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June 17

Stolen art

When priceless works of art and rare books are stolen, where do they generally go and who generally steals them? Are there actual criminals that appreciate these things in their own homes and hire the thieves to steal them? If not, why steal them in the first place then? Dismas|^(talk) 13:41, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Our article Art theft says that sometimes they are held for ransom...so in those cases, nobody other than the original owner actually has to appreciate the art. But it also says "Only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered—estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of art theft." - meaning that so little of it ever gets found that we have no good clues as to where it's all going. Worst still, in cases of ransom, the crime may never be reported - so the true extent of that kind of theft is likely to be underestimated. Our article does contain many accounts of what happened in cases that are well documented - and that is somewhat revealing about the motives of the criminals involved. Clearly, some of them did steal the art so that they could have it in their homes. In many cases, those were inside jobs from people who worked at the gallery or museum who clearly did appreciate the art for it's own sake rather than for it's value. List of stolen paintings adds more information that you may find interesting. SteveBaker (talk) 13:59, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Also, some criminals might steal it "just to prove they could", or might appreciate the work of art for it's monetary value alone, even though they can't sell it and don't care for it artistically. It's a characteristic of human behavior that many people will suddenly like something, once told that it's valuable, which they didn't like before. StuRat (talk) 16:47, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

It's ironic that anyone would steal paintings to "prove" anything as it's apparently about as difficult as robbing a convenience store. When Edvard Munch's The Scream was stolen, for example, a witness noted "What's strange is that in this museum, there weren't any means of protection for the paintings, no alarm bell," Francois Castang told France Inter radio, the Associated Press reported. "The paintings were simply attached by wire to the walls," he said. "All you had to do is pull on the painting hard for the cord to break loose - which is what I saw one of the thieves doing." Source. And, of course, see also this. Matt Deres (talk) 23:26, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Well, there the effort was in scouting the site ahead of time to determine that there was no other hidden alarm system. I bet the thieves had to be thinking "It can't be that easy, there must be an alarm system we haven't yet detected". Smart thieves would also test the system first. Perhaps they could give some homeless man a bottle of whiskey if he goes into the museum, rips a painting off the wall, and screams "The CIA has planted an antenna connected to the microchip in my brain behind this painting !". Thus the thieves could observe the reaction. StuRat (talk) 20:14, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

The psychology of queueing drivers

On my way to work by car I leave a major highway and pass through a busy intersection. The very long (~1 km) highway exit has two lanes, with the final 150 m or so widening out to four lanes before the traffic lights - the right lane becomes the right turn lane and straight ahead, and the left lane becomes two left turn lanes. I want to turn left, but by far the busiest direction is the right turn, so much so the traffic often backs up all the way to the point where the exit departs the main highway. Unfortunately, those of us who don't want to turn right have to wait behind a mysterious slow moving queue which forms in the left lane of the exit until the point where it widens out. It's a bit like this:

                                                               /----------------------------------
                                                              /                         Left  turn
 ------------------------------------------------------------/        -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
     ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????                         Left  turn
 -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
     ***********************************************************                        Ahead only
 ------------------------------------------------------------\ **     -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
                                                              \ *********************** Right turn
                                                               \----------------------------------

Rather surprisingly, in the early stages it is often the right lane which moves quickest. The left lane only gets to be quicker as we approach the widening of the road, then suddenly there is almost no traffic in front and no queue at the traffic lights (except for the right turn). Is there something to explain the formation of the slow moving left lane and why the left lane traffic doesn't move quickly to the traffic lights and form a normal queue there? Astronaut (talk) 18:41, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

There's probably people in the left hand lane trying to get into the right hand lane and the people in the right hand lane won't let them join. Dmcq (talk) 21:28, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Definitely. If this is anything like my experiences as a regular day time commuter (UK) then a good 50% of the people in the left lane are trying to sneak ahead assuming they'll get in further ahead than if they'd just queued patiently in the correct lane. ~

Also, if the right hand lane is backed up to the highway exit, they may have no choice but to go into the left lane, or miss the exit. If this is the UK, it may also be people who don't know which lane they need, and keep to the left, but that seems less likely in a country which drives on the right. 91.208.124.126 (talk) 08:12, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Agreed, they never seem to tell you which lanes turn where, with enough warning to get into the proper lanes, without stopping traffic. StuRat (talk) 08:24, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Here's the layout I would use to solve the problem (note the solid line, preventing switching lanes, between the initial two lanes:

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Left or straight
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                        Right turn
 ------------------------------------------------------------         -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
                                                              \                         Right turn
                                                               \      -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - 
                                                                \                       Right turn
                                                                 \________________________________

It sounds like whoever set up the lanes had no idea what the traffic patterns would be, and they now need to redo the lanes accordingly. StuRat (talk) 08:24, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Looking down between the two lanes, I don't see many moving from left lane to right lane; trying to sneak ahead as suggested above. A more common occurrance is people moving from right lane to the left; presumably when they realise they want to go straight or left. I was looking for a study, perhaps from a body with a title like "institute of traffic mamagement" or something similar. Maybe such a body has been involved with the current works to widen the exit to three lanes, presumably to give more room for people turning right. The work however has been in progress for well over a year now! Astronaut (talk) 15:51, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

To address the psychology issue, yes, people in an unobstructed lane will automatically slow down when passing a slow-moving lane. This is for good reason, as it's dangerous to fly by slowly moving cars. For example, one of those slow moving cars could dart into your lane, causing you to slam into him. StuRat (talk) 19:59, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

