Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 November 6

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.

November 6

Cops being 80s

Does Cops count as an 80s show?

Do you mean this show? That show's first run was in 1989, but it's still being broadcast now. --Bowlhover 01:43, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I would say yes (but barely), and it's also a 90s show and a 2000s show. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:46, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps they mean C.O.P.S. (TV series), the cartoon? That ran from 1988-1989, so it would be. Adam Bishop 21:48, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Maybe they mean Cop Rock -- remember that? In spite of being on air in 1990 (only) 1990, it had some 80's hallmarks (Steven Bochco) and some...other qualities (singing cops!) Dina 22:57, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it will depend on what sort of question you're trying to answer. If you were asked to name a show that was on in the 80s, Cops would certainly qualify. On the other hand, if somebody who'd never heard of Cops asked you for information about it, do you think that telling them it was "an 80s show" would be accurate? From that answer I would infer that it was on in the 80s and only the 80s, and it would therefore be somewhat misleading. You couldn't truthfully answer that question by reference to only one decade. JackofOz 01:55, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

insurance industries

Why are the insurance industries involved in car safety devices?

So they don't have to pay medical bills from people who were in an accident. StuRat 02:06, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Famous Accounts

I am doing some research on Wikipedia culture. I would like to know if there have been any "troll" accounts operating on wikipedia in the last year and who they are and also what their themes are. Adam Nicholson 02:29, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Long_term_abuse would make a good starting point. -Elmer Clark 03:07, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, but that's mostly "vandals." I'm talking about trolling, users who initiate flame wars and use Wikipedia simply to agitate others, etc. Adam Nicholson 03:10, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Some have said the Encyclopedia Dramatica case and its fallout contained some measure of trolling. Naming individual editors may be problematic due to WP:NPA, WP:AGF, WP:CIVIL. Also go to the TrollWarning template and click "what links here". Weregerbil 12:13, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Equus (play)

what was the story behind the real crime that inspired Peter Shaffer to write this play?

Try this or this and google "Alan Strang". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:53, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

you don't understand the question. Please don't respond unless, at the very least, you actually understand the question.

he's asking about the actual, real-life incident, not commentary on the play....

Have you read Wikipedia:Civility? I gave the person asking the question two links so they could see what the story was behind the play. I read the two links myself, so I knew exactly what they were, and that is why I gave the link to Alan Strang. But based on the question, all they asked was the story behind the play which can be obtained from the first two links. I thought they might want more information so I gave the third link with the name of the person who did it. If you look at Equus (play) and Peter Shaffer it does not state the type of injury that was done to the horses. And perhaps that is all the person wanted to know. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:58, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I think you are all confused. Alan Strang is not real....he's fictional. I think the questioner would like to know about the real person that Strang was based on, and the what and why of this real person's real crime.

Yes, I agree. This says that Peter Shaffer was inspired to write Equus by the chance remark of a friend at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The friend recounted to Shaffer a news story about a British youth who blinded twenty-six horses in a stable, seemingly without cause. Shaffer never confirmed the event or discovered more of the details, but the story fascinated him, provoking him ‘‘to interpret it in some entirely personal way.’’ His dramatic goal, he wrote in a note to the play, was ‘‘to create a mental world in which the deed could be made comprehensible.’’ If Shaffer never confirmed the event, it may not ever have happened at all. I'm just glad he wrote the play. The film is on my list of all-time favourites. JackofOz 08:29, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Bidding for sport events

In monetary terms, how much does it cost a government/country just to bid for say, the FIFA World Cup? --iamajpeg 03:17, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean the costs associated with the bid alone, or the costs associated with staging the event? According to The Independent, a British bid for 2018 "could cost tens of millions of pounds". [1] According to a feasibilty study by auditors, the 2010 Cup in South Africa will have:

• A projected direct expenditure of R12.7 billion ($1.7 billion)
• But will contribute R21.3 billion to the GDP of South Africa ($2.9 billion)

Its an expensive business, with with the potential of great rewards if you don't mess it up (*cough* Wembley Stadium *cough*) Rockpocket 09:35, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, just the cost of the bid ideally :) --iamajpeg 22:29, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Sadaam Hussein

I know Saddam has been in the news a lot lately. While I freely admit that he was a brutal dictator, there are other sides to his persona that are left understated in conventional Western media depictions of Saddam. For instance, have you ever noticed that he's a particularly stylish dictator? Great suits, charisma, and those cool oversized aviator sunglasses? Do you agree with me that Saddam was a "pimp" back in the day? What about other dictators with a rico-suave "pimp" style? All I can think of right now is Momar Quaddafi, back in the 1980's, before he ditched his designer labels for the fundamentally boring Islamic garb he prefers now. Hizzizzle 03:21, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Evita Peron, wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron, was renowned for her fashion sense. StuRat 03:41, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Imelda Marcos was known for her shoes... Dismas|^(talk) 04:03, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Interesting way to look at things... --Proficient 04:14, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I hate to be a killjoy, but would the OP try to rephrase his question please? Im not sure what you are asking 8-)--Light current 04:19, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Kim Jong-il has that Dr Evilesque two-piece look going on. You can thank his father, Kim Il-sung for that. Sure, he may have been a self-obsessed tyrant, but he was not all bad. For example, he recognised the benefits in dressing his child and heir, like a dapper little sailor. You really can't overestimate the importance in instilling a sense of style on a dictator from a young age. Rockpocket 08:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

