Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 January 10

= January 10 =

Purchasing The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
My name is penny,I am a nurse who cares for a special needs child with cerebral palsey.This little boy loves the (CAT IN HAT KNOWS ALOT ABOUT THAT).He attends school 5 days a week so he gets limited time to see his favorite show.My question is,can the 30min. movies be bo ught?If so how much are the episodes for 2012-2013? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.96.73.208 (talk) 02:26, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * To clarify the question, the series is The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 02:35, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Thanks for fixing that heading, Finlay. I hadn't heard of the longer title.


 * Try This google search. -- Jayron  32  02:41, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

amazon has reasonable prices for individual episodes, http://www.amazon.com/Knows-About-That-Wings-Things/dp/B003EQN65S. You can download whatever's been uploaded to youtube, www dot tubeplus dot me or dailymotion dot com. μηδείς (talk) 06:49, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Imposing sanctions on the US until it sorts out its gun laws
I don't know if Americans realise it, and I know many would say they don't care, but most of the rest of the civilised world's population thinks America's gun laws are nuts. Here in Australia (and I'm sure elsewhere) there have been many newspaper articles and media discussions about them since the Sandy Hook shootings. It's because us foreigners really do care.

A discussion in one of our better newspapers today (here) contained the following post...


 * "What needs to happen is for the rest of the world to start to impose sanctions on the US and its citizens until such time as they begin to protect the human rights of children. what would happen if countries like Australia banned US citizens from travelling to Australia and freezing US assets in Australia, like the American regularly do to other countries?"

Now I'm not interested in what you think of Michael Moore (if you like guns I'm assuming you'll hate him), or us evil foreigners who should learn to just mind our own business, but what about those sanctions? Could they work? HiLo48 (talk) 05:47, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I think the sudden disappearance of Foster's from our store shelves could prove devastating to the economy. Or at least somebody's economy. We impose sanctions on countries that are at war with us. Do you propose Australia declare war on America? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:00, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * And by the way, Norway also failed to protect its own kids. Do you propose imposing sanctions on Norway? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:01, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Different scale of problem in Norway. One incident. Statistically insignificant. The suggestion wasn't about just Australia imposing sanctions. It said "the rest of the world". HiLo48 (talk) 06:09, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * [PS: We don't want the Fosters back. No real Australian drinks Fosters.] HiLo48 (talk) 06:11, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * If they want to stop selling stuff to us, we could rid ourselves of our massive trade deficit, which might work out well. And I could also argue that the occasional mass shootings in the much-much larger USA are every bit as statistically insignificant as the Norwegian incident. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:12, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Not at all. The one incident in Norway clearly can't be said to represent a pattern such as there appears to be in the US. HiLo48 (talk) 06:26, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Given the massive number of guns in this country, compared with the very few mass shooting incidents, ironically there's not much of a pattern at all. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:29, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * A lot of people think there is. (Even some Americans!) Hence the proposed sanctions. Stick to the topic please. HiLo48 (talk) 06:36, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Cough. -- Jayron  32  06:20, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Crikey! The smoking gun, as it were! To that, I can only add this: ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:25, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Jayron, the Monash Uni shooter only had handguns, and only killed two people. With the kinds of assault weapons available in the US he could have wiped out the whole class in no time at all. HiLo48 (talk) 06:34, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * How about if we toss in the Port Arthur massacre (Australia) ? As for the practical reaction, any country which froze US assets would likely get the same in return. StuRat (talk) 10:03, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

 HAHaha HAHaha HAHaha  HAHaha HAHaha HAHaha  HAHaha HAHaha HAHaha  !  (close request for debate and opinion) μηδείς (talk) 06:38, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

And I've re-opened it. There was as serious aspect to the question. Is there a mechanism by which such sanctions could be imposed. Unfortunately most of the responses so far have fitted the "evil foreigners who should learn to just mind our own business" category, which I asked them to not do, but they just couldn't resist. So, could sanctions happen? HiLo48 (talk) 06:44, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Where are we going to find any refs that could inform this question? In the absence of any, all we have left is opinion and speculation.   I agreed with Medeis's closure, and told her so.  Convince me why I shouldn't follow suit.  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  06:48, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Close it. It's totally original research on HiLo's part, and America-bashing. I find it appalling that he thinks there's some acceptable number of deaths in a random shooting. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:50, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Your outrage would have been more convincing if you had not already got involved in responding no less than 5 times (count them), in none of which you expressed support for the principle you're now supporting. --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  06:55, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Which principle? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:58, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * What you just said. Leave it, Bugs, you're supporting the closure now, that's all that matters.  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  07:03, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, I support the principle of closing it, before HiLo paints himself further into a corner. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 07:13, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

