Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 March 6

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[edit] March 6

[edit] Adding links to your website

Hi there,

We are a whitewater rafting resort in the Fraser Canyon, BC, Canada. We operate in Boston Bar, Lytton, Spences Bridge and Hope BC. I noticed that you have other rafting company links on these pages. Could you please let me know how we can get a link here as well. Our website is www.reorafting.com. Thank you.


Sincerely,

Mark Bond General Manager REO Rafting Resort —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.68.192.71 (talk) 00:55, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

We do? Where? Mark, wikipedia tries to avoid links to sites which primarily promote or offer products or services. The article on Whitewater rafting lists popular rafting sites and at least one international organization, but I don't see any companies listed there. Jfarber 01:03, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unidentified Coin

I found this coin on eBay, and the seller doesn't know what it is. Do any of you have an idea? Thanks!! Reywas92Talk 01:00, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, there's zodiac symbols around it. Don't know from where the seller got the idea it's German... I'd like to see the other side of it... 惑乱 分からん 03:36, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Yes, depending on what the reverse contains, it looks like an obscure medallion, most likely not any form of currency (except if the silver can be considered as such); I wouldn't think it as very old, unless it has been very carefully preserved over the years. There aren't significant wearings or scratches on it (another clue that it isn't money), and the thought of it being a graduation reference of some kind may be feasible, as it depicts a loose sheaf of wheat and flowers, symbolic of success and happy living (Looks like that page could use some work). V-Man737 06:35, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
One wonders why the seller didn't include a picture of the other side. Crypticfirefly 01:49, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

If you can't identify it, I wouldn't pay any more than the value of the silver, unless you think it has decorative value. StuRat 14:02, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

You should ask the seller to provide a picture of the reverse; usually the polite and compliant ("Customer is always right") ones are eager to oblige. If none is forthcoming, that's a sign of some shady business and I'd steer clear of it. V-Man737 02:00, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Empire State Building/ thickness of glass

Okay this is gonna sound really odd and creepy if I don't give you some background. I'm a writer and I've got some rebels taking over NYC. they have set up the Empire State Building (ESB) as a base of operations. Now the idea is the army is trying to get in. I need t know if the windows on the ESB are thicker than 100mm-120mm thick (the thickness of bullet proof glass). The article on the ESB within Wikipedia doesn't say. Anyone that knows can help me out thanks. On the alternative, anyone who knows how (if there is a way) to turn regular glass into bulletproof please tell me. Thanks. Ianhrrngtn 02:43, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Ill do some googling, but anecdotally, last time I played tourist in the city, I seem to remember the windows looking normal, didnt seem overly-thick. This was also on the last leg before the observation deck, so ones on the lower floors could be different. Cyraan 03:11, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I doubt the windows are 100mm, I have worked in a few high rises and the windows are deceptively thick (as in they seem thinner then they really are) but still no where near 100mm, maybe 20-30mm. As to making it bullet proof, have you seen the bullet proof glass article? Short of Bringing panels of bullet proof glass and installing them on the existing windows, I doubt there is any effective method to make existing glass "bullet proof". It would be easier and maybe just as effective (especially if there were also hostages inside) to cover the windows in plain aluminium foil so no one can see inside. Vespine 03:20, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
The windows are thick, but I don't think 10 cm thick. I remember seeing an episode of something... maybe Mythbusters, with the myth of throwing a coin off the ESB (I think), and the lady tour guide was telling them how thick it was. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:23, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
It would be prohibitively expensive to install bulletproof windows in the ESB. Have you any idea how many windows there are?! And to what purpose? Clarityfiend 06:11, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
"I'm a writer and I've got some rebels taking over NYC". I think if you're planning to take over New York with your band of rebels, your profession is irrelevant! But congratulations on doing more research than Dan Brown. Oh and I have no idea, perhaps some kind of blockade would work, nailing wooden planks across windows is traditional. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 137.138.46.155 (talk) 11:35, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

How about if they just pile up sand bags in front of the windows of the room they use as their command center ? That would be far less expensive and would take minutes instead of weeks. StuRat 13:59, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

If the glass was just bulletproof they would probably just get tanks to shoot it, so you would need glass like they have at zoos to keep tigers in, but then they would just blow it up, which they might do to start with as I doubt the army would mess around trying to smash doors and shoot through windows when people are threatening the entire city :) Hidden secret 7 15:03, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