His mother died when he (Kim Jong-il) was seven. I didn't know that. Carcharoth 14:07, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

thumb|left|Pinochet (sitting) as head of the newly established military junta.

Pinochet had pretty stylish sunnies back in the day, and the whole macho man pose thing going on. Lisiate 23:01, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

TV show

I have been haunted by a image from my past of a tv show. I have looked for it but i havent been able to locate the show. What I can remeber from the picture is a group of people/super-heros that are crime fighters / Military type civillian group. they ride Motorcycles and have them suped up with addons. this includes mini roceket launchers. this is all circa 1995 in the US. Any help in finding this show will be welcome. Betacommand ^{(talk • contribs • Bot)} 06:16, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like some version of the Power Rangers, to me. Specifically, it sound most like Power Rangers: Zeo, in which each ranger had a Zeo Jet Cycle. StuRat 06:35, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Was it cartoon or live action? One of the members of MASK had a motorcycle from what I recall. Dismas|^(talk) 06:41, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It was cartoon and there was no costumes they were humans with no real "powers" Betacommand ^{(talk • contribs • Bot)} 08:03, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It's not Biker Mice from Mars, right? =D --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 08:25, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Na they were human. Betacommand ^{(talk • contribs • Bot)} 09:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Could it have been Anime? 惑乱 分からん 19:53, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

From what I remember it was distinctly american. (perhaps some kind of spin off of the GI Joes??) Betacommand ^{(talk • contribs • Bot)} 20:52, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Was it a Saturday morning cartoon, or an afterschool syndicated-type cartoon? (I shouldn't even be able to answer this as I was in college in 1995, but, um, I have varied interests) Dina 23:04, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Could it have been from earlier, but just being replayed? The conceit sounds awfully 80's to me. There's Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors & C.O.P.S. Dina 23:21, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Let me guess, one of the main characters rode a wheel-like thing from the inside? Yeah, I've been looking for that one too. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 19:00, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Furby Prank Call

The Jerky Boys recorded a prank call to a Wal-Mart about a satanic Furby threatening to kill them and promoting drug use. One of my friends showed this to me and said that she got it off of iTunes. She also said that iTunes incorrectly listed it as having been recorded by Weird Al Yankovic. I looked and looked for that thing, but I can't find it anywhere. What would I have to search for to find it? Cheers -- THL 06:33, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Search "jerky boys" "walmart" furby download and you should find it. --WikiSlasher 08:24, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

If you're sure it's by the Jerky Boys, maybe you could also drop the maintainer of the Not Al Page a line to tell him - it's currently listed as "Artist Unknown" on the big list of recordings commonly attributed to Al. Ironfrost 15:36, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, but none of those searches worked. I think that iTunes figured out that Weird Al didn't write it because my friend found it by searching for Weird Al, but it was gone when I searched for it. The only way I found out the Jerky Boys did the song was browsing the internet for a while looking for clues how to get it. It isn't listed under Jerky Boys or Weird Al, but I know it is on iTunes. Furby turns up no results, not to mention Furby Prank Call. I looked at the results for "prank", "call", and "prank call" but didn't find anything. -- THL 04:26, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

OK since I'm nice...http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=12464&songID=66251. I got to it from the first result when I searched that string I mentioned earlier, but now this page is the no. 1 link. Have fun! --WikiSlasher 10:16, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh just a quick note - if that's not what you were looking for, I'm sorry. --WikiSlasher 10:18, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

highest score

what is the highest score in toefl and gmat from india and the names of the persons

I'm not sure if the TOEFL scores are made public, otherwise I'd guess it's close to the top score possible. 惑乱 分からん 19:52, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Election Day Results

When will the results of the mid term elections tomorrow likely to be out? Harwoof 13:26, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Depends on which country's elections you are talking about. JIP | Talk 13:41, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

United States Senate elections, 2006 Harwoof 13:43, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

