Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 February 6

= February 6 =

Russian place names.
Can anyone tell me what the following towns in Russia are now called: 1888 - Roschistsh, Russia, and 1890 - Walynian, Russia. Please advise? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Eagle Eye Genealogy (talk • contribs) 01:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Well, there is a town called Rozhysche in the Volyn Oblast of Ukraine, part of the historic region known as Volhynia (Wolhynien, in German). In 1888-1890 this place was in the Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire, not far from the border with the Austrian Empire. "Roschists" is a fairly plausible German-influenced transcription of the town's name. There is a fairly large article about the place in the Ukrainian Wikipedia, uk:Рожище, and there is also the town's web site (in Ukrainian, of course): http://www.rozhysche.com.ua/ -- Vmenkov (talk) 02:24, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Changing the natural landscape
CHANGING THE NATURAL LANDSCCAPE   3 years ago my neighbour built a retaining wall all the way across my property line. Since this point and never prior in the 14 years I have been here, it has caused water to come in an unusual fashion onto my property. The first attempt to fix this was to install a pipe accross the driveway to collect and reroute the water at a cost of $700.00. This stopped nothing except now we have water coming down the other side of the cottage which we attempted to fix at a cost of $500.00

Currently we have had a heavy rain and melt and we have water coming down the original side and into the basement.. Question! Is the neighbour responsible for changing the natural lay of the land and waterflow ? Question2 What can I do if he is responsible. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.92.32.62 (talk) 02:50, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * The Wikipedia Reference Desk cannot answer requests for legal advice. You may wish to contact a lawyer or your local bar association with your questions. Regardless, asking these sorts of questions on open internet forums is not generally advisable, as your answer is more likely to come from a random stranger on the internet making his best guess, than it is from a Canadian lawyer with the relevant experience. Someguy1221 (talk) 02:57, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * It sounds like your rainwater and melt-water was draining into his property, and the retaining wall prevents this. If that's the case, your legal options may be quite limited.  We can possibly make suggestions as to how you can improve drainage, though.  Do you have sewers ?  If so, you need to drain into the storm sewer (not the sanitary sewer).  If not, then you need to build a dry well.  If you need to lift the water over a hill to dispose of it, then you will need a sump pump. StuRat (talk) 03:05, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * On the other hand, the law where you live may be different from the law where StuRat lives, so you should speak to a lawyer licensed to practice in your province (if you are in Canada), who will know your options under local law. Marco polo (talk) 17:16, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

the old childerns home in bush/hurst, il.
IM TRYING TO FIND SOME INFO ON THE OLD CHILDERNS HOME IN BUSH/HURST, IL. IT CLOSED IN THE 70'S. BEFORE IT WAS THE CHILDERNS HOME IT WAS A PLACE FOR THE RAILROAD WORKERS TO STAY AT. IM LOOKING FOR ANY INFO ON THE BUILDING. CAN YOU HELP ME? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dreamchild2 (talk • contribs) 03:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I removed your e-mail. Any answered will be provided here.  RudolfRed (talk) 04:46, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * It looks like Bush and Hurt closed down in the 1970s as well. The two villages have a combined population of around 1000.  Your best shot would be to contact someone in Williamson County, Illinois and inquire about local historical societies or libraries which can help you with your research.  There's a phone number at the bottom of this page for the Williamson Tourism Bureau, they may be able to direct you to someone who can help.  Here is a list of important numbers in Williamson County, which includes "vital records" and "county clerk", which may be able to help.  I also found This website for the Williamson County Historical Society Museum.  The website is a bit of a mess, I can't find a phone number or an address for the place, but if you can locate it, it may prove to be useful in your research.  -- Jayron  32  04:56, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * There is a better link (with contact info) for the Williamson County Historical Society here: http://lunarius.net/historical/ - it provides &lt;wchsmuseum@gmail.com&gt; as their email address - and there is a "response form" there to leave a question on their website. SteveBaker (talk) 14:56, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Podcasts on healthy debates
Hi All, Can anyone suggest me where i can download podcasts on debates or discussions on iomportant topics relating to anything but serious ,i mean not the ones interrupting each other but something healthy and can learn somthing out of which.. Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.72.144 (talk) 10:09, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Not sure exactly what you are looking for - there is a reasonably high quality of debate on various BBC Radio 4 podcasts, see for example The Moral Maze nonsense  ferret  13:12, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * You might want to look more for interviews than debates, as "debates" often seem to involve people yelling over the top of each other, these days. Interviews by Charlie Rose, for example, are usually respectful, yet still get the the meat of the question.  Charlie often presents the opposing side, after saying "Some people argue that...", for example. StuRat (talk) 15:52, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * See "List of podcatchers" and Category:Podcasting
 * and PodcastDirectory.com | The big directory for you
 * and Podcast Directory : Podfeed.net
 * and PodcastAlley.com -- The place to find Podcasts
 * —Wavelength (talk) 16:35, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Things libre but not gratis (or near gratis)
What are some things that are libre but not gratis (to the point where nontrivial amounts of people only can't get it because they can't afford it)? 67.163.109.173 (talk) 11:32, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Have you read Gratis versus libre? Lots of things are libre but not gratis. I'm not sure I understand the point you're making in the brackets, as it seems to imply you think that both terms relate to money. The embrace of a prostitute may be freely available to all, but free of charge to some or none. --Dweller (talk) 11:43, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The parentheses were to imply that I am mainly interested in monetarily expensive (a subjective term) things (not services) that are libre. And I didn't see many examples of expensive libre things at Gratis versus libre. 67.163.109.173 (talk) 11:53, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, I see what you mean now. --Dweller (talk) 12:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * OK - so we're looking for something that costs a lot of money to obtain - but once obtained may be used without restriction?


