The Wikipedia Knowledge Dump (WikiDumper.org)

Water Retention on Mathematical Surfaces

2011-12-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

This article concerns the mathematical problem of finding the maximum retention of water on various surfaces. Imagine a surface of cells of various heights on a regular array such as a square lattice, and water is rained down on every cell in the system. The boundaries of the system are open and allow water to flow out. Water will be trapped in ponds, and eventually all ponds will fill to their maximum height, with any additional water flowing over spillways and out the boundaries of the system. The problem is to find the amount of water trapped or retained for a given surface.

This has been studied extensively for two mathematical surfaces: (1) Magic Square and (2) Random Surfaces (discussed in this entry). In 2010, water retention on magic squares was used as a challenge in Al Zimmermann contest: find the L x L magic square with the maximum water retention. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Water retention on mathematical surfaces". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Ashkenazi Intelligence

2011-08-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

The intelligence of Ashkenazi Jews has been the subject of study and speculation within the fields of psychometry and evolutionary biology. Psychometric studies have reported a higher than average intelligence quotient among Ashkenazi Jews than among the general population. There has been a broad range of speculation about the possible causes of these findings, as well as a measure of controversy, as they touch upon several sensitive subjects such as the possible relationship between race and intelligence, as well as issues of racialism, philo-semitism and anti-semitism. One highly publicised proposal by Gregory Cochran, Jason Hardy and Henry Harpending, suggests that the Ashkenazi had jobs in which increased IQ strongly favoured economic success, in contrast with other populations, who were mostly peasant farmers. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ashkenazi Intelligence". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Soft Salad

2010-10-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Soft salad (sofuto sarada) is a salty, dry Japanese rice cracker snack food trademarked by Kameda Seika. The name derives from the fact that it is softer than traditional senbei, and that salad-yu (sarada-yu, Japanese for vegetable oil) is used in the manufacturing process. The company decided to use the term "salad-flavored" rather than "salt-flavored (shio-aji)" in order to have a more fashionable, western-sounding name. However, since the name is confusing, the name is often unofficially appended as soft salad senbei. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Soft Salad". Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Jana Cova

2010-06-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Jana Cova (born April 13, 1980), is a Czech pornographic actress and nude model of Polish descent. Born in Prague, Cova grew up in the countryside in the Czech Republic where she "had a great childhood". She initially started working as a bikini model, then started doing nude and eventually softcore modeling. She has stated that part of her slow transition into movies was because "I wasn't ready for movies for about a year. I felt stupid in front of the camera." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jana Cova". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Spider Cord

2010-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Spider Chord is a guitar technique popularized during the 80s thrash metal scene. Although its origins are unknown, it is widely regarded as being invented by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, although Kerry King has also claimed he was the first to use it. It is used to reduce string noise when playing (mostly chromatic) riffs which require chords across several strings.The Spider Chord requires the player to use all four fingers. Two fingers will be fret 5th while the other fret another 5th. This technique then allows you to run down the neck playing either of the two chords. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Spider Cord". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

UFOs and the Bible

2010-02-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

The advent of the phenomenon of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in the middle of the 20th Century has led to a wide range of religious speculation, especially in regard to the Bible, in western culture. There have been four major theories put forward to connect UFOs and the Bible: the ancient astronaut, the angelic, the demonic, and the fallen angel theory. These theories all seek to reconcile the concept of extraterrestrial visitation with the biblical material. There is also a wider sense in which UFOs have influenced religious imagination, and in this regard the Bible is seen as a resource but not as an authority to be interpreted. There are three other major ways in which the issue of religious imagination has related to the UFO experience: UFOs as a modern religious mythology, UFOs as hope for a New Age spirituality, and the emergence of religious cults rooted in UFO mythology.

All of this discussion has taken place against a back drop in which the governments of the world deny that we are being visited by an extraterrestrial reality, while UFO researchers claim that the evidence of a cover-up is overwhelming. The United States Air Force study of UFOs stated there was “no factual basis whatever” of a government UFO cover-up.

But authors such as Donald Keyhoe, Timothy Good, Richard M. Dolan, Terry Hansen, Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J. Greenwood believe there is a cover-up. Because of the lack of clarity about UFO truth, a truly scientific and academic appraisal of the religious implications of UFOs can only be tentative at this time. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "UFOs and the Bible". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Instant Rice

2009-11-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Instant rice, also known as minute rice, is rice that has been precooked and dehydrated so that it cooks more rapidly. Regular rice requires approximately 20 minutes to cook while instant rice needs anywhere between five and 10 minutes. Because it has already been cooked, all that is necessary to prepare instant rice is to simply re-hydrate it with hot water. nstant rice is made by using several methods. The most common method is similar to the home cooking process. The rice is blanched in hot water, steamed and rinsed. It is then placed in large ovens for dehydration until the moisture content reaches approximately twelve percent or less.

The basic principle involves increasing moisture of the milled white rice by using steam or water to form cracks or holes in the kernels. The fast cooking properties come from the fact that, when recooked, water can penetrate into the cracked grain much more quickly.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Instant Rice". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Blaxy Girls

2009-09-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Blaxy Girls are a Romanian teenagers pop rock girl-band.
The group's first single, "If You Feel My Love" became quickly very popular in Romania.The second great hit is called Dear Mama. The clip was launched in the beginning of March like a present for the women and mothers all around the world being sung with english lyrics. The first album of the group will be launched at the end of 2009. They appeared in the semifinals of the 2008 Golden Stag Festival and were among the finalists for the 2009 Romanian Eurovision Song Contest finishing in a tie for second place.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Blaxy Girls". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Polypropylene stacking chair

2009-08-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

The polypropylene stacking chair is a chair manufactured in an injection moulding process using polypropylene. It was designed by Robin Day in 1963 for S.Hille & Co.

This is one of the very few chairs that after over 40 years is still in production and has been been made in forty countries around the world, for schools, hospitals, airports, canteens, restaurants, arenas, hotels, as well as homes.[1] It is the best-selling chair in the world.[2]

The chair first appeared on the market in a choice of charcoal or flame red colours at a little under £3 in price. The side chair won a Council of Industrial Design (now the Design Council) award in 1965.

The brief from Hille was for a low cost mass-produced stacking chair, affordable by all and to meet virtually every seating requirement. Over time it became available in a wide variety of colours and with different forms of base and upholstery. These variations have included Series E for children, made in five sizes with lifting holes, and Polo with rows of graduated circular holes making it suitable for outdoor use.

The one-piece seat and back was injection moulded from polypropylene, a lightweight thermoplastic with a high impact resistance. It was invented by an Italian scientist, Guilio Natta, in 1954. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Polypropylene stacking chair". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Pip's Three-Handed Chess

2009-07-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Pip's Three-Handed Chess is a chess variant for three players played using a standard square chess board. It is played as a series of at least two games, in which the winner is the first player to mate each opponent in a game.

Standard chess rules apply, with the following exceptions or clarifications:

Pawns must go forward in the direction they originally face.
Castling is not allowed.
Pawns only move one space at a time.
Match ends when a player checkmates each of his opponents. Games are reset after each checkmate.
Checkmate is official on the mated player’s turn, not when it is first made (if there is a player between the player mating and the player being mated, he may choose to "unmate" the player).
Players alternate the order of turns each game, starting clockwise.
Players rotate board sides each game clockwise.
If a player puts an opponent in checkmate, then another opponent puts the same player in checkmate (either a different checkmate or "adding to" the checkmate), then the first player to put the opponent in checkmate gets credit for the win.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pip's Three-Handed Chess". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

2009-06-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

A bacon egg and cheese sandwich is a Breakfast sandwich made with bacon, eggs (typically fried or scrambled), cheese and some type of bread — a hard roll, typically — which is usually buttered and toasted. Similar sandwiches substitute sausage or ham for the bacon.
Sonic Drive-In offers a bacon egg and cheese “toaster”. Arby’s offers a “Sourdough Bacon, Egg & Swiss” with 500 calories and 29 grams of fat. Burger King serves up a “Croissan’wich with Bacon, Egg & Cheese” (360 calories and 22 grams of fat) as well as a “Double Croissan’wich with Sausage, Bacon, Egg & Cheese” (610 calories and 46 grams of fat).In New Zealand and some parts of Australia a "Massive McMuffin" is offered with ketchup, bacon, egg, American cheese and two sausage patties.

The sandwich is often served as a breakfast item with coffee. “BEC” is sometimes used as an acronym for the sandwich as is “BE&C”.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Slow Sex Movement

2009-05-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Slow Sex Movement (as a social movement) has emerged in early 2009 and borrows from a long tradition spanning many centuries, several cultures and many belief systems, including Tantra, Yoga, Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, Taoism, qigong, and integrates Eastern medicine and Western medicine going back to Hippocrates, theories of Wilhelm Reich, orgasm, biology, sociobiology, biological psychiatry and evolutionary theory.
Orgasmic Meditation and mindful sexuality generally are referred to as a practices of the "slow sex" movement and have been compared with the "slow food" movement as popularized by chef Alice Waters (founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy), in that comparison both strip away the trappings and conventions that have developed around a fundamental human activity in order to rediscover their raw biological essence while observing Safer Sex practices and to increase both pleasure and healthfulness.
The Slow Sex Movement is said to diverge from the consumerism and productivity nature of sexuality and relationships of the 20th Century and brings awareness to the intimacy and connections needs of all humans. Orgasmic Meditation as languaged by William Safire in the New York Times[2], referencing the earlier Times article on mindful sexuality[1]. Proponents reference reawakening through mindful sexuality and training one’s senses through a practice of Orgasmic Meditation partners rediscover the joys of sensation and learn to stay present through intense sensations in their daily life. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Slow Sex Movement". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Megan Elizabeth

2009-04-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Megan Elizabeth is an American model. She was Cyber Girl of the Week for Playboy in the fourth week of January 2006, when she was quoted as saying: "why you should get to know me: I would wilt and die without a good cup of joe every morning, noon and night."[1] and was the Cyber Girl of the Month for May 2006: "I feel very fortunate to have been voted May's Cyber Girl of the Month; the Cyber Club members had five weeks of gorgeous girls to choose from. I'm truly flattered." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Megan Elizabeth". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Zuckerman number

