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10,280 | ri
I do agree with you, in a way. The war on drugs has failed, but in my opinion,
that doesn't mean we have to give up. Only change the tactics.
For instance, here are how some penalties should be changed.
Dealing Coke -- Death
Dealing Heroin -- Death
Dealing Pot -- Death
Dealing Crack -- Death
The list goes on and on!!!......
JUST KIDDING!!!
However, on a more serious note, I do believe that we should take some money
away from the foriegn operations in South America and costly border
interdiction efforts. (Don't think I'm going to say, "spend it to educate
people", because I know plenty of educated dopers). Actually, spend it on
things like drug treatment programs.
I saw an interesting story on 60 minutes about how the British actually
prescribe and addict his "recommended" dosage, and try to ween him off from it,
or cut the amount down to levels where it is "acceptable". Sounds good so far
from what I heard with a decrease in cost, lower addiction rates by wiping out
the dealer's markets, etc. (But that was the only thing I have heard about it.)
However, legalizing it and just sticking some drugs in gas stations to be
bought like cigarettes is just plain silly. Plus, I have never heard of a
recommended dosage for drugs like crack, ecstasy, chrystal meth and LSD.
The 60 Minute Report said it worked with "cocaine" cigarettes, pot and heroin. | 13 | trimmed_train |
6,066 |
The proper term for what Mike expresses is Monophysitism. This was a
heresy that was condemned in the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. It
grew up in reaction to Nestorianism, which held that the Son and Jesus
are two different people who happened to be united in the same body
temporarily. Monophysitism is held by the Copts of Egypt and Ethipoia
and by the Jacobites of Syria and the Armenian Orthodox. It believes
that Jesus Christ was God (which is correct), that he was man (which is
correct), that he was one person (which is correct), but that he had
only one nature and one will and oen energy (which is heretical, the
orthodox position is that he had two natures and two wills and two
energies, both divine and human, though the wills were in perfect
harmony). That is what Mike is trying to get across, that while Jesus
came in human form, Mike says He did not have a human nature or a human
will. In reality, he had both, though neither made him subject to
original sin.
It is interesting to note that the Monothelites were a reaction to this
conflict and attempted to solve the problem by admitting two natures but
not two wills or two energies. It also was condemned, at a late council
in Constantinople I believe.
Andy Byler | 0 | trimmed_train |
7,991 | NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED, APR 19, 1993
Not because you were too busy but because
Israelists in the US media spiked it.
................
THOSE INTREPID ISRAELI SOLDIERS
Israeli soldiers have sexually taunted Arab women in the occupied Gaza Strip
during the three-week-long closure that has sealed Palestinians off from the
Jewish state, Palestinian sources said on Sunday.
The incidents occurred in the town of Khan Younis and involved soldiers of
the Golani Brigade who have been at the centre of house-to-house raids for
Palestinian activists during the closure, which was imposed on the strip and
occupied West Bank.
Five days ago girls at the Al-Khansaa secondary said a group of naked
soldiers taunted them, yelling: ``Come and kiss me.'' When the girls fled,
the soldiers threw empty bottles at them.
On Saturday, a group of soldiers opened their shirts and pulled down their
pants when they saw girls from Al-Khansaa walking home from school. Parents
are considering keeping their daughters home from the all-girls school.
The same day, soldiers harassed two passing schoolgirls after a youth
escaped from them at a boys' secondary school. Deputy Principal Srur
Abu-Jamea said they shouted abusive language at the girls, backed them
against a wall, and put their arms around them.
When teacher Hamdan Abu-Hajras intervened the soldiers kicked him and beat
him with the butts of their rifles.
On Tuesday, troops stopped a car driven by Abdel Azzim Qdieh, a practising
Moslem, and demanded he kiss his female passenger. Qdieh refused, the
soldiers hit him and the 18-year-old passenger kissed him to stop the
beating.
On Friday, soldiers entered the home of Zamno Abu-Ealyan, 60, blindfolded
him and his wife, put a music tape on a recorder and demanded they dance. As
the elderly couple danced, the soldiers slipped away. The coupled continued
dancing until their grandson came in and asked what was happening.
The army said it was checking the reports.
....................
ISRAELI TROOPS BAR CHRISTIANS FROM JERUSALEM
Israeli troops prevented Christian Arabs from entering Jerusalem on Thursday
to celebrate the traditional mass of the Last Supper.
Two Arab priests from the Greek Orthodox church led some 30 worshippers in
prayer at a checkpoint separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem after
soldiers told them only people with army-issued permits could enter.
``Right now, our brothers are celebrating mass in the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre and we were hoping to be able to join them in prayer,'' said Father
George Makhlouf of the Ramallah Parish.
Israel sealed off the occupied lands two weeks ago after a spate of
Palestinian attacks against Jews. The closure cut off Arabs in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip from Jerusalem, their economic, spiritual and cultural centre.
Father Nicola Akel said Christians did not want to suffer the humiliation
of requesting permits to reach holy sites.
Makhlouf said the closure was discriminatory, allowing Jews free movement
to take part in recent Passover celebrations while restricting Christian
celebrations.
``Yesterday, we saw the Jews celebrate Passover without any interruption.
But we cannot reach our holiest sites,'' he said.
An Israeli officer interrupted Makhlouf's speech, demanding to see his
identity card before ordering the crowd to leave.
...................
If you are as revolted at this as I am, drop Israel's best friend email and
let him know what you think.
[email protected] (via CompuServe)
[email protected] (via America Online)
[email protected] (via MCI Mail)
Tell 'em ARF sent ya.
..................................
If you are tired of "learning" about American foreign policy from what is
effectively, Israeli controlled media, I highly recommend checking out the
Washington Report. A free sample copy is available by calling the American
Education Trust at:
(800) 368 5788
Tell 'em arf sent you. | 6 | trimmed_train |
9,012 | : I have a 486DX-33 computer with a SoundBlaster 1.0 card. I'm running
: Microsoft Windows v3.1. I have the SB driver set up properly to play
: normal sounds (.WAV files, etc.). I want to play midi files through the
: Media Player that is included with windows. I know I have to set up the
: patch maps or something in the MIDI-Mapper in the Control Panel. I KNOW
: NOTHING ABOUT MIDI. (This is to be the way I'll get my feet wet.)
: How do I set up Windows so that I can play MIDI files?
If you install the Soundblaster windows drivers correctly, and have
the latest drivers, the media player should be setup to play files
authored to Microsoft's Multimedia midi authoring standard (General
Midi), see the section in the back of the Voyetra manual in the
Soundblaster midi upgrade kit.
You'll find that midi files exist with all kinds of different
mappings, so don't expect them to always sound correct without using
some kind of midi file editor, such as Voyetra's Sequencer Plus. | 18 | trimmed_train |
8,032 | MIGHTY ONES GET MIGHTIER:
TPS, the Finnish Champions 1992/3, are getting still stronger!
I just heard some news, according to which TPS has acquired
the next Finnish hockey superstar(??) Jere Lehtinen from Kiekko-Espoo!
There are also some rumours about Erik Kakko (Reipas) and Marko Jantunen
(KalPa) being traded to TPS. Both of this players are currently on the
Finnish olympic team. I think that Jantunen is drafted to the NHL, too.
BTW. Is Juha Yl|nen (centre, HPK) drafted by the Jets?? During last year
he has reached the top level among Finnish centres. He had very good
playoff games against TPS!
Hannu | 17 | trimmed_train |
8,692 |
Despite walks and loses, Ryan deserves to be in the Hall of Fame (IMHO)
based only on his ho-hitters. The strike-out records are an extra.
What do people think about Andre "400 HR" Dawson for the HOF?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ken Kubey or QB | Reading, editing or printing of this text
Address: [email protected] | without the express written consent of
Disclaimer: the usual | Major League Baseball is prohibited. | 2 | trimmed_train |
10,937 | This may sound like a simple-minded question, but this is the first time
I've ever had a need for this:
I've been designing some relatively simple chip circuits based on things
like photoresistors (you know, no light to photoresistor, emit a logic
high, etc.).
Anyway, I've got some servos lying around, and I wanted to do some things
with them using digital logic. I know all about having to pulse the signal
and everything, I just have one problem: I'm assuming I need a negative
(yes, negative) logic high to get the thing to turn in the direction
opposite the direction it would turn under normal logic high.
Is a negative logic high (I've seen this in schematics) the same thing as
an active low, or what? I'm not using a bi-polar power source, so how
would I get a negative logic high out of this thing? I need to have all
three signals available: Logic high, logic low, and negative logic high.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, please reply via email, as I
never seem to have time to read this (or any other) group lately.
Thanks much,
-mark | 11 | trimmed_train |
10,783 | I read it refered to as the "parabolic cross-section" rule;
the idea was that if you plot the area of the fuselage cross-
section as a function of the point fore-and-aft along the
fuselage, a plot that is a **paraboloid** minimizes somethin'
or 'nother (to be technical about it).
| 10 | trimmed_train |
11,219 | taken.
Hum, I guess this has some significance as opposed to having an incredible
drop during the last days in office. Unfortuantely having a loss in the
polls during the last days of office usually means no re-election. Ask
George.
Good one, Roooster. Thats hard to top. | 13 | trimmed_train |
6,855 | Hi!
When posting Winmark results, it is a good idea to give the version of
WinBench that you used to obtain the scores, as well as the resolution that
you tested and the version of the drivers. | 3 | trimmed_train |
77 | I have a 1986 Acura Integra 5 speed with 95,000 miles on it. It is positively
the worst car I have ever owned. I had an 83 Prelude that had 160k miles on
it when I sold it, and it was still going strong . This is with religious
attention to maintenance such as oil changes etc. Both cars were driven in
exactly the same manner..
1. It has gone through two clutches (which are underrated.)
2. 3 sets of tires (really eats tires in the front even with careful align)
3. All struts started leaking about 25-30k miles
4. Windshield wiper motor burned up (service note on this one)
5. Seek stop working on radio about 20k miles
6. Two timing belts.
7. Constant error signals from computer.
8. And finally. A rod bearing went out on the No. 1 piston seriously damaging
the crankshaft, contaminating the engine etc. When the overhaul was done
last week it required new crankshaft, one new cam shaft (has two) because
the camshaft shattered when they tried to mill it. The camshaft took 4
weeks to get because it is on national back order.
Everything on the engine is unique to the 1986 year. They went to a new
design in 87. Parts are very expensive. | 4 | trimmed_train |
7,175 | Good luck.
| 4 | trimmed_train |
4,600 |
I really must object to that last statement. Having a lot of experience
with a '92 Grand Am coupe, I can firmly state that they do have a lot of
outstanding qualities. Very reliable throughout. Great layout of controls
and components. Very roomy considering the exterior size of the car. They
look sharp inside and out. The V6 that I drive has exceptional power and
drivability compared to other similar cars that I have driven.
All in all, it's a fun-to-drive, dependable, and reasonably priced vehicle.
Please don't knock it with a statement like that unless you back it up with
specific reasons why you feel that way.
Rob
[email protected]
| 4 | trimmed_train |
9,678 | Aargh!
Paul Stewart is the worst and most biased ref. presently in the NHL.
He called a total of 4 penalties on the Habs and one on the Nordiques.
The Nords' penalty came in O.T. Stewart, being an ex-Nordique himself,
was looking to call penalties on the Habs while letting the Nords
get away with murder...WE WAS ROBBED!!!!
It was an excellent game with plenty of end-to-end rushes and tremendous
goalkeeping. The Nords tied it with over 1 minute to go while Lebeau
was serving a penalty. I don't mind Stewart calling a penalty in the
last 5 min. of the game, but AT LEAST BE FAIR ABOUT IT. The Nords were
caught with their hand in the cookie jar more than once. Stewart turned
the other cheek...BASTARD!
Patrick Roy collapsed after letting in the tieing goal. He was shaky and
on his knees for the rest of the night. The winning goal shouldn't have
gone in.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming the loss on Stewart. The Habs had
plenty of chances to capitalize, Muller, LeClair, Haller, etc. but
failed to put the puck in the net. That's what did them in. But
Mr. Stewart didn't help matters at all.
Oh well, at least the Bruins lost in O.T. also Ha, Ha!!--)
,,,
(0-0)
============================oOO(_)OOo===================================
The Czar of Mainframe Computing <[email protected]>
McGill University
--> I'M TOO SEXY FOR COBOL.
---> Habs...will beat the Nords in 7!!!!
---> Let's Go Expos!
===========================================
| Hickory, dickory doc, |
| She took a good look at your cock. |
| It's really scary all rinkled and hairy,|
| It smells like a 10 year old sock! |
| --Andrew Dice Clay |
=========================================== | 17 | trimmed_train |
11,025 | Do anyone know about any shading program based on Xlib in the public domain?
I need an example about how to allocate correct colormaps for the program.
Appreciate the help. | 16 | trimmed_train |
218 |
There is no contradiction here. It is essential in the sense that your
body needs it. It is non-essential in the sense that your body can
produce enough of it without supplement. | 19 | trimmed_train |
7,932 |
Seems to me that the driver was driving the vehicle visually impaired.
Isn't that like not scraping ice and snow off your windshield and such?
Say, that's another thing that bugs me. Why don't people scrape their
damn windows? I've seen people driving cars with *barely* the driver's
half of the windshield cleared. Nothing else cleared. This seems
pretty stupid and isn't there something (probably varies state to state)
that says a certain percentage of the glass must be clear? Oh, well.
| 12 | trimmed_train |
1,531 |
There are several star map programs available. Your
job is to choose that you like. Try anonymous-FTP
from:
ftp.funet.fi:pub/astro/pc/stars
pc/solar
mac
amiga
atari | 10 | trimmed_train |
4,220 | :
: I believe this raid was ill planned because they only had 2 days to plan it,
: and it was continued when failure was obvious because it had a bit part
: in the much larger political agenda of President Clinton. I would even
: suggest that the loss of 4 ATF agents is inconsequential in this the
: context of his political agenda. It MIGHT even be beneficial to his agenda,
: as it helps point up just how evil these assualt weapons are. Further proof
: might be that the ATF denied their agents (Street Stories report) requests
: for sufficient fire power.
:
: Important dates:
: Feb 25th - NJ assembly votes to overturn assault weapon ban.
: Feb 28th - Compound in Waco attacked.
:
: On Feb. 25th the New Jersey assembly voted to overturn the assault weapon
: ban in that state. It looked like it might be a tight vote, but the Senate
: in N.J. was going to vote to overturn the ban. It would not sit well to have
: an Eastern state overturn an assault weapon ban, given Clintons stated
: agenda on gun control. I suspect Clinton gave the order to get someone or
: some: group with assualt weapons and have the press present (they were
: initially
: at the incident in Waco) to record the event for the TV audience. The agent
: on "Street Stories" reported that a supervisor was urging them all to "get
: ready fast", as "they know we are coming". I believe this attack continued,
: even tho the probablility of failure was high, because it came from the top
: down. After the N.J. assembly vote, the ATF had a limited amount of time to
: come up with something, and the Wackos in Waco fit the bill nicely.
:
: ...rich
I don't know Rich. Last year when the congress was debating the Bushmans
'Crime Bill', the incident at Lubys' cafe occured. Most of the anti-gun
crap was amended out of the bill anyway.
Could a president 'order': go find some 'assault weapons' and bring the
media". I hope not. Frankly, the Toon-meister* scares me. Of course
having a Democratic majority in congress doesn't help. (Apologies to all
Demos' who support RKBA)
( *definition: toon-meister - a characatureic name for the current
president of the U.S.: Clinton aka, Clintoon aka Toon-meister.) | 9 | trimmed_train |
4,646 | [deletions]
[deletions]
As you have presented it, it is indeed an argument from incredulity.
However, from what I have seen, it is not often presented in this manner.
It is usually presented more in the form, "And *besides*, I cannot see...
...nor have I ever been offered a convincing explanation."
Moreover, it is not unreasonable to ask for an explanation for such
phenomena. That theism does not provide a convincing explanation is not
an argument in theism's favor. Especially when different theisms offer
different explanations, and even different adherents of what is purportedly
the same theism give different explanations...
Not im my experience. In my experience, the most common reason is the
lack of evidence in theism's favor. You mileage may vary. :->
Oh, heck, I'll be snide this once. :-> It's also fairly easy to attack
arguments that are not made. (I.e. 'strawmen'.)
Sage advice indeed.
Sincerely,
Raymond Ingles [email protected] | 8 | trimmed_train |
10,117 |
Or, with no dictionary available, they could gain first hand
knowledge by suffering through one of your posts.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Bob Beauchaine [email protected]
They said that Queens could stay, they blew the Bronx away,
and sank Manhattan out at sea. | 8 | trimmed_train |
11,309 | DN> From: [email protected] (David Nye)
DN> A neurology
DN> consultation is cheaper than a scan.
