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January 15

PAC

at the moment I am reading "The Road to Wigan Pier", written by George Orwell.

the abbrevation "PAC" is used in following content:

In chapter 1. page 6: "..an unemployed man on the PAC named Joe..."

In chapter 2. page 44, "..get something from the dole or the PAC."

my question: for what PAC stands for ?

thanks for your answer, U.Heubi — Preceding unsigned comment added by Uheubi (talk • contribs) 16:29, 15 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Googling PAC "George Orwell" suggests turning to page 71 of the book and finding "Public Assistance Committee". 85.76.79.55 (talk) 17:02, 15 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Link to Wikipedia article (or, rather, a stub): Public Assistance Committee. --Lambiam 20:43, 15 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

January 16

Please assume food faith

I am not a conspiracy nut, but I happened to do the maths a few days ago while chatting to my wife and it stuck me that there us something amiss. Please help me to find valid rationale. In the UK there have been approximately 3,260,000 cases of covid among a reported population of 66,000,000 with total of about 86000 deaths over about the past year. This equates to 4.92% of the population having had covid and 0.1% have died. This also indicates that if one does get it, there is a 95.2% survival rate. I don't understand, are the reported figures wrong? Why are we all being locked up? A quick Google search shows that 529,613 died of the flu in 2015 in the UK alone. Have I got cabin fever? Have I drank too much Port during lockdown? Is this Ira Levin's This Perfect Day? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C6:6884:6200:7C5C:3B3:3C73:8554 (talk) 00:33, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You actually understate the survival rate; the case fatality rate is currently 2.6%, although it is a little uncertain as there will have been undetected cases, and there are also some people who currently have the virus (and thus are included in the figures for cases) who will ultimately die from it. There are many articles detailing the government's reasoning for the current restrictions; for example, if there were more cases, it is highly likely that healthcare would struggle, and the death rate would increase significantly. If we allowed it to infect the entire population, and assumed the death rate didn't increase, that would mean about 1.7 million deaths, a huge total, and one concentrated in certain vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly. In addition, there are concerns about what might be the medium- and long-term health impacts of the virus. Finally, your figure for flu deaths in 2015 is completely wrong, that is the total number of deaths in the UK in 2015 from all causes. Deaths from flu in the winter of 2014/15, the highest in many years, were only 28,330.[1] Warofdreams talk 01:26, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The current survival rate depends on the capacity of the health system to treat those who need treatment. The problem is that as numbers of infected people increase, the demand on health facilities increases too. The health system does not have unlimited capacity. Once that capacity is reached, sick people won't be able to receive treatment, and the death rate will go up. Percentages such as those you have calculated only apply while numbers are below the health system's capacity. Locking you up (which is an appallingly loaded way of describing what's really happening) keeps numbers low enough for the health system to continue to cope. HiLo48 (talk) 03:14, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

And on top of all that, the large amount of care that needs to be given to COVID-19 patients means that people with other health problems may not be able to get adequate care in a reasonable time frame. I know someone who had to delay some medical testing due to such overstressing of the healthcare system. Several weeks later, he was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. Luckily, he has responded well to treatment, but in cases like his such a delay could often mean the difference between life and death. Or at least result in a longer, more arduous treatment. Horrific as it is (and I know this sounds callous at first), but the death rate from this virus is not the real problem. --Khajidha (talk) 04:38, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The British public had to endure all kinds of restrictions during The Blitz in 1940/1941. The total number of Covid-19 deaths is now double the number of deaths in that event (43,000 civilians) [2]. Imagine the number of deaths if there had been no lockdowns. Alansplodge (talk) 14:00, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A further issue is that the more people who are infected with the virus, the more mutated versions will develop and the wider they will spread before COVID vaccinations become widespread enough to stop the spread. The mutations that have appeared so far already include some that are more easily transmitted; if one turns up that also causes more serious illness and isn't stopped by existing vaccines, the consequences could be very bad. --142.112.149.107 (talk) 05:35, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The reason the infection rate is so low is because you're doing the lock-down.

