Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 October 12

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October 12

Canned tuna question

By what method is the fish in canned tuna cooked before it is canned?--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 00:47, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

In the same spirit of "wow, Wikipedia has an article on everything," I now shall state "LarryMac's Conjecture" viz "All topics come up again on the Ref Desks." Here is an archive link to a question about tuna; the second link in my response says this about the first round of cooking - "Pre-cooking is carried out in steam at between 100° and 105 °C for as little as one hour for small species, or over eight hours for large specimens." I shall continue my research to determine if the six month cycle on questions is part of an established pattern. --LarryMac | Talk 13:28, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

in my Pee-wee Herman Steve Martin voice: well, excuuuuuuuuuuse me! It would be nice to make some kind of indexed, online book of all the good answers to WP reference desk questions. I know we have the archives, but this book would be more selective and easier to browse through. It would be roughly analogous to those "Fun facts" or "strange but true" books I used to read as a child. Thanks for the answer, btw.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 16:49, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

(after EC) No disrespect or anything bad was meant. Honestly, I was surprised to see something I'd once researched pop up again. Of course your question was not exactly the same, but it was a similar enough topic that I knew what to look for in the archives. Some day I hope to be able to bore my nieces and nephews with my arcane knowledge of tuna processing. And I've put a note in my calendar for next April so I can be ready for the next tuna question :-) --LarryMac | Talk 19:07, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

No disrespect was inferred; thanks again.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 19:37, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

It's not a book but you can use Google to search through the archives specifically. Just go to Google and put in "site:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives" without the quotes and then your keywords for the search. Google will only search through the archives that way. Dismas|^(talk) 19:01, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I'm well aware you can find old content anywhere on wikipedia using Google. I was merely saying it would be cool if there were a well designed, carefully edited resource compiling some of the good answers to questions posed to the reference desk; I think there's some really useful information to be found in these past responses.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 19:37, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Ah, well that's there for someone else who doesn't know how to use Google as well then. And it would indeed be a good book idea. Dismas|^(talk) 19:43, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

One of the purposes of the ref. desks is to point out where Wikipedia coverage is lacking. Theoretically speaking, after a question is answered on the ref. desks, the relevant articles in main space should be examined and updated, so that future people who are interested should be able to easily find the information. Theoretically speaking. Practically speaking, I doubt it happens with any frequency. -- 16:37, 13 October 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.104.112.200 (talk)

Some of us try − WP:RDAC. Rockpocket 23:06, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

I didn't know that Pee-wee Herman used Steve Martin's catchphrase. —Tamfang 09:25, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Reubens makes the phrase his own in Flight of the Navigator, but perhaps I'm showing my (lack of) age.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 09:32, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Ha, ha, I just downloaded the original Steve Martin standup routine. You know, all these years I assumed it just another "Pee-wee-ism" like "I know you are but what am I." But I suppose Pee-wee didn't coin most of his insolent responses. Thx for the tip.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 23:00, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

closed circuit cameras

What's the farthest distance that closed circuit cameras can be apart from one another to still work? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.127.165.136 (talk) 01:24, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

As long as the cables? A "closed circuit" camera just means one that doesn't broadcast via radio waves - these days you could call a web-cam "closed circuit" - so any distance. Truthfully, the term "closed circuit camera" is meaningless these days. SteveBaker 04:27, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

If you are talking about the viewing field of the camera and the ground they cover, that really depends on the design of the system and the specifications of the cameras used. --Kushal^{Click me!} write to me 04:40, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

It depends on many factors. The first one is wiring. Depending on the gage of the wire, the data may not be transmitted over long distances. It also depends on the type of image. A camera which takes a black and white picture every few second is not gonna need that much "broadband" and it may be installed further away than a color camera constantly filming. Finally, it also depends on the controller. Depending on the controller, and its capacity to receive information, the distance may vary. Other factors include EM interferences, which may block out any transmission. Just because you can have a long wire, it does not mean the data will be transmitted. Except, I guess, over fiber optics but I don't know if CCTV systems support that. I recommend you look at some manufacturers' websites to get the precise information.Youkai no unmei 12:22, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Writing *.CSV / Excel file

hello every body plz help me to write csv /Excel file with formated pattern means with Color,Height,Width seting to any perticular cell in C++. i m thankuful to you in advance! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.95.25.181 (talk) 06:08, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

You can't write CSVs with formatting. CSVs are just text files with comma separated values—they can't have colors, height, width, etc. Excel can read CSVs, but an Excel file format (XLS) is very different from a CSV.

