Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 December 7

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December 7

Which Songs Are These?

I was wondering who sings the songs with the lyrics along the lines of 'NAH NAH NAH NAH, NAH NAH NAH NAH, HEY HEY HEY, GOODBYE' and 'HI HO, LETS GO'? Thanks.100110100 00:17, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The first song is Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) by Steam, and the second song is Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones. Syckls 00:33, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

soccer fan stuff

where can i get these soccer fan stuff? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.14.32.228 (talk • contribs)

Perhaps you could be more explicit about what exactly you are asking. If you are looking to buy soccer gear in Canada you could try here or of you would like fan merchandise you could ship from here here. Rockpocket 01:40, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Drivers who hit people and don't stop.

I'm trying to find out roughly what percentage of drivers don't stop after they've hit someone. I can't seem to find anything on wikipedia or the rest of the internet. Can anyone help? -OOPSIE- 02:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

See hit-and-run as a start. That's the official term, so things should be easier to find now. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 02:06, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I already looked there, and it didnt have any percentages.-OOPSIE- 02:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You don't say whether you're interested in the stats for the whole world, a particular country, or a local jurisdiction. It would probably vary from place to place within a country, and from country to country, not to mention over time. For a particular country and a particular year for which stats are available, you could make a reasonable estimate by finding the number of all hit-run drivers, divide it by the number of road accidents involving injured pedestrians or bike riders, and multiply by 100. JackofOz 02:10, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I was mainly thinking about the UK, but any information, especialy about a western country would be good.-OOPSIE- 02:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Googling "hit and run capital" yields Miami, Florida as hit and run capital of the US and 2/3 of the drivers don't stop. See this. --Justanother 05:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

My wife got rear-ended in Miami, while on business. They switched the driver before the police came, and they didn't have insurance. I'm sure they would have ran, if their car still worked... --Zeizmic 13:02, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Some statistics from Hansard - scroll down to the tables. There are also some words on the difficulty in getting statistics. Per annum, at 2001, there were about 24,000 reported hit-and-runs, on a rising trend. And I'm sure I heard some news in the last month that London police were concerned about the rising trend ... but I can't find the story right now. --Tagishsimon (talk)

1454 people lost their lives to hit and run drivers in US during 2005. you just have to word it a thousand differant ways and use other search engines other than google. --Kittycat rox 01:19, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Sophie Karp

Wikipedia has a copy of a poster of Sophie Karp from 1893. She was a very prominent performer in the Yiddish Theatre and would be my Great Great Aunt if she were still alive. I am trying find out if I can procure actual reproiductions of that poster for some of Sophie's ancestors, my mother, her two sisters and a cousin as well as myself. I was referred tothis program to inquire about the poster reproduction. Thank you. Alan Pedoldsky

The image we have should be good for printing at about 5x7 size. You could try contacting the New York Public Library who owns the poster. They could probably hook you up with a higher quality photo that could be printed at a larger size but it would probably be expensive. See NYPL Photographic Services and Permissions Rmhermen 04:47, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The image is in the public domain, so it should be fine (legally) for you to print your own poster - but this can be expensive (A0 posters usually more than £15). The image on the page is from this page on Wikimedia Commons. The link on that page goes to NYPL, which has a link to buy posters on it. --h2g2bob 13:28, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Geography

Am trying to find which is closer to the South Pole, Australia or Africa. When measureing the distance they are to close to call. Thank You —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.206.0.40 (talk) 04:34, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Well, the most southernly point in Africa is Cape Agulhas at 34°50′00″S 20°00′09.15″E. If you consider Tasmania as part of Australia, Hobart is at 42°52′S 147°19′E, meaning Australia is further south. (Even if you don't count Tasmania, its still Australia, as Melbourne on the mainland is at 37°48′50″S 144°57′47″E). Rockpocket 04:48, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Assuming you mean mainlands, and not islands, then Australia: South Point (Wilsons Promontory) is at 39°08′20″S while Cape Agulhas is only 34°50′00″S. Found using Extreme points of the world. Rmhermen 04:51, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The it gets tricky, though, if you do count parts of Africa or Australia off the mainland. South Africa's Marion Island is at 46°54′45″S 37°44′37″E, but even that is trumpted by Australian Antarctic Territory (from 60 degrees south to the Pole.) Thats pretty hard to beat in terms of southernly co-ordinates! Rockpocket 05:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Considering mainlands only, Australia is closer than South Africa. Extending the comparison to islands that are part of their respective countries, the southernmost are Tasmania (42 S 52) and Marion Island (46 S 54), so South Africa wins. Extending it to islands that are territories but not part of the country proper, Australia wins with Heard Island and McDonald Islands (53 S 57) compared with Marion Island at 46 S 54. Including territory in Antarctica itself, SA doesn't have any but Australia does. So, take your pick. Australia 3, South Africa 1. (Sounds like the result of the next test cricket series). JackofOz 05:58, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You didn't ask this, but the South American mainland extends farther south than either Australia or Africa, with Cape Froward, Chile at (53°53′46.70″S, 71°17′39.53″W). StuRat 15:10, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

