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March 21

French Guards Regiment

Is there some source about the name of their soldier killed amoung the mob by Lambesc's dragons on July 12, 1789? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.56.172.99 (talk) 12:17, 21 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The only such name we've been given to know is that of a supposed pedlar François Pépin ( suffering a wound in the ankle: The Revolution Begins). He is said to have died consequently. Reports with regard to a member of the Gardes are from several witness accounts in the ulterior trial ( Pièces du procès(1), the original, integrale, (2) ) held October 1789 until July 1790:

David Etienne Rouillé de l'Etang, Secretaire du Roy a vu apporter un soldat aux gardes blessé d'un coup de pied de cheval p.14 ( November 18) . P.46: Poursin de Grandchamp says the same. Bankers Vandeniver and Boscary each report a conversation they heard naming some victims. Other witnesses allow to understand that a fusillade was fired, involving 50 to 150 muskets but without leading to casualties, quite probably some pistols were also discharged into the windows of places were people of negligible rank had been loudly drinking liquors - if those were hurt and shot they preferred not to be brought into the light in consequence apparently. --Askedonty (talk) 16:52, 21 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

A literary incident at an OPEC meeting in the 1980s.

Since there's no History Reference Desk I'm asking here. Is this the appropriate desk?

Anyway, here's my question:

During an OPEC meeting in the 1980s an Arab delegate (who happened to also be a competent poet in Arabic, but I don't remember if he was a Saudi, or a Koweiti, or an Emirati, or even something else) wrote a short poem that was mocking a Nigerian delegate who was speaking at the same time, and his boring speech? The poem was written at the very same time that the meeting was going on. I think it was in the 1980s but I'm not absolutely sure. Could've been the 1970s or the 1990s but no earlier or later than that.

Then, I don't remember how (maybe the piece of paper that poem had been written on was gotten hold of by someone) the poem was leaked to the BBC or some other news organization and it even appeared in print (most likely in translation) in some print outlets in the West. Needless to say that little poem made for some un-diplomatic noise. The Nigerians didn't display much sense of humor at that particular time.

I don't remember where and when I saw a mention of this incident (could've been in a book, or it could've been in a radio or television program) and I couldn't find any trace of it using the usual methods of search. Are there newspapers archives on the net that are accessible and searchable?

If you can find anything about this incident that'd be great. I'm particularly interested in the name of the Arab delegate who wrote the poem, particularly if he happened to be a Saudi. I know that several people who occupied significant political positions in Saudi Arabia were also published poets and I was wondering if this was one of them.

Thanks. 178.51.93.5 (talk) 18:55, 21 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Probably Mana Al Otaiba (though not "a Saudi"), 1983, see "OPEC Bard; An Oil Minister's Poem Stole the Show". ---Sluzzelin talk 19:16, 21 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes I'm 99% certain it's the guy, even though the New York Times wouldn't let me view the whole article. Thanks a lot. Incidentally, I wonder why that anecdote was not included in Mana Al Otaiba's article. Wikipedia policy? 178.51.93.5 (talk) 19:06, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Only in the sense that Wikipedia being a work in progress and thus never perfect is part of our editing policy. I can't see any reason, at first glance, not to include this information, provided it is reliably sourced and also embedded in context (beyond just telling the anecdote). I couldn't see any discussions on the article's talk page about including the OPEC poem or not, nor did I see anyone trying to add it to the article and then get reverted. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:44, 24 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 22

Origin of the family name HALEF

Hello everyone. I am looking for sources that prove that the name Halef is widespread within the Aramaic/Assyrian/Syriac people, whose origin is the Tur Abdin. To our knowledge, the origin of the name is traced back to the Halaf/Halef culture (see Tell Halaf). It is not correct that the name is only of Arabic origin. The sources are intended to supplement/correct the Wikipedia article "Halef". Utpo (talk) 08:46, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Is your intention to create a Wikipedia article on the name Halef? Please read Help:Your first article. Your first concern should be to find sources that establish the topic is notable. --Lambiam 11:03, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There is already an existing article in german.

I want to add more/other information, but I dont find the sources as I mendioned before.

Also I dont think that the sources which were used in the existing article are working and meaningful. Utpo (talk) 11:14, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The German page Halef is not an article but a disambiguation page. It seems to relate the name to Arabic خلف, with an initial خ (usually transliterated in English as ⟨kh⟩), instead of the name حلف found in Tell Halaf. --Lambiam 11:51, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Utpo -- The modern names of prehistoric cultures (Mohenjo-Daro, Natufian, Çatalhöyük etc) are almost never what the people in those cultures would have called themselves. AnonMoos (talk) 12:09, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Can I delete this topic which I opened? Utpo (talk) 12:48, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

You can ~~strike-through~~ your own comments, but it isn't usually permitted to delete other people's on-topic comments on a discussion page which is not in your personal userspace, unless they agree... AnonMoos (talk) 13:03, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, the Halaf culture is named after the archaeological site Tell Halaf, which is a relatively young name. An earlier name is Guzana, recorded as גּוֹזָ֖ן‎ (Gozan) in the Bible (in 2 Kings 17:6 and 18:11). --Lambiam 20:57, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

As opposed to the name of Bethlehem, which has remained similar in form for the last 3,300 years or more (with some relatively minor pronunciation variations), but whose meaning has changed from "Temple of the god Lahmu" (Canaanite) to "House of bread" (Hebrew) to "House of meat" (Arabic). AnonMoos (talk) 10:29, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Arthur Adam

Initiated via block evasion.

