Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 October 14

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October 14

Protecting a book

Many a time at school, I find myself with some time on my hands (anywhere from 5 to 50 minutes) in which I have absolutely nothing to do. Except...read! I'm enjoying some books from the school's library, and I take good care of them and whatnot. However, I have at least a dozen books of my own collection that I haven't read yet, and free reading at school would be a great way to work through them. There's just one problem; I'm the type of person who meticulously cares for his belongings. I always promptly return discs to their cases, I handle any sort of delicate electronic equipment with measured care...I don't even open my books much farther than 100 degrees, to prevent the spines from cracking. Yes, it is a bit ridiculous. ^_^

However, it would be a nightmarish...nay, impossible task to attempt taking one of my books to school without protection and preventing all sorts of damage. Even a minor scuff to the cover would be inexcusable to me. What would be a viable method of protecting a book to this extent? The only thing I can think of would be a small cardboard box, but I'd probably look silly carrying that around all the time, right? Perhaps I could stow it in my bookbag, but what if the weight of my textbooks crushed it? What to do, what to do?--The Ninth Bright Shiner 01:28, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

If your books are hardcover, you may consider stretchable book covers. That would minimize scuffing. Falconus^{p t c} 01:44, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm not as meticulous as you but I generally throw my softcover books into a gallon size Ziploc bag and then toss that into my bookbag. Dismas|^(talk) 01:50, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

...I know the answer you want isn't, "stop being so OCD," but seriously, books are meant to be read, and that means cracking the cover a bit, and that's OK, because it means you are actually using them. When I was very young, I used to avoid eating candies that were terribly pretty because it felt like it would destroy their aesthetics. Then one day I found that maggots had gotten a lot of them. After that I resolved to just use things as I saw fit—not trash them, mind you, but understand what they are for—and get the most out of them. A book is meant to be read. Unless you're talking about treasured, collectible keepsakes (which you shouldn't bring to school)... just read 'em! A weathered book is a good friend. They will last longer than you expect. --Mr.98 (talk) 02:10, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

A bit of samurai wisdom from Hagakure: After reading books and the like, it is best to burn them or throw them away. Vranak (talk) 02:35, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I prefer to burn them before I read them. Bus stop (talk) 02:41, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Back in the olden days, before manufactured book covers existed (because 1950s parents wouldn't pay real money for them anyway), we made our own. Short of bending galvanized metal around your books, there was nothing that beat a book cover made from a plain old brown paper grocery bag -- especially if you could reinforce the corners with duct tape!

Paper grocery bags aren't as heavy today, so perhaps you could use two layers of brown bag. Alternatively, try to acquire a couple of manila file folders, and repurpose them to this task. Or, do you have a dog? Carefully cut open a dog food bag, flatten it, and use that multi-layer product to make a book cover which might also be mildly water-resistant.

(I guess it should be noted, in case it's not obvious, that this works best for hardcover books, not paperbacks.)

Good luck -- and have fun! -- with your project. --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 03:42, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Book stores used to sell book covers that you could wrap around the hard covers of books. There were even flexible vinyl covers to help protect paperbacks. The ziplock back (which of course didn't exist in my youth) is an excellent idea. Truth to tell, though, taking a special book to a public place...? Ask yourself if you could live without it, i.e. what you would do if it got stolen. Here's an idea: Keep a "good" copy stashed at home, and a "reading" copy with you, maybe a paperback version. Over time, you may discover you have more affection for the reading copy. However, if it gets stolen, you've got that other one. →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 05:23, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Protect book covers with adhesive transparent foil (vinyl is better than ordinary sticky tape that in time turns brown). Your protected covers will be durable, can be cleaned with a damp sponge and keep their second-hand value. Alternatively consider taking off the dust covers (jackets) from hardcover books and keeping them in a safe place since they are relatively fragile. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 08:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Plastic covers are very common on library and school books. You could ask your school librarian where they get theirs or try your local office supplies superstore. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 08:19, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

As for transporting them, I suggest investing in a hard-surface briefcase. Some are made of rigid plastic or other synthetic material, and I've even seen attorneys using metal (aluminum) briefcases. — Michael J 13:12, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm like you about my books :) I used to take books to school in a hard plastic pencil box, like a Spacemaker. This has the advantage of people thinking it's just a pencil box and not knowing you're actually being neurotic about the pristine condition of your books. Saves some ridicule :) (I know all about that firsthand.) Larger books probably won't fit, but my paperback copy of Lord of the Rings fit perfectly, so I was a happy kid. It prevents not only scuffs, but bent pages, spilled liquids, getting trompled by other things in your backpack, and all manner of other damage that bags and covers might not. And they can be obtained for about $3 at your local school supplies store. Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 03:31, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

