Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 February 1

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[edit] February 1

[edit] How do you make a user page

I want to try to make a user page with all the logos how do you do that. --Croc 00:47, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Well, if you know HTML you can use that to a great extent. Quite a few people just find other things that they like about other people's user pages, copy it, and tweak it to fit themselves. Dismas|(talk) 00:58, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps you are refering to userboxes. - Akamad 01:26, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Before you spend a lot of time figuring out how to make a fancy user page, and especially before you slather on a bunch of userboxes, know that the really hip users think that simple user pages are way cool, and that userboxes are silly at best. —Steve Summit (talk) 03:41, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Many will disagree with that statement, however I suspect most will agree that you would do well to increase the complexity and size of your userpage in sync with, but lagging, the complexity and size of your articel/community contributions. People who have very few articel edits and many userpage edits are looked at rather poorly, however long term, well known contributors with many respected edits to articels, image uploads, etc, are given wide leeway with their userpages. 68.39.174.238 23:27, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Health care costs per person...

So its an often quoted statement that says that the american government spends more PER PERSON than the canadian government on health care. What I don't understand is how that is possible, given that 60-70% of canadian health care is publically funded, where as in the states, its all privately funded? Is the american figure referring only to Medicare and Medicaid. Cacofonie 01:29, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Your assertion that healthcare in the us is "all privately funded" reflects a misconception. More than 40% of healthcare spending in the U.S. is by governments. You know of Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for the very poor. There's also healthcare for military personnel and veterans. There's the State Children's Health Insurance Program for low-income kids. All those anti-smoking ads the government funds count, too. So does federally funded medical research at universities. Here's the breakdown of U.S. public healthcare spending in 2005:
Federal (total=$644 billion):
Medicare -- $342 billion
Workers Comp. -- $0.759b
Medicaid -- $177.3b
Medicaid SCHIP -- $1.5b
SCHIP -- $3.8b
Defense Department -- $26.1b
Maternal/Child Health -- $.628b
Veterans' Administration -- $30.2b
Vocational Rehab. -- $.391b
General Hospital/Medical -- $6.2b
Substance Abuse/Mental Health Services -- $3.2b
Indian Health Services -- $2.2b
Public health activity -- $10.7b
Research -- $31.3b
Structures and equipment -- $7.2b
State and local (total=$259b)
Temporary Disability -- $.096b
Medicaid -- $133.4b
Medicaid SCHIP -- $.653b
SCHIP -- $1.7b
General Assistance -- $6.2b
Maternal/Child Health -- $2b
Vocational Rehab -- $.117b
Hospitals and school health -- $19.2b
Public health activity -- $45.8b
Research -- $5b
Structures and equipment -- $11.8b
Private-sector healthcare spending in 2005 was $1.085 trillion.
Source -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services -- Mwalcoff 02:00, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Wow, thanks for the data! So then, if I understand this correctly, American health care pays more per person while ONLY covering the special populations enunciated above? Whereas the canadian system is leses per person, and covers everyone? Or is the figure given meant as they spend more per person actually covered by the insurance? Sorry if thats not very clear.... Cacofonie 20:57, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
On the face of it, it would seem to be the first of those; in short, much less is spent on health in Canada per capita than in the US; the Canadian government meets more of the cost of healthcare. The $1886 versus $2548 figures are based on the whole population of the country, not merely those insured under the various schemes. (And the figures are for Per capita government expenditure on health at average exchange rate (US$), defined as Public Health Expenditure (PHE) per capita is the per capita amount of the sum of outlays on health paid for by taxes, social security contributions and external resources (without double-counting the government transfers to social security and extra-budgetary funds), and are from the World Health Organisation [1].) How you interpret all of this is another set of questions altogether. --Tagishsimon (talk)
Although that said, this provides for each country data which might be indicative of the efficacy of each country's healthcare system. From the four indicators I looked at, Canada was ahead in three and the US in one. --Tagishsimon (talk)

[edit] USAF European Air Transport Service Eschborn Germany

Is there any history regarding the Eschborn Air Base in 1946? There was a 441st Troop Carrier Group there, as 14th Troop Carrier Sqd and 32 Troop Carrier Squardron. Before moving to Rhien Main it was redesignated 61st Troop Carrier Group but still European Transport Service "EATS" om a triangle was on the nose of the C-47's. The 14th history sign showed action for Africa, Sicily, Holland, Normandy and Rhein. The "patch" read "Airborne Troop Carrier" with an open parachute. Where can I get information on this WWII outfit? Signed: Ted Medler 1946 Air Inspectors office.4.245.31.59 02:17, 1 February 2007 (UTC)Ted Medler


[edit] First university in German Language

Hello, Thank you to the person who answered the question about Lufthansa.He helped me a lot.