Writing a CSV is very easy; the only difficulty is making sure that any data value that has a comma in it as part of its data is enclosed in quotation marks, and that any internal quotation marks in such fields are replaced with double-quotation marks ("Like ""this"""). See CSV for more information. As for Excel, I have no idea, but I imagine you will have to utilize Microsoft's OLE automation to do so, as is usually required to write to their proprietary formats, unless you are willing to really try and figure out how the XLS format works (which, if you have to ask how to do it, is well beyond your ability—as it is mine). --24.147.86.187 15:35, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Hey i Need a good Job in Good Software Company

hello everyone, i m searching for the job in Good Software Company, i m BE(Computer Science & Engineering) with 67.70%, i m hardly need of job plz help me! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.95.25.181 (talk) 06:12, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Then I suggest you contact a Good Software Company. There are plenty of them around. Good luck.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:29, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Learning where the punctuation and shift keys are located would also be worth your time. We use a lot of punctuation in the software business, to the point where this occasionally causes crises, such as the Great Sharp Shortage of Oh-Six.

Atlant 16:09, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

It's a good thing that those of us in the software business aren't required to speel correctly.  :) (just kidding, Atlant.) Corvus cornix 17:52, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

You raise a valid point, Atlant, but please allow me to cite the ref desk guidelines: "don't poke fun at a poorly-written question. The reference desk necessarily involves communication between questioners and respondents from different backgrounds and cultures."--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 17:57, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Is it possible for male orgasms to not feel as good as they used to? (declining pleasure)

I used to have amazing toe curling fist clenching orgasms, but not when i have them it's like they are over before they even start. I don't squirm like i used to. It's really frustrating. I am not overly stressed and my diet hasn't changed or anything. Any Help?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.7.130.43 (talk) 07:05, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps you are getting older?86.202.27.20 14:10, 12 October 2007 (UTC)DT

As opposed to .... ? DirkvdM 17:24, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Rejuvenation (aging)? --froth^t 02:23, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Have you read the Wikipedia article Coolidge effect ? Edison 14:53, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Frequency has a lot to do with it as well. You'll find (in general) that orgasms after a period of abstinence are of a much higher quality than the third one of the day (lucky git). Other than that, try experimenting with different stimuli (alone or with a partner). Anal stimulation, erotic asphyxiation (careful), relaxing ones body before the "big moment", and any number of other things can help to increase the sensation. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 17:35, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

My own experience is that orgasmic power is like food related to hunger, novelty or need. I am sure you will be aware of the hunger and novelty aspects but need might be new. Ever been stressed through travel or staying with others. You need release then. If you work out what you are missing you can work around it if your partner is willing. It might be called bed death or similar. Paul —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.86.166.234 (talk) 20:25, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Media Gateway control protocol

Hi,

Can anyone put suggestion regarding Media Gateway control protocol for me at (email removed for your protection).

