Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 June 7

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June 7

Hospital chain of command

I've searched all over the interwebz, seriously, and could not find a list that makes sense. What is the chain of command in a hospital? I know it might be different for teaching hospitals, but I'm just asking for the typical, like who's the absolute number-one head-hancho, who's under them, and so on... All I've found is confusing paragraphs that make no sense and don't really answer a whole lot. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.164.111.148 (talk) 00:34, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

In the UK their is typically an Executive Board which is responsible for the management of the hospital. If you link here[1] you will see the Trust Board chaired by the Chief Executive who is the 'head honcho'. You will see that the board is composed of various senior members of the hospital and several members (Non-Executive Directors) who represent the local community which the hospital serves (these latter are elected for a fixed term). Each of the Senior Hospital Members of the Board will have a cascading hierarchy below them which they represent. Richard Avery (talk) 07:36, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

International payments

Say I'm European but living in Argentina and sell drawings on my website to the US and Europe. What would be the easiest way for customers to pay me? I have bank accounts in France and the UK. Thank you. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 01:47, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

PayPal, perhaps. --Nricardo (talk) 02:06, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

For your European clients, I would use the bank account. GoingOnTracks (talk) 12:40, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

US League of Savings Institutions

What was the US League of Savings Institutions? (see http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/1989.html) Salinay (talk) 01:46, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

This page says it was "a former national organization representing the thrift industry" and that after a merger and a name change it became part of "America's Community Bankers" (ACB), another group that Wikipedia doesn't have an article on. Then last year there was another merger and ACB in turn became part of the American Bankers Association. --Anonymous, 02:07 UTC, June 7, 2008.

Question

Why do some females have masculine middle names? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 10:54, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

maybe they're named after someone? i have a feminine middle name and i'm a male. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.1.186 (talk) 13:54, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure it's a masculine name instead of ones much more commonly used as male names when they are for both sexes, such as Alex and Andy? Which names were used for their middle names, if you're ok with reveiling. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 14:10, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

It's an insidious plot by the supersecret female cabal within the WP:CABAL to grab all the names for themselves. Look what they did to Beverley, formerly a man's name, e.g. Beverley Baxter, Beverley Robinson. Clarityfiend (talk) 18:03, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

It's not just first names. Anne Rice was born Howard Allen O'Brien, and Barack Obama's mother was born Stanley Ann Dunham. Corvus cornix_talk 19:18, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Middle names can be a way of absorbing other family lines, an inherited name that isn't part of the family name even if you're female, and sometimes turn up repeatedly, sometimes not. Carson McCullers b. Lula Carson Smith, might be an example. Julia Rossi (talk) 01:34, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

In Latin-America, it's not uncommon for a girl to be named Maria Juan or Maria Jose because there are so many Marias, or a boy to be named Juan Maria because of all the other Juans. There is often also a religious aspect to the choice. Steewi (talk) 12:34, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

As in Carlo Maria Giulini and Archbishop Patrick Mary O'Donnell. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:43, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

In predominantly Catholic countries (including much of Latin America) it is common practice for a person to be christened with their saint's name as a middle name - i.e., the Saint on whose feast day the person was born (IIRC - any Catholics care to, erm, confirm this?). So someone christened Maria Juan or Maria Jose is likely to have been born of St John's or St Joseph's feast day. The same is common with French names (I personally know a Marie Paul). And, of course, the two examples just given by Kangaroo Jack are Italian and Irish - and there are few countries with more prominent Catholic populations. Grutness...wha? 12:22, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

United States Of America

Q:When is the national blonde brownie day celebrated in the U.S —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.194.193.239 (talk) 12:28, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Copied from science desk by CycloneNimrod

January 22 — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 14:26, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Can we assume that blondes were involved in assigning a date for national blonde brownie day ? :-) StuRat (talk) 18:36, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I must have. Kept reading it as natural blonde brownie. Gah. Julia Rossi (talk) 11:10, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Yea, a "blonde brownie" does sound like somebody with brown hair who hair dyed it blonde. :-) StuRat (talk) 06:08, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Friend contemplating suicide

I need serious help. A friend of mine last night told me he was going to kill himself (on AIM). I have no idea where else to go. I really could not tell if he was joking either, I've never known him to be so serious and still end up joking. He's not some loser with nothing going for him; he's smart, has a lot of friends, is a moderately good athlete, and has a bright future, but I can't convince him of those facts. There always is a chance he's joking, so I don't want to get physciatric help for him. When I told him "cya monday" (several times), he never responded in the affirmative? How do I help him? I'm really scared. 70.105.164.43 (talk) 13:23, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

if you think that he's serious, the best thing to do would be get psychiatric help for him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.1.186 (talk) 13:38, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

