Miscellaneous desk
< December 2	<< Nov \| December \| Jan >>	December 4 >

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.

December 3[edit]

Itching ear[edit]

If your ear is itchy inside, what can you do?--Light current 00:24, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Scratch it? --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 00:25, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Inside!--Light current 00:34, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Assumed you meant in the ear canal, but not INSIDE the ear. Wow, that's really odd. --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 00:36, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know what you are talking about. This happens to me quite often.Яussiaп F 00:45, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes the canal where you cant get your finger.--Light current 00:51, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Scracth with a Q-tip. If it's too soft, strip the Q-tip of the soft cotton material and insert the hard, bare plastic tip into your ear. This can be dangerous and is not usually recommended. Jamesino 01:28, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never put anything in your ear like that. You can cause permanent damage. If your ear is itchy, you could have earwax. A doctor can remove it or you could buy OTC wax removal kit. Ear candling is a total scam. -THB 01:39, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's an allergic reaction, typically associated with allergy to dairy products...I suffered with it for years. Identify whatever you are allergic to (sometimes even shampoo)and eliminate it. In the meantime mix water and hydrogen proxide and squirt into the ear to control the fungus which is causing the itch. This operates much like the fungus candida. And properly done ear candling is a very valuable tool to remove the debris caused by the fungus in the ear, but it cannot 'cure' the itch because the itch is caused by the fungus which can only proliferate when the allergen is present and until you stop ingesting the thing you are allergic to, the problem continues. I eliminated all dairy and soy and bingo, no more itch. I also noticed that certain shampoos triggered the itch and as soon as I stopped using them, the itch was gone. You'll also notice that when your ears are most itchy, you also have other itchy spots, like around the eyes or nose..... graceyjo 20:08, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Buenos Aires[edit]

Hi, everybody. I will be spending the Christmas holiday in Buenos Aires, my first visit to the city. I've read all the guidebooks and done all the research, so I know the main places I want to visit. I would appreciate some guidance, though, from anyone who knows the city well, on the less obvious attractions. Can anyone recommend a particularly good restaurant? Where are the best bars and night spots? Above all, where can I see some authentic tango? Clio the Muse 00:39, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It takes 2 to tango. So I hope your not going alone!--Light current 00:53, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, have a great time! I'm super excited for you. Try some of the results of THIS GOOGLE SEARCH that lists some Buenos Aires forums where people are asking (and answering) those kinds of questions. Anchoress 01:43, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Anchoress, I intend to! The links you provided were really useful; I'm in your debt. Oh, I 've been invited to a dinner on Christmas Eve at a French restaurant called La Burgogne in the Avelar Palace Hotel. I'm told it's very good. Clio the Muse 09:04, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Might be la Bourgogne (Burgundy in french). -- DLL ^{.. T} 16:58, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is!. Sorry for the typo. Clio the Muse 00:18, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Post Wedding[edit]

What is polite in Western culture for one to say to a newly wed Groom? "ccongratulations"? Jamesino 01:35, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, and you can tell him what a lucky man he is. (It's not nice to tell the bride what a lucky girl she is, however.) You can also say that you know they'll be very happy together. -THB 01:37, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So it's not good manners to say 'She's a very passionate girl when she gets excited.Trust me,I should know'? :) Lemon martini 10:26, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Straight after a wedding, I always ask the bride and groom "Well, how's married life?", and they usually say "Great .... so far". :) JackofOz 00:49, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ideal Profession[edit]

What would be the ideal career for someone (me) who wanted to travel the world, visit exotic locales, voyage to the far corners of the Earth? Without having to be rich. Яussiaп F 03:19, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Reporter? Soldier? Sailor etc.--Light current 03:22, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Old joke: "Join the Navy. Go to exotic places, meet interesting people, and kill them." --Anon, 06:50 UTC, December 3.