And also better, because a neurologist can make a differential
diagnosis between migraine, tension-type headache, cluster, benign
intracranial hypertension, chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, and other
headache syndromes that all appear normal on a scan. A neurologist
can also recommend a course of treatment that is appropriate to the
diagnosis.
DN> >>Also, since many people are convinced they have brain tumors or other
DN> >>serious pathology, it may be cheaper to just get a CT scan then have
DN> >>them come into the ER every few weeks.
DN> And easier than taking the time to reassure the patient, right?
DN> Personally, I don't think this can ever be justified.
Sigh. It may never be justifiable, but I sometimes do it. Even
after I try to show thoroughness with a detailed history, neurologic
examination, and discussion with the patient about my diagnosis,
salted with lots of reassurance, patients still ask "why can't you
order a scan, so we can be absolutely sure?" Aunt Millie often gets
into the conversation, as in "they ignored Aunt Millie's headaches
for years", and then she died of a brain tumor, aneurysm, or
whatever. If you can get away without ever ordering imaging for a
patient with an obviously benign headache syndrome, I'd like to hear
what your magic is.
Every once in a while I am able to bypass imaging by getting an EEG.
Mind you, I don't think EEG is terribly sensitive for brain tumor,
but the patient feels like "something is being done" (as if the
hours I spent talking with and examining the patient were
"nothing"), the EEG has no ionizing radiation, it's *much* cheaper
than CT or MRI, and the EEG brings in some money to my department. | 19 | trimmed_train |
3,000 |
That's why the Zionists decided that Zion must be Gentile-rein.
What?! They didn't?! You mean to tell me that the early Zionists
actually granted CITIZENSHIP in the Jewish state to Christian and
Muslim people, too?
It seems, Elias, that your "first point to note" is wrong, so the rest
of your posting isn't worth much, either.
Ta ta...
| 6 | trimmed_train |
997 |
I have noticed this exact same phenomenon occurs with my LCIII. Perhaps it is
a quirk of the new machines? | 14 | trimmed_train |
3,021 |
Judging from postings I've read all over Usenet and on non-Usenet
BBs conferences, Barney is DEFINITELY an endangered species. Especially
if he runs into me in a dark alley.
A.Lizard
| 15 | trimmed_train |
2,936 | Ladies and gentleman,
Step one was taken on the Phils' triumphant trip this year tonight!
(Yes, that was English!)
Mulholland's ERA after tonight's game? 0.00...nice try Drabek!
| 2 | trimmed_train |
2,173 | The Phillies were picked to be in first.
Someone replied that the people who picked them were the same people who
picked the Mets last year.
My reply: Yeah, that may be true, but this IS the Phillies. | 2 | trimmed_train |
7,599 | Long time, no see.
Andreas
--
Andreas - Siperian Sirri Siberian Stint | 15 | trimmed_train |
5,051 |
Is Kratz claiming that he can reliably visually distinguish an M-16
from an AR-15? That he can see the difference between a semi-auto and
a full-auto UZI? That he can see the difference between the various
versions (some full-auto, some semi-auto only) of the M-11/9?
If so, I'd love to hear the details, if only because they'll demonstrate
that Kratz is blowing smoke.
Considering that one can design a gun so that it looks just like
another gun, yet have very different properties, and that that's
quite common....
Most kids in my neighborhood were quite young when they figured out
that my parents car wasn't much like Richard Petty's, even though it
looked just like it (except for the paint job). Things must have been
different with Kratz.
No, it doesn't, but that's irrelevant. If visual inspection of the
outside worked, TV would be acceptable, but since it doesn't, the fact
that it's just as good as seeing in person doesn't mean much.
-andy gave Kratz a chance to back down on this in private | 9 | trimmed_train |
5,945 |
From: "Preston K. Covey" <[email protected]>
Subject: Gun Stats & Mortal Risks
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1993 18:35:05 -0500 (EST)
Folks,
Hail from the nether world. On February 4th, the Wall Street Journal
carried a front-page article by Erik Larson entitled "Armed Force." I
felt a reply was in order to his citation of the notorious scare stat
that "A Gun is 43 times more likely to kill than to protect." I sent
the following to the WSJ.
-----
Gun Stats & Mortal Risks
Preston K. Covey
Erik Larson~s even-handed article on Paxton Quigley (~Armed Force,~
2/4/93, WSJ) cites the world~s most notorious ~statistic~ regarding guns
in the home: ~A pioneering study of residential gunshot deaths in King
County, Washington, found that a gun in the home was 43 times more
likely to be used to kill its owner, spouse, a friend or child than to
kill an intruder.~ The ~43 times~ stat is everywhere these days; it
has grown in media lore like the proverbial urban myth: it was inflated
by one pugilistic talk-show pundit to ~93.~ Given the shock value of
the finding, the conclusion of the 1986 New England Journal of Medicine
(NEJM) study is remarkably understated: ~The advisability of keeping
firearms in the home for protection must be questioned.~
Responsible people should indeed question the risks and benefits of
bringing a firearm into their home. But what we need to know is this:
What exactly are the risks and benefits? The NEJM testimony is neither
the whole truth about the benefits nor nothing but the truth about the
risks. Further, as with motor vehicles, we want to know: What control
do we have over the risks and benefits? And, as with the risks of
cancer or heart disease or auto accidents: How can we minimize the
risks? Like raw highway death tolls, the NEJM stat is not very helpful
here.
The NEJM finding purports to inform us, but it is framed to warn us
off. It is widely promulgated in the media as a ~scare stat,~ a
misleading half-truth whose very formulation is calculated to prejudice
and terrify. The frightful statistic screams for itself: The risks far
outweigh the benefits, yes? What fool would run these risks? If your
car were 43 times more likely to kill you, a loved one, a dear friend or
an innocent child than to get you to your destination, should you not
take the bus?
Uncritical citation puts the good name of statistics in the bad company
of lies and damned lies. Surely, we can do better where lives are at
stake. Let~s take a closer look at this risky business:
The ~43 times~ stat of the NEJM study is the product of dividing the
number of home intruders/aggressors justifiably killed in self-defense
(the divisor) into the number of family members or acquaintances killed
by a gun in the home (the dividend). The divisor of this risk equation
is 9: in the study~s five-year sample there were 2 intruders and 7 other
cases of self-defense. The dividend is 387: in the study there were 12
accidental deaths, 42 criminal homicides, and 333 suicides. 387 divided
by 9 yields 43. There were a total of 743 gun-related deaths in King
County between 1978 and 1983, so the study leaves 347 deaths outside of
homes unaccounted.
The NEJM~s notorious ~43 times~ statistic is seriously misleading on
six counts:
1. The dividend is misleadingly characterized in the media: the ~or
acquaintances~ of the study (who include your friendly drug dealers and
neighborhood gang members) is equated to ~friends.~ The implication is
that the offending guns target and kill only beloved family members,
dear friends, and innocent children. Deaths may all be equally tragic,
but the character and circumstance of both victims and killers are
relevant to the risk. These crucial risk factors are masked by the
calculated impression that the death toll is generated by witless
Waltons shooting dear friends and friendly neighbors. This is
criminological hogwash.
2. The study itself does not distinguish households or environs
populated by people with violent, criminal, or substance-abuse histories
-- where the risk of death is very high -- versus households inhabited
by more civil folk (for example, people who avoid high-risk activities
like drug dealing, gang banging and wife beating) -- where the risk is
very low indeed. In actuality, negligent adults allow fatal but
avoidable accidents; and homicides are perpetrated mostly by people with
histories of violence or abuse, people who are identifiably and
certifiably at ~high risk~ for misadventure. To ignore these obvious
risk factors in firearm accidents and homicides is as misleading as
ignoring the role of alcohol in vehicular deaths: by tautology, neither
gun deaths nor vehicular deaths would occur without firearms or
vehicles; but the person and circumstance of the gun owner or driver
crucially affect the risk.
3. One misleading implication of the way the NEJM stat is framed is
that the mere presence of a gun in the home is much more likely to kill
than to protect, and this obscures -- indeed, disregards -- the role of
personal responsibility. The typical quotation of this study (unlike
Larson~s) attributes fatal agency to the gun: ~A gun in the home is 43
times as likely to kill . . . .~ (The Center to Prevent Handgun
Violence, a major promulgator of the NEJM statistic, uses this
particular formulation.) We can dispense with the silly debate about
whether it~s people or guns that accomplish the killing: again, by
tautology, gun deaths would not occur without the guns. The question
begged is how many deaths would occur anyway, without the guns. In any
case, people are the death-dealing agents, the guns are their lethal
instruments. The moral core of the personal risk factors in gun deaths
are personal responsibility and choice. Due care and responsibility
obviate gun accidents; human choice mediates homicide and suicide (by
gun or otherwise). The choice to own a gun need not condemn a person to
NEJM~s high-risk pool. The gun does not create this risk by itself.
People have a lot to say about what risk they run with guns in their
homes. For example, graduates of Paxton Quigley~s personal protection
course do not run the touted ~43 times~ risk any more than skilled and
sober drivers run the same risks of causing or suffering vehicular death
as do reckless or drunk drivers. Undiscriminating actuarials disregard
and obscure the role of personal responsibility and choice, just as they
disregard and obscure the role of socio-economic, criminological and
other risk-relevant factors in firearm-related death. This is why we
resent insurance premiums and actuarial consigment to risk pools whose
norms disregard our individualities. Fortunately, nothing can consign
us to the NEJM risk pool but our own lack of choice or responsibility in
the matter.
4. Suicide accounts for 84% of the deaths by gun in the home in the
NEJM study. As against the total deaths by gun in King County,
including those outside the home, in-house suicides are 44% of the total
death toll, which is closer to the roughly 50% proportion found by other
studies. Suicide is a social problem of a very different order from
homicide or accidents. The implication of the NEJM study is that these
suicides might not occur without readily available guns. It is true
that attempted suicide by gun is likely to succeed. It is not obviously
true that the absence of a gun would prevent any or all of these
suicides. This is widely assumed or alleged, but the preponderance of
research on guns and suicide actually shows otherwise, that this is
wishful thinking in all but a few truly impulsive cases. (See: Bruce
L. Danto et al., The Human Side of Homicide, Columbia University Press,
1982; Charles Rich et al., ~Guns and Suicide,~ American Journal of
Psychiatry, March 1990.) If suicides were removed from the dividend of
the NEJM study~s risk equation, the ~43 times~ stat would deflate to
~six.~ The inclusion of suicides in the NEJM risk equation -- like the
causes, durability, or interdiction of suicidal intent itself -- is a
profoundly debatable matter. Quotations of the NEJM study totally
disregard this issue.
5. Citations of the NEJM study also mislead regarding the estimable
rate of justifiable and excusable homicide. Most measures, like the
NEJM homicide rate, are based on the immediate disposition of cases.
But many homicides initially ruled criminal are appealed and later ruled
self-defense. In the literature on battered women, immediate case
dispositions are notorious for under-representing the rate of
justifiable or excusable homicide. Time~s January 18, 1993, cover story
on women ~Fighting Back~ reported one study~s finding that 40% of women
who appeal have their murder convictions thrown out. Time~s July 17,
1989, cover story on a week of gun deaths reported 51% of the domestic
cases as shootings by abuse victims; but only 3% of the homicides were
reported as self-defense. In a May 14, 1990, update, Time reported
that 12% of the homicides had eventually been ruled self-defense. In
Time~s sample, the originally reported rate of self-defense was in error
by a factor of four. The possibility of such error is not acknowledged
by promulgators of the NEJM statistic.
6. While both the dividend and the product of the NEJM risk equation
are arguably inflated, the divisor is unconscionably misleading. The
divisor of this equation counts only aggressors who are killed, not
aggressors who are successfully thwarted without being killed or even
shot at. The utility of armed self-defense is the other side of the
coin from the harms done with guns in homes. What kind of moral idiocy
is it to measure this utility only in terms of killings ? Do we measure
the utility of our police solely in terms of felons killed -- as
opposed to the many many more who are otherwise foiled, apprehended, or
deterred? Should we not celebrate (let alone count ) those cases where
no human life is lost as successful armed defenses? The question posed
to media that cite the NEJM scare stat is this: Why neglect the
compendious research on successful armed defense, notably by
criminologist Gary Kleck (Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America ,
Aldine de Gruyter, 1992)?
Kleck~s estimations of the rate and risk of defensive firearm use are
based on victimization surveys as well as other studies: the rate is
high (about one million a year) and the risk is good (gun defenders fare
better than anyone, either those who resort to other forms of resistance
or those who do not resist). Dividing one million gun defenses a year
by 30,000 annual gun deaths (from self-defense, homicides, suicides, and
accidents) yields 33. Thus, we can construct a much more favorable
statistic than the NEJM scare stat:
A gun is 33 times more likely to be used to defend against assault or
other crime than to kill anybody.
Of course, Kleck~s critics belittle the dividend of this calculation;
what is good news for gun defenders is bad news for gun control. We
should indeed question the basis and method of Kleck~s high estimation
of defensive firearm use, as I have questioned the NEJM statistic.
Clearly, the issue of how to manage mortal risks is not settled by
uncritical citation of statistics. One thing troubles me still: we
can hardly escape the unquestioned NEJM scare stat in our media, but we
hardly ever find Kleck~s good work mentioned, even critically.
| 9 | trimmed_train |
11,138 | C-3's bird may be flaking out and expecting to die soon.
or C-3 may orbit over major users areas, and it may be
needed to provide redundancy on that plane while b-4 may orbit
over hicksville, and not have muc of a user community. | 10 | trimmed_train |
2,845 | : >After agreeing to terms I signed the contract and drove home in my new
: >car. Later that same night I noticed that the terms in the were
: >different from the terms I had agreed to. (I made the stupid mistake
: >of not checking everything on the contract). This all happened last
: >Saturday.
: >
: >I have heard that there is a "cooling-off" law allowing me three days
: >to reconsider the contract. Is this true? Can anyone point me to the
: >law? The transaction happened at the dealership, if it matters.
:
: This cooling off period applies only in certain situations - lik ewhen
: you are solicited at home. I also think the cooling off period ends
: if you actually accept the merchandise.
:
: If this were not the case, any car buyer would have the right to return
: a slightly used, highly devalued, car 2 days after buying it. Yeah -
: that's the trick - if I want to buy a new car, I'd have a firend buy
: & return one, then go in and negotiate a better deal on a pre-owned
: used car.
However, if you agree some terms, and then, when about to sign, the
dealer slips you a contract with different terms, and leads you to
believe that it embodies the terms you verbally agreed to, that
is fraud. There is no 3 day limit on restitution for fraud.
You may have to sue (and win) to get out of this. You will almost
certainly have to threaten to sue.
-- | 4 | trimmed_train |
6,541 | Items for sale.....
This package was bought throught a award give-away company. I attempted
to cancel my order before I received the package, but I was too late and
the company refused to take the package back for refund. I know the truth
which I would never get my $697 back, but I wish to get my money back as
close as possible. Here is the describtion of the package...
Nishika 3D camera It takes very good picture, never been opended
or used. It came with wide angle flesh, carring
case, film, and a instruction video. It has four
lens and created a 3D effect on a regular 35mm
film.
Jewelry It came with the package as additional gift.
Bahama vacation voucher The voucher is good for two RT airfare to Freeport.
The users get a special hotel rate of $27 per-person
per-night. Meals, ground transfer, hotel tax is
_not_ included.
Las Vegas, Reno, Orlando The voucher provides one RT airfare, and
hotel accomodation for 3 days/ 2 nights.
Meals, ground transfer, hotel tax is not
included. The voucher is good for all 3
locations, but you can't travel to all 3
places at once.
Cancun, Mexico The voucher provides one RT airfare, and hotel
accomodation for 3 days / 2 nights. Meals and
ground transfer, hotel tax is not included as
usual.
I paid $697 for the whole package. So try not to be cold-blooded when you
make your offer. Details would be provided by request. I do wish to sell
the whole package at once. So if you are just looking for the vacation
vouchers, I don't care if you sell the camera to other for a higher pric
If you are interested in the camera, you could treat the vacation vouchers
as gift.
If you receive a letter in your mail box which says that you are selected
to be part of the sweeptake and you have at least one out of five awards.
Trust me, you would get the exactly the same package as I did. There is
only one award which will be given away. So don't bother even to call them
back, if you are really interested, you could get it from me for a cheaper
price. And you could receive the package within a week ( I waited three
months to get my first and final packages). Also, they would ask for your
credit card number and you have to pay for the interest to the credit
card company. So why spend more than you should when you could get them
from me for a cheaper price.
If you are interested, please reply to me as soon as posible. I really
wish to get this over with. Make me an offer, if I am confortable with
your offer, I would send the package by U.P.S. the next day morning.
More details could be given if you wish.
Please contact me at [email protected] | 5 | trimmed_train |
1,346 | Can anyone recomend a good book or article on inter-client communications
BESIDES I.C.C.M.?