These things aren't set in stone (well, it may literally be, in this case, but you know what I mean). StuRat is right that some simple repainting and maybe a tweak to the road layout could fix this problem. If I were you, I'd lobby on the subject to some local politician who is short on votes and would like to chalk up a nice easy win to parade to the local media. --Dweller (talk) 10:11, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes blocking the movement between lanes and moving the place where that may be done back a bit could help considerably. You might like [1] about a vaguely similar problem with people but the advantage of moving the place where they have to choose lanes back is so people do that before the queuing. Dmcq (talk) 11:33, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Bakers Pride deck pizza oven specs

How do I find the specifications for an older Bakers Pride pizza oven: Model #404 Serial #C463. Does it have UL listing?75.159.43.243 (talk) 22:18, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Have you tried writing to them? Their web site is here. They have a page full of manuals but I did not see a model 404 there. Dismas|^(talk) 23:40, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

this, according to another spec sheet (for production volumes), is the same as model 404. I would dearly love to know, however, why you didn't just email BP? My dealings with their sales & information people have been uniformly positive and quick. — The Potato Hose 00:00, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

June 18

science job

I'm from india , I have no degrees of colleges but I want to start my career as physicist .I believe I can do it . Is it possible ? there is any organisation who can help me who can hear me? On which way I go ?Rikisupriyo (talk) 05:44, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Can you provide evidence that you can do it? Looie496 (talk) 06:38, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

tell me where and how can I give my evidence?Rikisupriyo (talk) 12:39, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

You would have to provide the evidence to any prospective employer - and if you don't know what 'evidence that you can work as a physicist' would consist of, you clearly aren't qualified to be one. Physicists are expected to have degrees for a reason. AndyTheGrump (talk) 12:47, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't want to see your evidence, I wouldn't understand it anyway. I was wondering what sort of evidence you have. If your evidence consists of things that you have written, then getting some of them published by a major journal is probably the only thing you can do to get people to take you seriously, if you have no academic qualifications. Either that or send some of your work to an established physicist who is capable of understanding it and seeing that it is good. Looie496 (talk) 15:15, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Is it possible to take up a career as a physicist without a degree? Almost certainly not. If you can show you are exceptionally talented, perhaps to your teachers at school or a physicist at a university, you might be able to gain lower entry requirements to a degree program at university. You will then have to follow a 3 or 4 year course, perhaps followed by further study for a masters or doctorate. Then you can seek work as a physicist, either at university or for a company. Astronaut (talk) 15:33, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes, the best way to work in the field of physics is to get some degree(s)! I don't know what it might be called in India, but many countries have an associate degree. That would qualify you for some physics-ish jobs, perhaps even a laboratory technician. Where such degrees are offered, they can also usually be applied towards bachelor's degrees. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:33, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

While you are searching for the right college to study at, you should also read as many books as possible about physics. That is a basic requirement whatever route you take, and you will have to continue reading throughout your career. Itsmejudith (talk) 09:59, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Human food allergies

Wikipedia cannot offer medical advice, including dietary advice for patients with multiple allergies

Common food allergies may be peanuts, soybeans, gluten, fish, and milk. Suppose a person is allergic to peanuts, soybeans, gluten, fish, and milk. What can that person eat to avoid uncomfortable reactions? How can a person be sure that the cashews he/she is buying has no residue from the peanuts? In what type of situation or location will having these allergies be an evolutionary advantage? Sneazy (talk) 13:40, 18 June 2013 (UTC) See talk page. --NorwegianBlue talk 20:59, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

UK cabinet ranking

This article here lists the ranking of the British cabinet. However, I cannot find a source. Can anyone link me to the government pages that give cabinet rankings? I'm also interesting in historical cabinet rankings, especially Tony Blair's and John Major's cabinet rankings. User:SamUK 15:46, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Cabinet rank is our relevant article, but I note with some dismay that it only cites the Daily Mail, which I would not consider a reliable source. This is the official list - however, I can't find any indication (other than from the Mail) that the order of the list is of any official significance. Tevildo (talk) 21:11, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't know, but I strongly suspect that the list in the Daily Mail is either made up by the Mail, or is possibly an informal list held privately by the Cabinet Office. As far as I know, there is not either an official or a generally accepted ranking among the posts in the cabinet. --ColinFine (talk) 08:06, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

I call shenanigans. I'll nominate the article for deletion this evening if no-one's done it by then. The Four Great Offices of State are the most senior cabinet positions; the rest are co-equal. AlexTiefling (talk) 14:25, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Rather than deletion, perhaps we should just revert to the original "article", which was a redirect - the original target has gone, but United States presidential line of succession seems to be its nearest replacement. However, this is for the AfD discussion (in which I hope to participate). Tevildo (talk) 20:00, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Note 11 of Order of precedence in England and Wales says that the Prime Minister fixes the cabinet order of precedence but does not state a source for this fact. Section 4.38 of the Cabinet Manuel given as a general reference states the Prime Minister publishes a Cabinet order of precedence. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SamUK (talk • contribs) 22:39, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

June 19

Does the UUA perform baptisms?

Suppose a person decides to join the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. The organization practically welcomes anybody. Now, let's suppose this person is vaguely spiritual, maybe leaning a bit toward Christianity. If such a person decides to make a commitment to Christianity, then can this person request a baptism to be performed before the congregation from the UUA even though the UUA does not perform ritualistic baptisms? And if the person has a child, then can the person ask to baptize the child in the faith too? Sneazy (talk) 02:06, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

You've linked to our article. Is there something else you are hoping for? μηδείς (talk) 02:34, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

You may find the UUAoC's own comments on this subject to be enlightening:[2] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:03, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

