Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 November 15

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miscellaneous desk
< November 14 << Oct | November | Dec >> November 16 >
Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.


Contents

[edit] November 15

[edit] noogies

How can you escape from a noogie? --HJ980 00:34, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

With a monkey bite. --Milkbreath 00:52, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Usual self defense techniques apply here. What is required is to break the headlock that holds you there. To do so requires that you convince whoever's holding you that it takes more effort to hold you that giving you the noogie is worth. Doing that might require hurting them. The simplest technique in this situation is to avoid getting into the headlock by having other people around for support. If there are five people and one noogie-distributor, they may be less likely to start anything due to the presence of witnesses and/or possible assailants. Steewi 01:02, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Additional: Self defence classes can assist you in defending yourself, often while not hurting whoever is attacking you (it may not seem so, but this can be a good thing). Investigate nearby classes for Aikido, Judo or even Bagua for softer alternatives to karate and taekwondo. Steewi 01:07, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
There is no escape - but if you live in the USA, you can find methods of revenge by calling 1-888-DO-NOT-CLOSE - (which is a free punishment service for MINI Cooper Convertible owners who drive around with the convertible roof up on perfectly nice days!) Listen to the message then hit 1 and listen to the rest of the options. Enjoy! SteveBaker 01:09, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Im not sure you understand, its just a funny thing we do not hurt HJ980 01:10, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

It can sure hurt being on the receiving end... Steewi 01:13, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
If one develops a habit of passing gas while getting a noogie, one will probably get less noogies. Biological warfare, natural style. --24.147.86.187 02:44, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
The above....Best comment ever. Esskater11 02:48, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
If you can maintain your cool and a sense of where your body is at all times during the noogie (two important self-defense skills in any event), you will often find that at least one shoulder is in or near the middle of your antagonist's lower back. With some wrangling, you should be able to reach the back hem of his pants, resulting in a devestating counter-maneuver. I believe Chuck Norris used this very technique to defeat Bruce Lee at Wrestlemania. Faithfully, Deltopia 10:30, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Unexpectantly grab his crotch, keep hold, even after he has let go of you, then look him in the eye, and tell him that he will never ever o it again, to you or any of your friends, Confronting a bully is the best way out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.3 (talk) 13:23, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
You guys don't know what a monkey bite is, do you? --Milkbreath 13:42, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I'll bite - No, Milkbreath, what's a monkey bite? Deltopia 14:44, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
It's like a giant pinch. You grab a handful of flesh and grip hard. If there is particularly sensitive, ahem, flesh in the bite, so much the worse for the recipient. The belly is a good, non-lethal target. --Milkbreath 15:17, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Guys - in all seriousness - this talk of attacking the crotch is really dumb advice. Firstly, you can do some serious and permenant damage doing that kind of thing - which is more likely to get the former victim into serious trouble than his attacker. Secondly, the bully will retaliate with his gang of half a dozen supporters - so you won't indimidate him into giving up. This tactic is truly a measure of last resort and should only be taught as such. It is TOTALLY inappropriate for responding to mere schoolyard bullying - bad though that can be. SteveBaker 16:26, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Never mind monkey bites, I'm still wondering what the heck a noogie is. --Dweller 16:28, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