If you want to go to the extreme level of protecting paperback books, libraries use services such as Demco to do this. It's basically a plastic adhesive film that goes over the book. You buy a kit that comes with the film and some stuff to trim it to size. There is probably a more consumer oriented company around if you want to go this route, but it is more than you need if you don't plan on circulating your personal books. When ordering books in bulk (for a library), this type of covering is an option for something around $2 per book. You can also buy cloth book covers made for various sizes of books, though this probably isn't the cheapest option compared to using a book sized container. That said, I'm in the "abuse your books" camp. No point in having them if you spend more time keeping them in perfect condition than you do reading them! 206.131.39.6 (talk) 19:48, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

53-foot semi-trailers

In the U.S. of A., a couple of decades ago (maybe even post-1973 oil embargo), there was a wide-sweeping "reform" of interstate trucking regulations. I recall two features of the law, which affected the maximum size of semi-trailers: one for width, the other for length.

As a result, we have 53-foot trailers on the road today. Alone among semi-trailers, they are required to have their length displayed in large letters within a few feet of the front of the box.

Now, where the heck did 53 feet come from? I've pondered this at length, and my best idea is that it's the maximum length which can make a turn of some radius -- said radius being significant to road designers. But, that's just a wild guess.

Does anyone know the Real Truth of the matter? A good night's sleep depends on a credible answer! --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 03:26, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I'll do some searching, but in the meantime, another factor is the size of a standard commercial pallet (40" x 48"). Having the internal length to be a number divisible by 48" would be a "good thing". I believe the 53' measurement in the external length; internal would be more like 51' - 52', which is divisible by 48". Matt Deres (talk) 04:00, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

One possible reason for such regulations on the dimensions of vehicles may be the need to ensure compatibility for truck-train combinations in shipping. The term in the US seems to be "intermodal". Clearly, trucks would have to follow certain dimensional standards to optimally fit onto the rolling stock available. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 06:49, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

[1] seems to suggest that there's always (since the 1950s at least) been limits on vehicle sizes; the reason the current maximum is 53' is because a maker of 53' trailers actively lobbied to have the maximum size raised to that number. 53' is the maximum size of intermodal containers in the USA, although that's more likely a result of the trailer sizes rather than a cause. FiggyBee (talk) 15:36, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I am dumbstruck or awestruck or whatever, and for two separate reasons:

• That there's no highway engineering behind it, and
• That someone was able to locate the document which proves it.

Hats off to you all! --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 22:06, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

different causes with confusing name

It's understood KTWV released quite a few compilation albums. They each were called "Wave-Aid". Portions of the proceeds benefitted AmfAR. But I know there's a different WaveAid. That one was a benefit concert for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake relief efforts. What can be done to clear up this confusion?24.90.204.234 (talk) 04:19, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

It appears to me that it's too late now; whoever was last should have named their effort something else. Since 99.99% of Earthlings have heard of neither effort, I doubt this is much of a problem, by the way. Whoever was interested in either cause will presumably find out quickly that they're investigating the wrong charity effort. Tempshill (talk) 04:25, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I believe you meant to say '99.99% of Earthlings outside of Asia' have never heard of either effort.' DOR (HK) (talk) 07:40, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

There might be some bias in Tempshill's comment. However, the listed WaveAid says it raised 2 million dollars. That's not really a lot for something supposed to be significant. Live Aid raised like a hundred times that amount just on its first go-around. The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for that year raised 60 million dollars. →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots← 08:03, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

business management

business management,

 can i know d advantages n disadvantages of control which is a managerial function????
      it is not a homework question.... its just for my reference

can u give more information about control which is one of d managerial function —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.96.205.120 (talk) 06:28, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

See the article Management which links to other management-related articles. Control is only one of the activities of a manager. Others are planning, organizing, staffing, leading and directing an organization or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 07:48, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Accepting that this is not a homework question, it is however the same question as you asked 2 days ago. It is unlikely that you will get different answers this time. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 07:53, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Also, "just for your reference", the word "the" does not have a d in it. FiggyBee (talk) 15:39, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Also a good idea, for a manager or anyone else, to spell "and" as "and", or "&". --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 21:43, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I would just like to note that the OP's IP address resolves to India, where English is commonly spoken, but is not a native language, so maybe some slack could be cut. Just a suggestion.-- Александр Дмитрий (Alexandr Dmitri) (talk) 08:36, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