2009-03-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

A Zuckerman number is an integer that is divisible by the product of its digits in a given number base. All integers between 1 and the base number are Zuckerman numbers. No integer with a zero as one or more of its digits in base b can be a Zuckerman number in that base. In base 10, the first few Zuckerman numbers with more than one digit are 11, 12, 15, 24, 36, 111, 112, 115, 128, 132, 135, 144, 175, 212, 216, 224, 312, 315, 384. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zuckerman number". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

4-D (The X-Files)

2009-02-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

"4-D" was the fourth episode of the ninth season of The X-Files science-fiction television series created by Chris Carter. At the beginning of the episode, FBI Agent Monica Reyes is monitoring Erwin Lukesh, who is suspected of being a psychotic killer who cuts out his victims' tongues. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "4-D (The X-Files)". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Americanophobia

2009-01-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

Anti-Americanism, often anti-American sentiment, is a controversial term used to describe opposition or hostility to the people, culture or policies of the United States. In practice, a broad range of attitudes and actions critical of or opposed to the United States have been labeled anti-Americanism. Thus, the nature and applicability of the term is often disputed. Contemporary examples typically focus on opposition to United States policy, although historically the term has been applied to a variety of concepts. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Americanophobia". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Maja Einstein

2008-12-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

Maja Einstein is the younger sister of great scientist Albert Einstein. Maja was the only friend of Albert during his childhood. When little Albert saw his sister for the first time he thought she was a kind of toy and asked: “Yes, but where does it have its small wheels?”

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Maja Einstein". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Sideways Bike

2008-11-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

The sideways bike is an invention by Michael Killian, a software engineer from Dublin. He was inspired by the way that snowboarding is preferred to skiing due to the greater artistic potential, and decided to design a snowboard equivalent for the conventional bicycle. The result: a bike ridden sideways with the rider operating both wheels. The bike, unlike a conventional bike, uses front-to-back balance like a snowboard. Conventional bikes use left-to-right balance, like skis. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sideways bike". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Sudokube

2008-10-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Sudoko Cube is a variation on a Rubik's Cube in which the faces have numbers one to nine on the sides instead of colours. The aim is to solve Sudoku puzzles on one ore more of the sides. The toy was created in 2006 by Jay Horowitz. The Sudoku Cube is more complicated than the Rubik's Cube. In a standard Rubik's Cube, the player must match up colours on each side of the cube. In the Sudoku cube, the player must place the numbers one to nine on each side with no repetition. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sudokube". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Extraterrestrial Exposure Law

2008-09-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law (14 C.F.R. §1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations) was the popular name for a United States administrative regulation promulgated in 1969 to prevent the spread of biological contamination from space. Implemented before the Apollo 11 mission, it provided the legal authority for a quarantine period for the returning astronauts. The regulation included a definition of exposure as "the state of condition of any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter whatever, who or which has touched directly or come within the atmospheric envelope or any other celestial body or touched directly or been in close proximity (or exposed indirectly to) any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter who or which has been extraterrestrially exposed by virtue of paragraph (b)(1) of this section." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Most Phallic Building Contest

2008-08-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

The World's Most Phallic Building contest was a contest held in 2003 by Cabinet magazine to find the building which most resembled a human phallus.The contest originated when writer Jonathan Ames drew the ire of Slate readers by claiming, in a diary later published in his book I Love You More Than You Know, that the Williamsburg Bank Building in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, was the world's most phallic, leading Cabinet magazine to initiate a search of its own to find which building was truly the "world's most phallic." Cities and readers subsequently poured in their views and staked their claims to the magazine's editors. After months of entries and discussion, the Ypsilanti Water Tower was announced as the winner, although the winner of a readers' poll was the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee. Another notable nominee was the Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower) in Barcelona. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Most Phallic Building Contest". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Historical Christian Hairstyles

2008-07-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

The paintings in the catacombs permit the belief that the early Christians simply followed the fashion of their time. The short hair of the men and the waved tresses of the women were, towards the end of the second century, curled, frizzed with irons, and arranged in tiers, while for women the hair twined about the head forming a high diadem over the brow. Particular locks were reserved to fall over the forehead and upon the temples. Christian iconography still proceeds in accordance with types created in the beginning of Christianity. Images of Christ retain the long hair parted in the middle and flowing to the shoulders. Those of the Blessed Virgin still wear the veil which conceals a portion of the brow and confines the neck. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Historical Christian Hairstyles". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Elliptic Curve DSA

2008-06-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Elliptic Curve DSA (ECDSA) is a variant of the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) which operates on elliptic curve groups. As with elliptic curve cryptography in general, the bit size of the public key believed to be needed for ECDSA is about twice the size of the security level, in bits. By comparison, at a security level of 80 bits, meaning an attacker requires about the equivalent of about 280 signature generations to find the private key, the size of a DSA public key is at least 1024 bits, whereas the size of an ECDSA public key would be 160 bits. On the other hand, the signature size is the same for both DSA and ECDSA: 4t bits, where t is the security level measured in bits, that is, about 320 bits for a security level of 80 bits.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Elliptic Curve DSA". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Hypomenorrhea

2008-05-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hypomenorrhea also known as or related to hypomenorrhoea, scanty periods, and spotting at periods is menstrual blood flow that is extremely light. It is the opposite of Hypermenorrhea which is more properly called Menorrhagia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hypomenorrhea". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Pine Cone Golf

2008-04-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Pine cone golf (PCG) refers to the practice of hitting a pine cone with a golf club (or surrogate), usually for amusement but sometimes for training. Forms of pine cone golf have been documented as taking place across the U.S. and in the UK (see references). PCG is considered an attractive entertainment by some due to the simple fact that it costs nothing and offers a chance to experience a similar open air experience to that of a golf course. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pine Cone Golf". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Sub-Planck

2008-03-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

Sub-Planck refers to hypothetical, speculative, and conjectural physics beyond or smaller than the Planck scale. The Planck length and Planck time are the smallest units in accepted models of physics. It is possible that the Planck scale represents the ultimate smallest scale conception of space and time; indeed this is what current Quantum Gravity research is based Common knowledge in physics is that the sub-Planck scale may not an aspect of physical reality at all; however, even a successful theory of Quantum Gravity does not mean that there is a further sub-Planck development someday to be discovered. Indeed classical gravity breaks down at precisely the Planck scale energy levels. It is possible that no conceptual or mathematical description of sub-Planck physics can be made without "breaking the unity of a single quantum" in physics. However, even if not done, common knowledge of physicists does not mean that various averages over various broken quantum pieces may not make sense in their total sum and even if the individual pieces are not physically identifiable or relatable to particles or fields in the Universe.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sub-Planck". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Technosexual

2008-02-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

Technosexual is a neologism used to describe an individual in one of two ways:

1) A person (usually a male) with a strong aesthetic sense and a love of gadgets. In this sense, it is a portmanteau word combining "technophile" and "metrosexual", which was first promoted by creative professional Ricky Montalvo to describe "a dandyish narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle and gadgets; a straight man who is in touch with his feminine side but has fondness for electronics such as cell phones, PDAs, computers, software, and the web."

2) A person with a sexual attraction to machinery, as in the case of robot fetishism. When used thusly, it is a portmanteau word combining "technophile" and "sexual". As per this definition of the term, fictional android Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law in the 2001 science-fiction film A.I. has become the iconic "technosex symbol". Occasionally, this term is used as an insult, implying in a derogatory way that a person would prefer a sex toy to an actual sexual partner.

As with the metrosexual, companies have tried to promote the concept of the technosexual in order to sell products. Calvin Klein went as far as trademarking the term technosexual in 2005. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Technosexual". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

100 Greatest Villains (Wizard magazine)

2008-01-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

The July 2006 (issue 177) of Wizard included a ranking of the "100 Greatest Villains Ever." This list included fictional characters. Top 10 listing:

The Joker (DC Comics)
Pazuzu (The Exorcist)
Palpatine (Star Wars)
Dr. Doom (Marvel Comics)
Zombies (Dawn of the Dead)
Hannibal Lecter (Thomas Harris books)
The Borg (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Lex Luthor (DC Comics)
Pinhead (Hellraiser)
The Shark (Jaws)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "100 Greatest Villains (Wizard magazine)". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Astrosociobiology

2007-12-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

Astrosociobiology (also referred to as exosociobiology, extraterrestrial intelligence (eti), and xenosociology) is the speculative scientific study of extraterrestrial civilizations and their possible social characteristics and developmental tendencies. The field involves the convergence of astrobiology, sociobiology and evolutionary biology. Hypothesized comparisons between human civilizations and those of extraterrestrials are frequently posited, placing the human situation in the same context as other extraterrestrial intelligences. Whenever possible, astrosociobiologists describe only those social characteristics that are thought to be common (or highly probable) to all civilizations. Since no extraterrestrial civilizations have ever been studied, the subject is entirely hypothetical and necessarily self-referential. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Astrosociobiology". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Satanic ritual abuse and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

2007-11-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

In the 1980s and 1990s, some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints complained to church leaders that they have been subjected to Satanic ritual abuse by family members and other members of the church. While the church and the state of Utah investigated these claims in the 1990s, no reliable evidence has been produced that suggests that these allegations are true. In 1991, the Utah State Legislature appropriated $250,000 for the Attorney General's office to investigate the allegations. The investigators interviewed hundreds of alleged victims, but they were unable "to substantiate with physical evidence the incidents reported". The 1995 report added that the specific accusations against church leaders were "absurd", and the head of psychiatry at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City said he "has never been able to independently verify memories of satanic ritual abuse". This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Reinhard_Hetze ". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Elizabeth Kucinich