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

Are there some sources about his full life? -- Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.40.232.112 (talk) 10:19, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

All that can be said is that if there were, they should be easy to find by now. There was a great fuss around Arthur Adam's 1944 account to Martin Borman because of a renewed interest in the person of Claus von Stauffenberg, a few years ago. Maybe take a look into that other account for some new line of research ? --Askedonty (talk) 14:59, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 23

museum to swizzle sticks

There may be swizzle stick collectors somewhere in the USA or the world. But I saw on the Internet a few of them are planning to open a museum to the aforementioned artifacts. Could that be true? Anyone know?2603:7000:8641:810E:9CFC:40DC:EDEC:79EB (talk) 01:04, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

As the Buddha once said, "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet." Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:59, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It doesn't take much to open a museum. Clean out your garage, put some objects for display on shelves and pedestals and put a sign saying MUSEUM over the garage door.^[1][2][3] --Lambiam 13:33, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

And a setup to collect admission charges. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:51, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Well, there seems to be a Penis Museum in Iceland. Given the climes of this island, it may not be an outstanding cultural climax for visitations. For all I know, they don´t even charge admission but collect emissions. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:57, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The "Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata" in Austin, Texas has achieved a degree of fame (especially locally), though in some of its incarnations I'm not sure that there was even a dedicated garage -- just stuff on the walls in the rooms of a home where a couple lived. (It's mentioned in the Marc Israel and List of museums in Central Texas articles, and was featured on the "Daytripper" public television show.) A swizzle stick was a vital clue in the book "Ghost Hunter" by Jayne Castle. Maybe the International Swizzle Sticks Collector Association mentioned on the Wikipedia "swizzle stick" article would know about museum plans... AnonMoos (talk) 17:01, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

A projected swizzle stick museum in LA is planned by one Pam Ashlund who is also the founder of the The Swizzle Stick Collectors Club, which "was a continuation of an historic organization, the International Swizzle Stick Collectors Association (I.S.S.C.A.)". Alansplodge (talk) 19:30, 24 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Civet Cat

This British Museum catalogue entry refers to "The Civet Cat", with addresses in London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and more, in the 19th century. eBay has examples of trade tokens giving it as an address, also.

What was it? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 20:05, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

One, at a London address was a pub in 1900.
Sleigh (talk) 20:16, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Google gives lots of hits for the Bristol one being a herbalist/perfumery. Probably linked to Civet (perfumery). Nanonic (talk) 20:25, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Kendall & Son, Manufacturers and Importers of perfumes. At the Civet Cat. It means Kendall & Sons shops had a Civet Cat as a sign. A bit like John Lane publishing "at the Bodley Head". DuncanHill (talk) 22:33, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Apologies, all - I have now added the link to the catalogue entry, in my original post. Note the reference to "various branches of The Civet Cat" Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:59, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The name appears to have been At the Civet Cat, four words. See e.g. here for the Birmingham branch. It shows that they did sell, next to perfumes, also French fancy articles, artificial flowers, beads, fans, jewellery, fancy cutlery, bracelets &c of the most novel patterns. Italian, German, French & English toys &c.

Unlike Nanonic, I do not get many ghits for the Bristol branch. I get only one, which is to the issue of The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post of 11 February 1837. It is behind a paywall, but the hit apparently concerns an ad for a sales (of perfumes?) occasioned by Kendall & Son saying farewell to retail. This is what I managed to wring out and reconstruct (with some uncertainty) from the OCR'ed text:

At the CIVET CAT, 43, WINE-STREET, Bristol. To be offered in Lots suitable to Purchasers at Prices infinitely lower than they can possibly come into the possession of either manufacturer or importer, and affords an opportunity to the Public of possessing articles of real excellence on such terms as may never occur again. Kendall & Son, in retiring altogether from the Retail in Bristol in consequence of having taken an extensive Whole??? ??? in the ??? of Germany, which will require the constant residence of one, and the active co-operation of others, of their firm, cannot do so without expressing their warmest gratitude to their numerous Friends and Customers for the ample support which they have ever received.

