Welcome to the humanities section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

Select a section:

WP:RD/H

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

How can I get my question answered?

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

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

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

March 18

Cohabitation in France

Cohabitation (government)#France says that the last period of cohabitation ended in 2002. Our articles on the incumbent president and prime minister, Emmanuel Macron and François Bayrou, note that they're members of Renaissance (French political party) and the European Democratic Party, respectively. Since they're not members of the same party, why is the current situation (in place since the end of last year) not considered cohabitation? Nyttend (talk) 09:10, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I find the current French political landscape rather confusing, but the Bayrou government is essentially a coalition government formed by Ensemble. Both Bayrou and Macron are leading members of that coalition (even though from different political parties) so president and prime minister are on the same side. A cohabitation would have president and prime minister from opposing sides. --Wrongfilter (talk) 09:44, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Finding childhood books

Hey all,
I am interested in finding the titles of two childhood books of mine. The first is more of a series than a single book, but I only recall events from two of the books. It's a graphic novel series set in Minecraft, and I recall the main character being a redhead girl with a pet, though I don't recall what the pet was. I believe there was an obsidian-walled city and some sort of knockoff olympics in another one of the books? That's about all I remember.
Second, there was a book about children being sent to Antarctica for one reason or another. There was some dude secretly communicating with the children and keeping them alive, and I'm pretty sure somebody died at the end. I don't recall any other details, unfortunately.
Thank you all in advance. PhoenixCaelestis • Talk • Contributions 13:03, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I can't begin to answer the question(s), but since we have no idea when your childhood was, it might help someone else to if you mention around what years you read these books, and how old you estimate they were at the time. (The first-mentioned series presumably postdates the first appearance of Minecraft in 2009.) {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.2.64.108 (talk) 13:20, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Probably between the years of 2017-2020? The second book was one read in school, so it might be decently older than the first. PhoenixCaelestis • Talk • Contributions 13:23, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Is the second book Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083? --Amble (talk) 19:00, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that's it! Thank you! PhoenixCaelestis • Talk • Contributions 19:13, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Could the first one be Diary of Herobrine's Child? On the cover she has Pantone red (or crimson) hair. ‑‑Lambiam 08:57, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that's it. That looks to me more like a novella, and I recall the story was a graphic novel. Though now that I'm looking at this, I am pretty sure there was a character named Tom as one of the protagonists? PhoenixCaelestis • Talk • Contributions 11:06, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

There are at least three Minecraft graphic novels available on Amazon: [1] [2] [3], could it be one of those? --Viennese Waltz 13:04, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

surely the number of such books must be small, since the usage of the intellectual property - the setting - cannot be kosher without due license 130.74.58.77 (talk) 19:33, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe do a Google Image Search for "Minecraft Graphic Novel" (there are dozens of them, who knew?) and see if any of the covers look familiar? Chuntuk (talk) 14:30, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I generally hesitate to recommend AI for factual knowledge, but this is one thing it's spectacularly good at. It's found me the titles and authors of a handful of books published in the 1980s that I'm pretty sure were fairly obscure even then. And this is a case where you can likely verify its answers. -- Avocado (talk) 14:39, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Equivalent to Mozart in non-European world

Is there a musician or an era where in Africa, Asia or Latin America or Middle East where they had their own Classical music period and produced their own Mozart or Beethoven or Verdi or some sort? --Donmust90-- Donmust90 (talk) 17:22, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Check Ottoman music, Opera in Latin America, Hindustani classical music, Andalusi classical music, gagaku, perhaps gamelan, List of cultural and regional genres of music#Historical genres.

--Error (talk) 21:01, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The notion of the "composer" of a piece as a separate role, distinct from that of the performing artists, arose in the Western music tradition. The survival of a composition in its original form across generations requires not only a system of musical notation, but also the ability of performers to read music, which in most music traditions was not part of a musician's training. Even so, the status of composers in the Western tradition only became exalted in the Romantic period. ‑‑Lambiam 08:45, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The influence of Wang Shifu (王實甫) in China is comparable to that of Mozart in the Western world. Wang’s work Romance of the Western Chamber in 1300 AD is one of the most popular opera in China. The original work was written as Zaju and was adapted for performance in different types of opera, such as Yue opera, Teochew opera, Cantonese opera, Peking opera, Huangmei opera as well as to movies (in 1927, 1940, 1956, 1958, 1965, 1999 and 2005 respectively) and TV dramas (in 1976, 2001, 2005 and 2013 respectively). Stanleykswong (talk) 20:25, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Zeami Motokiyo's (世阿弥元清) influence in Japan can also be compared with Mozart's influence in the Western world. Zeami composed about 100 Noh plays (Japanese classical performing arts combine dance, drama, music and art) around 1400 AD. Stanleykswong (talk) 20:43, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"Return of Buddhism to India" by B. R. Ambedkar