2007-11-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Jane Harper Kucinich (born October 22, 1977) is the wife of American politician Dennis Kucinich. They married on August 21, 2005. Elizabeth is a native of North Ockendon, a settlement in the London Borough of Havering in London, United Kingdom. In 1996 she went to Agra, India to volunteer at one of Mother Teresa's homes for India's poorest children.[1] Upon earning her bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Kent, she spent 16 months in a rural Tanzanian village and worked as an advocate for regional development. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Elizabeth Kucinich". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

"In Event of Moon Disaster"

2007-10-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

"In Event of Moon Disaster" was a proposed speech drafted by presidential speechwriter William Safire. It was intended to be read by President Richard Nixon during the Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969 had a catastrophe occurred that would have prevented Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin from leaving the surface of the Moon. It is considered a haunting glimpse of the worst-case scenario that could have made the historic landing a much more somber one. As the mission was successful and the astronauts returned safely, the speech was never used. It also never had to be adapted for any of the subsequent landings. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "In Event of Moon Disaster". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Quantum Fiction

2007-10-21T05:33:00.000-07:00

Quantum Fiction is a new literary genre that blurs the lines separating science fiction, fantasy, and quantum mechanics. This genre is characterized by The use of quantum mechanics to explain, or make plausible, the supernatural, paranormal, or fantastic. The genre quantum fiction was coined by American novelist Vanna Bonta to define stories in which consciousness affects physics and determines reality; in her words, "the genre is broad and includes life." Bonta further explains her development of this new genre: "I don't write science fiction. Science fiction is a niche genre, defined by Ray Bradbury as depiction of the real. 'Quantum fiction' is the realm of all possibilities, and that is a core passion of my work. The genre is broad, and includes life because fiction is an inextricable part of reality in its various stages, and vice versa." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Quantum Fiction". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria

2007-10-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria (OJB) coordinates the different Jewish communities in Bulgaria, a country where about 8000 Jews live. This organization encloses all categories of the Jewish life by organizing many programs and projects. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Penguins in popular culture

2007-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Penguins are popular around the world primarily for their unusually upright, waddling pace, their magnificent swimming ability, and (compared to other birds) lack of fear toward humans.Their striking black and white plumage is often likened to a tuxedo suit and generates humorous remarks about the bird being "well dressed".The bird is typically depicted as a friendly and comical figure, with considerable personal dignity despite its physical limitations. Perhaps in reaction to this cutesy stereotype, fictional penguins are occasionally presented as grouchy or even sinister. The popular Sanrio character Badtz Maru is an example, being cute yet somewhat surly. The 1960s television cartoon character Tennessee Tuxedo would often escape the confines of his zoo with his partner, Chumley the walrus. In the children's movie Madagascar, the penguins are cast as soldiers. In the animated series Wallace and Gromit a penguin called Feathers McGraw disguises himself as a chicken with a red rubber glove. Penguins are often portrayed as friendly and smart as well. Another example is in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, which features a warm-water penguin named Pen Pen.
Penguins experienced a resurgence in the mid-2000s thanks to films like March of the Penguins,Madagascar, Happy Feet, and Surf's Up. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Penguins in popular culture". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Gargoyles in fiction

2007-09-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

In contemporary fiction, gargoyles are commonly depicted as a distinct race, not just as a structural ornament. The typical fantasy Gargoyle is a (generally) winged humanoid race with demonic features (generally horns, a tail, talons, and may or may not have a beak). Gargoyles can generally use their wings to fly or glide, and, as a reference to their origins, are often depicted as having a rocky hide, or being capable of turning into stone in one way or another.

Gargoyles have featured in several works of fantasy fiction, such as Terry Pratchett's Discworld series (Discworld gargoyles) and the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D gargoyles) and Rifts role-playing games. Gargoyles are also the main characters in a Disney animated series and comic book, Gargoyles, and played a role in that company's adaptation of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Actress Adrienne Barbeau played a violent gargoyle in the TV series Monsters. Actress Rae Dawn Chong played a gargoyle in human form in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gargoyles in fiction". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Hebrew Bible views on women

2007-09-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Women in the Tanakh are not the social or economic equals of men. At the time it was written, married women were largely subject to the wishes of their husbands, and unmarried women to the wishes of their fathers. For example, a woman needed consent from her father before she could take religious vows (Book of Numbers 30:3-5). This situation was roughly similar to that of women in the surrounding countries of the time.

Women were not considered mere possessions, however. The killing of a woman was considered murder, not theft. A wife could not be disposed of at her husband's whim, or divorced without reason. Women could own property, and a daughter could inherit her father's property (if there were no sons). They could engage in business and trade (Book of Proverbs chapter 31). Although there are frequent references in the Tanakh to a wife being traded in exchange for money or goods, this was not a simple commercial transaction. Rather, it was a gift to compensate the bride's family. Such gifts, called a dowry, are common in the Near East today. Arranged marriage was the norm for both sons and daughters (Genesis 21:21; Genesis 38:6; Book of Judges 1:12,13) although the bride was sometimes asked for her consent (Genesis 24:58) and sometimes the son chose a wife for himself (Genesis 34:4). This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hebrew Bible views on women". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Lorna Morgan

2007-09-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Lorna Morgan (born February 13, 1976) is an adult model from Cardiff, Wales. Modelling is not her primary employment, but it provides her with a substantial income. She left school with A levels and then studied acting for 2 more years for an OND which she achieved with distinction. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lorna Morgan". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Richard C. Hoagland

2007-09-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Richard C. Hoagland (born April 25, 1945) is a proponent of fringe theories on astronomical topics, as well as a number of conspiracy theories connected to the space program. His major focus is on previous advanced civilizations in the solar system, in particular on Mars and the Moon. His theories are not supported by the scientific community. He believes that the Face on Mars is an artificial construct. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Richard C. Hoagland". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Pope Joan in popular culture

2007-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Pope Joan is the name of a female pope who may have reigned from 853 to 855, based on a legend that circulated in the Middle Ages. Pope Joan is regarded by most historians as fictitious, possibly originating as an anti-papal satire.

References in popular culture: The Greek writer Emmanouel Rhoides wrote in the 1860's a book called Papissa Ioanna (The Popess Joane. A film Pope Joan was released in 1972 with Liv Ullmann as Joan. A new German film is scheduled for a 2008 release. Diane Sawyer of ABC News conducted an interview for Primetime Live with Donna Woolfolk Cross, author of the book Pope Joan, to discuss the evidence for and against Joan's existence. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pope Joan in popular culture". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

God's Warriors

2007-08-27T17:38:00.001-07:00

God’s Warriors is a three-part CNN documentary produced by Christiane Amanpour in which she compares the rise of religious fundamentalism as a political force in the world.[1] The documentary was filmed in the United States, Europe and Middle East. It focuses on the three major monotheistic religions of the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The three chapters have been titled God’s Jewish Warriors, God’s Muslim Warriors, and God’s Christian Warriors. The first describes the Jews who have forcefully pushed settlements into Israeli-occupied Palestine and the fund-raising in the United States that supports them, while the second presents issues of women’s rights under radical Islam and Sharia law. The final segment offers a view of the United States and its electoral system and the political influence of Christian religious leaders. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "God's Warriors". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Star Trek versus Star Wars

2007-08-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Star Trek versus Star Wars typically refers to an ongoing polemic between fans of the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises, considered "a rivalry more fevered than any other in the universe." Primarily an online phenomenon, the debate emerged from its roots in the Usenet culture to spawn numerous websites and online communities. A post on a newsgroup or Web board might pose a question such as:

"Which would win? The Enterprise-D or a Star Destroyer?"

In July 1997, the alt.startrek.vs.starwars newsgroup was created to try to shift these (often heated) debates off the more "mainstream" Star Trek and Star Wars groups. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Star Trek versus Star Wars". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Why 10 dimensions?

2007-08-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Although the human mind comprehends the universe with three spatial dimensions, some theories in physics, including string theory, include the idea that there are additional spatial dimensions. Such theories suggest that there may be a specific number of spatial dimensions such as 10. The question, "Why 10 dimensions?" arises from these theories.
This is one of the questions discussed by Michio Kaku in his book Hyperspace, which attempts to translate the mathematics of hyperspace theory into readily understandable language. This article is devoted to the same goal, leaving the details of the mathematics to the hyperspace theory article. Kaku traces the number of dimensions to Srinivasa Ramanujan's modular functions, but this article will start with some fundamentals and work its way into the mathematics. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Why 10 dimensions?. This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Sephardic Pizmonim Project

2007-08-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Sephardic Pizmonim Project is a foundation dedicated to the scholarship and the preservation of music called Pizmonim. The Sephardic-Syrian Jewish community has used this style of musich for generations. The project's goal is to restore and preserve the ancient Jewish songs of the Middle Eastern Jewish communities. (Sephardic Pizmonim Project, Official website.) This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sephardic Pizmonim Project". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Screaming Mechanical Brain

2007-08-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Screaming Mechanical Brain is a metal/electropunk band based out of the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Their signature style combines elements of the heavy-metal, electropunk and at times even "circus music." Band website: http://www.smbband.com/. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Screaming Mechanical Brain". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Jewish Networking

2007-08-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

A Jewish social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by the Jewish religion and culture. Numerous Jewish-themed social networking groups are now on the Internet, allowing users to create prayer groups such as Please Daven, secure business leads, discuss movies and find potential partners. Creators and users say the Jewish sites are family-friendly alternatives to networking sites like MySpace and, in the field of dating, are considered a next generation development stemming from the classic Jewish dating sites, such as Jdate, JMatch, JewishSoulSearch or Blind-Date. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jewish Networking". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Morgan the Escapist

2007-07-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Morgan the Escapist is a magician specialising in escapology. She is one of a small number of women carving a name for herself as a performer in her own right in the male-dominated world of magic, where a large proportion of the female performers are only credited in assistant roles, and she is especially unusual as a woman working in escapology. She is based in South Plainfield, New Jersey, and often works with magician John Bundy. Her web site is here. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Morgan the Escapist". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Half-Your-Age-Plus-Seven Rule

2007-07-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

The half-your-age-plus-seven rule is a mathematical guide to judge whether the age difference in an intimate relationship is socially acceptable. Mathematically speaking, the rule is (Minimum Age) = (Age of the Older Individual) / 2 + 7.

