Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 January 17

= January 17 =

Bubonic plague
Were there any outbreaks of Bubonic plague during WW2 that were kept quiet?--TreeSmiler (talk) 00:07, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Japan is reported to have engaged in BP germ warfare in Manchuria & other such places. Is that the sort of thing you're looking for? --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:13, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * No Im interested in whether there was an 'accidental' outbreak in Europe during WW2--TreeSmiler (talk) 00:33, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * According to our plague article, the novel The Plague by Albert Camus was apparently a metaphor for German occupation of France in WWII. Maybe that's what you had in mind? --M @ r ē ino 01:07, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * No it was a storyline in the 1970s TV series Secret Army repeated recently. I wondered if there was any basis in fact.--TreeSmiler (talk) 01:09, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * This one:

''4 	"Ring of Rosies" 	John Brason 	Michael E. Briant 	Rob Edwards (as Girton), Morris Perry (as Guissard), Robert Gillespie (as Zander), Duncan Preston (as Gavain), Gareth Milne (as McQuaig), Alan Butler (as German Officer) 	20 October 1979

Still languishing in prison, Albert learns that he was set up by the Communist leader Paul Vercors. Meanwhile, Dr. Keldermans makes a shocking discovery when examining an evader at a safehouse – the man is dying of bubonic plague. Lifeline’s personnel face the horrifying possibility of being wiped out by the deadly disease.'' --TreeSmiler (talk) 01:17, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * 1998-2001, there were outbreaks in Autumn in Kunming in Yunnan province in China. Parents would prevent children from playing outside. People would get in trouble for reporting about it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Polypipe Wrangler (talk • contribs) 02:11, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about "kept quite", but there were 54 cases on the Azores in the autumn of 1942 and further cases in '43 and '44. Dakar saw 566 cases between 20 April and 24 November '44 (all civilian). There was a general increase in the number of cases in North African starting in the autumn of '44 in Ferryville, and Oran saw it's first case on 29 December. Casablanca saw three cases in one week beginning 20 July '45. Emory C. Cushing in History of Entomology in World War II, Smithsonian Institution, 1957, states that though conditions for a pandemic were very favourable during the war, authorities were very cognizant of the danger and took a number of measures to prevent outbreaks and stamp out the small number that did occur.

According to William B. Breuer in Deceptions of World War II, 2001, a small outbreak in German occupied Rotterdam was used as a propaganda tool by the "Morale Operations Division" of the OSS. They planted a rumour that the outbreak had been caused by a new allied super-weapon, germ carrying rockets.&mdash;eric 18:23, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Annoyance on YouTube/Need to develop a scrip to block (censor) these annoyances for Mozilla Firefox (Greasemonkey)
I am getting tired of YouTube users disabling the ability to embedding videos to Web sites, rating videos, and commenting on videos. I support free speech and libertarianism but this feature that I witness is annoying. I don't like censorship but I may censor this annoyances on my browser via Greasemonkey. I may write a scrip to block this annoyances. Why some YouTube use such like companies and musicians will do this. What do you think of this? How can I write a scrip? Jet (talk) 04:53, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * You might need Reference desk/Computing : ) Julia Rossi (talk) 09:00, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * If I understand this right, you want to be able to comment on youtube videos which have comments disabled, and embed videos that have embedding disabled? That's not going to be possible with a script on your computer, since those kind of decisions happen on Youtube's server.  Greasemonkey can only alter the way you see what the server will give you. FiggyBee (talk) 12:31, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

All that development in Dubai
I'm looking at the list and it is just staggering. All of the development has occurred in the last decade. All of those new hotel rooms and office floors. Is there a glut issue yet? Or has the economy and tourism exploded in just as staggering of a fashion?

132.239.90.164 (talk) 05:45, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * You may be interested in the article Economy of Dubai, basically - Sheikh Mohammed realised that an economy based entirely on oil wealth was not viable in the long term so championed the construction of new buildings and resorts to shift the countries economy to a more tourism based one. 86.21.74.40 (talk) 06:30, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * ...and when there is no oil left, there will be no aeroplanes to get the tourists to his hotels! Will serve him right for despoiling a beautiful country.--88.111.48.89 (talk) 10:13, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Darwin's theory of evolution
Respected Maulana Maohammed Taqi Sahab

Assalam Alaikum

Hope you would be fine there.