The noogie is part of a range of minor physical attacks, most typically perpetrated amongst pre-adolescent and adolescent boys. Other similar attacks include the wet willy, the wedgie, and the dreaded Rear Admiral. - EronTalk 16:31, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Ah. Thanks. Don't get the Simpsons reference, but ho hum. Best advice is to avoid the problem in the first place. Try not washing ever again... no-one will come near you. (That's quite popular among students) Alternatively, you can get someone to spread a rumour about your advanced martial arts skills. Or become unfeasibly popular. Or muscly. Or feign insanity/heart attack. I'd guess that better than most of these options is just to take the noogie. An anonymous tip-off of the staff might wipe out the problem without damaging your social life. We had a problem at my school of "cripple nipple". When the deputy head spoke out against it in Assembly, the place practically fell down from the impact of stifled laughter. But it turned from being a cool thing to do to very uncool, because this stiff teacher had talked about it. --Dweller 17:08, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
The good old tittie twister. Boy, that takes me back. I remember the first time somebody asked me what the capital of Thailand was in the schoolyard. Those were the days. --Milkbreath 17:45, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I like the "feign heart attack" option. How great would that be? Someone grabs you to give a noogie, and suddenly you convulse a few times and go limp, drooling slightly. If you could get a nearby sorprano to shriek, "AHHH, you killed him!!!" I think it would really add to the effect. Deltopia 18:29, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Dangit, I had to look all over the interweb to figure out what the DRA was. Very nice. Deltopia 17:12, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Im not exactly sure everyone understands, we're just friends and we do that to each other 4 fun, weer not trying to punch each other! HJ980 22:55, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Make a tight almost-fist, with the middle knuckle of the middle finger protruding. Rub hard across the bones on the back of his hand. Non-fatal and non-permanent, but still effective. Also great for bear-hugs, ladies. --CliffC 00:15, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Grab the noogie-er's offending forearm with both hands and, with a devastating counter-twisting motion, launch the mother of all chinese burns. That'll do it. Rockpocket 07:40, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dictionaries between languages

Is there any company known for great inter-language dictionaries, for any common language and english? Also, is there any company known for similarly good foreign language grammar books? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.116.95 (talk) 01:05, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

There are many companies that do this. Try Collins (and Collins Gem), Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Hippocrene, Teach Yourself, the Colloquial language series, Routledge, Pimsleur, and others. Oxford and Cambridge University Press print more academic books, although many are accessible to beginners, while Teach Yourself, Colloquial, Routledge and Pimsleur are aimed at beginners with little language experience. Most of these companies produce both dictionaries and grammars, and can be found on most large online bookstores. Steewi 01:12, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Langenscheidt is a big name in bilingual dictionaries. MrRedact 01:14, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
True - I'd left that one out. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Steewi (talk • contribs) 01:24, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I must say that I've been disappointed with Hippocrene. They tend to offer only a single translation for words that have multiple meanings. Marco polo 02:07, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
That's true, but they have some dictionaries for lesser-known languages that other companies don't produce dictionaries for. Steewi 05:15, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Often you can just go to your local mega book store and they'll have a huge selection of foreign language dictionaries and grammar books for the most popular languages. If you have specific languages in mind, there are often specific companies known for being "the best" (e.g. Duden is generally regarded as one of the best German publishers, and when I was taking Germany the Oxford-Duden dictionary was recommended above all else). Similarly for some languages specific aspects of the dictionary can make it easier or harder to use; the best Russian-English dictionary I own is actually one produced in the former USSR, but it just happens to be extremely easy to navigate, which for a non-Roman character set can count for a lot if you are not terribly fluent. --24.147.86.187 02:35, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
There is a certain amount of badge engineering in the dictionary field. I currently use a Langenscheidt Croatian-English pocket dictionary, which was an exact replacement for its Berlitz equivalent (I exchanged because the Berlitz had faulty printing). Firms like Collins cooperate to produce, for example, the Collins-Robert English-French dictionary and the Collins-Pons English-German dictionary. Oh, and one more name for your list : Hugo (if they are still in existence!) SaundersW 11:17, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] unclear insurance co. liability

say, A hires B to do something and B subcontracts C. C messes up, and A requires B to pay consequential damages. B has insurance and the insurance company is required to pay 90% of the consequential damages. who holds C liable for its mess up? B or insurance company? Does the insurance company have the right to get money from C? --Iownatv 02:57, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