That "d" is not a spelling error or other 'non-native speaker mistake', it's IM talk (like "dat" for "that"). No slack necessary. rʨanaɢ ^talk/_contribs 08:18, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

Polo shirt

I've just had a haircut. At my school, students must wear polo shirts in terms 1 and 4. I hate wearing polo shirts because they are itchy (even itchier when I've just had a haircut). What's a good way to remove itchiness from polo shirts? jc iindyysgvxc (my contributions) 09:40, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Fabric softener? Also, I'm guessing that the shirts have to be of a certain color or have some other restriction like that. Is there a way to get the required color or whatever in a cotton shirt? Cotton may be less itchy to you than synthetic fibers. Dismas|^(talk) 10:40, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

You may also want to try a different laundry detergent - some people are irritated by certain types of detergent (eg. bio vs non-bio). I would expect that to make any shirt itch (and other clothing), but it might still be worth a try. --Tango (talk) 12:05, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I am not sure but try dry cleaning.Adi4094 (talk) 10:43, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Dry cleaning a cotton polo shirt is usually not a good idea... --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 11:37, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Several washes will do the trick, but age the shirt.86.200.134.121 (talk) 14:08, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

If the school requires this type of "uniform", perhaps they would have some suggestions about how to fix this problem. If their answer is "tough it out", maybe you should go to a different school. →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:58, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Yes, very helpful BB, as always —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.4.186.107 (talk) 18:33, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Why should he have to put up with something uncomfortable? →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:03, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Why not answer a question with a reference instead of making flippant comments? Malcolm XIV (talk) 12:47, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Why are you constantly trying to keep the ref desks in a box? The questioner is asking how to put up with something. I'm asking why do you have to? →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 13:06, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Undershirt? -- Coneslayer (talk) 19:08, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

If we're not talking about a school uniform (you don't specify.), you could just get different polo shirts. They're not all made from the same material. APL (talk) 02:48, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Internet:The new GOD?

I saw a doomsday documentary on the History channel.It says Internet is equivalent to God.It can make certain predictions. How does this theory work?It was just mentioned not explained.Adi4094 (talk) 10:37, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

How should we know? You are the one that watched the documentary. It sounds like a reference to the wisdom of crowds. I think there is more to being a god than precognisance, though... --Tango (talk) 10:50, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

"If one could conclude as to the nature of the Creator from a study of creation, it would appear that God has an inordinate fondness for cats and pirates." --Mr.98 (talk) 13:20, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

The internet can also change reality by making certain things true or false. DJ Clayworth (talk) 13:22, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, and if you wanted to extend it further... it tells us how things are ordered, you can make a plea to it and maybe it will respond (and maybe it won't)... and.. yeah. I don't know. It's a little crackpot. If it is a God, it is not a Christian God, it is more like one of the Greek gods, who is occasionally shagging a sheep and all that. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:24, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

That would explain why it doesn't always respond very quickly. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:11, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

If you want to get into the church of the high technological, I recommend reading about the technological singularity, which is a far more far-out concept than saying the Internet is God (which is intellectually rather shallow). --Mr.98 (talk) 13:26, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I looked at the first two results in this google search and they seem like they might be relevant. If not, you'll have to give us more details. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 13:27, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Television was once similarly described, in that it could reach everyone at once, or at least everyone who was tuned in to it. →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:09, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Well I've heard it said that God is truth. So insomuch as the internet spreads truth, it could be described in divine terms. Or we could just be a little more plain-spoken and say that the Internet is pretty nifty. Vranak (talk) 15:24, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

"Insomuch as the internet spreads truth..." is a bit like saying "Insomuch as Ann Coulter is a liberal...". DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:13, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Well Wikipedia is pretty good when it comes to accurate information, I think. If we talk about most anything outside Wiki... you're right. Sports scores, that's spot on. Vranak (talk) 16:51, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

"Wikipedia is pretty good when it comes to accurate information", haha! What a comedian! Adam Bishop (talk) 17:22, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I am disturbed by your apparent lack of faith! Well, no... not really. :) Vranak (talk) 18:18, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I can see both sides of that question. Mostly, the info in our articles happens to be accurate; it'd be a damn poor show if that were not the case. But WP does not focus on "the truth" per se of a subject. It focuses on what information can be verified from reliable sources. Big difference, but with, hopefully, a big overlap. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:18, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