ACT statistics

What are the national rankings for the ACT test by number of students? How many students get a 36, 35, 34, etc. every year? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.231.205.94 (talk) 04:49, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Have you read the article on the test, ACT (examination)? It includes some rough statistical information with a reference to a much more detailed source. -- Rick Block (talk) 05:18, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I read through the article and its sources but I still cannot find more precise numbers other than anything about 30 is in the 99 percentile. I was curious as to how each of the 30+ numbers differed by number of student. Perhaps that info isn't published?

Interesting non-fiction books?

What's an interesting non-fiction book I could read? Yes, I'm aware that this question is asking for opinions, and that it probably doesn't belong here. I'm just asking for some odd and interesting suggestions. Cheers. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.10.86.63 (talk) 04:56, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Perhaps any of the works in Category:Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction? -- Rick Block (talk) 05:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What are your main interests? History, geography, music, arts, politics, science, society, etc? Pick a category or two and it will be easier to recommend something. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The best non-fiction book of all time must surely be The Bible - Old and New Testaments. All human life is there. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.198 (talk) 12:27, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Or indeed any religious text (see Category:Religious texts). Reading about many religions, especially if they're not your own religion, can help with understanding of different cultures and attitudes of people all around the world. --h2g2bob 13:11, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Some of my favourites, in no particular order (and with a bias towards science): Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter; Longitude and Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel; The Book Nobody Read by Owen Gingerich; The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder; anything by Bill Bryson; The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler; and (perhaps stretching the boundaries of "non-fiction") Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. Gandalf61 13:37, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Two non fiction books that have recently sold by the boatload in the UK include Longitude and Eats shoots and leaves. Both deal with topics you wouldn't normally associate with popularity in book sales - engineering and punctuation respectively. I recently enjoyed Why girls can't throw, which is a great "toilet read". And perhaps the funniest book I've ever read is also non fiction The Timewaster Letters (there's an excerpt here here though I think there are funnier examples). --Dweller 13:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Here are two modern lists Category:Modern Library 100 best non-fiction, http://www.listsofbests.com/list/10362. As for pre 20th C try London Labour and the London Poor Muqaddimah, The Anatomy of Melancholy and Parallel Lives. meltBanana 15:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

A treatise on cosmic fire by Alice Bailey.

• Anything whatsoever by John McPhee. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 17:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

• Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and The Corner by David Simon (for stories about inner-city Baltimore), or for something completely different, Brainiac, about trivia. howcheng {chat} 19:30, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Bill Bryson is a good recommendation. I really liked Mother Tongue, which is a history of the English language. And I'm really glad I read Thus Spoke Zarathustra. --70.112.100.172 23:55, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

William Safire's compilation Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. JackofOz 01:25, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm reading through articles for the books you guys have mentioned, many of them seem quite interesting. I'd actually also appreciate recommendations for books on music -- not particular bands, but mixing/performing/production/anything at all, really.

It's not about music, but I almost forgot Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson. --70.112.100.172 16:54, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Right now, I am re-reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin for probably the 10th time. A first-person account of a man whose life was fascinating from childhood to death, and inflential even today. — Michael J 20:21, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

question about boats

I was trying to look up information on crew quarters and amenities in modern day naval ships, but I found very little information after a massive scour through articles. I have a couple questions... If someone already answers a question, but you have something to add I would love the extra info. I am hoping I can use this information when when I have to write (for fun not school) a little about a group of people living on ships. Sifaka ^talk 05:49, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