If you refer someone to him for help, at worst he'll think you overreacted. If you don't refer someone to him for help, at worst you'll blame yourself if he does do something. So I think finding a way to call attention to him is probably best for everyone. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:58, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

If he is a teenager, it would also be appropriate to tell his parents what he told you. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 21:01, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

eggs

well, i really enjoy eating eggs, but my dad said that eating too many of them is bad for you. i only eat 2-4 eggs a day though, so is it bad to eat a lot of eggs daily? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.1.186 (talk) 13:35, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

(EDIT CONFLICT)--::Eating "too much/too many" of anything is bad for you. Ask him what he means by too many, and if the answer is something like "5,000/day", then you are still well within the limit. 2-4 is not bad at all. Many people have two eggs for breakfast, an egg sandwich (or two) for lunch, and something at dinner with eggs in.--ChokinBako (talk) 13:44, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

You might suffer from flatulence eating too many eggs. sumal (talk) 13:42, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Wow, no on linked the egg article yet? According to studies, eating two eggs a day doesn't increase your risks of heart disease. Even if you eat more than that, the results are debated. Eating 2-4 a day isn't that bad, especially if you don't eat every yolk. For example, scramble 4 eggs by discarding two of the yolks, and you're intaking a lot less cholesterol and fat. I knew people who used to eat half a dozen hard boiled eggs and discarded every yolk, for example. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 14:05, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

This link from the English food standards agency says "There is no recommended limit on how many eggs people should eat." However, as Wirbelwind pointed out eggs contain cholesterol and high cholesterol levels in the blood increase the risk of heart disease. This link also makes for an interesting read. D0762 (talk) 15:42, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I've noticed the flatulence phenomenal too. Why does eating too many eggs increase flatulence? Acceptable (talk) 22:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Because they are rich in polysaccharides.--ChokinBako (talk) 01:02, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

A little to much information there, Acceptable. 79.76.195.209 (talk) 14:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I was taught that I shouldn't have more than four a day. Or it might have been four a week. I forget why, but I'm quite sure it wasn't just cholesterol. Or maybe it was. Is this one of those things that's less of a problem if you build up to it gradually rather than never eating any then suddenly having half a dozen in a short time?HS7 (talk) 18:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

I disagree with all the previous advice. This site lists one large hard-boiled egg as containing 71% of your daily cholesterol intake limit: [2]. That only leaves 29% left for all the other food you eat in the day. And fried eggs are even less healthy than hard-boiled eggs. So, I'd keep it down to just one egg a day on average. If you wish, you can have 2-4 eggs once or twice a week instead of one egg each day. StuRat (talk) 19:04, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Global warming

I do practice environmental safe practices as far as possible. Will it make a difference in any way, particularly when I see many flouting such practices? sumal (talk) 13:56, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Not on your own. One out of billions! But if we all....86.219.37.202 (talk) 14:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)DT

It's a tricky question. If you're the only one doing it... no. But if you are one of millions... maybe. But even then, environmentalism is one of those things that suffers from scale—it's easier to pollute that it is to conserve. It's easier for one person to do more damage than it is for another to prevent. I can be very careful with my disposal of motor oil, but it only takes one guy with a big enough drum to pollute a fairly large area. Personally, and this is an opinion, I don't believe anything significant can be done by small, individual initiative except for making a social and political climate acceptable for real, large-scale initiatives (like setting emission caps). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:55, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Personally, I save plastic bottles and reuse them. My fridge has about ten bottles of tap water or orange squash in it, using bottles I have bought in the shop and reused. I do this for economic reasons as well as environmental ones. It's cheaper to use tap water than to buy so-called 'mineral water' in the shop. The tap water is safe where I live, too, so it's not a problem. Obviously as my 'collection' of bottles gets too big, I throw some out, but it's not as if I am buying and throwing away two or three a day as I would if I wasn't do what I am doing now. Basically, if you don't think your contribution will make a difference environmentally, think about what economic benefits there are to recycling and saving energy, and go that way.--ChokinBako (talk) 15:19, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with .46: the main effect of individual-scale environmentalism is get people used to the idea that it's not madness for societies to be less rapacious than they could be, even if that means some loss of convenience. I personally try to minimize how much plastic I consume because thinking about things like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch make me feel physically ill and humiliated as a member of this society. --Sean 17:20, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Some measures which you can undertake can make a difference to your immediate surroundings. For example, using organic rather than chemical pest control will probably make a difference to your garden. Warofdreams talk 00:57, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

