Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 May 15

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May 15

Ford Transmission

Will a E40D Tranny from a 94 Ford F150 fit into a 99 Ford Ranger? There both 4x4 automatics. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.226.38.5 (talk) 00:32, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Scanner Questions

I bought myself a scanner just for the hobby of listening in on communication. What im wondering is i know all the rules regarding scanners in general. however i notice you can listen in on skywarn broadcasts. Do you still need an amateur radio license if you are just receiving broadcasts on your scanner and not transmitting them since most scanners dont transmit.--logger (talk) 03:40, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

See Amateur radio license - you didn't specify where you live, and the answer appears to vary by country. Tempshill (talk) 16:09, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

See Scanner (radio)#Legal issues.--80.3.133.3 (talk) 08:35, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

minister's daughter

Hi, I am a Chinese.

I wonder if someone can explain the following joke to me:

"She was only a minister’s daughter but I wouldn't put anything pastor."

Thank you.

Jenny Annaus22 (talk) 05:50, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

"Pastor" is one of several terms to describe a (religious) minister. Others include Reverend, Father, Priest or Man of the Cloth. In this joke, "pastor" is a homonym for "past her." And, "I wouldn't put anything past her" suggests that despite her father's occupation, she is willing to take (presumably social or sexual) risks. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:24, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

What dialect do you speak? =- Mgm|^(talk) 09:57, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Only a joke that would be understood by Anglicans or anyone familiar with the Anglican church. Sounds silly to me, being a catholic, not having pastors.--KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 07:41, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

What? A Catholic pastor is the leader of a parish. Livewireo (talk) 13:23, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Pastor. 16:28, 15 May 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.41.104.220 (talk)

There's a whole bunch of these dissected at [1]. Regale your friends with these rib crackers, I'm sure they'll be dying for you to repeat them, you'll be booked up with dinners for the next five years ;-) (p.s. just in case - in general these are children's jokes and people will quickly tire of them) Dmcq (talk) 08:23, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

By the way, this type of joke is referred to as a pun. -- 128.104.112.117 (talk) 16:21, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Children are people too. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:43, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

In case the phrase "put anything past her" is obscure: it means "consider anything beyond her range (of possible acts)". —Tamfang (talk) 05:16, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

I got it, it's a homonym, thanks a lot. Jenny Annaus22 (talk) 02:32, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

Homophone, surely? AndrewWTaylor (talk) 15:24, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Czech gymnast with different names

Jaroslava Bajerová (link) competed in the 1936 Olympics. Here she is referred to as Marie. Probably a nickname. I suspect that Maria Bajerová, that competed in the World Champs in 1934 and 1938 (link1) and link2) is the same person. Do anyone know if this is the same person? If not, is it OK to include the Maria Bajerová results in Jaroslava Bajerová article, if one explains why? ChickenFalls (talk) 06:31, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I would be wary. It could have been a sister or someone unrelated. Unless you have a clear source which makes the connection, I would avoid making the logical leap yourself as, without verification it may be wrong. Perhaps you could bring up the issue at the article talk page to see if anyone else has more insight into the matter. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:59, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

I agree with Jayron, per WP:SYNTH. Thanks, Foodie113 (talk) 22:42, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Paintball ban

What is the reasoning behind the suggested German paintball ban? When there's already discussion about whether violent films cause shootings, I don't see how paintballing is any different. Seems to me they're trying to avoid outright banning real guns which are the real cause. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:06, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Germany has much stricter gun laws than the States. (They even cover Airsoft guns). Since a paintball gun is essentially a gun there are two concerns: People getting injured by being shot with a paitball gun and people becoming accustomed to using other people as targets when shooting a gun. The German gun laws are being tightened in response to a recent school shooting in Winnenden. One of the things under consideration was banning paintball. Now they are considering tightening the already strict restrictions on age, rules and equipment. Minors (younger than 18) may not use an airgun with more than 7.5 J pressure for the projectile. You need a gun license to carry the weapon in public. The game area has to be on a clearly marked private property (e.g. fenced in). They have to ensure that no projectiles can leave this property and injure passerbys. German players reportedly have established their own code of conduct to discourage criticism. They won't use red paintballs and try to avoid any military associations in their clothing and demeanor. (One politician nvertheless was cited as saying the game was contra bonos mores, but they got into too much trouble with people opposing the ban to use that as an argument.) They are now conducting a study to find out how dangerous the game should be considered to be. 71.236.24.129 (talk) 11:48, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