One of my Chinese friend wrote me as under in her email : " You know in china, a socialist country, we studied Marxism since junior high school, and were taught or trained to believe in only materialism. Also I read about Darwin’s theory of evolution, together with a lot more of other science books telling us the origin of the earth, the universe, the life, the human beings, so frankly speaking, I don’t believe there is a creator, I believe in evolution, that life is formed by itself through millions or even billions of years struggling out of the ever-changing universe". Actually she is my friend and our supplier for auto parts from China, and apart from business we had some discussion on religion Islam (because of her curiosity) (during my last visit to China from 5th Jan 2008 to 12th Jan. I explained her few of the important points regarding Islam & Allah (the almighty), in reply of that she sent me the above sentences (she wants to learn more and asked me now to send English version of Qur'an). Could you please send me your answer so that I will forward it to her? I know the Darwin ’s theory of evolution but didn’t understand how reply for her question. I am looking forward your favorable reply. Jazakallahu Khair Salam Asif Fakih  '' —Preceding unsigned comment added by Asiffakih (talk • contribs) 07:37, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Hello. I have removed you email address, as we do not reply to emails personally, and publishing your address here will lead to lots of unsolicited spam email.
 * Your friend in China does not, specifically, ask any question. She simply states her beliefs. If you require an English translation of the Qur'an, you can direct her to here. If you wish for help on how to rebut her belief in evolution, then this probably isn't the place to ask, as we tend to favor scientific explanations here, over theistic ones. Nevertheless, there are plenty of people who do refute evolution, see creation-evolution controversy, in general and Islamic creationism specifically, for some more information. Note also that some people accept evolution and believe in a God, see Theistic evolution for more about that.  Rockpock  e  t  07:55, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Marxist materialism, it might be noted, accepts that nothing exists except matter and energy. No God, no Allah. That being said, Marxists have not always accepted specifically Darwinian evolution, in part because it seems to enshrine the idea of competition among individuals rather than solidarity and cooperation amongst groups. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 14:21, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Though, of course, more recent "Darwinists" have demonstrated how altruism and co-operation can be a successful evolutionary strategy. Rockpock  e  t  18:36, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Right, Darwinism has become extremely flexible and now simply means "selectionist", which is not very specific about the dynamics of things. Note that the first thinker to really explicate on evolutionary cooperation was a Russian anarchic communist (see Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution). --24.147.69.31 (talk) 20:51, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Weight
Hello, I was wondering if there is any record of how much Martin Luther King, Jr. weighed? Near the end of his life would be best, but a ballpark estimate from when he started his activism should suffice. Thanks! --pie4all88 (talk) 08:37, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * In 1948, as a 19yr old King was applying to Crozer Theological Seminary, he recorded his weight as 150 lb. In 1953 his doctor told him he weighed 166.5 lb.  There does not appear to be a public record of his weight after that (though presumably his postmortem weight was recorded during the autopsy).  Rockpock  e  t  06:46, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Great--thank you very much! --pie4all88 (talk) 09:01, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Strength training
Hi. I haven't got enough time to do full strength training, so instead of doing a full session every other day, I have considered doing a shorter, less demanding workout daily. Do I risk overtraining? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.56.176.190 (talk) 09:39, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * What is a shorter, less demanding workout for you? I can give you my example - I take my time to spend a quarter of an hour each day with my weights (2 x 4 kg) and I don't think I am overtrained. --Ouro (blah blah) 10:17, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Have you considered the 5BX programme developed for the Royal Canadian Air Force? 11 minutes a day. DuncanHill (talk) 10:32, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks to both. Ouro, your reply is especially interesting for me. Please tell me, what kind of exercices do you do in those 15 minutes? How good are the results? -- 83.56.176.190 (talk) 11:30, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, foremost alternate lifting of each weight with my forearms towards the front, then with the arms on the sides, fifty squats while still holding the weights, 20-30 push-ups (without the weights though), and crunches when I feel like it. Not everything at once - a little of this and a little of that because it can get boring fast. This always while listening to music. If you wanna try this - remember that your body starts 'training' properly only when you begin sweating. Also, don't do casual exercises after eating. And on the side - I have the habit of taking long walks (on the order of tens of kilometres) and I walk a lot in general, as I am car-free. Hope I helped. Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 16:56, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * You won't suffer overtraining provided you don't exercise the same muscle group day after day. However, I'd say that overtraining an upper body muscle group with just 15 minutes a day is virtually impossible. I've been training with weights for more than 4 years, can lift more than twice my bodyweight now, and I've only experienced overtraining in the legs (which is a truly painful experience, needed almost half a year to recover fully, so be careful). Legs should be your sole concern since they are much more vulnerable because you are forced to use them all day long, so don't do half an hour of squats and play 2 hours of European football a day for a month or it'll happen to you what happened to me. If you really want to improve your strength with just those 15 minutes, what you should do is focus in a single muscle group every day, and try to leave it exhaust. There isn't really much theory to know, besides the typical exercises and the "no pain no gain" attitude, if you are not suffering, you won't get any stronger. --Taraborn (talk) 15:26, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

