Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
→‎Trump v. Anderson: not of a criminal or penal nature
Line 277: Line 277:
:An ex post facto ("after the fact") law is intended to punish someone for doing something that was legal at the time they did it. Inciting an insurrection is already illegal. ←[[User:Baseball Bugs|Baseball Bugs]] <sup>''[[User talk:Baseball Bugs|What's up, Doc?]]''</sup> [[Special:Contributions/Baseball_Bugs|carrots]]→ 15:15, 8 March 2024 (UTC)
:An ex post facto ("after the fact") law is intended to punish someone for doing something that was legal at the time they did it. Inciting an insurrection is already illegal. ←[[User:Baseball Bugs|Baseball Bugs]] <sup>''[[User talk:Baseball Bugs|What's up, Doc?]]''</sup> [[Special:Contributions/Baseball_Bugs|carrots]]→ 15:15, 8 March 2024 (UTC)
::A lawyer may furthermore (reasonably) argue that the term "ex post facto" is understood to be confined to laws of a criminal or penal nature,<sup>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclopædia/Ex_Post_Facto]</sup> and that the disqualification clause of Section 3 of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] does not have the intention or effect of criminalizing acts or imposing penalties any more than the disqualification of minors or non-citizens does, and neither will new legislation for enforcing this provision. &nbsp;--[[User talk:Lambiam#top|Lambiam]] 16:07, 8 March 2024 (UTC)
::A lawyer may furthermore (reasonably) argue that the term "ex post facto" is understood to be confined to laws of a criminal or penal nature,<sup>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclopædia/Ex_Post_Facto]</sup> and that the disqualification clause of Section 3 of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] does not have the intention or effect of criminalizing acts or imposing penalties any more than the disqualification of minors or non-citizens does, and neither will new legislation for enforcing this provision. &nbsp;--[[User talk:Lambiam#top|Lambiam]] 16:07, 8 March 2024 (UTC)
::Notwithstanding what I consider to be the clear logic of Baseball Bugs’ position, disqualification laws in other contexts have been held to be unlawfully retroactive when applied to unlawful conduct preceding the enactment of the disqualification law. In this particular context, however, the historical evidence shows that the 14th Amendment was intended to apply to a past insurrection, so I do not think an ex post facto argument would work. [[User:John M Baker|John M Baker]] ([[User talk:John M Baker|talk]]) 18:44, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

Revision as of 18:45, 8 March 2024

Welcome to the humanities section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.
Select a section:
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.



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.
See also:

February 23

Barbro Hörberg

I'm currently working on a draft for this Swedish composer. Could anyone help me find sources which document her? Ominateu (talk) 21:26, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

sv:Barbro Hörberg. 2A02:C7B:121:5300:E4C1:C46:D21E:3A31 (talk) 14:29, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Wepl I was thinking sources which didn't come from the Swedish version. Like a biography which documents her or an interview. Ominateu (talk) 14:41, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It seems like there's a TV biography of hers from 2014, named after one of her most famous songs "Med ögon känsliga för grönt". See here [1] and here [2]. Xuxl (talk) 15:00, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Ominateu Not a a lot of hits, but maybe something you can use:[3] Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:29, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Oldest wheel still in use

The over 5000 year old Ljubljana Marshes Wheel is the oldest extant wooden wheel, but it was excavated from the remains of a stilt house. What's the oldest wheel (of any material) that is still "in use"? Or at the very least, what are some very old wheels still currently being used for their original purpose? GalacticShoe (talk) 22:02, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