 * How about a car? It costs a lot of money - but I can legally re-sell it, repair it (often with unauthorized 3rd party parts), modify it, drive it whenever and wherever I like and I can get a workshop manual for it that describes all of it's internal operations.


 * This fulfills *some* of the "libre" meanings - but there are other aspects to this - the ability to legally make exact copies, for example. You can't (legally) make an exact copy of your car because you'd be infringing on any number of patents and copyrights.


 * For that sense of "libre", how about buying a racehorse? You could have to pay a small fortune to buy a good one - but you can breed it and even (in principle) clone it to make copies without legal restriction.


 * Perhaps a better example would be my custom-built house - I paid an architect to draw up the plans - and I own those plans. I can pay a builder to make an exact copy of my house - or I could do it myself if I had the necessary skills.


 * The trouble with the racehorse and custom-home examples is that only I have the right to make copies...although I do have the right to confer that right on others by giving them a sample of my racehorse DNA or a copy of the plans of my house. But not just anyone can copy those things legally.  But arguably that's true for things like OpenSourced software which is widely agreed to be both gratis and libre.  You can't make copies of a GPL'ed piece of software without downloading it from someone else who gave you the ability to do so.  They can (and often do) prevent you from downloading a copy.  My website has a copy of "Apache" running on it - but I don't allow you to download it from my site.  That's a necessary part of the GPL'ed model because the act of giving it away is entangled with the requirement that you affix the "copyleft" license to the copies.  If I give you a copy of some piece of GPL'ed software WITHOUT the copyleft agreement - then I'm breaking the terms of the GPL and that's not legal.
 * SteveBaker (talk) 13:17, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Generally speaking, if something is libre then it doesn't matter who owns it. That means it will be essentially gratis (why pay for something if you can use it without owning it?). Whether you can find any counterexamples will depend on exactly how you define "libre". --Tango (talk) 21:07, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * All free software falls under this category. I can sell a piece of GPL software for a million dollars, yet at the same time it remains free (as in freedom). My first customer is free to start selling it for $999,999 and undercut me. He's also free to put it on The Pirate Bay.Dncsky (talk) 21:28, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You could offer it for sale for a million dollars. To actually sell it for that price you would have to find a buyer willing to pay that much for something they could get for free... --Tango (talk) 21:31, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That's not true at all.
 * A libre item is only libre if you've acquired it legitimately.
 * Let's say CompanyX needs a piece of software. A programmer makes it and sells it to them under a GPL license for $1Million.
 * How could they get that for free? They couldn't.
 * How could anyone get that for free? Only CompanyX has the right to distribute it. Until they do, nobody may have it for free. APL (talk) 05:47, 10 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Probably the best answer here is opensourced physical goods.
 * "Makerbot Cupcake" is completely opensource, but I paid nearly $1000 for mine. APL (talk) 05:47, 10 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Ah, like a tangram made out of platinum. 67.163.109.173 (talk) 01:39, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Suggest bad guy names
Our company's HR director recently announced she is going to rename all twenty of our meeting rooms and is looking for suggestions. I figured I'd suggest naming them all after main bad guys from well-known fictional works. So far I have: That still leaves eleven. Please suggest more. The following rules apply: J I P &#124; Talk 19:20, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Blofeld
 * Harkonnen
 * Megatron
 * Moriarty
 * Mumm-Ra
 * Palpatine
 * Sauron
 * Skeletor
 * Voldemort
 * The bad guy must be fictional. For example Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini won't do.
 * The fiction must be reasonably well-known internationally, even if the actual main bad guy is not.
 * The bad guy must be known by the same name regardless of language. For example, Flintheart Glomgold or John D. Rockerduck won't do, because they're called "Kulta-Into Pii" and "Kroisos Pennonen" in Finnish.
 * The fiction can be of any sort whatsoever. Books, comics, TV shows, movies, you name it.
 * Lex Luthor, General Zod, Cthulu, Hannibal Lecter, Hans Gruber, Agent Smith, Keyser Soze, Dracula, Ivan Drago. -- Jayron  32  19:30, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Treadstone. Shadowjams (talk) 19:34, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Darth Vader. StuRat (talk) 19:36, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * O'Brien 20.137.2.50 (talk) 19:55, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Um, O'Brien is the villain, Goldstein's a scapegoat. μηδείς (talk) 20:39, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Um, yeah. That's why I said O'Brien. I've always said O'Brien! Why are you talking about Goldstein, man? 20.137.2.50