You're looking at the successful result of the lock-down and wondering why you did it.

When an event like this is beginning, the mathematicians calculate how bad the do-nothing scenario is, and they also calculate how bad it will be if they try to stop it. They compare the various predictions, and the cost of achieving them, before they make any plans.

Initial estimates of that worst-case scenario for UK were for 60% infection. (And since your death rate goes way up if you can't get a hospital bed, that would have been horrifying.)

The Media likes to present that initial, worst-case scenario as a prediction of what will definitely happen, but it's not, it's the scenario we're trying to avoid. If the worst-case scenario doesn't happen, it's not a mistake, it's a victory. ApLundell (talk) 01:45, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Narrowly avoided subway disaster

I remember reading 2-3 years ago about a situation where a subway collapse was narrowly avoided. IIRC a commuter, I think it was actually even a journalist, was waiting for a train, spending time by staring at the ceiling and noticed that the tile pattern was different, or that the perspective at the vanishing point didn't look right or something, and it turned out that the ceiling was sagging by several centimeters, and luckily the subway company managed to close the tunnel and repair it before it failed. I kinda think this was a recent event, maybe even in the UK or US. Does anyone remember anything like this? I can't find it on Google. 93.136.206.110 (talk) 09:54, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite as you describe, but this reminds me of the Northern_City_Line#Tunnel_penetration_incident.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:57, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hmmmm it could be that. It doesn't give me the "that's it!" feeling, but I kind of think it was in London around that time too. I'm not dead sure on the tunnel being repaired before it failed but I'm positive it was identified by a stroke of luck just soon enough to avoid a disaster. 93.136.132.188 (talk) 22:30, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Or perhaps Borough Hall/Court Street station in New York City, where: "In June 2018, part of the Eastern Parkway Line station's ceiling collapsed, injuring a bystander. The collapse necessitated expensive emergency repairs that would set the MTA back $8.3 million. A report found that the staff sent to inspect the station verified the defect existed in 2017, but underestimated its severity due to a lack of expertise in terracotta ceilings, nor was the issue escalated to engineers who were familiar with terracotta". See also MTA incompetence led to Borough Hall subway ceiling collapse. Alansplodge (talk) 13:41, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

There was also a roof collapse at 181st Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line) in 2009. See MTA Negligence Led to Subway Station Ceiling Collapse, Report Says The same article mentions a section of metal ceiling falling off at Bowling Green station in 2007 (there seems to be a theme emerging here). Alansplodge (talk) 13:47, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

But OP asks about a ceiling that did not actually fall. --CiaPan (talk) 14:59, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, but I didn't find an exact fit. Alansplodge (talk) 14:37, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Are you sure it was a subway? Something like that happened at the downtown San Francisco bus terminal a few years ago.[3] 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A (talk) 05:04, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How about this one? From Clive Feather's 2020 book The Bakerloo Line, page 146:

...on 26 April 2012 there were press reports that one of the Bakerloo tunnels had collapsed south of Embankment. It turned out that heavy rain had caused excessive pressure in the clay around the tunnel and one of the iron rings had moved slightly; a train then grazed the resulting bulge.

--142.112.149.107 (talk) 19:40, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

more information neeeded

The entry on the "complete and utter history of britain" television program does not mention why there are no DVDs available that will play on U.S. players.