Thanks and regards Upendra —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ubhatnagar (talk • contribs) 07:30, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

What do you mean by "suggestion"? Arakunem 00:05, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Content confirmation requested

Hello. I need a third-party to confirm or deny that the text, "John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him" appears in two books. The first one is on p. 212 of the January, 2007 tenth edition of The Rough Guide to New York City (ISBN 1843536927). There has been a little bit of confusion about this text, as a similar but smaller edition of the book may or may not include this information. The second book goes by the title of The Rough Guides' New York City Directions 2 (ISBN 1843537532). I recently confirmed that the text appears in the former book (ISBN 1843536927) by looking for "Lennon, John" in the index and following up to p. 212, however this has been disputed by another party. It is possible that due to misprints, the page numbers are listed incorrectly. It is also my guess that the text in question does not appear in the latter book, which is half the size of the former and is more of a condensed guide. It has also come to my attention that there may be several different versions of the same guide, (for example U.S./Canada/Euro/U.K. etc.) so please include the publishing date and any version/coauthor information in your reply. I have just confirmed that there are at least two versions of the tenth edition: a UK ed. published in January 2007, and a US ed. published in February 2007.[1] —Viriditas | Talk 08:35, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Google books turns up that exact phrase here: [2] on page 125 of "The John Lennon Affair" by Robert S. Levinson (ISBN 0765341565). The claim is that this phrase was written by Yoko Ono as a part of the public announcement of his death. The full text of the press release was:

"There is no funeral for John. Later in the week we will set the time for a silent vigil to pray for his soul. We invite you to participate from wherever you are at the time. We thank you for the many flowers send to John. But in the future, instead of flowers, please considers sending donations in his name to the Spirit Foundation Inc., which is John's personal charitable foundation. He would have appreciated it very much. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him. Yoko & Sean."

SteveBaker 13:50, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, Steve, but the problem is, that while much of the information in Levinson's mystery novel is based on actual events, it's considered a work of fiction. I know this because I made the mistake of using it as a reference only to discover this later. That's pretty much the reason I am sticking to the Rough Guide's at this time. I have already confirmed that the material appears in the 2002 and 2007 version, and I would like to cite the most recent copy, but another editor claims that this material does not appear in his 2007 copy, which is why I have asked for independent confirmation above. —Viriditas | Talk 18:53, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

How did Wikipedia start?

Hi,

For a paper I'm writing I want to know how Wikipedia started. I have read the History of Wikipedia but it does not state if Wikipedia transferred articles from Nupedia as a starting base or imported articles from other sources. I also would like to know where the initial user-base came from. In essence, how did Wikipedia cope with the cold start problem?

Any help/insight is appreciated :)

--GrandiJoos 10:44, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Neither of those. It started with articles written by volunteers, just like now. Much later, a very few things were brought in from Nupedia and a large number of out-of-copyright (and out-of-date) articles from old encyclopedias were brought in and heavily edited. Wikipedia really started with a blank page. Probably with a CamelCase title too! Wikipedia was started so that random editors could help build articles that would later be polished by experts and added to the Nupedia. Rmhermen 13:31, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Which means that neither Jimbo Wales nor Larry Sanger had any idea that Wikipedia would become something so important. A.Z. 06:05, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

I doubt anyone could have predicted that (and no one did). -- JackofOz 02:52, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

What we need to know is when Wikipedia will end.And if it does,there will be an article on it.But if there's an article then Wikipedia hasn't ended... If there isn't then the hypothesis that Wikipedia really does an article on everything will be wrong. I shall go and lie down now.That made my brain cells hurt Lemon martini 12:23, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Okay, then my question is, who started to create page's? How did people know back then about the wiki? And why did they start to write page's? If there where no pages and no or little users, why would someone start to create page's back then because the wiki idea was not new. --GrandiJoos 17:23, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

I think site such as Slashdot had something to do with it. Mention some new web-concept to the geeks and they will come. So when Jimbo launched Nupedia and it began to attract attention [3][4], the then side project that was Wikipedia slowly took on a life of its own as interested technophiles warmed to the concept. Little did anyone know that it would turn into a monster and devour it's benign host. Note also, that many of the participants at GNUpedia came across to Wikipedia in the early days. Rockpocket 17:49, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Thank you very much Rockpocket!!! One final question. I found that Wikipedia was started on January 10, 2001 and that 1,000 articles where created by Februari 2001. The first Slashdot article on Wikipedia is from March 10, 2001. Does anyone know where the users came from that created the first 1,000 articles in about a month??? --GrandiJoos 17:44, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