I've looked everywhere I can and it seems everyone tells you how to do it
but nobody SHOWS you how. O'Reilly has no examples, ICCM has no examples,
Asente & Swick give no examples - in fact most of the books I've looked at,
if they discuss ICC at all, simply give a condensed version of the ICCM and
then refer you to the ICCM. I did find one example of how to use Atoms and
Properties in Young's book and five hours after I bought Young's book I had
my applications talking to each other.
I am not sure, however, if thats the best way. I'd like to stay independent
of Unix so pipes and/or sockets probably aren't the way to go. But within X
one can also use messages, the clipboard, and perhaps window groups.
I need a text that discusses the various methods, discusses which method is best
for which purpose, and gives examples. Without examples it's all just words.
Thanks in advance | 16 | trimmed_train |
3,076 | Please excuse the interruption.
I am seeking pro-life activists to fill out a 13-page questionnaire
on attitutes, opinions, and activities. If you would be willing
to participate in this research, please email me privately at
[email protected]. All replies and questionnaires will be
made anonymous prior to printout and will be kept confidential.
Thank you very much for your help.
--Kerry at Purdue | 0 | trimmed_train |
5,457 |
Apparently not.
In response to his claim that it "terrifies" gay people not to be able
to "indoctrinate children to our lifestyle" (or words to that effect),
I sent Roger a very calm, carefully-written, detailed letter
explaining simply why the BSA policy does, indeed terrify me. I did
not use inflammatory language and left myself extremely open for an
answer. Thus far, I have not received an answer. I can conclude only
that Roger considers his position either indefensible or simply not
worth defending.
In fact, that's exactly the point: people can control their behavior.
Because of that fact, there is no need for a blanket ban on
homosexuals.
You tell me.
| 8 | trimmed_train |
1,306 |
And who's advocating that? Hate crimes laws are aimed at the motivations
of the acts. Just like premeditated homicide is treated stricter than
heat-of-passion homicide.
So if I set off a bomb in the World Trade Center, I can only be charged with
more than one murder, and not the other five deaths and extensive property
damage? After all, the bomb was a single act.
| 13 | trimmed_train |
7,313 |
You must be _incredibly_ bored. Have you considered reading the phone book? | 4 | trimmed_train |
3,052 |
And has been rather thoroughly demolished as myth by Robert Scott Root-
Bernstein. See his book, "Discovering". Ring structures for benzene
had been proposed before Kekule', after him, and at the same time as him.
The current models do not resemble Kekule's. Many of the predecessors
of Kekule's structure resemble the modern model more.
I don't think "extra-scientific" is a very useful phrase in a discussion
of the boundaries of science, except as a proposed definiens. Extra-rational
is a better phrase. In fact, there are quite a number of well-known cases
of extra-rational considerations driving science in a useful direction.
For example, Pasteur discovered that racemic acid was a mixture of
enantiomers (the origin of stereochemistry) partly because he liked a
friend's crank theory of chemical action. The friend was wrong, but
Pasteur's discovery stood. A prior investigator (Mitscherlich), looking
at the same phenomenon, had missed a crucial detail; presumably because he
lacked Pasteur's motivation to find something that distinguished racemic
acid from tartaric (now we say: d-tartaric) acid.
Again, Pasteur discovered the differential fermentation of enantiomers
(tartaric acid again) not because of some rational conviction, but because
he was trying to produce yeast that lived on l-tartaric acid. His notebooks
contained fantasies of becoming the "Newton of mirror-image life," which
he never admitted publically.
Perhaps the best example is the discovery that DNA carries genes. Avery
started this work because of one of his students, and ardent Anglophile
and Francophobe Canadian, defended Fred Griffiths' discoveries in mice.
Most of Griffiths' critics were French, which decided the issue for the
student. Avery told him to replicate Griffiths' work in vitro, which the
student eventually did, whereupon Avery was convinced and started the
research program which, in 15 or so years, produced the famous discovery
(Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty, JEM 1944). | 19 | trimmed_train |
4,326 |
For the most part, this is a bunch of bunk. I've got a Computer Engineering
degree, yet I've spent the last 7 years writing software that people actually
use. Moreover, the salary distinctions are incorrect; I received 3 job offers
upon graduation; the two jobs that actually used my hardware experience were
$7000/year lower! My advice is to decide which classes and projects most
interest you, and pick the major that allows you to take them. | 14 | trimmed_train |
5,882 |
Not any more so than
holding people against their will is wrong
if you hold people against their will we will punish you
our punishment will be to hold you against your will
Is there any punishment which isn't something which, if done by a private
person to another private person for no apparent reason, would lead to
punishment? (Fines, I suppose.) | 8 | trimmed_train |
369 |
I don't believe in the "Wave Theory".
My mother-in-law, who grew up in Germany, doesn't believe in
money at all. She started out as a real estate developer, and now raises
horses. She keeps telling me that inflation is coming back, and to lock
in my fixed rate mortgage as low as possible.
Maybe you'd like to invest in some foreign currency.
Which one would you guess to come out on top ?
(Sigh - speculators never learn.)
Bill R.
-- | 13 | trimmed_train |
1,551 | I have an Adcom GFA-555 that I got in 1985. There certainly isn't
anything magic about it. The components used are decent, but
nothing uncommon with respect to consumer grade components.
The GFA-555 is a nice piece of equipment. I'm glad that Adcom had
the guts to not over-do the packaging. It irks me when I see
audiophile oriented equipment whose case and heat sinks probably
cost much more and receive more attention than the electronics they
are supposed to serve.
I don't see any big deal about the geographic region in which
something is assembled. This is especially true for something as
low-technology as a GFA-555.
I'd hope that a GFA-545 would still work well after several years.
Except under conditions of extreme abuse, there isn't much there to
go wrong.
| 11 | trimmed_train |
7,168 | I just purchased The Norton Desktop for windows, and I also have
Norton Utilities. When I installed NDW, it wanted to rem out the line
that installed EP (EP /ON) and the command to invoke the Image utility.
It replaced the Image command with a new image command that invokes the
version of Image that came with NDW. This makes sense, as presumably the
Image version with NDW is newer than the one with NU. It did not, however,
install smartcan in the autoexec. Now two questions:
1: Will NU use the image data saved by the newer version of image invoked.
i.e. Are the two version of Image compatable?
2: Will erase protect use the info from smartcan, and vice versa?
I use both dos and windows, and I want to make sure that when I
erase files in either environment, they are going to be protected.
From the experiments I have run, The two programs (Erase Protect and
smart Erase) don't use each others info.
I currently have both EP and smartcan loading within my autoexec, and
I don't see any conflicts;
FYI : Norton Desktop for Windows version 2.2
Norton Util's version 6 | 18 | trimmed_train |
8,390 | >...
>In the near future, federal martials will come for your arms.
>No one will help you. You are more dangerous, to their thinking,
>than the 'criminal'. This is your own fault.
>
>The 2nd amendment is dead. Accept this. Find another way.
You know, in many ways this might be just the kick we need to straighten
things out in this country. Also, people would have a need to replace
guns with something else, perhaps deadly sprays that would make Mace and OC
seem like water. They would be lighter and easier to conceal.
Guns are really "old" in design and as long as we have tons of them, no one
is motivated to design something better. I'm sure we could come up with
some real nasty stuff if we tried and getting rid of these guns would get
us moving on this track asap. This is what we really want, right? Stuff
that's smaller, lighter and far more deadly. | 9 | trimmed_train |
5,973 | Great, the first advantage of cheap coax, I've ever heard.
Cheers Robert (HB9NBY)
| 11 | trimmed_train |
2,590 |
... | 0 | trimmed_train |
3,288 | Fellow netters,
I'm in the market for a hand scanner. However, I don't know anyone who has
one. I have my eye on two choices.
Dexxa: This scanner is available at Wal-Mart for $90. It includes GrayWorks
software and provides 400 dpi and 32 grayscales (I think). The OCR software
Catchword is available through mail-order for about $90 also.
Mustek: (Gray Artist for Windows) This scanner offers 256 grayscales
(according to Cad & Graphics) and 800 dpi. It is available for $169
mail-order and comes with Perceive OCR and Picture Publisher LE.
I am also looking at a Genius hand scanner (B105) from Cad & Graphics. It
is basically the same as the Mustek scanner except for the resolution (400
dpi) and price ($149).
Basically, I would like recommendations on which to buy. I have heard that
Logitech makes the best and manufactures Dexxa scanners. But which one is the
best buy? Would 800 dpi really be helpful (output would be no better than HP
LaserJet III or Canon BJ-200 - 300x300 to 360x360)? I am leaning toward the
Mustek because it offers the most features and is in the middle in terms of
prices. Which should I buy?
If you have a hand scanner, please let me know whether or not you would
recommend it. Also, if you know of another scanner within the price range
(under $225) that would be a better deal, please E-Mail me. Any and all help
would be greatly appreciated. | 3 | trimmed_train |
5,724 | Archive-Name: rec-autos/part6
[New article as of 4 February 1993 -- rpw]
Many people want to set up mailing lists for their favorite
automotive topics; rather fewer know how to do it. This article
will provide the essential information for doing so on standard
Unix systems. A shell script and examples of alias file setups
are included which presently run on a Sparc 2 here at balltown.cma.com
for a number of mailing lists. Note that if you do set up an automotive
mailing list, please let me know of the -request address so that I can
list it in the montly rec.autos posting. Also inform the keeper of the
Usenet list-of-lists (check news.answers for this monthly posting.)
First of all, to get anywhere, you need to either 1) be a sysadmin,
or 2) have some measure of assistance from your sysadmin. It is also
important that you have reasonably good network connectivity; if it seems
like you get everything several days after anyone else, or that you
have trouble getting email through, then your network connectivity is
probably not good enough.
Listserv:
There is a handy automated mailing list package named listserv, which
is available from several ftp servers on the network. Details of
the installation and operation of listserv are beyond the scope of this
article, but anyone who is considering running a large mailing list should
probably look at listserv carefully.
The Alias file:
On a typical unix system; there is a file named /usr/lib/aliases on
whichever file server is your mail host; it contains lines such as:
foo: bar, baz, bletch
which means that any email sent the name `foo' on that host is
redistributed to users bar, baz, and bletch. thus, the simplest
possible email list is
my-favorite-car: member1, member2, member3, my-address
my-favorite-car-request: my-address
this has a couple of problems; the most noticeable one being that
you have to be superuser to edit the alias file. however, you can
do the following, with the connivance of your sysadmin:
my-favorite-car: :include:/home/mydir/misc/autos/my-favorite-car-list
my-favorite-car-request: my-address
Where the file specified is a list of comma and newline separated
addresses. This file can be in the list admin's home directory,
owned by the list admin.
Bounced Mail:
this still has a problem; bounced mail usually gets distributed to all the
members of the list, which is generally considered somewhat irritating.
Therefore, the way that the driving school mailing list is set up
is instructive (Thanks to harpal chohan of the bmw list for this setup,
by the way. I'm not sure where he got it from.)
school-request: welty
school-rebroadcast: :include:/home/newwelty/misc/autos/school/list
school: "|/usr/local/adm/bin/explscript school"
owner-school: school-request
owner-school-out: school-request
here's what is going on here:
the owner- and -request addresses are intended as traps for bounced mail
coming from the network. the -request address also serves as the point
of contact for administrative duties.
school is what people send mail to; instead of pointing at addresses,
it points at a shell script which rewrites headers before resending
the email. school-broadcast (of which nobody except me knows the name;
the name has been changed here to protect my own sanity) points at the
actual list members.
the shell script i use is as follows:
-----------------
#!/bin/sh
cd /tmp
sed -e '/^Reply-To:/d' -e '/^Sender:/d' -e '/^From /d' | \
(echo Reply-To: ${1}@balltown.cma.com; \
echo Errors-To: ${1}[email protected]; \
echo Sender: ${1}[email protected]; \
cat -) | \
/usr/lib/sendmail -om -f ${1}[email protected] \
-F "The ${1} Mailing List" ${1}-rebroadcast
exit 0
-------------------
note that this script does not know the name of the list; the name
is passed in from outside, so that the script may be used for multiple
lists (i run several out of this site.)
the script excises Reply-To:, Sender:, and From lines from the incoming
message, substitutes for Sender: and Reply-To:, and adds Errors-to:
99.9% of all email bounce messages end up being sent to the -request
or owner- addresses if this header rewrite is done.
For digested lists, there is some digestification software around.
Hopefully I'll be able to provide more information in a future version
of this posting.
richard welty ([email protected]) | 4 | trimmed_train |
5,736 |
Ask me whether I'm surprised that you haven't managed to waddle out of
college after all this time.
| 13 | trimmed_train |
5,275 | Tracy your monitor is on its way. Mike Damico
| 5 | trimmed_train |
5,798 |
No one says you have to read any of it Ralph.. Go play in traffic.., or take
a nap... They work for me.. | 2 | trimmed_train |
9,299 |
]The "corrupted over and over" theory is pretty weak. Comparison of the
]current hebrew text with old versions and translations shows that the text
]has in fact changed very little over a space of some two millennia. This
]shouldn't be all that suprising; people who believe in a text in this manner
]are likely to makes some pains to make good copies.
Tell it to King James, mate.
]C. Wingate + "The peace of God, it is no peace,
] + but strife closed in the sod.
][email protected] + Yet, brothers, pray for but one thing:
]tove!mangoe + the marv'lous peace of God."
| 8 | trimmed_train |
6,792 |
For me, it would be an obvious choice: Armed self-defence is clearly
and strongly protected by the Colorado Constitution and the laws
of the state. In the very clear-cut situation of your hypothetical,
I wouldn't have anything to fear from the police (unless I had been
publicly carrying the weapon concealed, something I'm not in
the habit of doing... Even then, the worst I'd have to deal with
was a class 2 misdemeanor.) Even if the situation were not so
clear, and I might have to worry about arrest for manslaughter or
homicide, it would still be safer to wait for the police. If
I were to leave and try to avoid police involvement, I'd be committing
several felonies and ruining my chances of claiming self-defence
in court ("If it really was self-defence," the prosecuter would
ask, "why did you run away and hide from the police?")
In other states, however, this decision might not be so clear-cut:
If someone in, say, Washington D.C. were to use a gun in self-defence
he would _automatically_ be guilty of several felony violations of
that city's gun control laws. Such a person's choices would be
between certain conviction for a couple of felonies versus possible
conviction for half a dozen. | 9 | trimmed_train |
2,909 |
Okay, that's good. I'm typing this from exactly the same setup.
(US-UNIX layout keyboard) I did install the sunkbd patch, though.
Make sure you're using "ssetroot", which comes with tvtwm. When tvtwm
starts up, it nukes the existing root window. Use an "ssetroot" after
tvtwm starts up. (You could spawn off a "(sleep 10; ssetroot ...)&")
You can also use "VirtualDesktopBackgroundPixmap filename" or just
VirtualDesktopBackground if you just want another color besides grey.
Did you install the sunkbd patch? It's in the contrib directory on export.
All the keys on my keyboard send events properly, except the following:
The End, PageUp, PageDown on the 6-key cluster aren't recognized.
Even the compose key works. (Though I can't seem to get the composed
characters in an xterm to get passed.)
Anyone have a fix for the last two?
--Dave | 16 | trimmed_train |
4,741 |
I don't, though when I was in Israel I did make a point of listening
to JTV news, as well as Monte Carlo Radio. In the United States,
I generally read the NYT, and occasionally, a mainstream Israeli
newpaper.
What you may not be taking into account is that the JP is no longer
representative of the mainstream in Israel. It was purchased a few
years ago and in the battle for control, most of the liberal and
left-wing reporters walked out. The new owner stated in the past,
more than once, that the JP's task should be geared towards explaining
and promoting Israel's position, more than attacking the gov't (Likud
at the time). The paper that I would recommend reading, being middle
stream and factual is "Ha-Aretz" - or at least this was the case two
years ago.
And what about the "Nat'l Enquirer"? 8^)
But seriously, if one were to read some of the leftist newspapers
one could arrive at other conclusions. The information you received
was highly selective and extrapolating from it is a bad move.
| 6 | trimmed_train |
8,946 | I have a Windows 3.1 package for sale. New stil in shrink wrapped. I am
asking for $35. I will consider to trade a used 1.44M floppy drive. Leave
a message if interested.
| 5 | trimmed_train |
8,574 |
It depends on the attack. Adding a bit to the key doubles the amount of
work to be done in a straight brute-force attack, where you try every single
possible key until one works. Processing and storage requirements for this
kind of attack on a 128-bit key seem like they ought to make it effectively
impossible. However, there may be other attacks whose difficulty is (for
example) proportional to, say, 2**sqrt(n), or some such. Also, a long
key does you little good if there is a way to incrementally guess a little
of the key at a time.... | 7 | trimmed_train |
5,159 |
Please point out where I have said I even _was_ a member of that group,
much less asked to be treated as such, much less insisted upon it.