A site of academic documents
Is there any website with a large database of academic documents? -- Leptictidium (mammal talk!) 10:08, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * What kind of documents? JSTOR has journal articles, but you need a subscription to view them. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:08, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Google Scholar is a large database of academic documents, but often you need a subscription to view the documents themselves. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 14:22, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * BioMed Central for all free stuff, MEDLINE for subscription and free stuff, both in the biomedical sphere. See also Category:Bibliographic databases. Rockpock  e  t  06:28, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * You may also be interested in arXiv and CiteSeer. Angus Lepper(T, C, D) 22:14, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I answered this question in some depth a while back. You may read my response here. -- Saukkomies 14:32, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Annoying salespeople in supermarkets
I have been shopping food at this big superstore thing in Sweden (this country is basically a miniature USA, so assume it's like Wal-Mart or something).

First I thought it was a temporary thing, but these people have been bothering me for a long time now. They stand near the opening/exit and aggresively approach you, supposedly to make you sign up for some bullshit telephone deal or get a "free" sample of some scam product. I always ignore them and hear how they curse at/insult me when I turn my back and continue into the store to BUY FOOD, which I came there to do.

This bothers me a lot. I am seriously considering switching to a different, more expensive store with less groceries just because of this. They really try to scare customers away, it seems.

Is there any business sense in this? I am not easily intimidated, but a lot of people probably fear going there just because of these assholes. Seems like an odd thing to do.

Or maybe I'm just a cheap, synical, anti-social bastard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 13:09, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * You are not cheap, cynical or anti-social (at least based on what you say above). I suggest you write to the stores involved letting them know how you feel - and if that doesn't work, take your business elsewhere, again writing to the stores you will no longer be using. DuncanHill (talk) 13:13, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * (After edit conflict) I know what you mean and I second DuncanHill's suggestion. At least in my local hypermarket the phone company salespeople were aggressive at first but pretty quickly learned not to jump at the customers too much. I imagine someone complained to the owner/manager — they are, after all, there for some other company that pays the hypermarket for the right to accost its customers. So if you haven't already, do complain. Or maybe it's just that people here in Finland don't respond well to such a forward marketing approach. Have you considered emigrating?--Rallette (talk) 13:21, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Pay no attention to these salespeople. Just utter "no, thanks" before they have the chance to say anything, and keep going. I can assure you that they would be more rude if they were in this situation themselves. If they insult you, just try finding comfort in knowing that they are complete jerks.
 * As for the business sense of this - they are taking advantage of the fact that most people are naive enough to fall for that. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 15:56, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, I don't even address them. I completely ignore them with my eyes and don't say a word or give any indication that I know about their existence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 16:06, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Might I suggest that treating a fellow human as if he does not exist may be the source of some of the bad feelings directed your way? -- LarryMac  | Talk  19:02, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, they are IRL spambots to me. Nothing more. They are not being friendly to me becuase they like me or care about me. They just want me to buy their shit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 20:15, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Also, they know what they signed up to. For better or worse, they are getting money for being a nuisance to innocent human beings. They shouldn't expect to get 100% warm and fuzzy treatment, and if they don't like it, they should get another job (one that doesn't involve ambushing people). -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 21:12, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

