Welcome to the humanities section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

Select a section:

WP:RD/H

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

How can I get my question answered?

Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
Note:
- We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
- We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
- We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
- We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

March 16

Does one's insurable interest in bodily safety extend to the regeneration of body parts?

The OP has been repeatedly advised to stop asking questions of this nature on the ref desks, and to seek such advise elsewhere. Please do not encourage him. --Jayron 32 02:16, 17 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

Here's California law in regards to insurable interests:

https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/insurance-code/ins-sect-10110-1.html

(Among other things)

"(b) An individual has an unlimited insurable interest in his or her own life, health, and bodily safety and may lawfully take out a policy of insurance on his or her own life, health, or bodily safety and have the policy made payable to whomsoever he or she pleases, regardless of whether the beneficiary designated has an insurable interest."

Does one's insurable interest in bodily safety extend to the regeneration of body parts? Or does it only cover bodily damage?

For instance, if you purchase an insurance contract with a payout which activated if one of your body parts (such as the vas deferens) regenerates, and this contract ends up in court, would the courts declare that you actually have an insurable interest in the regeneration of this body part and that thus this contract is valid and enforceable? Or would they declare this insurance contract to be null and void as a result of the lack of insurable interest in this contract? Futurist110 (talk) 03:07, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A note on a slightly "meta" level: You've piped "insurance" to "insurable interest", but in fact we have an article on insurable interest, which is much more to the point of your question. Pipes are bad, m'kay? Avoid pipes wherever you can; redirects are better, provided they go to the target you intend. --Trovatore (talk) 03:22, 16 March 2019 (UTC) [reply]

Thanks for this advice. I have now fixed this. Basically, there was no page for "insurable interests" and thus I thought that there was no page for "insurable interest" either but unfortunately didn't bother to actually check for this. Anyway, I have now redirected the "insurable interests" page to the "insurable interest" page. This seems like the best move here, correct? Futurist110 (talk) 03:33, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Seems fine to me. --Trovatore (talk) 03:41, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like partly a question of whether the regeneration is beneficial or adverse to one's life, health, and bodily safety. Going further into it sounds a little too close to legal advice so I'll stay away. 173.228.123.166 (talk) 03:14, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The regeneration could be viewed as being beneficial in the sense that it will once again make one's body work properly. (I believe that there is even a brand of philosophy created by Aristotle which says that the morality of the use of a body part is whether or not it is actually being used for its proper purpose. This philosophy would certainly consider body part regeneration to be a good thing since it will restore one's body to the way that it is supposed to be/function.) However, sometimes--as in the vas deferens context--having one's body work properly isn't always beneficial for oneself. Futurist110 (talk) 03:33, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Usually one insures against losses, not gains. So if the regeneration is purely a good thing, it's hard for me to see an insurable interest. 173.228.123.166 (talk) 03:54, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The OP is worried that it will grow back, and doesn't want that. At the time of any surgery, there should be a form to sign which advises you of possible consequences or side effects of the surgery, including the probability of it recurring down the road. However, what the OP should do is see a lawyer, or at least an insurance expert, rather than depending on random advice from strangers. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:16, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Given the OP's hyper-fixation on accidentally causing pregnancy, I'm not sure that's the professional assistance I would suggest. Matt Deres (talk) 13:47, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 18

Cadwallon ap Cadfan map

Are there maps of what Cadwallon ap Cadfan's realm look like? -KAVEBEAR (talk) 03:39, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like we have one of Gwynedd in 620 which would be just before the beginning of his reign, and one of Britain in 626 which would be his first year. But none showing the Northumbrian conquests. You’d sort of have to draw you own conclusions from looking at general maps of where Northumbria and Gwynedd were in the 7th century. So far the wider web is foiling me; I hope a better searcher can find you something more exact than this. 70.67.193.176 (talk) 22:39, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Gwynedd c. 620.
Britain in 626 (from a book published in 1932).
7th-century Britain showing Gwynedd and Northumbria

737 MAX 8

I see in 2019 Boeing 737 MAX groundings:

European Union: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended all flight operations of all 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft in the EU.
United Kingdom: the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) banned 737 MAX aircraft from operating in UK's airspace.