There isn't really such a thing as bulletproof glass. You can get bullet-resistant glass - but pump enough lead into it and eventually it's going to break. If I were the good guys I'd get a helicopter gunship with a M61 Vulcan cannon (see Gatling gun), capable of 6,000 20mm rounds per minute, and pump rounds into the glass - I'd give it about 10 seconds! From a I think your bad guys should wall themselves up into inner rooms well away from the windows. SteveBaker 15:57, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

1- I didn't say they were bad guys did I. 2- for everyone else thats actually trying to help thanks. 3- As for the people suggesting blowing it up, I've talked to people in the army (high school recruiter's) and they can pretty much guarantee me that the U.S. military would never blow up a U.S. building. Thanks to all, I'll have to find a way around it. If anyone has any suggestions that still allow the rebels to see through the windows, please post them. Thanks once again. And before I get a bunch of posts from hicks & rednecks that go on and on about how I have no respect for the army and the like. I'm just gonna say this, Whatever your views are upon revolution, I DON'T CARE! I have my own and could care less about yours. All I'm looking for are facts. I don't care about what you think. Anyone that can provide me with the facts, I will show you nothing but gratitude. For those who wish to insult me, BURN IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE! Thanks.Ianhrrngtn 03:02, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

(FWIW, it's rather difficult to be insulted on Wikipedia provided there is a healthy dose of WP:AGF present, even when Rednecks are frolicking on this digital countryside.) I'd imagine that, with all the many windows in the ESB, only a few would be key in maintaining a view of things; so, certain windows would be shot out first (and subsequently reinforced somehow by the rebels), with other, less crucial windows, remaining intact. I'm thinking the rebels could pile things (desks, chairs, file cabinets) against the broken windows, leaving a sort of embrasure to allow for continued shooting and seeing out the window, while still maximizing the protection. V-Man737 04:34, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you. finally someone who wants to help. Ianhrrngtn 00:07, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

I want to help, I just don't know anything :] HS7 20:08, 8 March 2007 (UTC)


  • You want facts, you got 'em. Were I to attempt to up-fortify a building, I'd do it by limiting the exposure to the minimum needed and using multiple barriers. Throwing three spaced-out sheets of Lexan in front of a window will do more than a monolithic slab of bullet-resistant plastic will. This is the principle behind spaced armor used in tanks and bunkers. A primative kind of chobham could also be made using polycarbonate plastics (which are bullet resistant, more or less), wire mesh and perhaps some form of light filler to act as kinetic absorbtion. A 4-layer thick spaced laminate of polycarbonate clad in mesh with water as a filler would be able to absorb fairly fantastic quantities of energy thanks to the fact that it would cause frangible bullets or the fast-moving ones from an assault rifle to break up on impact with the water and lose velocity rapidly. A spaced setup would also function just like tank armor if something like a HEAT round or HESH warhead hits it, rendering rocket launcers (esp. man-portable ones) and possibly even a tank cannon useless... for the first shot anyway. You could also see through it, albiet with some distortion and less clarity than thin glass. In the end it's impossible to stop a concerted effort to blow out the windows, but you can make it pretty darn tough. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Wintermut3 (talk • contribs) 21:10, 8 March 2007 (UTC).

Dude you are awesome! That is perfect! Thanks! Ianhrrngtn 03:45, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Karate Kid

What type of karate is in the movie Karate Kid? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.191.114.194 (talk) 04:34, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

Just a guess, but... karate? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:37, 6 March 2007 (UTC)


I'm not stupid. There are different types of karate.

