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February 10

Burger King Whopper size lawsuit

Is there any update on this lawsuit, filed in 2023? https://www.reuters.com/legal/burger-king-must-face-lawsuit-claiming-its-whoppers-are-too-small-2023-08-29/ How long does it usually take for lawsuits like this to go to court? I haven't found any news about it after 2023. 2601:644:907E:A70:B427:851D:7DB1:31FA (talk) 03:50, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

This web page states, under the heading Burger King Lawsuit Background, "Filed in March 2020, the lawsuit alleges that Burger King falsely represented the size of its signature Whopper sandwiches in its advertisements." Further on, under the heading Judge’s Verdict on Burger King Lawsuit, we read, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman gave a mixed ruling. While he agreed to dismiss the lawsuit’s components regarding Burger King’s TV and online advertising potentially misleading customers, he allowed the claims of negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment to proceed. In Judge Altman’s words, the determination of whether the difference between the received and advertised products could sway purchasing decisions should be left to the consumers." This does not give closure. No reference or date for this ruling is given.

Moreover, in between, under the heading November 2024 Update – Burger King Lawsuit, the page states, "We have filed a class action lawsuit against Burger King Corporation for using false and misleading images in their advertisements that materially overstate the portion size for the Whopper. Burger King Corporation has filed a motion to dismiss this class action. We are currently waiting on a decision from the court."  ‑‑Lambiam 13:13, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the information. 2601:644:907E:A70:514B:C85:7AA8:AC50 (talk) 18:20, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Edward Cromleac

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a photograph they call "Edward Cromleac" and describe as being in "County Down, Republic of Ireland", and having been taken in the National Photographic Record and Survey. Google searches for "Edward Cromleac" return only the same image. County Down is not in the Republic of Ireland. I have identified the cromlech as the Goward Dolmen in Clonmore, Co Down. Some more pictures, which make the identification clearer, are here at Megalithic Ireland. My questions are 1) Has it ever actually been known as "Edward Cromleac", or is this an error by the original annotator of the photograph, 2) The V&A credit the photograph to R. Welch, would I be right in assuming this is Robert Welch (photographer)?, and 3) anything else of interest you can come up with. Thank you. DuncanHill (talk) 10:17, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Oh yes, and 4) do we have a more reliable source than my amazing eye for detail and research skills to make the identification? The photo would improve our article if so. DuncanHill (talk) 10:29, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

It looks like "Edward Cromleac" should actually read "Goward Cromlech". In this picture at least "Goward" can be read. Judging by this and that, "cromleac" seems to be a valid variant of "cromlech". --Wrongfilter (talk) 10:45, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Colorised version of the preceding photo in the series, same fellow, other side. --Wrongfilter (talk) 10:57, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

I've just sent a feedback note on this to the V&A. --Wrongfilter (talk) 11:12, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

@Wrongfilter: Many thanks, now I look at the V&A picture blown up as much as I can I agree, it does actually say "Goward" not "Edward". And thanks too for contacting the V&A - I did one try to get them to correct something they'd copied of Wikipedia but I don't know if they ever did. DuncanHill (talk) 12:14, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

How wee was Bobs?

There's a little red-faced man,
Which is Bobs,
Rides the tallest 'orse 'e can-
Our Bobs.

Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts was famously short. But how short was he? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 12:21, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

This source and this one agree that he was five foot two. This concurs that he was five foot three. To make it still clearer, this says he was five foot four. Your question may be as difficult to answer as the often-debated one about Napoleon's height. Of course, Roberts was 82 by the time he faded away and might well have lost an inch or two by then. --Antiquary (talk) 21:28, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Two more sources – [1] and [2] – give his height as five foot three. Bear in mind also that we're all half an inch shorter at the end of the day than at the beginning due to our vertebrae scrunching up under the strain of supporting our weight. We regain the half inch, of course, overnight. All told, it may not be possible to get more precision than 5' 3" give or take. --Antiquary (talk) 21:48, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Finally, five foot six and a half. But then when I was learning stats I was always told to ignore the outliers. --Antiquary (talk) 21:57, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Liars, damned outliers, and statistics.  ‑‑Lambiam 11:00, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

Yosemite Sam was much shorter than any of those, yet he rode a full-sized horse in his screen debut. He mounted it using a type of stepladder. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:22, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

I don't know how to break this to you, Bugs, but Yosemite Sam might not have been a completely historical, accurately depicted individual. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.8.123.129 (talk) 05:29, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

Them's fightin' words! The point being that the shortest guy can ride the tallest horse, if he gets creative enough. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:18, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

@Antiquary: Thank you, about as tall as my Mum was then! DuncanHill (talk) 12:25, 14 February 2025 (UTC)

Is The Alchemist a work of magical realism?