Did B. R. Ambedkar ever write a book/pamphlet/article/speech/anything titled "Return of Buddhism to India" (or something along those lines)? For some reason I have this faint memory of hearing about such a work by Ambedkar but after checking his bibliography and on google I have found no such work. Did I imagine this work entirely or merely misattribute a similarly named book? ―Howard • 🌽³³ 21:21, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly this book? [4] --Amble (talk) 22:00, 18 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't rule out misattributing a work, but I guess the question still lingers in my head since I really feel like I don't directly remember seeing the Kinsey book in particular. Perhaps I saw it in a citation once, but didnt read carefully, and thats where the confusion came from. ―Howard • 🌽³³ 03:19, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find anything with that title in his Complete Works. Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:35, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Must have been a work of my imagination. ―Howard • 🌽³³ 13:02, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 19

Was she a painter?

The article of Marguerite Émilie Chalgrin refers to her as a painter, but I have found nothing online to confirm this. Neither does the article describe her work, other than giving her the title of painter. It this a mixup and confusion based on the fact that her father was a painter? Are there any confirmation that she herself was a painter? Thank you.--Aciram (talk) 23:52, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I too can find nothing about any paintings by her. I'm beginning to suspect that someone has been confused by references to portraits of her by others, such as Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, where catalogue entries merely giving the names of artist and subject may have been misunderstood.

The three references for that first lede sentence confirm its other details, but make no mention of she herself being a painter.

My French (learned over 50 years ago and little used since) is not great, but as far as I can tell her article in the French Wikipedia does not describe her (as opposed to others in her family) as a painter. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.2.64.108 (talk) 01:19, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The caption to her photo in the infobox says she was notable for "Painting, printmaking, drawing", but again, there is no mention of any such things in the article. As it stands now, nothing in the article suggests to me that she is wiki-notable at all. Being the daughter and spouse of notables does not confer notability. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 06:51, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I suppose the circumstances of her execution are somewhat unusual and, therefore, interesting: executed by Republican revolutionaries for nicking candles from a Royal palace? And she is written about with more than passing mentions in reliable sources. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.2.64.108 (talk) 20:47, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

An early version of famous for being famous, perhaps? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 19:54, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 20

Free Derry day-to-day

I just now learnt about the existence of Free Derry whilst reading a marginally related article. Since it was functionally a rebel-held zone, I'm left wondering — how did non-political officials (e.g. Londonderry municipal street maintenance, the local water company, and rubbish collectors) function in this zone? Were they able to function normally, or was it only with difficulty that they could operate? What about slightly-political bodies, like state schools or Inland Revenue: could they enforce tax laws, or did rebel leaders force residents to pay taxes to the Republic (or did they impose taxes to fund the IRA), or were there no taxes at all? Nyttend (talk) 06:53, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No-go area#Northern Ireland. 2A00:23C7:9C86:4301:DC71:605:DAB8:1B45 (talk) 10:23, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It was only a no-go area for police and the military. Local services and taxes would not be significantly affected. Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:19, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

My guess is that whatever schools there were in Free Derry which from looking the the relevant links in Creggan, Derry (Bogside doesn't mention any schools) might have included at least St Joseph's Boys' School and St. Mary's Girls School, were Catholic. I don't know what level of government involvement there was Education in Northern Ireland has very little info on historic practices for Catholic schools, but I suspect whatever there was was uncontentious enough that it wasn't an issue. Nil Einne (talk) 13:49, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Belgian Legion d'Honneur

A source refers to man from England receiving the "Legion d'Honneur" from the king of Belgium in 1965. However, Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium includes no award of that name. What was meant? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:03, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find any reference to your man Henry Tegner getting a Belgian anything, but if he did it would surely be the Order of Leopold, which is I think seen as the equivalent to the French Légion d'honneur, and has many grades or classes. DuncanHill (talk) 11:39, 20 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 23

Identification of a bridge on California State Route 1

Road bridge can be seen here just to the right and above center; it shows up as light gray.

Trying to identify a bridge in the Big Sur area. See File:Notley's Landing pano 01.jpg for full image; what I'm showing here is a crop, less that 10% of the whole image. It is either the Bixby Creek Bridge or the Rocky Creek Bridge. - Jmabel | Talk 01:48, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I think Bixby Creek Bridge would be invisible from Notley's Landing, as Castle Rock would be in the way. See map. DuncanHill (talk) 02:35, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I'm inclined to agree. - Jmabel | Talk 04:40, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

and File:California Coastlines (4294608846).jpg clinches it. - Jmabel | Talk 04:43, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That looks like a rather old photo. That is Rocky Creek Bridge in the distance. In the opposite direction, you see the sign for Rocky Point Restaurant. I know the description states it was taken in 2025, but I don't see the new construction on the rocks and I was positive the old green house was torn down at least ten years ago. Of course, I am old and my memory sure isn't what it used to be. But, the countless times I went back and forth on that road, I do know the bridge. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 01:09, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The images include a better view of the bridge taken and/or posted Apr 2022: [5] with what appears to be construction nearby it. Modocc (talk) 02:21, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Elections on Sunday