Someone should investigate why this is and mention it on your entry. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.25.72.170 (talk) 22:36, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Please feel free to do so, and let us all know the results of your efforts. DOR (HK) (talk) 23:21, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

According to our article, it's not available in the UK either, except for the first two episodes. The rest of the show was lost. DVDs, generally, are region-locked because various parties think it's best for current and future profits. My advice would be to immediately pirate and redistribute this and any other TV shows you're interested in, so they won't suffer the same fate. It's cultural preservation, and it's the moral choice. Temerarius (talk) 23:56, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Which article is that? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:17, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Complete and Utter History of Britain. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 01:33, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Only 6 episodes, and only 2 have survived. Not much DVD material there. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:07, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Enough that a Blu-Ray/DVD of the surviving episodes, with edited-out material restored and new material added, was released. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.200.40.9 (talk) 03:14, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Where and when? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:30, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

On Amazon: The New Complete and Utter History of Britain - 3-Disc Box Set. The pages states explicitly "This will not play on most DVD players sold in the U.S." Another Amazon entry for this 3-disc box set, apparently channelled from amazon.fr, does not have such a warning, but does not state a DVD region either. These utterly incomplete New Complete and Utter Histories share the set of user reviews; the second has a much higher Blu-ray price (but not on amazon.fr). --Lambiam 09:28, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

That should be The Complete and Uhtred History of Britain. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:36, 18 January 2021 (UTC) [reply]

As an aside, virtually any DVD player can be hacked so that it is region free. Just Google it.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:46, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I don't hold with such "hacks", generally speaking, but having DVDs separated into regions is a wicked, evil thing, so all bets are off. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:02, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

FYI There are plenty of region free dvd and bluray players for sale at various etail sites. The price has dropped dramatically over the years and they are now less expensive than some of the DVD sets I purchase to fill my library. MarnetteD|Talk

The "hack" in question usually involves pressing a short sequence of buttons on the remote. Short enough that the manufacturers had to have programmed the "hack" themselves. An undocumented feature would be a better description. 93.136.22.227 (talk) 23:07, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

January 17

Italics for CURV-III

Why isn't a vessel such as CURV-III spelled in italics? I can see why the CURV programme itself isn't, but why not individual vessels, as is the norm with sea-going craft? Ditto the YFNX-30 and XN-3? After all, Pisces III is given in italics. Ericoides (talk) 09:14, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect it may be because it's and acronym rather than a given "name". However, the best place to ask this is at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Ships, where they will know exactly what the policy is. They don't bite. Alansplodge (talk) 14:33, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Alan. Ericoides (talk) 19:21, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Because that's what the US Navy does (or doesn't do).[4] That is all ye know on Wikipedia, and all ye need to know. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:35, 18 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Account name change

I want to change my account name to Akshat2103 from Sarika9140 Sarika9140 (talk) 13:18, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

WP:CHU --Viennese Waltz 14:07, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Also asked at the Help Desk. please don't ask the same question in multiple places, Sarika9140. --ColinFine (talk) 16:25, 17 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

January 19

220 volt power, US vs EU

US households typically have 220V 60hz power for a few large appliances like stoves and clothes dryers, and 110vac 60hz for smaller stuff. EU, I believe, uses 220v 50hz for everything. Are the two 220V systems mostly compatible other than for a few frequency sensitive things? Like if I had a European vacuum cleaner and a suitable plug adapter, could I use it on US 220 volt power?

Also (I'm not actually in the market for this, just asking on general principles), in the US, what comes after 220 volts? Like if someone wanted, say, 40KW of power at home (say for an electric car charger), what voltage would it likely be and could a normal residential electric utility supply it without too much hassle? Thanks. 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A (talk) 03:45, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The nominal standard voltage is actually 230 V in the EU and 240 V in the US, but that's not enough difference to matter. However, appliances in the US that use 240 V are actually supplied with two opposite phases of 120 V each, and work off the difference. This means both wires carrying the current are "hot" (live) at all times. Normal appliances in both the US and the EU are often designed so that the "hot" wire only runs from the plug as far as the power switch, reducing the chance that you get an electric shock if there is a short-circuit somewhere in the device leading to an external part you can touch; and this design is likely required by electrical standards. So if you have a 240 V outlet in the US and use a suitable plug to connect your European vacuum cleaner, it should run fine, but there will be a small risk of electric shock in case of a defect, and if your insurance company finds out what you did, you might lose your coverage.