Wait a minute. You've been claiming for quite a while now that
pedophilia, according to CA state law, is a sexual orientation. Now
your position is that the law doesn't specifically exclude it?
You know damn well what's going to happen. Some guy in a NAMBLA
T-shirt's going to apply at a day-care, they're going to turn him down,
he's going to take it to court, and the court's going to rule that
sexual orientation is defined as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or
bisexuality.
Unless and until that court decides that pedophilia is a sexual
orientation, you have no business saying so.
Despite the fact that all homosexuals are lying bastards?
Ah.
So, for example, you are opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
There's no "for purposes of this act, the term 'sexual orientation' will
be defined as" section? No definitions anywhere? Did they run this
through the state Congress on an accelerated schedule or something? | 13 | trimmed_train |
9,318 | 19 | trimmed_train |
|
3,768 | Hello all,
I'd like to know, how z-modem-upload is initiated in a WinQVT-Script-file,
to check how it works before registering.
Unfortunatly, nothing about that feature is mentioned in the manual.
Can anybody help me? | 18 | trimmed_train |
2,658 | Th following cd's are for sale. Each cd cost 10$ except otherwise indicated
which includes shipping and handling.
Achtung baby U2 *
Joshua tree U2 **
The immaculate collection Madonna ** $12
Love hurts Cher *
Garth brooks Garth brooks *
Red hot ..chilli peppers.. **
OOOOOHHHHH TLC **
Light and shadows wilson **
* Used only once.
** never used, most of them are still in shrink wraps
Please email to | 5 | trimmed_train |
5,403 | Dear SGI and netter GL-X Mixed-Model experts,
I am writing a mixed model application that creates a couple different
color maps for different windows, and I've been having trouble getting
the window manager to reliably honor my requests. In some environments
(entry level R3000 Indigo w/ 4.0.5) all windows are getting properly
connected to their designated color maps, but on others (an IRIS 4D 240/GTX;
also a different entry level Indigo) the color mapping is unreliable
and changes behavior when I compile at different times. The most common
problem is that all non-top-level windows fail to be displayed according
to their colormap. My application starts out by creating three top-level
windows; in some cases all but the first of these also fail to be
displayed by their colormap. This is spectacularly aggravating.
I would dearly appreciate
1. an explanation of the standard, RIGHT, CORRECT way to give a window
a colormap such that the Window Manager will Honor and Obey it;
2. any advice about problems that could cause my failure to get my
desired colormaps.
By now I have exhausted my own attempts on this, having tried everything
reasonable or imaginable.
Below is example code giving the schematic for how I have been *TRYING*
to do this. Please, please, please SOMEBODY tell me what I am doing
wrong/how to do it right!!!
Yours,
Chris Lee
/***********************************************************************/
Display* dpy; /* DECLARE SOME DATA... */
Colormap popup_cmap;
XColor mycolor;
Window win;
XSetWindowAttributes cwa;
int nwlist;
Window *wlist;
/* NB: FOR BREVITY, NOT SHOWING ALL CODE LINES--JUST A SCHEMATIC */
popup_cmap=XCreateColormap(dpy,DefaultRootWindow(dpy),vis->visual,AllocAll);
/* HERE WE STORE A BUNCH OF COLORS USING
XStoreColor(dpy,popup_cmap,&mycolor); ... */
cwa.colormap = popup_cmap;
win = XCreateWindow(dpy, parent, x, y, w, h,
borderWidth, vis->depth, InputOutput, vis->visual,
CWColormap|CWBorderPixel, &cwa);
/* LIST ALL SUB WINDOWS OF my_topwin, PARENT OF win, INTO wlist;
nwlist IS COUNTER OF ENTRIES IN wlist.
NB: wlist is static storage that can be relied on not to go away
or be corrupted. I thought of that! Does anyone know if
setting WM properties is by data copy, or by reference pointer?
ie. is it acceptable to pass data for a Property, then free
the data? */
XSetWMColormapWindows(dpy,my_topwin,wlist,nwlist);
XMapRaised(Display0,win); | 16 | trimmed_train |
8,611 | My brother is preparing to pay another year
of college expenses and asked me to post this.
1987 Alfa Romeo
Gold Milano Model
V-6 Engine
Power Everything!
Seats 4 comfortably
Looks / runs great
$3,600 O.B.O.
Contact: Brian Wall
(214) 393-1216 | 5 | trimmed_train |
5,419 |
So? Kratz was there - does that mean that he's a gang member?
Even in the most gang-infested areas, most of the residents ARE NOT
gang-members.
How was it obvious? Were they not trying to hit the target? Or, does
Kratz confuse "marksmanship" with "trying to simulate a post"? If so,
that excludes self-defense shooting, but the rest of us understand
that that exclusion would be an error. (It excludes a lot of legit
"gun games" as well.)
Sounds like practical pistol or maybe IPSC. It also sounds like how a
self-defense shooter might well practice. The only things that action
excludes are hunting and "like a post" shooting. Kratz should get out
more often.
-andy | 9 | trimmed_train |
5,089 | I have a WANGTEK tape controller card (Revision E) that was used with the
Sytos backup system to take backups of a friend's system. That system has
crashed and I'm attempting to restore it.
Unfortunately, the documentation for this ancient card has been lost in the
mists of time, and I need to know the DMA, IRQ and address for this card.
Can anyone suggest how I could determine these things?
There is a bank of dip switches on the card which are set to:
---------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
UPUPUP UPUPUP
UPUP UPUP
------OPEN----------
Thanks for your time.
| 3 | trimmed_train |
1,410 | For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister
and mother." | 0 | trimmed_train |
5,367 |
From what I read, the other fellow told Salameh how to put it together
over the phone. The bomb was supposedly some sort of sophisticated
type, so to put a (I assume complicated) sophisticated bomb together
from instructions _over the phone_ (!) one must need some brains I would
expect.
I read this in an article in "The Australian Muslim Times", the
newspaper (weekly) of the Australian Muslim community.
If this is true, perhaps one of the Muslims based in North America (if
they see this posting) can elaborate.
I don't deny this fact.
The thrust of my argument here is that
(a) Salameh is, according to US law, innocent as he has not been found
guilty in a court of law. As his guilt has not been established, it is
wrong for people to make postings based on this assumption.
(b) Islam teaches us _not_ to harm innocents. If Muslims -- who perhaps
have not realized that Islam teaches this -- perform such actions, it is
_not_ _because_ of the teachings of Islam, but rather _in spite of_ and
_in contradiction to_ the teachings of Islam. This is an important
distinction.
I should clarify what Muslims usually mean when they say "Muslim". In
general, anyone who calls themselves a "Muslim" and does not do or
outwardly profess
something in clear contradiction with the essential teachings of Islam
is considered to be a Muslim. Thus, one who might do things contrary to
Islam (through ignorance, for example) does not suddenly _not_ become a
Muslim. If one knowingly transgresses Islamic teachings and essential
principles, though, then one does leave Islam.
The term "Muslim" is to be contrasted with "Mu'min", which means "true
believer". However, whether a Muslim is in reality a Mu'min is
something known only by God (and perhaps that person himself). So you
will not find the term Mu'min used very much by Muslims in alt.atheism,
because it is not known to anybody (except myself and God), whether I,
for example, am a "true believer" or not. For example, I could just be
putting on a show here, and in reality believe something opposite to
what I write here, without anyone knowing. Thus, when we say "Muslims"
we mean all those who outwardly profess to follow Islam, whether in
practice they might, in ignorance, transgress Islamic teachings. By
"Muslim" we do not necessarily mean "Mu'min", or "true believer" in
Islam. | 8 | trimmed_train |
222 | What an anal retentive you are wimp. | 6 | trimmed_train |
869 |
You can probably get this information by calling your public health
department in your county (in Pittsburgh, they give the shots free,
as well). There are bulletins in medical libraries that give
recommendations, or you could call the infectious diseases section
of the medicine department of your local medical school. You also
will probably want to talk about Malaria prophylaxis. You will
need your doctor to get the prescription.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks N3JXP | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
[email protected] | it is shameful to surrender it too soon." | 19 | trimmed_train |
9,928 | Hello networld,
I'm looking for an X mailreader. Is there a Xelm?
Andreas
| 16 | trimmed_train |
5,197 | : While driving through the middle of nowhere, I picked up KNBR, AM 1070,
: a clear-channel station based in Los Angeles. They had an ad
: claiming that they were able to get traffic flow information from
: all of the thousands of traffic sensors that CalTrans has placed
: under the pavement. Does CalTrans sell this info? Does KNBR have
: an exclusive? What's the deal?
: ==Doug "Former L.A. commuter" Claar
You were right the second time, it is KNX. Believe it or not, I also
listen to KNX in the evenings here in Colorado! It's kind of fun driving
through the country listening to traffic jams on the 405. Back to your
original question. Yes, there are sensors just past every on-ramp and
off-ramp on the freeways. They're the same sensors used at most stoplights
now (coils in the pavement). You might want to give CalTrans a call or
even ask Bill Keene (KNX's traffic reporter). I doubt if just anyone can
get the information, but it would be worth asking just in case you can
get it. | 11 | trimmed_train |
3,380 | MG>> I went buying SIMMs recently, and the sales person told me that
the
MG>> are 9-chip SIMMs and 3-chip SIMMs, and one cannot use them interchan
MG>> If you use one, you have to use all of the same type.
don't believe everything you are told. I can tell you that mixing them
between 'banks' ok, and I can't see why mixing in one bank is not unless
they are of different speeds ( e.g. mixing of 60ns and 100ns SIMMs in one
bank ). The two only differ in the type of chips it uses. Assuming that
the SIMMS are 1Mx9 ( 9 bit wide ), here is the two equivalent
configuration. The 3-chip SIMM uses two 4-bit wide 4Mbit (1M of 4-bit
nibbles ) and one 1-bit wide 1Mbit chip ( for a total of 9-bit wide 1Mbyte
). The 9-bit SIMM uses nine 1-bit wide 1Mbit chips. These are equivalent
because of the way that it is 'pinned' on the SIMM board. At the SIMM
interface, they both act as 9-bit wide 1MByte SIMMS ( 2*4+1=9*1 ). [sorry
if too techie for ya].
MG>> Similarly, one cannot plug in two 1MB SIMMs and one 4MB SIMMs to
gi
MG>> the system a total of 6 MEG. Why is that so ?? If my system supports
MG>> of 8 MEG (it has 8 SIMM slots), can I plug in 4 4MB SIMMs to give my
MG>> 16MB ??
That sounds correct. the problem is that if your computer takes 9-bit
wide SIMMs, you can not mix different sizes in one bank. Why you ask?
Simple, if you understand why there is banks. Assuming you have a 32-bit
CPU ( 386DX or 486 ), the data bus (e.g. the mechanism to retrieve data
from memory ) is 32-bits wide, so the computer expects to see 32 bits when
it asks for data. To get that bandwidth ( 32-bit wide ), the motherboard
links 4 1Mx9 ( one bit is not data, but parity, so I will ignore that in
this simple explaination ) to get 32bits [ (9-1)*4=32 bits ]. That means
that a SIMM in a bank stores only 1/4 of the 32 bit wide data. If you
have a 16-bit bus, two 1Mx9 SIMMs are linked together to get 16-bit wide
data, which is the reason why 286 banks are 2 SIMMs wide, and 32-bit banks
are 4 SIMMs wide. If your computer required 1Mx36 ( e.g. 32-bit wide data
with 4 parity bits, used in some PS/2s and ASTs ), you could upgrade by
one SIMM at a time.
Hope that this message is not over your head, but the answer to your
question was not simple. I could of just said, 'because I said so.'
-rdd
---
. WinQwk 2.0b#0 . Unregistered Evaluation Copy
* KMail 2.95d W-NET HQ, hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us, +1 313 663 4173 or 3959
| 3 | trimmed_train |
3,813 |
Doesn't it also have the Statue of Liberty on it or is that Richter's Mask?
The back actually has a Bee followed by a Z to represent the Beezer. It
also has something that looks like the three interconnecting circles from
the Led Zepplin 4 album cover. Is that what it is supposed to be? and if
it is does anybody know why he would put it there? Ali?
John
"The official Language of Golf is Profanity"
| 17 | trimmed_train |
1,033 | Heavy-duty, commercial, TINY,(6x3x1/2 inch) WATERPROOF, VHF 2 watt, 2 channel,
handheld two-way radio. MOTOROLA EXPO purchased NEW for Amateur frequencies
146.10/70 & 146.34/94. Absolute M I N T condition! Never scratched, dropped,
opened, or otherwise "comprosmised"! Can be re-crystaled for business band.
has PL slot.
Original Price:
========================
MOTOROLA EXPO VHF 2WATT/2CHAN. HT--------------------$1200.00
(comes with portable charger, antenna, manual,
NEW Ni-Cad pack, back housing belt clip)
MOTOROLA extra NEW Ni-Cad pack-----------------------$ 40.00
MOTOROLA extra VHF rubber-duckie antenna-------------$ 12.50
MOTOROLA Desktop quick charger-----------------------$ 135.00
MOTOROLA External speaker-mic.-----------------------$ 125.00
MOTOROLA +12V cig. lighter Battery Eliminator--------$ 80.00
MOTOROLA Heavy-Duty Nylon holster--------------------$ 25.00
MOTOROLA EXPO Technical Manuals----------------------$ 5.00
MOTOROLA EXPO tuning/case opening tools--------------$ N/C
---------------------
$1622.50
Would like $400, or BEST OFFER!!!
Thanks a lot!
Jeff | 5 | trimmed_train |
2,780 | Hi, | 16 | trimmed_train |
6,602 |
[...]
You seem to be saying that a LIMITED government will provide MORE
opportunities for private interests to use it to pursue their own
agendas, and asking libertarians to prove that this will NOT happen.
While I can't offer such a proof, it seems pretty damn plausible that
if the government does not regulate a particular area, it cannot become
a tool of private interests to pursue their own agendas in that area.
I rather suspect that it's the sort of government we have NOW that is
more likely to become such a tool, and that it IS such a tool in many
instances.
I suspect that this is because "improvement in the human condition" as
you define it is not the primary goal of libertarianism, and would not
be the primary goal of a libertarian government. My impression of
libertarianism is that its primary goal is the elimination of
government coercion except in a very limited cases.
--
Ian Sutherland
[email protected] | 13 | trimmed_train |
10,518 |
Labour prices for car service are very expensive in Toronto compared to other
parts of Ontario. For example, there are places in Ottawa that still charge
"only" $40/hour. I've seen a couple of places charging $60/hour. The cheapest
I've heard in Toronto is $70/hour.
| 4 | trimmed_train |
10,673 | GATEWAY Telepath 9600/9600 FAx/modem for gateway computer
with crosstalk, Winfax Pro 2.01 for windows
Never used.
$170 shipped ($195 from gateway) | 5 | trimmed_train |
3,763 |
Actually, Hiten wasn't originally intended to go into lunar orbit at all,
so it indeed didn't have much fuel on hand. The lunar-orbit mission was
an afterthought, after Hagoromo (a tiny subsatellite deployed by Hiten
during a lunar flyby) had a transmitter failure and its proper insertion
into lunar orbit couldn't be positively confirmed.
It should be noted that the technique does have disadvantages. It takes
a long time, and you end up with a relatively inconvenient lunar orbit.
If you want something useful like a low circular polar orbit, you do have
to plan to expend a certain amount of fuel, although it is reduced from
what you'd need for the brute-force approach. | 10 | trimmed_train |
956 | [reply to [email protected] (Michael Covington)]
The guy didn't sound too shy to me. He sounded like a jerk. I say ditch
him for someone more knowledgeable and empathetic. | 19 | trimmed_train |
8,049 |
For some reason the name Grayhill springs to mind -- saw something
like that in a Grayhill catalog, along with options for custom printed
overlays and a neat little electroluuminescent backing that would make
the whole shebang glow a nice shade of green ..
mighty handy if you're trying to key a door combination in the dark
and don't want to TURN ON THE &%#$!! LIGHT ..
| 11 | trimmed_train |
450 |
In addition to startup time, I leave things running because my PC doubles as
a fax machine.
However, this is off the original subject. I didn't get the replies on BIOS,
CMOS, and DOS clock/date logic. All I know is that I've been running this way
for many months and it is only recently, the last month, that I have noticed
the intermittent clock problem. As I stated, it is not always the date that
doesn't roll forward, sometimes I notice that the clock is several minutes
behind where it ought to be.
When unattended, the following are generally running minimized in Win 3.1:
Clock, WinFax Pro 3.0, Print Manager, MS-Word 1.1, File Manager, Program
Manager
A random screen saver is generally running too.
| 3 | trimmed_train |
29 |
It depends on your priorities. A lot of people put higher priorities
on gas mileage and cost than on safety, buying "unsafe" econoboxes
instead of Volvos. I personally take a middle ground -- the only
thing I really look for is a three-point seatbelt and 5+mph bumpers.