Is there any English-speaking jurisdiction that holds elections on Sundays? I do not know any such areas. --40bus (talk) 23:31, 23 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Reviewing Election day, it would seem to be a "No", but you could check for yourself. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:31, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I was very surprised to see so many historically Christian countries hold elections on a Sunday, which has traditionally been a day of rest. I know not all Christian denominations adhere to this rule as strictly as others, but still ... -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 02:54, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Just like football matches played on Sundays. ‑‑Lambiam 09:29, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The Unreformed Satanist Party would give it its full, 110% support. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:37, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That's the Protestant work ethic, which seems to have diminished in recent decades (we're now allowed to go shopping and racing, visit the local betting shop and watch football on Sundays). That's approaching the Catholic viewpoint, which is that since Sunday is a day of rest you are free to enjoy yourself (although I wouldn't call voting in elections "enjoying yourself"). 2A02:C7C:F338:A200:3C86:BDF4:C04B:B660 (talk) 09:59, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It's supposed to be a day that is free from work and not necessarily free for enjoyment. Voting may not count as enjoing yourself, but it doesn't count as work either. — Kpalion^(talk) 10:13, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Relating this to voting, a common trend in old, primarily Protestant, towns in the United States makes sense. People would settle in a location. They would build their own houses and build a public building that would be the church, school, and general meeting place. Because it was used as a church on Sunday, it would be out of place to vote on Sunday. On other days, it would be a meeting house in the evenings, making it available for voting. When I looked into history of small towns in the Carolinas, I was told that this practice of having a central public house carried over from the small towns that the British settlers came from. I also found that when you are looking for the order in which buildings were built in small towns in the 1500s, it is very difficult. You get to an old map, but you can't tell any order to the structures. Even if you could, you likely end up with mistakes carried over as fact. Once one person publishes a mistake or incorrect guess, it is nearly impossible to fix it. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 15:27, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

When early Australian towns built their first "public house", they were the kind that were abbreviated to "pub". Churches came later. Voting is generally done in school buildings, on Saturdays. But there is also plenty of postal voting or early voting at selected locations. HiLo48 (talk) 20:12, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

New Zealand has largely become a post-Christian state. So, could NZ ever switch to hold elections in Sundays? Also, there are only a few football matches on Sundays in England in League One and below (it's very rare to have more than one Sunday match in these divisions), and Sunday night matches are almost non-existent in England. But why NFL then plays on Sundays? Has it ever played on Saturdays and avoided Sundays like English football used to do? --40bus (talk) 21:28, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Far as I know, the NFL started playing their games on Sundays so as not to compete with college football, which was typically played on Saturdays. The NFL has since branched out to Monday nights and Thursdays, but they still seldom play Saturday games until the college regular season is over. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:37, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That is partially correct. In the beginning, NFL players did not make enough money from playing football to quit their job. Many people worked Monday through Saturday. So, Sunday was a day that the players would be available. Also, as you noted, NFL had no shot at competing with college football on Saturday or even high school football on Friday. When the NFL was popular and could pull crowds from college and high school games, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 was passed. It banned broadcast of NFL games in the proximity of a high school or college game being played on Friday or Saturday. That essentially blocked the NFL from negotiating nationwide broadcasts on Friday and Saturday. So, they were stuck with Sundays... then branched out to Mondays... then branched out to Thursdays. They play on Friday and Saturday when high school and college seaons are over. To date, Tuesday and Wednesday games are rare. I'm sure they would claim those days if they could cut deals with everyone to do so. 12.116.29.106 (talk) 17:29, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

At the 2024 European Parliament election:

Estonia voted Monday–Sunday (6 days online, the last day at polling stations)
Netherlands on Thursday only
Ireland on Friday only
Czechia on Friday and Saturday
Latvia, Malta and Slovakia on Saturday only
Italy on Saturday and Sunday
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden on Sunday only