--Lambiam 07:46, 25 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 25

The facade of San Giacomo di Rialto, Venice

A couple of late 18th-century paintings by Canaletto and Giovanni Battista Brustolon show San Giacomo di Rialto having a facade in the late 18th century rather similar to that of the modern day iteration of the church, albeit with some minor differences in design. However, a couple of drawings by Giacomo Guardi, presumably either later in the 18th century or in the early 19th century, depict a clock with a square frame. A couple photos and a drawing from the early 1900s confirm a similar clock design, and a bottom window replaced with a decorative painting, persisting into the 20th century. Is there any documentary evidence for how/when the facade designs were changed? GalacticShoe (talk) 07:11, 25 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The only thing I found is a sentence in the French article that says the clock was modified in hte 18th century, and put back in place at the beginning of the 20th century (Cette horloge, réformée au XVIIIe siècle a été restaurée et remise en place au début du XXe siècle). The reference given is "Lo Stradario Di Venezia; Guida anagrafico-toponomastica illustrata e curiosità storico artistiche di Venezia Volume II p.562". I can't find that work on google books. --Wrongfilter (talk) 12:53, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This is an excellent starting point, thank you very much! GalacticShoe (talk) 17:16, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

A Google Books listing at [4] indicates that the second volume, focusing on the sestieri of San Polo, Santa Croce, and Dorsoduro + Giudecca, was written by Piero Pazzi in 2001, but other than that I can't find any information about the book. Chances are that it's probably rather obscure. GalacticShoe (talk) 17:25, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Lottery annuities and interest rates

As MegaMillions and Powerball jackpots increase, I'm trying to find the interest rate implied by the annuity payouts, but no one specifies it. I assume that it depends on the day the jackpot is won. Is it possible to obtain a good approximation by looking at the yield curve?

The best I can find is that a source, without attribution, says that the lump sum figure is invested in Treasuries to enable a payout that increases by 5% a year. Is that so? Do they buy a bond ladder spanning years 2-30? I don't suppose there's a rule of thumb for figuring the implied interest rate?

Thank you. Imagine Reason (talk) 13:03, 25 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

B.T.H. system for the deaf

I understand the B.T.H. (British Thomson-Houston) system for sound movies (e.g. [5]); but what is the "B.T.H. system for the deaf", referred to in the 1937 advert, above? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:27, 25 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently a deaf-aid amplifier,^[6] with the sound delivered through a headphone.^[7] --Lambiam 21:52, 25 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It is very likely the same design as the GEC system I worked on in the early 70s. A system of hard plastic or metal tubing went from a distribution center to each seat. The distribution center had small speakers that produced sound that was pushed through the tubes (in stereo, one right tube and one left tube). If you put your each next to the two holes in your seat's armrest, you could hear it. But, to be effective, you plugged in headphones, which were just tube extenders that let the sound continue from the armrest to your ears. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it was very cheap and effective. The only maintenance I did was replacing dented or cracked tubing and removing gum and whatnot from the armrest holes. 12.116.29.106 (talk) 17:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

12.116.29.106 -- Those hollow-tube systems were also used to connect the headsets used by airline passengers listening to in-flight entertainment, through at least the 1970s. But I don't think that the plastics that were used in airplane audio systems in the 1970s were commercially manufactured in 1937 (very little was then, except bakelite). AnonMoos (talk) 23:14, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Legal standing

Question relates to FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. I don't follow this issue closely and I try to stay away from abortion politics, so please forgive errors in my summary. But basically AHM is a group of anti-abortion doctors who, while they don't prescribe mifepristone themselves, say they have had their medical practices burdened by having to treat patients who suffered complications from taking mifepristone that they got elsewhere. Therefore they sued to mifepristone's FDA approval withdrawn/modified. At issue (among other things) is whether they have standing to sue.[8] Two lower courts have said yes, but it is still being contested, with some counter-arguments quoted in the linked CNN article.

My question is basically how this question about standing got to SCOTUS at all. Is it not a "law 101" question rather than a SCOTUS question? Are there analogous cases? E.g. can doctors who treat injuries from lawn darts or motorcycle crashes sue to get those products banned, because of the extra work they create for the doctors? Similarly from home repair workers who have to fix indoor flooding from portable washing machines spilling water on the floor? Is this case special because it's about the politically charged topic of abortion? IANAL and IDK whether AHM does or doesn't have standing, but I'd thought this would be a question that someone with actual legal training should be able to answer in about 2 seconds rather than dragging it through years of litigation. Thanks. 174.160.238.145 (talk) 23:39, 25 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I asked a similar question quite some time ago, and the answer is basically that standing to sue is a complicated issue, as illustrated by the conflicting lower court rulings. That's why the Supreme Court needs to sort it out. RudolfRed (talk) 00:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the lower courts are in conflict in this case. The district court and the circuit court both said AHM has standing. But, their opponents have been painting the judges involved as right wing zealots, who decided as they did for political reasons. Anyway, thanks. The wikipedia article about the csae doesn't mention this question, and I don't feel qualified to update it, unfortunately. 174.160.238.145 (talk) 01:24, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The petition by the DOJ, on behalf of the FDA, argues that the lower courts made "serious legal errors", which is a reason for which the Supreme Court may grant to hear the case. For one thing, the Court has to decide whether the challengers had standing.^[9]— Preceding unsigned comment added by Lambiam (talk • contribs) 12:29, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, the challengers are AHM, and the lower courts (possibly through "serious legal errors") decided that the challengers have standing. But, I mean, federal courts are supposed to be competent organizations whose job is to navigate legal questions of some subtlety. They might get a question wrong, just like a math proof accepted by a journal can have a serious error in the sense of a subtle but unfixable bug, but a math journal is unlikely to print a paper that flat out says on page 1 that 2+2=5. So my basic question is whether "does AHM have standing" is really a "research-level" legal question that a competent judge might decide incorrectly, or is it more like 2+2? As I see it, the possibilities are 1) it really is a complex question that the courts are hashing out; 2) it's really 2+2=4 that AHM has standing even though the FDA wishes otherwise, and the courts so far have affirmed that fact; 3) it's really 2+2=4 that AHM does not have standing, but through partisanship or incompetence, the lower courts decided 2+2=5 resulting in the mifepristone de-approval.