So... does that mean that the UUA withhold baptisms or not? Sneazy (talk) 04:09, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't know about "withholding" baptisms; the article says that most congregations don't do baptisms, but instead have some non-faith-specific rituals or ceremonies for those who want them. If someone is hung up on baptism, there's a good chance they would find the Unitarian Church a poor fit. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:13, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Where did you get the part on "instead have some non-faith-specific rituals or ceremonies for those who want them"? My interpretation of the article is that it means that adult baptism is not required for entry, and children have "child dedication ceremonies". Also, there are some controversies surrounding this organization, as noted on its Wiki page, that there may be some confusion of the name. So, the proper name is Unitarian Universalist, not simply Unitarian, to separate themselves from other Unitarians. Sneazy (talk) 04:37, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

I found you their website, and I gave you my own interpretation of their comments, which might not be totally correct. Feel free to look for a "contact us" somewhere on that site, and then you can go right to the source and ask the horse, and they'll give you the answer that they endorse. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:37, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

As an Anglican, I would certainly recognise a baptism as valid (if irregular) if it was performed by and for members of the UUA, provided that an appropriate Trinitarian formula was used. Whether in its present form the 'Unitarian' part of the UUA's name precludes that is left as an exercise for those more familiar with the UUA as a movement. AlexTiefling (talk) 11:52, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

The "Unitarian" is just an artifact title. The UUA includes pagans, most of whom would probably be polytheists which is about as far from Unitarianism as you can get. Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 12:14, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Champions trophy

Why did Warner hit Root? What was his reason? StewieCartman (talk) 09:19, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

No-one really knows, they can only speculate. According to the Guardian, "It emerged that Warner had claimed to have taken offence when he saw Root wearing a green-and-gold wig on his chin, thinking he was mocking Hashim Amla, the South Africa batsman; England sources say the Yorkshire teenager was merely joking about his own inability to grow a beard." - Cucumber Mike (talk) 09:27, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Warner had, for some hours, apparently been consuming warm English beer, a beverage he's not accustomed to. It's very possible that he now has no idea why he hit Root. HiLo48 (talk) 09:52, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Teenager? RNealK (talk) 01:20, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

He's in his early 20s, but looks younger. Typical Grauniad. --Dweller (talk) 09:20, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

In case anyone's wondering, this refers to some off-the-field antics during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy tournament, currently under way in England. The individuals involved are David Warner and the [blameless - all sides agree, not just English sources] Joe Root. --Dweller (talk) 10:02, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Identify this font

Could someone identify what font this book is using, if it pleases you? --66.190.69.246 (talk) 10:32, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

I tried WhatTheFont but it came up with an error. Give it a shot. Dismas|^(talk) 10:49, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

It's some kind of old style serif; perhaps Bembo. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 11:05, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm not very good at this, but to me it looks like some form of Garamond. Cf. this. Note that in the sample of (early) Bembo shown in our article the dots of the i's are offset a bit to the right. Deor (talk) 11:14, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

The closest I could get with Identifont was Granjon. It's not quite the same, but is pretty similar. The article agrees with the above posters that it is a old style serif typeface based on Garamond. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 11:50, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

(ec) As far as I can tell the book is from 1620; though maybe this version was printed later (but before it was stamped "Bibliotheque de la Ville Lyon, 1893"). Anyway, that might limit the range of possible fonts. Astronaut (talk) 16:44, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Actually it looks remarkably similar to this example of the original Claude Garamond typeface, printed in 1592. The Q, a, &, ſ are all very good matches. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 16:24, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Materials that can be powder coated

I am wondering whether titanium can be powder coated successfully. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.131.231.237 (talk) 16:33, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes, according to these forum threads. See also powder coating. Basically, if you can paint it, you can powder coat it. Tevildo (talk) 19:56, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Amlodipine

Does amlodipine have a diuretic effect? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.98.76.234 (talk) 18:59, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

See Amlodipine. As œdema is listed as one of the drug's side-effects, I think it's unlikely. Tevildo (talk) 20:09, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Any good nationalist romantic novel?

Does anyone know any really good nationalist romantic novel? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.223.231.53 (talk) 20:06, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Define "really good" while bearing in mind that one man's meat is another man's poison. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 21:03, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

You might also want to define "nationalist" - did you have any nation in particular in mind? Horatio Snickers (talk) 21:20, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

The Last of the Mohicans? RNealK (talk) 01:23, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Doctor Zhivago ? Certainly romantic, and I'd consider it nationalistic, too. StuRat (talk) 08:33, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

For Whom the Bell Tolls and Exodus --Dweller (talk) 09:16, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

• Romantics tended to be classical liberals, tending toward socialists. Victor Hugo lived in exile in Jersey because of his anti-monarchical republicanism. Otherwise he would probably be your best "nationalist" Romantic, for example, Quatrevingt-Treize. μηδείς (talk) 01:08, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

  Kind of a bizarre juxtaposition of classical liberal and socialist, terms which are generally near-antonyms (though certainly classical liberals and socialists may at times have formed alliances against common opponents). --Trovatore (talk) 01:21, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Well, yeah, but what do you want me to do about it? Romantics (and those called liberal in politics) did evolve from laissez-faire to socialism over the years as a way, they thought, to improve the plight of the lower classes. That's why you have to say classical liberal if you don't want to be taken as meaning leftist in the US and elsewhere. (Political terms nowadays are notoriously bereft of objective or etymological meanings.) μηδείς (talk) 01:30, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Ah, you meant "tending" temporally? That wasn't clear. --Trovatore (talk) 02:01, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Name for a directional sign post.

Can someone please help me remember the name for those directional sign posts with hands that point towards different destinations? I have been trying to remember it all day and it's driving me nuts. I think it starts with "man.." something.--KevinTR (talk) 23:14, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

A fingerpost matches your description - they often had drawings of actual fingers on them. Is this of any help? Tevildo (talk) 23:28, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

That is what I'm thinking of but I'm certain there is another name for it. Maybe just for the pointing finger or maybe I'm crazy. --KevinTR (talk) 23:31, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

The symbol ☞ is called a manicule. I didn't know that myself until now, but that might be what you're looking for. Tevildo (talk) 00:03, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes! Thank You! That is what I was looking for.--KevinTR (talk) 00:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

June 20

Was this safe?

