Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 March 26

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March 26

Why dont people date their best friends?

Why don't they more often? There best friends, they (usually) share everything and usually like each other for who they actually are. i cant really figure it out БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 02:05, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Uh... personally I think of my female best friend in college as a sister and she treats me like her little brother. Maybe dating your best friend is like dating your own siblings, just thinking. But then again "friends can be lovers but lovers can't be friends" --Lenticel ^(talk) 02:57, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Err. . . because if things don’t go so well and if there’s a nasty breakup it could be really awkward to be around your former best friend. You would essentially be risking your closest friendship because you’re horny. Not a smart move. --S.dedalus (talk) 03:29, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes people become friends with people because they like them more then a friend.

But they become friends with you instead because maybe they don't know how to tell you. Maybe its better to be friends because you don't want to except rejection. Becoming a friend is a lot easier then becoming someones lover.

But it also is true that some friends are so close they are more like siblings then friends so it may feel weird. Other times as the others have said they don't want to risk losing that important friend.

Always

Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 06:33, 26 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Friendship and relationships are two very different ways of interacting emotionally. It's not that you can't have both with the same person, but not every person is really compatible with both forms of emotion. I suppose the very concise answer is "human relationships are complicated." --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 13:04, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Another explanation could be: because often best friends are of the same sex and most people are heterosexual. C mon (talk) 13:35, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

More generally than what Cmon said is that you have to be attracted to someone you want to date, but you don't have to be attracted to your best friend. Another thing to remember is that people often do end up dating their friends, if conditions are right. --Sean 13:38, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

De gustibus non disputandum - I look for different things in friends and lovers (gender is sometimes one of them). I don't want to sleep with my friends, because it would be weird - it's a completely different relationship for me. That having been said, I have dated a friend before, and it turned out fine while we were still dating, and then was really uncomfortable when we broke up. Steewi (talk) 03:54, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

narrators

how can i become one of those narrators for shows and movies?

First, you'll have to have a good voice. Morgan Freeman, James Earl Jones, and Patrick Stewart are examples of this. You could get started in radio and be a DJ. They're always doing the voice acting in commercials. Moving to a major television/movie producing city would help. New York City and Los Angeles come to mind for the U.S. London would probably be good for the UK (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that). Try to get jobs in local theater companies. Read trade magazines and answer ads calling for voice actors. Get an agent who can get you roles. Any or all of this might work. Dismas|^(talk) 03:55, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Everything Dismas said and a link in the Voice actor article about training, finding a coach[1]. In the article Donald Sutherland he's used for his unusual voice as much as being high profile and working all over. A "good voice" sounds like one kind of narrator, but your voice could suit a lot of things. Voice work can include calling auctions and another specialty is calling races in animal racing. Julia Rossi (talk) 04:06, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

One thing I forgot to mention, even if you don't have a good voice now, that doesn't mean you can't train your voice. James Earl Jones had a stutter as a child. Dismas|^(talk) 04:54, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Unique Deaths

What is the most unique death? What is the most unique murder? Do you have any references of unique deaths or unique murders?With unique weapons of murder? Could you give me these references?

Thank You

Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 06:07, 26 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

What exactly do you mean by "unique"? Any cause of death that has only ever occurred once is unique, and there are probably many such causes. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:37, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Or more correctly, any person who has died of a cause of which no other person has died is a unique person. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:39, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Were you looking for this? --Lenticel ^(talk) 06:38, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

"This" could do, but most of those deaths are very laughable(death isn't funny)just the way they died out(died at laughing at a drunk donkey....that is gold). Unusual is a better word right? So what is the most unusual death? What is the most unusual murder? What is the most unusual weapon?

Always

Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 06:59, 26 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Darwin Awards, who knew injecting alcohol into your bowels could kill you? --antilived^{T | C | G} 07:17, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Playing Russian Roulette with a self loading pistol? Sawing RPG 7 warheads to try and see inside them? All true (now that i think about it i read them at the Darwin Awards). btw I.P why dont you just register a account under that name? БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 07:22, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Every death is unique, no man is an island, ask not for whom the bell tolls. BrainyBabe (talk) 09:14, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

I guess the most UNUSUAL deaths in the history of mankind would be the 7 astronauts who died in the Challenger disaster ie. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place when Challenger, a Space Shuttle operated by NASA, broke apart 73 seconds into its flight leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, United States at 11:39 a.m. EST (16:39 UTC) on January 28, 1986. Disintegration of the shuttle stack began 73 seconds into its flight. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.242.38 (talk • contribs)

Sadly, the profession of astronaut is a hazardous one and deaths during space flights and astronaut training have not been uncommon - see our list of space accidents and incidents. We also have a list of unusual deaths - take your pick. My personal favorites are Aeschylus and Francis Bacon. Gandalf61 (talk) 15:29, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

"btw I.P why don't you just register a account under that name?"

