Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 May 25

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May 25

Rugby player sticking thumb up guys butt

Does anyone know of any article about this incident or about the player that did it? From what I heard he went through the shorts and up another players butt. Anybody got any info?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.117.135.99 (talk • contribs)

See John Hopoate#Wests Tigers. -- JackofOz 02:50, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Formerly from Tonga, via NZ, but this trick he learned in Australia eh Jack ; ) Mhicaoidh 09:25, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Err, I don't think so. We may be a nation of vulgarians, but we never stoop that low.  :) JackofOz 12:28, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

It was good when he switched to boxing. The gloves would have kept his fingers out of mischief. Edison 12:58, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I played high school rugby in the '80s, and the old finger up the butt distraction was used, that and a flick of the testicles and the knuckle in the back of the knee, but enough of the horse play in the showers after the game, i'm quite sure the aussies didn't invent the trick :) Perry-mankster 15:25, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I see that rugby has entered the digital age and simultaneously sunken into a black hole of depravity. StuRat 05:32, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Some would say they're the same thing.  :) JackofOz 05:42, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Integrated laundry

What is an "integrated" washing machine? Is it one that will handle white and coloured items in the same load? NeonMerlin 02:52, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

The machine is integrated to the structure, design, and furniture of the room. It is not a piece on its own, that you can take somewhere else. I think that's what it means. There are also integrated TVs, integrated screens, integrated beds, etc. A.Z. 03:01, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

"Integrated" seems to be the UK term for what North Americans would call "built-in". Now that more washers are front load for better water efficiency, built-ins may become popular in North America. Bielle 03:06, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Integrated means they are installed with a customised front panel ( made by you or your joiner/carpenter) that can match your other cupboard doors etc rather than a standard white or stainless front. You can remove the appliance and take it with you fairly easily, although it will obviously leave a gap in the laundry/kitchen. You then fit a new front to match the cupboards in your new abode Mhicaoidh 09:25, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

eBay selling account

Hi, I'm trying to set up an eBay seller account, and it's asking for the name of my bank - now I'm with Halifax/Bank of Scotland, but I was originally with Halifax - so do I put HBOS, the expanded acronym, or Halifax? I only ask because when I was trying to verify my PayPal account, it asked for the same thing, and it didn't actually work - I'd like to get it right this time. I'm a bit of a techno-dunce. 81.102.34.92 07:38, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

• Take a look at your last bank statement and put whatever it says on there. If it is not clear from there, try calling your bank. Xarr☎ 08:30, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Apostles' paintings at Mission San Gabriel

Where online can I see/get a good description of the paintings of the apostles (especially St. Peter) in the mission church at Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, California?

Whimangb

Shouting muffled. Please don't type in all caps. Very rude. --Tagishsimon (talk)

HAVE A LOOK, sorry, have a look at their web site [1] :) Perry-mankster 11:17, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

economics

1	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.191570881
2	Germany	0.132207909
3	Czech Republic	0.121370426
4	Belgium	0.11533674
5	Isle of Man	0.113636364
6	Switzerland	0.110995398
7	Luxembourg	0.105955143
8	Hungary	0.085316565
9	Slovakia	0.07497185
10	Poland	0.073786718
11	Austria	0.071670442
12	United Kingdom	0.070075974
13	Taiwan	0.069399666
14	Netherlands	0.067620286
15	Italy	0.06459848
16	Japan	0.062344674
17	Denmark	0.062027196
18	Slovenia	0.060622503
19	European Union	0.054384013
20	Croatia	0.048211949

which country has the worlds largest rail network?