Yesterday, while I was on the way to the bank, I noticed that a security guard escorting an armoured van was idling. Although I usually pay no heed to such things, I noticed that his right hand was holding the handle of his rifle while his right index finger is flicking some sort of switch (is this a safety switch?) near the trigger. It doesn't look safe but I'm not sure why. --Lenticel ^(talk) 00:14, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

It doesn't sound safe - but the design of safety switches is almost as varied as firearms themselves...so perhaps this switch was some other device. For example, most automatic rifles have a switch to choose between full auto and semi-auto modes - fiddling with that doesn't seem like it would be an inherently dangerous thing to do. Without information about the type of rifle involved, it's going to be hard to give you a good answer. SteveBaker (talk) 00:58, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I think the point was that the switch he was flicking was near the trigger. Even if the switch itself was inherently harmless, I think OP was worried that he might accidentally hit the trigger. — Richard BB 07:39, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Why did the security guard have rifle? Is there a big divide between the poor and rich in your country? I would answer that where you're living is not safe.--Aspro (talk) 01:09, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

If the armored car did not have an armed guard, we would question the sanity of the company. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:19, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Not in countries with low incidence of gun crime. --Dweller (talk) 08:44, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

(EC)In the UK they are not armed. They are merely security guards, and do not have the right to carry lethal weaponry. In any case, the money they are transporting is insured, so they don't have to get involved in a shoot-out. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 08:47, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

So if somebody walks up to that "security" guard with an open penknife and says "give me the money", then that "security" guard says, "Sure, take it all; in fact, I'll help you unload it"? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:08, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

No, because the the money in the vehicle is held in a time-controlled security safe to which the guard has no access. (Or so it says on the back.) Is this more sensible than a bored driver fiddling with an automatic weapon on a public street? Well, depends on your point of view, I guess. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 13:33, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

(EC)Unlikely, Bugs. In the first place, anyone employed as this type of Security Guard in the UK must be professional qualified as such, and should surely be able to defend him/herself from someone armed merely with a legally carriable knife (as a penknife would be); in the second place, Security vans in the UK are designed such that neither the drivers nor other guards can access their contents, which are loaded via a securely one-way hatch - the vehicle can only be unloaded by others in a secure environment, and this both well known and is advertised on the vans' exteriors.

If thieves armed with lethal weapons were to attempt a heist, the guards would not resist but the most the thieves could achieve would be to steal the whole vehicle, which will be actively trackable and would be subject to an immediate major police operation involving Armed Police. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 212.95.237.92 (talk) 13:39, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Sure, the contents are fitted with a ton of security devices to track the criminals and recover the contents. And if the contents aren't recovered, they're insured. The guard is there as a deterrent, a witness, and maybe to get the valuables into a safer part of the van (watch the opening scene of Trance for the art gallery equivalent), not to tackle the thugs. MChesterMC (talk) 14:47, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Of course the sanity of a society that practically regards uncontrolled access to lethal weapons as a constitutional right is beyond question ... Gandalf61 (talk) 09:08, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

If my time machine ever gets back from the shop, I'll be sure and go tell the Founding Fathers to reword the second amendment. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:08, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

This is becoming offtopic debate. The "question the sanity" comment is what was challenged, rightly, and is what has led us to this. Laws enacted in the 18th century don't need time machines to overturn or amend. You remain on debating ground, rather than the factual required by the Ref Desks, please stop it. --Dweller (talk) 13:24, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

And likewise I had challenged Aspro's ridiculous, insulting comments. Go yell at him instead. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:07, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

@SteveBaker, it looks like the M16 rifle but a bit smaller and more modern looking (looks more silver than dull). @Aspro the bank guards usually have shotguns or rifles but mall guards only have black batons. The rest of the guards have small arms. The armored van belongs to a bank if it helps clarify things.--Lenticel ^(talk) 10:03, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

The shortened variant of the M-16 is the M4 carbine. - Finlay McWalterჷTalk 10:09, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

The finish of the gun, and its apparent modernity, doesn't help identify its basic model very well - a basic pattern like the M4 is made for decades, by different manufacturers and for different markets, and can have all kinds of rails and accessories attached to it, depending on its role. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 10:32, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Would it not be an M4A1, usually carried by special forces, as it's smaller and easier to bring up from behind? The extending stock makes it easier to aim at long range, but that would not be necessary in a close combat situation. Far less cumbersome than an M16, and only weighs 3KG. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 11:40, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, it kind of looks like this File:CQBR-alone.jpg but more silvery. I wish that I have taken a pic but I think it won't be a good idea back then.--Lenticel ^(talk) 12:02, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

The only 'button' I know on the right hand side of that gun is the safety switch. There are three settings - safe (as in, it won't fire), semi-auto, and auto'. If he's playing around with that with his index finger (trained soldiers will often use there middle finger as the trigger finger in order to operate the saftey switch with the index finger), then I don't think it was safe. If he is that nervous in the first place, he should not be carrying an automatic weapon. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:50, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

People don't need to be nervous to fidget. Sometimes just bored. If he's confident in his dexterity and trained to use a gun, seems pretty low-risk. InedibleHulk (talk) 17:47, June 20, 2013 (UTC)

I find this calm acceptance that civilian security guards routinely carry loaded automatic weapons in public streets quite astonishing. Is this really part of everyday life in the US some countries ? How much training do you think those guys have ? How accountable are they if they gun down an innocent passerby who puts his hand into his pocket at the wrong moment ? If you live in the US such a country, does it not worry you that you live in a society in which this is acceptable ? Gandalf61 (talk) 13:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