For example, if Shane is 30 and wants to date Kristen, who is 20, he would be in violation of the rule, since the minimum age being 22. Notice, however, that the age difference matters less as the potential partners grow older. In this case, Shane would have four years to wait before the age difference in the relationship was "socially acceptable".

Note that what is implied by "socially acceptable" is largely a cultural construct, and has varied over time. Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall were 26 and 89 at the time of their relationship. This violation of the rule (she was 25.5 years too young), and the rule itself, were discussed on CNN in 2006. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Half-Your-Age-Plus-Seven Rule". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people

2007-07-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

This is a partial list of confirmed famous people who were or are gay, lesbian or bisexual. The historical concept and definition of sexual orientation varies and has changed greatly over time; for example the word "gay" wasn't used to describe sexual orientation until the mid 20th century.

The high prevalence of people from the West on this list may be due to societal attitudes towards homosexuality. The Pew Research Center's 2003 Global Attitudes Survey found that "[p]eople in Africa and the Middle East strongly object to societal acceptance of homosexuality. But there is far greater tolerance for homosexuality in major Latin American countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Opinion in Europe is split between West and East. Majorities in every Western European nation surveyed say homosexuality should be accepted by society, while most Russians, Poles and Ukrainians disagree. Americans are divided – a thin majority (51 percent) believes homosexuality should be accepted, while 42 percent disagree." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Area Code 385

2007-07-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Area Code 385: This area code has been assigned to the state of Utah. It will cover the entire state starting in either the spring or summer of 2008. All new phone numbers will be given this area code, whether they phone is located in St. George or Salt Lake City. Because of this new area code, all Utah residents will have to start dialing 10-digit phone numbers.
For more information please visit: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=1475037&nid=148. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Area Code 385". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Mayonnaise Rubbing

2007-07-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Rubbing mayonnaise on one's body is the act of using the food condiment mayonnaise as an emollient to soothe the skin. The mayonnaise is most often applied to areas of the human body that have hair, such as the scalp or chest region. This act is usually performed at home by a single male (often a bachelor), or in conjunction as a healing process with a significant other or a life partner. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mayonnaise Rubbing". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Purple Diet

2007-07-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Purple Diet is a fad diet promoted by Mariah Carey which involves eating only purple foods, such as plums, beetroot and red grapes three days a week. It is claimed that purple foods have anti aging properties due to their high content of anti-oxidants and vitamins. There is no proven medical benefit to this diet. References: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2006/07/celebritology_101_mariahs_purp.html http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006300140,00.html

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Purple Diet". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of films about mathematicians

2007-07-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is a list of feature films that include a mathematician (or scientist who uses a lot of math) as one of the main characters.

To Sir, with Love (1967) - Engineer Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) becomes a teacher. Straw Dogs (1971) - David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) is an American mathematical physicist who moves to England, where he and his wife are violently harassed by locals. It's My Turn (1980) - A mathematics professor (Jill Clayburgh) falls in love with her father's bride's son (Michael Douglas). Stand and Deliver (1988) - Based on the true story of math teacher Jaime Escalante, who inspired the students in a school in a Hispanic neighborhood. Sneakers (1992) - An eclectic team is assembled to steal a code-breaking box developed by a rogue mathematician.
I.Q. (1994) - Albert Einstein (Walter Matthau) helps a young man (Tim Robbins) pretend to be a physicist in order to catch the attention of Einstein's niece (Meg Ryan). Antonia's Line (1995) - A genealogical "line" of five generations of women includes a child prodigy, Thérèse, who grows up to be a mathematician. Infinity (1996) - A story about Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman (Matthew Broderick). The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) - A math professor (Jeff Bridges) marries a literature professor (Barbra Streisand), but they want different things from the relationship. Good Will Hunting (1997) - Janitor Will Hunting (Matt Damon) begins to turn his life around with the help of a psychologist (Robin Williams) and a Fields Medal-winning professor (Stellan Skarsgård). Pi (1998) - A mathematician searches for the number that underlies all of nature. A Beautiful Mind (2001) - A fictional account based loosely on the life of mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe), who made a breakthrough that wins him the Nobel Prize in economics. Enigma (2001) - A story of romantic and psychological intrigue set in Bletchley Park during the World War II effort to crack the German Enigma machine. 21 Grams (2003) - An accident changes many lives, including that of a critically ill mathematics professor (Sean Penn). Proof (2005) - A former student (Jake Gyllenhaal) of a recently deceased, brilliant mathematician (Anthony Hopkins) finds a notebook in his office containing a proof of an important theorem, but the mathematician's daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow) claims it is hers. The ensuing dispute is complicated by signs that she may have inherited her father's mental illness and a burgeoning romance. Raising Genius (2004) - The film is about a boy (Justin Long) who locks himself in the bathroom to work out math equations on the shower wall. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of films about mathematicians". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Mice in Fiction

2007-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Mice are popular in fiction, usually as anthropomorphic funny animals. It is perhaps ironic that although they have been regarded by mankind as pests for ages, they are often featured as sympathetic in books and cartoons. Perhaps this may be because, due to their famously small size, they are considered the embodiment of "the little guy". Indeed, in many depictions, such as Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, humans are the enemy and mice are the protagonists.

In fiction, mice are popularly portrayed as loving cheese, but in reality most mice do not particularly like cheese, and prefer foods in their natural diet. Too much cheese may cause digestive problems and strong-smelling excrement. Cheese probably became linked to mice because its strong smell and sticky texture make it a good bait for mousetraps. Another common stereotype is that elephants are afraid of mice. This is also false; elephants, being large, are naturally unafraid of mice.

Flowers for Algernon tells the story of a mouse named Algernon that is given an experimental intelligence-boosting treatment, which only works temporarily, and ends up in the death of the mouse; the story is told by a man that is given the same treatment, though sometime after Algernon's treatment, such that as Algernon reverts from the high intelligence state, the speaker fears for his own fateful return and possible death. The Lion and the Mouse is one of Aesop's fables, with the moral "Little friends may prove great friends". This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mice in Fiction". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Grey's Law

2007-07-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Grey's Law is a less-known corollary of Hanlon's Razor, which imitates the form of Clarke's Third Law. It states that:

"Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice."

While the stated principle pays a certain homage to Hanlon's Razor, it is also to some extent a rebuttal of the principle therein, stating that the distinction which the former makes is often moot. It is unclear just who the "Grey" of Grey's Law is. The quotation itself appears to have spread through email sig blocks and various social bookmarking websites, and appears to be of recent origin. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Grey's Law". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Cherie (porn star)

2007-07-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

Cherie is an adult film star. She has started her career in 2001 and is still active in the industry. She has appeared in adult-film magazines such as Private #169, Hustler 's Leg World and Hustler March 2003 issue. She is of mixed Spanish and Italian background. Her hobbies include equestrianism, snow boarding, hiking and traveling. Cherie has several tattoos: a barbed wire around her left biceps, a butterfly below her navel, and Hebrew text ("Devorah") on her back which apparently spells out her mother's name.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cherie (porn star)". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Death Yell

2007-06-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

A death yell is a euphemism for the following situation, which happens in fiction a lot and sometimes in real life. When someone dies and another person is so overcome by grief that he must shout into the air while crying extremely hard, it is known as a "death yell". Sometimes, what is shouted is the name of the deceased; otherwise, it could be some nonsense syllable such as "Aaaaaaaaargh!" Performing one is a way of letting deep emotions out, and could possibly be therapeutic for the performer. Sometimes, the performer is the person who is about to die. In the Star Trek canon, Klingons do perform a "death yell" when one of them dies. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Death Yell". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Psychedelics in popular culture

2007-06-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

There exist many examples of Psychedelics in popular culture. The psychedelic experience has had a strong effect on many genres of popular music, and psychedelic drug references are common in movies, books, and in popular music.

DMT: The plot of the movie Blueberry (based on the comic Blueberry) touches Dimethyltryptamine practices of Native Americans.

LSD: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home has a scene where Admiral Kirk tells a woman in 1986 that Spock did a little too much LDS in the 60's. The woman rolls her eyes at him. This was a reference to LSD, not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Beatles song "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a musical take on Timothy Leary's analogy between the LSD experience and the passage from death through to reincarnation described in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Psychedelics in popular culture". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

"Klaatu barada nikto"

2007-06-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

The phrase "Klaatu barada nikto" originates from the 1951 Cold-War-era science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. The phrase "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!" was used to stop Gort, the robot in the film, from destroying the Earth. There is no known translation for the phrase, although "Klaatu" is the name of the humanoid alien protagonist in the film, and "nikto" is Russian for "nobody / no one." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Klaatu barada nikto". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Angela Beesley

2007-06-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Angela Beesley is a co-founder and vice president for community relations of Wikia. Involved in Wikipedia since 2003, Beesley was elected to the Board of Trustees of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation in 2004, and re-elected in 2005. During this time, she was active in editing content and setting policy, such as privacy policy, within the Foundation. Since February 21, 2006, she has been a member of the Communications Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation She also chairs the Foundation's Advisory Board. In October 2004, Beesley founded a for-profit Wiki hosting service with Jimmy Wales called Wikia. She sits on the advisory board of the media archive Ourmedia and is a co-author of the book Wikis: Tools for Information Work and Collaboration. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Angela_Beesley". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Obama Girl

2007-06-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Obama Girl refers to a character, played by Amber Lee Ettinger, depicted in the Internet viral video, "I've Got A Crush On Obama". The video features an attractive young woman seductively singing of her love for Junior Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Obama is a candidate in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Ettinger lip-synched the song for the video, and Leah Kaufmann (of "My Box in a Box" fame) provided the vocals. The original video. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Obama Girl". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Mass Vision

2007-06-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

A mass vision is a phenomenon in which a large group of people, usually in physical proximity to each other, all experience the same unexplained phenomena simultaneously. It is similar but not identical to the Folie à deux phenomenon.