If they are cursing at you because you won't sign up for whatever they're flogging,I'd also consider complaining to whatever company they're representing.It would make the company look bad if their staff were being abusive to customers who didn't want their product. It's also rather a stupid thing to do-if I was interested in your product before(and may just happen to be too busy to stop) then insulting me isn't going to entice me to buy it. Lemon martini (talk) 16:22, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I had a great thing with a girl like this once. I was basically after a two-day non-stop trip, washed, shaven and kinda rested but not necessarily what you'd call fresh. I was at a Tesco in Kraków shopping for some high-calorie food and water, because I was low on cash and wanted to eat something. I am heading for the register carrying some chocolate-covered wafers and things similar when this girl suddenly pops up and asks me whether I'd like to try her special offer and buy diapers at a discount... I smiled and asked whether I really look like someone who needs to buy diapers. She smiled back. We went on our ways. --Ouro (blah blah) 17:09, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't mind it otherwise, but if they curse or insult you when you refuse their offer, then it's not good. It's always the customer's call to make. I've had my share of people on the street trying to sell me something (most often, Hare Khrisna monks selling their books and cakes) and when I say "no, thanks", they always leave it at that. J I P | Talk 21:10, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * People who flog their wares in public places have to be prepared for all comers - from those who engage the seller politely; to those who tell them to "F*** off" or similar; to those who utterly ignore their existence. Just as people who go door to door have to be prepared for a wide variety of responses.  It's certainly not inappropriate to ignore these people if that's your thing.  If they get offended by any undesired response short of physical violence or verbal threats, and whether they react to it or not, they need re-training or they should get a different job.  If they do react with insults, you're well within your rights to report them to the store and/or their organisation.  That's if you can be bothered.  But since they do seem to be getting under your skin, then this is an avenue of redress you might consider, and maybe you're the person who's been selected by destiny to take a stand.  If they continue to get away with it, they'll get the message that this behaviour is OK.  It's not.  --  JackofOz (talk) 01:27, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

What does "Toys "R" Us" mean?
What's the deal with the name "Toys "R" Us"? Dad thinks it means "Toys for us", but I think it's simply nonsense or a "cutesy" way of spelling "We have toys". And yes, I have read the Wikipedia article on it.

Ideas? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 14:18, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I think your interpretation is probably correct. It is "Toys Are Us," a child-like ungrammatical way of indicating "We've got toys." --24.147.69.31 (talk) 14:23, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * More specifically, it implies that they are the only toy store you need. It's saying, don't bother going anywhere else, we're the place for you. --Richardrj talkemail 14:31, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

And remember that the "R" is reversed. This is not grammatical but it has allowed them to trade mark their name (at least the backwards R part). It also gives them a unique identity - vital for advertising, etc.86.197.46.37 (talk) 14:59, 17 January 2008 (UTC)petitmichel


 * TOYS Я US - like that (as if nobody had ever seen it). Richard Avery (talk) 16:51, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I seriously doubt that the backwards "R" "allowed" them to trademark the name. Even ordinary English words like "Apple", or colors like brown, can be trademarked.  I'm sure that "Toys R Us" could be registered as a trademark, whether the "R" was forwards or backwards.  -- Coneslayer (talk) 15:04, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Then perhaps at least, the backward R became a defacto trademark Rfwoolf (talk) 15:17, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm sure it's a de jure registered trademark. I wasn't saying that the backwards "R" couldn't be a trademark, or isn't a trademark&mdash;I was saying that it wasn't necessary for trademarking "Toys R Us", which is what 86.197.46.37 was claiming. --

Coneslayer (talk) 15:35, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * They've succesfully gotten other companies to change their names. There used to be a chain of lamp stores in California called Lamps R Us, and Toys... took them to court.  I don't know if Lamps... changed their name due to a court order, or in order to avoid lengthy litigation, but they're now Lamps Plus.   Corvus cornix  talk  19:27, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Australia is now unfortunately full of unrelated shops called " R Us", usually close to a hotel or restaurant called " on ". --  JackofOz (talk) 01:07, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Toys Ya Us? (for those who speaks russians) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.51.122.18 (talk) 13:54, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

It means whoever founded Toys R Us was an English major, and therefore fell asleep in class, not picking up basic grammar. MalwareSmarts (talk) 21:47, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

i will be - avril song
which album did the song "i will be" by avril lavigne came from? i've looked about but can only find cover versions or bad quality internet d/ls. any chance for a link to a good quality ver guys? :) xxx User:Hyper Girl 15:19, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Appears to be on a so-called limited edition version of The Best Damn Thing. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:25, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Which appears still to be available here (although the page doesn't actually have a track listing, unusually for Amazon). --Richardrj talkemail 15:29, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Three random questions straight from my question-wise head
1. Do you think there is there any chance of a "Married... with children" reuinion mini TV series with the original actors -- x years later? I'd LOVE to see that!

