Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 August 15

= August 15 =

Basis for sexual pleasure in Pegging
A question that I want to know the answer to has been removed because the poster isn't welcome here, so I, an editor in good standing, will ask the question in a slightly revised manner.

From where is the pleasure derived when a female penetrates a person with a Strap-on dildo (a practice commonly known as Pegging). There are obviously no nerves in a plastic phallus, so it cannot be explained away with with the typical invocation of the physiological Human sexual response cycle. I would appreciate only well referenced answers please - I do not have access to any academic journals, but I would suspect that there has been some research done in this area. Buddy432 (talk) 00:40, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Well-referenced? Uhmm well, the receiver is the one whose response set would be of most interest, and it is likely to be the same response set as if the phallus were real. The pressure and penetration are the same. --Bielle (talk) 01:01, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Right, sorry if I wasn't clear. I was talking about the person with the strap on (the giver??  I'm not sure of the correct terminology). Buddy432 (talk) 01:53, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Maybe it's simply the pleasure you get from seeing someone you care for enjoying themselves? Or the prospect of reciprocation, i.e. if you give pleasure to someone else, they will return the pleasure to you?  There are lots of good reasons to help someone else enjoy themselves, and many of them involve pleasure for yourself too!  -- Jayron  32  01:58, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

The answer is analogous to the pleasure the troll gets seeing you strap this one on for him. μηδείς (talk) 01:14, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * A lot of the pleasure that the girl with the strap-on has occurs in the head - submission of the other partner, a feeling of domination. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:15, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes. It needs to be understood that the most sensitive sexual organ is that which has the greatest concentration of nerves - the brain. I'm not sure that this has much to do with submission and domination at all though - instead it is about direct interconnection, without the cultural baggage that normally gets in the way - or at least, an attempt achieve this.If you are doing it right, who is doing what to who, who is inside who, and where one 'who' ends and the other 'who' begins is far from clear... AndyTheGrump (talk) 06:50, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

I am sorry, but what part of two-way strap-on dildo do you not understand? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.45.127.83 (talk) 02:54, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

S.T.A.T.
ON SWAT POLICE UNIFORM PATCHES. SOME APPEAR WITH S.T.A.T. AND NOT SWAT. ANYONE KNOW MEANING OF S.T.A.T.

(e-mail address removed)             Thanks  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.1.98.132 (talk) 05:04, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Just a WAG, but since SWAT stands for "special weapons and tactics", perhaps "STAT" stands for something similar, like "special training and tactics". Or perhaps it said "STATE", as in "State Police".  Or perhaps it really said "SWAT" and you misread it.  -- Jayron  32  05:26, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I also found this: Which indicates it may stand for "Specialized tactical assistance team", which seems to be medical personel trained to go into high-tension situations; i.e. the medical arm of a SWAT team.  Another possible lead.  -- Jayron  32  05:31, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I've removed the original poster's e-mail address, for their safety and sanity. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:13, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

best route from Bhairawa to Kathmandu in Nepal
I recollect that about a year ago, “Google Maps” gave a car route from Bhairawa to Kathmandu in Nepal to be via Bharatpur and Hetauda on Highway 1, and to be of length 265 kilometres and to take about 7 hours and 20 minutes. However, today “Google Maps” gives a much longer route of 471 kilometres going via Padrauna and Birganj and taking about 9 hours. Can any user give the reason for this change? Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 08:06, 15 August 2011 (UTC).