First I'll the answer this question because I wouldn't edit articles. I am not good at fixing people mistakes. The only thing I am good at is fixing the lame spelling that people use. I fixed an article that had learned spelled "learnt". Also I am a story writer so I spend most of my hours trying to find ideas. Secondly,why would you inject alcohol in your bowels? Third, could a woman die from straightening her hair if her hair was wet?

Always

Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 15:39, 26 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Learnt is a valid spelling in the UK, though it's rarely seen in the US. jeffjon (talk) 16:34, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

It sounds weird to others that is all.71.143.3.182 (talk) 18:53, 26 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

If by "injecting into the bowels" we mean via some kind of tube or nozzle in the anus, rather than with a needle through the skin, then the practice isn't *that* unusual. One can get drunk that way, possibly quicker than via the usual method. My Dad occasionally tells the story of some Royal Navy submariners on a run ashore who, reaching the stage of drunkenness at which any more booze by mouth would only be vomited up again, started pumping beer up their arses instead in order to carry on "drinking". 81.187.153.189 (talk) 00:20, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

meanings - touching or scratching of your partner's palm

What is the meaning of touching the palm of your partner's hand with the tips of your finger's in a scratching motion? It had a sexual meaning years ago and I am trying to remember what it meant.--Cuddlbear (talk) 08:45, 26 March 2008 (UTC) removed triplication AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:19, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Try it, you might find out!--Artjo (talk) 09:37, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

The ol' scratching palm handshake... means they're being suggestive (they want to have sex with you)and like to creep you out even if it's just a joke. Started in the 80's I think, still widespread but not enough to lose its surprise effect. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:58, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Well before the 80s; my mother warned me about it and she was dating in the late 40s and early 50s. It may have made a comeback in the 80s, what with all the mothers warning their kids. --NellieBly (talk) 14:06, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

You've jogged my memory (is anything else jogged?). When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, there was a thing we did when we wanted to gross somebody out. You would offer a handshake, and as the victim took your hand, you'd curl your middle finger under and tickle his palm. It had no meaning, though; we just did it to skeeve people out. --Milkbreath (talk) 14:54, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

"is anything else jogged?" Anything you want to jog loose, yes. 'I jogged the DVD player to unstick the drawer.' Skittle (talk) 09:59, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

• Ray Charles wrote in his autobiography that he'd use that gesture to find out if a girl was "willing". My wife used to be a TV reporter when she was in her young 20s, and interviewed him for Buck Owens' station in Bakersfield. When the interview was over, he added a palm tickle to the parting handshake; she exclaimed, "I know what that means! I read your book!", to which Charles rolled his head back in his wonderful fashion, and laughed and laughed and laughed. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 16:37, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

insertion of cap in the catridge while manufacturing a pen

i want to insert a cap in the catridge for that what type of grippers we have to use and what is the process?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.126.135.112 (talk • contribs)

It is not clear what sort of pen you are asking about, but the cartridges with regular ink are normally heat sealed with a very thin plug, not a cap.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:33, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

The cast and crew of As for Me and My House (sitcom)

Where were Jalene Mack, Jennifer Jermany and the rest of the cast and crew for As for Me and My House (sitcom) born? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 14:39, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Eric, why isn't this on the entertainment desk? Julia Rossi (talk) 00:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Death Certificate

A notoriously unreliable scource has told me that a long lost friend has died, I wish to find out whether or not this is true, is there a way to access death certificates in south Africa via the web. Secondly, why is it that when some one has aids in South Africa, the doctor will not tell them they have it but will rather say, i dont know what is wrong with you but X will keep you alive for longer.