2. Is it possible to have been a "Ralph Wiggum" as a kid, and later... well... turned out to be intelligent as an adult? I think I was pretty much a Ralph when I was little. I did and said very embarrasing, stupid and annoying things. And no, it didn't feel like "everyone did it" at all. Today, I consider myself vastly more enlightened in every way.

3. What was that locomotive crash event thing that took place in the USA very long ago? I read about it on Wikipedia once. Is there a film captured of this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 16:13, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * 1) That would be a matter of opinion or guessing and this isn't the place for such things. 2) Anything's possible.  3) Locomotive crash event thing?  Are you perhaps referring to the last ride of Casey Jones?  Dismas |(talk) 16:38, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * As for two - everybody, everybody does stupid things when they're kids. I loved climbing bookshelves at home and setting things on fire, drawing on walls and suchlike. I pretty much got over all of this.
 * As for three - you'll have to be vastly more specific :) Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 17:02, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Number 3, the answer might lie here or maybe here. --Richardrj talkemail 17:07, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

OP here. I mean the *arranged* railroad "accident". Two locomotives crashed into each other on purpose in front of an audience. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 17:59, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Maybe you were referring to this. You probably were not looking for "train v. nuclear waste container test" but it is really cool so here it is anyway.  Sp in ni ng  Spark  18:57, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * No, no, what question 3 is about is the Crash at Crush in 1896, in which two of the audience were killed.


 * To the original poster: It's best to put unrelated questions in separate sections, and entertainment questions like #1 on the Entertainment desk. --Anonymous, 19:00 UTC, January 17, 2008.

Guiness stout...
What does a pint of Guiness cost in Ireland ? 137.170.133.5 (talk) 16:32, 17 January 2008 (UTC)Ernie


 * That would depend entirely on where you get it. In Dublin, in October 2006, I paid 3 or 4 euro in the pubs.  At the Gravity Bar at the end of the Guinness Storehouse tour, it's free.  (or at least the first one is).  -- LarryMac  | Talk  17:15, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * As I recall, the second one is too. But maybe my memory was fogged-out for some reason...


 * Atlant (talk) 19:36, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Unless matters have improved since '06, it's just the first. And there is the little matter of the entry fee. Algebraist 22:37, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

€3.95 in my local. 83.147.142.230 (talk) 19:23, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Perhaps my memory is of also drinking my wife's (as she's not a big Guinness fan -- her one and only fault!))


 * Atlant (talk) 14:22, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * If you're comparing prices, make sure you compare the size, too. There's a bit of a US/UK argument on what a 'pint' is.  God help you if you order a Guinness at a place that serves it in mug. --Mdwyer (talk) 00:14, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Last time I drunk Guiness in Dublin they were using UK imperial pints as far as I can tell (this was a long time ago though, 1980's). Northern Ireland would definitely be using UK measures.  You are right that there is a big difference, US pint is 16 fluid ounces, UK pint is 20 fluid ounces.  Sp in ni  ng  Spark  15:10, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It's only Uk imperial pints, standardised at 568 millilitres. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.147.138.68 (talk) 15:09, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * A U.S. pint has 16 U.S. fluid ounces, while an Imperial pint has 20 Imperial fluid ounces. The size of the fluid ounce in the two systems is slightly different: an Imperial fluid ounce is 28.413 ml, while a U.S. fluid ounce is 29.574 ml. —Angr If you've written a quality article... 15:16, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
 * In Canada, we traditionally used Imperial pints (568 ml). However, some places have taken to serving US pints (473 ml) instead. One feels a bit ripped off. -- Flyguy649 talk 15:28, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Questions About Magneto (band)
In what year did Magneto (band) form? and Are they still together? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 20:07, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * following the external links from the Magneto (band) to their official site reveals: "El 14 de Febrero, el grupo se forma con Eddie, Xavier, Elías, Pepe, y Juan". The group formed on the 14th of February, 1984. Kavanagh21 (talk) 00:54, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