The Scotusblog article seems to make about the same argument as the CNN one. They are not being forceful about it but they seem to say "no standing" is obvious, based on seemingly absurd implications if standing exists. I had been wondering whether I'm missing something but I guess maybe the above is good enough, and courts really do sometimes do stupid things. Thanks. 174.160.238.145 (talk) 23:24, 28 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Even supreme courts sometimes issue supremely stupid rulings. --Lambiam 09:36, 30 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That's because the human beings who spend their lives issuing judgements are sometimes lacking in judgement. Always judicial but not always judicious. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:05, 30 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 26

Egyptian pipe item

Is this some kind of pipe she's holding? Temerarius (talk) 15:40, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The object in the right hand is an incense burner, with the outward end shaped like an arm and the other end shaped like a falcon head. You can see similar burners in the Commons category here. A. Parrot (talk) 15:55, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Left hand, yes? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:25, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

(sigh) Yes, silly me. A. Parrot (talk) 18:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

So, what might be the thing in the right hand? A wine container maybe? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:40, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably she's offering a libation. What we have is at Libation#Ancient Egypt.... AnonMoos (talk) 03:18, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There could be in it a reference to the Nile god, who is holding a similar vessel, perhaps the same vessel, the same way, here. That statuette displays much less elegance however (it's dated later too). --Askedonty (talk) 07:21, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

A very similar libation vessel can be seen in this tablet where a priest is pouring out a liquid onto a lotus-shaped altar. A slightly different design of vessel is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alansplodge (talk) 10:41, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

You can say that again, it's a silly and ugly chunk. The other vessel in the illustration is familiar from similar ones in hieroglyphs and pottery. Thank you! Temerarius (talk) 15:05, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 27

Petrie's statement 1920

What previously published item did Flinders Petrie declare a fake in "1920, pl. XXI, 46 K"? According to this bibliography https://www.jstor.org/stable/543795?read-now=1&seq=22#page_scan_tab_contents, that year we have "Le Musee de Louvre pendant la guerre", "Italy's protection of Art Treasures and monuments during the War," "Estudio de Arquelogia Cartaginesa. La Necropoli de Ibiza", "A brief Chronology of the Muhammedan Monuments of Egypt to AD 1517", "The Museum" with Margaret Talbot Jackson, The Evolution of the Dragon, with G Elliot Smith. I know there's also "Excavations at Lahun" in Ancient Egypt III in 1920, which has no plate XXI or any plate numbers. Temerarius (talk) 15:20, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I only found that it must have been predynastic decorated ware (D-Ware).

“As decorated jars are well-appreciated objects on the antiquities market, it does not come as a surprise that they have regularly been falsified. Petrie (1929: pl. XXI, 46 K) noted that the decoration was faked on one of the vessels he had published (which however did not prevent the jar from showing up as an example of D-ware in recent publications, cf. el-Yakhi 1981: 78, fig. A 8). As decorated jars with human representation were particularly sought after they were of course even more likely to be faked.”

Stan Hendrickx, “Checklist of predynastic ‘Decorated’ pottery with human figures”, Cahiers Caribéens d’Egyptologie, 2002

---Sluzzelin talk 15:44, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Prince de Lambesc (1751-1825)

Initiated via block evasion.

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

He was a distant cousin of Queen Marie Antoinette. Are there any source about his reation for the deaths of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette? And about if he had supported their cause after left France in 1789? -- Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.207.115.160 (talk) 23:25, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Link: Charles Eugene, Prince of Lambesc. As I said before, the fact that he was a descendant of the House of Guise may have helped determine his royalism... AnonMoos (talk) 04:24, 28 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 29

Ostracism

Could the Eponymous archon be named as the target in an Ostracism in ancient Athens?

The Ostracism article states that "any citizen could be expelled", so seems like the answer is "Yes".

But I'm not super familiar with the definition of a "citizen" in ancient Athens, so I'm not 100% sure whether the eponymous archon is off limits or not. OptoFidelty (talk) 05:05, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There is a (german) large enzyclodedia "Der Große Pauly" which might be able to answer this question.--Ralfdetlef (talk) 13:53, 30 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What role have anti-Assad factional Baathists played in the Syrian civil war?