Maybe you are getting confused with kung fu. Karate is a single style of Martial art, unlike kung fu which is a wide variety of styles which originate from China. Vespine 05:05, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Of Shotokan, Wado Ryu, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu, Kyokushin, and Kenpo, the style used by the grasshopper appears to me to be Kenpo, although it could also be Wado Ryu (I've not seen much of Wado Ryu). V-Man737 05:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

can't remember where but i read that the ralph (cherry sounding surname) who played the 'kid' was taught how to fight (for the movie) by an instructor in Tae Kwon do. The 'no can defend' kick used in the last fight, is an TKD exchange front snap-kick. Perry Mankster

Ah. Perhaps Tang Soo Do would be the middle ground there? According to the article, it was a korean martial art influenced by both Taekwondo and Karate. V-Man - T/C 00:51, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Printing classical art

I'd like to furnish my new apartment with some classical art and I see that the creative commons has some pretty high quality images (2000px square on average). However, the quick research that I did suggested that 300dpi is necessary, which would limit to me fairly small printings. Is 300dpi required or could I double the size to 150dpi without really noticing? I have no background in printing things. --Brad Beattie (talk) 06:02, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

An image can be both 300 dpi and 2000 px × 2000 px − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:30, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
FYI - if you double the dimensions of the printing, you cut DPI by a factor of 4 (basically, if you go from a 1x1 to a 2x2 printing, you spread out the same number of dots over four times the area; hence, a quarter the DPI). Raul654 07:37, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I disagree. While it's true that doubling the height and width will result in 1/4th as many pixels per square inch, the term DPI mean Dots (pixels) Per linear Inch, and that number will only be cut in half. StuRat 13:54, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Would you like to share links to what you have found? That'd be nice. —Bromskloss 12:13, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I was looking at Spring and Nymphs and Satyr. Of course, if you have any suggestions for better paintings, I'd still love to hear them.
I used to work in the printing industry (not the high-end industry though, just general printing) and I know the 300dpi rule - that's for general digital printing, say printing on a wide-format digital printer or on desktop printer or photocopier. Compare this with magazines that are capable of printing up to 1600dpi. In my experience in printing wide-format digital prints (say 2 meters wide by whatever) it comes more down to the viewing distance and how big you're trying to print it (when you eventually get these images printed for you -- they'll ask you how big you want them printed!).
Well that's basically why it would be good to see these images so that experienced people can judge for you how big you could print them. But short of that, my answer is that yes, in most cases you should be able to double the size, and you would then only notice distortion if you're quite close to the object.
One final word is that there are some examples that are misleading - whoever creates the graphic/image and then exports it at 300dpi - there may be cases where the computer was generating a 300dpi image but with images that are very low detal - where the distortion or bluriness is built-in to the image itself. So once again you'll have to use your eyes and try guage it. But the general answer is yes you should be able to get away with it, depending on the viewing distance and what you're printing onto where.
Rfwoolf 12:31, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for your help. I guess what I'll do is try printing one of them out at 150dpi and see how it looks. If it turns out well, I'll get the rest of them done. Thanks again! --Brad Beattie (talk) 03:46, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
There's the 300dpi rule, and there's also the ten-inch rule: if a picture looks good printed at ten inches on the largest dimension, it will probably look good at any size, because as the size increases, so does the viewing distance. --Carnildo 00:23, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Starting a Television channel

hello, how can one start a television channel , how can one get the idea from, is there any books regarding that which show the correct way how to start one? tahnkyou —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Johnsoncecil (talk • contribs) 12:22, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

To my knowledge you would need a broadcast license, and in the case of tune in frequencies (that is, non-cable television but instead analog reception television) you would need to register your frequency -- much the same way as each radio station has registered its frequency. This process may differ from country to country, and each country may have its own stringent set of rules. You may be asked to submit things like who your target market is, give a list of all your staff, exactly where you will be broadcasting from, some of the content that will be shown on your TV station, etc. -- it may not be cut and dry, in other words they might decide to award a broadcasting license to another person that has applied because they believe his/her submission was better.
What country are you from? Your best bet is to look up the organisation that handles broadcasting licenses in your country.
Rfwoolf 12:36, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Of course, you can get a program on TV without creating your own channel. The easiest way, at least in the US, is to use public access television channels. Another option is to pay an existing network to run your show(s), as in an infomercial. Many religious shows do this. StuRat 13:48, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

I would suggest starting an internet "TV" station. Record your programs - embed adverts in them - put them up as MPEG files on a web site. Very low startup costs - easy to fix mistakes - no broadcasting licenses to worry about. SteveBaker 15:42, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Take a look at Democracy Player, Channel 101 and Mobuzz TV to see how internet television works. --h2g2bob 18:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Gun Death Rate in Washington. Can this Quote be true????