We don't often read about armored car guards shooting anybody, probably because people aren't stupid enough to draw their attention. It worries me a lot more that characters hired off the street are given access to top-secret information. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:12, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm not from the US, I'm from the Philippines. Gun violence (Well aside from the wars with the rebels) is a bit low. The weapon of choice for violence here tend to be more up close and personal.--Lenticel ^(talk) 13:42, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

There are certainly no security guards carrying weapons in the UK (unless they have an illegal gun stashed in their sleeve) and they are unlikely to have a knife either. They do wear heavy duty padded vests and helmets, but if you steal the money then even if you can get it out of the van then it bursts open and sprays you with a coloured ink in the manner of an octopus or some species of squid but it is much harder to get the ink off. I am not sure why your security guard was jiggling his finger on the trigger of his gun but he may be deep in the grip of Thanatos - the death drive. He could be revelling in the power that the weapon gives him and contemplating suddenly shooting a load of people all around the bank in a bezerk frenzy. Stranger and more violent things have happened, often with little prompting. It seems that this security guard, if this was indeed his intention, on this particular morning allowed order to be restored. Unless you have local news to prove the opposite? Horatio Snickers (talk) 17:51, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

There are, actually, plenty of "security guards" in the UK carrying pump-action rifles. They usually belong to the section of the police who are detailed to provide security to ex-politicians such as those who were Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland. Of course I can't find a reference for this, so you'll have to believe me, but for 10 years I walked past two such people twice a day to and from work. They were guarding the Barnsley residence of Lord Mason of Barnsley. --TammyMoet (talk) 18:17, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

But are they private security guards or coppers who are guarding notable / formerly notable public figures? I didn't realise any private security guards carried weapons. Horatio Snickers (talk) 18:25, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I think he's talking about policemen. In my 1960s childhood in London, security guards used to carry big batons, rather like a US police nightstick. Now they are unarmed; I suspect that there was a test case that found them to be an offensive weapon. A recent petition to amend the law in this respect only attracted 41 signatures. Alansplodge (talk) 21:53, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

When I used to see them they were serving policemen, but not in police uniform. What with all the privatisation about now it wouldn't surprise me if they work for G4S. --TammyMoet (talk) 11:42, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

• Where is the video Lenticel shot of a security guard carrying an automatic weapon which is illegal for all civilians in the US, why have the anti-American bigots here moderated their comments simply to suggest all Americans are beasts outright, without saying it explicitly, what encyclopedic link or reference has been given to this blatant provocation to debate, and why hasn't this thread been hatted? Cowardice? μηδείς (talk) 22:26, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Can you make your points simply and cleanly, without the drama and histrionics? As one who frequently polices other users and deals with their excesses, you ought to be setting a better example yourself. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 22:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Uh, I did say that I was from the Philippines and the guard in question is from here.--Lenticel ^(talk) 00:49, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

The problem is not your question per se, Lenticel. It's the usual suspects taking it as an occasion to spout nonsense and their anti-American racism or both. μηδείς (talk) 01:05, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Fully automatic weapons are not "illegal for all civilians in the US". See Gun laws in the United States by state. 75.41.109.190 (talk) 03:11, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

"anti-American racism"? I can't see any evidence of this - merely a discussion about the practice of allowing people (notably civilians) to carry guns. And given that the original question was about that very thing, and some possible unsafe behaviour by someone carrying a powerful firearm, it seems a pertinent aspect of the discussion. Perhaps you're seeing soapboxes where none actually exist? Horatio Snickers (talk) 15:37, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

To address the original question: of course it was not safe. It is not safe in the first place to allow private citizens to carry firearms. (It is not safe to allow police officers to carry firearms either, unless with even more stringent requirements than apply in those countries that already apply requirements.) In any cases where people are permitted to carry firearms in public places, those who carry them must follow safety procedures. Itsmejudith (talk) 23:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

There is no reason to assume that this rifle was a fully automatic M-16/M-4. It could have easily been an AR-15 type of which there are literally hundreds of different models many of which are semi-automatic. In either case the switch is almost definitely the fire selector switch. By flipping it back in forth, the guard was taking the safety on and off, nothing else. The gun will not fire by flipping this switch and it would take a pretty substantial slip to take your finger from the selector switch to the trigger. Playing with the selector switch is not a great idea and might be against his corporate policy. But it certainly does not justify the hysterical claims made above. Tobyc75 (talk) 23:19, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

"the guard was taking the safety on and off, nothing else" - while not necessarily nervous, perhaps just fidgeting because "bored". Some of us view this as perfectly normal and understandable and not a cause for concern. Others of us view it as rather alarming. That would be because of our different cultural viewpoints.

To take this further, we need to find additional facts or references beyond our different cultural viewpoints.