Why did the UK need to ban the aircraft, surely the EU covered this? (pre-Brexit.) -- SGBailey (talk) 08:48, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If I remember the CAA banned it first before EASA did although it happened on the same day it was just down to timing. MilborneOne (talk) 08:50, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Ordering peach ticket

I,m going to travel, how to order a Peach ticket?Wifik3r8bLk2Zr (talk) 13:53, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Ask your travel agent if they can print your airline ticket onto colored paper. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:14, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably this is a reference to Peach Aviation. Tickets can be purchased here. That's the English page; other languages may be selected from the drop down menu at the top. Matt Deres (talk) 16:15, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably the OP should have linked to that one, since the Peach article says nothing about tickets. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:52, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I would say it's completely unclear what the OP wants [1] [2]. If the OP is looking for tickets to the impeachment of Donald Trump then that's not possible because no impeachment process is really in motion Nil Einne (talk) 10:31, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In lieu of any other explanation, I think it's totally clear what the OP wants: To prank us. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:26, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A request for clarification should be the first order of business. One should never guess what the question might be. Bus stop (talk) 17:39, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Perry March indictment

Where could I find the 2004 Tennessee indictment of Perry March? The state/local case search system is not working for me. Thanks, GAB^gab 19:08, 16 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 17

Similar class, but a security warning

In recent times, I've discovered a poster on the Internet. I suspected it was British propaganda during World War II. The reason I say that is, because the slogan is "Don't Help the Enemy! Careless Talk Will Give Away Vital Secrets". It's displayed under a Tudor Crown. Was it in the same design class as the Keep Calm and Carry On poster? Anyone know?2604:2000:7104:2F00:E442:E351:CABF:43A6 (talk) 03:55, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What exactly do you mean by "design class"? Here is someone selling one who says it is "one of the first Ministry of Information posters issued after the outbreak of the War", so that sounds about the same to me. --76.69.46.228 (talk) 07:56, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

By "design class", I'm referring to the "Don't Help the Enemy! Careless Talk May Give Away Vital Secrets" slogan having similar typeface to Keep Calm and Carry On. Like I said before, the former's slogan is displayed under a Tudor Crown.2604:2000:7104:2F00:E442:E351:CABF:43A6 (talk) 09:56, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Design "style" would be more accurate. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:27, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Google has no results at all for your text, but a well known wartime poster campaign was "Careless Talk Costs Lives", initially illustrated by the cartoonist "Fougasse", real name Cyril Kenneth Bird CBE. Fougass's posters were rather light-hearted cartoons (like these) but later ones were sometimes a little more edgy (like this one). The only poster I could find with the crown design is this from a company which specialises in creating variations of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster and is surely modern. There were a series of posters in the original "Keep Calm" range, but apparently not with the "Careless Talk" slogan, which was devised after the earlier range of posters had been put into storage. The "Keep Calm" posters were not generally circulated and were not well known until a copy came to light in a second-hand bookshop in Alnwick in 2000 and it became an internet sensation. Alansplodge (talk) 14:00, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Madame Meerson and her Daughter" by Mary Casatt

Regarding the painting Madame Meerson and her Daughter by Mary Casatt: who was Madame Meerson, and what is known about her (and her daughter)?

Thanks in advance! --Dr Dima (talk) 06:21, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There is a small amount of info here. Not much of what you are looking for but it is interesting that the painting is actually of Madame Gaillard and Her Daughter Marie-Thérèse. The tale of how the name change happened is one of those items that makes history so fascinating. MarnetteD|Talk 06:35, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I've changed the painting's title in the Mary Cassatt article per the Reynolda House Museum's description linked by MarnetteD above. Someone may want to have the folks at Commons change the file's title and description accordingly. Deor (talk) 17:40, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks a lot!!! Kindest wishes, Dr Dima (talk) 18:17, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Metatheatre

What was the first play that use metatheatre?--87.27.156.88 (talk) 08:50, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The answer is given in the article you linked to. --Viennese Waltz 08:57, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, them don't say a specific Play but generally theatre of classical Greece and then "One major purpose of this metatheatricality was to keep then spectators away from utter involvement or belief in the development of the plot presented. Ancient Greek comedy in particular made frequent use of it (though examples can also be found in tragedy)".--87.27.156.88 (talk) 09:35, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

We have only a scant and partial record of ancient Greek plays. It is likely impossible to identify the first to use the technique so described. The best that can be said is that it predates the historical record, because it is already present in some of the oldest plays on record.--Jayron 32 02:19, 19 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

then what are example of metatheatre in Ancient Greece?