A San Diego friend sent me the following quote apparently lifted from an Australian Magazine called "The Shooter".

Quote: "If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the past 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers. The firearm death rate in Washington DC is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. That means you are about 25 per cent more likely to be shot and killed in the US capital, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the US, than you are in Iraq. "Conclusion? The US should pull out of Washington."

My question is - can this frightening statement possibly be true?

Isn't the writer ignoring a rather important stat - the number of combatants in Iraq who aren't representing the Coalition? --Dweller 13:17, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

There seems to be a serious math error. When I divide 2112 by 160,000, then multiply by 100,000, I get 1320 per 100,000, or 16.5 times more than 80 per 100,000. StuRat 13:40, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

The Iraq figures are 60 per 100,000 per month (2112÷160,000×100,000÷22) whereas the D.C. figures would be 80.6 per 100,000 per year. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 16:55, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I'm sceptical about those numbers. The number you are quoting for Iraq is 60 deaths per 100,000 soldiers PER MONTH. Are you sure the Washington numbers are also per month? I know that here in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area there are about 400 gunshot deaths per year - 33 per month. But I have no idea how many registered gun owners there are in the city - but to get to 60 deaths per 100,000 guns there would have to be only 50,000 registered guns and that seems awfully low. Besides, I strongly suspect that death from gunshots comes mostly from the unregistered guns - not the registered ones!
Remember too that troops who are not in action but comfortably at home in barracks also die from things like helicopter crashes and car accidents and such - in wartime, those are counted into the casualty rate - but nobody thinks to subtract the number who would have died anyway.
SteveBaker 13:54, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

You can do anything with statistics, for example Vatican City has the worlds highest per capita crime rate :) Hidden secret 7 14:57, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

And the bible is the US's most shoplifted book! SteveBaker 15:39, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

But washington probably has very few gun deaths compared to places like NYC and LA, which then might be worse than Iraq even without the apparent mistakes mentionaed above :) Hidden secret 7 14:59, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

But even if it is wrong it is still a lot of deaths :( I don't think anyone has been shot in the whole of West Thanet for as long as I can remember :) HS7 17:00, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Actually, the rate of homicides per capita is far higher in DC than it is in NYC or LA. That's largely because much if not most of the residential neighborhoods of DC are basically ghetto, while New York and LA are more socioeconomically mixed. -- Mwalcoff 01:01, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
Hmmm...firearm death rate? So I guess we're not considering roadside bombs then? Clarityfiend 17:51, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
The FBI counted "only" 35.8 cases of "Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter" (including killings by guns and all other means, but not suicides) per year per 100,000 inhabitants within the Washington D.C. metropolitan area in 2004. That is 20 times less than the 60*12=720 per year death rate quoted above per 100,000 coalition soldiers in Iraq. There have also been other attempts to use bad statistics to imply that Iraq is less violent than US cities. --mglg(talk) 18:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

And he's clearly ignoring all non-coalition deaths. Which is ridiculous. That'd be like ignoring all non-police deaths in DC, which would reduce this city's statistic down to probably a fraction of a person per month. 70.108.199.130 05:32, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Is that bombs in Iraq or washington :] And if not washington, is there anywhere with more deaths than Iraq :? HS7 12:51, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Darfur, I would think. StuRat 16:12, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Say You, Say Me

I heard this old Lionel Richie song on the radio and, listening to the lyrics, couldn't work out what he was going on about. It's a bit of a ramble. There's a frankly rather bland ("awesome") dream, something about friends being great, some motivational claptrap about how wonderful I am (thanks Lionel) all hung together with a nice melody and a startling musical interlude in the middle, in the fashion of A Day in the Life, only it's not very good. Can anyone help explain what the song's about? --Dweller 13:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

My interpretation is that he's saying that, instead of unfulfilling, meaningless sex:
"...playing games in the dark
 And what they played was a masquerade
 And from behind of walls of doubt a voice was crying out..."
We should try to find people who really care about us:
"...Seems the hardest thing to do is to find a friend or two
 A helping hand - some one who understands
 That when you feel you've lost your way
 You've got some one there to say 'I'll show you'."
StuRat 13:34, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Cor. The words preceeding "playing games in the dark" are "people in the park". So you think it's about al-fresco sex? That's a bit risqué for Lionel Rich tea. --Dweller 15:53, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