I don't see much of a correlation with the religious situation in those countries. A lot of traditionally Protestant (Lutheran) countries voting on Sunday, along with most Catholic countries, but also mixed (Lutheran and Catholic, but now largely irreligious) Germany. The religiously mixed Netherlands and Czechia (traditionally Protestant (NL Calvinist, CZ Lutheran) mixed with Catholic, although nowadays mostly irreligious), mixed Latvia (Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox) and Catholic Ireland, Malta, Slovakia and Italy voted earlier. If anything, it's that the mixed countries, which have a history of religious tolerance (or avoidance of religious issues), have a slight tendency to avoid Sunday. Note that Ireland and Malta used to be ruled by Protestant UK and Slovakia used to be one country with Czechia. PiusImpavidus (talk) 19:46, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In olden times, if not still today, bars would have been closed on Sundays. That could make Sunday an ideal time for voting, on the assumption that most everyone would have sobered up by then. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:14, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In the past, political machines didn’t like Sunday elections… they couldn’t offer free drinks in exchange for votes when the bars were closed. Blueboar (talk) 19:40, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In Germany at least (de:Wahltag#Deutschland) the push towards voting on Sunday came from the labour movement (not surprisingly) in the 1860s, when work days of 12 or more hours were not uncommon (six days a week) which would have prevented many workers from voting on a weekday (statistics would be nice to have but who has the time to do the research). That push failed to get through, though, and afaik voting on Sundays only become the norm (constitutional even) in the Weimar republic. --Wrongfilter (talk) 08:44, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 25

I Need Help Finding Reliable Sources

Hello, good morning, editors! I'm a little new to Wikipedia and would like help finding academically reliable sources to use in my article on The Russian Campaign of 1554-1556 against the Astrakhan Khanate. Where should I search? On websites related to Russian universities, or can I be a little broader about this case? In fact, I don't even know if I could share my question here. I'm sorry if I made any mistakes coming to talk here. Marcus Vlasov (talk) 10:06, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This is the reference desk, so you're fine asking here. A Google Scholar search turns up some useful looking sources. Mikenorton (talk) 10:19, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Is the Great Russian Encyclopedia a useful source (Астраханские походы])? Google Book Search also turns up some candidates. ‑‑Lambiam 13:25, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Marcus Vlasov: If you can't access the resources found at the sites suggested in the previous two answers, you can ask for specific works, at WP:RX, subject to caveats found on that page. or you may be eligible for WP:LIBRARY access. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:26, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oseberg Animals

How many animals, and of what kind were on the OSeberg Ship? A few sources say different amounts, so i was wondering what the amount actually is. PineappleWizard123 (talk) 00:04, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The Oseberg Ship article lists remains of some horses and such. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:44, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, but different pages online show different amounts, so i was wondering at least which source Wikipedia used, since it wasn't cited PineappleWizard123 (talk) 23:01, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 26

Serialism in literature

According to Serialism, "...the musical concept has also been adapted in literature" (three cites, all in French). Do we have an article, or can someone point me to an English explanation of literature written in this way? Online searches get sidetracked by Serial (literature) and Surrealism. -- Verbarson ^talk_edits 08:58, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Verbarson: Try searching for "+Serialism in literature" (without quotes, but with the plus sign. On Google, this gives [6] as the second result (for me), with our article as the first. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:17, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Ola Verbarson Cite #2 is viewable in pdf in part https://www.lechasseurabstrait.com/chasseur/IMG/pdfs/Pascal%20LERAY-Portrait_de_la_%20serie.pdf. Not a support to verifiability by itself.

The two other cites center on Michel Butor who indeed, in following his views regarding Time independently found his own reasons to experiment on "series". Here, the background set (en). Now in French: Michèle Haenni explains MB's "serial" pattern. It works like done with pictures in an exhibition, the rest, is to be infered from the inner business as it's done in the nouveau roman. Next, although rather in the reverse, you'll have to lookup Henri Pousseur's contributions to dodecaphonic and serial compositions, specifically the "Leçons d'Enfer music theatre". Butor has been mentioning his fascination with Rimbaud several times. --Askedonty (talk) 22:07, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

An English explanation can be found here (section 2. SERIALITIES). Dina Sherzer herself here is quoting John Cage in preambule though I do not think making it valid an assertion that the pattern would be "an adaptation" as it appears in the sentence from the Serialism article. Or maybe yes if coming to that I'm just an individual deaf to the sound of the printed grapheme. ( In this case I would intercalate "surfiction" in the logical sequence prior to hyperfiction, using the case nicely prepared by McCaffrey, Larry, Thomas Hartl, and Doug Rice :Federman A to X-X-X-X: His Recyclopedic Narrative, that's about cheating somehow. ) --Askedonty (talk) 15:18, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Humber stone

What are the precise coordinates of the Humber stone, described in our article, Humberstone and Hamilton § Name, in a 2023 news article, and in 1878 in "Digging Out a Boulder"? Where is (or was) the second such item, "St. John's Stone", described in the latter article? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:29, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Found it: 52°39′29″N 1°04′44″W / 52.657951°N 1.078767°W; now at Humber Stone (Q133539234). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:36, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

(ec) According to this blog "during the work for the new road and roundabout quite a few other large stones were simply tossed aside by the JCBs". Curiously I feel sure I have posted about this stone before, either here or in a reply to a post on the linked blog, but I can't find any trace of it. DuncanHill (talk) 13:38, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