FlashBang grenades
I was wacthing a tv show on the S.A.S and they were talking about them. I wanted to know if they are regulated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because i really want one. Note i do not know if this falls under the "no legal advice" but i tried to phrase it as best as possible. Bones Brigade 20:20, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Here you go, knock yourself out. The page claims they aren't regulated by ATF but it might just be because that is a "non-destructive" training system. I'm not familiar with firearm law, though, so don't take my word for it. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 23:49, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah, that one's just a training device - a firecracker in a tin. A real flashbang would probably classified as a "grenade" and hence a destructive device. FiggyBee (talk) 03:37, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * If you are going to use these I would advise wearing earplugs as 130db is a seriously loud noise that could damage hearing.--TreeSmiler (talk) 03:53, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * erm i would have thought that was obvious, a flashbang is meant to disrupt vision and sound, hence flash bang. You could say the same thing about your eyes, if you look directly at once close up, you can be permanatly damaged your vision--Dacium (talk) 00:05, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Transatlantic travel by ship
Is it still possible in this day and age to cross the Atlantic by ship, for a price that a normal person could reasonably afford? (I believe the Queen Mary 2 still makes transatlantic cruises, but tickets cost as much as a small house.) Are there still affordable passenger ships? Are there cargo ships that carry passengers? How would I go about booking passage on a ship from Germany to the U.S.? —Angr If you've written a quality article... 21:12, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't know about Germany to the US, but I found many listings departing from England. Affordable is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, but I saw fares of $999 or less.  Just Google "transatlantic cruises".  The cargo ship idea sounds interesting, I'll have to research that one further.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  21:30, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * On the subject of a berth on a cargo ship, you may be interested in this article from the NY Times. It doesn't seem that cheap though. Foxhill (talk) 21:53, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * On second reading, the article was published in 1983... so it's WAY out of date.. oops —Preceding unsigned comment added by Foxhill (talk • contribs) 21:54, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Larry, are those fares of under $1000 one-way or round-trip? Ideally I'm hoping for something in approximately the same price range as a flight would be. The NY Times article was interesting reading, even if it is 25 years out of date. Only 144 passengers a year makes my heart sink though; somehow I doubt that number will have increased in the past quarter century. It's kind of surprising that so many people complain about how horrible air travel is, and yet no one has thought to seriously revive its competition. —Angr If you've written a quality article... 05:23, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * There are plenty of cargo ships, almost every day, excellent way to travel, usually good food and friendly crews. Google "Cargo Ship Voyages" for a list of specialist travel agents.  Bon Voyage!--88.111.16.221 (talk) 07:39, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Sorry forgot to add that fares are not likely to be more than seventy pounds sterling for a very good cabin.--88.111.16.221 (talk) 08:10, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I'd guess the fares I saw are one-way. (You did, after all, specify only "Germany to the US".)  As an example I started at this site and selected the Septemer 2008 departure from Dover. I'm certainly not endorsing this site, just tossing it out there for comparison.  I don't know about finding fares as low as a flight might be, remember that you're getting several days worth of food and lodging in addition to your passage, and in the case of a commercial cruise line, all that fabulous entertainment ;-)   -- LarryMac  | Talk  14:46, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, it looks like prices are really rather steep, and the fact that the voyage takes 10-12 days each way is also offputting. Almost our entire vacation time would be taken up getting there and getting home again, with very little time left to visit family in the U.S. I guess we'll just stay here then. Thanks anyway for your help! —Angr If you've written a quality article... 19:35, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I have a friend who did this, but I shall have to ask him about the cost. The prices on these articles are a shock to me. Funnily enough, today's Observer has an article about A freight way to travel but absolutely nothing about prices or how/where he booked it. Telsa (talk) 09:41, 20 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Is there any reason why you don't/can't fly? Airplane safety is far above ship safety, far better chance of survival on a plane.--Dacium (talk) 00:03, 21 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The reasons that I don't fly are the inevitable delays, the hassles at the airport, the 2 or 3 hours check in times, the smelly lavatories, the fat, fat person overlapping my narrow seat, the crying children, immigrations hassles (esp. the US). Give me a container ship every time!--Johnluckie (talk) 08:23, 21 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Speaking as that fat, fat person overlapping your narrow seat, believe me, it's even more uncomfortable for me than for you! And yes, my weight is one of the reasons I dread flying. But the main reason I'm asking is that my husband is afraid of flying, and has no interest in becoming unafraid of flying (so getting therapy is out), so if we ever go to America together to visit my family, it will have to be by ship. But I'm starting to think that day will never come, as going by ship is just too impractical. —Angr If you've written a quality article... 18:02, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