It might have the risqué meaning, but it might also have been selected just because "park" rhymes with "dark". Perhaps we should rewrite it to "People on a lark, playing games in the dark...". StuRat 11:36, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
"Games in the dark" seems to be referring to maintaining a relationship on the DL, such as if one were cheating and they didn't want anyone to know about it. That kind of a relationship might become weighed down with a kind of shame, and can become meaningless because of the superfluous nature of it. This is then contrasted with someone who really cares, as Stu was saying. V-Man737 02:11, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks chaps. --Dweller 12:41, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Guys, I think it's

   '... people in the park,
             playing games in the dark...'

Sultan Paper 07:17, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Comprehensive College

US News and World Report has a classification of schools called "Comprehensive Colleges," and some wikipedia articles, such as Elizabethtown College, classify schools as "comprehensive college[s]." However, I can't find any definition for "comprehensive college." What is a comprehensive college, and why is it different from a liberal arts college? Jolb 13:46, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

I would think it would be one that has all the major disciplines covered, as opposed to an engineering college, or liberal arts college, which only cover certain disciplines. StuRat 13:50, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

At school comprehension was to do with understanding stuff, so it probably has nothing to do with that now :( Hidden secret 7 14:56, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Might it be linked to Comprehensive schools which provide a comprehensive education to a comprehensive intake of students? Meaning no selection of students, and a wide range of subjects (Technology, art, music, maths, science, english, cooking, languages, geography, history, etc). Just a guess. Skittle 21:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Abbametal

There is apparently a tribute to Abba played by metal bands, hence abba played in a metal style. Much like the Tribute to the Beast: Tribute to Iron Maiden or Nativity in Black Tribute to Black Sabbath. What was the name of this album? Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.144.161.223 (talk) 13:59, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

According to the ABBA article, it is just called "A Tribute To Abba". GhostPirate 17:40, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Grammar?!?!

...that one of the victoms of convicted Balcony Rapist Paul Callow was awarded damages of $220,000 against the Toronto police force because failed to warn women in her neighbourhood after four earlier rapes?

Is a quote from the title page of WIKIPEDIA, now while being a avid and regular reader of wiki, this needs to be addressed!...VICToMS?...because failed?...women in her...? Please people some one help this is accuattly physically painful! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.144.161.223 (talk) 14:15, 6 March 2007 (UTC).


Thanks, greatly appreciated.

"Victoms" is just a typo, but the grammar is clumsy and needs rewriting... 惑乱 分からん 14:31, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

So what does 'accuattly' mean then :] Hidden secret 7 14:54, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

To the original questioner: "Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit" - so if you find typo's, spelling mistakes and grammar error, click on the 'edit' button and fix it! SteveBaker 15:36, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
In this case, that's not true. The text was on the "Did you know" part of the front page. This is only semi-protected, but is confusing to find and fix. Plus the original poster is an anon IP, so can't edit it anyway. --h2g2bob 18:07, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I'd go with "The encyclopedia that anyone* can edit!"
*Anyone who is willing to go through the trouble of registering a user name. V-Man737 02:29, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
That's a tiny burden compared with the effort of making thousands of edits. And it's so very worthwhile, imo. I know who I'm collaborating with when I see "V-Man737" or whomever; I don't have a clue when I see a string of numbers. JackofOz 02:57, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
LOL! In my time of fighting bandals, I've come to recognize a few of the IP numbers... V-Man737 04:09, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] help needed

This probably isn't what the reference desk is for, but I can't think of anyone else to ask. A few weeks ago I applied to go to university at Portsmouth, but a bit later than they wanted. So now I have two replies, asking me to go to their open days, but they haven't told me anything about the open day for the third subject, the one I really want to do(architecture), and I now doubt I will find out about it until after the open days have finished. What can I do about this? Also can anyone give me any idea of the quickest way from Thanet to Portsmouth, since the obvious route goes past London so there will be a lot of traffic, and apparently it will take four hours. And is there anywhere better that I could go to for advice or information (The university website isn't very good.) And finally can anyone tell me if it is worth going to the open day there, or weather I could find out everything I need to know somewhere else. Hidden secret 7 14:52, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried phoning the registration office of the university to find out whether you have a prospect of getting into the architecture course? If that is your main objective, that is the question you should ask, and the answer might determine whether to travel to Portsmouth. If you want to avoid going through the outskirts of London on the M25, you could take the A28 past Canterbury to Ashford, then the A2070 to Brenzett, then the A259 through Hastings, where you will have to deal with traffic lights and town traffic, to Pevensey, then the A27, which mostly bypasses Brighton and skirts the towns of West Sussex to bring you to the outskirts of Portsmouth, where you can take the M275 the few remaining miles into the city. Marco polo 15:41, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Yes, ring them up! --h2g2bob 18:00, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Life