 * Well, Medea obviously. There's also Morgan le Fay, although her villany is debatable, and the name is not one word.  In any case, you sorely lack female names, and I would recommend sticking to the classics and avoiding cartoon villains. we have a list of female supervillains, but none of them rises above Catwoman.  Internet searches almost all get cartoon villains. μηδείς (talk) 20:22, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There are also Jezebel, Lilith, Tiamat, and Salome. Oh, and Kali, although that might be inappropriate if you have any thugs working for you. μηδείς (talk) 20:31, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Well, Medea isn't as villainous of a name anymore since Tyler Perry appropriated Madea for his series of cross dressing films. People are likely to confuse it.  Catwoman is good; though mythology has other female villains to choose from Medusa and Lilith spring to mind.  More modern female villains could include the devious Miss Havisham, or perhaps Almira Gulch, Cruella de Vil, Harley Quinn, Rosa Klebb, Nurse Ratched, Annie Wilkes, Bellatrix Lestrange for a few.  Many of those come from literature or live action films, not necessarily cartoons.  -- Jayron  32  20:38, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Madea is not Medea is not Medeis. I thought of De Vil and Ratched but the OP seems to want one-name characters.  Ratched's too wretched in my book any way--I* would not want to work in a place with a room named after her. μηδείς (talk) 20:42, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No, Madea is not Medea, which is why I said they weren't. Still, trying to explain every time why the main character of Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a "villain", and then having to point out the spelling difference doesn't make it ideal.  Yes Medea is a good villain from mythology.  The potential for confusion, however, may not make it good for the application the OP has.  I also don't see why the "Ratched" room or the "Klebb" room wouldn't work as singular last names.  It would be plainly obvious who they were referencing.  -- Jayron  32  20:46, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I certainly don't oppose Ratched as not evil enough, but she's usually Nurse Ratched which seems to violate the implicit one-name rule. And imagining her makes me think of the suicide, and if I woprked in such a place I'd file a complaint for psychological abuse if I had to work in a room that called to mind that image. μηδείς (talk) 20:59, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Miss Havisham, Jayron? She was the victim, a jiltee the balance of whose mind was altered ever afterwards, and someone whose loyalty and faithfulness to him who done her wrong serves as a shining example to us all.  (By my clock it's 8 am on 7 February, Charles Dickens' 201st birthday, so that proves I'm right.)
 * I'd nominate a pile of James M. Cain villainesses: Mildred Pierce and her daughter Veda; Cora Papadakis as played by Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946; not the trashy remake); and Phyllis Dietrichson as played by Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  21:05, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, two of my favorite movies, but I don't see rooms designated ad Papadakis and Dietrichson being particularly menacing. μηδείς (talk) 22:53, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Havisham is certainly a very complex character, and the fact that her villainy has its antecedents doesn't make her less villainous. She's a sympathetic villain, but her treatment of Pip is hardly model behavior... -- Jayron  32  21:13, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Boris Badenov Bus stop (talk) 20:35, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * And, for equal time, Natasha Nogoodnik. StuRat (talk)