The polls do not close on the west coast until 8:00 p.m. Pacific time (04:00 Wednesday UT), and it typically takes another hour or two for the final poll results to be recorded. If it comes down to the west coast (which it might), the results won't be known until at least 10:00 p.m. (22:00) PST, 1:00 a.m. (01:00) Wednesday EST, and 06:00 UT. Marco polo 15:54, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I assume that statement is about when control of the Senate will be known as each state elects it own senators and those results are variously announced after the poll closing time (which differs by state) in each time zone. First results are expected about 6 PM Eastern. Rmhermen 16:34, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I heard a pundit say this morning that the majority of the 'toss up' races are in the East and MidWest, so that the many of the unpredictable results will be known relatively early Tuesday night. ike9898 16:40, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

That pundit obviously has no idea what he/she is talking about, unless he/she is only concerned with Senatorial and gubernatorial elections. Virtually every statewide race in California, pace the Ahnold landslide, is too close to call at present. Which means that the Republican Secretary of State, following the behavior of his cohorts in Florida and Ohio, will do all he can to assure a Republican victory in every race. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:46, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

American terms

Reading novels by American authors I come across "duckwalk" and "crabwalk". What do these terms mean, please ? meredith

Look at Duckwalk. The Crabwalk article is less helpful. Rmhermen 16:36, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Crabwalking (to me) means a person walking on all fours, but chest facing up instead of down. It's hard to do for a long time because it feels abnormal. I remember doing it in elementary school gym classes. To me, duckwalking means to walk normally, except with your toes pointed outwards. ike9898 16:38, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

To me (in the US), crab walking is down on all fours, chest down, walking sideways, just like a crab walks, hence the name. Duck walking is normal two foot walking, but with a bit of a waddle added. StuRat 16:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

We always did (Canada) what ike9898 described as crabwalking. I saw a similiar thing in one Family Guy episode. Ehh, the specifics can vary, I guess. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 17:12, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

You aren't a Brachyuran crustacean by any chance are you? ;-) Carcharoth 17:27, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Meridith, could it be that you were thinking of cakewalk? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:44, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

The song "Step Right In" might be relevant here ... Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new way of walkin'.  :) JackofOz 01:41, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Walking like an Egyptian may be relevant as well. -THB 02:14, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Health and Saftey

Is it me, or are rediculous Health and Saftey rules taking over our lives?! Earlier today I was buying a poppy, which were on display in a bank, and was told that I couldn't have a pin, as the buisiness wasn't qualified to hand out pins! Rediculous, no? MHDIV Englishnerd 18:31, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

partly to blame is a money digging culture that seems to have come out of the US, where people sue for just about anything, regardless of wether they are actually financially worse off as a result of the incedent, what happened to politeness, and occasionally taking something on the chin eh? And partly to blame is the labour governments current view that accidents dont happen, and that everything is someones fault, this is fueled by the tabloids who criticise from both sides of the argument. Philc _T^E_C^I 19:04, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

You blame British over-regulation on Americans ? Wow. StuRat 20:41, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

One of many contributing factors, but it is one of the more prominent ones that is clearly not a part of british culture. It doesnt fit with the people we used to be. I dont blame americans, its not your responsibility what parts of your culture infiltrate into our culture, but rather our responsibility, or everyones. Its all globalisation, national identities are lost as "common western culture" spreads. However if I am wrong, and the sue everyone practice did not originate from america I apologise, but if it isnt the case, it is certainly a widely upheld urban myth. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:49, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Two pack of fools - The stiff englishman and the liberal Americans to push the idea of freedom & equality.

Hey, those pins are dangerous! --Zeizmic 22:48, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

• sues everyone for talking about pins* --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:33, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

And to think that poor Adam Smith, who modelled his "The Wealth of Nations" on how to increase productivity and profitability by creating a series of lower skilled processes where previously the operatives did the whole process from beginning to end, chose to do it in a pin factory. And he is about to adorn one of England's new currency notes in his honour and recognition, in a country that won't allow the use of said pins to affix a poppy to a lapel. Shame..

Question about name of scarf

Question…what is the name of the scarf that women put on their knees so that you can’t look up their dresses or skirts?65.123.26.1 18:44, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

This question was asked at the help desk, and I have moved it here. Skittle 23:51, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Are you asking about Hijab? -THB 00:04, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Probably a more generic modesty cloth. Rmhermen 01:26, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

How to remove something that pierced an elevated vein?

I got a lot of veins elevated above the skin surface right where the leg is joined to the foot (I don't know if I should call them varicose veins), ad I just happened to get pierced on one of them (I guess you could call a splinter). Problem though is I couldn't see the thing that pierced me (all I felt was a sharp pain that wasn't an insect bite or anything), so I just blindly scratched at the affected area to get whatever it is that pierced me out. I don't know if that worked or not, though, so I'm asking if what I did was right, how do you deal with those things and what are the risks if I don't get it out of my body and if it stays in (can they travel around the body through the blood vessel and clog something or cause bleeding?)

Your biggest risk is of infection. You should speak to your physician about this accident. -THB 00:02, 7 November 2006 (UTC)