I got another question:

In what year and in what city was built the first university in the german language?

I can not decide between Prague and Vienna.

What is the right answer?

Charles University in Prague was founded in 1348, followed by Vienna in 1365 and Heidelberg in 1386. Clio the Muse 09:54, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Yes, but the question is whether the language of tuition at Charles University was German from the get-go (as it presumably was at Vienna), or some other language (Czech?). I don't know the answer, btw :-) --Richardrj talk email 16:31, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
The language of tuition at this time throughout Catholic Europe was Latin. The everyday form of speech of the students at these universities would, for the most part, be German. Only Bohemian peasants would have spoken Czech. Clio the Muse 16:47, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps the question should be rephrased as "when, and at which university, were classes first taught in German ?". This, I suppose, could include classes on learning the German language as well as classes on other subjects, taught in German. StuRat 04:02, 4 February 2007 (UTC)
Good point. It looks like the answer to that question is the University of Leipzig, 1687, when Christian Thomasius "made the daring innovation of lecturing in German instead of Latin". He also published in German until the academy banned him. Thomasius later helped found Halle University in 1694, where he continued to hold lectures in German. ---Sluzzelin 07:52, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] riddle

what is it that most americans prefer but never use

The right to vote? Though I think the turnout rate is something like 60% so that wouldn't quite work... --24.147.86.187 12:46, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
This was asked the other day, it's still on this very page. Please see the previous question for any answers. Dismas|(talk) 13:08, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Statistics/Normal Distribution

(Question and answers so far moved to the Mathematics desk. ) Edison 19:13, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WW II Rations

My boss would like to know why where eggs rationed during the war as surely there were plenty of chickens. Thanks

I'm going to guess that the rationale was to diminish the amount of chicken feed required to power all those chickens; as food was more scarce the inefficiency of converting grain into eggs became intolerable. --Tagishsimon (talk)
I would imagnine it was because the Army was buying up most of the eggs and shipping them to the soldiers, leaving fewer for the locals to eat. Rmhermen 17:24, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Something like that was the case in the US, according to the section "A Scrambled Egg Situation" in Economic Basis of the Black Market. Perhaps we can conclude that it was a mix of limitation on inputs and changes to patterns of demand. --Tagishsimon (talk)
[2] says as for rationing in Britain, "egg rationing varied from between one every two weeks during the Winter to 3 or 4 during the Spring and Summer months." and "Expectant mothers and children were also allowed up to 18 eggs per month." [3] says "Eggs, butter and meat could be obtained fairly easily without coupons in rural areas." in wartime Britain. On another aspect of wartime rationing it says "Some people who lived near the sea even tried catching the odd Seagull or two to add to the cooking pot" but does not address the use of their eggs. [4] says poultry was not rationed in the U.S. in WW 2. [5]says "Foods, such as sugar, eggs and meat, were rationed"in the U.S. Edison 19:35, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Reminds me of the Bob Hope anecdote. While on a USO(?) tour, he quipped, "Fellows, the folks at home are having a terrible time about eggs. They can't get any powdered eggs at all. They've got to use the old-fashioned kind you break open." Clarityfiend 22:04, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can you copy from Wikipedia with CITING Wikipedia?

Someone wrote a 'letter to the editor' of our local paper on 'The Quality of Life' and took some sentences verbatim from Wikipedia. He says that because of open source, he can do this without any reference.

He also replied to me with the following saying Widipedia's disclaimer says he does not have to CITE... "Important note: The Wikimedia Foundation does not own copyright on Wikipedia article texts and illustrations. It is therefore useless to email our contact addresses asking for permission to reproduce content. It is possible to reproduce content under the license and technical conditions applicable to Wikipedia (see below and Wikipedia:Mirrors and forks). The permissions to reproduce Wikipedia's content in accordance with these conditions are granted without request."

I would think that since Widipedia is like an encyclopedia, one should at least say that he copied the information from it (I'm not asking whether he has to ask permission - the real question is whether CITING is necessary, as he used sentences as though he wrote them himself).

