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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2016 December 23

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December 23[edit]

John White[edit]

I am trying to comprehend these obituaries: [1] and [2]. It mentions a man by the name of John or Jack White who served on the frigate Amelia in 1796 and fought with Vice Admiral Duncan. But the dates and names makes no sense when I check what Wikipedia has to say about Duncan and HMS Amelia (1796)).

  1. . Was the Amelia (assuming it is HMS Amelia (1796)) under the command of Duncan's command?
  2. . Was the Dutch engagement referring to the Battle of Camperdown?
  3. . Did the Amelia take part in this engagement?
  4. . Are there any records of John White in British naval service records?

--KAVEBEAR (talk) 00:54, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

A list of ships that took part in the Battle of Camperdown can be found here and here (note that it says "Three more Frigates, names unknown" in the bottom-right corner). (((The Quixotic Potato))) (talk) 01:07, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Constable of the Tower?[edit]

A while back, maybe 6 months, I saw a documentary on the Tower of London or some such thing. It talked about a position that was held where the official person in some job had a smallish apartment in the building in which he worked. He basically had a number of stone steps to go up to this apartment and had to be inside the confines of the building before a certain time or they wouldn't open the gate for him or anyone else. Was that the Constable of the Tower that I'm thinking of? I'm certain that this was in England. Ring any bells with anyone? †dismas†|(talk) 00:56, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The Yeomen Warders have a 10 PM curfew. See Ceremony of the Keys — which sounds a lot like what you might be referring to. Neutralitytalk 03:15, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
THat is more likely to be the Chief Warder (who leads the Yeoman Warders. The Constable is a senior figure, with an occasional ceremonial role, and does not normally live at the Tower. Wymspen (talk) 13:04, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks! That's what I was thinking of. †dismas†|(talk) 13:19, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Resolved

This is a bit like Oxford undergraduates trying to get back into college after hours. If they can't climb the wall they have to ask the porter, who may or may not oblige. At the Tower of London there is a tiny gate which is opened at 10:05 pm to let out the members of the public who have been invited to view the ceremony, and may be opened later to admit residents who have been out on the town. 82.14.24.95 (talk) 14:11, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

What are really bouncy motel beds called?[edit]

Why are they so spingy? Are they cheaper or something? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 04:35, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt if there's a different name for them. Perhaps a thin mattress means the boxspring underneath has a more noticeable effect. The thin mattress will be cheaper than a proper, thick one, yes. StuRat (talk) 04:39, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Would be helpful if the OP could guesstimate the thickness of these bouncy mattress to an inch or two (i.e., are they noticeably thicker) . Some hotels, are very aware that the comfort of the mattress as all important. So they buy 'plush' (trade phrase) soft mattress. Not much good for home use as they need replacing every two years or so. Yet, for a hotel they are tax deductible under wear& tear. One can actually buy these mattress with a top layer of 'intelligent foam' but probably not in your local mall -as they cost more. But on vacation and paying $350 a night for a room, these mattresses pay for themselves during their short life (OK. So I'm a cheap-skate and rather have a sleeping bag in a tent for the whole vacation but -the wife !!! . Almost feel like asking a question about uxoricide but then I would have to cook my own breakfast and clean the house myself).--Aspro (talk) 21:06, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Just to clarify, the bounciness comes from the boxspring, underneath. The mattress actually dampens the bounce, so a thin mattress means more bounce. StuRat (talk) 22:21, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
For the typical "no-tell motel" the bounciness might be considered a benefit. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:26, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Turning Point (charity) employment tribunal - what eventually happened?[edit]

I've recently expanded Turning Point (charity) with a number of things, including an employment tribunal decision and appeal that received a substantial amount of press attention. Putting the names of the people involved plus the name of the charity into Google, finds a number of reliable sources that cover the charitable sector -- and some tabloid material of course -- but the trail seems to go cold after this report on a preliminary appeal hearing in late October 2015. The appeal must presumably have concluded by now, but my searches don't find out what the actual result of the appeal was. My searches do include the dreaded line from Google that "Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe." Can anyone who is better located, or better at using Google, find out what the result of the appeal was? Many thanks. MPS1992 (talk) 20:34, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

This from February says the case was still ongoing [3]. I can't find anything newer. It's likely that there has been a result to the preliminary hearing, but I wouldn't assume the appeal itself has a result when it's only been just over a year. Nil Einne (talk) 23:25, 23 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]