One would need to take the Ship of Theseus factor into account. Oldest with all/part original materials, or oldest in (fairly continuous) use though repaired? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 176.24.45.226 (talk) 13:27, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
That's a good point. Given AnonMoos's point below, I'm actually going to go with the second definition, although bonus points if there are still traces of original material in some form. GalacticShoe (talk) 09:23, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The Ship of Perseus question covers a lot of different things. For example, the venerable baseball park Wrigley Field has been around for going on 110 years, but between expansions and partial reconstructions, there is actually not much of the original left. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:44, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Wheels which go places are subject to wear and tear, travel incidents, and updating of technology. You might have better luck with things that revolve in place, such as water wheels, Archimedes' screw, etc. AnonMoos (talk) 21:05, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Whilst not "still in use": Our article on the Potter´s wheel mentions the 3rd millennium BC as a date of invention of this technique. A stone potter's wheel found at the Sumerian city of Ur in modern-day Iraq has been dated to about 3129 BC,[4] but fragments of wheel-thrown pottery of an even earlier date have been recovered in the same area. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 09:08, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
This makes me wonder what the oldest continuously-used pottery wheel out there is. I highly doubt that whoever owns it is aware of its status, and I also doubt that an "heirloom pottery wheel" would be much-touted. GalacticShoe (talk) 21:17, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
From 2600-1900 BC this terracotta toy, has intact wheels. Is its wooden axle a replacement? It likely is. Nevertheless the toy certainly appears it can still be played with (if one is allowed to). Modocc (talk) 15:02, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
THe Lord Mayor of London's State Coach is still used regularly (once a year) and dates from 1711. Not sure if the wheels have been replaced (there was a major overhaul in 1952), but the total mileage must be quite low.
The Laxey Wheel in the Isle of Man is "the largest surviving original working waterwheel in the world" but only dates from 1854. Alansplodge (talk) 18:32, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Salisbury Cathedral clock dates from "about 1386", and "the striking train of the clock is believed to be original." I'm sure that includes a number of wheels. The article also has a section on the "Oldest working clock" claim with pointers to potentially older clocks, and a discussion of the actual date of the Salisbury clock. -- Verbarson  talkedits 20:14, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The mid-14th century Ottery St Mary astronomical clock was recently restored. The Torre del Mangia's clock dates to 1360. I could not find information about its condition. Modocc (talk) 20:20, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Chesterfield, Derbyshire has an early 14th century treadwheel crane, though it probably is not 'in use'. Guildford has a 17/18th century crane last used about 1960. -- Verbarson  talkedits 20:25, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
In regards to the State Coach, Croford Coachbuilers' website possibly suggests that they replaced the wheels as recently as 2016, if I am not reading this wrong. GalacticShoe (talk) 21:31, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note that I still count this as an extremely Ship of Theseused example, where even though the wheels were completely replaced, in terms of purpose and usage they're the "same" wheel. GalacticShoe (talk) 21:34, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • There are wheels on the golden model of a chariot that forms part of the Oxus treasure… which dates from the 5th century BC. One could argue that its “original purpose” was to be a work of art (and if so, it is still serving that purpose). Blueboar (talk) 20:54, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    Although this is a good example (and I'm more than willing to count art as a usage), I'm realizing now that I should probably modify my criteria, since I failed to account for the fact that people can excavate wheeled objects (which would make the Ljubljana marsh wheels oldest if you simply roll them around.) I think for now I'm going to have to specify that if an object is "rediscovered" (e.g. excavated or simply found somewhere after a subjectively prolonged period of time of unuse), then I'll count age from time of recovery. In other words, I guess what I'm looking for is oldest wheel by time of relatively continuous usage. GalacticShoe (talk) 21:38, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    One could argue that, during the years when no one saw it, it was not serving that purpose. Or one might not. —Tamfang (talk) 00:00, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 24

Ems

Compare a planned economy and market economy in table with owneship and variety of good. How price are dertemined.productivity 41.121.64.93 (talk) 15:24, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Nobody here will do your homework for you. Do it yourself, you'll learn more. --Wrongfilter (talk) 15:26, 24 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Does this have to do with "ems" as in Robin Hanson's book The Age of Em? —Tamfang (talk) 23:59, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It might concern the Ems Telegram. MinorProphet (talk) 01:11, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Or several of these: — — — MinorProphet (talk) 01:11, 26 February 2024 (UTC) [reply]