While wikipedia is not a lawyer, that is generally how insurance is supposed to work. B claims damages from Geico (for instance); Geico investigates and adjusts the claim before paying out; Geico goes after C to get back the money that Geico just paid to B. I think, but am not sure, that Geico will actually go after 100% of C's liability, not just the 90% that they will owe B, and if they get that, B will get all of its money back (rather than having to pursue a separate action against C for the last 10%, or having to decide if that's even worth it). Again, though, wikipedia is not allowed to present regulated professional advice, and your application of this knowledge is at your own risk. (My background is US common civil law, too, so if you're living somewhere else, I would ignore this completely.) Faithfully, Deltopia 10:23, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Codd bottle (marble bottles)

Hi,

I've got an old beer bottle of the kind which is stoppered by a marble - a Codd-necked bottle. I'm also a home-brewer and I reckon it'd be cool to use bottles like that for a special beer (a solstice or equinox beer, for example). Of course I don't want to spend tens of dollars per bottle on century-old bottles that have an unknown life and may not be up to the job, I want to track down newly manufactured codd bottles. Do any present wikipedians of this reference desk know (a) whether there's any company manufacturing them in large numbers and selling the bottles to the public or (b) whether this sort of bottle can be made by a glass blower?

--Psud 08:44, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Well, here's a start http://sigmafragrances.tradeindia.com/Exporters_Suppliers/Exporters/hp/13076/company_profile.html

Richard Avery 10:15, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Darn! That's such a neat idea! No bottle caps...a 100% recyclable/reusable bottle! We should be using these for everything.
As the article says, these bottles are still in use in Japan and India. I would imagine that it would be useful to try to purchase a few cases of those products and 'repurpose' the bottles afterwards. I bet you could find a way to buy some online. The problems (I guess) would be:
  1. They are clear glass (most beer is packaged in coloured glass to keep sunlight out of the beer and altering it's flavor)
  2. You have to have enough carbonation in your beer to keep the upward pressure on the marble.
  3. They have to be filled upside-down - which is going to be an interesting trick for you to pull off!
  4. You'll have to call your beer Codswallop...that's a great name for a homemade beer! I do hope that's a true story.
If you had them custom made, I think it might take a lot of trial-and-error to get the bottle shape just right to allow the marble to make a good seal and yet also to ensure that it doesn't block the neck when you are drinking the stuff. But if you could get a few bottles of the Japanese or Indian product then I'd expect a competent glass blower to be able to copy them. The trick would be to form the shape of the entire bottle - but with a wide-enough neck to get the marble inside - then, after everything has cooled off, to add another ring of glass to the neck to give the marble a surface to seal against and to trap it inside. So, yeah - I bet a skilled glass blower could do it - and then at least you'd be able to have nice brown or green bottles made.
In truth, the hardest part is going to be filling them and maintaining enough internal pressure to keep them sealed. If you had a high pressure air line, you could pour the beer in with them the right way up, hook up the high pressure air hose to the top of the bottle to get enough pressure inside - then rapidly invert the bottle so the marble rolls down into the neck without too much beer pouring out - then, finally, remove the air hose to allow the internal pressure to clamp it firmly in place...squirting any beer that ran into the air hose or was in the neck of the bottle all over the place!
Hmmm - we need some lateral thinking here! Just the thing that RefDesk denizens are good at!
SteveBaker 14:17, 15 November 2007 (UTC)


Thanks, all. Steve: From playing with my old codd bottle (filled with water), you can fill them upright, place a hand over the mouth of the bottle and invert it. You loose a little of the contents but it works. With the exception of the English ales and stouts I make, there's certain to be enough pressure to hold a marble in place. --Psud 21:09, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Aaahhh! Sorry - I didn't notice that you'd told us you had one! I don't quite understand how this is going to work though. If you pour the beer in with a funnel or something - the contents of the bottle are going to be at the same pressure as the air. When you turn it upside-down, the marble will settle in place - but there is no additional pressure inside to keep it there so when you put the bottle back up the right way, won't the marble just fall back down again? Maybe if you shake the CO2-laden liquid up while it's upside-down, perhaps it would release enough gas to stay sealed. But our article on these bottles specifically states: "The bottles were filled upside down"...presumably under pressure. Why would they do that if it was as easy as you say to do it the right way up? It seems to me that you need to convince yourself that you can actually seal the bottle you have with soda or beer using using your technique before you go out and spend a fortune on getting some custom-made and finding that you can't make it work. But buying a crate of soda and paying shipping from India or Japan ought to be a LOT cheaper and more reliable means for getting "known to work" bottles. SteveBaker 00:46, 16 November 2007 (UTC)