What is the differance between Hylozoism and Anamism? Thanks

THe spelling, pronounciation, number of letters, number of sylables, &c, I think you should be more specific about exactly what you want :] HS7 16:08, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Okay, anamism is the belief that everything has a soul and is alive. Hylozoism is the belief that all matter has life. so, whats the differance, there must be one in order for there to be two words surely?

Have you read Hylozoism#Distinction from cognate doctrines? Algebraist 16:29, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bullying and sexual discrimination

If bullying and sexual discrimination occurs, what can be done? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Seraphim Whipp (talk • contribs) 19:11, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

Depends on what the situation is. The best thing to do would be to report it to whatever authority is necessary, be it a supervisor, manager, or some other person in a position to take action to resolve the situation. GhostPirate
Edit conflict: I would say this really depends on where it occurs. For example, if it is the workplace, the person could be fired or heavily reprimanded. - Akamad 19:44, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I would like to add that "where it occurs" will only have a bearing on what can be done, it shouldn't have a bearing on if something should be done. Doesn't matter where or who you are, bullying and sexual discrimination should not be tollerated. Vespine 21:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

The range of remedies goes from reprimands or suspensions (at work or school), to expulsion (school) or termination (work), and restraining orders and criminal prosecution. Personally, I think an individual who refuses to stop should be expelled from school and fired (for discrimination) or prosecuted (for bullying) if the behavior occurs outside of school. StuRat 11:30, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rhode Island

Rhode Island is small, right? Is it so small that one could walk the ENTIRE width of its perimeter in a day? (either just the western half or is there a conveniently placed ferry across mount hope bay?) Duomillia 21:38, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

As far as I can tell from the map [1], the main coast of Rhode Island (even west of Mt Hope bay) is more than 60 miles. Not something I'd care to walk in a day, but others might. Algebraist 21:44, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia's Rhode Island article says 60 km by 77 km. I've never met someone who would walk that many kilometers unless they were stuck right in the middle of nowhere. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.53.180.38 (talk) 21:53, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

that word wasn't necessary, please erase it

It is possible to walk the width of anywhere's perimeter in less than a second. As to walking either the width of Rhode Island itself (60 km would take about 12 hours with no stops) or its perimeter (about 250km - even running all the way you'd have trouble doing it in 24 hours - that's nearly six marathons back to back), the former is possible but the latter is not. Grutness...wha? 22:29, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Ultramarathoner Yiannis Kouros is the world record holder for running 24 hours: 290+ km on the road, 303+ on a treadmill. The racewalking article only goes up to 50 km, but if they could keep up something close to the pace (3 hr. 35min. 29 sec.), it's barely conceivable. Of course, this doesn't factor in the terrain. Clarityfiend 23:29, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

DISTANCE! I mistyped in my original post... ;) so what I'm hearing is that the answer is no... Duomillia 23:52, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Sorry that I didn't see your post earlier. I live near Rhode Island and have lived in it. I suppose you could walk the 35 or 40 miles from Narragansett Bay to the Connecticut line in a single day, but you would have to be quite an athlete! The main obstacle crossing the state is not Mount Hope Bay but Narragansett Bay. There is no ferry across it, but there is a series of bridges, which, however, are closed to pedestrian traffic. Marco polo 00:41, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
I'd prefer to bike it. Much easier, and gives one more time to admire the scenery! But yeah, if a person has very long legs, walking the width of Rhode Island (especially the Northern part) sounds conceivable. V-Man737 02:34, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Why Rohode island? Why not walk around a smaller area, or just walk until you want to stop, instead of basing your journey on arbitrary borders :]