Which country has the worlds largest road network? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.94.77.234 (talk • contribs)

In terms of coverage, revenue or patronage? Zain Ebrahim 12:35, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

The country with the largest rail newtwork is the United States, with 210,437 miles (list here. The country with the largest patronage is China, with 662.2 billion passenger-kilometres per year (list here. Carom 13:24, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

The CIA World Factbook is very good for this sort of thing: they have list of all national statistics. They give the US the most roadways, at 6,430,366 kilometres, almost twice the second placed country, India, with 3,383,344 km.[2] Note that as the CIA counts the European Union as a Supranational union (a country in it's own right), they lead the rail network figures. Laïka 14:25, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Also note that the US rail network is primarily a freight one - the States has by far the largest rail-freight capacity, but virtually no-one actually rides as a passenger. Laïka 14:40, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Uh, a "supranational union" is an association of countries, not a country in its own right. The CIAWF has entries for dozens of places that are not countries (most of them are dependencies). --Anonymous, May 25, 23:54 (UTC).

Perhaps more interesting a question would be "the largest rail network as a proportion of the nation's size". As there are many highly developed small-ish nations (England/Japan/Nordic countries) it would be interesting to see if their miles of network V miles of land ratio is higher of lower than, say, the bigger nations like Usa/China/Canada etc. If I get bored I might do a calculation and figure it out. ny156uk 17:05, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Using the CIA data files, the country with the highest rail:land ratio is Saint Kitts and Nevis, with 0.19 km of railway per km² of land, although this is reallybecause it is a tiny island chain with only one, narrow gauge, railway for tourists. In second place is Germany though, with 0.13 km of railway per km². I've shown the top twenty here, although the rest can be found at User:Smurrayinchester/Railtable. In case you're wondering, the US is at 46 with 0.023 km per km², Russia is at 86 with 0.005 km per km² and in last place is Nicaragua, with 0.000046 km per km². Laïka 17:35, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Fantastic Smurrayinchester, now this is much more indicative (save for the tiny places) of the 'biggest rail network' than the plain ol' km of track. Good work ny156uk 17:56, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Motorway in the back garden

A few years ago, I read about an Englishman who had built a section of UK motorway in his back garden. (It also spanned the back gardens of several of his neighbours.) He has also been featured on television. He encouraged visitors, and even called his creation something like the National Motorway Museum. Googling this phrase only brings up (oddly) references to the National Motorcycle Museum. Does anyone know whether this still exists? Or where it is? I'm sure it's worthy of an article.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:49, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

The best place to ask this may be the Society for All British Road Enthusiasts (SABRE); pretty much every roadgeek in the UK uses that forum. The only private, closed motorway I know of is the M96 motorway, part of the Fire Service College. I thought at first that this may have been about the M62 motorway, which splits around a house known as Stott Hall Farm, but that's a public motorway. Laïka 16:55, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Dishes

Is there any real danger of not washing your dishes perfectly without a dish washer. Or what about reusing a sponge to wash them or what about leaving incredibly small amounts of dish soap on them...Again is any of that really bad...I dont use raw choken in my home either.

I've yet to meet a person that uses one sponge per load of dishes. That's just wasteful! Dismas|^(talk) 18:48, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

There's a lot of talk that people are too clean, and that destroys your immune system. Eat some fresh garden dirt today, and don't get paranoid about your dishes! --Zeizmic 02:51, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm not too sure about "destroying" your immune system, but I read that kids who aren't exposed to allergens at an early age tend to develop allergies. Splintercellguy 03:38, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

I've noticed that small amounts of detergent make the food inedible, because of the horrid taste. I don't know if the food would be dangerous, but I wouldn't force myself to eat something that tastes like detergent. As for bacteria, the main danger would be if you put some food on it and then let it sit to allow the bacteria to grow. Since the food will likely already have bacteria from other sources, this isn't likely to make much difference, either. StuRat 05:26, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

plane/aircraft communications

Have any of you individuals been able to listen to in flight ATC while on any united airlines flights. I know they have XM radio but just wondering about the ATC.--logger 18:47, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, they do put ATC on the audio system, or they did the last time I flew United. It's at the pilot's option, though. --Anonymous, May 25, 2007, 23:51 (UTC).

All right thanks for the info.--logger 03:53, 26 May 2007 (UTC)