Take Aristophanes' first play, The Acharnians. Here's Dikaiopolis in conversation with Euripides (that may in itself be metatheatre):

For I must wear a beggar's garb to-day,

Yet be myself in spite of my disguise;

That the audience all may know me; but the chorus,

Poor creatures, must not have the least suspicion

Whilst I cajole them with my rhetoric.

I suspect that acknowledging the audience's presence is actually the default and the establishment of a fourth wall is a revolutionary step in the development of theatre. --Wrongfilter (talk) 17:15, 19 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 20

Capital Of the UK

why do we say that the capital Of the UK is in London when all of the Institutions of government are in the separate city of Westminster. The city of London proper is miniscule and a business district. The rest is just the 32 boroughs and Greater London which, while important, don’t qualify as a capital city. —Andrew 22:31, 20 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Andrew. Our article Capital city explains that there is not a standardized convention across countries for which city is called the capital. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the government's offices and meeting places; the status as capital is often designated by its law or constitution. In some jurisdictions, including several countries, the different branches of government are located in different settlements. In some cases, a distinction is made between the official (constitutional) capital and the seat of government, which is in another place. 70.67.193.176 (talk) 22:36, 20 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

True, but that's not what's going on. What's going on is that when people refer to London they generally do not, and in this case specifically they do not, mean the City of London but rather the entire metropolis, including Westminster. I thought the "London" article used to address this in the lead section, but if it ever did, it doesn't now. It does say lower down that "London" can mean "Greater London". --76.69.46.228 (talk) 23:01, 20 March 2019 (UTC), confusing wording corrected later.[reply]

Wikipedia will follow what sources say. A lot of human language is pretty vague. You seem to not like the use of the word "city" when there's some kind of "subdivision" below the level of "city", but this is true in places all over the world. Just in the U.S., some cities are also their own counties, and some cover multiple counties. Let's not even get started on city-states. In practice, "city", in informal contexts, generally means "a single area covered by a human settlement without any significant unsettled area", though, like all definitions, there are inevitable exceptions. In olden days, cities were often walled for protection, and since walls became infeasible beyond a certain size, the walled area (as well as that delimited by any natural barriers) was the "city", and anything outside was suburbs, villages, etc. In the modern age, city walls are no more, and faster transport makes it possible for a larger area to be a single, cohesive community. This is why formerly walled cities like London and Paris now sprawl far beyond their historical boundaries and have swallowed up what used to be separate cities, towns, and so on. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 08:13, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

So in short, Andrew you are simply confusing London with the City of London. They are not the same thing, the City of London is a tiny part of the Capital of the United Kingdom. --Lgriot (talk) 14:36, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I’m not sure I am Westminster is an entirely separate city and as far as I know the only one of the boroughs with City status —Andrew 07:57, 22 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The City of London and (City of) Westminster are entirely separate and are the two boroughs of Greater London with city status. But it's Greater London that's the capital. --76.69.46.228 (talk) 08:54, 22 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

See London#Toponymy: "Until 1889, the name "London" applied to the City of London, but since then it has also referred to the County of London and Greater London". Prior to that, organisations that covered the wider London area used the adjective "Metroplitan"; the Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Board of Works are examples. However, the term "London" was used colloquially for the whole conurbation before well that; for instance, London Labour and the London Poor (1851) encompasses Southwark, Clerkenwell and Holborn as well as the City. Alansplodge (talk) 20:02, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Indian Writing Scripts