Probably not all doctors in South Africa would say that—certainly not any doctors with an ethical code. But as for prescribing a certain drug, they would do that because they are being paid by pharmaceutical companies. It happens in the West too. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:00, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

As to the last question, a number of factors may be at work. The issue may relate to the profound social stigma associated with HIV infection. From this site (emphasis added):

"Stigma and discrimination can arise from community-level responses to HIV and AIDS. The harassing of individuals suspected of being infected or of belonging to a particular group has been widely reported. It is often motivated by the need to blame and punish and in extreme circumstances can extend to acts of violence and murder. Attacks on men who are assumed gay have increased in many parts of the world, and HIV and AIDS related murders have been reported in countries as diverse as Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, South Africa and Thailand. In December 1998, Gugu Dhlamini was stoned and beaten to death by neighbours in her township near Durban, South Africa, after speaking out openly on World AIDS Day about her HIV status."

While new surveys and research indicate that attitudes have shifted somewhat – at least in some parts of South Africa – some physicians and patients may be reluctant to openly discuss HIV infection for fear that the patient's life or livelihood would be put at risk, that the patient would avoid returning for care and monitoring of their illness, or that the patient would avoid necessary treatment or drugs for fear of being found out.

As well, South African President Thabo Mbeki has long taken the position that the problem of AIDS in South Africa is overstated, and that HIV may not be the cause of AIDS. The South African Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has supported the position that antiretroviral therapy isn't necessary to treat HIV infection or AIDS, and that affected patients should adopt a dietary treatment strategy (lots of garlic, beetroot, and vitamin supplements) alone.

I don't envy physicians who must treat patients under such a regime; their work with HIV-positive individuals places them smack dab in the middle of overlapping moral, ethical, and political minefields. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:19, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Why there are no trams numbered 1 and 12 in Zurich city?

Why there are no trams numbered 1 and 12 in Zurich city?212.126.160.101 (talk) 17:08, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably because those routes were subsumed into other routes; there is no particular reason why every available route number should be used. You will find gaps in the tram/bus route numbering schemes of any city.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:30, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Knowing how detail-obsessed some transit fans are, I figured there just might be an answer to this on the Internet. So I did a Google search on "Zurich", "tram", and "1". (It would have been smarter to use "route 1" for the third term.) The first hit was Wikipedia's Zürich trams article, which says that route 1 was converted in 1954 to a bus route and then in 1956 to a trolleybus.

I then changed the third search term to "route 12", and found this page, which says that a new route 12, serving the airport, is scheduled to open in 2010. I don't know if it is reusing the number of a previous route or if the number was reserved for this route years ago. --Anonymous, 18:40 UTC, March 26, 2008.

The "Tramlinie" 12 opened in the 1920s, and originally went from somewhere in Höngg to Klusplatz in Hirslanden, later from Hardturm to Klusplatz. In the 1930s most of the route was made redundant and the remaining stub between Escher-Wyss Platz and Hardturm only covered a couple of stations. The short stretch was not liked by the VBZ's proud staff, and being sent to operate it sometimes felt like a disciplinary transfer to tram conductors. Nevertheless the stub ran for the next 30 years, until 1964, when the 4 was routed from the rail station Wipkingen to Hardturm, and the 12 was immobilized permanently. (Or not, see Anonymous's post above). ---Sluzzelin talk 23:14, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Help with template code

I'm adding a template with the following code:

{|class="infobox bordered" style="width:300px;"
{{#ifeq:{{#expr:{{#if:{{{combatants1|<noinclude>-</noinclude>}}}|1|0}} or {{#if:{{{combantants2|}}}|1|0}} }} | 1 |
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; background-color:#B4C5E3; padding:5px;" {{!}} <small>Combatants</small>
{{!}}-
{{#if:{{{combatants1|<noinclude>-</noinclude>}}} |
{{!}} style="padding:5px;" {{!}}{{{combatants1}}}
{{#if:{{{combatants2|<noinclude>-</noinclude>}}} |
{{!}} style="padding:5px;" {{!}}{{{combatants2}}}
{{!}}-
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|
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|}

However, the code shows up like this:

Combatants
{{{combatants1}}}	{{{combatants2}}}

See the {{#ifeq:1 | 1 | out in the air? Why is that there?--Boater111 (talk) 20:39, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Try actually making a table cell before you start writing things to the table :D\=< (talk) 12:22, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Medieval or Renaissance City