February 25

Speakers of modern legislatures

The Speaker of the House of Commons is so called because his chief duty was to relay the sense of the house to the king, who might not want to hear it (whence a new Speaker's traditional show of reluctance). Now that the PM meets regularly with the king, such a role is redundant; I would guess it was obsolete before the U.S. House of Representatives chose its first Speaker. Does any modern "Speaker"'s job include something like the old function? —Tamfang (talk) 23:57, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 26

The Arabs Surprised by the Franks

I once heard medieval Islamic sources report that the Arabs were surprised by the Franks at the time.
They speaek publicly and openly with their women, even with women of other man. This was apparently not at all common in the Middle East at that time and surprised the Muslims in the Holy Land.
Can somebody help me to find scource for this? 2A02:8071:60A0:92E0:DB1:B8E0:9138:3D02 (talk) 17:36, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Some such sources are to be extrapolated from (WHAOE) Islamic views on the crusades. --Askedonty (talk) 19:53, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It comes from Kitab al-I'tibar by Usama ibn Munqidh (1095-1188); a translation of the text that describes the Franks is here:
The Franks are void of all zeal and jealousy. One of them may be walking along with his wife. He meets another man who takes the wife by the hand and steps aside to converse with her while the husband is standing on one side waiting for his wife to conclude the conversation. If she lingers too long for him, he leaves her alone with the conversant and goes away.
He is similarly unimpressed with Western medicine and jurisprudence. Alansplodge (talk) 22:05, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I'll nitpick here, Alansplodge which is unfair, because you've basically nailed it. (Sorry, I'm a pedant!) You could choose to read that as complimentary or unimpressed. I would suggest that to my western mind the idea that the Franks were devoid of "jealousy" sounds like a compliment, and I wouldn't be sure from it what he really thought. I appreciate that ibn Munqidh was quite reasonably really unimpressed with a swathe of Frankish behaviours and mores, with a small number of notable exceptions, but on this matter the fact that he's clearly shocked doesn't mean he's necessarily disparaging of it. --Dweller (talk) Old fashioned is the new thing! 11:25, 5 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
You may well be right Dweller, but I took the thrust of his account to be that the Franks were unconcerned about being dishonoured in this way; it would be interesting to know if the original Arabic word carries the negative connotations that "jealousy" has to modern Western readers. However, I'm no Arabist. Alansplodge (talk) 13:56, 5 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
So yes now, that's very interesting. Edward William Lane somewhere emphathizes that the word for “evil eye”, in Arabic means simply “envy.” This was in relation with practices, amulets etc,. but it may be important keeping in mind too that the observation comes with a date, in effect the 1830's ( history might be cyclical, who knows, or its sociology or whatever that is.) --Askedonty (talk) 17:39, 5 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 27

Ethnic borders ≠ national boundaries

Having huge numbers of one's co-ethnics end up outside of the borders of their nation-state after the collapse of a large multinational state?

Which cases were there where a large number of one's co-ethnics ended up outside of the borders of their nation-state after the collapse of a large multinational state? I can think of both ethnic Germans and ethnic Hungarians after the end of World War I (when Austria-Hungary broke up and collapsed), of ethnic Serbs after the collapse of Yugoslavia, and of ethnic Russians after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Which other examples of this have there been? 172.56.187.204 (talk) 02:42, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Really, when one thinks about it, the position of ethnic Hungarians and ethnic Germans in the 1920s was rather similar to the position of ethnic Serbs and ethnic Russians in the 1990s. 172.56.187.204 (talk) 02:45, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The Berlin conference of 1884-1885 notoriously carved up the map of Africa with little regard for keeping people of same ethnic group in the same political unit (in some regions, the areas inhabited by different ethnic groups weren't even known to the map-makers), eventually leading to much turmoil with respect to some of the boundaries in the second half of the 20th century. This isn't exactly the breakup of a large existing state, but the way the French later divided up French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa could be considered such... AnonMoos (talk) 04:10, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The Partition of India? - though not so much the collapse of a state as the unravelling of an empire. -- Verbarson  talkedits 10:27, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • The collapse of the British Empire left people of English, Scottish and Irish descent all over the globe. Especially in North America, Australia & NZ - and fewer (but still significant) numbers of ethic Brits remaining in India, Singapore, Hong Kong and various African states. Blueboar (talk) 11:16, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Armenia, when it was re-created by the USSR as a Soviet republic, only included a minority of the region's Armenian population. The vast majority of them had been living in the Ottoman Empire before World War I. Xuxl (talk) 18:15, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Round O