That is a good question. I don't know the answer, but at a guess I would suppose that the original contributors were made up from the reviewers at Nupedia. Nupedia has been running for 9 or 10 months previously, but it was very content poor because its editorial policy permitted only "experts" to write articles. However there was a community of non-expert reviewers who would offer criticisms, but not actually edit the article themselves. I don't know this, as I was not a reviewer or editor at the time, but I suspect when Wikipedia was launched the non-expert reviewers had a mechanism by which they could now write articles rather than review them, and the first Wikipedians were probably largely drawn from this community. The Whole whole point of launching Wikipedia was to encourage more content to be written, which kinds of suggest there was already people at Nupedia who were keen to contribute, but were not able to due to the editorial policy. If there was a community of 100 reviewers, it is no unfeasible that each of them could contribute 10 stubs in the first month, before new editors began to arrive from GNUpedia and Slashdot. However, the best way to get an answer to this particular question is to ask Jimbo himself. If he doesn't answer personally, its likely that the people that hang out at his talk page could direct you to someone who was there at the beginning and give you a personal insight. Rockpocket 21:47, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

English language

What is the origin of'to give someone the sack`?84.18.2.115 12:21, 12 October 2007 (UTC)Barry84.18.2.115 12:21, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

I believe it refers to literaly having a sack put over ones head; either to kill them or just to humiliate. Shouldn't this be in the Language desk? Think outside the box 12:30, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable at Bartleby.com says the sack was a workman's toolbag. He was given it so he could carry his tools elsewhere. It also offers without comment the supposed fact that the Sultan would put an unwanted harem girl in a sack and throw it in the Bosporus. It doesn't say that this led directly to the invention of scuba, but I think it's likely. --Milkbreath 12:49, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Further to the first part of Milkbreath's answer, I understood that the employer would keep the sack during the employ of the tradesman and thus gave him the sack when he required him to leave.

scuba - as in "sack contained underwater breathing apparatus"?

Richard Avery 14:26, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

the moon to the tide

Does the phrase "the moon to the tide" have lesbian connotations? Picture of a cloud 12:27, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

It's the opening line to the song "Under Your Spell" in the Buffy musical Once More With Feeling, a love song from Tara to Willow, so in that light it might have Lesbian connotations. However, from this GoogleBooks link, we can see that it also is used in a heterosexual context. In general, I'd say it's a metaphor for "eternally bound together", or perhaps "inexorably attracted to another". --LarryMac | Talk 13:12, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Actually, thats not the opening line; it is towards the end of the song. The opening lines are:

"I lived my life in shadow

Never the sun on my face,

It didn't seem so sad, though

I figured that was my place"

Think outside the box 15:34, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for catching that, I meant to rewrite that part of my response and just forgot to do so. --LarryMac | Talk 18:58, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

The moon really does pull the tide, so yeah, the metaphor could be used for any two people or forces that are bound together and effect one another. However, both the moon and the sea are classically associated with women (because of the menstrual cycle and chaotic beauty, respectively), so it was an especially appropriate choice for a lesbian love song. --Masamage ♫ 17:00, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

It also is devoid of the aggressive/pursuit model of love/courtship which often takes a very masculine tone (whether it is used by men or not). The moon and the tides are simply locked; it is not a chase, it is not a hunt. --24.147.86.187 17:15, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

That and orgasms go in waves... Hyper Girl 17:17, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

And the moon is in the shape of a testicle, but I don't think these things are what the song is about -_- --froth^t 02:20, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

"Breaking with each swell" and "lost in ecstacy" might be ambiguous on paper, but they're sure not when you watch the episode. --Masamage ♫ 02:34, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

The moon? shaped like a testicle? come ooon? what sort of testicles have you seen? Those delicate organs are oval - egg shaped, and that does not start to compare the size!! Richard Avery 07:42, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