 * Servalan--best villain of any sex ever!!! μηδείς (talk) 20:39, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Jadis the White Witch from Narnia. μηδείς (talk) 20:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Lamia and Medusa Dmcq (talk) 22:03, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Iago is surely a must; one of the most memorable villains ever, if a little hard to connect with because his evil seems so unmotivated. --Trovatore (talk) 22:39, 6 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You already use Bond, so Goldfinger qualifies. If you have geeks, Takhisis is a female option. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 22:45, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Question for JIP... did your group go over other possibilities before settling on evil villians? I ask because I've always loved naming nomenclature like this. I had a friend who used greek gods, for instance. I read a story once that the CIA named networks after states and servers after cities in those states, which led to disturbing elevator conversations... but that may be an old wife's tale. Shadowjams (talk) 00:18, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

From Doctor Who: FendahlD"goubsq

Fenric

Gavrok

Jagrafess

Kane

Kroagnon

Malus

Megron

Morbius

Morgaine

Nimrod

Rassilon

Scaroth

Sutekh

Timewyrm

Valeyard

Weng-Chiang

Xoanon

Zodin — Gadget850 (Ed) talk 01:20, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Ah, yes, Dr Who villains alone should be sufficient. And you left out Eldrad. μηδείς (talk) 01:26, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * How about Elphaba? Or should it be Glinda?
 * Additionally there's Hades (more a villain in Disney canon than in mythology), George Wickham, Albert Knag, Syndrome, The Laughing Man, Orochimaru... oh, dear, I've ventured into anime, so I'd better stop. Just thought I'd offer some unique ideas; hopefully they at least made you think about other possible antagonists. Cheers. — Rutebega ( talk ) 04:15, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Mordred, Bowser, Morgoth, the Queen of Hearts, Vetinari, Claudius, Don Juan, Captain Hook, Loki. 130.88.99.231 (talk) 12:47, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Gotta have Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. She's a great villain. SteveBaker (talk) 14:49, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Zorg. Warofdreams talk 15:28, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for your replies! So far I have: I couldn't use for example Catwoman or Cruella de Vil, because they fail the "must be known by the same name regardless of language" rule. In Finnish, they're called "Kissanainen" and "Julmia Juonio". Many other suggested characters also failed this. I wanted to use Dracula, but he was a real person, although not a blood-sucking vampire. I thought of using Frankenstein, but then I realised Frankenstein was the good guy in the story - the bad guy was simply called "the monster". I wanted to use only one bad guy from each fiction, so I didn't use Goldfinger when I already had Blofeld or Darth Vader when I already had Palpatine. Nurse Ratched failing the "only one name" rule doesn't matter - I already have Moriarty and Söze there. So now I have at least two female villains. Rastapopoulos was my own idea which I got after posting this question. J I P &#124; Talk 18:12, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Blofeld
 * Bowser
 * Cthulhu
 * Doh
 * Harkonnen
 * Khan
 * Kingpin
 * Lecter
 * Luthor
 * Megatron
 * Moriarty
 * Mumm-Ra
 * Palpatine
 * Rastapopoulos
 * Ratched
 * Sauron
 * Skeletor
 * Söze
 * Takhisis
 * Voldemort
 * What was wrong with Iago? Just curious, as for me he's one of the best representations of distilled evil in literature (though as I mentioned, a bit unmotivated).  You might also consider Merteuil. --Trovatore (talk) 19:21, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I just hadn't read the article thoroughly enough. He seems fit to replace some character on my list (Doh or Bowser perhaps), but first I'll have to check if he's called something else in Finnish. That kept me from including either The Joker or Catwoman, which is a shame. J I P  &#124; Talk 19:33, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * He's called "Jago" in Finnish. This is a borderline case, as the name differs only by pronunciation. I couldn't use The Joker because he's called "Jokeri" in Finnish, which is a translation, not a transliteration or pronunciation change. J I P  &#124; Talk 19:36, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Do they have to be well known in Finland? I imagine Dr Who is - you hafta consider Eldrad. And it would really be a shame if Servalan from Blake's 7 is out of the running. μηδείς (talk) 19:41, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Being well known in Finland is a definite plus, but not an absolute requirement. I might consider replacing Doh and Bowser with Eldrad and Servalan, if nothing else, then just to get a third female villain in. I have heard of Dr. Who, from several years of reading British computer magazines. It has only recently been started showing on Finnish TV though, and I've yet to see a single episode. Blake's 7 I hadn't even heard of, but that is not a problem, as I'm sure someone in Finland has. By the way, I took the liberty of editing your comment so that the link to Eldrad is now an internal link instead of an external link back to Wikipedia.
 * For a villainess, I commend to your consideration Dolores Umbridge. I'm not a big fan of Rowling's world view, from what I know about it, but the fact that she made a memorable antagonist out of a smarmy bureaucrat is definite points for her. --Trovatore (talk) 20:24, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Javert is a good villain. More of a sanctimonious and unimaginative prick that an evil mastermind, but he'll do. I don't know if Zorglub resonates at all in Finland, but he's a personal favorite. --Xuxl (talk) 13:29, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * GLaDOS. Matt Deres (talk) 15:42, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Also Jörmungandr, Grendel, Loki, Dormammu, Leviathan, Behemoth, Typhon. Not sure if evil creatures count, though. Matt Deres (talk) 15:48, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