With the greatest respect Angr, you might also have difficulty in climbing up a long gangway at 45 degrees to get aboard a container ship. A RoRo carrier would be easier since you board via the car ramp. It really IS a splendid way to travel and worth every consideration that you can give it. Regards,--Johnluckie (talk) 08:22, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
 * At least the steep climb up the gangway would be over after a few minutes; it would still be better than being crammed into an airplane seat only 7/8 as wide as my ass for 17 hours. I would love to travel by ship, but only if I had like three months of vacation time to do it in! —Angr If you've written a quality article... 15:27, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
 * We went around the world in three months on just one containership, crossing to the states took 6 days from London.--Johnluckie (talk) 21:14, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Okay, but I'm talking about using the ship solely as a means of transportation, the ocean voyage wouldn't be the intention, it would just be a way of getting there. If we go to America, we're going to visit my friends and family there, which includes at least my sister in New Hampshire and my mother and other sister in Texas. So say we sail to New York: we then have to drive up to New Hampshire, spend several days or a week visiting, then drive down to Texas, which takes another 3 days, spend a week or two visiting, then 3 more days driving back to New York to catch the ship back. And that's a bare minimum - maybe we'd want to see California too. Two months, rather than three, might be enough time, but we each only get about 4 weeks of vacation a year. No, it's clear that the only realistic way of traveling to America is by plane, and that means I have to leave my honey at home. :-( —Angr If you've written a quality article... 22:36, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * That's a shame!--Johnluckie (talk) 10:51, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia and Alien contact
Due to the Stephenville, Texas UFO incident, is it possible that this could mean alien contact would be soon ? Also, how will it affect Wikipedia ? Will Jimbo Wales have to change his shorts ?! 65.163.113.170 (talk) 21:39, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you for your humorous question. Unfortunately the reference desk is not geared up to answer questions involving speculation. Have a good day. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:43, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Seen one answer to that question. Does anyone have a pix of the Stephenville UFO ? 65.163.113.170 (talk) 21:46, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * A Mr. Virgil Fowler of Texas makes a tentative claim to such a picture, reproduced here. A Mr. Sabre Bowman of Cleburne claims to have a video, here. Both of these were found with a minimum of fuss with a simple google search. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:53, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * My, what a coincidence, the all the photos and video are of lower quality than you'd get out of a cheap webcam. :-P I wouldn't hold your breath for alien contact. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 04:16, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * A UFO means Unidentified Foreign Object - doesn't always mean it's aliens. Anyways, even if it was an alien UFO, that would be not necessarily be an indication that they would be making contact any time soon - it could be the other way, that they never make contact, or a third possibility, that they already have. I mean, have you seen George Bush? ;) Rfwoolf (talk) 20:18, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Why has my cat stopped using it's litter box
I have a desexed male cat that is about 6 years old. Up until very recently it has regularly used a litter box, however in the last 6 months or so in addition to using the litter box it will also just urinate or defecate in the room it is sleeping in. E.G. if it has curled up on the end of our bed it will just slip in behind the curtains or if there is a spare pillow on the floor just use the pillow as it's toilet. We have two cats and the other one is never any problem. Can you suggest a reason why this might be happening and what the best way to stop it. Cdcrackers (talk) 22:48, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Same situation here. Maybe they finally take revenge from the castration... Jokes aside, he seems to love me, but he still can't help himself sometimes. Very frustrating. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 22:52, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

This sort of behavior may indicate a medical problem. You don't mention consulting a vet; if you haven't, then you certainly should. --Anonymous, 23:07 UTC, January 17, 2008.

The cat gets regular annual checkups. The last one being since this behaviour started. The vet could not find anything wrong physically and suggested he was just being naughty but it is getting out of hand.--Cdcrackers (talk) 00:03, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * There is often a medical or (cat) psychological reason for this behaviour. Your vet should have been able to give you more suggestions. When our cat did this it was dementia and blindness. Perhaps it has developed a fear of the kitty litter tray? A cat behaviour specialist (they do exist) will likely have a better suggestion. Steewi (talk) 00:48, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Since the behavior is increasing, if there is a medical cause maybe it it getting worse. Another trip to the vet wouldn't hurt, or maybe to a different vet. --Anonymous, 07:58 UTC, January 18.

Did you change the brand of cat litter six months ago? Some cat litter granules have sharp points and hence painful on paws.--86.151.18.178 (talk) 11:40, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Non-Desktop Publishing anywhere today?
Does any newspaper or magazine etc. today still not use computers for typography etc.? I'm gonna assume so. But if so, what do they do? Do they actually have somebody sit with physical letters and put them on manually to form a page? How can this be done so quickly as to deliver a daily newspaper? It boggles my mind.