Air courier Dang, another red one; go here then. --Justanother 03:33, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Casual courier --Justanother 03:35, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pilot, flight attendant, work on a cruise ship, travel writer, backpacker, hobo, sex worker. -THB 03:40, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Working for Reuters takes you literally everywhere. Some with a fairly high degree of danger, though. Clio the Muse 03:46, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was on a cruise ship in the Greek islands when I was 18 years old, and I was pretty sure the musicians providing nightly entertainment on board had the best job I could think of. Now it's over a decade later, and I've had at least a dozen different jobs, and I'm not sure I was wrong when I was 18. -GTBacchus^(talk) 04:14, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Flight attendants travel all over the world, but hardly get to see the places they visit. Just the airports. Being a travel guide would be better, but for that you'd need some travelling experience first. DirkvdM 06:44, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In general, if you assume a perfect market for jobs, anything that looks 'ideal' usually has a compensating side, such as low pay. Only the top talent in any field gets high pay and ideal conditions. --Zeizmic 16:32, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Definitely the Navy. "Join the Navy and see the world- through a porthole." Assuming your country is not landlocked, and has a world-wide navy. Being crew or entertainer on a cruise ship has possibilities, also.Edison 21:15, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I work as a stagehand for a touring theatre production. I spend about 85-95% of nights in hotels and visit lots of different places, some exotic, some mundane. But I usually have time in each place to really actually get to see it (unlike a flight attendant, for example), and I work with the locals to set up the production, so I talk to more than just the hotel bartender. It's a good gig with lots of travel. kmccoy (talk) 05:05, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are there groupies for production people for Sesame Street? -THB 12:49, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Voting member of the International Olympic Committee has just gotta be up there. --Dweller 12:54, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Arms dealer? --Justanother 13:01, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Telecommunications technician, engineer or project manager. You can work in most countries in the world, and the the need for qualified people is absolutely there. So go on, and get educated;-)) br Iris

What's the music?[edit]

What is the music used in certain scenes of usually comedy movies? Two examples are the happy place in Happy Gilmore and running to the park in National Lampoon's vacation?Reywas92^Talk 04:12, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean that song that they play in sports movies and stuff when people are moving in slow motion? I don't know the name, only the context. --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 04:15, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Check out List of clichéd classical pieces. I'm guessing you're thinking of the love theme from Romeo and Juliet? —Keenan Pepper 05:01, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One song that is frequently used in such contexts is "Young Love" from Max Steiner's music to the film A Summer Place. There's a sample to be heard on this Amazon page (Disc 2, track 7): [1] --Rallette 10:18, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, it isn't Young Love. I think Wooty knows what I'm talking about. I've never heard Romeo and Juliet. Reywas92^Talk 23:57, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is it possible you mean the Chariots of Fire theme? Often played when people are running in slow motion, or achieving something. Skittle 14:33, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never heard Romeo and Juliet? Get it. You'll love it. JackofOz 00:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

what is this song called?[edit]

hi peoples i have this song stuck in my head. all i know is that it's from the t.v program scrubs(ch 7) and the chorus goes "where did i go wrong, i lost a friend" please if anyone knows who its by or what its called please answer!!!

Sir Sagman 04:13, 3 December 2006 (UTC)Sir SagmanSir Sagman 04:13, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The song is "How to Save a Life" by The Fray, it's playing right now on the radio! --Nevhood 06:00, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

thanx heaps.

Sir Sagman 07:51, 3 December 2006 (UTC)Sir Sagman[reply]

this chick[edit]

ok i was wondering bout this chick i saw on tv once she was born as a guy and then she had a thing done and over time she became a chick and she was on a tv show called "theres something about meruim" but thats not her name and i was wondering what her name was and how to spell it coz me and my friend were talking bout it yester day and now im wondering

There's Something About Miriam --Justanother 05:57, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Forbes 400 - Percent of Wealth Inherited[edit]

Hi everyone, I have been trying to find out what percent of the total wealth of the Forbes 400 was inherited, but I only can find the percent of people who have become a member of the Forbes 400 by inheriting wealth, which is about 40%. Can someone please help me find this? Thank you so much! --Nevhood 05:55, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You would have to know what percentage of each person's wealth was inherited, and that would be difficult in many cases. -THB 14:57, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Let's imagine it is random : why not, then just take 40% of the total wealth. -- DLL ^{.. T} 16:51, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I guess I'll have to do that. My economics teacher assigs the weirdest extra credit questions! --Nevhood 17:58, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Then you should consider adjusting for the hyper wealthy, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who did not inherit their wealth. -THB

Yet another what is this movie question[edit]

I saw a preview for a movie quite some time ago—maybe two years, give or take. I think it's an Italian film, possibly French. Man is riding a scooter, may be making a pizza delivery, not sure, and is weaving insanely in and out of traffic; an apparent comedy or at least in the realm of zany. Ring a bell for anyone?--Fuhghettaboutit 06:21, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like it could be Taxi (1998 film), though the date it was released might make it too old. It has a few sequels (in 2000 and 2003) but i don't know if there is scooter action in those films. Even if it isn't Taxi, you should check it out. Great movie. Rockpocket 07:08, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's it! Thank you! As for the timing, I have no idea where i saw the preview--it may very well have been on a vhs rental. I remember thinking that the movie looked great and making a mental note to look it up sometime but then i forgot the title.--Fuhghettaboutit

The opening scene of Taxi (1998 film) depicts the said scooter scene.