To "verify" means to "make true". →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:36, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Not around here; see Wikipedia:Verifiability, not truth. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:41, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

An editor can assert something as being true, thinking we're supposed to take his word for it because he and all his friends "know" it's true (a frequent problem on wikipedia); or he can find a citation and "make it true" under wikipedia standards. Verification is needed for facts that are not universally or substantially obvious. You can say "Barack Obama is male", and demanding a citation for that would be silly. But a statement about his height and weight would require a citation. →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:49, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

None of which makes it necessarily "true" that he's whatever height we say it is. All that's true is that some reputable sources say he's that height. We accept the word of reputable sources; but reputable sources have been known to be wrong. We allow for that possibility when we make no claim that any of the facts presented in WP are "true"; all we ever claim is that they've been verified. Calling this "true under Wikipedia standards" is a distortion of the meaning of the word "true". -- JackofOz (talk) 05:44, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

And that argument likewise distorts the meaning of "verify". Here's the deal: "Truth" can be a relative concept. To "make true" in the wikipedia sense means to make the facts "as true as we can", although the "absolute" truth may be uncertain. We do not blindly accept sources if it's obvious that they're wrong, because that would be an insult to our readers. If the only source for Obama's height said he was 4 feet tall, we couldn't use that, regardless of what the source was. And we have to use some editorial judgment when supposedly reliable sources provide conflicting information. An example of the latter was discussed recently in regard to the ballplayer Dave Kingman and comments that an opposing manager, Tommy Lasorda, made about Kingman, back in the 1970s. Some logic and reason had to be applied to provide the "true" answer. →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 06:21, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

I fail to see the analogy. No god in human history ever made predictions as far as I know. Among other things, making any kind of predictions would imply they were not in control. --KageTora - SPQW - (影虎) (talk) 16:50, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Matthew 26:34 is one example that comes to mind immediately: "Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." Malcolm XIV (talk) 09:11, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm constantly getting yelled at for making "unhelpful" responses. The fact is that Tango's initial response was sarcastic, pointed, and totally fitting. The OP asks us to interpret a TV show that he just watched. How silly is that? There needs to be an approved procedure for simply saying, "Sorry, can't help you. See ya." →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:37, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Ok now you challenged me to actually give a thoughtful response.

What I'm getting from the original question is akin to the typical doomsday sci-fi scenario, ala Skynet. When people start putting together a large scale network with some AI capabilities, something interesting happens and we can either get large-scale malice, or as the OP says, we might be able to get some useful predictions. Well, the way computers work is like this: they are very good at doing specifically what you instruct them to. When it comes to extreme high-level functions like predicting the future -- well that's just a non-starter. Computers are very very dumb. If you can make a machine to see into the future, you can already do so yourself. That is my understanding. Vranak (talk) 19:03, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

You might be interested in Saint Vidicon. Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 20:46, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Gods usually evoke worship. Who, pray tell, worships the Internet? →Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:37, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

The Internet Prayer Verily I bowest before thy shrine of 102 buttons and do invoke thy mysterious spirit by pressing thy holy button, that button not of the 102, even that button of which Saint Gates commanded Thou shall not press a second time for they that seek to End shall pray to Start. Blessed be thy infinite network for its packets bring me comfort and I shall surf in its bandwidth forever. Give us this day our chat, our mail and our porn in abundance, for now we see as through windows dimly the great domain of thy name sung by 32 angels but we rest in faith that soon at the last bugfix of the last glitch there shall be no more workarounds and a vista made mightier seven-fold by a chorus of 128 angels shall be our reward. E-men. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:09, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Maybe it is?http://www.roma1.infn.it/~anzel/answer.html..Hotclaws (talk) 17:32, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

Good Question! Let's ask Multivax. APL (talk) 14:57, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

A late response, but we _do_ have an article on this particular issue - Web Bot. It's supposed to have predicted 9/11, and the end of the world on October 29th 2009 - viz, the Thursday after next. I hope everyone has made appropriate preparations... Tevildo (talk) 23:03, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

October 25th (next Sunday), my apologies. Tevildo (talk) 23:06, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

Being Released From Prison

When a prisoner is released from prison, do they arrange anything for them like sort of a halfway house or anything? Just curious, I always see that in movies where the gates open, they walk out and then they close... but I wasn't sure how the system really works. Do they arrange anything at all? Because some might not have family and obviously no job or home, especialy in the winter months.74.218.50.226 (talk) 14:51, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