1. Ships have to cram a ton of people on board, so what are the sleeping quarters like? Depends on the size of the ship/boat.
2. How many people bunk per room? Depends on the Size.
3. What happens when two people don't like each other? Can they be moved? I guess people could talk to each other and swap.
4. What are the beds like? Are they cots or hammocks? Hammocks went out with Steam engines, cots are usually camping matterases and so quite comfortable.
5. Do you get any private space like a nightstand or wardrobe? Depends on the size.
6. How many pairs of clothes do you have? As many as you take with you.
7. How many bathrooms are there per person? Do they use salt water? Usually its people to bath rooms and no they don't use salt water.
8. How much nicer are officer's cabins? Do they get special stuff or their own rooms? Officer's cabins are usually "nicer" in spacial allowance.
9. Do officers get any other special amenities? They might get small shaving sinks, depends on a multitude of factors.
10. What are the mess halls like? Clean, warm and relaxed as in you don't have to worry to much when you are in there.
11. How do you get your food and where do you eat it (i.e. and benches?)? You collect it and eat in the mess.
12. Is the food good? Do officers get better food? Everybody gets the same food.
13. What do people do for fun? Watch TV , DVDs , read chat and drink when allowed.
14. Is there a dedicated "fun" space, like a lounge, or do people just set up stuff impromtu? the mess is usually the lounge, some posters are allowed so long as no1 is really offended by them.
15. Do people decorate with posters or are people strict about that? If its in your space you can do what you like.
16. If you have been at sea for a long time and have gotten to know everyone pretty well, are military protocols relaxed any? (like salutes, knicknames...) knicknames are allowed only when not in the presance of an officer. Salutes are never relaxed except in the mess.
17. What are the good chores (assuming you do chores) and what are the really crummy ones? Good chores? I'm sure thats an oxymoron. Bad chores = Cleaning the heads.

This thread from AskMetafilter answers some of your questions. Natgoo 09:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

extra terrestrial interest

I heard from some unknown source that a space shuttle(or rocket i can't remember particularly)which has capability of converting its exhaust smoke again into fuel and thus goes on for an infinite period, was left into space on a mission to find the extra-terrestrial life and it was engraved with these words on all languages "whoever found this ship at any part of this universe can send it back to us ..so that we can find you out"..first language on it was sanskrit..and i also heard that this one recently crossed the solar system..and my question was is this all believable or its just a myth.. sorry if i made you bored.... Temuzion 09:22, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Not a myth. See Voyager I and Voyager II. However, neither can go on for an infinite period. --Wooty Woot? contribs 09:35, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What's that famous picture that was included on some space probe or other? IIRC it had a naked man, woman and child on it, some kind of map of the solar system, and (this might be what the OP had in mind) some text in various languages. It was intended to explain, to anyone out there who might see it, who we are and where we come from. Anyone know what I'm talking about? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:45, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

This or this?WP 10:52, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks very much! It was the Pioneer one I was thinking of, but the Voyager one looks a lot nicer. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Note that no ship has a method for converting exhaust into fuel, but they don't need a continuos fuel supply, as inertia alone will carry them on forever, or at least until they hit something or are pulled in by gravity. Although, if the speed is less than the escape velocity for the galaxy, then it won't ever leave the Milky Way. StuRat 14:07, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Old School Ties

Which school wa the first to have an Old School Tie?

Thank you! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by S A Brained (talk • contribs) 09:47, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

It could be that you're specifically interested in ties, but generally (in the UK at any rate), the term "Old School Tie" refers to the Old boy network (and indeed Old school tie redirects there). It's a euphemism for the social networking and other advantages that can be gained from having attended a certain school. As it's an intangible, your question cannot be answered, because the name was created in response to an existing and fairly widespread phenomenon. If however, you are interested in an actual physical tie, someone else will need to help you. --Dweller 10:59, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

According to our article the first institution to have a membership tie was Exeter College, Oxford in 1880. Unfortunately, it doesn't specify the first actual school to adopt one. -- Necrothesp 16:28, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

making my own country

i was wondering how i would go about making my own country. thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.193.66.130 (talk) 11:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

As I understand it, all you need to do to "make" your own country, is to declare independence. The tricky bit is establishing a legal basis for your claim and gaining recognition from the international community. Not least, there's the dicey process of getting agreement, and taking control from whichever country currently claims the bit of land you no doubt have an excellent claim to. There's a hilarious treatment of the subject in the classic British comedy, Passport to Pimlico. --Dweller 11:43, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

In international law, the two most common schools of thought for the creation of statehood are the constitutive and declaratory theories of state creation.

One set of criteria for statehood under international law is defined by the Montevideo Convention. This asserts that a defined territory, permanent population, government and the capacity to enter into relationships with other sovereign states are the only foundation requirements for a sovereign state.

see also List of unrecognized countries. Jon513 12:16, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

See also Micronation Rich Farmbrough, 12:26 7 December 2006 (GMT).