As to the second question, as far as I know household power supplies never go above 240 V, but you can get 48 kW at that voltage if you have 200 A service, and maybe that's not the limit. I believe industrial users can get electricity at 415 V or 480 V. Electric transit vehicles in my city use 600 V. --142.112.149.107 (talk) 06:11, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

European plugs like the popular Schuko (but not the British or French plugs) are often non-polarised, so you don't know which of the two wires is neutral and which is hot (the earth wire, if present, is of course earthed). Devices get designed so that they are safe for either wire being hot. And although most neighbourhoods provide 230V in 3-phase Y configuration, there are some older installations that provide it in delta configuration (saving one conductor), so that all wires are hot. By using the 230V 3-phase Y-connection in delta configuration (so putting the device between the phase wires, not between phase and neutral), you get 400V (i.e., 230 times the square root of 3). If that's not enough (for example, you want to run a big supermarket or small factory), you have to apply for a direct connection to the distribution grid at about 10kV. PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:48, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

And don't forget that the above talk mostly about Voltage. Power is Voltage * Current, so you can get lots more power by using your existing Voltage at a higher Current. Usually that requires activity from the electricity supplier. Perhaps a new (thicker) building supply cable. -- SGBailey (talk) 15:05, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yes there's a practical limit to how much current an outlet can supply without needing prohibitively thick wire, enormous switches in the load device, etc. That may be in the 100s of amps but it's not in 1000s of amps, for most purposes. 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A (talk) 21:22, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks all. It is interesting to hear that EU households get 3-phase power. Does that mean their refrigerators can use 3-phase motors instead of the stupid capacitor start motors with a huge turn-on surge like we have here in the US? Do they actually do that in practice? I dunno but it sounds really cool to have 3 phase power at home. Things like computer power supplies could be a lot smaller. 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A (talk) 21:22, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

In the home, we use 380 V for stoves and ovens. 220 V for everything else. You probably won't find more than a handful of 380 V outlets in the average house. I don't remember ever seeing a 380 V computer power supply, but I presume that 380 V refrigerators exist for industrial use. 93.136.22.227 (talk) 23:03, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Very very few UK private residences have 3 phase power. 3-phase is buried in the street and neighbouring houses are given the "next" phase in sequence. I know of one engineer who was seriously into power supplies as a hobby and he eventually had a 3-phase supply installed to his garden shed. -- SGBailey (talk) 09:36, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Most houses have it here in Croatia. At least the ones where I looked, including the one I live in. They look like this. 93.136.147.244 (talk) 04:18, 21 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I've never seen a 3-phase wall outlet in a home. I've seen them at university or in commercial buildings. It is common to have three circuits, each supplying power to part of the lights and wall outlets in the house, each fed from one of the phases from the 3-phase supply with its own circuit breaker. Large consumers (stoves, ovens, electric car chargers) and producers (solar panels) may be permanently connected to the 3-phase supply.

This isn't really standardised within Europe. In the past many regional (city, province) utility companies made their own standards, which changed with mergers and technological progress, and installations rarely get modified to follow modern standards. With these technical matters, you often see three loose de facto standards within Europe, a British standard (UK and Ireland), a French standard (France, Belgium, sometimes Italy, Spain and Switzerland) and a German standard (rest of Europe). PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:15, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

In Paris, France I get only single-phase (230V) supply to my general circuit breaker. I am not aware of anyone who gets triple-phase at home (though it is not a common topic of conversation either). According to this (fr) it is possible to request triple-phase supply, but it is rather more common to ask a conversion from a legacy triple-phase installation to single phase.

It is true that some appliances are compatible with triple-phase 400V. For instance, this oven+cooking plate I have at home; page 18 of the manual indicates how to do the electrical wiring either with 400V or 230V (if you are an amateur electrician you probably do not need to read French to understand it).