Actually, it's pretty hard to see how it'll work unless you know the way I brew! I usually keg my beer and carbonate with pressurised CO2, and for "quick and nasty" bottles - say for short term storage or a party - I'd fill the bottles from the tap with beer at 2°C well loaded with CO2. I'd fill the bottle right way up, place my hand over the mouth of it, invert it (over a glass) and give it a small shake. At any temperature above 2° there'd be positive pressure in the bottle (because more gas dissolves in cooler water/beer, so at higher temperatures more comes out of solution). For a more "special" beer, I'd bottle it straight from the fermenter, secondary fermentation would then happen in the bottle fueled either by the remaining sugars in the beer or by added sugar or unfermented wort - the bottles would be stored upside down while the secondary fermentation happened. The bottle I have (which is missing it's rubber washer) drips very little when inverted full of water. --Psud 05:03, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sex in space

Are there any incidents of astranoughts having sex in zero-g? I mean, you've got several guys and girls up there for months at a time - they must get pretty horney; and what could be more romantic than doing it in a space station (if your a nerd, that is - and lets face it, astranoughts arn't exactly college jocks) Hyper Girl 13:18, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

There is an article on the topic. Sex in space. Jon513 13:48, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
For the record, those people in the spaceships are astronauts. "Astranought" seems like it out to mean something about zero stars. :-) --LarryMac | Talk 20:47, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
At least one married couple have been into space together; Mark C. Lee and Jan Davis, and there are a few who claim that they had sex while up there. NASA would seriously discourage it though; apart from the severe lack of privacy on the shuttle, the various fluids (especially sweat) can damage equipment and, as any shuttle pilot can tell you, it's very difficult to dock when there's no gravity... Laïka 23:26, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
  • In space,no-one can hear you scream with pleasure..86.53.57.148 15:56, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] British Immigration

I hate it when people ask horribly general questions, so I will understand if you do not indulge me. I am wondering how difficult it is for a US citizen (BA, 3.8 GPA at a good school, no work experience) to emigrate to England. I don't know all the ins and outs of the immigration laws, but even if I did factors like employer sponsorship and the business cycle are equally influential. Plasticup T/C 15:00, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Clarify please. Do you mean emigrate, i.e. move permanently ? Or do you mean simply work for a time in the UK whilst retaining US citizenship ? (To be pedantic, you cannot emigrate to England, only to the UK, of which England is part.)86.202.159.13 15:09, 15 November 2007 (UTC)DT