JJP_Master (she/they) 14:59, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

FWIW, here are some sources discussing this novel in relation to the genre of magical realism:

• "Element of Magical Realism in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: A discussion"
• "Exploring Magical Realism in Paulo Coelho's Literary Universe"
• "Unlocking the Mystery: The Alchemist Genre Exposed"

There is no hard test for drawing the distinction between magical realism and fantasy with magical elements. While there are elements of magical realism in the novel that help to carry the story forward, it is a judgement call whether they suffice to characterize the whole work as magical realism. Magical elements are commonplace in fairy tales, and one might call this story a well-elaborated fairy tale presented in a somewhat realistic fashion.  ‑‑Lambiam 19:17, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Holes on the face of the Serjilla roman baths building

File:Serjilla 01.jpg

There are these weird holes on the building. My first thought is bullets or something but they seem too perfect. 2A02:85F:F598:2801:2AB8:4984:FEE7:C061 (talk) 18:06, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

The description of File:Serjilla_(2001)_09.jpg says "You can see the perforations in the wall to embed the beams of the roof [gable] of a later house". --Wrongfilter (talk) 19:41, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Father-son VCs

According to our article Frederick Roberts (VC, born 1872), he and his father Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts were "were one of only three father-son pairs to win the VC". Who were the other two? I would regard recipients of the Victoria Cross for Australia, the Victoria Cross (Canada), and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand as being absolutely equal to recipients of the original. Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 22:54, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

• Sir Charles Gough and Sir John Gough
• Sir Walter Congreve and Billy Congreve

Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 23:03, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Beat me to it by seconds! Well done. This article also records four cases where VCs have been awarded to brothers. Alansplodge (talk) 23:05, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

@Pickersgill-Cunliffe: and @Alansplodge: Thank you both. DuncanHill (talk) 12:24, 14 February 2025 (UTC)

February 12

Georgia O'Keeffe

When was her first art show? 174.87.82.78 (talk) 04:08, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

Wikipedia has an article about Georgia O'Keeffe which gives a date of 1917. Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:42, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

According to the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she had her first group show in May 1916 and her first solo show a year later, both at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery 291.^[3] According to the website of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the group show was opened on May 23, 1916, and the first one-person show of her work on April 3, 1917.^[4]  ‑‑Lambiam 12:44, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

February 13

Tea, buns, and Kenneth Grahame

"Come along inside. We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place" is a quotation widely, or wildly, attributed to Kenneth Grahame, specifically to The Wind in the Willows. As you should by now expect it does not appear in that work. Can anyone identify a source? Thank you. DuncanHill (talk) 00:40, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

The earliest occurrence I could find, from 1999, has a different attribution: I believe it was Owl, in one of the Pooh books, who said so wisely, “Come along inside. We’ll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.”^[5] The earliest presentation as a quotation from The Wind in the Willows I found is in a 2003 book titled The Power of a Teacup.^[6] I suppose all but the first of these false attributions blindly copied an earlier one. Grahame's book uses the phrase "Come inside and have something" and the goaler's daughter serves Toad "a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb",^[7] slightly more fancy than just buns, but there is nothing there that might evoke a suggestion that the world can be made a better place than it already is.  ‑‑Lambiam 12:27, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

Conjecture: Maybe the quotation actually comes from a TV or film adaptation of the book. --142.112.222.162 (talk) 21:52, 15 February 2025 (UTC)

Or from one of the four sequels by William Horwood? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.8.123.129 (talk) 22:25, 15 February 2025 (UTC)

February 16

Which countries are banning the Protocols of the Elders of Zion?

Of course https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1891223872814395403 is wrong. But to prove the point of not censoring consiparaciy theories, which countries are banning the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? I wouldn’t be surprised even Hungary is 1 of them. But what countries beside France currently do it ? A worldmap would be the best option. 78.245.135.28 (talk) 23:35, 16 February 2025 (UTC)

i think that such - literature - would be prohibited from publication / distribution by default in a great many countries (as incitement to hatred - in the british speech /blasphemy laws, or in German Volksverhetzung 130.74.59.205 (talk) 03:30, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

No. The book isn’t that much hatred since it doesn’t tell what to do. In France it has a specific ban issued in 1990 targetting only it because hate speech laws don’t apply to it. Conspiracy theories isn’t necessarily hate speech, hence why I expect the legal coverage is different from hate speech. 78.245.135.28 (talk) 03:43, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

So virulently antisemitic lies aren't all that hateful because they don't explicitly tell you to do something? You have odd ideas. Clarityfiend (talk) 06:30, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

As far I understand, they don’t directly call to act against jews. They lie about them which implies hate. While in France laws about hate speech date from 1972, the book got banned by decree only in 1990 because it was definitely not considered to be hate speech and printing it was definitely legal.