Famous mass visions: List of UFO sightings; The Miracle of the Sun -where 70,000 pilgrims at Fatima in Portugal in 1917 saw the sun "tear itsef from the heavens and come crashing down upon the multitude".

Richard Dawkins' addresses mass visions, specifically The Miracle of the Sun, in "The God Delusion". Whilst it's unlikely that 70,000 would all have the same vision, he says it's even less likely that what they "saw" really happened (because none of the rest of the world noticed). He cites David Hume's miracle test: "No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavours to establish." With this, he shrugs off the mass visions. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mass Vision". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Chessckers

2007-06-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

Chessckers is an exciting strategy game requiring the penultimate wit and mental dexterity. As you may have guessed it is a mixture between the games of chess and checkers using the pieces and rules of both.

The rules of chessckers are simple as long as you understand both checkers and chess. Using a regulation chess/checker board, set up as shown above.Movement is very simple: all chess pieces move exactly as they would if one was playing chess.(i.e. Bishop diagonally, Rook up, down, left, or right, etc.) Also like in regulation, checker pieces move diagonally and, only if kinged, backwards diagonally. (To be kinged, a checker piece must move to the opposite side of the board.) You may not move your king into check. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chessckers". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Space Ice Cream

2007-06-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Freeze-dried ice cream, also known as astronaut ice cream or space ice cream is a brick of dehydrated ice cream that is always ready to eat, with no need for refrigeration. It was developed by Whirlpool Corporation under contract to NASA for the Apollo missions. Apollo 7 in 1968 was the only NASA mission on which space ice cream flew in outer space. According to a NASA food scientist, although it was developed on request, "It wasn't that popular." Skylab had a refrigerator that was used for real ice cream, and occasionally shuttle and International Space Station astronauts have enjoyed real ice cream. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Space Ice Cream". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of Iranian national heroes

2007-06-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

This is a list of personalities (both historical and legendary) who are considered national heroes by many in Iran:

Cyrus the Great, Founder of the Persian Empire
Darius the Great, Persian Emperor
Babak Khorramdin, Leader of the Persian resistance against Arab invaders
Hassan-i Sabbah
Ferdowsi, Savior of the Persian language, poet of Shahnameh epic.
Bahram Chobin, One of the greatest Eran Spahbods (generalissimo)
Rostam-e Dastan, legendary warrior from the Shahnameh
Arash the Archer, legendary warrior from the Shahnameh
Jamshid, One of the greatest kings of mythical Persia according to Shahnameh's account.
Kaveh the Blacksmith, character from the Shahnameh
Mohammad Mosaddegh, Nationalised Iran's oil industry
Amir Kabir, Politician and minister to Naser -o- Din Shah of Qajar Dynasty.
Nader Shah, Military leader and Shah of Iran, rightfully dubbed as Napoleon of Persia.
Takhti, Great Persian wrestler.
Surena or Suren Pahlav, were among the prominent ruling clans during the Parthian Empire. Eran Spahbod Rostaham Suren Pahlav was a member of this house who managed to decisively defeat Roman Army under command of Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae.
Abbas Mirza, able crown prince of Qajar Dynasty who lead a number of albeit unfruitful military campaigns against Impersial Russia.
Abu Muslim Khorasani.
Bagher Khan
Shirin Ebadi, Nobel peace prize winner
Mirza Kuchak Khan, Activist
Mohammad Khiabani
Pourya-ye Vali
Sattar Khan
Shah Abbas the Great
Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar
Hossein Fatemi
Reza Shah, Founder of the Pahlavi Dynasty

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of Iranian national heroes". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Monster Pig

2007-05-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

Monster Pig, also known as Hogzilla II and Pigzilla, is the name of a world record wild hog killed on May 3, 2007, by an eleven year-old boy, Jamison Stone. The location is disclosed as a 2,500 acre (1,012 hectare) commercial hunting preserve called Lost Creek Plantation, outside Anniston, Alabama. The pig weighed 1,051 lb. (477 kg.) and was 9 ft. 4 in. (2.84 m) from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail. The hog's head was mounted on an extra-large foam form and measured 54 in. (137 cm) around the head, 74 in. (188 cm) around the shoulders and 11 in. (28 cm) from the eyes to the end of its snout. The balance of the hog is being turned into approximately 500 to 700 lb. (227 to 318 kg.) of sausage. Stone said he was using a Smith & Wesson Model 500 with a mounted holographic scope and ported barrel firing eight 350-grain Hornady cartridges into the pig.Stone chased the hog for three hours through hilly woods before finishing it off with a point-blank shot. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Monster Pig". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Aphenphosmphobia

2007-05-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

The fear of being touched (also known as aphephobia, aphenphosmphobia, haphephobia, haphophobia, hapnophobia, haptephobia, and haptophobia) is a rare specific phobia that involves the fear of touching or of being touched. It is an acute exaggeration of the normal tendencies to protect one's personal space, expressed as a fear of contamination or of the invasion, and extending even to people whom its suffers know well.

Sometimes the fear is restricted specifically, or predominantly, to being touched by people of the opposite sex. In women, this is often associated with a fear of sexual assault. Dorais reports that many boys who have been the victims of sexual abuse have a fear of being touched, quoting one victim who describes being touched as something that "burns like fire", causing him to freeze up or to lash out. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aphenphosmphobia". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Raven Riley

2007-05-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

Raven Riley (born September 6, 1986) is an American porn star, appearing online, offline at events, and on DVD. Riley recently won the top spot Front Magazine's "Top 20 Girls of the Web" and appeared on the March 2007 cover. An Ohioan, Riley debuted online at age 18, and garnered popularity. Since then, she has won several awards for her movies and photos. Raven is of Italian and Native American heritage. "jaYManCash," of which Raven Riley is part-owner, started up a new venture, Evil Motion Pictures, whose goal is to break into mainstream horror movie production. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Raven Riley". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Noah's Ark, Board Game

2007-05-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Noah's Ark A Journey Through Faith is a religious board game created by Invent Magic. This game is the first in a series of games. this game is the first creation of the company invent magic. The object of the game is to save the most animals by collecting the appropriate food item and matching it to the correct animal. the game is based on the story from Genisis 6:1 of the New International version of the bible. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Noah's Ark, A Journey Through Faith Board Game". Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of the heaviest people

2007-05-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is a list of the most obese humans recorded. The table includes each individual's name, peak weight, their birth date, and years of life. This list is limited to those individuals who weighed over 1000 pounds.

Rank, Name, Sex, Birth, Death, Peak Weight
1 Carol Yager, F, 1960, 1994, 1600+ lb (727+ kg)
2 Jon Brower Minnoch, M, 1941, 1983, 1400 lb (636 kg)
3 Manuel Uribe, M, 1966, 1235 lb (550 kg)
4 Walter Hudson, M, 1944, 1991, 1197 lb (544 kg)
5 Francis John Lang, M, 1934, 1187 lb (540 kg)
6 Johnny Alee, M, 1853, 1887, 1132 lb (514 kg)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of the heaviest people". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Sexiest Man Alive

2007-05-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Intended as an annual feature, the Sexiest Man Alive designation by People magazine is billed as a benchmark of male beauty. It is determined in a similar procedure to Time's Person of the Year. For the first decade or so, the feature appeared at uneven intervals. Originally awarded in the wintertime, it shifted around the calendar, resulting in gaps as short as seven months and as long as a year and a half (with no selection at all during 1994). Since 1997, the dates have settled between mid-November and early December. Dates of magazine issues, winners, ages of winners at the time of selection, and pertinent comments are listed below.

1985-02-04 - Mel Gibson, 29; first winner
1986-01-27 - Mark Harmon, 34
1987-03-30 - Harry Hamlin, 35
1988-09-12 - John F. Kennedy Jr., 27;
1989-12-18 - Sean Connery, 59; oldest winner
1990-07-23 - Tom Cruise, 28; second-youngest winner
1991-08-26 - Patrick Swayze, 39
1992-03-16 - Nick Nolte, 51
1993-10-18 - Richard Gere, 44
1995-01-30 - Brad Pitt, 31; first of two awards
1996-07-29 - Denzel Washington, 41; 1st and only African American winner
1997-11-17 - George Clooney, 36
1998-11-16 - Harrison Ford, 56
1999-11-15 - Richard Gere, 50; first 2-time winner
2000-11-13 - Brad Pitt, 36; first solo two-time winner
2001-11-26 - Pierce Brosnan, 48
2002-12-02 - Ben Affleck, 30
2003-12-01 - Johnny Depp, 40
2004 - Jude Law, 31
2005-11-18 - Matthew McConaughey, 36
2006-11-17 - George Clooney, 45; second solo two-time winner

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sexiest Man Alive". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Fractomancy

2007-05-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Fractomancy is a form of divination that uses the structure of fractal geometric patterns. This is a modern form of divination and often is done with computer graphics.

Fractomancy requires the computer-graphical generation of a fractal pattern. According to author, Clifford Pickover, it is employed to answer yes or no questions. To make it work, the user has a computer choose four random numbers. These numbers are used to plot the strange attractor (intricate shape) using a computer program. If the resultant pattern is symmetrical, the outlook is positive and the answer to the question is “yes.” The more beautiful to the eye of the user, the better the answer or the stronger the “yes.” If the pattern has no symmetry, or is ugly to the eye, the outlook is negative, and the answer is “no.”

Notes: Pickover, Clifford. Dreaming the Future: The Fantastic Story of Prediction. ISBN 978-1573928953. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fractomancy". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Testatika

2007-05-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Testatika is an electromagnetic generator. It was built by German engineer, Paul Suisse Baumann, and promoted by a Swiss community, the Methernithans. The Testatika is also known as the Swiss M-L converter, the Thestatika, or the Thesta-Distatica. The Testatika resembles in some respects a Wimshurst machine. It is based on the 1898 Pidgeon electrostatic machine which includes an inductance circuit, a capacitance circuit, and a thermionic rectification valve. Skeptics call it an alleged perpetual motion machine.