If you have any natural resources worth a damn, you'll also need to work out how you will interact with certain bigger countries (who may have opinions about how your natural resources should be exploited, and by whom). You might want to see The Mouse That Roared, Salvador Allende, and Iraq War for several alternative views of how this could play out.

Atlant 13:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

One way is to create some new land. In areas of shallow international waters, that may be fairly easy, just hire some barges to bring in the appropriate fill, dump it, and plant your flag. StuRat 14:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

or wait for a volcano to create a new island. Could be a bit dicey at first, but excellent geothermal potential! --Zeizmic 14:16, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

So look for the next Surtsey, but try to assure it's in international waters. (Wasn't a new island just in the news in the last few weeks?)

Atlant 16:48, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

i was thinking more along the lines of what Danny Wallace did - making a country in his own flat. i was wondering if there was any proper instructions on doing that?

Did you try looking at the micronation article yet? That's what you're talking about. --140.247.251.173 18:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Joshua A. Norton simply declared himself the Emperor of the United States and lived pretty well, issuing currency etc, as people played along with his delusion or scam. He did not have to find a volcanic island. It may be easier to assume governance of an existing country than to establish a new one, with many of the same rewards. Emperor Norton I was unsuccessful in his attempts to get Winfield Scott to direct the U.S. Army to disperse Congress, a clear attempt at the violent overthrow of the U.S. government, but his proclamations that the nations of the world should unite in a League of Nations and that San Francisco and Oakland should be united by a suspension bridge (the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge) and a tube railway all actually came to pass in the century after his death. He was noted for dispersing an anti-Chinese race riot. Edison 18:54, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

He should have called himself the Emperor Norton, rather than Emperor Norton I... unless and until succeeded by Emperor Norton II (at which point he would retrospectively have become Norton I). Then again, if he was potty enough to declare himself Emperor of the USA, he was certainly of the frame of mind to ignore naming conventions! --Dweller 12:02, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

"Prince Leonard" tried it in 1970 with Hutt River Province, which he's since upgraded to the Principality of Hutt River. He's tolerated by the Australian Government, presumably as a source of tourism revenue, but no country recognises his claim. JackofOz 01:32, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Drug testing Fortune 500

What percentage of Fortune 500 companies test employees for drugs, including pre-employment testing? Source? Thanks--71.212.160.45 14:30, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Next superpower

Which country will be the next superpower? (India/China)

16:31, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Books could be written on this subject. Try checking out Superpower#Emerging_superpowers- China and India both have articles on them as emerging superpowers. Friday (talk) 16:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Go on then i'll throw my opinion in to the ring. The next world superpower will be a multinational organisation of governments rather than a single nation. Until such a time I don't believe any nation has the desire, nor abilty to be able to replace the Usa. China/India (or Chindia) may end up having economies as strong and powerful as the Usa, but few nations can compete with the exportation of culture and lifestyles that Usa does. I think most would question my choice of multinational orgainsations since the ones in place are so powerless and regularly overruled, but I believe that in the future more and more power will be centralised into organisations of this nature and as globalised business practices and increased communication make the world smaller and more similar (on a high level scale) then so to will political and economy boundaries blur until such a time that world-policy will be dominated by multi-naitonal organisations.

No stats or nothing interesting to back this up, just my opinion, and the question seems to suggest that is what you wanted (well not mine specifically but you get the point). ny156uk 17:14, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

This isn't by any chance related to the recent post about making one's own country, is it? —Bromskloss 19:15, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

USA can be replaced. I cant vehemently support the above argument, as the US is not the only superpower. The same as with the exportation of cultures and lifestyles as the east can easily compete and accept the lifestyles of the west but the west cant follow in suite. So there is no written mandate that supports the above opinion, just because the US has resources and access to the superior quality of life or the so called american dreams. People are becoming self sufficient in India & china The Gdp is on the rise, its just a matter of time. 21:58, 7 December 2006 (UTC)~