St John's Stone "The stone is, so far as is known, a natural feature. It can be presumed therefore that it still exists in its original position. However the area is now used as a refuse tip and no part of the stone is visible. The area has now been considerably developed and no trace now remains of this stone. No further information was obtained as to its archaeological significance", and "St. John's or Little John's Stone (destroyed). DuncanHill (talk) 13:40, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Where St John's Stone stood "is now housing on Somerset Avenue" DuncanHill (talk) 13:43, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for all that. The JCB stuff is shocking if true. Your modern antiquarian link gives SK57790644, which equates to 52°39′09″N 1°08′50″W / 52.65262°N 1.147174°W. A more authoritative source is [7]. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:52, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Andy, what's a JCB? Joint Construction Battalion? Nyttend (talk) 06:42, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

JCB (heavy equipment manufacturer). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 08:12, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

[8] —Deor (talk) 12:41, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Francis D. Longe

I am trying to confirm the identity of a geologist, Francis D. Longe, FGS, of whom [9] records a address to a meeting on March 29th, 1910 as saying:

...second son of the late Rev. Robert Longe of Coddenham Vicarage and Spixworth Hall, Norfolk. After leaving Oxford, Mr. F. D. Longe was, in 1858, called to the Bar, being attached to the Eastern Circuit. He afterwards became private secretary to the late Lord Goschen, who appointed him a general inspector of the Local Government Board—an appointment he held for nearly thirty years ... After his retirement [he wrote] 'Lowestoft in the Olden Times,' a book which was particularly entertaining. In 1902, having then been for some time one of the most active members of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society, Mr. Longe published 'The Fiction of the Ice Age, or Glacial Period.'

and notes his then-recent death.

This would seem to match our Francis Davy Longe, except that we give his father as "Rev. John Longe" (no dates stated) with an unqualified link to Spixworth Park.

To further complicate matters, our Francis Davy Longe gives its subject's dates as "25 September 1831 – 20 February 1910", and has him as "an ancestor of Pocahontas" (as well as the author of "Lowestoft in Olden Times") but the Spixworth Park article has him as "Francis Davy Longe (1831-1905), First-class cricketer, descendant of Pocahontas." Our article does not mention geology, nor a wider interest in natural history.

Citations are poor, or missing, all round.

We clearly have some errors (Pocahontas lived 1596–1617!); have we also conflated two people, or are they one and the same? What dates and other facts can be verified? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:05, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This obituary has Francis Davy Longe dying in 1910, with Robert Longe as his father, and matching additional details from your 1910 source: [10]. --Amble (talk) 20:11, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Pigsonthewing: Our article Francis Davy Longe had some blatant errors, which I have corrected by looking at the source it used (I always tell people to read the sources. Nobody ever does). The source says he was the son of Rev R. Longe (not John). It says he was a descendant (not ancestor) of Pocahontas. It does not mention Spixworth Park. Now, at our article Spixworth Park one "Rev. Robert Longe (1800-1873), Landscape artist" is mentioned, referenced to Suffolk Artists, which latter has him at Coddenham Vicarage, which is where our article (and its Harrovian source) has Francis Davy being born, and marrying one Margaret Douglas Davy, which would account for Francis's middle name. The Harrow source says "O.U. Cricket XI. 1851-2 ; Barrister, 1858 ; General Inspector to the Local Government Board, 1866-96 ; author of works on scientific and economic subjects". DuncanHill (talk) 01:22, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, and mea culpa on missing that source.

Also, the link in my OP was incorrect; the long quote is from [11]. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:56, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have now updated our article on Longe from the source I mentioned, and corrected the death date in Spixworth Park. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:43, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This section is resolved and can be archived. If you disagree, replace this template with your comment. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:43, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Order of Nova Scotia

Working on bringing this article up to par before sending it to Good Article review, and figured I might as well try to use the Reference Desk for its intended purpose. I would be very grateful if anyone manages to dig up some old news articles from 2001-2003 or so talking about the creation of the order, or a source that actually describes the medal indepth like it does under "Insignia" (the attached source doesn't really go into detail, I think whoever added the passage just knew). Any other older resources that talk about the order would be helpful as well. Thank you. MediaKyle (talk) 22:03, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Newspapers.com has some interesting snippets, but no major pieces in the period of the introduction of the order.

The Waterloo Region Record of 7 January 2002 reported "There hasn't exactly been a stampede to nominate recipients for the new Order of Nova Scotia. The province called for nominations for the new medal, which it calls 'Nova Scotia's most prestigious award', on Nov. 21, but only two nominations have been received so far. Despite the lukewarm response, the provincial protocol office expects to receive many nominations before the March 21 deadline." This article was submitted by the Canadian Press and published widely. An update in the Waterloo Region Record on 13 September 2002 says "The recipients were chosen from among 200 nominees."
The Times-Transcript of 3 October 2002 reports that the medals are numbered, and that alongside the first 10 recipients, the 3 surviving previous lieutenant-governors (Abraham, Crouse, and Kinley) also received the medal.

Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 22:35, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The Canadian Honours System by Christopher McCreery (2015) describes "A 61 mm badge in the shape of a mayflower (the provincial flower) enamelled in white with a slight tinge of red and defaced with the provincial arms surmounted by a Royal Crown. The reverse of the insignia bears a three-digit number." Suspender: "A gold loop 21 mm in length". Ribbon: "A 32 mm ribbon of blue, white, gold, and red". Lapel badge: "A miniature version of the full-size insignia". Designed by Christopher Cairns. Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 22:40, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This is all fantastic, thanks a lot! MediaKyle (talk) 22:46, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Pickersgill-Cunliffe If you're still there, could I perhaps trouble you for the titles of those two Waterloo Region Record articles? Just finished writing a "History" section but I need something to put in the title parameter. Thanks, MediaKyle (talk) 01:24, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

1920s suits

In a book I'm reading it says that around the time of the 1920 depression, men had their suits "turned," shiny side in. What does this mean? What did suits before and after this "turning" look like? ―Panamitsu (talk) 22:05, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I think this is implying "inside out". Why they would be doing this, I'm not sure. MediaKyle (talk) 22:08, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a snippet that gives some more information: [12]. It seems that the original texture of the fabric has worn off of the outside surface, making it undesirably smooth and "shiny". It's too expensive to buy a new suit, so instead, you have the old one re-tailored with the other side of the fabric facing out. It is not meant to look distinctive, just newer and less worn. --Amble (talk) 22:26, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Fascinating. ―Panamitsu (talk) 22:31, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A line from an Allan Sherman song about a clothier: "Glory, glory Harry Lewis, his cloth goes shining on." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:47, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 27

Gilded Age

I remember reading somewhere that there was something in the Gilded Age I'm searching for. It went something like, when the ballot box doesn't work, use the stump, when the stump doesn't work, use the gavel, and when the gavel doesn't work use a gun. The term was like "the four truths" or something. Does anyone remember what this could be? Google is useless. Therapyisgood (talk) 02:17, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Four boxes of liberty-Gadfium (talk) 03:18, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Courtesy link Gilded Age. Term is likely to be unfamiliar to unAmericans. DuncanHill (talk) 20:41, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Courtesy titles within the Royal Family

Per Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, the eldest son of a peer is entitled to use one of his father's lower titles (usually the second-highest) as a courtesy title. Does that mean that Prince George of Wales could in principle be called Duke of Cambridge and/or Duke of Cornwall, since his father's highest title is Prince of Wales? Our article never implies he does use those titles, but is there any legal/constitutional/traditional reason he couldn't? —Mahāgaja · talk 14:28, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

First, members of the Royal Family with royal styles ("HRH" and "Prince"/"Princess") don't generally use courtesy titles. For example, the current Duke of Kent was known during his father's lifetime as HRH Prince Edward of Kent, rather than as the Earl of St Andrews (as his son is now styled, because he does not have a royal style). The only case I can think of in which this has happened involved someone entitled to a royal style but not actually using it: the Earl of Wessex (formerly Viscount Severn), who is technically HRH Prince James of Edinburgh (and before that was technically HRH Prince James of Wessex). So Prince George would only need a courtesy title if he dropped his royal style, and that sounds astronomically unlikely for someone who is in direct line to the throne. Second, the question as to whether "Prince of Wales" counts as a peerage title higher than a dukedom, such that the Prince of Wales's heir apparent can use a dukedom as a courtesy title, is not one that has ever needed to be answered (for the first reason above), so is entirely theoretical. (Until recently, I would have said that the answer was that Prince George's status as his father's heir apparent relates only to his father's hereditary titles, so the most he could be is Earl of Strathearn as heir apparent to the Dukedom of Cambridge; Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester and Earl of Carrick are all titles which would not pass to him were his father to die, so they should be discounted for these purposes. But then the Earl of Wessex mentioned above is so styled despite that being his father's highest hereditary title, the Dukedom of Edinburgh being a life peerage, so who knows any more.) Proteus (Talk) 15:06, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Generally, I think that titles used by the royal family are all as agreed by the monarch - for example Princes of Wales only become so when the monarch says. "Entitled" doesn't really enter into it. Of course they then don't necessarily have to use the title. Johnbod (talk) 16:02, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wales and Chester are created anew by each monarch; the other titles of the heir apparent are automatic. Or so I misunderstand. —Tamfang (talk) 01:54, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The use of HRH and Prince/Princess titles is governed by letters patent which grant them automatically to people in certain categories (e.g. children of the monarch); people falling into those categories are indeed "entitled" to those styles. Proteus (Talk) 15:51, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Has this changed over time? IIRC from various reading, the younger sons of George III were and are generally referred to by their ducal titles. Or did they not have titles as princes? -- Avocado (talk) 01:15, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