I sometimes see character sets used to write Languages of India that I do not recognize, except in vaguely recognizing them as Indian character sets. Are these character sets alphabetic in the sense of being representations of phonemes? What is their history? In particular, do they historically trace back to the ancient North Semitic abjad, which is said to be the ancestor of all alphabetic scripts, or do they have a separate origin? What articles do we have in the English Wikipedia on the character sets, other than the Roman alphabet and the Arabic alphabet, that are used to write languages of India? Robert McClenon (talk) 23:43, 20 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I see that Devanagari is the most commonly used of the scripts, and that it is an abugida. Robert McClenon (talk) 23:48, 20 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's a good link! I see we also have Brahmic scripts, about this family of scripts. These articles don't seem to have a definite answer (and there may not be a definite answer) about whether the original Brahmi Script had any Semitic influence or not. 70.67.193.176 (talk) 00:02, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 21

Arab demographics hundred years ago

How many Arabs lived in the world a hundred years ago?

Also, do you have information on the development of Arab demographic from the beginning of Islam to the present? 84.108.88.30 (talk) 02:07, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Imo, you should find the total Arab population today, and the total world population today, and find that percentage. Then, find the world population for 1900 and multiple that by the % Arabs today. This is of course, assuming the % of Arabs is approximately the same. 67.175.224.138 (talk) 02:59, 22 March 2019 (UTC).[reply]

It is not possible to answer this question. Even assuming that all the countries where Arabs of some definition lived were keeping suitable records throughout this period, Arab can be so variously defined as to make comparison of figures meaningless (our article helpfully lists seven different possibilities). Henry ^Flower 08:28, 22 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Journal articles Thumbelina and female-leading fairy tales

Are there any journal articles that deal with analysis of Thumbelina or other female-leading fairy tales? Donmust90 (talk) 22:32, 21 March 2019 (UTC)Donmust90Donmust90 (talk) 22:32, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What do you mean by "journal articles"? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:29, 22 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest that the OP means articles published in academic or scholarly journals (likely those specialising in Folklore studies or Feminist theory), and that most people reading the query would understand that.

Donmust90, you might approach this by checking out the Footnotes and References in the articles on Thumbelina and any other stories you consider relevant (if you haven't already). As this isn't my field, hopefully more knowlegeable editors will be able to make better focussed suggestions. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.200.138.194 (talk) 03:15, 22 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 22

U.S. Supreme Court and Illinois S.C. questions.

What are some examples of cases in the U.S. or Illinois Supreme Court, where.

-All the voters on 1 side, and the other, were either all former prosecutors (predominantly) and former defenders/lawyers.
-All the voters on 1 side, and the other, were all Republicans or Democrats (for preferably criminal cases).
-And divided by race.

Anyways, I'm from Chicago and recently, there was a White cop shooting a Black teen 17 times killing him Shooting of Laquan McDonald, and he got 2nd degree murder, but only 6.75 years. The Illinois Attorney General is appealing it directly for some kind of a new trial, as the lower judge cited a ruling (but on the minority side of that ruling, not majority), for why he chose to give the lesser charge. 4 judges denied that motion, with 1 both for and against, 1 against, and 1 unvoted. The only judge that was against, was the only Black judge on the court. And all the judges that were Republican were on the denying side. And the 1 judge that remained unvoted was a former public defender and everyone else former prosecutors (though the Black judge was a former civil lawyer). 67.175.224.138 (talk) 02:11, 22 March 2019 (UTC).[reply]

Some organization like the ACLU or SPLC might have stats like that about judges. FWIW I was surprised at the notion of retrying the shooter for a higher charge, since that would be double jeopardy. But the article says he was tried and convicted of 2nd degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery (one for each shot fired at Laquan McDonald), but sentenced only for the 2nd degree murder. The court case was over a request to vacate the murder conviction and sentence for the aggravated battery counts. Presumably that would be a longer total sentence. If that was the goal, though, I don't know why they wanted to vacate the murder conviction. 173.228.123.166 (talk) 20:39, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 23

Oldest Korean text

Are there any Korean text written in Classical Chinese which predates the year 1000? What is the oldest text of Korean history? Is there anything comparable to the Japanese Kojiki in age? I’ve found the Samguk yusa but that is extremely late. KAVEBEAR (talk) 04:38, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Stereo recording of Stabat Mater (Pergolesi)

This desk seemed more likely to be familiar with recordings of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater than the Entertainment desk.