Again, just my opinion, but I would be shocked if China doesn't move quickly into what is commonly thought of as a 'superpower' in the next 10 years. Combine rising economic growth, a huge population base, and increasing technological capability with local powers who aren't so keen on doing what China wants (Russia, Japan, India, Taiwan - the list continues) and you'll begin to see some nice cold-war tension coming back to the fore. Russia could make a resurgence, and India is on the rise as well (with many of the factors listed for China). The EU could have some radical shift and end up a 'proper' superpower but I doubt it, at least not in the next 10 years. No, the real place to put your money for future tension between 2 superpowers in the 10-20 year term would be the declining USA vs. the rising China. Plenty of sparking points come to mind - North Korea, Japan, Taiwan, world trade and competition for resources... Robovski 01:09, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Foreign relations of the People's Republic of China is worth a read. I'll put my money on China; not least, their foreign policies look a lot saner than those of the US/UK. Other articles of interest are India as an emerging superpower and China as an emerging superpower. --Tagishsimon (talk)

This is a hard decision, since China manufactures much of the goods purchased in the U.S. and holds much of the debt of the U.S., while India provides most of the computer tech support for the U.S. Edison 05:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Define 'superpower'! I'm from Canada, and I'd say we have a good power grid, and we're a super country. So I guess we're a superpower. If I wanted to be literal, I'd say the Sun is the next superpower, when it rises in the morn. Mathiemood 06:24, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

mcse

hey guyz am doing i have just cleared my a+ certification n i intend to know sit for the international examz.i wanted a site where i can do some practice sets n their marked there n then. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.49.92.208 (talk) 16:39, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia. I assume from your post that English is not your first language. It would help us if you explained a little more about what international exams you would like information about. I'm not familiar with "a+ certification" either. Finally, please sign your posts here by typing this ~~~~ at the end of your messages on this page. Thanks. --Dweller 17:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

A+ Certification is a computer hardware certificate (showing a certain level of understanding with computer hardware). The international exams he's referring to are probably the MCSE referred to in the subject (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, another computer-field certification). To answer the original poster: The best place to find that information is probably on the Microsoft site itself, they have a lot of links there to resources to preparing for and taking the tests. --Maelwys 19:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Works of the United States Government

When they say that works of the United States government are free from copyright, does "government" include its agencies? More specifically, I would like to know if this is why NASA material is not copyrighted. —Bromskloss 17:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Works wholly produced by the US Federal Government, or their agencies (including NASA) are not copyrighted. Buuut: some of the national labs are managed by other institutions (such as universities), so it's not always clear what the copyright status of their work is. And a lot of work NASA does is in cooperation with other agencies, particularly ESA - for those joint ventures the other agency still owns copyright, even if NASA doesn't. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:07, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The very link you've linked to above discusses this in some detail. Read the part about contractors. --140.247.251.173 18:13, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I am being misunderstood here. I know that involvement of others may render works copyrighted. Still, many things are free from copyright. My question is whether it is the law that talks about works of the government that is the reason for many NASA works being free from copyright. Put differently: Is agencies included when that law talks about the government? —Bromskloss 19:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. B00P 19:24, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Broadly speaking, yes, but only again if you are talking about the federal government (not state governments and not government-owned, contractor-operated facilities). --24.147.86.187 03:15, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the law is talking about the federal government. I just didn't know if agencies were considered a part of the federal government. —Bromskloss 13:40, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Agencies (NASA, CIA, NIST, etc.) are all branches of the executive. The only agency-like thing that I can think of that isn't is the Federal Reserve. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:46, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

cost of postage

hello, how much postage do I need to send 6 pieces of printer paper from IL to IA? Thanks. -STeve —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.126.226.206 (talk) 19:17, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Six standard 8.5"x11" 20# letter-sized sheets of paper probably will require only one stamp. Larger or heavier paper may require an extra $0.24 stamp. howcheng {chat} 19:21, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

How much does one stamp cost? JackofOz 00:19, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Houston/Spring, Texas White Pages

I have been unable to access a telephone directory from Houston/Spring, Texas without paying People Search a charge for this. I am trying to find my brother, who I understand now lives in Spring, TX. If you can access a phone directory that covers this area, I will appreciate your sending me the phone and address so that I may contact him. Thank you for your help. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Gcgarner (talk • contribs) 19:28, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Did you try switchboard.com? If he is listed you can get it free, otherwise you will have to pay. --Justanother 21:32, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You can also try whitepages.com, anywho.com, and my favorite, google.com. I work customer service for a gift company and we use those sites very often to find addresses and such for people who mis-type their own addresses and those of their friends and family. Google is very handy since the other two may not list a certain address or phone number. Just last week, I was able to determine that an order wasn't fraudulent by googling someone's address and I found a copy of the minutes of a town meeting that verified that the person lived at that address. It was the only link and whitepages and anywho didn't list the person at all. Dismas|^(talk) 21:40, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