As is the younger son of King Charles. Prince Harry is the Duke of Sussex. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 02:05, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Those were substantive peerages, which are indeed used. It is courtesy titles which are (generally) not. Proteus (Talk) 15:51, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 28

US intergovernmental holdings increase in 2000s

According to this chart, the public-held debt stayed at about $5T from 2006 until late 2008; there was an increase, but percentagewise it was quite small. However, the total debt increased from about $8T to well over $9T, so it must have been in the intergovernmental holdings. Why would this accounting concept have seen such an increase? Nyttend (talk) 06:45, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I assume you mean intragovernmental holdings rather than intergovernmental holdings. If so, that means the government borrows from its own trust funds to fund its spending. Stanleykswong (talk) 17:10, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oops, yes, sorry, intragovernmental holdings. I'd never heard the term before and didn't notice my error. Why did this happen then? Nyttend (talk) 20:54, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

2008 financial crisis? ‑‑Lambiam 22:43, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Agencies such as the Social Security Administration, veterans' pension funds, etc., need to hold very large amounts of very secure financial instruments. This is due to the need to protect the value (including from inflation, if possible) of their holdings against future obligations. The stock market is way too risky, and corporate bonds don't meet the requirement, either. So, they buy U.S. Government debt: T-Bills (and similar "agency paper). There is nothing that is considered a more secure / less risky store of value. This creates a situation where one part of the government "lends" money (buys T-Bills) to another part of the government (Congress, via the Treasury and Fed). DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 01:42, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 29

Can you update a reference to a posted content

Hello! In reference to: 13th Infantry Regiment (United States) Of the 8th infantry Division. During the Cold War...The 1st Battalion was posted at Baumholder, FRG; and the 2nd Battalion was posted at Sandhofen, FRG. They were there from 1969 until 1990. In late 1990 they became responsible for training brigades in the United States. I was stationed in the 2nd Battalion from 1978 until 1981 at Sandhofen, FRG at Coleman Barracks. I am in a Facebook group of 8th Infantry Division Veterans and there are several vets who can provide evidence. Thank you very much! Sincerely,

Kenneth Howard Ken 7888 (talk) 20:24, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thing is, we are not looking for “evidence”, but rather written “verification” by a reliable source. The two concepts (evidence and verification) may seem similar, but they are actually different. Basically we need something that has been published so we can cite the publication.

Hopefully one of your fellow veterans has written a book, published a story in the newspaper or (best) published an academic paper that mentions where they were.

We won’t accept a Facebook post from some random vet saying “yeah, I was there… it’s true” as being a reliable source. Blueboar (talk) 20:45, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Self-published books also do not make the cut. ‑‑Lambiam 23:12, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

March 30

Help with Reference Evaluation

Hello editors, good evening! On March 25th, I asked for your help in finding the best sources that I could use in my article about the Russian Invasion of the Khanate of Astrakhan, and with your answers I was able to use not only sources from your suggestions, but also other bibliographic sources that I found during my research, and I am immensely grateful to you! However, I would like your help again with a final evaluation of my draft, so that my article can finally be approved, especially regarding the references, since my article had been rejected precisely because of this. Before the first evaluation, I had only added 5 sources on random websites in Russian to complement my article. This time, I added almost 45 sources, which I am almost certain are considered reliable, and so I am sure that I have improved, but I would like an early review from more experienced people, like you. Thank you very much for your attention, good evening! Marcus Vlasov (talk) 00:12, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The strength of the Reference desk responders is to find answers, not to assess adherence to the encyclopedia's policies. Just let our good reviewers do the work. It is not dishonourable for a draft to experience multiple rejections; the feedback should enable the submitter to improve it. That said, it is conventional to cite the titles of books in a non-Latin script not only in transliteration, but first in their original script followed by a transliteration, like История государства Российского (Istoriya gosudarstva Rossiyskogo) and preferable also a translated title (History of the Russian State). I further do not understand the role of the asterisks in the references ("9. ^ * Spiridov, Matvey Grigorievich", "12. ^ * Penskoy, Vitaly Viktorovich", "14.^ * Filimonov, Lyapun", ...). ‑‑Lambiam 11:12, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. You can use "author-link = :ru:Спиридов, Матвей Григорьевич" (twice) to get a link to the article on the Russian Wikipedia. ‑‑Lambiam 11:35, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

thank you! Marcus Vlasov (talk) 13:07, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Jimmy Carter's 100th Birthday video - why didn't Trump show up in it?