Having said that, I think "not a great idea" leads towards the answer "no, it was not safe". --Demiurge1000 (talk) 01:00, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Since some of the editors here have answered my query nicely (Demiurge1000, Tobyc75 and SteveBaker), I believe that it's time to close this thread. It seems that I offended your culture. If that is so then I apologize. I am really not familiar with guns nor gun culture in the West. As I said, guards carrying weapons here is normal. Fidgeting guards, on the other hand, is not as we do have a culture bound syndrome on rampages. --Lenticel ^(talk) 01:10, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Do not worry, for you have not offended anyone. Us British and American people, though, will continue to offend each other with our violently (pun intended) different views about the ownership and carrying of firearms. Personally, I find the entire topic fascinating, as I so often walk past bank security drivers (or they past me) as they carry out their duties. Confusingly, I've mostly only held and fired a gun on British territory or its equivalent. When I've been in the USA, I never saw anyone brandish a gun, although I did see some airport officials carried them, and I assumed police officers to whom I spoke had them in holsters too. A man was killed in a gunfight in a restaurant the day after I ate there, and as a British person, this was shocking and amazing. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 01:22, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Oddly enough, today I was at the bank when an armored truck pulled up, and I felt safer with him carrying a gun. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:29, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

From this I conclude that you, sir, are an American. And I challenge you to a duel with ... oh, I don't have any pistols any more. Carry on, then. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 05:07, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

What gave you that idea? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:55, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

To return to the original question: no. As a veteran, I can assure you that if one of my soldiers was doing something like this, we would have had a talk. Fiddling with the safety of a firearm, loaded or not, is not acceptable. --  Gadget850 ^talk 12:55, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I agree. How would you feel about him fiddling with the selector switch though? It's still not clear (because we don't know what kind of weapon the guard had) whether that's what he was doing...but it seems to me to be a relatively benign thing to do. But, yeah, if he's fiddling with the safety - then that's a disaster just waiting to happen! Some kind of urgent situation arises - he's not entirely aware of whether his last mindless fiddle left the safety on or off - so he either accidentally discharges the weapon when he shouldn't - or fails to fire it when he should! Either way, bad news! The safety should be on, and left on. Fiddling with the selector switch seems unprofessional - but it's not exactly dangerous. I'd still discourage doing it - but it's not anywhere near as problematic. It's frustrating that we don't know which switch he was playing with. SteveBaker (talk) 13:19, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Fiddling isn't always mindless fiddling. It sometimes uses a small (but adequate) bit of thought. I have a habit of flipping and catching things I'm holding when I'm in a sort of standby mode. Sometimes these things are knives and scissors, and the small bit of my brain flipping them knows the risk and quietly tells my hand not to mess up. Of millions of flips, I've only cut myself twice. This guy's fiddling carries a much higher damage potential, but is simpler. If he can remember not to hit the trigger and where his switch (whichever switch it is) should end up, he should be fine. If a guy can't do that much, he probably wouldn't be hired for this job. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:56, June 22, 2013 (UTC)

If he'd been fiddling with his private parts and appeared to be enjoying himself too much, this question would never have made it here because he'd have been carted off by the cops. But fiddling with a loaded gun that kills people - probably only one person noticed or cared. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 23:49, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

weather.com

Has The Weather Channel's website weather.com gone away?    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 13:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Seems to be working for me... AndyTheGrump (talk) 13:58, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Websites are often taken down temporarily for maintenance, without anyone bothering to place a template up to explain that to the visitor. I've had some of my WP article external links removed by over zealous editors on the bases that they are dead-links -for that very same reason. --Aspro (talk) 14:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

OK thanks. I only asked because I tried it in two different browsers and both say there is no such site, and I have no problem accessing anything else,    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 14:21, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

They have a Feedback and Helpdesk. If you feel irked enough, you can contact them. If it turns out that this was the reason, you could direct them to another site such as [3] for guidance on best practice. Tell them Wikipedia sent you, as we don't yet do a Wikiweather.--Aspro (talk) 14:30, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

This tool [4] can help you tell if a site is down for everyone, or if it's just you. SemanticMantis (talk) 15:21, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Well, I went out for a while and when I came back the site was ok, so whatever. Thanks folks!    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 18:37, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Do note that if you Google search a location and add the word weather, Google will give you a pretty nice weather report. Not sure on international availabilty but in Canada at least it's pretty neat.64.201.173.145 (talk) 01:44, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Submitting request for article too difficult and detailed. Don't have time to get through it all.

I want to request an article be created about Ted Flowers, a premier parade saddle maker from Madison County, Indiana (Anderson/Alexandria area). His parade saddles are silver laden works of art, quite valuable and in President Reagan's inaugural parade there were some 36 horses that each "wore" a Ted Flowers saddle. He created saddles for the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and some of his saddles are in museums. I don't have time to go through the myriad of details required to request an article, but I think this person and his works are worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia. Is there a more simple way to request such an inclusion? Thank you.

P.S. To demonstrate the high level of his craft, he following link shows a Ted Rose saddle currently up for auction. It is the Leo Carrillo Parade Saddle. Leo Carillo was the actor who played Pancho in the old Cisco Kid TV series.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/13048087_ted-flowers-silver-leo-carrillo-parade-saddle — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.209.10.98 (talk) 14:50, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

You can begin the process of writing the article yourself at Wikipedia:Your first article. It's much more likely that you, as someone who knows and cares about the subject, will write something acceptable than asking for it to be written by some random person who doesn't. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 15:14, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I agree. But this is a very marginal kind of an article - it's not even clear that Mr Flowers passes the Wikipedia "notability" guidelines (See WP:NOTE). You really can't expect a volunteer to take the time out to research all of the details necessary to come up with an article. Wikipedia works because people have an interest in the subject matter - and of the 40,000 or so people who write regularly for the English language Wikipedia, it would be quite surprising to find anyone who'd be interested enough and has time enough to do that.