What is his name? Edison 05:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Copying

I found a page thats been directly copied of "CIA World factbook" is that allowed? Joneleth 20:05, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes! It's in the public domain. See The World Factbook for further information. Is the page you found in Wikipedia? If so, please point it out - while the Factbook may be in the public domain we can do better than copy and paste. Natgoo 21:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

And we have to identify material taken from the public domain as such (we can't claim it is copyrighted, even under the GDFL). --24.147.86.187 03:14, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

looking for a college friend

Hello, My name is Yelena Devyatova and live in San Francsico. I have a brother, Eduard Pel, who lives near Moscow, Russia.

He is trying to locate a long lost friend. Her name was Lilya Vainberg (Wainberg). Eduard and Lilya met in Tashkent. They both were students at the University of Tashkent in 1957-1960. He studied physics, and she studied math/physics (?)

She left Russia long ago, and supposedely live in New York. She has some affiliation with Russsian newspaper "Jewish World".

Would you suggest how to approach this situation? I wasn't able to contact "Jewish World".

Thank you very much for your time and assistance,

Yelena Devyatova —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.141.123.78 (talk) 20:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Yahoo's People Search didn't locate anyone by that name, but one of their affiliates did. SWAdair 06:28, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

college rankings

I need to find the top 20 universities in the U.S. by enrollment. I only see a top 10 list on your site. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.106.10.199 (talk) 20:56, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

The external links at the bottom of this article: List of largest United States universities by enrollment have that info. -THB 21:36, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Know what this is from? Lost? Anime?

Does anyone know where this is from? I had it as a website layout about 3 years ago. I thought it was called "Lost" but I can't seem to find it. --Stacey 21:23, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Looks like Lain to me. I remember another anime character that looks similar to her, with hair hanging down both sides of the face and tied in a similar fashion, but I forgot the name of that one. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Ah! Yeah that's it :D Thank you very much. --Stacey 12:40, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Sex & Playmate

Do playmates engage in constant sex?? Minimum how many times or to what extent is there a self moral control? Is there a difference between playmates and sex addicts?

22:13, 7 December 2006 (UTC)~~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kjvenus (talk • contribs)

(ec)Did you read the article Playmate? There's no reason to think that their libidos are different from those of other people. -THB 22:26, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

You may also wish to read Sex addiction. -THB 23:03, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought nymphomania was the same as sex addiction, but I see Hypersexuality is something completely different. Carcharoth 00:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

You may also wish to read Playboy. But only for the articles, of course. --Justanother 23:34, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Possibly the questioner might have meant the term sexmate. Carcharoth 00:13, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Of course, they do. They become positively irrational when they think about π. I hear they do it 3.14159 times a night. Clarityfiend 01:45, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought friday removed this thread.. --froth^{T C} 07:02, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Are we talking about the playmates, as in playboy girls? Watch The Girls Next Door. You can learn more about what they are really like! Laurən^whisper 15:04, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

How good is the girls next door TV Series? What goes on in the lives of some irresponsible playmates? How does one differentiate between the Girls Next door TV Series and the Nip Tuck series? 20:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)~~

It would be easier to compare them if you looked at the articles on The Girls Next Door and Nip Tuck. -THB 01:16, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Reminder: Wikipedia not a chat board, so everyone please remember what we're here for. Friday (talk) 20:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

tire valve core and fitting

"X" tire valve core and fitting

What is the name of the tire value that uses this type of core and fitting? Adaptron 23:27, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Interesting. What is it from? How do you get the air in and out? --Justanother 23:31, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

There is a lock cap which slides over and engages the core to secure it inside the stem. The core is hollow about 3/4 of the way down where it is tapped on the sides and covered with tubing. The tubing both seals the seat of the core inside the stem when the lock nut is tightened and covers the holes that tap the hollow core such that it forms a one way valve by allowing air to enter under excess external pressure but does not allow air to escape under excess internal pressure. The valve comes from China (those clever devils!) and the fitting may actually be Presta. Adaptron 00:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Nope, not a Presta. It's a Woods valve, aka Dunlop valve. In Finland, and presumably in some other countries as well, it's still quite common on your basic/ordinary/plain bike tyres.--Rallette 07:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

No I meant the threads appear to be Presta. Actually the reference you made says a Presta pump will fit them. Adaptron 12:24, 8 December 2006 (UTC)