 * Examining the map, it seems that Google Maps doesn't seem to believe that Highway 1 connects Manahari and Basamadi - this map demonstrates it tries to take the long way around between them. The road is shown as unbroken; I suspect this is a glitch in their routes database. No idea how to report it to be repaired, though... Shimgray | talk | 21:51, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

Thank you Simonschaim (talk)

Sioux Reservation
How many km2 were in Great Sioux Reservation in 1868?--Kaiyr (talk) 13:45, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The Great Sioux Reservation is approximately equivalent to modern-day West River, South Dakota, which makes up probably 60-70% of South Dakota's total land area (a very rough estimate). So my best guess would be somewhere in the ballpark of 120,000 sq. km. &mdash;Akrabbimtalk 14:17, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

Demographics_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China
Demographics_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China Where are data for tujia? What year(census) this data?--Kaiyr (talk) 13:46, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

The Tujia are on that chart. It looks like the Chinese government changes the census questions from time to time, so the Tujia are on some years, but not others. As far as that link you included from PaulNoll.com, as best as I can tell, Paul Noll is just an American citizen who's interested in China, so there's no telling where he got his data from. --M @ r ē ino 15:12, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Baby In Flight
Will there be any kind of physical or mental problem to a baby of 9 months travelling in flight for around 24 hrs? The flight is from Seattle(USA) to Hyderabad (India).I (18) always have a pop sound in my ears while travelling in flight.Will that affect the child?I need help.Please help.Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.201.164.107 (talk) 14:52, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Don't ask us, ask your paediatrician! --Viennese Waltz 14:57, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Hundreds of infants fly every day. Googlemeister (talk) 15:37, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The effects will be on you and your fellow passengers--any doubts as to the baby's health, call your favorite doctor. μηδείς (talk) 16:35, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Some (rather more helpful) advice on flying with babies can be found here, here, here and here. Some airlines are very accomodating - Virgin for instance. Bear in mind that there may be restrictions on the amount of milk or baby food that you can take for security reasons - this site suggests buying it after you have passed through customs. Alansplodge (talk) 17:00, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * True it is easier to just buy the child on site rather then importing it. Googlemeister (talk) 18:54, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * It's a lot of paper work either way ;-) Alansplodge (talk) 21:46, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Do they still send pets by cargo? μηδείς (talk) 02:56, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * There are bargains to be had importing pre-owned infants. But for a fresh one you must assemble it yourselves, perhaps in flight if you choose to fly United. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:23, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Creating one from scratch is a two person job, and takes months. And only the initial step of assembly is all that fun.  Googlemeister (talk) 13:23, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Third-world masses lead in mass production using unskilled labour. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:33, 17 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Oh, and to answer your question about your ears popping while in flight: babies hate that. I've heard flight attendants say that about half of the time that babies are crying on airplanes, it's either because their ears popped and it hurt/startled them, or even worse, their ears didn't pop, and now they have a headache.  --M @ r ē ino 15:14, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * This is OR but personally I agree that babies hate the ear pressure, and we would give the babies their bottles when the aircraft was descending. The repeated swallowing would relieve the pressure and perform an ear clearing without us having to try to instruct the baby on what to do.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:09, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The muscle actions used in sucking on a bottle are exactly the same ones involved in popping one's ears, which is why it works. --Carnildo (talk) 01:03, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

first nation, metis or inuit
Are there first nation, metis or inuit secessionist movements in Canada?--Kaiyr (talk) 17:08, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Not as far as I know. The largest predominantly aboriginal areas of Canada, those of the far north, are very dependent on federal spending. In the south, the largest aboriginal reserve, according to List of Indian reserves in Canada by population, has only 20,000 people in it, which would hardly make for a country. Some Six Nations/Iroquois are quite militant and sometimes assert non-recognition of the Canadian government by, for example, using their own passports and, judging from the linked article, refusing to answer the census. But declaring independence is not exactly realistic. -- 174.116.177.235 (talk) 21:51, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Nothing in Secessionist movements of Canada. Mostly, from what I read in the papers, they just want more rights/money/power within the country. The Metis are scattered more or less evenly between Ontario and the western provinces, so it would be difficult for them to coalesce into a state. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:00, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Perhaps because many first nations and inuit are granted a certain level of internal autonomy within Canada, there's no need to formally secede. After all, if you are an independent nation; you need all sorts of stuff like an army, a currency, ambassadors, etc. that you don't necessarily have to deal with if you leave that up to the Canadian national government; so long as the federal/provincial/territorial governments don't interfer in undesirable ways with the business of the first nations/inuit then there isn't likely to be any need for secession.  -- Jayron  32  01:53, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I hope Metis don't count as first nation, do they? μηδείς (talk) 02:56, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Does Métis people (Canada) answer your question? -- Jayron  32  03:05, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Oh, and regarding secessionist movements involving the Métis, for historical perspective Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion would be useful reads. -- Jayron  32  03:08, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Didn't seem at all logical just based on the word. Maybe if you go on the existence of the Michif language.  I was taking the word to mean any kind of mixed, not just Cree. μηδείς (talk) 23:27, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