IT

If some one gave me a laptop, with windows already on it, is it legal for me to use it, and if so, STOP, let me refraze, I was given a computer, with windows on it already, but it also has a virus, and I can therefore not open Internet Explorer. How can I delete everything and start again, I have a 9gb hard drive but only 1.5gb free, what it is filled with I dont know. please can someone help me. ps, it is obviously not the computer I am using now. :-)12.191.136.2 12:32, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Did the laptop come with it's original Windows CD-ROMS and the corresponding license code? If it is still running the copy of windows that was on it when it was bought - then probably the original owner didn't have CD's. In that case, the manufacturer probably placed a backup copy of the OS in a special partition of the hard drive with a program to let you re-install Windows from that backup copy. On the other hand, if the original owner had installed Windows him/herself - then perhaps that person has the original CD-ROM and license codes to give you. If they are using that CD-ROM/license set for some other computer now - then it would be illegal to also run it on your computer - so you should go out and buy a new copy of Windows to run on it. Of course you could also wipe the drive and install Linux on the beast...that's what I usually do with old laptops. SteveBaker 13:37, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Thank you very much. The person that gave it to me knows almost as much as I do about computers which is nothing, so I doubt they installed it them selves, they may have the cds but theyre now in south africa and I am in England. so can you please tell me how to find the special partition to save windows and wipe the rest. thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 14:47, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

If you are not "educated" in the Windows Explorer environment, you should just dump Windows[1] and move to a free (open-source) operating system such as Ubuntu Linux or Puppy Linux. Regards, Kushal

[1] The suggestion is based on the assumption that you do not have a compelling reason (such as internal dial-up modem). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kushal one (talk • contribs) 16:11, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

I am copying this section to the computer reference desk. --Kushal^{Click me!} write to me 16:12, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Investment Banker vs. Stock trader

I was just looking over a couple of careers, from what I can gather an investment banker is someone who deals in analysis of market trends and constructs models so on so forth, it's meant to be big money but ridculously long hours and no social life. But as I was surfing through entries I kept coming across stock trader who appeared to be doing similar work but with less hours. Are they the same job, or is a stocks trader more like a stock broker?

And just to clarify, what are those guys who sit in front of their computers and buy and trade stock really quickly in order to make a profit (ie not buying/selling on behalf of someone else)? Someone told me they were called day traders but then someone else told me they were investment bankers , but aren't the latter meant to spend all their time modelling?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm soon to be selecting my tertiary subjects, and I'm really interested in that rapid pace buying and selling of stocks over a short period of time, except I can't seem to figure out what the career is actually called... Thanks 121.216.53.172 13:21, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Added some wiki-links in for you. They should show the difference between the roles. I don't know if there is a 'wikijobs' out there but certainly it could be a good addition to the wiki-universe, often people wonder what job X does and it seems it is often hard to find out. ny156uk 15:42, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks but I've already had a look at those articles and I can't seem to figure out which is which :(. A wikijobs would be great 121.216.53.172 00:16, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Snail soup

I'm collecting garden snails, ie Roman Snails (Helix pomatia) for my French friend. I intend to make her a lovly soup, and as this is my first girlfriend I want everything to go well. Unfortunately, I have no experience in cooking snails. Any advice? Weasly windom price 16:12, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

See escargot and land snails as food. Most garden snails are not edible, and they are not normally eaten in soup, so I suggest you check with her first rather than spring a surprise.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:30, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Yum. It is a little known fact, but true nonetheless, that girls prefer snail soup to flowers. Especially French ones. As an added bonus, Helix pomatia is a low-fat snail (only 0.49% fat) [5], so your Gallic gal will stay trim and svelte. Rockpocket 17:53, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Is that French girls, French snails, or French flowers?  :) Corvus cornix 18:06, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Ooh, svelte. Nice word. I'll add it to my repertoire (another fun word!) of my favorites --froth^t 02:18, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