For example, the Michel Aflaq faction and the Salah Jadid faction. DJCPRN (talk) 12:57, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure what "Michel Aflaq faction" would mean; many Ba`th groups claim his legacy, though he was kind of an Iraq regime figurehead during the last two decades of his life. The Democratic Socialist Arab Ba'ath Party apparently continues the Salah Jadid legacy... AnonMoos (talk) 04:07, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Michel Aflaq faction would be the Iraqi-dominated Baath Party. I have no refs or sources, but I strongly doubt the Syrian wing of the Saddam-led Baath Party had any role in the war as such. --Soman (talk) 13:15, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 30

Asexuality and politics

Besides unsuccessful candidates George Norman and Joe Parrish, have there been other openly asexual politicians who have served in any public office or at least expressed interest in getting into politics, or do asexuals just seem further from purportedly taking over the world than other LGBTQI+ demographics at the moment? – MrPersonHumanGuy (talk) 23:19, 30 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

While our article on asexuality doesn't seem to overview a political movement, I can find two bits of literature that might shed light on why: Catri 2021 review suggests that there's still no clear definition of asexuality, within the community or academia, which would present some difficulties forming an identity-based political bloc. Meanwhile Ceranowski & Milks 2024 Part II (you can find individual chapter pdfs on Google Scholar; here's the intro chapter) suggests that any meaningful asexual political movement is so far given only in theoretical terms (say in terms of bloc, issues, and goals).

All this combined with (per ibid) apathy or mixed feelings at best within the LGBT community, and general population, to the relevance of asexuality (should it be defined), and I don't know if a pragmatic politician would see anything but downsides in publicly identifying as such. SamuelRiv (talk) 00:21, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

March 31

A poet called Harry at The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream

There's a documentary on television about The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream. They mentioned a poet called Harry something, who had taken too much speed and had trouble reciting his poems. Unfortunately I missed his surname, and he doesn't seem to be mentioned in the article I linked. Who was he? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 02:14, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Harry Fainlight --Viennese Waltz 05:49, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you - they must have been talking about the International Poetry Incarnation. I have a horribly heavy cold and tend to drift off at moments. DuncanHill (talk) 12:04, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Provinces of the Yuan dynasty

I'd like to find a resource showing the differences between the ancient Yuan provinces and the present Chinese provinces. Differences in the sense of the areas they covered. For example the Henan Jiangbei province encompassed modern Henan, northern Jiangsu, and part of Anhui, but it is not specified exactly what parts of Jiangsu and Anhui were included. The ideal would be maps with both the old and new provinces superimposed. Do you have any idea? Thank you! 82.58.19.207 (talk) 10:45, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Your best bet is likely to be the National Palace Museum's library in Taipei, Taiwan (<https://www.npm.gov.tw/?l=2>). DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 23:31, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Mussolini and Francis of Assisi

I've read that the former parish priest of Predappio (Mussolini's birthplace) said that there was "an American historian" who compared Mussolini to Francis of Assisi. Is it true? Who was he?-- Carnby (talk) 18:58, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It seems that the comparison of Mussolini to Francis of Assisi may have actually been made as far back as during Mussolini's time. Not American, but the Australian historian R. J. B. Bosworth wrote in his 2014 book on Mussolini that "reverent readers learned from one priest... that Mussolini was a sort of re-born St Francis of Assisi." GalacticShoe (talk) 20:40, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

For some reason, Google Books no longer gives me the option to preview the particular page, but I do remember the main citation for the paragraph being no. 145, which upon looking further into the book, appears to be luckily freely previewable. Citation 145 states that "for Mussolini's own account of these events and those that followed, see his Storia di un anno, pp. 301-444. Not sure if this account includes any mention of St. Francis, but it might be worth checking. GalacticShoe (talk) 21:06, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Mabel Berezin, who is an American sociologist, wrote in her 1997 book that "Mussolini would charm the crowds as St Francis of Assisi charmed the birds and the animals." At the same time, that sentence comes with a footnote that explicitly cites Herbert Schneider's 1928 book Making the Fascist State as talking more about the Fascist appropriation of St Francis. It's possible that the priest may be talking about Schneider, who was an American philosophy professor and religious studies scholar, but at the same time it would seem that Schneider is talking about comparisons that the Fascists themselves created. GalacticShoe (talk) 20:49, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Was the corpse of Francis of Assisi hung by its heels in a public place? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:10, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Perceiving the G rating as meaning "kids only"

The Wikipedia article on the MPAA film rating system says that G officially means everyone is admitted. However, it also says that in practice the "G" rating limits a movie's audience as if its meaning were that the movie is just for children. Any reason?? Georgia guy (talk) 21:43, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What's the article's source for that claim, if any? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:08, 31 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see such a statement in the article. However, I consider the claim to be obviously true. --142.112.220.50 (talk) 04:16, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

And I consider the claim to be not at all obvious. In fact, as noted in Motion picture content rating system, G means "General audiences - all ages admitted". There's nothing in that description that says "kids only". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:14, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

