any trouble getting one right outside the venue because they're mobbed, walk uptown on 4th Avenue towards Union Square.  If you can't hail one along the way, you're sure to grab one going west on 14th Street that time of night.  (Just cross 14th Street to the uptown side and hail one in that direction).


 * If you're training down to the East Village, you can exit Penn Station on the Seventh Avenue side, which is pretty close by if you're coming into the city on the LIRR or Jersey Transit. That'll get you closer to the N/R/W at 34th and 6th; TFM is right, that's the best way. Enjoy the show.  Darkspots (talk) 00:52, 1 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Excellent! :) Thanks for the consensus. I'll definitely be sure to note your cab tips, too. Funny thing (although probably a common oversight) is, I wouldn't have even thought to be sure to grab one heading west. :) As for getting there, I'll be keeping your (and TFM's) subway tip in mind, but there's no telling what our day is going to be like so I have no idea when we're going to be where... Again, thanks! -- 64.0.112.48 (talk) 14:09, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

BTEC national diploma?
Im starting a BTEC national diploma, but are they stronger than A/AS levels? For e.g. you get a distinction in a BTEC ND is that stronger than various grades in multiple A levels??? THX —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.106.114.62 (talk) 16:24, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, as regards university entry in the UK, the UCAS Tariff is widely used. A pass-pass-pass in your BTEC national diploma is given 120 points, the equivalent of 3 A levels at grade E, while three distinctions in the diploma is given 360 points, the equivalent of 3 A levels at grade A. Warofdreams talk 20:44, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Fr. John Jeffrey Purchal
I am trying to find information about a street priest in Springfield Massachusetts who has a homeless ministry called the church without walls. I think he is an Episcopal minister. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.98.211.230 (talk) 19:53, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * It would help if you told us what sort of information you're looking for. A Google search doesn't turn up much but there may be a name of a church mentioned in one of the links that you could call for more info.  Dismas |(talk) 21:16, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * is the first hit in Google. There is an email address and phone numbers given on this site.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:32, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

VW beetle engine splash guard
Where can you find a engine splash guard for a 2000 2.0 VW Beetle? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chief731ss (talk • contribs) 19:59, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * The dealer, ebay, craigslist, etc. Where in the world are you?  That might help.  Dismas |(talk) 21:13, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Sarah Palin's son in Iraq
When Track Palin gets stationed in Iraq, does he still get Secret Service protection? Corvus cornix talk  22:32, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I love this question. Couldn't find any answer to it, though I did find some examples of other people asking the question.  I do know that in a sort-of-similar situation, the UK decided not to allow Prince Harry to go to Iraq with his unit .  - 22:43, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * That was because a terrorist organization had put a price on his head.  Corvus cornix  talk  22:51, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

I guess the same question would apply to Beau Biden. Corvus cornix talk  22:51, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Prince Harry is a quite different case though - he's third in line for the throne. His brother will almost certainly become King of England and then Harry would become King should something bad happen to his brother before he has children.  In terms of "importance", that's more like being a Vice President Elect (who steps into line if the President-Elect is killed or incapacitated).  The son of an unelected Vice President is not in the path to power at all - aside from the distress it would cause his mother if he was injured or killed), he is of no more importance to the nation than any other citizen.  If he wants to risk going to Iraq - that's entirely his own business.  That's not to say he won't get some special protection or be considered differently from the rest of the troops...but it's not a slam-dunk as it was with Harry. SteveBaker (talk) 05:45, 1 September 2008 (UTC)


 * According to the Secret Service website, major-party Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates and their spouses are covered within 120 days of the general election (if not before), but it doesn't mention their families. Once elected (even before inauguration), their families do get protection. I assume that Palin will get reassigned stateside if his mother wins. Darkspots (talk) 07:28, 1 September 2008 (UTC)


 * By the standard of World War 2, his only protection would be his weapon and his fellow soldiers. James Roosevelt, the son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, ironically enough, served in Iraq with British troops in 1941.Later he served with the Marine Raiders, a US Marine commando unit which conducted guerilla style attacks behind enemy lines He received the Navy Cross for heroism in the attack on Makin Island in 1942. He later served with the Army and received the Army Silver Star in 1943.  No record of any Secret Service squad assigned to protect him. His brother Elliott Roosevelt served in the Army Air Corps, apparently without any on-board Secert Service protection. Their younger brother Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. served in the Navy and was received the Purple Heart and Silver Star. It looks like Presidential offspring did get interesting assignments and fast promotion, though. Edison2 (talk) 18:24, 1 September 2008 (UTC)