I figure that 30mph collisions into brick walls aren't common enough
for me to spend that much extra money for protection, but there are
lots of low-speed collisions that do worry me. | 4 | trimmed_train |
1,397 |
Hmm. I beg to differ. It will probably make a big difference at some
point.
Thankfully, it is true that the majority go through life without
having to use a firearm. Howver, there are situations where firearms
are the most effective means of self protection. What other means do
you propose as equally effective?
New to this country? New to political theory?
Alas, I was speaking of principle. Without principle, all attempts at
republican forms of gov't are futile. There are times when public and
political opinion are contrary to principle, which is why we have a
Constitution which enumerates gov't powers and presumes certain
rights. A major reason for this was to prevent a tyranny of the
majority.
This is exactly why law should be based on reasoned thought, not
immediate perception. Of course, it doesn't always work that way.
Fortunately, while there are no guarantees, logic sometimes does
prevail. And, if not, there are still means for correction.
As far as "enough active voters" are concerned, that is still
an open question until the vote is made.
You portray a possible scenario for the future. But, how will you
silence RKBA supporters right now? As long as public debate is
allowed, such debate will continue. If we allow public debate to be
restricted or denied, then we will get a gov't we deserve. | 9 | trimmed_train |
5,196 | My computer won't recognise my disk after a reboot (Windows crash - Grrr!!)
Are there any options to restore everything, without losing data?
The drive previously had 3 partitions, but I do not remember the exact
settings.
I have copies of the boot data from the disk (PC-tools rescue disk). I do not
want to lose my data - 340MB IDE drive. Do I have any options?
--
| 3 | trimmed_train |
10,694 | Actually not Jim. I just said that everyone else seemed to have skimmed by
that part and not mentioned it. You can get whatever meaning you want from it. | 9 | trimmed_train |
3,223 | Help: I am running some sample problems from O'Reilly volume 4,
Xt Intrisics Programming Manual, chapter 3. popup
dialog boxes and so on.
In example 3.5, page 76 : "Creating a pop-up dialog box"
The application creates window with a button "Quit" and "Press me".
The button "Press me" pops up a dialog box. The strange feature of
this program is that it always pops up the dialog box much faster the
first time. If I try to pop it up a 2nd time (3rd, 4th .... time),
it is *much* slower.
Has anyone any experience with these sample programs, or why I get
this behaviour - fast response time for the first time but slow response
time from 2nd time onwards ?
Anyone can give me some ideas on how to program popups so that each time
they popup in reasonable fast response time ? | 16 | trimmed_train |
83 | : Does anyone out there have any info on the up and coming fall comdex '93? I was
: asked by one of my peers to get any info that might be available. Or, could
: anyone point me in the right direction? Any help would be appreciated.
It's in Las Vegas (as always) between November 16th and 20th.
For more information contact: The Interface Group
300 First Avenue
Needham, MA 02194-2722
Sorry, no phone number available. Consult directory service
in Massachusetts for the number (617, 508 or 413).
-- Willy | 18 | trimmed_train |
9,192 | Since electrical wiring questions do turn up from time to time on
sci.electronics (and the answers aren't always apparent, even to those skilled
in electronics), I am hijacking the following FAQ and posting a copy here.
I've asked the writers to cross-post to sci.electronics in the future.
--- [email protected]
X-NEWS: cmkrnl news.answers: 6685
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,rec.woodworking,news.answers,misc.answers,rec.answers
Subject: Electrical Wiring FAQ
Message-ID: <wirefaq_733900891@ecicrl>
From: [email protected] (Chris Lewis)
Date: 4 Apr 93 05:21:49 GMT
Reply-To: [email protected] (Wiring FAQ commentary reception)
Followup-To: poster
Expires: 2 May 93 05:21:31 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Summary: A series of questions and answers about house wiring
Supersedes: <wirefaq_732691289@ecicrl>
Lines: 1524
Archive-name: electrical-wiring
Last-modified: Sun Feb 21 16:56:10 EST 1993
Frequently Asked Questions on Electrical Wiring
Steven Bellovin ([email protected])
Chris Lewis ([email protected])
Comments to (automatic if you reply to this article):
[email protected]
This FAQ is formatted as a digest. Most news readers can
skip from one question to the next by pressing ^G.
Answers to many other topics related to houses can be obtained from
the misc.consumers.house archive; send an empty piece of mail to
[email protected] for information.
Changes to previous issue marked with "|" in left column. Watch
particularly for "NEW" in the Questions list for new or substantively
changed answers.
Note that this is now a registered FAQ - cross-posted to news.answers
and should appear in the FAQ list of lists.
Subject: Questions answered in this FAQ
Introduction/Disclaimers
What is the NEC? Where can I get a copy?
What is the CEC? Where can I get a copy?
Can I do my own wiring? Extra pointers?
What do I need in the way of tools?
What is UL listing?
What is CSA approval?
Are there any cheaper, easier to read books on wiring?
Inspections how and what? Why should I get my wiring inspected?
My house doesn't meet some of these rules and regulations.
A word on voltages: 110/115/117/120/125/220/240
What does an electrical service look like?
What is a circuit?
"grounding" versus "grounded" versus "neutral".
What does a fuse or breaker do? What are the differences?
Breakers? Can't I use fuses?
What size wire should I use?
Where do these numbers come from?
What does "14-2" mean?
What is a "wirenut"/"marrette"/"marr connector". How are they used?
What is a GFI/GFCI?
Where should GFCIs be used?
Where shouldn't I use a GFCI?
What is the difference between a GFCI outlet and a GFCI breaker?
What's the purpose of the ground prong on an outlet, then?
Why is one prong wider than the other? Polarization
What kind of outlets do I need in a kitchen?
Where must outlets and switches be in bathrooms?
What is Romex/NM/NMD? What is BX? When should I use each?
Should I use plastic or metal boxes?
Junction box positioning?
Can I install a replacement fixture?
What does it mean when the lights brighten when a motor starts?
What is 3 phase power? Should I use it? Can I get it in my house?
Is it better to run motors at 110 or 220?
What is this nonsense about 3HP on 110V 15A circuits?
How do I convert two prong receptacles to three prong?
Are you sure about GFCIs and ungrounded outlets?
Should the test button work?
How should I wire my shop?
Underground wiring
Aluminum wiring
I'm buying a house! What should I do?
What is this weird stuff? Old style wiring
Where do I buy stuff?
Subject: Introduction/Disclaimers
Although we've done a fair bit of wiring, we are not
electricians, and we cannot be responsible for what you do. If
you're at all uncertain about what is correct or safe, *don't
do it*. Contact someone qualified -- a licensed electrician,
or your local electrical inspector. Electricity is no joke;
mistakes can result in shocks, fires, or electrocution.
Furthermore, our discussion is based on the U.S. National
Electrical Code (NEC) and the Canadian Electrical code (CEC).
To the best of our abilities, we have confirmed every detail
with the electrical code, but we don't quote sections
simply to keep this thing readable. If you think we're wrong,
we invite you to correct us, but please - quote references!
The NEC and the CEC do not, in and of themselves, have the
force of law. Many municipalities adopt it en toto. Others,
however, do not. Check your with your local building
department (and <provincial> Hydro Inspection Offices in
Canada) to find out what applies in your area. Also,
your local electrical utility may also have special requirements
for electrical service installation. Bear in mind, too, that
we say here applies primarily to ordinary single-family
residences. Multi-family dwellings, mobile homes, commercial
establishments, etc., are sometimes governed by different
rules.
Also note that, contrary to popular belief in the U.S. (and in
some parts of Canada), Canada is not a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the U.S. Consequently, the NEC does not apply in Canada.
Lots of things are the same, including voltages, line
frequencies, and the laws of physics. But there are a number
of crucial differences in the regulations. Where we can, we've
noted them, flagging the relevant passages with ``NEC'' or
``CEC''.
Remember that the CEC and NEC are minimal standards. It is often
smart to go beyond their minimal requirements.
Subject: What is the NEC? Where can I get a copy?
The NEC is a model electrical code devised and published by the
National Fire Protection Association, an insurance industry group.
It's revised every three years. The 1993 version has been released.
You can buy a copy at a decent bookstore, or by calling them directly
at 800-344-3555. The code exists in several versions. There's the
full text, which is fairly incomprehensible. There's an abridged
edition, which has only the sections likely to apply to most houses.
And there's the NEC Handbook, which contains the ``authorized
commentary'' on the code, as well as the full text. That's the
recommended version. Unfortunately, there's no handbook for
the abridged edition. And the full handbook is expensive --
US$65 plus shipping and handling.
Subject: What is the CEC? Where can I get a copy?
The Canadian Standards Association is an organization made up
of various government agencies, power utilities, insurance
companies, electrical manufacturers and other organizations.
The CSA publishes CSA Standard C22.1 which is updated every two
or three years. Each province adopts, with some amendments,
this standard and publishes a province-specific code book.
Since each province publishes its own slightly modified
standard, it would be somewhat confusing to obtain the CSA
standard itself. In this FAQ, "CEC" really means the
appropriate provincial standard. In particular, this FAQ is
derived from the Ontario Hydro Electrical Safety Code, 20th
edition (1990). Which is in turn based on CSA C22.1-1990 (16th
edition). While differences exist between the provinces, an
attempt has been made to avoid specific-to-Ontario detail.
The appropriate provincial code can be obtained from electrical
inspection offices of your provincial power authority. In
Ontario, it's Ontario Hydro. The Ontario Hydro book isn't
overly fat. It's about C$25, and includes mailed updates. I
hear that these standards are somewhat easier to read than the
equivalent NEC publications.
Don't bother asking in Quebec - DIY wiring is banned throughout
the province.
Subject: Can I do my own wiring? Extra pointers?
In most places, homeowners are allowed to do their own wiring.
In some, they're not. Check with your local electrical
inspector. Most places won't permit you to do wiring on other's
homes for money without a license. Nor are you permitted to do
wiring in "commercial" buildings. Multiple dwellings (eg: duplexes)
are usually considered "semi-commercial" or "commercial". However,
many jurisdictions will permit you to work on semi-commercial
wiring if you're supervised by a licensed electrician - if you can
find one willing to supervise.
If you do your own wiring, an important point:
Do it NEAT and WELL! What you really want to aim for is a better
job than an electrician will do. After all, it's your own home,
and it's you or your family that might get killed if you make
a mistake. An electrician has time pressures, has the skills
and knows the tricks of the trade to do a fast, safe job.
In this FAQ we've consciously given a few recommendations that
are in excess of code, because we feel that it's reasonable,
and will impress the inspector.
The inspector will know that you're an amateur. You have to
earn his trust. The best way of doing this is to spend your
time doing as neat a job as possible. Don't cut corners.
Exceed specifications. Otherwise, the inspector may get extremely
picky and fault you on the slightest transgressions.
Don't try to hide anything from the inspector.
Use the proper tools. Ie: don't use a bread knife to strip
wires, or twist wires with your fingers. The inspector
won't like it, and the results won't be that safe. And it
takes longer. And you're more likely to stick a hunk of
12ga wire through your hand that way.
Don't handle house wire when it's very cold (eg: below -10C
or 16F). Thermoplastic house wire, particularly older types
become very brittle.
Subject: What do I need in the way of tools?
First, there's the obvious -- a hammer, a drill, a few
screwdrivers, both straight and Phillips-head. If you're
lucky enough to live in Canada (or find a source of CSA-approved
devices) you need Robertson ("square recess") screwdrivers
(#1 and #2) instead of phillips.
For drilling a few holes, a 3/4" or 1" spade bit and 1/4" or
3/8" electric drill will do. If you're doing a lot, or
are working with elderly lumber, we recommend a 1/2" drill
(right-angle drills are wonderful. Can be rented) and
3/4" or 1" screw-point auger drill bits. These bits pull
you through, so they're much faster and less fatiguing, even
in 90 year old hardwood timbers.
Screw-driver bits are useful for drills, expecially if you
install your electrical boxes using screws (drywall screws
work well).
For stripping wire, use a real wire stripper, not a knife or
ordinary wire cutters. Don't buy the $3 K-mart "combo stripper,
crimper and bottle opener" types. You should expect to pay
$15 to $20 for a good "plier-type" pair. It will have sized
stripping holes, and won't nick or grab the wire - it should
be easy to strip wire with it. One model has a small hole in the
blade for forming exact wire loops for screw terminals. There
are fancier types (autostrip/cut), but they generally aren't
necessary, and pros usually don't use them.
A pair of diagonal side cutter pliers are useful for clipping ends
in constricted places. Don't use these for stripping wire.
You will need linesman pliers for twisting wires for wire nuts.
You should have a pair of needle-nose pliers for fiddling
inside boxes and closing loops, but it's better to form wire
loops with a "loop former hole" on your wire stripper - more
accurate.
If you're using non-metallic cable, get a cable stripper for
removing the sheath. Or, do what some pros do, they nick the
end of the sheath, grab the ground wire with a pair of pliers,
and simply rip the sheath back using the ground wire as a
"zipper", and cut the sheath off. You shouldn't try to strip
the sheath with a knife point, because it's too easy to
slash the insulation on the conductors. Apparently Stanley
utility knives fitted with linoleum cutters (hooked blades)
can be used to strip sheath, but there is still the possibility
that you'll gouge the conductors.
For any substantial amount of work with armored cable, it's well
worth your while to invest in a rotary cable splitter (~US$ 18).
Hack saws are tricky to use without cutting into the wire
or the insulation.
Three-prong outlet testers are a quick check for properly-wired
outlets. About $6. Multimeters tell you more, but are a lot more
expensive, and probably not worth it for most people. A simple
voltage sensor, which can detect potential through an insulated
wire not supplying any devices, is extremely helpful; they cost
about US$ 10 at Radio Shack.
You should have a voltage detector - to check that the wires are
dead before doing work on them. Neon-bulb version are cheap ($2-3)
and work well. If you get more serious, a "audible alarm" type is
good for tracing circuits without a helper. (Though I've been known
to lock the drill on, and hit breakers until the scream stops ;-)
For running wires through existing walls, you need fish tape.
Often, two tapes are needed, though sometimes, a bent hanger or
a length of thin chain will suffice. Fish tapes can be rented.
Electrical tape. Lots of it ;-) Seriously, a good and competent
wiring job will need very little tape. The tape is useful for
wrapping dicy insulation in repair work. Another use is to wrap
around the body of outlets and switches to cover the termination
screws - I don't do this, but drywall contractors prefer it (to
prevent explosions when the drywall knife collides with a live outlet
that has no cover plate).
Subject: What is UL listing?
The UL stands for "Underwriters Laboratory". It used to be
an Insurance Industry organization, but now it is independent
and non-profit. It tests electrical components and equipment
for potential hazards. When something is UL-listed, that means
that the UL has tested the device, and it meets their requirements
for safety - ie: fire or shock hazard. It doesn't necessarily
mean that the device actually does what it's supposed to, just
that it probably won't kill you.
The UL does not have power of law in the U.S. -- you are
permitted to buy and install non-UL-listed devices. However,
insurance policies sometimes have clauses in them that will
limit their liability in case of a claim made in response to
the failure of a non-UL-listed device. Furthermore, in
many situations the NEC will require that a wiring component
used for a specific purpose is UL-listed for that purpose.
Indirectly, this means that certain parts of your wiring
must be UL-listed before an inspector will approve it and/or
occupancy permits issued.
Subject: What is CSA approval?
Every electrical device or component must be certified by the
Canadian Standards Association before it can be sold in
Canada. Implicit in this is that all wiring must be done
with CSA-approved materials. They perform testing similar to
the UL (a bit more stringent), except that CSA approval is
required by law.
Again, like the UL, if a fire was caused by non-CSA-approved
equipment, your insurance company may not have to pay the
claim.
In Canada, there is a branch organization of the UL, called ULC
(UL of Canada). ULC does not have power of law, and seems to
be more a liason group between the CSA and insurance
companies.
Subject: Are there any cheaper, easier to read books on wiring?
USA: The following three books were suggested by our readers
Residential Wiring
by Jeff Markell,
Craftsman Books,
Carlsbad CA for $18.25. ISBN 0-934041-19-9.
Practical Electrical Wiring
Residential, Farm and Industrial, Based on the National
Electrical Code ANSI/NFPA 70
Herbert P. Richter and W. Creighton Schwan
McGraw-Hill Book Co.
Wiring Simplified
H. P. Richter and W. C. Schwan
Park Publishing Co.
Try to make sure that the book is based on the latest NEC
revision. Which is currently 1990.
Canada: P.S. Knight authors and publishes a book called
"Electrical Code Simplified". There appears to be a version
published specific to each province, and is very tied into the
appropriate provincial code. It focuses on residential wiring,
and is indispensible for Canadian DIY'ers. It is better to get
this book than the CEC unless you do a lot of wiring (or answer
questions on the net ;-).