To me, it's implying that it will discourage older people from seeing it, as it will appear to be just a children's movie. Clarityfiend (talk) 05:05, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Or more likely, to encourage parents to take their kids - a "family movie". There's nothing to be gained by discouraging adults from going. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:46, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I read through Motion Picture Association film rating system and I didn't see what you've described; are you talking about a different article? I don't doubt the sentiment, but it would be good to make sure what we're trying to figure out. It's dying a very slow death, but in the West, it's commonly felt that anything that is okay for kids must be too simplistic to entertain adult audiences. The same thing bites us in reverse when "unsuitable for children" gets equated with "aimed at adults". You can see the roots of this at Hays Code, where you can see it would be... tricky to create art that would be stimulating to adults while obeying the letter of those laws. For fear of being offensive, creators instead opted to be insipid. Matt Deres (talk) 17:57, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think that last sentence is a little reductive. I don't think the Hays Code was a good thing, but I do think there was some brilliant art created under it. That was, for one thing, the golden age of the movie musical. There was lots of provocative stuff; it was just written between the lines. --Trovatore (talk) 20:22, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

April 1

Two Eastern European billionaires--can't find the article and don't remember their names

I remember reading a while back about two Millennial Eastern European billionaires--in my head, Ukrainian--who intended merely to make a middle class income but ended up becoming extremely wealthy when they created a valuable tech startup. However, some part of this story must be wrong, because I attempted to find them in the Forbes billionaire lists from 1997 to 2023 and couldn't find anyone sufficiently similar. There was some comment on the page about a 25,000 (or so--might be more money, but not more than 50,000) a year income goal, and about how this was idiomatic wherever they lived at the time (in the same way as 9/9/6 has become idiomatic in China). I think one of the men had shoulder length wavy hair. I found them on a page listing regional rich people, probably related to Pavel Durov, but I can't find that page either. I'm now wondering if they might have been Latin American, but only because I've been searching Eastern European billionaires fruitlessly for hours. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Shmiggle (talk) 07:25, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There are Nikolai and Pavel Durov of Telegram (software)... -- AnonMoos (talk) 10:21, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Oops, didn't notice that you already mentioned one of them. None of the first images from a Google Images search show them with long hair, anyway. AnonMoos (talk) 10:25, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly Dmitry Bukhman and Igor Bukhman? --Viennese Waltz 12:56, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

No, I should have mentioned that I don't think they're siblings. Shmiggle (talk) 15:44, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Mementoes in memory of Flaco

When Flaco (owl) died, many of his fans and supporters left mementoes under his favorite tree. A few of them were artworks, and some others were plush toy owls. After all of the memorial services in his memory, what has become of the mementoes? Anyone know?2603:7000:8641:810E:AFB5:A06F:298:5D33 (talk) 11:54, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Credit cards question.

Let's say I had credit cards A and B with the same bank. Used credit card A actively until switched to B. If credit card A sits inactive for months, should I close it? Will the cc company complain? I generally think the answer is yes if that is the sole cc of a cc company, but if you have active and inactive ccs with the same bank/cc company, then that is okay? Does closing the inactive cc hurt the credit score? Thanks. 170.76.231.162 (talk) 17:08, 1 April 2024 (UTC).[reply]

I studied the effect of closing an unused credit card in the past. This is the source of the reason people say you shouldn't close the card:

Suppose that I keep a monthly balance of $500 every month. I have two cards. Each have $1000 credit. I am only using one of them. I am using $500 out of a possible $2000 credit every month. My utilization ratio is 25%.

Now, I close one of the cards. I remove $1000 credit from the calculation. My utilization ratio goes to 50%.

A higher utilization ratio reduces your credit score a tiny bit. So, keeping the unused account open will avoid that problem. Keep in mind that the extra credit card is not wihtout risk. First, does it have a charge? Some credit cards have monthly or yearly charges just to have the card. So, you have to ask if the charge is worth a few points in your credit score. Second, is the card secure? What if someone gets the card? With one card, you are protecting the information of one card. With two cards, you are protecting the information of two cards, one of which you don't pay attention to. If someone gets that card info and uses it, your credit rating will be hurt a lot more than if you just closed the card. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 17:36, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There's also the age of your oldest open account. If card A is your oldest account, then it strikes me that switching back to A and closing B might be an option to consider. I make no recommendation here; just a factor to look into. --Trovatore (talk) 23:49, 1 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Another factor to consider is that if you unexpectedly find yourself in need, an extra credit card could come in handy. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:44, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Why would the credit card company complain? They're not making any money off of you. Also, I had a card that I didn't use for years. The issuing bank eventually just closed it without notice. Clarityfiend (talk) 11:01, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This is why they require an annual fee. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:41, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

None of mine do. Clarityfiend (talk) 13:10, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If you're keeping a monthly balance of $500 on any credit card, you should probably (a) close out all your credit cards, as you apparently can't figure out that for a mere 20% (quite low) interest rate you're paying through the nose to use someone else's money; and (b) not seek advice from a forum that clearly states at the top that we don't give advice. DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 16:57, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

April 2

Archive of Preservation Magazine

Does anyone know where I might find an online archive of Preservation Magazine? I'm trying to verify a cite from the August 2004 issue where the ref has a dead archive link and there's no alternatives. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 05:09, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried contacting them? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:04, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That's what I'd do if nobody here knows offhand. :) Seriously, I wouldn't expect them to quickly get back to me on such a question. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 07:13, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Then you'd best get right on it! ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:40, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