OK, so far I have: I couldn't use Zorglub because he's known as "Zorbul" in Finland. J I P c&#124; Talk 15:50, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Blofeld
 * Cthulhu
 * Eldrad
 * Gozer
 * Harkonnen
 * Javert
 * Khan
 * Luthor
 * Megatron
 * Moriarty
 * Mumm-Ra
 * Palpatine
 * Rastapopoulos
 * Ratched
 * Sauron
 * Servalan
 * Skeletor
 * Söze
 * Takhisis
 * Voldemort
 * Ok then. here's a few more suggestions: If Zorglub won't do, then Zantafio is even more evil. Gargamel is a smurf's worst nightmare, and Barmaley is known by all Russian schoolchildren : "Children don't go / Don't go to Africa to play / Because there lives the evil / The evil Barmaley" (and you think the children heed that sound bit of parental advice ? no way, first thing you know they sneak off to Africa when the folks aren't paying attention). By the way, your naming plot is a really cool idea --Xuxl (talk) 18:41, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

The nefarious Helen Gahagan Douglas would be an iconic pic, or go with the Disney version. You might want to avoid Khan as culturally insensitive. It is a fairly common name. Oh, and there's Shelob! μηδείς (talk) 20:31, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Zantafio might do. He's known as "Santafio" in Finland, but that's only a matter of pronunciation. Gargamel won't do, as he's known as "Velho" ("The Wizard") in Finland. The comment about Helen Gahagan Douglas was malformed, I'll have to sort it our later. I left out Kingpin to make room for new villains, as there are only twenty meeting rooms to name after villains, and I thought a TV show villain was better known than a comics one. But if it's culturally insensitive, and no other name can be used (the full name is Khan Noonien Singh), then I might reinstate the Kingpin. J I P  &#124; Talk 22:05, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Singh would be even worse than Khan, since it's the last name of most if not all male Sikhs. Fixed the Helen Gahagan Douglas link but you'll have to read the article and look at the picture. Louhi's an obvious choice and maybe translates better than Shelob. μηδείς (talk) 23:21, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I know you rule out Hitler, but what about Hynkel, from Chaplin's The Great Dictator?Itsmejudith (talk) 23:29, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I think I'll have to reinstate the Kingpin at the expense of Khan Noonien Singh, even though I still think Star Trek is better known than Marvel Comics. But I want to avoid culturally insensitive situations. Adenoid Hynkel is too obvious a parody of Adolf Hitler to qualify. The character was even invented when Hitler was still alive. J I P  &#124; Talk 21:25, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

OK, here's what I sent to our company's HR director: She thanked me for my suggestions, and said that they will go over them by Friday. So hopefully by Monday next week I'll know whether they used any of my suggestions. J I P &#124; Talk 20:26, 11 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Blofeld
 * Cthulhu
 * Eldrad
 * Gozer
 * Harkonnen
 * Javert
 * Kingpin
 * Luthor
 * Megatron
 * Moriarty
 * Mumm-Ra
 * Palpatine
 * Rastapopoulos
 * Ratched
 * Sauron
 * Servalan
 * Skeletor
 * Söze
 * Takhisis
 * Voldemort
 * I hope you mentioned this list was compiled with help from certifiable geniuses at wikipedia. That should weigh heavily on her. μηδείς (talk) 04:14, 12 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Just as Palpatine trumps Vader, I'd replace Sauron with Morgoth. How about Macbeth? —Tamfang (talk) 07:24, 22 September 2013 (UTC)


 * Arnold Zeck is Nero Wolfe's Moriarty. —Tamfang (talk) 07:32, 22 September 2013 (UTC)