I have to write a paper on the Medieval or Renaissance City of my choosing, however I can't decide which one to choose. The paper has to focus on architecture, city layout, social groups, fairs/markets, and city government. Anyone have any suggestions of a city that would have plentiful information available on these subjects?--ChesterMarcol (talk) 21:01, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Venice, in bucket-loads. It was one of the major models for the design of cities in the UK, according to Building Jerusalem: The Rise and Fall of the Victorian City ISBN 978-0753819838 (not that that is a book which will answer your question ... but it makes that case that Venice is likely to be one of the best documented Medieval & Renaissance Cities.) --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:18, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, Venice was my first thought - followed by Florence, Rome, Siena, York, London, Paris and Toledo in no particular order. Gandalf61 (talk) 21:28, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Brugge, Ghent ... They'll all be well enough documented, though that begs the question of access to a sufficiently well stocked library. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:36, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Constantinople, Baghdad, and Cairo are also pretty well-documented. In general, you might also want to look at "Life in a Medieval City" by Joseph Gies. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:07, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Shrewsbury in the time of the Brother Cadfael chronicles? The twenty Cadfael Chronicles (novels) provide a wealth of detail and there are several non-fiction books associated with the series that explore Shrewsbury and its environs. Many non-Cadfael resources exist as well.

Atlant (talk) 16:33, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the help. I think I'm going to try London. Now I just need to find some books.--ChesterMarcol (talk) 21:32, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Start with Peter Ackroyd's London: A Biography. Very readable and with an essay-length annotated bibliography. BrainyBabe (talk) 01:00, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

I've always loved the city of Carcassonne (before I'd played the game), but alas, not a huge amount of information around. Steewi (talk) 04:00, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

oldest

what is the oldest country in the world?68.215.214.68 (talk) 22:46, 26 March 2008 (UTC)mahlet

One frequent answer to this question is San Marino (3 Septemer 301), but it really depends on how you wish to define the question. See also List of countries by formation date. ---Sluzzelin talk 22:51, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Oddly, that page is in reality a List of government foundation dates (ordered by) continent and country ... which makes it a pain to use to answer the original question, quite apart from laboring under a doubly inaccurate title. The answer does indeed depend upon a better definition of the question. Japan, for instance, celebrates National Foundation Day as February 11, 660 BCE, but became a different state on March 3, 1947. In the spirit in which I understand the question, I'd suggest China. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:01, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Yep. It annoyed me too. There's a discussion and a chronologically sorted table on the talk page here. It has Egypt in 3100 BCE: the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt begins the Early Dynastic Period of Ancient Egypt.---Sluzzelin talk 23:16, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Yup. That beats China's 2100 BCE–1600 BCE for the Xia Dynasty. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:04, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

My definition would be the date on which the current government of the country came into power or declared the country's independence. Gary King (talk) 00:28, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I assume you mean the current system of government, rather than the actual government? FiggyBee (talk) 00:49, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Right. Gary King (talk) 00:52, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

That article isn't even a "list of government foundation dates" - the government of the United Kingdom didn't change dramatically in 1922, and I don't think many people would argue that the UK became a different country in that year. FiggyBee (talk) 00:57, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Gary King: What date would you give for the UK? Algebraist 01:41, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Note that 1922 isn't given as the year of the formation of the UK, but of the "most recent significant territorial modification". I'm no historian, but the Glorious Revolution might be worthy of consideration as the time of formation of the current system. I doubt you could get third party sources to come to consensus on the answer though. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:23, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Shouldn't the question to consider be the time of birth for the first government? 81.93.102.185 (talk) 18:46, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Both China and Egypt have changed a few times since they were supposedly first founded, having been invaded and reorganised as new countries. So the country that has existed for the longest time is probably San Marino, mentioned above. And alternative answer to this might be the first country that was ever created. Archaeology so far seems to suggest either Sumer in southern Mesopotamia , or whatever country Byblos and/or Jerico belonged to as the first. HS7 (talk) 19:56, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Tiny countries like San Marino seem to have been absorbed, according to the media. I saw a TV report on the Pope's Easter blessing. It showed St Peters and the crowds etc, and the caption said "Italy". -- JackofOz (talk) 22:04, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Seems to me that the reasoning behind that would be because most people have never heard of San Marino. Gary King (talk) 03:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)