There's never been any talk up here of separating from Canada. Some have advocated creating another territory for the Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut to be split off from Nunavut. Also back during the heyday of the Quebec sovereignty movement the Cree didn't want to leave Canada, Quebec sovereignty movement. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 05:11, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

Map font
Hey guys, does anyone know what font the file on the right uses? 64.229.153.236 (talk) 18:16, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Golbez created that, and is still active on Wikipedia, so you can ask on User talk:Golbez -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 18:43, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * It's just Arial. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:14, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

Are prices negotiable at high-end retailers?
When buying, say, a $5000 dress at a Chanel boutique, is the price negotiable? Or for example, when buying a limited edition $13 000 fountain pen at Montblanc, is the price also negotiable? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 18:34, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Well, it costs nothing to try doesn't it? Googlemeister (talk) 18:52, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I would divide it into two types of stores:


 * A) Those which sell high-end items which have a high per-item price to produce. A luxury car dealership is a prime example.  Those prices are usually negotiable.


 * B) Those which sell items for vastly more than the per-item cost to produce them. The examples you gave fall into this category.  Those prices are usually not negotiable.  Why ?  Those companies succeed by creating the illusion that the items are worth far more than their inherent value, and allowing people to negotiate a lower price would ruin that illusion.  That is, a $5000 dress ceases to be worth $5000 as soon as you no longer think that it is (unless it is actually made of raw materials that cost close to that, which is rare). StuRat (talk) 19:49, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * See Veblen good. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:45, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Which country? I suspect that in some south east Asian countries it could work quite well. HiLo48 (talk) 20:46, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I've heard some success stories about negotiating prices in British electronics stores (eg. for £3000 plasma TVs). A good rule of thumb is that shops where the staff are paid commission will often give the staff discretion to offer discounts (their commission would be reduced, so they have an incentive to try and sell the product for as much as possible). --Tango (talk) 21:10, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I've heard you could get in London the same £3000 plasma TV for free lately. 88.8.66.196 (talk) 20:54, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I think haggling goes against the whole point of buying a pen that costs thousands of dollars. It's something you do to demonstrate that money is no object. Beeblebrox (talk) 21:17, 15 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I was going to second the point about selling on commission mattering. If the counter person is just being paid an hourly wage, they probably don't have any ability to affect the price. If they're getting a cut of the total sale, they probably have already inflated the price somewhat from the invoice price, which gives them negotiating room. --Mr.98 (talk) 00:25, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * In principle, everything is negotiable. Just depends on who you are talking to, as stated above.  I remember an episode of Street Cents when I was a kid where they went into a chain music store (HMV or Sam the Record Man or something) and successfully negotiated the price of a CD on hidden camera.  I tried it in real life and it worked.  But, mind you, I felt stupid and didn't do it again even though it could save me money. Mingmingla (talk) 01:20, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * There may be cultural variations on this as well, even within the same country. Being originally from Ohio, I was raised to believe things had a set price and if you didn't want to pay that price you probably don't need the item. Later in life I found out it doesn't work like that everywhere, but I still don't let people talk me down on prices at my job, even though it gets tried fairly regularly.  Beeblebrox (talk) 01:44, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Indicate to the shop girl/boy that you are interested, but be ...hesitant. If they are on commission they will offer a deal. Or will at least perform sexual favors. (I mean this in all sincerity, .... [PERSONAL HISTORY REDACTED]). μηδείς (talk) 02:46, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * TMI Cuddlyable3 (talk) 08:53, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I didn't know this till yesterday, but we can thank Frank Winfield Woolworth for introducing the practice of paying whatever the marked price of the item is or not buying it at all, rather than the previous tradition of haggling for most everything. We still haggle for houses and cars, but otherwise haggling is considered a somewhat ill-bred Middle Eastern or African or Asian or Central European custom that we "enlightened" and "civilised" types would obviously have nothing to do with.  Well, think again.  Thanks for nothing, Mr W.  --   Jack of Oz   [your turn]  07:08, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * In a rich nation, haggling over the price of low-priced items doesn't make much sense. Take a loaf of bread, for example.  Maybe it now costs $2 but you could haggle it down to $1.  However, that $1 in savings might have taken 5 minutes, and 5 minutes of your time may not be worth $1.  Depending on how much you get paid per hour, perhaps working a bit of overtime might be a more productive use of your time.