Odd uses[edit]

This should be a quick one. Where can I find articles, both on and off Wikipedia (prefer at least one Wikipedia article), that cover strange or nonstandard uses for mundane items (wire, peanut butter, duct tape, paper plates, spaghetti noodles, cereal boxes, etc.)? A search through creativity and innovation found no relevant pages.

If you should also find a page that refers specifically to apples, please note it too, as searches for them keep turning up the computer.

Thanks! lvlarx 09:23, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can make a marijuana smoking pipe from an apple. -THB 14:55, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For those things, Make: is not so bad. -- DLL ^{.. T} 16:49, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There was a book and PBS pledge week show on just such things. The author was named Graham something, if I recall correctly. One of his suggestions was to spray shaving cream on the bathroom mirror and wipe it off to keep it from steaming up. Another was to suspend sweaters on clotheslines with a pair of pantyhose to prevent them from stretching out. Does anybody else recall his full name or the name of the book ? StuRat 12:15, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think you are thinking of Haley's Hints, ISBN 0451211820.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 20:43, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, that's it. StuRat 10:49, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

you could put a peice of uncooked pasta between your back teeth and crunch down on it while pretending to break your nose. It fools people really well. They think that you broke your nose.

Try here. —B00P 21:02, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, you can brush your teeth with milkshakes for a quick weight gain, and you can also check out [Joey Green's site].--Folksong 22:14, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Your imagination??martianlostinspace 16:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

nitric oxide[edit]

question (optical illusion)[edit]

how did this guy done that?

Easy. The chair is laid on its side on the floor, the man appears to sit in the chair when in reality he is also laying on the floor. The camera is suspended above the man & the chair. The man is not springing up in the air, he is spinning in place on the floor. 192.168.1.1 5:35am, 3 December 2006 (PST)

Note you can't see his feet. Someone could have helped him.martianlostinspace 17:02, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

evolution of the ski[edit]

What adventages do modern skis hold over wooden ones? I would like to know, including the physics behind an answer..

Less friction.
At temperatures around 0°C, water penetrates the wood. The water freezes, and allows snow to cling to your skis. Soon, you have a thick layer of ice and snow underneath your skis, which is quite difficult to remove, and which makes skiing difficult. This problem is greatly reduced with skis made of synthetic materials.

--NorwegianBlue^talk 22:16, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Skis are one of those things that really benefit from a good stiffness/weight ratio (like airplanes!). You can't beat carbon fiber or other exotic materials for this. --Zeizmic 23:26, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ski bindings that don't try to rip your leg off when you fall. Curved edges ("Parabolic skis"). Inset metal edges.

Atlant 15:34, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don Hahn, former Mets outfielder[edit]

Hi. I would like to write a page about Don Hahn, former New York Mets outfielder. I notice that there is already a page telling about another Don Hahn who is a Disney animator.

Could somebody kindly tell me how I can go about doing this? I have edited pages before, but I have never started a page. Also, how can I differentiate for the reader between the two Don Hahns?

Thank you.

--Slater79 22:18, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See WP:D for info on disambiguation pages. Don Hahn (baseball) might be an appropriate name for the new article, assuming there's not more than one baseball player of that name. Friday (talk) 22:21, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Slater, just click on the red link that Friday has provided and start typing (citing sources, of course). Then add a stub tag like {{baseball-stub}} if you only start the article. Add both Don Hahns to Don Hahn (disambiguation) (you can use something like Roy Rogers (disambiguation) as an example). New pages are created by just typing them in the search box or the address bar or between [[]] in the sandbox or elsewhere and then clicking on the red link. --Justanother 14:15, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And be sure to put {{otheruses}} on the top of both your baseball player article and the animator article, so that visitors to those pages would know that there is a disambiguation page. User:Zoe|(talk) 19:48, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"tr" and "str" letter combos[edit]

(question already answered on Language Desk) -THB 23:22, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fijian Military Crisis[edit]

Why does The Commodore belive that his Small country would be able to Resist invasion? When in all actuality a Determined country would have No problem in Invading Catman503 22:29, 3 December 2006 (UTC)Catman503[reply]