Reference for photo: "Testatika Group" at Yahoo.com. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Testatika". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of Jewish United States Supreme Court Justices

2007-05-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is a list of all Jewish people who have served as Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. The first Jewish Supreme Court Justice was Louis Brandeis, in a contentious nomination. For a relatively short time, he was joined by a second Jewish Justice, Benjamin Cardozo; Cardozo would be succeeded by a Jewish Justice for the next three terms, leading to discussion of a "Jewish seat" on the Supreme Court.

In 1994, the Supreme Court Historical Society published The Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court Revisited: Brandeis to Fortas, with forewords by both currently serving Jewish Justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of Jewish United States Supreme Court justices". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Mathematical landscape

2007-04-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Mathematical landscape is a term that describes the objects one finds in higher dimensions. It is also used in connection with mathematician's attempts to find unifying principles in physics and mathematics. Some believe that the link between them is an as yet undiscovered symmetry that will be the same symmetry under which the laws of nature behave. A particular example of this is the Monstrous moonshine conjecture, which linked the Monster group with modular functions and string theory. Another example is the appearance of the largest exceptional lie group, E8, as the gauge group of heterotic superstring theory.

196883 dimensions: The Monster group is the largest sporadic simple group and this is the smallest number of dimensions it acts in. It is the largest finite sporadic group. The monster group is linked with continuous objects like the J-invariant and modular forms by the Monstrous moonshine conjecture. It is conjectured to be the symmetry group of the constraint polynomial in invariance mechanics.

256 dimensions: The number of dimensions (excluding space and time) to represent all the degrees of freedom from supergravity (128 bosons + 128 fermions), which is the same as the lowest order of superstring theory. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mathematical landscape". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Post Ejaculatory Guilt Syndrome

2007-04-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Post Ejaculatory Guilt Syndrome, or PEGS, is a little known but widely experienced sexual dysfunction which lasts for approximately 5 minutes after the male orgasm.This can occur both after sexual intercourse and more commonly following masturbation. During this period the male in question will find himself completely unattracted to the person or subject matter concerned in the previous activity. The male may also experience emotions of disgust or dislike towards both themselves and any other people they interact with during the PEGS period.

The latin phrase post coitum omne animal triste est (after sexual intercourse every animal is sad) describes this phenomenon. It is usually attributed to Aristotle. The quote is sometimes appended with praeter mulierem gallumque meaning: except the woman and the rooster.

See also: The Frequency of Sexual Dysfunctions in Patients Attending a Sex Therapy Clinic in North India, Springer Netherlands 1998 This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Post Ejaculatory Guilt Syndrome". Link may die if entry is finally removed.

Dominoes on a chessboard puzzle

2007-04-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

The mutilated chessboard problem is a famous puzzle introduced by Martin Gardner in his Scientific American column Mathematical Games. The problem is as follows: Suppose a standard 8x8 chessboard has two opposite corners removed, leaving 62 squares. Is it possible to place 31 dominoes of size 2x1 so as to cover all of these squares?

Solution: The puzzle is impossible. Any way you would place a domino would cover one white square and one black square. A group of 31 dominoes would cover 31 white and 31 black squares of a chessboard, leaving one white and one black square uncovered. The directions had you remove opposite corner squares, and such squares are always either both black or both white.

References: McCarthy, John (1999). "Creative Solutions to Problems". AISB Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Creativity. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. See also: Domino tiling, My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles By Martin. Gardner, Dominoes on a Checker Board by Jim Loy,
Dominoes on a Checker Board. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dominoes on a chessboard puzzle". Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Best romance movies of all time

2007-04-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Ranked by critical review score, based on a four out of four scoring system.

- Singin' in the Rain (1952) starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. Scores 3.9 of 4 and 3rd in best of all time.
- Casablanca (1942) starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Scores 3.9 of 4 and 5th in best movie of all time list.
- Gone with the Wind (1939) starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Scores 3.85 and 14th overall.
- Annie Hall (1977) starring Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. Scores 3.6 and 43rd overall.
- Notorious (1946) starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Scores 3.57 and 55th overall.
- Rebecca (1940) starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Scores 3.57 and 56th on the best of all time list.
- The Philadelphia Story (1940) starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. Scores 3.5 and lands 64th overall.
- Titanic (1997) starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Scores 3.5 of 4 and 72nd overall.
- Shakespeare in Love (1998) starring Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush. Scores 3.45 of 4 and 86th overall.
- Before Sunrise (1995) starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Scores 3.4 and 89th overall. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Best romance movies of all time". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Cable spaghetti

2007-04-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

Cable spaghetti (sometimes known as plastic spaghetti, rat's nest, or cable clutter) is a term used to describe the often undesirable large mass of cables behind or connecting electronic devices, both for computers and entertainment systems.
Cable spaghetti for the home user is caused by the growing number of interconnected devices used in entertainment and computer systems. Whereas a record player and cassette deck were likely the only two components found up to the 1980s, today's systems can have an amplifier (or several if a preamplifier and power amplifier are used, and yet more for a passive subwoofer, a Tactile transducer or alternative transducer), television, CD player, SA-CD player, Laser Disc player, RF demodulator, VCR, DVD player, Blu-Ray disc or HD-DVD player, personal video recorder, cable or satellite tuner, video game console, and computer all connected in the same system. Cable clutter can even cause problems with audio and visual quality due to electromagnetic interference with other cables.
Cable spaghetti can be reduced or even eliminated with a properly designed and used cable management system. However, due to the nature of the work being a time consuming trial-and-error process, few users bother or attempt it. In the context of neatly building computers, the art is known as cablegami. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cable spaghetti". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Lists of unsolved problems

2007-04-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

A list of unsolved problems is a list that contains the unsolved problems of a specific area of interest. An unsolved problem is a question that has been developed but currently has no answer, nor means for formulating an answer.

Unsolved problems in biology Unsolved problems in chemistry Unsolved problems in cognitive science Unsolved problems in computer science Unsolved problems in economics Unsolved problems in Egyptology
Unsolved problems in linguistics Unsolved problems in mathematics
Unsolved problems in medicine Unsolved problems in neuroscience
Unsolved problems in philosophy Unsolved problems in physics

See also: Open problem; Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential; Union of International Associations' list of unsolved problems.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lists of unsolved problems". Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Dead-Eye Syndrome

2007-04-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Dead-eye syndrome is a condition in computer generated films where the human characters appear artificial and creates a doll-like feeling to the characters, sometimes projecting there is no humanity in their eyes. This problem typically arises with computer generated characters made using motion capture technology. Since so much of human expressivity is determined by eye and eyelid movement, and since motion capture is unable to capture such subtle gradations, computer characters' eyes seem fixed and dilated, giving the feeling that the characters, though in motion, are dead.

Though it was not the first film to use motion capture technology, The Polar Express is generally regarded as the first film where the dead-eye syndrome was most noticeable and most distracting.

Notes: ^ a b "Quint has your first look inside the offices of Robert Zemeckis' BEOWULF!!!", Ain't It Cool News (February 7, 2006) by Eric Vespe;
Electrooculography; Uncanny Valley; Beowulf (2007 film); The Polar Express (film); Electroretinography. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dead-eye_syndrome". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

A Million Penguins

2007-04-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

A Million Penguins is a collabrotive effort to write a novel. The web site through which the novel is being written uses a wiki for the authors to add their submissions. Due to the overwhelming number of edits, over 100 every hour, Penguin has had to impose "reading windows" whereby they freeze the novel so that the more serious editors can read over what has been changed and thus get their bearings on where the story is going.
The novel soon became largely incoherent as many contributors strived to develop their own independent characters and story lines. In an attempt to control the chaos, several different versions of the novel were created. These include a choose your own adventure version, and a 'banana' version. The latter being formed when the editors grew tired of removing the recurring multitude of banana references.

Many collabrotive efforts are dedicated to writing software, scientific research, or amassing knowledge. Examples of these efforts are open source software, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI%40Home, and Wikipedia. A Million Pengiuns is different in that the goal is one of art as opposed to science. Although Penguin put a lot of effort into advertising the wiki-novel, it quickly became a target for vandalism, which has led many of its early contributors to quit the project.

References: a wiki-novelty, The Million-Author Project, A Million Penguins Novel Official site. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "A Million Penguins". Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of famous smokers

2007-04-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is a [parial] list of famous people, for whom smoking is clearly a recognised part of their public image, or who are known for some unusual aspect of smoking.

Pat Nixon - Was a closet cigarette smoker, a fact that came out shortly after her death. Lucille Ball - Her image was used to advertise Philip Morris cigarettes from the 1950s until the 1970s. Drew Barrymore of the famous Barrymore family smokes Marlboro Reds, about 2-3 packs a day. She started smoking cigarettes at age 9 1/2. David Bowie - Several photos--both on stage and publicity shots-- depict Bowie smoking. According to the biography Strange Fascination, he smoked both Gitane and Marlboro cigarettes. Quit in early 2000s after a heart attack. Bette Davis - American film actress who was never without a cigarette. She starred in Now, Voyager (1942), which has the famous scene in which Paul Henreid places two cigarettes in his mouth, lights them, and then passes one to Bette Davis. She died in 1989 after a long battle with breast cancer and having suffered several strokes. Sammy Davis, Jr. - American singer/actor. Often seen smoking on stage and in interviews. Died of throat cancer in May 1990 at age 64.

Walt Disney - His years of chain-smoking led to his death of lung cancer at age 65. George Harrison - Member of The Beatles who was famously seen smoking in the movies A Hard Days Night and Help!. His off-screen chain-smoking habit lead to his death from lung cancer in 2001. Peter Jennings - Journalist and former anchor of ABC World News Tonight. Died of lung cancer in 2005. Kate Moss - Model; smokes four packs of Marlboro Lights per day and has been smoking cigarettes since the age of 12. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of famous smokers". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of people who went to heaven alive

2007-03-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

The concept of humans directly entering heaven without dying is a feature of multiple religions and mythic traditions, including the three main Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Since death is generally considered the normal end to an individual's life on earth, entering heaven without dying first is considered exceptional and usually a sign of God's special recognition of the individual's piety.