They don't have them. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 17:17, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Comment: The irony of this is striking. KConWiki (talk) 03:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I could already see before I asked they didn't have the past issues on their site, so it was not surprising that asking them turned out to bear no fruit. Thanks for the wild goose chase, I guess? :) Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 04:53, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Preservation Magazine preserves all that does not preserve itself. Does Preservation Magazine then preserve itself? GalacticShoe (talk) 07:28, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Recent issues are on their website here. 12.116.29.106 (talk) 14:45, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

They don't have issues going back that far. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 17:17, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Archive.org is your friend! <https://archive.org/search?query=title%3A%28preservation%20magazine%29> DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 16:59, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Not in this case. Already tried. My search and your search doesn't turn it up. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 17:18, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

For posterity's sake, the National Trust for Historic Preservation doesn't keep back issues online before 2015 (roughly 9 years back), and they have indicated there's no third-party location for such. Of course, if anyone ever can identify a location for this material, please let me know, as I would like to verify a citation. There's no WP:DEADLINE so really, anytime is fine. If I remember, I will try to search on a trip to an actual library, but I won't make the trip for a single citation. Thanks everyone for trying. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 19:47, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@StefenTower: Try WP:RX. Another editor may have access to the issue you are looking for. RudolfRed (talk) 04:14, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you! I had no idea we had anything like that on the Wikipedia. Stefen Tower_{s among the rest!} ^{Gab • Gruntwerk} 04:39, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What's the closest thing to an extant high seas road, pier or railroad?

Maybe the Chunnel? If the Dover Strait was a little wider the middle would be outside the 12 mile limit. Could countries extend their territory just by building a really long bridge, tunnel or pier with the border in the middle though presumably that'd be only for the actual structure they couldn't claim the air, earth or water below, above or to the side that way? Or would the structure be international waters in the middle but that would make carjacking piracy triable in admiralty courts? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 14:56, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

A bridge, itself, is a structure. Structures are not sovereign territory. For example, an oil rig in the ocean does not extend sovereign territory. Normally, the exclusive economic zone is considered to be 200 miles from land. So, you would, in theory, need to extend a bridge more than 200 miles to claim an area outsize the existing EEZ. That is a good four times the length of existing long sea bridges. Related, you will find attempts of people finding a structure in the sea, like an abandoned oil rig, and trying to claim it as sovereign territory. That has not worked. So, if a country were to take some structure out in the ocean and claim it is part of their sovereign territory, giving them 200 miles of EEZ around it, it would likely be refuted by other countries. Further related, what if you build land far out into your EEZ or even beyond? As an example, China has been doing that. There are disputes that the islands they are creating are not official and should not be considered sovereign land with a 200 mile EEZ. Why? That overlaps neighboring countries. As you dig into this, you find that silly arguments between countries are really about owning the ocean, which can be drilled for oil or other valuables and which can be used as a shipping corridor. 12.116.29.106 (talk) 15:57, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

See Nine-dash line for what 12.116.29.106 is referring to. The prevailing version of international law (see United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) is that "rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf" (though they can have a standard territorial sea of 12 nautical miles). Artificially expanding the land area of a "rock" and then using the result to claim a 200-mile EEZ would be extremely controversial at best; an international tribunal did not look favorably on similar Chinese activities as part of its ruling in the South China Sea Arbitration. AnonMoos (talk) 20:18, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