So in all likelyhood, if you don't write it, nobody will. If you don't have the time, then the odds are almost certain that the article will never be written. I strongly encourage you to take a shot at it. If you don't have much time to spare, do it slowly on your own user page until you think it's good enough for publication. It's not like it's urgent - if it takes you a year of an hour or two a month - then that's fine. SteveBaker (talk) 16:30, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

whats the name of the movie

i wathced a movie a good while ago and cant remember the name or who was in it but at the beginning a guy gets his throat cut hes at his daughters wedding i believe or some type of event its a waiter/waitress at the event that cuts his throat and nobody notices that his throat is cut at first the guy is sitting at a table and the waiter/waitress brings him something and completes the throat slashing in a very discrete way to where you almost dont notice it — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sjwachinski (talk • contribs) 16:50, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Is it any of these? InedibleHulk (talk) 17:59, June 20, 2013 (UTC)

I'm going to install the OP's question as the classic example of a run-on sentence. Congratulations. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 21:19, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Well, that's just an artifact of its not having any punctuation at all, not even a capital "I" for the first person singular subjective pronoun. I personally would log it under "discrete for discreet". Tevildo (talk) 22:07, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

There's a slightly more concise version here. It's the only relevant thing I can find with Google. Annoying, because I sort of remember seeing a scene like that. I haven't seen any of the movies I linked. The victim might have been reading a newspaper, in a daylit windowed room and only wounded. Do you remember something like that, Sjwachinski? InedibleHulk (talk) 05:04, June 21, 2013 (UTC)

That Askpedia question was asked by the same person as is asking this one. --Viennese Waltz 07:36, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, I meant a more concise version of the exact same question. Thanks for making that clearer than I did. Not encouraging when that lone relevant result and two foggy memories are all I'm going on. I want an answer as much as Wachinski now, I think. InedibleHulk (talk) 10:54, June 21, 2013 (UTC)

Side Discussion on disabling Caps Lock

I expect the OP's shift key is broken. I wish my Caps Lock key would break off. Thincat (talk) 13:50, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

You can disable your caps lock key! There's a free small program you download that lets you disable and remap keys. Search for "disable key" in the last year or so at the computer desk, copy my name in Greek letters as one of the search terms to narrow it down. Let me know on my talk if you can't find it. It is wonderful! μηδείς (talk) 17:09, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Well, thank you. I'll try that. I have something a bit similar except the key is enabled until you go to the trouble of turning it off. What I really wanted was just to have it turned off anyway. Thincat (talk) 18:36, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

This keeps it off unless you reset it. μηδείς (talk) 18:43, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

That is working fine and it's compatible with another utility I was using which doesn't disable the key until you tell it. CAPshift, this other utility, allows you to highlight, say, upper case text on screen and convert it to title case, sometimes good for creating references. See here if you are interested. BTW, I don't know what the film is! Thincat (talk) 19:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Fixing the caps in the OP's question would be but the start of a long process. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 21:36, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Someone hatted this. I have separated it out in case someone goes looking in the archives for it--it's off topic, but otherwise useful and un-objectionable. μηδείς (talk) 18:42, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

June 21

1931 Chevrolet Pheaton.

Good afternoon. Could you please help me find out how many 1931 Chevrolet Pheaton AE Independance Delux vehicle's were made world wide? I do Know that 852 were made in the USA, but I am un-able to get information on total production. Kind regards, Luke 196.215.175.124 (talk) 13:37, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Is there any reason to believe that Chevrolet had any non-US production at all at that time? AlexTiefling (talk) 13:57, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Hi, thank you Chev definitely assembled vehicles in South Africa and Australia at the time, The vehicle I am refering to was produced in South Africa in Port Elizabeth.196.215.175.124 (talk) 14:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Did you mean Chevrolet Phaeton? You may need a more specialized source than Wikipedia. I can see from Google that the Phaeton existed, but we don't mention it on the Phaeton page, or on our List of Chevrolet vehicles. If you know of another name this model is known by, that might help. --BDD (talk) 22:10, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Ah, actually, there's an Independence Series AE mentioned on the list from 1931, but you'll notice it's a red link, meaning we don't have an article on it. I'm afraid we have rather limited information about Chevrolet from that time period. From the main Chevrolet, the only plant outside of the US mentioned from that time was in Ontario. --BDD (talk) 22:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Why is the UK so much poorer than the US?

Based on nominal gdp per person, there's a wide difference.

• 11 United States 49,922
• 23 United Kingdom 38,589

Given the fundamental similarities (sure you could list a million differences) how is it possible that any number of factors could be so influential to make the UK so much poorer than the US?

Backspaceco (talk) 18:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Is it that much worse off in the UK? It's not like living in Zimbabwe or Afghanistan there, is it? GDP is but one measure of quality of life, and even not that great of one. Per List of countries by Human Development Index, the UK is lower in rank there, but both countries are well within the "Very high human development" ranking; and at that level it is sort of like deciding why the man who drives a Mercedes Benz is so much worse off than the man that drives the Bentley is. The difference is numerically real, but practically is there a significant quality of life difference between the average US citizen and the average UK citizen? One thing may be that the U.S. has a much higher number of very rich people, per List of countries by income equality, things like the Gini coefficient show that the income distribution in the U.S. is much more inequally distributed than it is in the UK, so while the "typical" US citizen lives similarly to the "typical" UK citizen, or maybe even worse, the outliers in the U.S. (those VERY VERY rich) throw the metrics like GDP way off. --Jayron32 21:09, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