As a general answer - The British Consulate in America's website britainusa.com gives general advice including linking to FCO documents such as their guidance on Residence in the UK.
Immigration is handled by the Home Office's Border & Immigration Agency, whose website contains all the rules and regulations relating to emigrating. Foxhill 15:23, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
From memory only; not easy. You need several years of residence to apply for a permanent residence. You only get several years of residence if you're able to get a work permit. You only get that (in most circumstances) if an employer applies for such a thing for you, and they only get it if they make a good enough case. You should take this answer with some salt, and follow the links above. --Tagishsimon (talk) 17:06, 15 November 2007 (UTCTrue)
True, and a work permit will usually only be issued if no UK or other EU citizens can be found to do the job, unless you are exceptionally talented in your work - e.g. footballers from outside the UK have to have played in 75% (I think, it's a high figure, anyway) of their national teams' recent games. Of course if you can acquire an EU passport, through having an Irish-born grandparent for example, then it gets much easier. It may be easier to move to another EU country, like Belgium, get citizenship there, then move to the UK: this is sometimes done when football clubs want to import a player who doesn't meet the UK work permit criteria - they park him with an associated team in Belgium for a few years and move him to the UK later.
Plasticup's lack of work experience is likely to be the critical obstacle. One possible way round this might be to get a job with a US company which has an office in the UK and arrange a transfer to the UK, which would let you build up residence time towards getting permanent residence and/or citizenship. Probably the easiest way to get in is to marry a UK citizen! Lest Plasticup be too discouraged, while it's difficult for US citizens to immigrate to the UK it's not impossible - as of the 2001 census, 150,000 people had done it. -- Arwel (talk) 20:12, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
As the others say, it all depends on what you plan to do for a job, really. Without work experience or a higher degree, you would probably have to have some specialist skills to get a decent job in the UK directly. Once you have the job, it would be pretty easy. Rockpocket 01:23, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
From experience, it is easier to emigrate than it looks once you have a job. If you are suitably impressive (although in reality being merely average with a good work ethic will suffice), many companies would rather retain you than go through the hassle of replacing you and will apply for a long term work visa, tweaking the job description to fit you so no other EU citizens are suitable. The hard part is getting a work visa to find your first job. Tried and true methods are getting an ancestry visa through British parents/grandparents or an EU passport from Irish/Spanish/Italian/etc ancestors. Unfortunately, being fom Bermuda doesn't allow you a working holiday visa which would give you two years of work visa to find somewhere permanent. However, maybe you already have UK citizenship from being a British colony (my friend had a UK passport from her parents being born in Hong Kong depsite never setting foot in the UK). Maybe applying for a student internship with a UK company is possible? A normal student visa will allow you to find part time work which might be enough to get the foot in the door. Then there is always hooking up with a EU citizen. If all else fails it may be easier to just get work experience in the US to get enough points for a highly skilled migrant visa. BeamerNZ (talk) 02:22, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Warriors Tea-Party Pals

I live in Roseville, California and enjoy woodland stroll, this morning I took a small path about 100 yards away from the asphalt path, near a creek. Upon leaving the tree I was leaning on had a note tape to it. Appearing to be placed the night before; the dew did not destroy the blue permanent marker. The note stated as such: Warrior Tea-Party Pals and an arrow drawn at the base of the tree. The reverse side was an "Admit one" for the BloodSource(TM) "The Blood Drive fea...unlegiable. It stated you need to "Bring I.D." and to "EAT & Drink Before Donating” Then finally by the I.D. reminder, in blue ball-point pen, was the time 8:30 no AM or PM. I found this Admission ticket at 7:30ish in the morning. What do these Warrior Tea-Party Pals do during their event? And is it an actual invitation to the lucky hiker- me- who finds it? Hopefully you respond quickly because I plan on going. Thank You. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.172.117.226 (talk) 16:14, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

I found this link http://bbs.clubplanet.com/new-jersey/105426-hey-neena-3.html but I have no idea what they're talking about (kids these days! no respect for the English Language). 83.104.131.135 16:53, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

My advice would be disallowed as legal and medical. But....is your will up to date? -SandyJax 20:22, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like a blood donor group.-- Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 21:27, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sign In Problems

I tried to sign in, and had forgotten my password.

I entered my User Name, and selected "E-mail New Password."

I am encountering "Internal Server Error" persistently. No new password is being sent.