It is updated each time the provincial codes are. This book is
available at all DIY and hardware stores for less than C$10.
Subject: Inspections how and what? Why should I get my wiring inspected?
Most jurisdictions require that you obtain a permit and
inspections of any wiring that is done. Amongst other more
mundane bureaucratic reasons (like insurance companies not
liking to have to pay claims), a permit and inspections
provides some assurance that you, your family, your neighbors
or subsequent owners of your home don't get killed or lose
their homes one night due to a sloppy wiring job.
Most jurisdictions have the power to order you to vacate your
home, or order you to tear out any wiring done without a
permit. California, for instance, is particularly nasty about
this.
If fire starts in your home, and un-inspected wiring is at
fault, insurance companies will often refuse to pay the damage
claims.
In general, the process goes like this:
- you apply to your local inspections office or building
department for a permit. You should have a sketch or
detailed drawing of what you plan on doing. This is
a good time to ask questions on any things you're not
sure of. If you're doing major work, they may impose
special conditions on you, require loading
calculations and ask other questions. At this point
they will tell you which inspections you will need.
- If you're installing a main panel, you will need to
have the panel and service connections inspected
before your power utility will provide a connection.
This is sometimes done by the local power authority
rather than the usual inspectors.
- After installing the boxes and wiring, but before
the insulation/walls go up, you will need a
"rough-in" inspection.
- After the walls are up, and the wiring is complete,
you will need a "final inspection".
Subject: My house doesn't meet some of these rules and regulations.
Do I have to upgrade?
In general, there is no requirement to upgrade older dwellings,
though there are some exceptions (ie: smoke detectors in some
cases). However, any new work must be done according to the
latest electrical code. Also, if you do ``major'' work, you
may be required to upgrade certain existing portions or all
of your system. Check with your local electrical inspector.
Subject: A word on voltages: 110/115/117/120/125/220/240
One thing where things might get a bit confusing is the
different numbers people bandy about for the voltage of
a circuit. One person might talk about 110V, another 117V
or another 120V. These are all, in fact, exactly the same
thing... In North America the utility companies are required
to supply a split-phase 240 volt (+-5%) feed to your house.
This works out as two 120V +- 5% legs. Additionally, since there
are resistive voltage drops in the house wiring, it's not
unreasonable to find 120V has dropped to 110V or 240V has dropped
to 220V by the time the power reaches a wall outlet. Especially
at the end of an extension cord or long circuit run. For a number
of reasons, some historical, some simple personal orneryness,
different people choose call them by slightly different numbers.
This FAQ has chosen to be consistent with calling them "110V" and
"220V", except when actually saying what the measured voltage will
be. Confusing? A bit. Just ignore it.
One thing that might make this a little more understandable
is that the nameplates on equipment ofen show the lower (ie: 110V
instead of 120V) value. What this implies is that the device
is designed to operate properly when the voltage drops that
low.
208V is *not* the same as 240V. 208V is the voltage between
phases of a 3-phase "Y" circuit that is 120V from neutral to any
hot. 480V is the voltage between phases of a 3-phase "Y"
circuit that's 277V from hot to neutral.
In keeping with 110V versus 120V strangeness, motors intended
to run on 480V three phase are often labelled as 440V...
Subject: What does an electrical service look like?
There are logically four wires involved with supplying the
main panel with power. Three of them will come from the utility
pole, and a fourth (bare) wire comes from elsewhere.
The bare wire is connected to one or more long metal bars pounded
into the ground, or to a wire buried in the foundation, or sometimes
to the water supply pipe (has to be metal, continuous to where
the main water pipe entering the house. Watch out for galvanic
action conductivity "breaks" (often between copper and iron pipe)).
This is the "grounding conductor". It is there to make sure that
the third prong on your outlets is connected to ground. This wire
normally carries no current.
One of the other wires will be white (or black with white or
yellow stripes, or sometimes simply black). It is the neutral wire.
It is connected to the "centre tap" (CEC; "center tap" in the
NEC) of the distribution transformer supplying the power. It
is connected to the grounding conductor in only one place (often
inside the panel). The neutral and ground should not be connected
anywhere else. Otherwise, weird and/or dangerous things may happen.
Furthermore, there should only be one grounding system in
a home. Some codes require more than one grounding electrode.
These will be connected together, or connected to the neutral
at a common point - still one grounding system. Adding additional
grounding electrodes connected to other portions of the house
wiring is unsafe and contrary to code.
If you add a subpanel, the ground and neutral are usually
brought as separate conductors from the main panel, and are
not connected together in the subpanel (ie: still only one
neutral-ground connection). However, in some situations
(certain categories of separate buildings) you actually do
have to provide a second grounding electrode - consult your
inspector.
The other two wires will usually be black, and are the "hot"
wires. They are attached to the distribution transformer as
well.
The two black wires are 180 degrees out of phase with each
other. This means if you connect something to both hot wires,
the voltage will be 220 volts. If you connect something to the
white and either of the two blacks you will get 110V.
Some panels seem to only have three wires coming into them.
This is either because the neutral and ground are connected
together at a different point (eg: the meter or pole) and one
wire is doing dual-duty as both neutral and ground, or in some
rare occasions, the service has only one hot wire (110V only
service).
Subject: What is a circuit?
Inside the panel, connections are made to the incoming wires.
These connections are then used to supply power to selected
portions of the home. There are three different combinations:
1) one hot, one neutral, and ground: 110V circuit.
2) two hots, no neutral, and ground: 220V circuit.
3) two hots, neutral, and ground: 220V circuit + neutral,
and/or two 110V circuits with a common neutral.
(1) is used for most circuits supplying receptacles and
lighting within your house. (3) is usually used for supplying
power to major appliances such as stoves, and dryers - they
often have need for both 220V and 110V, or for bringing several
circuits from the panel box to a distribution point. (2) is
usually for special 220V motor circuits, electric heaters, or
air conditioners.
[Note: In the US, the NEC frequently permits a circuit similar
to (2) be used for stoves and dryers - namely, that there
are two hot wires, and a wire that does dual duty as neutral
and ground, and is connected to the frame as well as providing
the neutral for 110V purposes - three prong plugs instead
of four (*only* for stoves/dryers connected to the main panel.
When connected to most sub-panels, 4 prong plugs and receptacles
are required). In our not-so-humble opinion this is crazy, but
the NFPA claims that this practice was re-evaluated for the 1992 NEC,
and found to be safe. Check your local codes, or inquire as to
local practice -- there are restrictions on when this is
permissible.]
(1) is usually wired with three conductor wire: black for hot,
white for neutral, and bare for grounding.
(2) and (3) have one hot wire coloured red, the other black, a
bare wire for grounding, and in (3) a white wire for neutral.
You will sometimes see (2) wired with just a black, white and ground
wire. Since the white is "hot" in this case, both the NEC and CEC
requires that the white wire be "permanently marked" at the ends
to indicate that it is a live wire. Usually done with paint, nail
polish or sometimes electrical tape.
Each circuit is attached to the main wires coming into the
panel through a circuit breaker or fuse.
There are, in a few locales, circuits that look like (1), (2)
or (3) except that they have two bare ground wires. Some places
require this for hot tubs and the like (one ground is "frame ground",
the other attaches to the motor). This may or may not be an
alternative to GFCI protection.
Subject: "grounding" versus "grounded" versus "neutral".
According to the terminology in the CEC and NEC, the
"grounding" conductor is for the safety ground, i.e., the green
or bare wire. The word "neutral" is reserved for the white when
you have a circuit with more than one "hot" wire. Since the white
wire is connected to neutral and the grounding conductor inside the
panel, the proper term is "grounded conductor". However, the
potential confusion between "grounded conductor" and "grounding
conductor" can lead to potentially lethal mistakes - you should
never use the bare wire as a "grounded conductor" or white wire
as the "grounding conductor", even though they are connected
together in the panel.
[But not in subpanels - subpanels are fed neutral and ground
separately from the main panel. Usually.]
In the trade, and in common usage, the word "neutral" is used
for "grounded conductor". This FAQ uses "neutral" simply to
avoid potential confusion. We recommend that you use "neutral"
too. Thus the white wire is always (except in some light
switch applications) neutral. Not ground.
Subject: What does a fuse or breaker do? What are the differences?
Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to interrupt the power
to a circuit when the current flow exceeds safe levels. For
example, if your toaster shorts out, a fuse or breaker should
"trip", protecting the wiring in the walls from melting. As
such, fuses and breakers are primarily intended to protect the
wiring -- UL or CSA approval supposedly indicates that the
equipment itself won't cause a fire.
Fuses contain a narrow strip of metal which is designed to melt
(safely) when the current exceeds the rated value, thereby
interrupting the power to the circuit. Fuses trip relatively
fast. Which can sometimes be a problem with motors which have
large startup current surges. For motor circuits, you can use
a "time-delay" fuse (one brand is "fusetron") which will avoid
tripping on momentary overloads. A fusetron looks like a
spring-loaded fuse. A fuse can only trip once, then it must be
replaced.
Breakers are fairly complicated mechanical devices. They
usually consist of one spring loaded contact which is latched
into position against another contact. When the current flow
through the device exceeds the rated value, a bimetallic strip
heats up and bends. By bending it "trips" the latch, and the
spring pulls the contacts apart. Circuit breakers behave
similarly to fusetrons - that is, they tend to take longer to
trip at moderate overloads than ordinary fuses. With high
overloads, they trip quickly. Breakers can be reset a finite
number of times - each time they trip, or are thrown
when the circuit is in use, some arcing takes place, which
damages the contacts. Thus, breakers should not be used in
place of switches unless they are specially listed for the
purpose.
Neither fuses nor breakers "limit" the current per se. A dead
short on a circuit can cause hundreds or sometimes even
thousands of amperes to flow for a short period of time, which
can often cause severe damage.
Subject: Breakers? Can't I use fuses?
Statistics show that fuse panels have a significantly higher
risk of causing a fire than breaker panels. This is usually
due to the fuse being loosely screwed in, or the contacts
corroding and heating up over time, or the wrong size fuse
being installed, or the proverbial "replace the fuse with a
penny" trick.
Since breakers are more permanently installed, and have better
connection mechanisms, the risk of fire is considerably less.
Fuses are prone to explode under extremely high overload. When
a fuse explodes, the metallic vapor cloud becomes a conducting
path. Result? from complete meltdown of the electrical panel,
melted service wiring, through fires in the electrical
distribution transformer and having your house burn down.
Breakers don't do this.
Many jurisdictions, particularly in Canada, no longer permit
fuse panels in new installations. The NEC does permit new
fuse panels in some rare circumstances (requiring the special
inserts to "key" the fuseholder to specific size fuses)
Some devices, notably certain large air conditioners, require fuse
protection in addition to the breaker at the panel. The fuse
is there to protect the motor windings from overload. Check the
labeling on the unit. This is usually only on large permanently
installed motors. The installation instructions will tell you
if you need one.
Subject: What size wire should I use?
For a 20 amp circuit, use 12 gauge wire. For a 15 amp circuit,
you can use 14 gauge wire (in most locales). For a long run,
though, you should use the next larger size wire, to avoid
voltage drops. 12 gauge is only slightly more expensive than
14 gauge, though it's stiffer and harder to work with.
Here's a quick table for normal situations. Go up a size for
more than 100 foot runs, when the cable is in conduit, or
ganged with other wires in a place where they can't dissipate
heat easily:
Gauge Amps
14 15
12 20
10 30
8 40
6 65
We don't list bigger sizes because it starts getting very dependent
on the application and precise wire type.
Subject: Where do these numbers come from?
There are two considerations, voltage drop and heat buildup.
The smaller the wire is, the higher the resistance is. When
the resistance is higher, the wire heats up more, and there is
more voltage drop in the wiring. The former is why you need
higher-temperature insulation and/or bigger wires for use in
conduit; the latter is why you should use larger wire for long
runs.
Neither effect is very significant over very short distances.
There are some very specific exceptions, where use of smaller
wire is allowed. The obvious one is the line cord on most
lamps. Don't try this unless you're certain that your use fits
one of those exceptions; you can never go wrong by using larger
wire.
Subject: What does "14-2" mean?
This is used to describe the size and quantity of conductors
in a cable. The first number specifies the gauge. The second
the number of current carrying conductors in the wire - but
remember there's usually an extra ground wire. "14-2" means
14 gauge, two insulated current carrying wires, plus bare ground.
-2 wire usually has a black, white and bare ground wire. Sometimes
the white is red instead for 220V circuits without neutral. In
the latter case, the sheath is usually red too.
-3 wire usually has a black, red, white and bare ground wire.
Usually carrying 220V with neutral.
Subject: What is a "wirenut"/"marrette"/"marr connector"? How are they
used?
A wire nut is a cone shaped threaded plastic thingummy that's used
to connect wires together. "Marrette" or "Marr connector"
are trade names. You'll usually use a lot of them in DIY wiring.
In essence, you strip the end of the wires about an inch, twist them
together, then twist the wirenut on.
Though some wirenuts advertise that you don't need to twist the
wire, do it anyways - it's more mechanically and electrically
secure.
There are many different sizes of wire nut. You should check
that the wire nut you're using is the correct size for the
quantity and sizes of wire you're connecting together.
Don't just gimble the wires together with a pair of pliers or
your fingers. Use a pair of blunt nose ("linesman") pliers,
and carefully twist the wires tightly and neatly. Sometimes
it's a good idea to trim the resulting end to make sure it
goes in the wirenut properly.
Some people wrap the "open" end of the wirenut with electrical
tape. This is probably not a good idea - the inspector may
tear it off during an inspection. It's usually done because
a bit of bare wire is exposed outside the wire nut - instead
of taping it, the connection should be redone.
Subject: What is a GFI/GFCI?
A GFCI is a ``ground-fault circuit interrupter''. It measures
the current current flowing through the hot wire and the
neutral wire. If they differ by more than a few milliamps, the
presumption is that current is leaking to ground via some other
path. This may be because of a short circuit to the chassis of
an appliance, or to the ground lead, or through a person. Any
of these situations is hazardous, so the GFCI trips, breaking
the circuit.
GFCIs do not protect against all kinds of electric shocks. If,
for example, you simultaneously touched the hot and neutral
leads of a circuit, and no part of you was grounded, a GFCI
wouldn't help. All of the current that passed from the hot
lead into you would return via the neutral lead, keeping the
GFCI happy.
The two pairs of connections on a GFCI outlet are not symmetric.
One is labeled LOAD; the other, LINE. The incoming power feed
*must* be connected to the LINE side, or the outlet will not be
protected. The LOAD side can be used to protect all devices
downstream from it. Thus, a whole string of outlets can be
covered by a single GFCI outlet.
Subject: Where should GFCIs be used?
The NEC mandates GFCIs for 110V, 15A or 20A single phase
outlets, in bathrooms, kitchens within 6' of the sink, garages,
unfinished basements or crawl spaces, outdoors, near a pool, or
just about anywhere else where you're likely to encounter water
or dampness. There are exceptions for inaccessible outlets,
those dedicated to appliances ``occupying fixed space'',
typically refrigerators and freezers, and for sump pumps and
laundry appliances.
The CEC does not mandate as many GFCIs. In particular, there
is no requirement to protect kitchen outlets, or most garage or
basement outlets. Basement outlets must be protected if you
have a dirt floor, garage outlets if they're near the door to
outside. Bathrooms and most exterior outlets must have GFCIs.
Even if you are not required to have GFCI protection, you may
want to consider installing it anyway. Unless you need a GFCI
breaker (see below), the cost is low. In the U.S., GFCI
outlets can cost as little as US$8. (Costs are a bit higher in
Canada: C$12.) Evaluate your own risk factors. Does your
finished basement ever get wet? Do you have small children?
Do you use your garage outlets to power outdoor tools? Does
water or melted snow ever puddle inside your garage?
Subject: Where shouldn't I use a GFCI?
GFCIs are generally not used on circuits that (a) don't pose a
safety risk, and (b) are used to power equipment that must run
unattended for long periods of time. Refrigerators, freezers,
and sump pumps are good examples. The rationale is that GFCIs
are sometimes prone to nuisance trips. Some people claim that
the inductive delay in motor windings can cause a momentary
current imbalance, tripping the GFCI. Note, though, that most
GFCI trips are real; if you're getting a lot of trips for no
apparent reason, you'd be well-advised to check your wiring
before deciding that the GFCI is broken or useless.
Subject: What is the difference between a GFCI outlet and a GFCI breaker?
For most situations, you can use either a GFCI outlet as the
first device on the circuit, or you can install a breaker with
a built-in GFCI. The former is generally preferred, since GFCI
breakers are quite expensive. For example, an ordinary GE
breaker costs ~US$5; the GFCI model costs ~US$35. There is one
major exception: if you need to protect a ``multi-wire branch
circuit'' (two or more circuits sharing a common neutral wire),
such as a Canadian-style kitchen circuit, you'll need a
multi-pole GFCI breaker. Unfortunately, these are expensive;
the cost can range into the hundreds of dollars, depending on
what brand of panel box you have. But if you must protect such
a circuit (say, for a pool heater), you have no choice.