Frankly do not really see a case for triple-phase in dwellings, unless you are forced to (residential contracts with max power above 18kW require triple-phase, I assume because of wire cross-section constraints, but that is already quite a lot of power for a home). If you split the phases at the circuit breaker, you have a few headaches at that place (balancing the phases, setting up three differential circuit breakers) and the rest behaves as a single-phase installation anyway. If you keep triple phase through the home, you need non-standard plugs and one more wire on each line (with a lower cross-section each, but your main cost of wiring is going to be the electrician's time, not the mass of copper). Yes, you get induction motors without a current spike, but motor-graded fuses exist (the ones that can take an initial spike of current above their nominal grading - in France those are called AM for "accompagnement moteur" [motor support] and the spike can go up to 7x the nominal). Tigraan^{Click here to contact me} 11:57, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Long story short: no. The U.S. stuff is split-phase power. The 240V nominal is across both hots. A non-U.S. applicance will be designed for either hot-to-neutral, or some other scheme with different voltages. This is not safe to just try to hook up, and you will also have problems with anything other than an AC motor. And yes, 240V split is generally the most you'll be able to get hooked up at a typical U S. residence. "Fast" electric car chargers for residences work off this. Some rural service provides higher voltages and multiple phases, intended for farm equipment. --47.152.93.24 (talk) 05:07, 21 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks everyone. 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A (talk) 08:04, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

January 22

Humectants and several hours

On this very helpful article it says Humectants absorb water. They can absorb this water from the air and moisturize the skin when the humidity is greater than 70%, but more commonly they draw water from the dermis into the epidermis, making skin dryer. Does this mean it dries out skin only when 70 percent or dries out skin in general irregardless of 70 percent in general. One more thing it says is A layer of petrolatum applied to normal skin can reduce that loss by 50–75% for several hours. When they mean loss they mean water loss how many is several hours? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moisturizer — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.108.88 (talk) 01:06, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Important natural resources

Is there any natural resource that's anywhere near as important as petroleum (oil) is? Coal, gold, and/or silver in the past, possibly, but what else? Land, water, salt, what else? Futurist110 (talk) 03:41, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The bounty of the ocean. See Commercial fishing. 41.165.67.114 (talk) 06:29, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

One of the biggest is sand used in most construction projects. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 06:43, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@@ Line 126: / Line 126: @@
 :::Frankly do not really see a case for triple-phase in dwellings, unless you are forced to (residential contracts with max power above 18kW require triple-phase, I assume because of wire cross-section constraints, but that is already quite a lot of power for a home). If you split the phases at the circuit breaker, you have a few headaches at that place (balancing the phases, setting up three differential circuit breakers) and the rest behaves as a single-phase installation anyway. If you keep triple phase through the home, you need non-standard plugs and one more wire on each line (with a lower cross-section each, but your main cost of wiring is going to be the electrician's time, not the mass of copper). Yes, you get induction motors without a current spike, but motor-graded fuses exist (the ones that can take an initial spike of current above their nominal grading - in France those are called AM for "accompagnement moteur" [motor support] and the spike can go up to 7x the nominal). [[User:Tigraan|<span style="font-family:Tahoma;color:#008000;">Tigraan</span>]]<sup>[[User talk:Tigraan|<span title="Send me a silicium letter!" style="color:">Click here to contact me</span>]]</sup> 11:57, 20 January 2021 (UTC)
 :Long story short: no. The U.S. stuff is [[split-phase power]]. The 240V nominal is across both hots. A non-U.S. applicance will be designed for either hot-to-neutral, or some other scheme with different voltages. This is not safe to just try to hook up, and you will also have problems with anything other than an [[AC motor]]. And yes, 240V split is generally the most you'll be able to get hooked up at a typical U S. residence. "Fast" electric car chargers for residences work off this. Some rural service provides higher voltages and multiple phases, intended for farm equipment. --[[Special:Contributions/47.152.93.24|47.152.93.24]] ([[User talk:47.152.93.24|talk]]) 05:07, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
+Thanks everyone.  [[Special:Contributions/2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A|2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A]] ([[User talk:2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A|talk]]) 08:04, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 = January 22 =