What do I do now? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.182.205.177 (talk) 21:55, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Well, I just tried that exact thing and it worked OK. Aside from "Try again later", the only thing I can suggest is to take this over to the Wikipedia:Help desk - they are there for answering questions about Wikipedia itself, the Reference desk is really intended for questions of a more general nature. Good luck! SteveBaker 00:12, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dog eats his own shit

My dog is 8 years old and sometimes after he takes a shit he eats it and then his breath smells like shit and it's really nasty. How can I stop him? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.227.100.48 (talk) 22:13, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

My son has the same problem
Our article on dog training may be of use. — Lomn 22:44, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I might as well be the one to also mention there's a section on it, in the article on Coprophagia. -- DatRoot 22:55, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I'm beginning to wonder if we need a separate ref desk for Coprophagia-related question...it comes up in a statistically unreasonable number of answers! (Also this question is a duplicate of the first ever question asked on the Ref Desk!) SteveBaker 00:07, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Certain muzzles will make your dog unable to eat anything with it on. Just put the muzzle on him before letting him out to poop. MrRedact 00:40, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

Make sure he's getting decent quality food. Sometimes dogs eat their own faeces either because they aren't getting enough nutrition from what they are eating or there's a digestive imbalance whereby their digestive system isn't absorbing nutrients properly. Then again there's always the possibility that he just likes the taste! ---- WebHamster 00:45, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

Yep dogs will eat poop if they feel it is not fully digested or if they think it is a game - you try and lift it they will eat it to stop you getting getting your hands on it first. Lanfear's Bane | t 10:48, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

In my opinion, my own dog does not eat his own **** anymore, but, he does, however, vomit it up anywhere he could. Ericthebrainiac (talk) 20:48, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Six degrees of separation MJ to Elaine Paige

Using the principles of Six degrees of separation, how could one link former US sprinter Michael Johnson (athlete) with singer Elaine Paige? Thanks. Acceptable 22:45, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

The Six degrees of Wikipedia is broken for quite a while now, maybe someone else has a similar tool? --antilivedT | C | G 22:55, 15 November 2007 (UTC)


Elaine Paige hosted a series on BBC that had guest star Elton John, Elton john appeared in the tv series The Simpsons which also had Hank Azaria. Hank Azaria worked with Matthew Perry in Friends, Matthew Perry worked with Jason Alexander on Friends, Jason Alexander worked with Wayne Knight on Seinfeld and Wayne Knight worked with Michael Jordan in Space Jam. I think that's 7 though (Paige-John-Azara-Perry-Alexander-Knight-Jordan) - Or if you switch it to this...Page-John-Azaria-Perry-Devito-Jordan. Danny Devito starred in Space Jam and worked with Matthew Perry in a Friends episode (he was a stripper for Phoebe) ny156uk 23:01, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
This (http://www.thekevinbacongame.com/) will do a job. I've not tried it as I was too happy with my own work above, but presumably it works. ny156uk 23:04, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
That's impressive, but he asked about Michael Johnson, not Michael Jordan :) It shouldn't be too hard to fix, he was in Master of Disguise with Dana Carvey... Adam Bishop 23:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Ahhhh I hadn't noticed that. And there I was thinking I was some kind of hero. Well either way it tends to be that the key is...use The Simpsons, Friends or one of the other shows that has a huge number of guest-stars. Hank-Azaria is the easy link from Simpsons to Friends, but i'm sure there are many more. Michael johnson competed at the 1992 Olympics where MIchael Jordan played basketball for the Usa...though you'd need to lose a jump in the link. Basically Danny Devito was Uncle Herb in the Simpsons...So you get Page-John-Azaria-devito-Jordan-Johnson...Ahhh i'm a hero again. ny156uk 23:36, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Too easy! Elaine-Paige via the TV series to Elton John via the Simpsons to Homer Simpson (or his voice actor if you are being picky about only real people) via the Simpsons again to Andre Agassi via 1996 Olympics (they were both Gold Medal winners) to Michael Johnson. 4 steps. SteveBaker 00:04, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Do the Olympics really count? Because you can go Page-John-Castellaneta-DeVito-Carvey (through any SNL episode DeVito hosted when Carvey was on it) -Johnson. Adam Bishop 00:08, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Here's one with just media appearances. Michael Johnson was a guest captain on They think it's all over, hosted by Nick Hancock, who also hosted Room 101, where Peter Cook appeared, who was in this with Diane Keaton, who was in the original performance for Hair with Elaine Paige. That night of 100 stars is a bit of a weak link (found through a feature on imdb). A more natural connection is from Nick Hancock to Richard E. Grant on room 101, who was a guest star on Frasier (as Daphne's brother) with Kelsey Grammer who was in the Simpsons (sideshow Bob) and so on, but that's rather long. Nick Hancock hosted the first three seasons of Room 101 (guests here). He was a the first guest when Paul Merton took over, who was on Have I got News for you which had a lot of famous guests. Difficult to keep it under 5 with really good links, though. risk 01:01, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Silly me. Jonathan Ross was on They think it's all over as well, and he's interviewed pretty much anyone. You can go Michael Johnson->Jonathan Ross->Al Pacino->Diane Keaton (Godfather)->Elaine Paige(Hair). You can cut it down one if Ross has interviewed one of Elaine Paige's co-stars. risk 01:13, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Here we go, he interviewed Elton John in the second episode of Friday night with Jonathan Ross: Michael Johnson->Jonathan Ross->Elton John->Elaine Paige. 3 steps. risk