The main point is Britain has a fully developed infrastructure and the national health. So the difference in income is about as relevant as deciding who's richer, a young man with little savings who pays everything out of pocket, or a man on the edge of retirement with free healthcare and accrued personal and cultural assets. Onslough and Daisy are rich on those terms, and Americans would pay to live on their terms as a pleasant vacation opportunity. (Of course, this also depends on importing cheap labor, which is a much worse problem for Britain than the US.) μηδείς (talk) 21:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I know this is a provocative topic, but it's going way off on a tangent here. Looie496 (talk) 15:49, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Funny how we get the "insanely" rich thrown in there. μηδείς (talk) 21:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC) The other epithet usually tossed around is "obscenely rich". Funny how people buy lottery tickets, hoping to win (sometimes) hundreds of millions of dollars without earning a single cent of it, yet those who work hard all their lives to earn their nest eggs are said to be "insane" and "obscene". Weird. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 22:50, 21 June 2013 (UTC) Well, "hard" has nothing to do with it. The man who digs ditches or hammers nails into wood works very hard, but will still never live the life of privilege and wealth enjoyed by those who are lucky enough to be born to the correct parents. --Jayron32 01:02, 22 June 2013 (UTC) People being born to the wrong parents is a very rare occurrence. μηδείς (talk) 01:15, 22 June 2013 (UTC) And where did "the correct parents" get their money from? Was it from their "correct parents"? And where did they .... and so on, all the way back to the beginning of time on the backs of turtles, I presume. Unless that was meant as a joke, Jayron, you surprise with your attitude to the owners of money. It is not actually illegal or immoral to have lots of it. And if you earned it through your own legitimate efforts, so much the better. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 04:24, 22 June 2013 (UTC) I think the problem is with the implication that some people deserve the wealth they have because they worked hard to get it. Jayron has clarified that some people work very hard and will never be wealthy. HiLo48 (talk) 04:31, 22 June 2013 (UTC) The adjectives "insane" and "obscene" are generally applied to sums which are larger than "nest eggs" and are not accumulated by "those who work hard all their lives". On the OP's question, one general observation - that applies to Europe as a whole vs the US rather than just the UK vs. the US is that since the turning point of the 70s, because of its greater reliance on Keynesian deficit spending, particularly under Republican administrations, the USA tended to have lower unemployment and higher growth than Europe, while it tended to have higher unemployment and lower growth than Europe during the Post–World War II economic expansion.John Z (talk) 05:30, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

EDUN

What's the lowest price for an EDUN jean? (I don't know if this is the right place but I shoot anyway) Miss Bono ^(zootalk) 18:47, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll sell you mine for $1. We cannot possibly answer this seriously. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 21:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

You are assuming a serious answer is what's desired? μηδείς (talk) 21:57, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Of course. We're a serious-minded outfit. Fun has its place, but as A. P. Herbert said, "People must not do things for fun. We are not here for fun. There is no reference to fun in any act of parliament". -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 22:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Your knowledge of such interesting, semi-obscure, and notable post-Hanoverian British subjects makes me almost regret having been born and educated in the world's greatest country. μηδείς (talk) 01:24, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. I'm satisfied to live on the Solar System's greatest planet. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 05:42, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Such ridiculous and disgusting (not to mention incorrect) jingoism has no place on the ref desk, Meides. Please leave it a the door when you come in. Fgf10 (talk) 08:25, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

• Try searching e-commerce websites like Amazon.com or google.com/shopping. Searching for edun jeans, I found them from $20 (USD) used and $39 new on Google. I only found one $80 pair on Amazon, so perhaps something went wrong with that search. --BDD (talk) 22:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

June 22

Making refunds on a prepaid card

I bought an app from the Google Play store, then cancelled the purchase within minutes after the app failed to install on my device. The cancellation went through, but the amount paid for still shows on the balance, and it shows an amount twice as much as the actual price of the item I originally paid for. I know that some transactions will still show up on a credit card for up to a couple of weeks only not as a charge if it isn't finalized. But this is a prepaid gift card, so do the same rules apply? It's a Vanilla Mastercard, btw. 65.92.229.41 (talk) 08:25, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

It would be guesswork for us here. Your best bet is to call whatever 800 number is on the card and ask for customer service. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:36, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

I did just that, and I was never able to come across a human to talk to. There's no option for discussing any issues with the card, you can only check your balance. They don't even have an email for customer service, so my only other option would be snail mail (right, I'm gonna mail a letter, then wait eternity for a response). 65.92.229.41 (talk) 18:25, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Is there a customer service on the Google Play store? (FYI, this kind of thing is why I don't do online shopping.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:32, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

mv agusta motorcycle exhaust

what model of mv agusta has an exhaust system with A9814 stamped into it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.243.181.18 (talk) 17:00, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Toenails color nail polish black head women

Blue toenails is commonly worn by blonde women and brunette, green is commonly worn by redheads but which color is commonly worn by white black head women? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.54.64.182 (talk) 19:46, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

This is a reference desk. Are you asking for a book or scholarly article on the toenail paint colors of black haired white women in the year 2013? μηδείς (talk) 22:38, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Assuming it's a sincere question (which I wouldn't bet the family jewels on), the OP's best bet would be to call a few nail salons and get a consensus on popular colors used with various skin and hair colors. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:38, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

[5] or [6] or [7] or [8] may help the OP find the answer to their question. --Jayron32 01:23, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

How do I change date format in windows?

Hi, I am trying to translate several large lists on Wikipedia from English to Dutch. Example: List of minor planets/1001–1100 -> nl:Lijst van planetoïden 1001-1100. I can change the language very easily, however not the format. The date format in English is "month day, year". I want it to be "day month year". Is there a method of changing this automathically? It would take a lot of time by hand since there will be about 3000 lists. Thanks, Taketa (talk) 20:06, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

The only method I can think of for this would be to place many (or all) of the lists together in a word processor and run a find-and-replace with highly specific values. If, for example, you're looking to replace "20 March" with "March 20", you could "find" the character string "March 20" and "replace" it with "20 March". This will be somewhat tedious at first, as you'll be entering a large number of find/replace variables (732, to be exact), but if you're working with a larger number of date fields — a few thousand, say — it will save you time in the long run. Evanh2008 ^{(talk|contribs)} 20:18, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Hi, thanks for the information. I have found a way around it by using other language wikis that have already done it. I first thought none were perfect, but I found one that is fixable easily with words replace options. Thanks anyways. Sincerely, Taketa (talk) 20:25, 22 June 2013 (UTC)