One more caveat -- GFCI outlets are bulky. You may want to use
an oversize box when installing them. On second thought, use
large (actually deep) boxes everywhere. You'll thank yourself for it.
Incidentally, if you're installing a GFCI to ensure that one
specific outlet is protected (such as a bathroom), you don't
really have to go to all of the trouble to find the first
outlet in the circuit, you could simply find the first outlet
in the bathroom, and not GFCI anything upstream of it. But
protecting the whole circuit is preferred.
When you install a GFCI, it's a good idea to use the little
"ground fault protected" stickers that come with it and mark
the outlets downstream of the GFCI. You can figure out which
outlets are "downstream", simply by tripping the GFCI with the
test button and see which outlets are dead.
Subject: What's the purpose of the ground prong on an outlet, then?
Apart from their use in electronics, which we won't comment on,
and for certain fluorescent lights (they won't turn on without
a good ground connection), they're intended to guard against
insulation failures within the device. Generally, the case of
the appliance is connected to the ground lead. If there's an
insulation failure that shorts the hot lead to the case, the
ground lead conducts the electricity away safely (and possibly
trips the circuit breaker in the process). If the case is not
grounded and such a short occurs, the case is live -- and if
you touch it while you're grounded, you'll get zapped. Of
course, if the circuit is GFCI-protected, it will be a very
tiny zap -- which is why you can use GFCIs to replace
ungrounded outlets (both NEC and CEC).
There are some appliances that should *never* be grounded. In
particular, that applies to toasters and anything else with
exposed conductors. Consider: if you touch the heating
electrode in a toaster, and you're not grounded, nothing will
happen. If you're slightly grounded, you'll get a small shock;
the resistance will be too high. But if the case were
grounded, and you were holding it, you'd be the perfect path to
ground...
Subject: Why is one prong wider than the other? Polarization
Nowadays, many two-prong devices have one prong wider than the
other. This is so that the device could rely (not guaranteed!)
on one specific wire being neutral, and the other hot.
This is particularly advantageous in light fixtures, where the
the shell should neutral (safety), or other devices which want to
have an approximate ground reference (ie: some radios).
Most 2-prong extension cords have wide prongs too.
This requires that you wire your outlets and plugs the right
way around. You want the wide prong to be neutral, and the
narrow one hot. Most outlets have a darker metal for the
hot screw, and lighter coloured screw for the neutral.
If not, you can usually figure out which is which by which
prong the terminating screw connects to.
Subject: What kind of outlets do I need in a kitchen?
The NEC requires at least two 20 amp ``small appliance
circuits'' for kitchens. The CEC requires split-duplex
receptacles. Outlets must be installed such that no point is more
than 24" (NEC) (900 mm CEC) from an outlet. Every counter wider
than 12" (NEC) or 300 mm (CEC) must have at least one outlet.
The circuit these outlets are on may not feed any outlets except
in the kitchen, pantry, or dining room. Furthermore, these circuits
are in addition to any required for refrigerators, stoves, microwaves,
lighting, etc. Non-dedicated outlets within 6' of a sink *must* be
protected by a GFCI (NEC only).
Split duplex receptacles are fed with a 220V circuit. The tab
is broken on the hot side of the outlet, and one hot goes to
the upper outlet, and the other hot goes to the lower outlet.
The neutral connects to both outlets through one screw. When
"carrying through" to another outlet, the neutral must be
pigtailed, such that removing the outlet, or having the neutral
connection fall off doesn't cause the neutral to disconnect
from downstream outlets.
Subject: Where must outlets and switches be in bathrooms?
There must be at least one outlet in each bathroom, adjacent to
the sink, in addition to any outlet that may be incorporated in
the light fixture. All such outlets *must* be GFCI-protected.
Subject: What is Romex/NM/NMD? What is BX? When should I use each?
Romex is a brand name for a type of plastic insulated wire.
Sometimes called non-metallic sheath. The formal name is NM.
This is suitable for use in dry, protected areas (ie: inside
stud walls, on the sides of joists etc.), that are not subject
to mechanical damage or excessive heat. Most newer homes are
wired almost exclusively with NM wire. There are several
different categories of NM cable.
BX cable -- technically known as armored cable or "AC" has a
flexible aluminum or steel sheath over the conductors and is
fairly resistant to damage.
TECK cable is AC with an additional external thermoplastic
sheath.
Protection for cable in concealed locations: where NM or AC cable
is run through studs, joists or similar wooden members, the outer
surface of the cable must be kept at least 32mm/1.25" (CEC & NEC)
from the edges of the wooden members, or the cable should be protected
from mechanical injury. This latter protection can take the form of
metal plates (such as spare outlet box ends) or conduit.
[Note: inspector-permitted practise in Canada suggests that armored
cable, or flexible conduit can be used as the mechanical protection,
but this is technically illegal.]
Additional protection recommendations (these are rules in the
Canadian codes - they are reasonable answers to the vague
references to "exposed to mechanical damage" in both the NEC
and CEC):
- NM cable should be protected against mechanical damage
where it passes through floors or on the surface of walls
in exposed locations under 5 feet from the floor.
Ie: use AC instead, flexible conduit, wooden guards etc.
- Where cable is suspended, as in, connections to furnaces
or water heaters, the wire should be protected. Canadian
practise is usually to install a junction or outlet
box on the wall, and use a short length of AC cable
or NM cable in flexible conduit to "jump" to the appliance.
Stapling NM to a piece of lumber is also sometimes used.
- Where NM cable is run in close proximity to heating
ducts or pipe, heat transfer should be minimized by
means of a 25mm/1" air space, or suitable insulation
material (a wad of fiberglass).
- NM cable shall be supported within 300mm/1' of every box
or fitting, and at intervals of no more than 1.5m/5'.
Holes in joists or studs are considered "supports".
Some slack in the cable should be provided adjacent to
each box. [while fishing cable is technically in violation,
it is permitted where "proper" support is impractical]
- 2 conductor NM cable should never be stapled on edge.
[Knight also insists on only one cable per staple, referring
to the "workmanship" clause, but this seems more honoured
in the breach...]
- cable should never be buried in plaster, cement or
similar finish.
- cable should be protected where it runs behind baseboards.
- Cable may not be run on the upper edge of ceiling joists
or the lower edges of rafters where the headroom is more
than 1m (39").
Whenever BX cable is terminated at a box with a clamp, small
plastic bushings must be inserted in the end of the cable to
prevent the clamps forcing the sharp ends of the armor through
the insulation.
BX is sometimes a good idea in a work shop unless covered by
solid wall coverings.
In places where damage is more likely (like on the back wall of
a garage ;-), you may be required to use conduit, a
UL- (or CSA-) approved metal pipe. You use various types of
fittings to join the pipe or provide entrance/exit for the
wire.
Service entrances frequently use a plastic conduit.
In damp places (eg: buried wiring to outdoor lighting) you will
need special wire (eg: CEC NMW90, NEC UF). NMW90 looks like
very heavy-duty NMD90. You will usually need short lengths of
conduit where the wire enters/exits the ground. [See underground
wiring section.]
Thermoplastic sheath wire (such as NM, NMW etc.) should not be
exposed to direct sunlight unless explicitly approved for that
purpose.
Many electrical codes do not permit the routing of wire through
furnace ducts, including cold air return plenums constructed
by metal sheeting enclosing joist spaces. The reason for this
is that if there's a fire, the ducting will spread toxic gasses
from burning insulation very rapidly through the building.
Teflon insulated wire is permitted in plenums in many areas.
Canada appears to use similar wire designations to the US,
except that Canadian wire designations usually include the
temperature rating in Celsius. Eg: "AC90" versus "AC".
In the US, NM-B is 90 degrees celcius.
NOTE: local codes vary. This is one of the items that changes
most often. Eg: Chicago codes require conduit *everywhere*.
There are very different requirements for mobile homes.
Check your local codes, *especially* if you're doing anything
that's the slightest out of the ordinary.
Wire selection table (incomplete - the real tables are enormous,
uncommon wire types or applications omitted)
Condition Type CEC NEC
Exposed/Concealed dry plastic NMD90 NM
armor AC90 AC
TECK90
Exposed/Concealed damp plastic NMD90 NMC
armor ACWU90
TECK90
Exposed/Concealed wet plastic NMWU90
armor ACWU90
TECK90
Exposed to weather plastic NMWU
TW etc.
armor TECK90
Direct earth burial/ plastic NMWU* UF
Service entrance RWU
TWU
armor RA90
TECK90
ACWU90
[* NMWU not for service entrance]
Subject: Should I use plastic or metal boxes?
The NEC permits use of plastic boxes with non-metallic cable
only. The reasoning is simple -- with armored cable, the box
itself provides ground conductor continuity. U.S. plastic
boxes don't use metal cable clamps.
The CEC is slightly different. The CEC never permits cable
armor as a grounding conductor. However, you must still
provide ground continuity for metallic sheath. The CEC also
requires grounding of any metal cable clamps on plastic boxes.
The advantage of plastic boxes is comparatively minor even for
non-metallic sheathed cable -- you can avoid making one ground
connection and they sometimes cost a little less. On the other
hand, plastic boxes are more vulnerable to impacts. For
exposed or shop wiring, metal boxes are probably better.
Subject: Junction box positioning?
A junction box is a box used only for connecting wires together.
Junction boxes must be located in such a way that they're accessible
later. Ie: not buried under plaster. Excessive use of junction
boxes is often a sign of sloppy installation, and inspectors may
get nasty.
Subject: Can I install a replacement light fixture?
In general, one can replace fixtures freely, subject to a few
caveats. First, of course, one should check the amperage
rating of the circuit. If your heart is set on installing half
a dozen 500 watt floodlights, you may need to run a new wire
back to the panel box. But there are some more subtle
constraints as well. For example, older house
wiring doesn't have high-temperature insulation. The excess
heat generated by a ceiling-mounted lamp can and will cause the
insulation to deteriorate and crack, with obvious bad results.
Some newer fixtures are specifically marked for high
temperature wire only. (You may find, in fact, that your
ceiling wiring already has this problem, in which case
replacing any devices is a real adventure.)
Other concerns include providing a suitable ground for some
fluorescent fixtures, and making sure that the ceiling box and
its mounting are strong enough to support the weight of a heavy
chandelier or ceiling fan. You may need to install a new box
specifically listed for this purpose. A 2x4 across the ceiling
joists makes a good support. Metal brackets are also available
that can be fished into ceilings thru the junction box hole and
mounted between the joists.
There are special rules for recessed light fixtures such as
"pot" lamps or heat lamps. When these are installed in insulated
ceilings, they can present a very substantial fire hazard.
The CEC provides for the installation of pot lamps in insulated
ceilings, provided that the fixture is boxed in a "coffin" (usually
8'x16"x12" - made by making a pair of joists 12" high, and covering
with plywood) that doesn't have any insulation. (Yes, that's 8 *feet*
long)
NEC rules are somewhat less stringent. They require at least 3"
clearance between the fixture and any sort of thermal insulation.
The rules also say that one should not obstruct free air movement,
which means that a CEC-style ``coffin'' might be worthwhile.
Presumably, that's up to the local inspector. [The CEC doesn't
actually mandate the coffin per-se, this seems to be an inspector
requirement to make absolutely certain that the fixture can't get
accidentally buried in insulation. Ie: if you have insulation blown
in later.]
There are now fixtures that contain integral thermal cutouts and
fairly large cases that can be buried directly in insulation. They are
usually limited to 75 watt bulbs, and are unfortunately, somewhat
more expensive than the older types. Before you use them, you should
ensure that they have explicit UL or CSA approval for such uses.
Follow the installation instructions carefully; the prescribed location
for the sensor can vary.
There does not yet appear to be a heat lamp fixture that is approved
for use in insulation. The "coffin" appears the only legal approach.
Subject: What does it mean when the lights brighten when a motor starts?
This usually means that the neutral wire in the panel is
loose. Depending on the load balance, one hot wire may end up
being more than 110V, and the other less than 110V, with
respect to ground. This is a very hazardous situation - it can
destroy your electronic equipment, possibly start fires, and in
some situations electrocute you (ie: some US jurisdictions
require the stove frame connected to neutral).
If this happens, contact your electrical authority immediately
and have them come and check out the problem.
Note: a brief (< 1 second) brightening is sometimes normal with
lighting and motors on the same 220V with neutral circuit. A
loose main panel neutral will usually show increased brightness
far longer than one second. In case of doubt, get help.
Subject: What is 3 phase power? Should I use it? Can I get it in my house?
Three phase power has three "hot" wires, 120 degrees out of
phase with each other. These are usually used for large motors
because it is more "efficient", provides a bit more starting torque,
and because the motors are simpler and hence cheaper.
You're most likely to encounter a 3 phase circuit that shows
110 volts between any hot and ground, and 208 volts between
any two hots. The latter shows the difference between a normal
220V/110V common neutral circuit, which is 240 volts between the
two hots. There are 3 phase circuits with different voltages.
Bringing in a 3 phase feed to your house is usually
ridiculously expensive, or impossible. If the equipment you
want to run has a standard motor mount, it is *MUCH* cheaper to
buy a new 110V or 220V motor for it. In some cases it is
possible to run 3 phase equipment on ordinary power if you have
a "capacitor start" unit, or use a larger motor as a
(auto-)generator. These are tricky, but are a good solution if
the motor is non-standard size, or too expensive or too big to
replace. The Taunton Press book ``The Small Shop'' has an
article on how to do this if you must.
Note that you lose any possible electrical efficiency by using
such a converter. The laws of thermodynamics guarantee that.
Subject: Is it better to run motors at 110 or 220?
Theoretically, it doesn't make any difference. However, there
is a difference is the amount of power lost in the supply
wiring. All things being equal, a 220V motor will lose 4 times
less power in the house wiring than a 110V motor. This also
means that the startup surge loss will be less, and the motor
will get to speed quicker. And in some circumstances, the
smaller power loss will lead to longer motor life.
This is usually irrelevant unless the supply wires are more
than 50 feet long.
Subject: What is this nonsense about 3HP on 110V 15A circuits?
It is a universal physical law that 1 HP is equal to 746
watts. Given heating loss, power factor and other inefficiencies,
it is usually best to consider 1 HP is going to need 1000-1200
watts. A 110V 15A circuit can only deliver 1850 watts to a motor,
so it cannot possibly be more than approximately 2 HP. Given rational
efficiency factors, 1.5HP is more like it.
Some equipment manufacturers (Sears in particular, most router
manufacturers in general ;-) advertise a HP rating that is far
in excess of what is possible. They are giving you a "stall
horsepower" or similar. That means the power is measured when
the motor is just about to stop turning because of the load.
What they don't mention is that if you kept it in that
condition for more than a few seconds hopefully your breaker
will trip, otherwise the motor will melt -- it's drawing far
more current than it can continuously.
When comparing motors, compare the continuous horsepower. This
should be on the motor nameplate. If you can't find that figure,
check the amperage rating, which is always present.
Subject: How do I convert two prong receptacles to three prong?
Older homes frequently have two-prong receptacles instead
of the more modern three. These receptacles have no safety
ground, and the cabling usually has no ground wire. Neither
the NEC or CEC permits installing new 2 prong receptacles anymore.
There are several different approaches to solving this:
1) If the wiring is done through conduit or BX, and the
conduit is continuous back to the panel, you can connect
the third prong of a new receptacle to the receptacle
box. NEC mainly - CEC frowns on this practise.
2) If there is a copper cold water pipe going nearby, and
it's continuous to the main house ground point, you can
run a conductor to it from the third prong.
3) Run a ground conductor back to the main panel.
4) Easiest: install a GFCI receptacle. The ground lug
should not be connected to anything, but the GFCI
protection itself will serve instead. The GFCI
will also protect downstream (possibly also two prong
outlets). If you do this to protect downstream outlets,
the grounds must not be connected together. Since it
wouldn't be connected to a real ground, a wiring fault
could energize the cases of 3 prong devices connected
to other outlets. Be sure, though, that there aren't
indirect ground plug connections, such as via the sheath
on BX cable.
The CEC permits you to replace a two prong receptacle with a three
prong if you fill the U ground with a non-conducting goop.
Like caulking compound. This is not permitted in the NEC.
Subject: Are you sure about GFCIs and ungrounded outlets?
Should the test button work?
We're sure about what the NEC and CEC say. Remember, though,
that your local codes may vary. As for the TEST button -- there's
a resistor connecting the LOAD side of the hot wire to the LINE
side of the neutral wire when you press the TEST button. Current
through this resistor shows up as an imbalance, and trips the GFCI.