"For gaining the Round O of the year 1889"

What is "the Round O", in the context of the above prize, awarded by a Presbyterian Church Sunday School in 1889? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:42, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It's likely a prize for perfect attendance: for example, in this 1885 book, there is a description of "Round O" membership and a "Round O class" with an annual tea party and prizes. [4]. Modocc (talk) 17:17, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, a couple of mentions "Fifteen scholars obtained the “Round O” prize for complete attendance" and "Those marked thus * obtained what is called the Round O Prize, having made every possible attendance during the year". The obvious next question is - why "the Round O"? DuncanHill (talk) 02:57, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Personally I would suspect that it's supposed to symbolize the number 0, as in 0 days missed. No sources to back that up though. GalacticShoe (talk) 17:23, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It's common for school reports here in Australia to have a simple entry showing number of days absent. A big 0 would be the most desirable entry. HiLo48 (talk) 22:08, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 28

A bottle of fifteen

In the Prosper Mérimée short stopry 'The Blue Room', an Englishman has ordered a bottle of port in a French hotel. The hotel has run out, but the landlord will not lose the sale, exclaiming "I will find him his bottle of port! Bring me a bottle of ratafia, a bottle of fifteen, and a decanter of brandy" he proceeds to manufacture the "port". What is fifteen? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 02:06, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

1815 vintage? 15% ABV? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 03:11, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
In the French original, it's "une bouteille à quinze". Looking up that particular phrase, it seems it referred to "une bouteille à quinze sous", i.e. just about the cheapest bottle of wine one could buy in a drinking establishment at the time. Mérimée's story comes up all over the search results, but there are other instances that point to "quinze sous" as the correct meaning , for example in "Histoire de Robert Macaire" by Louis-François Raban. Xuxl (talk) 14:43, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you, that would make perfect sense. DuncanHill (talk) 18:09, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
A French Franc was apparently worth only about US$0.20 in 1900, so fifteen sous (= 75 centimes) would be $0.15, or in Sterling about 6d (= 2½ new pence) if I've done the maths right. Alansplodge (talk) 21:28, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Assuming you mean $0.15 in 1900 US dollars rather than modern day dollars, this would be around $5.53 today. GalacticShoe (talk) 21:36, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, 15 cents in 1900. Alansplodge (talk) 22:26, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I haven't priced Two Buck Chuck lately but I expect $5.53 would be more than enough for a 750 ml bottle. Of course that relies on a production and distribution model that didn't exist in 1900, which is one of the many reasons that comparing prices across large time intervals is ... fraught. --Trovatore (talk) 21:49, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Funny enough that was the very first thing I thought of, and I found a Reddit post from I think around 4 months ago that had the price of Chuck listed as roughly 4 bucks. But yeah, I also imagine that the wine economy in 1900s France would have worked probably at least somewhat differently from the wine economy today. GalacticShoe (talk) 22:02, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
A quick Google finds this French plonk for €3.95 for a 75cl bottle. Wine is heavily taxed in the UK, but you don't get much under £6. Alansplodge (talk) 22:33, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note that Mérimée's story was published in 1866 - well before 1900. The other citations I found were also from the middle of the 19th Century. Xuxl (talk) 14:49, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Apologies, the earliest edition Google could find me was 1902. Alansplodge (talk) 13:04, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
With a status of the Englishman vs. Paris slightly evolving in the meantime ( La dame de fer taking its toll by the way). The assorted beverage anecdote 1900: workers-a-bicycle. --Askedonty (talk) 18:06, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Being partial to port, I'll have to obtain some ratafia and then try out this recipe! {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.126.225.254 (talk) 19:39, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What do reliable sources say was Pim Fortuyn's last government appointed or elected office?

Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician assassinated in May 2002. I was wondering what was his government office.
In the article Pim Fortuyn, I read

Heading the list of the Livable Rotterdam party, [...] he achieved a major victory in the Rotterdam municipal council elections in early March 2002. The new party won about 36% of the seats, making it the largest party in the council. For the first time since the Second World War, the Labour Party was out of power in Rotterdam.

In the article Government of Rotterdam, Fortuyn is listed as the chief executive for the period 2002-2006 (he died in 2002), but there is not citation for the info. In the article Livable Rotterdam, he is listed as leader of a coalition that won the 2002 elections. But I am still left with the doubt, what do reliable sources say was Pim Fortuyn's last government appointed or elected office? Regards, Thinker78 (talk) 03:06, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

He was the political leader of the largest party forming the city's governing coalition, but that's not an official office. I've never heard the term "chief executive" as part of the government of a city; the closest would be mayor, but that was Ivo Opstelten. I don't think (but am not entirely sure) that Pim Fortuyn was wethouder (alderman, more or less), he was too busy with campaigning for national politics, so his only office would have been member of the municipal council. PiusImpavidus (talk) 11:04, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The article does not use the term "chief executive" but "city executive", which for a city means the same as "municipal executive", being the executive board formed by the mayor and aldermen. The mayor, appointed by the Queen, was not a member of Livable Rotterdam. Of the five aldermen, three were members of Livable Rotterdam: Rabella de Faria, Marco Pastors and Wim van Sluis.  --Lambiam 16:34, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
As far as I'm aware, Fortuyn never held any office.  --Lambiam 16:43, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
When the party he led won the city elections, was he set to become councilman, or was his function was merely within the party and not as candidate? Regards, Thinker78 (talk) 23:07, 28 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Dutch wikipedia mentions that he became fraction leader (no source, but it matches my memories), which implies that he took his seat as member of the municipal council. PiusImpavidus (talk) 09:55, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 29

Is there any more information about the creation of the Boot Monument?

Hello. In the article Boot Monument, there is a section on the creation of the monument. I was wondering if there's any more information on what Peyster did for the monument to be created or how Bissell sculpted it, etc. Thank you~ ‍ Relativity 02:46, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

See what the RefDesk found for you in December about the Boot Monument. Alansplodge (talk) 12:28, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Nostromo