Thanks very much for the help - Sorry to sound so dumb.

Best regards 68.54.76.151 13:47, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

The words you want to stress in the above are the "in accordance with these conditions". One of the conditions is the GFDL licence. I believe that requires the borrower to cite, but I'd be happy to be corrected.
Much, much, *MUCH* more importantly, he's committed plagiarism (and yes, it's still plagiarism if your source is in the public domain - it's intellectually dishonest whether or not it's a copyright infringement). Newspapers tend to take a very dim view of plagiarism. They'll want to know that something they printed, even a letter to the editor, was not the original thought of the writer. If I were you I'd call them and ask to speak to an editor. I've seen even small-town newspapers print editor's notes after learning that letters were partly plagiarized.
It sounds like he doesn't understand the difference between copyright and intellectual honesty. If you use someone else's words without attribution, it's plagiarism no matter what the source. --Charlene 14:13, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Unless the few sentences fall under fair use and then the GNUFDL would apply to the whole document. And he would be required to write at the end of it
"Copyright (c) YEAR YOUR NAME.
   Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
   under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
   or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
   with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
   A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
   Free Documentation License". "

I have a feeling he didn't do that. I do not believe that there is an obligation to cite wikipedia. Jon513 14:27, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your comments, all - Keep up the great work :) 68.54.76.151 15:47, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

The GFDL does have attribution requirements, but because Wikipedia content is licensed to the GFDL by the individual contributors, it is they who you are supposed to cite. Actually implementing that in a way other than the "History" pages of articles has been a topic of on-going discussion, though. --140.247.248.95 17:24, 1 February 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Socks

Why is it that however carefully one smoothes socks they inevitably feel wrinkled once the shoes are on ?

And why do I always get a stone in my left shoe, or sandal ? Winter and summer ?90.9.213.37 14:20, 1 February 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

Question 1, friction with the shoe when putting them on. No idea on the rest. Dismas|(talk) 15:13, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
I disagree with the premise of the question: in my experience my socks do not wrinkle in the shoe. Perhaps well fitting socks & shoes do not exhibit the characteristic, and ill fitting do? --Tagishsimon (talk)
Either your socks are too big, or your shoes are too small. Or maybee your feet are too small?--Light current 17:20, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
As Dismas pointed out, sometimes the socks already wrinkle in the process of putting the shoe on the foot. If you're wearing laced shoes, it helps opening and really loosening the shoe all the way before slowly slipping your foot in it while pulling your sock up at the same time. If you don't do this carefully when putting on skates or ski boots, for instance, you'll feel uncomfortable very soon. As for the stone in the left shoe, do you have an assymetrical gait? Do you drag your or twist your left leg differently than your right one when you walk?
No idea about question 1, but in regard to question 2, it's quite simple. Stones are attracted to the warmth of your body. When you aren't lookig, stones will sometimes attempt to enter your shoe. Lovingly place them back on the pavement & reassure them that your shoe is not the best place to be. You problem will soon vanish as there are no pebbles in rubber rooms of asylums... ;) Spawn Man 23:36, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Buying international newspapers and magazines in Maryland, USA.

When I lived in southern California, there was a store down the street where you could buy magazines from around the world. I can't find any such thing in the Baltimore/DC area. I'd like to purchase the occasional copy of Private Eye without having to buy a year's subscription for $72. Jbaber 14:59, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I would think that you should be able to in D.C. given the number of people from outside the country that probably live/work in the area. Check the yellow pages maybe? Dismas|(talk) 15:15, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

A few suggestions:

  • An international airport store that sells newspapers and magazines will have many international titles, to satisfy the clientele.
  • A large book store or comic book store will likely carry some international titles.
  • Their website sells back issues for 5 pounds each (around $10 ?), so you could go that way (if they deliver outside the UK), but I'd think the subscription would likely be cheaper in the long run unless you want very few issues each year.

StuRat 03:53, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the ideas. I called a few airport magazine racks and none carried it, so I caved and made the financial commitment. It'll be good for me, I'm sure.128.220.29.161 12:44, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Butterflies

To Whom It May Concern:

My boyfriend and I were discussing butterflies the other day. What we would like to know is what happens to a butterfly when it rains? I know if you touch one the pollen rubs off on your hands,but does this cause harm to the butterfly? And if so what will rain do to them? How do they protect themselves from types of weather that may harm them? What is mortality of a butterfly? Your prompt answer would greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Kathleen Tyson

An answer is found here. In essence, they seek shelter. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Okay, that is believable, but many butterflies imigrate over the oceans, what do they do if there is no vegitation to dart under. I realise many of them die in these amazing crossings, but some survive so, how?