According to the Jewish Midrash, nine people went to heaven (also referred to as the Garden of Eden and Paradise) alive. Elijah the Prophet "went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (Kings II Chapter 2, Verse 11). Serach, the daughter of Asher - one of the sons of Jacob (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni (Yechezkel 367)). Enoch went to heaven alive (Genesis 5:22-24). This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of people who went to heaven alive". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

The Bikini Carwash Company

2007-03-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Bikini Carwash Company is a movie that was directed by Ed Hansen and released in 1992. It featured Joe Dusic, Kristi Ducati, and Ricki Brando.
In the film, a group of young women decide to help out a local carwash by wearing bikinis while they wash the customers' cars. This succeeds in attracting more customers, more money, and more attention from the police, who are not amused by the scantily-dressed employees! The sequel, The Bikini Carwash Company II, was released in 1993. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Bikini Carwash Company". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Benzedrine in popular culture

2007-03-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

Benzedrine is the trade name of the racemic variant of amphetamine (dl-amphetamine). It was marketed under this brandname in the USA by Smith, Kline and French in the form of inhalers, starting in 1928. Benzedrine was used to enlarge nasal and bronchial passages and it is closely related to other stimulants produced later, such as Dexedrine (d-amphetamine) and methamphetamine.

References in popular culture: This drug was very popular with the beat generation and its influence can be seen in the literature and biographies of William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Also, a famous user was the prolific mathematician Paul Erdős, who spent much of his restless life on psychostimulants. An article of November 1987, published in the Atlantic Monthly profiled Erdős and discussed his Benzedrine habit. Erdős said to writer Paul Hoffman that he had liked the article "...except for one thing...You shouldn't have mentioned the stuff about Benzedrine. It's not that you got it wrong. It's just that I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics to think that they have to take drugs to succeed."
Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson claims that many of the songs on his album Smile were written while the lyricist Van Dyke Parks was under the influence of Benzedrine. The Beatles have said that in their early days in Hamburg, Germany, they used Benzedrine quite often in order to play several concerts a night without getting sleepy. Benzedrine was given to Judy Garland at a young age to help with her weight. She became dependent on the drug for the rest of her life. Benzedrine is the preferred drug of choice amongst the flawed characters which make up the noir fiction of James Ellroy, who himself has confessed a past addiction to the drug. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Benzedrine in popular culture". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of people with fear of flying

2007-03-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

A list of famous people who suffer or have suffered from Aviophobia, the fear of flying in an aeroplane or helicopter.

Real people: Isaac Asimov, Dennis Bergkamp, Kate Bush, Gene Clark, Elisha Cuthbert, Doris Day, Brandon DiCamillo, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Jensen, Tony Kornheiser, Stanley Kubrick, Kim Jong-Il, Matthew Sweet, John Madden

Fictional characters: Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas: Charles Grodin's character in Midnight Run. He claims to have this phobia, among others.
B. A. Baracus of the TV series The A-Team. He is often drugged or otherwise knocked out by his friends so that they can get him onto a plane.
Adrian Monk from the TV series Monk. He did achieve getting on a plane by the end of the first season however. Carla Tortelli from the TV series Cheers. John Doe from the TV series John Doe. Raymond Babbitt in the 1988 film Rain Man. An autistic man who refuses to fly on any airline for fear of it crashing--except Qantas, which he claims has never had a crash.
Alex Browning from the film Final Destination. Wendell Urth, a housebound detective created by, and sharing his fears with, Isaac Asimov. Jack Ryan, protagonist of most novels by Tom Clancy. Marge Simpson , although she later overcame her fear of flying, before being involved in a minor air crash. (Episode 2F08, "Fear of Flying") Maris Crane, of Frasier, due to a bad experience of being "bumped" from first class. Father Ted from the TV series Father Ted. Tyler from the 2006 movie Snakes on a Plane. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of people with fear of flying". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Twinkies in popular culture

2007-03-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

The Twinkie snack food cake, ubiquitous in the United States, has made many appearances in modern media. Some examples include:

- Twinkies are the popular Over the Hedge comic book character, R.J's favorite food to eat.
- The Twinkies is a popular and often-used nickname for the Minnesota Twins baseball team.
- A Twinkie is used by Egon Spengler in the first Ghostbusters movie, to illustrate the severity of ghostly activity in New York City: "Well, let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Based on this morning's reading, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds."
"That's a big Twinkie."

Urban Legend: An urban legend holds that twinkies are chemically synthesized and require no baking. As a result, they supposedly have a nearly limitless shelf-life and could potentially "survive a nuclear war" (like cockroaches). Freshness is guaranteed only for about 25 days, leading some urban myth experts to believe it is false. They do last longer than most other baked goods due to the fact that the filling is not actually dairy. However, some science teachers have kept Twinkies since 1998 which show no signs of deterioration.This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Twinkies in popular culture". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

1/4 + 1/16 + 1/64 + 1/256 + · · ·

2007-03-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

In mathematics, the infinite series 1/4 + 1/16 + 1/64 + 1/256 + ... is an example of one of the first infinite series to be summed in the history of mathematics; it was used by Archimedes circa 250-200 BC. Its sum is 1/3.

References: Shawyer, Bruce and Bruce Watson (1994). Borel's Methods of Summability: Theory and Applications. Oxford UP. ISBN 0-19-853585-6., Stein, Sherman K. (1999). Archimedes: What Did He Do Besides Cry Eureka?. MAA. ISBN 0883857189, Ajose, Sunday and Roger Nelsen (June 1994). "Proof without Words: Geometric Series". Mathematics Magazine 67 (3): 230, Mabry, Rick (February 1999). "Proof without Words: 1⁄4 + (1⁄4)2 + (1⁄4)3 + · · · = 1⁄3". Mathematics Magazine 72 (1): 63; Text of Quadrature of the Parabola with commentary. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "1/4 + 1/16 + 1/64 + 1/256 + · · ·". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Danielle Rousseau

2007-03-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Danielle Rousseau, often referred to as "the French woman", is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Mira Furlan. She is a recurring on-island character who has appeared periodically throughout seasons one through three. She has lived on the island for 16 years, crash landed with her science team while investigating a mysterious signal they picked up at sea.

At the time, of the crash, Rousseau was pregnant, and gave birth to a baby girl she named Alex, but she was abducted by the Others soon after. The rest of her team died in an area she referred to as "the dark territory," including Montand, who lost his arm, and Robert, her lover whom she killed because he had "the sickness." She changed the radio tower's signal from repeating the Numbers (4 8 15 16 23 42) to a distress signal that the survivors heard in "Pilot (Part 2)." This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Danielle Rousseau". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

2007-03-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is a list of American TV series compiled by TV Guide as a cover story for the week of May 4, 2002. At the time, TV Guide billed the list as a perspective of the most "influential" television programs in American history. Here is a [truncated] list:

10. Saturday Night Live (NBC, 1975— )
9. The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960–1968)
8. The Simpsons (Fox, 1989— )
7. The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 1993— )
6. 60 Minutes (CBS, 1968— )
5. The Sopranos (HBO, 1999–2007)
4. All in the Family (CBS, 1971–1979)
3. The Honeymooners (CBS, 1955–1956)
2. I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951–1957)
1. Seinfeld (NBC, 1989–1998)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Nudity in Judaism

2007-03-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

In Judaism and in Jewish communities, men and women use ritual baths called mikvahs for a variety of reasons, mostly religious in the present day. Immersion in a mikvah requires that water covers the entire body (including the entire head). To make sure that water literally touches every part of the body, all clothing, jewelry and even bandages must be removed. In contemporary mikvahs for women, there is always an experienced attendant, commonly called the "mikvah lady", to watch the immersion and ensure that the women have been entirely covered in water.

At the same time, religious Jews are very protective about their naked body. Under the laws of tznius (modesty), both men and women cannot reveal the body parts considered to have sexual connotation (including upper arms, collarbones, legs, and -- for married women and all men -- hair, which is covered completely or partially). It is postulated in the Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Law) that one must uncover as little body as possible when in the toilet room and even when changing before sleep (trousers are often taken off and exchanged for the pijamas under the covers). By Jewish law, no clothes or jewelry at all can be present during sex; at the same time, it must be done completely under covers, and in complete darkness. This ensures maximum acuteness of the sensation experienced during sex and also decreases the risk of self-awareness and shame about one's body.

See also: Social nudity, Nudity in religion, Social nudity and Christianity, History of nudity, Israeli Naturist Society, Israel's first Naturism Portal, Israel Naturist Home Page, Religious Tolerance: Nudity as mentioned in the Bible. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nudity in Judaism". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Zenzizenzizenzic

2007-03-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

Zenzizenzizenzic is the eighth power or exponent of a number. For example the zenzizenzizenzic of 2 is 256. It was suggested by Robert Recorde, a 16th century Welsh writer of popular mathematics textbooks, in The Whetstone of Witte, published in 1557, although his spelling was zenzizenzizenzike. It is obsolete except as a curiosity; the Oxford English Dictionary has only one citation for it. It survives as an historical oddity.
The root word is the German zenzic from the Italian censo, meaning "squared."