According to our article Nostromo "Conrad ... relates how, as a young man of about seventeen, while serving aboard a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, he heard the story of a man who had stolen, single-handedly, "a whole lighter-full of silver". As Conrad goes on to relate, he forgot about the story until some twenty-five years later when he came across a travelogue in a used-book shop in which the author related how he worked for years aboard a schooner whose master claimed to be that very thief who had stolen the silver". Has anyone ever identified the travelogue? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 22:59, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This article (I've only looked at the first page) points to On Many Seas: The Life and Exploits of a Yankee Sailor by Frederick Benton Williams. --Wrongfilter (talk) 10:09, 1 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Wrongfilter: Many thanks. I wonder if he ever knew! DuncanHill (talk) 22:58, 1 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
DuncanHill, does your "he" refer to Conrad, the man/master, or the author, and what was it that he might have known? {The poster formerly known as 87.891.230.195} 2.127.56.230 (talk) 15:37, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I meant I wonder if Frederick Barton Williams ever knew that Conrad had picked up a copy of his book, been reminded of an old tale, and written Nostromo? DuncanHill (talk) 17:36, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
How much would a "lighter-full" amount to? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:13, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
A lighter was/is a barge used to transport cargo between a ship and the shore, when the ship cannot dock, so a substantial amount. In the 19th century they were propelled by oars, sometimes by one man as in this case: I would guess that the capacity of one such as might have been involved (in the period 1864–76) would have been of the order of a ton. Probably Williams' book goes into details.
Regarding what Williams knew, he died in 1908, and although Nostromo was published in 1904, the Author's Note about the story only appeared in later editions in and after October 1917, so Williams cannot have known his book had reminded Conrad of the tale, though he could have read Nostromo and recognised the inspiration. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.127.56.230 (talk) 09:22, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Out of interest, the art of propelling a lighter with oars is preserved by The Thames Barge Driving Race. Alansplodge (talk) 18:41, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I notice that those lighters are 30-ton barges (which presumably indicates their cargo capacity). Thirty tons would be a lot of silver, but we cannot know (unless Williams or another source tells us) what the capacity of a mid-19th century lighter in Peru would have been. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 176.24.44.161 (talk) 21:24, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The size of a lighter would depend upon where it went from the ship. A Thames lighter would normally lie alongside a quay and so might be quite large, a lighter landing stuff onto a beach might be not much larger that a big rowing boat. Another factor is tides, where there is a larger range a larger lighter can come inshore and wait for the tide to go out allowing carts or other means to come alongside. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 22:28, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Nowadays the writer would probably just say "a boatload" of whatever. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:42, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

2022 Japan flood northern and central regions evacuation order

There was a flood in Japan in 2022[5], and around 500,000 people were given an evacuation order. I am trying to find a map, or a list of areas that this evacuation order covers.

Level 4 evacuation orders are in place across Akita, Aomori, Fukui, Fukushima, Ishikawa, Iwate, Niigata, and Yamagata prefectures, affecting more than 324,000 people.

Yamagata prefecture alone has around 1,000,000 people, so I am guessing that the evacuation order only covered parts of Yamagata prefecture. I am guessing that the government published some sort of list of towns and cities that were covered by the evacuation order, and this list was available back in 2022. (Or it could have been a map.) Now I am trying to find that list/map. OptoFidelty (talk) 23:48, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The page to which you linked has, "Officials are expanding evacuation orders to include parts of Akita, Aomori, Fukui, Fukushima, Ishikawa, Iwate, Niigata, and Yamagata prefectures" [my underlining. --L.], so the evacuation orders presumably also covered only parts of other prefectures.  --Lambiam 12:52, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, that's correct. Only parts of those prefectures are covered. I am trying to find which parts exactly. OptoFidelty (talk) 08:53, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 1

33 Gods not 330 million gods

Thirty-three gods

Many reliable sources and many Western publication has mentioned that Hindus have 33 crore Gods, 33 million gods and 330 million Gods.

‘33 mn Gods…not one producing oxygen’: Charlie Hebdo releases cartoon on India’s Covid crisis

The 33 Million Gods of Hinduism

https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/hinduism-330-million-gods/

Many have debated that the word koti is misinterpreted as crore.

The word ‘koti’ in Sanskrit means crores and also it means ‘type’. In this term ‘33 koti’ means 33 types and not 33 crores. (10 million) Nightingagleyt (talk) 09:43, 1 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Did you have a question you wanted us to respond to about this? Blueboar (talk) 12:43, 1 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 2