This girl doesn't. XD Before we were a couple, my husband and I went on a gigantic group date with the explicit purpose of eating escargot, and I was one of only three people who chickened out. (He, on the other hand, was the first person to try them, and it was quite a show. Seems he prefered the snail to the bleu cheese it was cooked in.) Anyway, this makes me think that you might be able to get at least basic advice from a local restaurant, or of course you could check out a bookstore or library for cookbooks. --Masamage ♫ 02:20, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Also, are you 100% sure of the species? I just looked at a number of the pictures of land snails in snail and honestly most of them in the genus Helix look identical to my untrained eye. I think it would be hard to tell them apart unless trained a bit. --24.147.86.187 18:46, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

YIKES!!! I strongly recommend NOT doing that for many reasons. Snails that are raised for culinary purposes are fed on special diets - all sorts of special care is taken of them. Your wild snails will taste TERRIBLE (and they'll probably cause all sorts of "exciting" digestive issues). My wife is French and I can tell you that their reputation for eating weird things is greatly overrated - but their preference for really good, simple food is underrated! Your snails will do two things (a) they'll offend her because she'll assume you are reinforcing a ridiculous stereotype (which you are) and (b) they'll taste terrible and she most certainly won't enjoy them. So please, for pities' sake don't do this! NO, NO, NO, NO! (And if your thoughts even start to drift into the direction of Frogs' legs...slap yourself firmly across the face!)

If you really want to cook something that will appeal to her French background, then stick with something simple that you can do really well. Whatever thing it is that you cook the best (unless that's snails or frogs). The French love steak & fries - a good old standby would be 'Steak au poivre'. You can coat the steaks with crushed black peppercorns and add a cream & brandy mixture at the last minute - you could even get really brave and set light to the brandy. Before you cook the steaks be sure to ask how she likes them done (probably on the rare side...but you never know). Offer mayonnaise with the fries - that's something fairly uniquely French that will prove that you took the trouble to find something that would make her feel at home. The fies the French usually serve with steak are the thin, skinny ones like the ones you get at McDonalds (but NO! make your ownd!) If you can make your own mayo - better still - but it's easy to mess it up, so make sure you have some store-bought stuff around! (If you're really lucky, she might even offer to help you out with making the Mayo! You should have a really simple, fresh green salad on the side with a basic oil+vinegar dressing. Try to get some Dijon mustard - and if you're trying really hard, get both the smooth kind and the sort with lots of mustard seeds in them.

SteveBaker 12:12, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Or if you insist on sticking with a French stereotype of food, try something a little simpler and more palatable, like crêpes. — Michael J 18:51, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Some garden snails are POISONOUS!!!!! As in you could die from collecting garden snails to eat. This link suggests this is caused by the snails eating poisonous plants (to humans). Defiantly don't! --S.dedalus 20:37, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

You need to leave your snails for several days without food so that their gut is empty of any poisonous mushroom and plant. Even though wild snails can be delicious if prepared correctly I wouldn't advise on carying on with your plans. Why don't you cook something from YOUR country to impress her with new culinary sensations? You might be able to avoid a very polite disgusted smile from her. Keria 16:25, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

Subject to the need to purge them first, you can eat most snails. You can certainly eat the ones you find in British gardens, properly called Helix aspersa, which can be delicious. The French cook them and call them 'petit gris'. Xn4 18:38, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

Escargots have near-identical texture to Viviparidae, which is plentiful in Asia (and maybe Asian supermarkets, ask for 田螺). Maybe you wanna try that instead? :p --antilived^{T | C | G} 09:40, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

camberwell carrot wood joint

Could you please help me by giving me information on and detail of to make a camberwell carrot wood joint as i have never heard of this joint Is there such a joint in woodworking or am i being wound up —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.159.156.214 (talk) 20:58, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

The Camberwell Carrot is an extremely large joint invented by Danny in Withnail and I. I am not aware of a woodworking joint of the same name. Algebraist 21:11, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

U.S. Military in WW1

What branch of the U.S. Military was a corps of only 50 soldiers when World War I broke out?