You can avoid pesticides on the whole by making your garden inviting to birds, small spiders and lizards. Using green/er products boosts those kinds of businesses. I wouldn't be put off by being one of millions, y'know anything big begins with one small step and all that. Other people will catch up with you eventually. Go with the awarenes imho, maybe even join/start a local group, it can bring communities together. Julia Rossi (talk) 07:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Don't forget that if people see you do it , they may copy you, so the goodness spreads.The more people who behave in an environmentally friendly way, the more "fashionable" it becames and the more polititions and big buisness will respond to it.Locally, our supermarket has started recycling plastic bags and using less packaging.This has all been brought about by consumer demand. You could be the one person who is the one who makes the change.hotclaws 08:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Until recently, my local supermarket was giving away free plastic bags, which were quite large, sturdy and durable. We had a choice of one of these or the usual little plastic bags that you end up throwing away. I got one of these better ones and I use it every time I go there. They have since started charging 10p for these bags, but a lot of supermarkets are charging 5p each for the smaller, flimsy ones, so it's a good deal cheaper, uses less plastic, and leaves less waste. The UK government has been thinking of charging people for leaving 'too much' waste, which is silly, really, because I can see a future where people with too much waste will either be dumping in the public bins or in their neighbours' bins to avoid the charges.--ChokinBako (talk) 10:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia's first article?

I'm just wondering what the very first article on Wikipedia was, and if it's still around.--Aervanath lives in the Orphanage 17:34, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

See the archives. Dismas|^(talk) 17:41, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

...which links to WP:OLDEST — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 17:43, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

British Special Forces

Do the British special forces require members/recruits to be able to see well without glasses or contacts? --212.120.247.132 (talk) 17:56, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Most national special force units require their recruits to have 20/20 correctable vision. I'd imagine the British special forces would expect the same. Acceptable (talk) 20:16, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Do you mean correctable to 20/20 (6/6) as in if their vision was ok with galasses then that's fine? Fribbler (talk) 20:22, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, we can all look forward to a day when there will be just as many galasses in the military as guyasses. :-) StuRat (talk) 23:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Damn alcohol-induced-question-answering. Im such a galass! :-) Fribbler (talk) 23:44, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Suppose their vision is 20/40, for example, and they are wearing glasses. The candidate's eyesight must be able to be corrected to 20/20 through laser eye surgery- usually PRK. The eyesight of some people may be so bad that even surgery will not be able to correct it and some people's eyes may not be suitable for surgery. In either of these cases, the candidate would usually be disqualified unless they already have perfect 20/20 vision. Acceptable (talk) 22:37, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Men's fashion: T-shirt-under-polo problem

A popular casual fashion in my demographic is a T-shirt under a polo shirt. The problem is that, just about every time I wear this combination, the sleeves of the T-shirt eventually drop down past the sleeves of the polo, thus giving the getup a haphazard quality. I never see this happen to anyone else (unless I'm not looking hard enough)...is there some special fold I should give the T-shirt sleeves, or some other fix, that could prevent this? --zenohockey (talk) 19:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

cut off the t-shirt sleeves —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.227.104.166 (talk) 19:52, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I've had similar problems with various short-sleeved attire worn over a T-shirt. I get around it by folding the sleeves of the T-shirt into the T-shirt. It bulges a bit on the shoulders, but with a little practice you can fix that.--ChokinBako (talk) 21:14, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I typically wear two layers too (one undershirt, the t-shirt, and another shirt on top), but this never happens to me. Even when I wear very tight overshirts, I've never had this problem. It sounds to me like the undershirt you're using is too big. Try getting a smaller size that fits more tightly. --71.98.7.54 (talk) 07:56, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Shorten and hem the Tshirt sleeves.hotclaws 08:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

For this task, most men would use duct tape -- Danh, 70.59.116.253 (talk) 21:29, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Seriously, you can get various "iron on" hem tapes that even I can use [3]. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:01, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Chuck Palumbo making Chavo Guerrero Jr. a motorcycle

Is it true that Chuck Palumbo is building Chavo Guerrero a motorcycle? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 23:31, 7 June 2008 (UTC)