[edit] eternal flame near santa barbara

Does anyone know any information about a large flame that constantly burns near the coast of highway 101 around Santa Barbara area?69.111.17.151 22:22, 6 March 2007 (UTC)Debi

Sounds like excess gas being burned off from an offshore oil well. SteveBaker 00:41, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
Assuming it's the same one that was there about 15 years ago when I lived there, it's a flare from an oil storage facility. It's onshore, on the inland side of 101, about, oh, 20 mile west of Santa Barbara. But it's basically what SteveBaker said. The amount of flame depends on whatever goes on in the facility, so sometimes it's quite small, but once-in-a-while, it'll really light up the night sky. Bunthorne 04:48, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
It's hard to believe that it's not worthwhile to save that natural gas and sell it, especially when the economic cost of the pollution generated is taken into account. Perhaps we should send the company scathing e-mails until they agree to be more environmentally responsible (in other words, we should start a flame war). :-) StuRat 11:15, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
It's probably relatively impure. For one well creating that small amount, it's almost certainly economically prohibitive to build a pipeline, let alone refine it so that it's pure methane. --Charlene 18:23, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
How about if they burn it right on site, to heat the facility and provide electricity ? Any excess electricity can be sold back to the power company using the existing wires. StuRat 21:48, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
See: gas flare and "Flared Gas Utilization Strategy: Opportunities for Small-Scale Uses of Gas" by the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction public-private partnership.—eric 22:31, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photographs

(Hope this question suits the guidelines)

Would you like to buy prints of my photographs at URL removed ? And if not then why ?

(This is not an advertisement, its a question)

--helohe (talk) 22:36, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

No! It's a blatant advert! And because that's not allowed, I've deleted the URL from your question. SteveBaker 00:40, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Um...okay, if it WERE a serious question, I'd have to say No, I would not like to buy prints of your photographs, because I need to save my money to pay the next installment on this coffeemaker over here. Also for periodic earwax cleanings. And fortune cookies. Mmmmm, fortune cookies. Jfarber 00:54, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
I'd say no, because I prefer Julie's artwork, and that stretches my budget as it is. V-Man737 02:36, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
The above poster removed the link, so I can't make the decision on whether or not I'd like to buy them. --Proficient 04:52, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

They were nice pictures. Well composed and all. Nice, calming subject matter. Not stellar, but pretty solid. I just don't spend money on photos. And you might want to consider making it more difficult for people to copy the pictures off of that website. All anybody has to do to steal your work is right click it and select "copy." I suppose that's just the site you're using, though, and you're selling prints anyway.

The normal way that's handled is allowing people to copy low-res pics, but charging them for the high-res version. StuRat 11:11, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Finding scholarships