How small can cause an EEZ line most nations recognize? Would U Thant Island count if it wasn't in internal waters or enlarged in the future? North Brother Island which confined many contagious people, Typhoid Mary for decades? Ellis Island which has a pretty big building and a bridge to Jersey City? What counts as human habitation? A naked survivalist would have to be able to live indefinitely in complete autarky if he arrived the right season or almost everything has to be imported for even one human to live even freshwater, and poop exported, all at great cost? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 21:34, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ellis Island is in United States internal waters, so an EEZ is irrelevant. Several islands in the South China Sea that might be considered rocks under traditional legal interpretations now have a permanent military or coast guard presence, as do the Liancourt Rocks... AnonMoos (talk) 02:40, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If God put it 1 mile off Cape Hatteras, Cape Agulhas or Cape Horn it would affect the EEZ edge location if it was adjudged big enough right? Most of Ellis Island is landfill too, as is Nut Island and U Thant Island. Also if another Surtsey formed but in water no one claimed EEZ or otherwise could it become a relatively lawless land in no country? If more than the population of the lowest full member moves in would the UN make them a full member if they wanted? Could the first country that settles it claim it? Could militaries fight for the right to own it and colonize with assault rifles, grenades etc without annoying inviolability of a country sticklers? What if it was a large artificial dump of soil? If a billionaire can dump enough soil to build on can he make his own absolute monarchy or country-less island of blackjack and (non-pirate non-slave) hookers? Not what I'd spend it on but this would appeal some if they had $100 billion. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 03:36, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Expanding an island one mile off the coast is not really the issue, since that would expand the territorial waters or EEZ by a small fractional amount. Expanding a rock not near any coast, putting a military presence on it, and then drawing a 200-mile EEZ circle around it is the real point of contention. Gambling ships stationed outside national waters were popular during the 1930s, but don't really exist near the U.S. now. You're missing the element of Libertarian politics; for at least 50 years some Libertarians have dreamed of setting up a laissez-faire paradise; one effort was the Minerva Reefs (see Republic of Minerva). These days the Libertarians mostly seem to be into "seasteading"... AnonMoos (talk) 09:48, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Okay apparently the 13th mile is not the high seas and it seems like immigration and other customs laws can be enforced till the 24th mile it's not just for arresting people that cross the line then cross back before they can't be touched. It seems like a yacht registered in one of those flags of convenience would be allowed to unobtrusively hang out or watch an eclipse in mile 24 to 200 without polluting, interfering with radio reception or licensing in the country and not be considered entering the country for customs purposes but the article isn't clear. But they couldn't extract like fishing, or drilling for oil. And a few high seas crimes are arrestable by anyone like piracy and slaving, while high seas murder would be arrestable by the nominal flag state and possibly also the countries of ship, victim or murderer? If you look on Open Street Map the line where the country and subnational state ends is marked though Wikipedia's article seems to give full immigration powers till 24 nautical miles. The article also mentions a right of innocent passage (a ship shortening an A to B up to as much as they can without running aground or touching baseline, without spending excessive time in country). Which seems to contradict this being part of the country for customs purposes. Anyway if a country built a 24.01 nautical mile pier or a 48.01 nautical mile bridge could anyone just go to the sidewalk of the 0.01 miles without crossing the inner EEZ border and hang out? But no fishing. And if someone gets out of their car in the middle and robs another car would they have to be tried for piracy in maritime court? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 20:34, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I can tell the longest span over open ocean is the Donghai Bridge in Shanghai, about 30 km. But I don't know how interesting the sea gets under these bridges such that you could it the "high seas". But for example, the Seven Mile Bridge in southern Florida USA has comparatively shorter open-water spans, but it is designed to withstand hurricanes on the ocean. Of course neither gets into international waters, even if you had a 12-mile limit. (I imagine a big part of the trick to do that in future would be for countries on either end to agree to build a connecting bridge in the first place, absent some open borders treaty as the EU has.) SamuelRiv (talk) 20:43, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

April 3

Martin Luther King Jr. quote and the Birmingham jail

Resolved

I'm trying to compose a synopsis for the film article God & Country, but as luck would have it, I keep getting hung up by the very first scene. The film opens with William Barber II giving a voice over as a small town with churches is shown. The problem is that I can't seem to track down what Barber is talking about. I mistakenly assumed Barber was referring to the famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail", but there's nothing really in that letter that refers to this quote, so Barber must be referring to something else, but what it is I cannot say. Here's the quote: "When he was in the Birmingham jail, Dr. King said, 'When I look at all the injustices in the world and I drive past churches and I see these high steeples, I ask myself, What kind of people worship there? What do they care about? Are they at work in the world for those things which look like love and look like justice and look like truth? What are they?'" Any ideas what Barber is referring to here? I think there's a possibility that Barber is metaphorically summarizing the famous Letter in a poetic manner, and that makes a certain kind of sense, but it also strikes me as slightly odd and unusual to my ear. Surely, Barber must be referring to something else? Viriditas (talk) 10:11, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Update: It looks like there are many different edited versions of the letter, which is something I wasn't aware of at all. Apparently, some of the most popular versions online do not include this full quote, which I have found in other, more original versions. This is a bit troubling, as most people aren't actually reading what MLK wrote and intended to be read. Viriditas (talk) 19:54, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see how, since MLK's quotations are all around us and his legacy has been so well-managed in that regard. After all, to directly quote him 100% absolutely verbatim, he told people "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." SamuelRiv (talk) 05:06, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I was honestly quite surprised to discover that the majority of the copies of the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" online are not the original. Most of the top links don't have the quote. This is pretty crazy, to be honest. I can't say that I've ever run into this kind of thing before. Viriditas (talk) 07:42, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

For those unfamiliar with this, here is the text in full (linked in our article):

I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?"

Alansplodge (talk) 10:56, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Zero-elasticity good

What could a zero-elasticity good be classified as? This image about the types of goods says that a good is normal if its elasticity is positive and inferior if its elasticity is negative. In which class of goods would a good with elasticity 0 belong? Alfa-ketosav (talk) 19:48, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

April 4

Old tale set in Memphis

Hello, I remember from my childhood an old tale set in Memphis, U.S., about the bullying of a kid who finally manage to react. I can't remember the author or the exact title. Could you please help me? Thanks.-- Carnby (talk) 05:39, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Loukoumi and the Schoolyard Bully by Nick Katsoris (Dream Day Press, 2013) might fit, but is perhaps too recent (we don't know when your childhood was); Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow (Dial Press, 2022) will certainly be.

How about The Land by Mildred D. Taylor (Scholastic, 2001), or another in her 6-book 'Logan Family' series? 151.227.130.213 (talk) 11:36, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]