 * Now let's consider it from the grocer's point of view. If they have to haggle for 5 mins over every purchase, they will need to hire more employees to do all this haggling, and will need to increase prices to pay for this added labor.  So now you might end up with a $3 loaf of bread that can be negotiated down, with much bother, to the original $2. StuRat (talk) 21:58, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
 * If the people in line ahead of me were allowed to haggle I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to resist strangling them to keep the line moving. It's bad enough when they try to negotiate the terms of a coupon that everyone knows are enforced by computer. (IT SAYS TWO OF THE SAME ITEM! CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER IS NOT THE SAME ITEM AS SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER! WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO THINK THAT THEY WERE THE SAME?!?) APL (talk) 10:20, 17 August 2011 (UTC)


 * (ec):Several times, when buying white goods, I've been successful in getting a discount for cash. I suspect that this is because of the charges levied by the banks for processing card payments. Mind you, I don't know what a Mayfair jewellers would make of this offer! --TammyMoet (talk) 07:11, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I think a lot can depend on whether you're talking to the guy who's in a position senior enough to put your cash straight into his back pocket without losing his job... :) --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 22:33, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Exactly--boutique or dealership, haggle; general mgr of a chain, you can try; the checkout lady, forget about it. μηδείς (talk) 23:20, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Taxi drivers, don't try to haggle with them. They keep lists of houses that they won't pick up at. People who try to haggle them down get blacklisted (I wouldn't try to haggle the pizza guy either, for a similar reason). Also in general - make friends with and generally be nice to your local taxi drivers. You may get discounts, they'll let you owe if you're short (instead of say driving you to a cash machine and adding the cost of that to the bill) and they'll go out of their way to pick you up if they know it's you. --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 23:34, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I've also found that in places where prices aren't normally negotiable, they become negotiable if there is any slight damage or irregularity. I got a $300 microwave oven for $30 that way.  Yes, the tray doesn't turn, but I have another microwave oven for that, I just use this one to warm my tea. StuRat (talk) 23:09, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * It sounds like a horrible deal. You really threw away $30 for a microwave which only warms tea? 88.9.108.128 (talk) 00:32, 17 August 2011 (UTC)


 * It does a lot more than just warm tea, that just happened to be one example. StuRat (talk) 00:50, 17 August 2011 (UTC)


 * "TMI Cuddlyable3" You should watch L.A. Story, an excellent film.
 * "Taxi drivers, don't try to haggle with them" You most certainly do haggle with a gypsy cab street hail uptown or in the Outerboroughs. I always offer one dollar less than the worth of the trip so the driver will be happy when you let him drag the extra dollar out of you--and sometimes the settle on the original offer.  If you call for a cab, I still haggle, and then tip well.  It also helps if you speak French and they are Senegalese, or Spanish and Dominicano.  I have had many drivers give me their cards and tell me to call them direct so we don't have to cut dispatch in on the fare. μηδείς (talk) 23:46, 16 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Ah, yes - I should probably stop assuming that the taxi drivers where I live are the same as taxi drivers elsewhere in the world... :) --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 11:45, 17 August 2011 (UTC)