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Airbornejerky (talk • contribs) 22:05, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

This sounds like one of those well intentioned but misguided bar trivia questions. The closest I could find was at Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps which had 51 officers and enlisted men in 1912. 161.222.160.8 23:31, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

It does sound like a trivia question gone wrong, because based on that article, it seems like they want you to say the United States Air Force had only 50 members at the time. — Michael J 18:48, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Er, what? The US Air Force didn't exist then. It was created (from the United States Army Air Forces) after WW2. --Tardis 21:33, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

Queen's Bodyguards

What government agency is responsible for the personal protection of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family? How does the overall quality of this agency compare with the US Secret Service? Thanks. Acceptable 22:43, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

The Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department of the Met. I am not sure how one would compare the quality with that of the US Secret Service. DuncanHill 22:47, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

We haven't had any successful assassinations of a British Monarch since at least 1649, so they and their predecessors could be regarded as having bettered the performance of the Secret Service. Occasions when the lives of members of the Royal Family have been threatened have almost always been resolved peacefully: the starting pistol attack on the Queen by Marcus Serjeant in 1981 was over quite quickly, and Ian Ball's kidnap attempt on Princess Anne was thwarted without loss of life. There was also the Free Wales Army Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru attempt to bomb the Prince of Wales in 1969 but that went wrong all by itself. Sam Blacketer 22:53, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

That's a rather strong claim to make. I feel that gun culture, the political system, population size, even national 'personality' factor into the amount of successful assassinations much more than the quality of the bodyguards. And assassinating royalty is very different from assassinating a president. At the very least, you should normalize the number of successful assassinations by the number of attempted assassinations. I doubt that any statistics will give you a reliable answer on this, though. The best way to assess the quality of the protection would be to do a thorough study into the amount of training that goes on, the funding the agency gets, the status it has, that sort of thing. risk 01:51, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. As to Sam's list, I note that he didn't mention the various attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria. However, while I know no details about them myself, I don't believe they say anything about the effectiveness of the Queen's protection today. --Anonymous, 02:15 UTC, October 13, 2007.

Brigade of Guards?--88.111.33.45 09:59, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

The Guards - horse and foot - are the monarch's military protection. Today largely a traditional role. Her everyday personal security is in the hands of the police (as above) but no doubt the security service(s) are also involved.86.216.250.225 12:03, 13 October 2007 (UTC)DT

Wouldn't the difference in the positions of President vs. King/Queen have something to do with the motive in killing either one? I'm not familiar with the British Monarchy as much as I am with the American Presidency but I didn't think that the King/Queen actually had any say in political matters. They're basically figure heads, no? So there would be no point in killing them to further an agenda. Dismas|^(talk) 18:19, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Well, in relation to political matters, the UK monarch has the right to be consulted, to advise, and to warn. He/she also appoints the Prime Minister of the UK, and there are historically recent precedents (see Alec Douglas-Home) where the majority party did not choose its own leader and it was left up to the Queen to make the choice. That would be more than enough incentive to assassinate the monarch, if one were so minded. -- JackofOz 02:51, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

My guess is the motive for killing either the queen or the president would be about the same -- to get attention. As far as I know, no attempted assassination on an American president since that of James A. Garfield has been about pushing an agenda. To affect change through assassination, someone would have to kill both the president and vice president, which is quite a tall order. -- Mwalcoff 02:55, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

The British Royal Family commands an extremely high level of affection and support from the vast majority of the British people - partly because the Monarch does not have any political role and therefore does not take major decisions that alienate some people. It would be regarded as a disaster of the first magnitude were the Queen to be assassinated.86.219.32.234 09:51, 14 October 2007 (UTC)DT

Sidenote: I once met someone who almost bumped into the Dutch queen Beatrix in New Zealand (at least, that's how he told it). He walked into a shop while she came out. He was astonished that she walked around without any protection whatsoever. DirkvdM 18:13, 14 October 2007 (UTC)