It dates from a time when there was no easy way of denoting the powers of numbers except as squares and cubes. The fourth power was represented by the square of a square, zenzizenzic, which is a condensed form of the Italian censo di censo, used by Leonardo of Pisa in his famous book Liber Abaci of 1202. The eighth power is by extension zenzizenzizenzic. Similarly the sixth power would be zenzicube, the square of a cube. Zenzizenzizenzic has more Z's than any other known word in the English language. Reference: Entry at Weird Words. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zenzizenzizenzic". Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of Mother Pornstars

2007-03-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

List of mother porn stars who are married or not married or divorced or dead [partial list]:

Aja: (two children); Alana Evans: divorced (1 child) ; Alexis Fire: (2 children); Alicia Rhodes; Alison Kilgore (Allison Kilgore): (girl 15 years and son 12 years on 2006); Angel Dark (Esmerelda, Esmeralda, Angel, Viktoria, Dark Angel, Pauline, Paulin): a son; Angel Kelly: (Have children); Angela D'Angelo: (her daughter is pornstar: Ice D'Angelo aka Ice LaFox); Angelica; Angelica Sin; Anna Nova; Annette Haven; April Flowers (Aprik, April Summers, April Rain, April): (1 kid); Ariana: married (one son born 1987); Asia Carrera: married (1 daughter); Autumn Haze: (3 children). This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of Mother Pornstars". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Brain in a Vat

2007-03-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

In philosophy, the brain in a vat is any of a variety of thought experiments intended to draw out certain features of our ideas of knowledge, reality, truth, mind, and meaning. It is drawn from the idea, common to many science fiction stories, that a mad scientist might remove a person's brain from the body, suspend it in a vat of life-sustaining liquid, and connect its neurons by wires to a supercomputer which would provide it with electrical impulses identical to those the brain normally receives. According to such stories, the computer would then be simulating a virtual reality (including appropriate responses to the brain's own output) and the person with the "disembodied" brain would continue to have perfectly normal conscious experiences without these being related to objects or events in the real world.

The simplest use of brain-in-a-vat scenarios is as an argument for philosophical skepticism and Solipsism. A simple version of this runs as follows: Since the brain in a vat gives and receives the exact same impulses as it would if it were in a skull, and since these are its only way of interacting with its environment, then it is not possible to tell, from the perspective of that brain, whether it is in a skull or a vat. Yet in the first case most of the person's beliefs may be true (if he believes, say, that he is walking down the street, or eating ice-cream); in the latter case they are false. Since, the argument says, you cannot know whether you are a brain in a vat, then you cannot know whether most of your beliefs might be completely false. Since, in principle, it is impossible to rule out your being a brain in a vat, you cannot have good grounds for believing any of the things you believe; you certainly cannot know them. -- This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Brain in a Vat". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Year 10,000 problem

2007-02-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

The year 10,000 problem or Y10K is the collective name for all potential software bugs that may emerge as the need to express years with five digits arises. References to any year 10,000 or Y10K problem cannot at face value be taken to be serious or in jest as there are both legitimate reasons to plan for far in the future dates as well as a number of humorous references.

Practical relevance: This may not be a problem in the year 10,000, as it is highly unlikely that any of the technology or software in use today will still be active at that time. However, it is already a problem today for long term analysis programs, such as software that examines proposals for the long term handling of nuclear waste. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Year 10,000 problem". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of films featuring independent body parts

2007-02-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

This is a list of films featuring independent body parts.

Arms: Body Parts (1991); Dr. Strangelove (1964) - While not physically independent, Dr. Strangelove's right arm has a mind of its own, and actually attempts to strangle him;

Brains: Brain Damage (1988) ; The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) ; Donovan's Brain (1953) ; Hubert's Brain (2001) ; The Man with Two Brains (1983) ; They Saved Hitler's Brain (1968) ;

Breasts: Attack of the Hungry Hungry Nipples (1997) ; Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)

Eyes: The Killer Eye (1999); The Trollenberg Terror (1958) a.k.a. "The Crawling Eye";

Hands: The Addams Family (1991) "Thing", family pet hand; The Beast with Five Fingers (1947) ; The Crawling Hand (1963) ; Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) ; Demonoid (1981) ; Evil Dead 2 (1987) ; Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) ; The Hand (1981) directed by Oliver Stone; Idle Hands (1999) ; The Hands of Orlac (1961) ; Mad Love (1935) a.k.a. The Hands of Orlac ; La Main du diable (The Devil's Hand) (1942) ; Quicksilver Highway(The Body politic) (1997) ; Thumb Wars (1999) ; Waxwork (1988) ; Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) ; Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) a.k.a. A Nightmare on Elm Street 7

Heads: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) ; The Doom Generation (1995); 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997) ; The Evil Dead (1981) ; Evil Dead 2 (1987); How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) ; Mars Attacks! (1996) ; Re-Animator (1985) ; The Thing That Couldn't Die (1958)

Teeth: Quicksilver Highway (1997)-Chattery Teeth

Tongues: La Lengua asesina (The Killer Tongue) (1996). This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of films featuring independent body parts". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Youtube Atheists

2007-02-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

YouTube atheism is a social movement within the YouTube community, made famous by users uploading videos of themselves denying the Holy Spirit. See main article, Rational Response Squad for information on the Blasphemy Challenge.

YouTube atheists became extremely popular in early 2007. YouTube is well established for providing the medium for internet-based social groups to interact. In December of 2006, one such atheist group, the Rational Response Squad, with director and filmmaker Brian Flemming, started the Blasphemy Challenge. This event dramatically increased the number of vocal and visible atheists. Acting as a catalyst for atheists so start talking about atheism and whom became aware of each other on YouTube which allowed the sub-community to grow substantially.

Atheist and personality Nick Gisburne had his accounts deleted on February 8, 2007 for inappropriate content. The inappropriate content in question was critical of Islam. The video was a slideshow of explicit quotations from the Qur'an, which some may see as offensive. This led users to question the motivation behind YouTube's decision. This lead to increased visibility and numerous people re-posting his original video in the form of replies and others have sent letters to Youtube. YouTube retroactively changed the reason for the banning to copyright infringement on the grounds that he posted a video with copyrighted music. Claiming to be required to do so under the DMCA.

References: ^ Two Ways Not To Handle Free Speech on slashdot.org accessed at February 22, 2007; ^ The YouTube user xild reading her letter to YouTube; ^ Click on more in the sidebar to the right to see the full text of one such letter; ^ Nick Gisburne's personal homepage showing screen shots of correspondence with YouTube; ^ A Note on Terminated Accounts on YouTube official blog accessed at February 22, 2007; ^ Nick Gisburne's personal homepage accessed at February 22, 2007; ^ YouTube Search on "gisburne" accessed at February 22, 2007; ^ Interview with the Creator of the YouTube Atheist Video on Secular Student Alliance accessed at February 22, 2007; 'YouTube Atheists' group on YouTube. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Youtube atheists". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

Cathy O'Brien

2007-02-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

Cathy O'Brien (1957-) is the co-author, with Mark Phillips, of the self-published books "TranceFormation of America and Access Denied: For Reasons of National Security." In her books and lectures, O'Brien relates allegations that, as a child, she was abducted into an alleged CIA mind control project called Project Monarch (supposedly a subsection of MKULTRA and Project Artichoke). She claims to have remained in Monarch as an adult, while she served as "a top-level intelligence agent and White House sex slave"[1] until rescued by Phillips.

O'Brien claims to have been abused since she was a toddler. Forced to partake in satanic sadomasochistic child pornography movies produced for Gerald Ford, she was eventually sold to the CIA, which was looking for traumatized children for their mind-control program

References: "Trance Formation of America". Trance-Formation.com - Cathy O'Brien's website; portland indymedia - Excerpts from TranceFormation; Mark Phillips / Cathy O'Brien speech (video) (transcript);
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1493414 ; TranceFormation of America: The True Life Story of a CIA Mind Control Slave. (September 1995) ISBN 0-9660165-4-8 ; Access Denied: For Reasons of National Security (August 2004) ISBN 0-9660165-3-X. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cathy O'Brien". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.

List of literary characters with nine fingers

2007-02-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

This is a list of literary characters with nine fingers, assuming for the sake of argument and simplicity that a thumb is a finger.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Alphabetically by title.

- Assassin's Creed: Altaïr the main protagonist had his finger removed as a part of a dramatic initiation ceremony to install a concealed mechanical dagger attached to his left arm, in place of one of his fingers.
- The Big Sky (film): Jim Deakins, frontiersman hero of has a finger amputated. - Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (novel series): Peter Pettigrew, friend of James Potter (Harry Potter's father), cut off a finger to fake his death and frame Sirius Black for murder. - The Lord of the Rings (novel series), by J.R.R. Tolkien: Frodo Baggins had one finger bitten off by Gollum and was known thereafter as "Frodo of the Nine Fingers." Sauron, from The Lord of the Rings, had his ring finger cut off by Isildur. - The Legend of the Condor Heroes (novel) by Jinyong: Hong Qigong(洪七公), the legendary leader of the Beggars' Sect (丐帮). Though a hero by nature and deed, Hong once let his love of food get the better of him and delay him from saving the life of a righteous man. As per the Chinese lore that the index finger is connected to the appetite, Hong cut off his right index finger as a reminder to himself to never again let food take precedence over doing good. - Mars Trilogy (novel series), by Kim Stanley Robinson: Nadia Cherneschevsky, the constructions engineer of loses her finger in a construction accident. Later in the trilogy, medicine has advanced to the point where she grows it back. - "Me, Myself and Irene" (film): Charley Baileygates (played by Jim Carrey) gets his finger shot off with a handgun.
- A Prayer for Owen Meany (novel) by John Irving: The narrator had his right index finger cut off by his best friend in an effort to prevent the narrator from being drafted during the Vietnam War. - Remnants (novel): Violet Blake had a Worm eat through her right index finger. - Rosie and the Dance of the Dinosaurs: the main character Rosie. This is a children's book about a child with nine fingers. - The Royal Tenenbaums (film): Margot Tenenbaum (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), the brilliant playwright of ran away from home for two weeks and came back with half of one of her fingers missing.
- South by Southeast (novel): Charon, the assassin and antagonist, has only nine fingers. - SubUrbia(play and film) by Eric Bogosian: Tim cut off one finger in order to be discharged from the US Air Force. - The Wayward Bus (novel) by John Steinbeck: Juan Chicoy, the main character and driver of the bus is missing the first knuckle of one finger. - Winter Kills (film): In the deeply complicated plot of this 1987 film a woman named Evelyn is murdered by a hit man. To prove she is dead, he cuts off one of her fingers.- Xanth (novel series) by Piers Anthony: Bink, the main character, accidentally cut off his middle finger as a child, while playing with a cleaver. - Phoenix and Ashes (novel) by Mercedes Lackey: The main character, Eleanor Robinson, has her left pinky finger cut off. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of literary characters with nine fingers". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.