I attend a private university in America.. as it stands I'll have over $80,000 in non-subsidized debt upon graduation. My parents are exasperated by my inability to find scholarships, but absolutely no scholarship I can find fits me. I'm a white male with fairly wealthy parents (unfortunately unwilling to foot my universtiy bill, but the FAFSA said their 'expected contribution' is more than $500,000) with a 3.6 high school GPA and something like a 3.4 college GPA so far. I'm a sort of antisocial geek who has never done a thing for my "community". I look at a page of online scholarship search results and see that scholarship after scholarship requires something I don't have- have to be black, have to be a woman, have to be scientologist, have to be latino, have to be an artist, have to travel abroad, have to join the army, etc etc. It's very discouraging to go through thousands of scholarships that I'm not qualified for. I've looked for local scholarships and there are none. How did others here pay for college? How did you find scholarships? This mounting debt is frankly terrifying. --frothT 22:48, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Try to break out of your "antisocial geek" shell and that entire perception of yourself. That's going to hurt you as many scholarships take a more holistic view of applicants (plus that perception won't be particularly helpful in other pursuits like job interviews, either). You severely limit your opportunities if you're looking for scholarships based solely on your academic credentials (even if they are outstanding). Think creatively about your prior activities. It helps a lot if you can "sell yourself" as it were. If you've participated in any activities that could be considered of community benefit, try to mention them. Try joining some clubs or activities on campus that will afford you the opportunity for "leadership" or "community service"; these look very good on scholarship applications. Teaching is one example of a good avenue to pursue, and a lot of groups have various teaching/tutor programs you could get involved in.
I don't know if this is what you wanted to hear, but you'll be very hard pressed to find scholarship funds for students with good academic performance. There are a lot of good students out there, and you need to distinguish yourself from the crowd if you hope to be successful in a scholarship search. Keep up the search and don't be discouraged, it's hard to find funding even if you're ace in every way. Money rarely just finds you, and you have to realize it takes a lot of work to bring it to you. Beyond that I don't know what to say other than "don't worry too much, Stafford loan rates aren't too bad"... I pay for my schooling with scholarships and loans. Fortunately I owe very little due to a lot of work finding scholarships and the thankfully low tuition rate of an in-state public school. -- mattb @ 2007-03-06T23:10Z
I heard most people in Sweden never will be able to pay back their subsidized debt, if that'd matter. I guess it's okay, though, since it's generally cancelled at retirment, anyway. It's a bitch if the education doesn't lead to any job, though... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ * (\ * (< * \) * (2 * /) * /)/ * 23:33, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
I went to a fairly wealthy private university that provided me with a scholarship from their endowment. However, I qualified based on "need" because my family is not well off. You might consider taking time off from university and gaining some work experience. Once you are beyond a certain age (26 perhaps?), the financial aid authorities no longer take your parents' income into account. You could then win financial aid based on your own low student income. Another tack would be to attend a relatively inexpensive state university, some of which are quite good. You might consider moving to a state with a good public university and working there for a year or two so that you qualify for "in-state" tuition. Lastly, the scholarship that I received covered my tuition but not my living expenses. To pay for those, I worked. You can keep your debt down by taking a part-time job and working full-time during summers. Marco polo 00:46, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

You need to transfer to a state school. You will not find any scholarships to cover your high costs, or even a partial piece of the amount that would matter. Few schools are worth so much debt. 66.91.225.188 02:04, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

PerhapsDefinitely good advice. I should point out that the scholarship money I get is sufficient to cover my public school costs, but wouldn't even knock out a fifth of the debt you're talking about. My friends who to go private (art) schools all have to work a couple of jobs to afford it. Considering that there are many public schools in the US that have very good CS programs, I don't see any point in getting yourself this far into debt for an undergraduate degree. -- mattb @ 2007-03-07T02:08Z
Have you tried talking with your university's financial aid people? They are paid to help students out with questions like this and will have much more specific information about the kinds of resources available to you. --24.147.86.187 02:33, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Another option is to go to a college with a work-study program. I went to one where I worked 3 months, then went to college for 3 months, in alternating terms. This schedule assures that work won't interfere with studying. The work just about paid for college, and provided me with work experience in my field (computers), which heped fill out my resume. I also was offered permanent employment by my work-study company at a good salary, but turned them down because I didn't like the corporate culture, which I would describe as fascist (this was EDS under Ross Perot). I believe I ended up borrowing $5,000 to pay for college. I went to Kettering University, then called GMI Engineering & Management Institute. Because you only attend 6 months of the year, it normally takes 5 years instead of 4 to earn a bachelor's degree there. StuRat 11:06, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

I'll second the comments of those who recommended transferring to a state school. Unless you're at Harvard, it's doubtful that what school you go to is going to make much of a difference. Rather, it's what you put into it -- internships, co-ops, etc. -- that counts. Some of the wealthiest people I've ever met went to very ordinary state universities. -- Mwalcoff 23:08, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

That sounds like a lot of money, much more than I am expecting to spend at university :) What did you do to end up owing so much :? HS7 19:33, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Finding scholarships II

I also have a question with the same topic: Is it possible for swiss people to get a scholarship to study in england (mathematics and physics) maybe in Cambridge or Oxford, ... --helohe (talk) 22:56, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Likely. Check out their homepages... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ * (\ * (< * \) * (2 * /) * /)/ * 23:34, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
Yes there are a few scholarships for students from poor countries. Switzerland is not poor so you won't qualify. Do you have extraordinary musical talent? You need to tell your isolationist ppl that the Swiss need to get over their asocial tendencies and join the European community; your situation is an example of the harm. 66.91.225.188 02:20, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
It's almost certainly possible. Try asking your own school about it or contact the universities in question. They know more about it than we do. - Mgm|(talk) 10:13, 7 March 2007 (UTC)