Wow thanks, this is amazing. Acceptable 02:12, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

Bah! No fair! What's wrong with my Olympic games link?! All of the athletes parade together during the opening and closing ceremonies - so Agassi and Johnson were right there - on the same TV show - both in shot at the same time - at least twice. That's at least as valid as any other "being on the same TV show" link. SteveBaker 05:19, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What is "Mongolian fur"?

I'm seeing women's coats advertised made of "Mongolian fur". As I recall, there was a big flap eight or ten years ago, with claims that Mongolian fur was actually dog fur. AFAIK, this was/is not an urban legend. Thanks for helping, I did try Google. --CliffC 23:39, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

I can't produce a very reliable site, but several of the sales sites that came up in my google search indicated that it was lamb. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:50, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I took a second look at the picture in the catalog, and it's long and kinda wavy like an overgrown sheep, so lamb is probably the right answer. Thank you. --CliffC 00:48, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Incidently, perhaps you are thinking of this story? ---- Mdwyer (talk) 18:39, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
No, I hadn't seen that. Interestingly, your 2007 article says "Penney is charting a different course than rival Macy’s, which last month pulled Sean John jackets after they turned out to contain the same fur." Sean John is Sean John Combs is Puff Daddy is P. Diddy was Puffy Combs. The sole NY Times hit I got for "Mongolian fur" was this 1998 Style story including the society tidbit "In an unlikely pairing, Martha Stewart, in a tan suit, mingled with Puffy Combs, in a white dinner jacket and Mongolian fur overcoat, at Clive Davis's Plaza party." I guess the fur business has turned into a nice sideline for Puffy. --CliffC (talk) 05:57, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Train / Caboose

Is there a name for the little fenced-in platform at the back of a caboose? Actually the very last part of a train going down the track.

What is it????

Long ago, politicians used to stand there and wave to a crowd.

Thanks,

67.142.130.34 23:41, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

When a candidate stumps from a train city to city, it's called a whistle-stop tour. They'd normally rent a business car with a rear platform, rather than a caboose. Sorry to disappoint, but the rear platform was just called the rear platform. Many business cars survive in museums or private ownership. Business cars in private hands are often called 'private varnish.' If you google around, you'll find many references, here's one: [1]. n2xjk 04:58, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

The technical name for the little platform on a passenger car is an open vestibule. The larger platforms on cabooses were (non-technically) called verandahs or porches. The walkways around the front and back of diesel hood units are also called porches. FiggyBee 11:33, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
There are a couple photos of this on the observation car article. Like n2xjk said, politicians used passenger cars and not cabooses. Slambo (Speak) 11:59, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
I know it's not strictly relevant now, but in the UK, the covered platform on a brake van (equivalent to a caboose) is known as a verandah. A prominent example was the Great Western Railway 'Toad' brake van, which was distinctive in having a longer-than-average verandah at just one end. EdJogg (talk) 01:49, 17 November 2007 (UTC)