Are weekend jobs a thing?
I am British; my friend is American. When I was younger, I had a Saturday job. I suggested to my workshy America friend that he could just get a Saturday or weekend job if he didn't want a full-time job. But he's never heard of the concept. Is a Saturday or weekend job actually a thing in America? 90.193.232.199 (talk) 21:22, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * My wife used to ride on an Ambulance crew in Chicago, and she used to work two 13 hour shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. So no, it isn't unheard of.  You just need to find the right job.  In some industries (especially those that require 24/7 staffing) people often don't want to work the weekends, so it may be easier to get work on the Weekends only, covering for people who would rather spend the time with their kids, or things like that.  -- Jayron  32  21:27, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * There are certainly weekend-only jobs in the United States, but they are a little uncommon. Plenty of Americans work on weekends, but most also work on some weekdays as well. However, part-time jobs are very common in the United States.  Employers like part-time jobs because part-time employees often don't qualify for various benefits.  Most part-time jobs are not strictly weekend jobs.  They might include one or more weekend shifts as well as one or more weekday shifts. Marco polo (talk) 22:08, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * What do university and high school students do then if not Saturday jobs? I am concerned about their future careers. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:38, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * There are employers who actively seek out part-time employees, like fast-food restaurants. They don't offer much in the way of money, benefits, and chance of advancement in these McJobs, but they do offer flexible hours.  Each employee typically lists when they can work, and the employer does the scheduling based on that. StuRat (talk) 22:49, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * In university I worked a part-time job that had no weekend components — you just did it different days of the week, or different times, from when you had class. When I was post-university I worked a retail job for awhile that required occasional weekend work. When I was in high school I did not work any regular job; I knew a few people who did, but it was pretty rare when I was in school. But I've never heard of anyone in the US only getting a job just on the weekend. It's somewhat unusual. Marco Polo's answer is spot on in my experience of these things; there is a broad definition of "part time" jobs in the US that often bleed into the weekend, and one can imagine someone having a part time job that was only on the weekend, but it is not considered a standard category here. --Mr.98 (talk) 03:36, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Are you seriously asking whether Americans understand what the two words 'weekend and job mean when combined? And you want references? μηδείς (talk) 22:50, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * You are misreading the Q again. They are asking if jobs are common in the US which only require work on the weekend. StuRat (talk) 22:53, 6 February 2013 (UTC)


 * "Again"? Are you continuing some sort of grudge Stu?  If so move it to the talk page.  And what exactly do "But he's never heard of the concept" and "...in America" mean in regard to a thread on weekend jobs if not that Americans don't understand the notion? μηδείς (talk) 01:20, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Why would you think his friend having not heard of it would indicate that nobody in the US has ? It might mean it's less common, though, which is what the Q is about. StuRat (talk) 04:12, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Are they that common in the UK? There's jobs of all sorts here, of course, but "weekend only" jobs seem odd to me. And there are plenty of opportunities for college students to work...during the week. Shadowjams (talk) 00:15, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Well, everyone here knows what a "Saturday job" is; etc etc. Because late evening and Sunday shopping are innovations here, Saturday used to be a manic scramble at the shops and so retailers were keen to have Saturday only staff who didn't need to be paid very much. Ideal for school kids, who between the ages of 13 and 16 are legally able to work 2 hours a day on a weekday or Sunday, or 5 hours on a Saturday. Also ideal for students and those desperate to top-up their income. Even teachers. So perhaps the peculiar legal rules in the UK make specifically "Saturday-only" jobs a peculiarly British thing. However, I found several articles like The end of the Saturday job? Pupils miss out as hard times squeeze roles for teenagers. Alansplodge (talk) 01:07, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
 * If your American friend was in the UK, he would need a work visa anyway, even for a part-time job.  KägeTorä - (影虎)  ( TALK )  04:43, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

That's a lot more responses than I was expecting. Thanks for the responses, everyone who was helpful; this should definitely help me help him find a job. And μηδείς, I was in fact asking what everyone else here thought I was asking, not what you thought I was asking. 90.193.232.199 (talk) 06:26, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * 90.193: a simple wiki search for 'weekend job' would have sufficed to confirm that it's common everywhere. OsmanRF34 (talk) 12:35, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * ... but 90.193 was asking if they are common in the USA, and the answer was "less common" than in the UK.   D b f i r s   18:47, 7 February 2013 (UTC)