Living presidents give a birthday speech for Jimmy Carter, except Trump. So why wasn't Trump included in the Jimmy Carter birthday commemoration video? --2600:8803:1D13:7100:A152:3EC2:C68C:9D84 (talk) 12:09, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Because he's a total imbecile? Martinevans123 (talk) 12:14, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Because he has no class and is incredibly vindictive: "Donald Trump Mocks Jimmy Carter on His Milestone 100th Birthday" (People). Clarityfiend (talk) 19:55, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Because he will do anything - and there are literally zero exceptions to this - to get attention. It's not as if we were all living under rocks and were unaware of him. We know him only too well. He's the POTUS for *** sake! But he still craves attention and will make sure he does or says anything that will cut through all the international complexities and become the main story every day. Hence, we're talking about him now. He just won. I let him win because I chose to contribute to this thread. But my preferred approach is to not to talk about him, and not add to the oxygen of recognition he needs. I recommend it. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:46, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thus far, an exception has been dousing himself with gasoline on the White House lawn and setting himself ablaze, an act guaranteed to draw attention. But one can remain hopeful. The upcoming Easter egg roll offers an excellent opportunity. ‑‑Lambiam 11:28, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

STOP - This is not a forum for sharing your opinions (good or bad) about Trump or any other politician. Blueboar (talk) 12:38, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

National symbols of Denmark and the Netherlands

There is some confusion over on the talk pages for the Danish Realm and the Kingdom of the Netherlands over what symbols represent them. The problem is that sources don't really distinguish between the sovereign states as a whole and the constituent countries of Denmark and the Netherlands, so it's hard to tell if a symbol represents just the constituent country or the kingdom as a whole. In this case, the national symbols in question are the flag, coat of arms, motto, and anthem.

My gut instinct is that the national symbols of the constituent countries are equally applicable to the kingdoms as a whole. After all, they are the dominant parts of the state, and they even share the same name. However, I would like some kind of source that definitively states which symbols represent what. TheLegendofGanon (talk) 13:17, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

To put an end to a discussion about the colours of the national flag, a royal decree of 19 February 1937 determined once and for all: "The colours of the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are red, white and blue" (my emphasis by underlining). But note that at the time the Kingdom consisted of just one constituent country, that had several "overseas territories" (read: colonies), which still included the Dutch East Indies. When Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were declared to be constituent countries, this did however not change the status of symbols representing the Kingdom. So now, in fact, while the Country of Aruba, the Country of Curaçao and the Country of Sint Maarten each can sport their own flag, the Country of the Netherlands must do with a shared flag. ‑‑Lambiam 23:04, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

2001 election in Santipur?

Whilst researching for Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Real Communist Party of India, I was confronted by another mystery of West Bengal election results, and no matter how much I search I can't find any answer. In the 2001 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election the result in the Santipur Assembly constituency looked as follows:

AJOY DEY M INC 69117 42.99%
BADAL BASAK M Independent 47541 29.57%
KUMARESH CHAKRABORTY M BJP 37576 23.37%
ASIM GHOSH M RCPI(R) 6527 4.06% [13]

RCPI had contested Santipur in every election since independence, and within the Left Front seat-sharing arrangements Santipur was one of the constituencies assigned to it. But here the RCPI candidate came in fourth place. Whilst its possible that there could be a different local dynamic than state level results, it seems like CPI(M) locally would have supported the independent candidate rather than the official RCPI candidate. I've been trying to locate sources on this, but came up with nothing. Anyone knows an online archive for West Bengal newspapers for this time period? -- Soman (talk) 18:37, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Bring forth the body

In Blackstone's ratio we are enjoined "Never to convict any person of murder or manslaughter till at least the body be found dead; on account of two instances he [sc Sir Matthew Hale] mentions where persons were executed for the murder of others who were then alive but missing." What were those two instances? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 20:53, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

If the term was not already used in another legal sense, this injunction might be termed habeas corpus ("you should have the body"). ‑‑Lambiam 22:17, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The article references [14]. The reference there is St. Tr. I paſſim.

--Error (talk) 22:34, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't you know, at sufficient magnification j comes before i. It's "2 Hal. P. C. 290". DuncanHill (talk) 02:12, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In which "Hal. P. C." stands for "Hale's Pleas of the Crown".^[15] ‑‑Lambiam 11:16, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

History of the Pleas of the Crown. DuncanHill (talk) 12:32, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The number 290 is the page number: [16]. ‑‑Lambiam 23:59, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Did Blackstone follow this injunction in cases when witnesses observed someone being killed in a manner that didn't yield a dead body? Imagine two men fighting aboard a ship in a storm, and one throws the other overboard in full view of the witnesses; or imagine a man being beheaded in full view of witnesses and his body then being burnt in a large fire. Nyttend (talk) 00:51, 1 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 1