Entering the Australian House of Representatives

I live in Dunkley, so I would have been paying attention to yesterday's by-election even if I didn't want to. Now that Jodie Belyea has won, is she my federal member, or is there a date in the future when she will become my federal member? I know in the US, election winners take office on a certain date, and in the UK, they take office instantly, but I don't know about here. Nyttend (talk) 19:14, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I couldn't find an exact answer, but I assume that since Australia follows the Westminster system, that they hold their office as soon as they are elected. However: A Member may not take part in any proceedings of the House until sworn in. It is also considered that a Member should not participate in the work of committees until sworn in. House of Representatives Practice: Swearing-in. Alansplodge (talk) 20:43, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
In Canada, the swearing in takes place within days following a by-election, as soon as the winner is certified. This is usually almost immediate, except in very close races where a re-count may be ordered, in which case it can take a few weeks for the process to unfold. I expect it's the same for Australia as our political systems are very much alike. Xuxl (talk) 21:47, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Nyttend -- Congressmembers elected in a regularly-scheduled election take office on a fixed date, but sometimes those elected to fill an unexpectedly vacant seat can take office quickly even in the U.S. What info Wikipedia has is apparently at By-election#United States, though we don't call them "By-elections", but instead "Special elections"... AnonMoos (talk) 02:25, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
AnonMoos, oops, yes, I wasn't thinking there. Of course winners of special elections take office soon, or otherwise David Curson wouldn't have been in Congress at all. I don't remember ever having a special election in districts where I lived, or maybe I wouldn't have made that mistake. Nyttend (talk) 02:49, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Presumably the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) gets to declare the winner, and that person becomes the new member at that moment. The swearing in matters for actually participating in parliament or being in any formal position. HiLo48 (talk) 02:33, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Specifically the returning officer. Alansplodge (talk) 14:37, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The answer is that Jodie Belyea is not officially your member - yet. That's because the Australian Electoral Commission has not yet certified the result, which they cannot do until the last of the postal votes arrive in about a week or so, even if the numbers of them could not possibly affect the result. And then there may be preferences that have to be allocated yada yada. But when the AEC is finally able to make its certification, Belyea will have been your member since election day, 2 March, and she will be backpaid accordingly. It's true that she must be sworn in, in order to participate in the business of the House of Reps, but that doesn't impinge on the fact that she will have been the member for Dunkley since 2 March. That's no different from the winning US presidential candidate becoming president at noon on 20 January because the US Constitution says so, but being unable to execute the functions of their office until they're sworn in (usually within an hour of noon anyway). -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 21:38, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Out of intersest, in the UK, the winner of the 2024 Rochdale by-election on 29 February, was sworn in yesterday, only six days later. Alansplodge (talk) 14:05, 5 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 4

Missouri Republican Caucus - popular vote

Is the popular vote result of the 2024 Missouri Republican presidential caucuses - statewide and/or per county - published anywhere? --KnightMove (talk) 12:04, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"The MO GOP state party is only reporting the results in terms of state delegate equivalents and will not be providing the raw vote totals."[6] --jpgordon𝄢&#jffjjx1d106;𝄐𝄇 23:42, 5 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 6

Ukrainian irredentism

Someone on the interwebs, in connection with Victoria Nuland's recently announced upcoming retirement,[7] described Nuland as a "Ukrainian irredentist". I think that was supposed to be a snarky perjorative since that person has considered Nuland to be perennially hostile to Russia. But I had to look up irredentism and I'm having trouble understanding this usage. Is the writer insinuating that Nuland wants Ukraine to annex Russia? Obviously that goes beyond her opposing Russia's efforts to annex Ukraine. Thanks. 2601:644:8501:AAF0:0:0:0:5612 (talk) 04:43, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Probably a question for your "someone on the interwebs" rather than us. We have a (very short) article on Ukrainian irredentism, but I don't see a connection with Ms Nuland Chuntuk (talk) 09:10, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps they were referring to the Krim, Donbas and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, which, as is well known, are Russian territory. Those vile Ukrainian fascist nationalists want to annex them, claiming that they are historically Ukrainian.  --Lambiam 12:14, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Egyptian singer Nazek (1928-1999)

Could someone please finally write already the long overdue article about Egyptian singer Nazek (also spelled Nazik): I can't create articles.

There's enough stuff to get you started at the Egyptian Arabic wiki: https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%83

On Google 'Nazek' will probably take your farther than 'Nazik'. Ideally use the Arabic script 'نازك'.