What jurisdiction are you thinking of? Here in the UK the prison will issue a "Get you home" travel warrant plus a Discharge Grant (not very much). If the prisoner is being released early for good behaviour reasons, he/she will have been assessed as being capable of surviving on release, and if not, there will be some form of Social Work intervention, failing which, there may be a half-way house arrangement - but not always. Prisoners MAY NOT be kept incarcerated beyond their ultimate sentence duration in any circumstances. 92.23.90.16 (talk) 15:18, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

In the UK, prisoners can specify where they would like to be released to (e.g. to stay with a friend or relative or a halfway house). There's then a decision made as to whether that is possible, and whether it will be permitted. Shelter give advice to people in this situation and try to find suitable accommodation for those who need it. Warofdreams talk 15:48, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

If you are released on parole then I believe your parole officer is responsible for helping you settle into your life as a free person. There will be systems in place to help them do that. --Tango (talk) 15:58, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

For better or worse, many U.S. states and the U.S. Federal government have abolished much of the former parole system in favor of fixed sentences, so I think there are fewer parole officers, at least by that name. (They still have probation officers, who enforce the provisions of a probation sentence.) There's also been a philosophical shift towards deterrence, punishment (retribution) and incapacitation, and away from reform and rehabilitation, as ends of a criminal sentence. But there must be some system governing early release. —— Shakescene (talk) 05:17, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Things are similar to the UK in NZ I believe. For example, in some cases finding a suitable place for you to live is necessary before parole will be granted. Help will be offered to those who can't find one. [2] Nil Einne (talk) 11:34, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

We have an article: Halfway house -- 128.104.112.179 (talk) 22:09, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

PSAT question

What are some of the questions highlighted with a blue box on the answer sheet, while others are not/Accdude92 (talk) (sign) 17:09, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Unless it's predictable (i.e. every 5 questions are highlighted in a different colour), then it probably only means something to the people who wrote the test.

If you are referring to highlighting similar to [3] , I believe it is only to assist in page orientation for the student. You can contact PSAT directly at: psathelp@info.collegeboard.org. --Preceding unsigned comment 02:26, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Lawyer

What do I do If I hired a lawyer to do a job and it took so long for them to get it done (not due to a deadline) Just took too long I had to hound them many times. It has caused me severe financial hardship

help09 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20jump02 (talk • contribs) 17:44, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

In the first instance, complain to the lawyer themselves. If that doesn't work, you can probably complain to the local bar or similar - where are you? --Tango (talk) 17:47, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Missouri. Whats complaining going to do Ive done that already manytimes thats the only reason they got anything done.this has stressed me out alot.they are getting it done now(I hope) !!!! Its to late to start over i spent to much time already with them, do I just take this bull sh... and know never to use them again. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20jump02 (talk • contribs) 18:12, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I agree that complaining to the offending party is unlikely to do much good. If you think that the lawyer has violated ethical standards, you could complain to the Missouri Bar association. If you think that he or she has violated any laws, you could hire a different lawyer (after getting references) and press charges against your former lawyer. Other than that, you could always look for forums online where you can describe your experiences with this lawyer to try to warn others that they may risk the same. Marco polo (talk) 18:27, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

The applicable term for "lawyer did not appropriately fulfill his professional obligations to a client" is malpractice, specifically legal malpractice. But note that not all "lawyer didn't do what they were supposed to" situations rise to the level of malpractice. -- 128.104.112.179 (talk) 22:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I think it depends on the circumstances. For example with a large law firm, they may have a system in place where they will take on complaints. Depending on the circumstances, they may not necessarily take action, but if they get frequent complaints about a certain lawyer this is unlikely to be favourable to said lawyer. Even if it's not a large law firm but is a firm with multiple lawyers involved and if your case isn't very serious, I would expect there's someone higher up in the law firm then your lawyer. Also it's not entirely clear how the existing complaints were handled. If you're just calling the lawyer involved in your cases (or their secretary/paralegal) and asking them to hurry up, while this may be an appropriate way to try and get them to hurry up, it's not necessarily a great way to actually issue a complaint. Note that if you want to take a complaint to someone else, it's usually a very good idea to show you've tried all resonable measures to resolve this directly with the people directly first. Nil Einne (talk) 11:49, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