This doesn't really surprise me. The Germans have all sorts of laws about the depiction of violence. Pretty much every computer game I ever worked on had to have a special german version where blood spurts out green instead of red (somehow that's OK with the law?!?) and instead of people collapsing into a heap when they die - they have to kinda softly fade out. I don't see how this helps - and (especially in the case of paintball) by banning these things, you may actually be removing the opportunity to let people work out their frustrations safely. There are contradictory studies all over the place - but nothing conclusive. You always here "such-and-such murderer played Grand Theft Auto a lot"...which is presented as something horrifying - but can also be translated as "such-and-such murderer was a pretty normal kid". Correlation does not imply causation. SteveBaker (talk) 15:36, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Every culture has their hang ups. They are a lot more liberal with depicting naked people and sex. Nasty remark: Given their history we should maybe be happy they are sensitive about violence. When we went to a German beach for the first time my aunt cried out "Are they too poor to buy clothes? All the children are naked!" Well, yeah little kids do go naked there. (And in summer so do adults in some places where it's legal.) More fun than shooting people.71.236.24.129 (talk) 00:19, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

The video game programmer in me wants to know if it's more fun than shooting people while naked...but I keep telling him not to answer questions on the Ref Desk. SteveBaker (talk) 03:54, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

You play video games naked?--KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 04:43, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

Isn't that one of the bonuses of playing games at home? 80.41.104.220 (talk) 08:38, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

I have no problem with the German desire to limit the amount of violence in a movie or video game. That is (as you say) entirely a cultural matter. What bothers me is the bizarre way that red blood is illegal but if your computer game splatters and spurts blood all over the scenery - all you have to do to make it OK in Germany is to change the color from red to green. That's it! That's not a cultural desire to limit violence - that's an incredibly stupid law! SteveBaker (talk) 03:54, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

They're promoting violence against Vulcans! —Tamfang (talk) 05:17, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

That first comment "Germany has much stricter gun laws than the States" gets me a bit riled up. "Germany" could be substituted for, well, most countries... Aaadddaaammm (talk) 16:57, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

Why does it get you riled up? The question isn't whether or not other countries have strict gun laws, it's about Germany specifically. And it is a fact that Germany's gun laws are more strict than the US's gun laws. --Alinnisawest,^{Dalek Empress} (extermination requests here) 19:13, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

True, but why compare it to the US? The question has nothing to do with the US. --Tango (talk) 00:44, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Probably a (incorrect) guess that the questioner was from USA? A reasonable guess on the English-language Wikipedia. APL (talk) 00:51, 19 May 2009 (UTC)

Yep. I might have googled gun laws from Burikina Faso or Sierra Leone for comparison, but why? I responded with what I knew for comparison. If you have more or differing info feel free to add a comment. That's what the edit tab is for. 71.236.24.129 (talk) 08:24, 19 May 2009 (UTC)

when do this years a-level exams finish?

yes —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.128.32.198 (talk) 17:21, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

It varies from student to student depending on which exam-board they are with etc. but all students (excluding re-sits and those re-arrange due to medical/emergency reasons) should have finished their exams by end of June. ny156uk (talk) 17:38, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Sleeping on one's front

Is it dangerous to sleep on your front? My friend was told it is. But I've done it for over a dozen years and haven't noticed any ill effects. 90.193.232.41 (talk) 19:08, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

I've heard of a connection between babies sleeping on their fronts and sudden infant death syndrome (cot death). I've never heard anything about adults sleeping on their fronts, but I haven't researched it. If you want a definite answer you need to speak to a doctor, we can't help you much (we have rules against giving medical advice, which I think this would qualify as). --Tango (talk) 19:11, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

If you're male, it can sometimes be painful. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 19:29, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Some research in the Sleep Laboratory of the UK showed it took 13 years for the effects to accumulate, so, wow, you asked just in time. Nah just kidding!! You have pretty much answered your own question, here you are after 12 years what more evidence do you want. 86.4.190.83 (talk) 14:10, 16 May 2009 (UTC)