Thanks. 178.51.93.5 (talk) 18:22, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

You can create a draft WP:AfC. 2A02:C7B:210:BA00:8458:F303:FDB1:5E14 (talk) 18:30, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
As far as I can see, arz:نازك does not have a single citation to a published source.
Whatever may be the case in other Wikipedias, in English Wikipedia an article without published reliable sources is impossible.
Whether you write it yourself, or in the (unlikely but possible) case that you find somebody else willing to write it, absolutely the very first task will be finding reliable published sources which meet all the criteria in golden rule - these do not have to be in English, and they do not have to be online, but they do have to have been reliably published. If such sources do not exist, then there cannot be an article on Nazik in English Wikipedia. ColinFine (talk) 15:11, 7 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sadly, the article on the Egyptian Arabic Wikipedia does not have even a single source. However, she also has an article on the Arabic Wikipedia, ar:نازك, which cites two sources. I cannot evaluate whether they are reliable.  --Lambiam 08:44, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Suffolk Gazette Batman

I've stumbled upon this story, but the gazette's about page rather frankly admits they publish hoaxes. If so, where does that bearded Batman photo comes from? At first glance doesn't look like AI-generated to me. Brandmeistertalk 23:11, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Snopes has covered this before. It's the work of Foto Marvellini. GalacticShoe (talk) 23:37, 6 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Sly asses... Brandmeistertalk 01:02, 7 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 7

Women in war

What war had the highest percentage of combatants that were women? Was there ever an extreme case where it was a significant number, perhaps in antiquity or medieval times? Even in some of their most notable cases like in the USSR during WWII, they were only a single digit percentage at best, I believe. THORNFIELD HALL (Talk) 11:51, 7 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The January Uprising of 1863 was described as the "Women's War" because the number of women participants "exceeded any previous armed struggles" (but without giving exact proportion / number, from what I see). Also, worth of investigating what proportion did the Dahomey Amazons constitute in their native army (our article says that "the lack of men likely led the kings of Dahomey to recruit women into the army"). Brandmeistertalk 12:28, 7 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
We have an article The Maidens' War, for what it's worth... AnonMoos (talk) 23:03, 7 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 8

UK House of Commons votes

Does anybody know where I can find the ayes and nays on bills passed in the House of Commons 1960s-1990s? This keeps coming up with no results even when you enter the correct criteria. THORNFIELD HALL (Talk) 05:09, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Does this help? https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/divisions/index.html doktorb wordsdeeds 05:25, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I think so, thanks. THORNFIELD HALL (Talk) 05:36, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Being pedantic, it's "Aye and No" in the Commons. "Nay" is from the US Congress (how quaint). Alansplodge (talk) 15:25, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Trump v. Anderson

Regarding the Scoutus ruling in Trump v. Anderson, has it been (reasonably) argued that the Article One of the United States Constitution prohibition against ex post facto laws makes it impossible for Congress to issue a law or ruling that disqualifies Donald Trump fron the presidency? Sjö (talk) 13:20, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

An ex post facto ("after the fact") law is intended to punish someone for doing something that was legal at the time they did it. Inciting an insurrection is already illegal. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:15, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
A lawyer may furthermore (reasonably) argue that the term "ex post facto" is understood to be confined to laws of a criminal or penal nature,[8] and that the disqualification clause of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment does not have the intention or effect of criminalizing acts or imposing penalties any more than the disqualification of minors or non-citizens does, and neither will new legislation for enforcing this provision.  --Lambiam 16:07, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Notwithstanding what I consider to be the clear logic of Baseball Bugs’ position, disqualification laws in other contexts have been held to be unlawfully retroactive when applied to unlawful conduct preceding the enactment of the disqualification law. In this particular context, however, the historical evidence shows that the 14th Amendment was intended to apply to a past insurrection, so I do not think an ex post facto argument would work. John M Baker (talk) 18:44, 8 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]