I’m trying to remove the vocals from a recording, so that I and a friend can sing to an instrumental accompaniment (privately). I know how one can usually do this in Audible, but it needs the track to have been recorded in stereo with the audio in the centre? And it doesn’t work with either my Rousset version or my Hogwood version.

Do you happen to know a version (which I would happily buy) that this would work on?

Thanks. 2A02:C7D:A399:8600:A1C2:AA0A:647A:DED2 (talk) 14:35, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Here's one: [3] (CD or download) Don't know how well Audible's Out Of Phase Stereo isolation would work (I use Audacity). —107.15.157.44 (talk) 20:42, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Youtube search for "Pergolesi stabat mater instrumental" found several versions without vocals. You could also give the vocal remover at phonicmind.com a try. 173.228.123.166 (talk) 20:44, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Those ‘instrumentals’ are generally midis or piano accompaniments, which make for a very unsatisfying experience, musically. I’ve looked. If you’ve found any that use string instruments, please do let me know (there do seem to be some for Rossini’s Stabat Mater, which affects the results when I search). (And I meant Audacity, haha. I’m typing while tired.) I’ve bought a track from that recording, to try in the morning: I hope it works, because those vocals are really not my preferred style! Thanks. 2A02:C7D:A399:8600:3DBA:6CFD:429B:A2C4 (talk) 21:57, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I just looked and there are a few there: here is one that points to a registration-only site, and here is one that points to the site of (oddly enough) a vocalist. You could keep checking. I think there are better ways to remove the vocal from a recording now than center channel cancellation. That's what that other site I mentioned claims to do, though I haven't tried it. vocalremover.com is another one. Here is a reddit thread with a link to an arxiv paper and some comments on it, if of interest. The method in the paper was apparently still pretty crude, but it is a few years old, so maybe stuff is better now. I remember an Nvidia press release saying something about it recently but I wasn't able to find it with a quick web search. 173.228.123.166 (talk) 04:22, 24 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

March 24

Oaxes

Is Oaxes a character from Greek mythology, or only a Greek character who shows up in Roman mythology? The article cites one Greek author (but he lived in the fifth century of the Christian era) and a bunch of Romans. It also mentions a reference to him by Apollonius, but as there were a good number of men by that name, I'm not clear who's meant. The sources on this article don't have any answer to the question, which doesn't surprise me as Oaxes seems to be a thoroughly minor figure, and Google persistently gives me results for axes. Nyttend (talk) 04:00, 24 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The Appolonius page you linked says (as you may already have seen) that Stephanus cited one Apollonius of Ascalon (presumably concerning Oaxes) but that gets us no further forward since he's also little known (such that we have no article or other mention of him).

Oaxes is sufficiently obscure that Robert Graves makes no mention of him in The Greek Myths. My guess (FWIW) is that any folk-etymological origin myth attributing to him the founding the city of Axus/Oaxos/etc., most likely named after an adjacent river, was sufficiently local to or within Crete that any other, earlier Greek references to it have not survived. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.200.138.194 (talk) 09:37, 24 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Apollonius in this case is Apollonius of Rhodes, who mentions Oaxes (or Oaxus) in his Argonautica. But in Greek it says "Oiaxian land" and it simply means Crete, in the story of Anchiale and the Idaean Dactyls. The reference to Oaxes being the son of Anchiale and Apollo comes from Maurus Servius Honoratus. Stephanus says Oaxes is the son of Acacallis (and grandson of Minos but doesn't mention Apollo or any other father. Adam Bishop (talk) 11:24, 24 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Philosophy examples.

What are some examples of.

1. If you say you're A, you have to also say you're not B, because if you don't, people are gonna accuse you of being (A and) B at the same time.

2. People assume that if you if like A, you have to be against B, and if you like B, you have to be against A. But the analogy is, you can hate both A and B at the same time. 67.175.224.138 (talk) 10:50, 24 March 2019 (UTC).[reply]

For how much Money did the Watchtower Inc have sold the "Gilead" building & Kingdom Farm in South Lansing, NY?

According to this pdf document http://www.manitobaphotos.com/theolib/downloads/Kingdom_Farm_and_Gilead_School.pdf it was 600 acre big. --46.167.62.33 (talk) 11:46, 24 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]