This is a simple, passive, and reliable test, and doesn't require
a real ground to work. If your GFCI does not trip when you press
the TEST button, it is very probably defective or miswired. Again:
if the test button doesn't work, something's broken, and potentially
dangerous. The problem should be corrected immediately.
The instructions that come with some GFCIs specify that the ground
wire must be connected. We do not know why they say this. The
causes may be as mundane as an old instruction sheet, or with the
formalities of UL or CSA listing -- perhaps the device was never
tested without the ground wire being connected. On the other hand,
UL or CSA approval should only have been granted if the device
behaves properly in *all* listed applications, including ungrounded
outlet replacement. (One of us called Leviton; their GFCIs are
labeled for installation on grounded circuits only. The technician
was surprised to see that; he agreed that the NEC does not require
it, and promised to investigate.)
Subject: How should I wire my shop?
As with any other kind of wiring, you need enough power for all
devices that will be on simultaneously. The code specifies
that you should stay under 80% of the nominal capacity of the
circuit. For typical home shop use, this means one circuit for
the major power tools, and possibly one for a dust collector or
shop vac. Use at least 12 gauge wire -- many power tools have
big motors, with a big start-up surge. If you can, use 20 amp
breakers (NEC), though CEC requires standard 20A receptacles
which means you'd have to "replug" all your equipment. Lights
should either be on a circuit of their own -- and not shared
with circuits in the rest of the house -- or be on at least two
separate circuits. The idea is that you want to avoid a
situation where a blade is still spinning at several thousand
RPM, while you're groping in the dark for the OFF switch.
Do install lots of outlets. It's easier to install them in the
beginning, when you don't have to cut into an existing cable.
It's useful if at least two circuits are accessible at each
point, so you can run a shop vac or a compressor at the same
time as the tool you really want. But use metal boxes and
plates, and maybe even metal-sheathed cable; you may have
objects flying around at high speeds if something goes a bit
wrong.
Note that some jurisdictions have a "no horizontal wiring"
rule in workshops or other unfinished areas that are used
for working. What this means is that all wiring must be
run along structural members. Ie: stapled to studs.
Other possible shop circuits include heater circuits, 220V
circuits for some large tools, and air compressor circuits.
Don't overload circuits, and don't use extension cords if you
can help it, unless they're rated for high currents. (A coiled
extension cord is not as safe as a straight length of wire of
the same gauge. Also, the insulation won't withstand as much
heat, and heat dissipation is the critical issue.)
If your shop is located at some remove from your main panel,
you should probably install a subpanel, and derive your shop
wiring from it. If you have young children, you may want to
equip this panel with a cut-off switch, and possibly a lock.
If you want to install individual switches to ``safe''
particular circuits, make sure you get ones rated high enough.
For example, ordinary light switches are not safely able to
handle the start-up surge generated by a table saw. Buy
``horsepower-rated'' switches instead.
Finally, note that most home shops are in garages or unfinished
basements; hence the NEC requirements for GFCIs apply. And
even if you ``know'' that you'd never use one of your shop
outlets to run a lawn mower, the next owner of your house might
have a different idea.
Note: Fine Woodworking magazine often carries articles on shop
wiring. April 1992 is one place to start.
Subject: Underground Wiring
You will need to prepare a trench to specifications, use
special wire, protect the wire with conduit or special plastic
tubing and possibly lumber (don't use creosoted lumber, it rots
thermoplastic insulation and acts as a catalyst in the corrosion
of lead). The transition from in-house to underground wire is
generally via conduit. All outdoor boxes must be specifically
listed for the purpose, and contain the appropriate gaskets,
fittings, etc. If the location of the box is subject to immersion
in water, a more serious style of water-proof box is needed. And
of course, don't forget the GFCIs.
The required depths and other details vary from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction, so we suggest you consult your inspector about
your specific situation.
A hint: buy a roll of bright yellow tape that says "buried power
line" and bury it a few inches above where the wire has been placed.
Subject: Aluminum wiring
During the 1970's, aluminum (instead of copper) wiring became
quite popular and was extensively used. Since that time,
aluminum wiring has been implicated in a number of house fires,
and most jurisdictions no longer permit it in new installations.
We recommend, even if you're allowed to, that do not use it for new
wiring.
But don't panic if your house has aluminum wiring. Aluminum
wiring, when properly installed, can be just as safe as copper.
Aluminum wiring is, however, very unforgiving of improper
installation. We will cover a bit of the theory behind potential
problems, and what you can do to make your wiring safe.
The main problem with aluminum wiring is a phenomenon known as
"cold creep". When aluminum wiring warms up, it expands. When
it cools down, it contracts. Unlike copper, when aluminum goes
through a number of warm/cool cycles it loses a bit of tightness each
time. To make the problem worse, aluminum oxidises, or corrodes
when in contact with certain types of metal, so the resistance
of the connection goes up. Which causes it to heat up and corrode/
oxidize still more. Eventually the wire may start getting very hot,
melt the insulation or fixture it's attached to, and possibly even
cause a fire.
Since people usually encounter aluminum wiring when they move
into a house built during the 70's, we will cover basic points of
safe aluminum wiring. We suggest that, if you're considering purchasing
a home with aluminum wiring, or have discovered it later, that you
hire a licensed electrician or inspector to check over the wiring
for the following things:
1) Fixtures (eg: outlets and switches) directly attached to
aluminum wiring should be rated for it. The device will
be stamped with "Al/Cu" or "CO/ALR". The latter supersedes
the former, but both are safe. These fixtures are somewhat
more expensive than the ordinary ones.
2) Wires should be properly connected (at least 3/4 way around
the screw in a clockwise direction). Connections should be
tight. While repeated tightening of the screws can make the
problem worse, during the inspection it would pay off to snug
up each connection.
Note that aluminum wiring is still often used for the
main service entrance cable. It should be inspected.
3) "push-in" terminals are an extreme hazard with aluminum wire.
Any connections using push-in terminals should be redone with
the proper screw connections immediately.
4) There should be no signs of overheating: darkened connections,
melted insulation, or "baked" fixtures. Any such damage should
be repaired.
5) Connections between aluminum and copper wire need to be
handled specially. Current Canadian codes require that the
wire nut used must be specially marked for connecting
aluminum to copper. The NEC requires that the wire be
connected together using special crimp devices, with an
anti-oxidant grease. The tools and materials for the latter
are quite expensive - not practical to do it yourself unless
you can rent the tool.
6) Any non-rated receptacle can be connected to aluminum wiring
by means of a short copper "pigtail". See (5) above.
7) Shows reasonable workmanship: neat wiring, properly stripped
(not nicked) wire etc.
If, when considering purchasing a home, an inspection of the wiring
shows no problems or only one or two, we believe that you can consider
the wiring safe. If there are signs of problems in many places,
we suggest you look elsewhere. If the wrong receptacles are used,
you can replace them with the proper type, or use pigtails - having
this professionally done can range from $3 to $10 per receptacle/switch.
You can do this yourself too.
Subject: I'm buying a house! What should I do?
Congratulations. But... It's generally a good idea to hire
an inspector to look through the house for hidden gotchas.
Not just for wiring, but plumbing and structural as well. If an
inspection of the wiring shows no problems or only one or two minor
ones, we believe that you can consider the wiring safe (after any
minor problems are fixed). If there are signs of problems in many
places, we suggest you look elsewhere.
Here's some hints on what to look for:
Obvious non-code wiring can include:
- Zip cord wiring, either concealed or nailed to walls
- Hot wiring on the identified (neutral) conductor without
proper marking.
- Ungrounded grounding outlets (except when downstream of
a GFCI)
- Splices hanging in mid-air (other than proper knob-and-tube)
- Switched neutrals
- Unsecured Romex swinging about like grapevines
Certain wiring practises that are actually to code (or were at one
time) sometimes reveal DIY wiring that may have hidden violations:
- Switches that seem to control nothing (abandoned, perhaps
not properly terminated wiring)
- A wall switch that shuts off a group of lights that are
separately controlled by other wall switches. (except when
it's *really* convenient ;-)
- Switches and outlets in bizarre locations
- Great numbers of junction boxes without outlets or lamps
- Junction boxes with great numbers of wires going into them
- Wiring that passes through a closet instead of a wall or
ceiling
- Backwrapped grounding wires
Subject: What is this weird stuff? Old style wiring
In the years since Edison "invented" electricity, several different
wiring "styles" have come and gone. When you buy an older home you
may encounter some of this stuff. This section describes the old
methods, and some of their idiosyncrasies.
The oldest wiring system you're likely to encounter is called
"knob and tube" (K&T). It is made up of individual conductors with
a cloth insulation. The wires are run along side structural
members (eg: joists or studs) using ceramic stand-offs (knobs).
Wire is run through structural members using ceramic tubes. Connections
were made by twisting the wire together, soldering, and wrapping
with tape. Since the hot and neutral were run separately,
the wiring tends to be rather confusing. A neutral often runs
down the centre of each room, with "taps" off to each fixture.
The hot wire tended to run from one fixture to the next. In some
cases K&T isn't colour-coded, so the neutral is often the same
colour as the hot wires.
You'll see K&T in homes built as late as the 40's.
Comments on K&T:
- the people installing K&T were pretty paranoid about
electricity, so the workmanship tends to be pretty good.
- The wire, insulation and insulators tend to stand up
very well. Most K&T I've seen, for example, is in
quite good condition.
- No grounding. Grounding is usually difficult to install.
- boxes are small. Receptacle replacement (particularly with
GFCI) can be difficult. No bushing on boxes either,
so wiring changes need special attention to box entry.
- Sometimes the neutral isn't balanced very well between
separately hot circuits, so it is sometimes possible to
overload the neutral without exceeding the fusing on
any circuit.
- Building code does not permit insulation in walls
that contain K&T.
- Connection to existing K&T from new circuits can be
tricky. Consult your inspector.
- Modern wiring practise requires considerably more
outlets to be installed than K&T systems did.
Since K&T tends to be in pretty decent condition it generally isn't
necessary to replace it simply because it's K&T. What you should
watch out for is renovations that have interfered with it and
be cautious about circuit loading. In many cases it's perfectly
reasonable to leave existing K&T alone, and add new fixtures on
new circuits using modern techniques.
After K&T, they invented multi-conductor cable. The first type
you will see is roughly a cloth and varnish insulation. It looks
much like the romex cable of the last decade or two. This stuff was
used in the 40's and 50's. Again, no grounding conductor.
It was installed much like modern wiring. Its major drawback
is that this type of insulation embrittles. We've seen whole
systems where the insulation would fracture and fall off at
a touch. BX cable of the same vintage has similar problems.
This stuff is very fragile, and becomes rather hazardous if
the wires become bare. This wiring should be left untouched as
much as possible - whenever an opportunity arises, replace it.
A simple receptacle or switch replacement can turn into a several
hour long frustrating fight with electrical tape or heat-shrink
tubing.
After this wiring technique, the more modern romex was invented.
It's almost a asphalt impregnated cloth. Often a bit sticky.
This stuff stands up reasonably well and doesn't present a hazard
and is reasonably easy to work with. It does not need to be
replaced - it should be considered as safe as the "modern" stuff -
thermoplastic insulation wire. Just don't abuse it too much.
Subject: Where do I buy stuff?
Try to find a proper electrical supply outlet near you. Their
prices will often be considerably better than chain hardware stores or
DIY centres, have better quality materials, have wider variety
including the "odd" stuff, and have people behind the counter that
know what you're talking about. Cultivate friendly knowledgeable
sales people. They'll give you much valuable information. | 11 | trimmed_train |
7,931 | Note that Bo Gritz was on the Populist party ticket with David
Duke (for veep) in 1988 until he found out that Duke was leading
he ticket, when he withdrew his candidacy. So Gritz gave up his
chance to be Vice President of the US just to aviod supporting
Duke.
| 9 | trimmed_train |
6,525 | Hi,
I'm looking for an algorithm that would generate a good cross-section of
RGB colours given a limited colour map size.
The problem: I'm writing an application for the PC that may have at most 256
colors. I want to use one colormap (palette) for the application but I'd like
it to contain an even spread of colours of the visible spectrum. I could use
a 6x6x6 RGB cube but the problem is that a lot of those colours are almost
identical to the human eye. | 1 | trimmed_train |
4,475 |
Contact Chris Arthur at [email protected]
He restores lots of old video and arcade games and knows where to get
parts.
Tony
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Anthony S. Pelliccio, kd1nr/ae // Yes, you read it right, the //
-- system @ garlic.sbs.com // man who went from No-Code //
-----------------------------------// (Thhhppptt!) to Extra in //
-- Flame Retardent Sysadmin // exactly one year! //
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-- This is a calm .sig! -- | 11 | trimmed_train |
7,808 |
Because SCSI works well with removable media, and works well with large
capacity devices. The floppy interface you suggest handles the former, but
it doesn't have any hooks for dealing with the latter... you'd have to kludge
it. Plus, it's extremely low performance. AND, SCSI has gobs of room for
expansion compared with a floppy (I can just see it, let's stick a 5.25",
a 3.5", a tape drive, and a MO drive, all on the floppy interface. The
possibilities for unexpected collisions are enormous). | 14 | trimmed_train |
5,795 | 1976 Montreal Olympics philatelic souvenirs:
1. Color-illustrated booklet in French/English containing all stamps
issued for the Games (mint never hinged) in slipcase, over $6.00
face value in stamps. $13.00 + $2.00 insured first class mailing
2. Unusual "desk pad holder" with Olympic rings on the cover and the
Montreal stadium inside. All the Canadian Olympic stamps are
displayed on the "cover" under heavy plastic. Again, over $6.00
face value. $11.00 + $2.50 insured first class mailing. | 5 | trimmed_train |
5,452 |
Well, despite what my mother told me about accepting dares, here goes.
You have to be very careful about what you mean by "question authority".
Taken literally, it is nonsense. That which is authoratative is authoratative,
and to say "I question to word of this authority" is ridiculous. If it is
open to question, it isn't an authority. On the other hand, it is perfectly
reasonable to question whether something is an authority. The catch phrase
here should be "authenticate authority." Once you have authenticated
your authority, you must believe what it says, or you are not treating it as
an authority.
The difficulty is that authenticating an authority is not easy. You
can perhaps discredit a claim to authority by showing logical inconsistency
in what it teaches, or by showing that it does not obey its own rules of
discourse. But the fact that I cannot discredit something does not, in
inself, accredit it. (Nor does the fact that I can convince myself and
other that I have discredited something necessarilly mean that it is false.)
I cannot accredit an authority by independantly verifying its teachings,
because if I can independantly verify its teachings, I don't need an
authority. I need an authority only when there is information I need which
I cannot get for myself. Thus, if I am to authenticate an authority, I must
do it by some means other than by examining its teachings.
In practical matters we accept all kinds of authorities because we don't
have time to rediscover fundamental knowledge for ourselves. Every scientist
woring today assumes, on the authority of the scintific community, all sorts
of knowledge which is necessary to his work but which he has not time to
verify for himself.
In spiritual matters, we accept authority because we have no direct source
ofinformation. We select our authorities based on various criteria. (I am
a Catholic, in part, because the historical claims of the RC church seem
the strongest.) Without authorities there would be no subject matter for
belief, unless we simply made something up for ourselves (as many do).
The atheist position seems to be that there are no authorities. This is a
reasonable assertion in itself, but it leads to a practical difficulty.
If you reject all authority out of hand, you reject all possibility of
every receiving information. Thus the atheist position can never possibly
change. It is non-falsifiable and therefore unscintific.
To demand scintific or rational proof of God's existence, is to deny
God's existence, since neither science, nor reason, can, in their very
nature, prove anything.
| 0 | trimmed_train |
10,538 | I was wondering if anyone knew any changes to the temple
ceremony within the last fifty years....
Also, why do you think they were made (revelation,
assimilation to mainstream Christianity, etc.)?
I know that the God Makers was published quite a while
ago. Could rituals have been changed since then?
I am also very interested in the influence of Freemasonry
on early Mormonism, especially in the Smith family and
in the Nauvoo settlement. Info on any new studies would
be appreciated.
Thanks, | 0 | trimmed_train |
7,760 | The latest driver release is 59 and can be found at ftp.cica.indiana.edu
in the pub/pc/win3/... directory structure as pro59.zip. I checked with ATI's
BBS last nite and there were no releases past 59.
We have the ATI Local Bus card and I noticed that I get garbage around the
edges of a window when I move it. Has anybody else noticed this also?
Tom.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas B. Fisk +----------------------------+ Internet: [email protected]
Mayo Clinic | If you don't know where | Voice: (507) 255-4341
200 First Street SW | you're going you'll never | FAX: (507) 255-5484
Mail Stop 2D-337 STM | get there. |
Rochester, MN 55905 +----------------------------+ | 18 | trimmed_train |
6,513 |
and bill james is not? yeah. sure. do you own "the bill james players
rating book"? | 2 | trimmed_train |
6,497 | For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice
of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will
rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together
to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. | 0 | trimmed_train |
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