DTP has only been around since 1985, and then only in monocrome for years, so only very recently have we started being able to use computers for producing newspapers/magazines. Yet many old magazines are extremely "clear" and perfected with nice, big pictures and visual effects. Not to mention adjusting the text to both sides. I don't get how that is done at all.

I would be really interested in reading about/watching a video of oldschool "publishing" from step #1 to finished newspaper. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 22:49, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * You've skipped two generations of technology there. "Sitting with with physical letters and putting them on manually to form a page", the original type of printing, is "cold-metal typography". It was obsoleted for most purposes in the late 19th century by hot-metal typography such as the Linotype machine, where the operator would type the text on a keyboard and the machine would automatically produce a plate of lead with the text formed on it, ready to put in the press (well, almost; the page might be made up from several pieces). The text being "justified" or "adjusted to both sides" was done using wedges ("spacebands") inserted mechanically.  Things like math that required unconventional layouts were done with cold metal and inserted between the parts of hot-metal work.


 * This technology in turn was superseded, at least to some extent (I'm not sure what the limits of this technology were), by phototypesetting (or "cold type"), where the page was composed on film. The machine would contain a shadow mask with the outline of each letter and would flash a light through the outline of "a", aimed at the right part of the page, to produce an "a"; then you had to develop the film.  The phototypesetter required a simple computer or similar device to  tell it where to place the letters. And then after this we have today's processes where the fonts themselves are implemented as computer data or simple computer programs executed for each character.


 * Businesses like newspapers with big machines and unionized typesetting staff would in some cases continue using older technology for a while to avoid the costs and labor disruption of converting, or because the newer technology when introduced wasn't suitable for mass publication. But I would guess today that if anyone is using cold metal or hot metal it's more likely to be historical preservation. --Anonymous, edited and expanded 23:40 UTC, January 17, 2008.


 * Ah, just came across it accidentally. Hot-metal typography is a red-link because the article I wanted to link to uses the perhaps more precise word "typesetting" in its title. Perhaps someone could add redirects (with and without a hyphen). --Anon, 18:44 UTC, January 19.


 * Some time ago, I read about a newspaper which is still written by hand. A quick search reveals this to be The Musalman which is an Urdu-language daily based in Chennai. -- Kateshort forbob  01:10, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Dragons
How come I can not post a general comment on the dragons page? Whatever, forget about that. My concern is that I would like to make comments about dragons be general. I don't want to make the dragon page better. I think its fine the way it is.

--Pumagirl7 (talk) 23:16, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The discussion pages are designed as a way to discuss the content of the article, rather than discussion the topic itself, so if your comments are being deleted, this might be the cause. There are likely to be many forums for discussing dragons, their nature, mythology, dragon stories, etc. on the net. It's probably better to discuss them there, because you will have much better conversation. Try http://www.draconian.com/dragon-forum/index.php for a start. They'll probably be able to direct you to other places as well. Steewi (talk) 00:55, 18 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The relevant guideline here, by the way, is WP:FORUM. -- Coneslayer (talk) 01:03, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Price style
Is it uncommon to see 123:- in the USA instead of $123 for prices? All prices I guess are shown in the currency-specific $X instead of the neutral X:- which can mean any curreny? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.49.146 (talk) 23:26, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


 * In both the US and Canada, the separator between dollars and cents is understood to be a decimal point and no character other than "." is used. The use of dash or hyphen to mean zero cents also does not occur; if I hadn't seen it when traveling in Europe I wouldn't understand what you meant by it.  The dollar sign may be omitted when it is clear that the number represents a price, but the amount is still understood to be in dollars (of the specific country) if there is nothing that specifically suggests otherwise.  So it's "$123" or "$123.00", or maybe "123" or "123.00", all meaning USD when in the US or CAD when in Canada. And, by the way, that's the price before adding sales tax. What it really costs you is some amount like $130.38 or $141.45, depending on where you are and sometimes on what it is you're buying. --Anonymous, edited 23:42 UTC, January 17, 2008.


 * I'm glad you were traveling, because I was confused. I think your explanation is great, but I just wanted to add one more thing:  When writing a personal check, the decimal amounts are usually written out as fractions of 100:

One Hundred Twenty Three and no/00 dollars


 * You'll see 00/00, 45/00, or some people will put "exactly" in front and leave off the fraction. Other than that, I think Anon's description is pretty much the only common way to do money in the US. --Mdwyer (talk) 00:11, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Since when has 45 been the same as 0? J I P  | Talk 17:08, 18 January 2008 (UTC)