Keep in mind that your opinion of "how long something should take" may not be realistic. When I worked as a paralegal, we often had clients furiously enraged that (for instance) a transfer of land took more than a few hours to register at the land titles office. That was completely out of our hands, though: if the provincial land titles office took nine days to register a transfer, it took nine days. Yet the clients would be calling and calling, complaining and complaining, and refusing to believe that we couldn't somehow make things happen more quickly and blaming us for the delay. (Worse were the new homeowners who thought they could sign the documents on the day they moved in because that was how it was done on American TV: no, the documents have to be registered first, so you'd better sign them ten or fifteen days before the official closing date.) --NellieBly (talk) 15:20, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

For the record, it's also how it's done in American real life. We spent an hour or two at the lawyer's office signing the paperwork at closing, then drove directly to our new home and moved in. -- Coneslayer (talk) 18:34, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

Concur Googlemeister (talk) 19:19, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

Haiti

Okay my fiance' has a child that lives with its mother in Haiti. He is not being well taken care of, what are the child custody laws in Haiti so that i can help get my fiance' his son back and i can adopt him?!? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.65.191.34 (talk) 18:44, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia cannot give legal advice. Sorry. Xenon54 / talk / 18:51, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

But we can be a little more helpful. Search on google for 'Haiti custody law' or 'haiti custody lawyers' and follow the links - as noted you'll need to get legal guidance (something we can't provide you) but a bit of searching may find you an avenue 'in' to contacting someone who can provide more info. This result (http://www.hg.org/law-firms/Child-Support-and-Custody/Haiti.html) for instance appears to have a link to a view Haiti based lawyers that will help with child support / custody. ny156uk (talk) 20:26, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Casino perks

Quite often in movies that involve gambling at casinos (e.g. Rounders and 21) some character will say that they were "comped". I take this to mean that they got a complimentary stay at the casino hotel, dinner at a restaurant, etc. How often does this actually happen and what's the process? Do casino staff just wander around and hand out slips of paper saying that whoever presents the slip to another staff member gets whatever they got comped for? Does this just happen with people who are winning (to maybe entice them to stay longer and thus lose their money back to the casino?) or can you just be wandering through the casino and be 'comped'? Dismas|^(talk) 19:48, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Accoutring to our article Comps (casino), it seems the more you play, the more "Comps" you get. Fribbler (talk) 20:01, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I should have known that we'd have an article on that... Dismas|^(talk) 20:34, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

You should read this article about government-owned casinos in Canada using so-called perks to lure compulsive gamblers into spending their life savings on blackjack and poker. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 22:47, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

The only comps that you can get just by showing up and looking interested are free drinks, in my experience. You really don't have to play much at all to get those -- you just have to be with someone who is playing. Considering it costs them almost nothing to provide the drinks, even with a large percentage of non-spenders getting them, it's not very surprising. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:51, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Unless you're a high roller, you generally have to ask for a comp (other than drinks of course). They then check out your "action" on their computer (tracked by the player's card you either place in a slot machine or present to a dealer at a table game before you start playing) to see how much you've played to decide if you warrant it. It's no big secret how they determine what you're worth to them. Basically, they calculate your expected loss (not your actual win or loss) and "rebate" you a percentage of that in comps. AFAIK, it doesn't matter if you're winning or losing. I believe that Jean Scott, the "Queen of comps", states that you can get the most comps for the least amount of $$$ by playing video poker (if you learn the right strategy). Clarityfiend (talk) 20:36, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Someone I know got offers in the mail, but I think it involved some king of registration as well as spending big in the casino. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:05, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Yet another way that comps work, or worked a decade ago: When you sat down at a game table, you gave your club card to the dealer, who swiped it -- "logged you in", effectively. When you left the table, same procedure. Thus, they build up a history of your visit.

When you check out of the hotel, they look at your history vs your bill, and credit off some portion of it -- up to and including 100%.

One consequence of this program is you're more likely to do all your gambling in the one hotel/casino you're staying in, rather than hop around from one to the next to the next to the next. --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 22:15, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

It used to be that most casino comping depended on the pit boss noticing you and offering you a comp. Now, most Vegas casinos offer "comp cards" which like credit cards you swipe when you sit down at a slot machine; many table games also have swiping machines; you hand your card to the dealer/croupier, who swipes it for you. The machine then automatically calculates your comp based on the betting level of the machine/game and how long you play it. The card then stores this comp as a "cash value" which can be spent anywhere in the hotel like cash; you could spend it on a room, in a shop, in a restaurant, etc. --Jayron32 02:22, 16 October 2009 (UTC) PS. Looks like DaHorsesMouth just said exactly that. I should prolly read ALL the comments. --Jayron32 02:30, 16 October 2009 (UTC)