I can only speculate that the survivors a) do not get hit or b) get hit but do not suffer structural damage. Not a very satisfactory answer, not least since it is not referenced. But the plethora of "butterfly rain gauges" and "butterfly rain shoes" makes the google search challenging. This chap has a duck & dive theory in which the flutterby sees and avoid the raid. An article on the physics of water droplets suggests that "Other examples of this non-wetting approach can be found in duck feathers and butterfly wings. These corrugated surfaces also provide air pockets that prevent water from completely touching the surface. As a result of the limited contact that the drops have with the surface, there is very little friction against drop motion. This means that water can bounce or roll off duck feathers and butterfly wings quite easily." So maybe there's avoidance, and slightly more robustnes of design than we'd think ... certainly the non-wetting business probably answer the "pollen rubs off" issue you raised. Not much more light shed at this forum. As to mortality (lifespan?), I give you "The average lifespan for an adult butterfly is 20 to 40 days. Some species live no longer than three or four days; others may live up to six months" from here.--Tagishsimon (talk)
Just wanted to add that butterfly scales are what you're seeing when you disturb a butterfly wing; according to this expert, "Monarchs can fly after they've lost a lot of scales! However, they probably can't fly as efficiently when they've lost significant numbers." Ernest Williams et al. corroborate those sentiments precisely. V-Man737 01:15, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] educational

How can I approach the question 'who am I?'-------ANTHONY

Who are any of us? or I am the God of your universe, you just dont seem to know it yet.

I'd start at Self (philosophy) and see where that leads. --Tagishsimon (talk)
Don't forget to check out amnesia. Clarityfiend 18:17, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Who am I? Maybe you're "reaching far too high". ---Sluzzelin 23:45, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
  • What are your strong points? Those are important in establishing who you are. - Mgm|(talk) 10:50, 2 February 2007 (UTC)


Meditate, daily. JackofOz 06:58, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

Based on how you sign your name, you are ANTHONY, by the looks of it. But your name isn't enough. To find out who you truly are, we need your Credit card number, your Social Security number, your age, your weight, your mother's maiden name, etc... And we need to know What... is your favorite colour?!

But seriously... User:Abyss42 21:22, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Kiddies? (Not Goats)

Greetings,

I was wondering; is there an account of how many children King Solomon of Israel had? He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, so it must have been many.

Thanks, AlexanderTG 17:49, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Our article on Solomon appears to make no mention of any of his children. Rmhermen 20:00, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
2 Chronicles mentions his son Rehoboam becomming King if Israel after Solomon's death. There may be additional information from Jewish sources.129.112.109.250 21:08, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] AC/DC

AC/DC is supposed to be working on a new album and it being released in this year. Can you help me find out more information on this, and if it`s true?

AC/DC#New_album seems to be about this. Friday (talk) 19:49, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] make things happen again in counter strike condition zero

I wnat to know that if is possible to do in CSCZ that one thing will change in every of round, (a exemple i want to put that in every round the start money will be 6170$ even if the playes kill many players and get many money in the next round everybody will start with 6170$)

If you're admin, im sure its possible to give all players $x with a console command, I'm sorry dont know what that is though, I googled for a little bit with no luck. Cyraan 02:20, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

But i want (a example) that in every start of round the round that the game set the amount of money of the players to number like 6170$ without the admin having to type a command on every round.

Never played CS, but could it be a cvar in the server configuration file? --Wooty Woot? contribs 03:17, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quick change video

I saw a video of a quick change couple which was truly amazing. The woman could completely change clothes including shoes in seconds. This is NOT a x rated video. She is never without clothes on. I think this video is from a TV program. Anyone know where I can find it on the net?129.112.109.250 20:52, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I would suggest this sort of google search --Tagishsimon (talk)
Or if you prefer YouTube[6]. Vranak
Was it from America's Got Talent? They had a good one. --Justanother 07:07, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
David and Dania it was. See Quick-change and here. --Justanother 07:10, 2 February 2007 (UTC)