There's just one thing Baseball Bugs said that needs to be debunked: sanctions do not mean that countries are at war or a formal declaration of war has been issued (The European Union is not at war with Myanmar, neither is the U.S. with Iran); sanctions can be imposed by any country or group of countries on any other country. HiLo48 needs to submit a formal petition to Julia Gillard and/or her majesty the Queen. Speculating on the effectiveness is not possible here since such a move would be unprecedented. Closed. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 12:12, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Casino Chip
Recently I was given a casino chip. It was a present and I was lead to believe that it was real. It says - World Pomer tournament: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Casino, Nevada. Then there is $10,000 value written on it. I am keen to find out whether this is a real chip. I ould like to send a picture of the chip as an add on to the question but don't seem to be able to... apologies for this. How would I find out if this casino chip is real? Which Casino do you think it might come from? If you would like me to send a photo of the chip please let me know how to do this and where to send it. Many thanks and I look forward to hearing an answer to these questions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.231.194.25 (talk) 08:32, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Wow, just like the plot element in Skyfall! I recommend you donate that chip to your favorite charity and let them worry about it. :) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 08:42, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm not saying it's fake, or that your benefactor is not extraordinarily generous, but you can buy such things on eBay for a few dollars.--Shantavira|feed me 09:01, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The question is: Can the person who gave it to you afford $10,000? And do they like you enough to give you $10,000? Only if yes is the answer to both questions can it be real. If the answer is no to any of the 2 questions, then you can assume it is not real. I have never heard of a casino called "Fabulous Las Vegas Casino", but I don't know much about Vegas. --Lgriot (talk) 09:14, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * If you google [fabulous las vegas casino chip], I think you'll find it's literally just a chip for playing poker with, not a thing of value as such. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 09:30, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I don't know what "pomer" is, but in a poker tournament the chips don't actually have monetary value, although they are often referred to as though they do. Everyone gets the same number of chips at the start of the tournament and the last person with any left is the winner. You pay a certain amount to enter and the last few people in get a certain amount in prize money, but those amounts bare no relation to "value" of the chips. The chips used in tournaments are usually of much lower quality than the main casino chips, which is one way to tell. The word "tournament" on it is another good clue. --Tango (talk) 12:46, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * What, you've never heard of the famous "World Pomer Tournament"? That's where misspellers go to test their "metal" agin each other. Dan Quayle is a chumpion many times over. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:38, 11 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Confirm, that "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas", as if it were a slightly old-fashioned neon sign, like the one illustrated a bit down in this page, is generic in Las Vegas. The souvenir stores are stuffed with goods displaying it.  I doubt it would be used for a "real" chip. I don't see on Google that "World Poker Tournament" is the name of an actual tournament although there are similar, World Series of Poker for example.  My guess is that this is designed as a cheap unofficial souvenir of one of these tournaments.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:57, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Or, it's "World Poker Tour", which is a real thing, and quite happily puts its name on merchandise such as sets of poker chips. If it's a real tournament chip, it will almost certainly say "no cash value" on it. --jpgordon:==( o ) 16:06, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

"On Wings of Eagles"
Does anyone know please if this exciting and true story by Ken Follett has ever been made into a film and if so where might I buy a VCR copy?85.211.131.113 (talk) 09:32, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * On Wings of Eagles says there was a mini-series in 1986. You could check around on google and see if it's available in some way or another. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 09:38, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, done that, found and ordered a DVD.85.211.131.113 (talk) 12:06, 12 January 2013 (UTC)

Hare Krishna absence in the Eastern U.S.?
I used to see Hare Krishnas all the time in NYC. They would hand out flowers and pamphlets and so on. They were always at the airport doing whatever it is they do, proselytizing ... It just occurred to me that I haven't seen a Hare Krishna in years and years and they are very noticeable with their colorful robes and hairstyle. Are they just no longer much in New York, or have they stopped proselytizing, or are they much reduced in number in the Northeast U.S., the U.S. in general, or something else?--108.27.62.131 (talk) 17:56, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * International Society for Krishna Consciousness is a good place for you to start your inquiry. -- Jayron  32  17:58, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The last time I saw a Hare Krishna was in the Phila In'tl Airport in the mid-late 80's. I can't recall having seen one in NYC at all since then.  Maybe they have a website? μηδείς (talk) 18:08, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * They are definitely still around. There is an ISKCON center not far from my office in Boston. On my lunch hour, I have noticed people coming and going from the center, some dressed in the stereotypical peach-colored robes, but others in conventional Western professional attire.  I think that, probably due to generational change, they are not as connected with youth culture as they were during hippy and post-hippy days, and they are maybe not proselytizing as publicly, but they still exist. Marco polo (talk) 20:17, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * 26 Second Avenue seems to be their address in NYC. Alansplodge (talk) 21:05, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * 9/11 really put a damper on them being able to pass material out at airports. Livewireo (talk) 22:19, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, at least one mad religious group had their (admittedly harmless) activities curbed by the simultaneously under-and-over reaction to that group attacking the West. Nevard (talk) 21:54, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

regression for data that is a power function
I have some data that looks like it is in a Power function. Of course, taking logs and doing a linear regression will give the constants.

1. Is this a good way to do get the constants?

2. If a correlation coefficient is calculated on the line, is it meaningful for the original data? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 20:21, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Copying this to the Maths desk where they really know about these things and ignoramuses like me won't be tempted to hazard an answer. Itsmejudith (talk) 20:25, 10 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Look for answers at WP:Reference desk/Mathematics. Itsmejudith (talk) 20:43, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Whoops, I thought I had selected math. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 20:53, 10 January 2013 (UTC)