Why does canada have an army? --⁪froth^{T C} 22:42, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ninety percent of all Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border. Fiji's neighbor Tonga successfully invaded the Republic of Minerva in 1972. -THB 23:02, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We're planning to take over the world. (OK, so it's a very long-term plan.) Clarityfiend 23:44, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fiji has an army of only 3,500 - and only around 3,000 of them are in country (some are on UN peacekeeping assignments) It wouldn't take even a determined country, just an interested one. Rmhermen 23:53, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I thought so because seriously who's he trying to kid? he couldn't resist invasion if he tried and it'll be a matter of time before someone takes offense to his Nonsense and invades fiji (Tis a Wonderful place to visit..Went there when i was a Kid)Catman503 00:05, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's always defense from terrorists, cults, and other militant groups, as well as from internal uprisings (revolt). That's what I meant about canada. Plus you know how dictators are :) --⁪froth^{T C} 04:46, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See Defence Scheme No. 1. A lot of Americans live near the border with Canada, too. -THB 06:03, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can just see it now: in the middle of Prohibition, Canada invades and all the thirsty Americans desert. I'm curious though; why did we want Great Falls? Clarityfiend 19:57, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nobody's invading Fiji, I think those Thailand coup-people are still around. Perhaps Canada should invade Fiji to provide another place for baby-boomer snowbirds. After all, Florida is pretty well filled up.... --Zeizmic 12:40, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The percentage of Canadians living within 100 miles of the border has declined in the past 20 years to something like 75%. The majority of the population of Alberta, the fastest-growing province, lives well over 100 mi from the US border.

With respect to the Fijian commander, Frank Bainimarama: it's not likely anybody's going to bother invading just to prop up the civilian government. After all, when it comes to power, he's got it. (Oh baby, he's got it. Ahem, sorry.) There have already been three coups in the past 20 years and nobody intervened then: why would they do so now? --Charlene 07:39, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So, is Fiji now a Bainima(rama) republic? Clarityfiend 10:15, 5 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In practice, 3,000 soldiers is a very large army given Fiji's location, small size, and weak economy. While it would be a relatively simple task for the United States to deal with the Fijian military (if its army wasn't busy vainly trying to pacify Iraq), for Australia and New Zealand it's a different matter. While they could certainly massacre much of the Fijian military if that was the goal, it would be beyond their current military capabilities to occupy the country, maintain order, and defeat an insurgency run by trained soldiers (who, while not supported by most of the population at present, may well gain such if a foreign force intervene). This is particularly the case as Australia already has troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Solomon Islands, and East Timor. --Robert Merkel 05:48, 6 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ethno-linguo-cultural revisited[edit]

Which ethno-linguo-cultural groups do poorly at business and money-handling compared to others? Why? -THB 23:10, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the US, statistically, probably blacks (though there are probably others) - even though discrimination is illegal.martianlostinspace 17:00, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As there is no reason to believe that any group of people are intrinsically less competant than average in dealing with such matters, it appears that lack of education, both formal and informal, and lack of interest by a higher percentage of the individuals in such a group, when compared to the average, would be the cause. That is, of course, granting the unproven premise that such groups do, in fact, exist. B00P 18:17, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

integrity of data[edit]

Please highlight somewhere on your page what are the means at your disposal to verify, correct, maintain the integrity of the various pages, so that each entry is true, accurate, neutral to political bias and refelcts verifiable, authenticated knowledge.

THis mystery is the one big question I allways had. In today's NYT Magazine they speak about how the U.S Intel Community needs to emulate Wikepidia. To share intel to protect. One of their issues is the possibility that certain elements with access to the data or those with the right to edit, change, bend the direction or the integrity of the data (I.E: a disgruntled employee who does not agree with certain policy could cleverly enter misleading data that over a period of time becomes part of the accepted version of certain entry, thus causing enormous harm to everyone) which also applies to all of your users, when controversial data is entered, redited, manipulated, and possibly by some with malicious intentions.

It would be great if you has a link that takes the vistors directly to a page explaining how you keep vigilant of your data collection.

Sincerely,

TJBarker (email removed to prevent spam)

You asked this on the Help Desk as well. Please see replies there. --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 23:43, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The U.S. intelligence community already does this. See Intellipedia. They even use our software. Rmhermen 23:49, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another good way to get good decisions is to have people bet their own money on the validity of the info. For example, would Bush have invaded Iraq if his fortune was personally dependent on finding WMD ? Probably not. StuRat 10:41, 4 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]