A conspiracy theory isn’t necessarily about hate speech. Morally we can disagree, but this is important legally. 37.170.138.99 (talk) 08:10, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

Did you post the original question? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:19, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

What do you mean ? Countries that ban hate speech don’t necessarily ban the book and hence why I want to have the full list. Countries without hate speech laws also tend to befriend Israel so I wouldn’t be surprised if Hungary makes selling the book illegal. 37.165.255.22 (talk) 05:12, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

I just wondered if you're an IP-hopper, and it looks like you are. I also detect an agenda. Do you support the claims made in that work of fiction? And your saying Musk was wrong about Hitler is naive to say the least. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:13, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

No. I don’t support Musk at all. To the contrary. I want to make a case about an inconnic book which is known for having done a lot of harm rather than having to rely on things like demonstrating why Tommy Robinson is bad person. Also, peoples like Elon Musk or all the illeberal right accross the world tend to support Israel ane thus accept view fighting hate speech as bad but fighting antisemitism as good but without knowing the name of the book at all.

Since in France the book isn’t legally classified as hate speech and has it’s own interdiction that came several decades after hate speech laws, I think that the same could apply to other countries wanted to know the full list of countries banning the book specifically in order to make the link. 2A0D:E487:137F:E331:A9B1:14F:1255:EC4B (talk) 06:33, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

February 17

Queen Elisabeth I

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England, by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, mid-1590s.

Dear you!

Why did you change picture of Queen Elisabeth I from the previous one where she is standing straight with small straight nose, queen virgin is known for her perfect nose, the other pictures are women who were around her. The only accurate picture of her is the one where Image: Elizabeth I in her coronation robes, a copy of about 1600 of a lost original painting. © National Portrait Gallery, London. Please change it. WE need to give accurate information about history and religion. Thanks Vesnamd (talk) 05:37, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

I don't know what you're talking about. The current lead image of the article Elizabeth I has not changed in recent months. The image Elizabeth I in coronation robes is in the article. --Viennese Waltz 08:07, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

Hello thank you for your reply,current image is not accuare of how she looked, But i think the image that i told you of is accuarte and was picture for her at wikipedia maybe months ago last time i looked. 185.183.146.14 (talk) 11:45, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

How do you know the current image isn't accurate? Were you there at the time? --Viennese Waltz 12:41, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

Perhaps OP is thinking of Queenie from Blackadder II? I seem to recall her commenting on her own nose approvingly. I can't say I've heard of the real Good Queen Bess having a particularly notable nose. DuncanHill (talk) 13:04, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

According to Paul Hentzner, a German lawyer travelling in England, in 1598 (when she was 65), she had 'her eyes small, yet black and pleasant; her nose a little hooked, her lips narrow, and her teeth black (a defect the English seem subject to, from their too great use of sugar)'. Vesnamd, Her nose a little crooked. Do you like the portrait? That Gheeraerts, he was so clever, he had to be careful his foot didn't fall off. Fortuna, Imperatrix Mundi 13:18, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

References

• I am not sure what the OP is complaining about. Looking back through the archives of the article, the images used have not changed in several years. Indeed, The images that appear in the various sections of the article have been in those locations going back to (at least) 2022.

That said, if you think the images need to be rearranged (or replaced with “better” images), the place to discuss that change is on the article talk page. Blueboar (talk) 13:43, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

I gather that she also spelled her name with a "z" rather than an "s". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:47, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

Is same-surname marriage common in Western countries?

Is same-surname marriage common in Western countries? 220.132.216.52 (talk) 08:46, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

That could depend on the name. Franklin and Eleanor were both born with the surname Roosevelt. They were distant cousins, distant enough to not be a genetic issue. And it wouldn't be at all surprising if people with extremely common surnames such as Smith or Jones have married from time to time. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:15, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

No, it is not "common" because there are millions of different surnames in Western countries, as opposed to the article you linked which is about Eastern countries where there is a more limited range of surnames. See surname. Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:34, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

Here's an example: Singer Patti Smith married rock guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith in 1980. They were completely unrelated. He was from West Virginia and she was born in Chicago. They had two children and were married for 14 years until Fred's sudden death from a heart attack at age 46. Cullen328 (talk) 09:50, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

There are 566,946 families called Smith in the UK, [8] representing about 1.2% of our 68 million population, [9] so I imagine that inter-Smith marriages are not too uncommon.

In Wales, 13.84% of the population are called Jones and 7.09% are called Davies, many of the latter living in a single county. [10] Alansplodge (talk) 19:29, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

How common is Evans? We used to have a radio announcer here in Melbourne, Australia called Peter Evans. His article tells us "...he often referred to himself in the traditional Welsh form of "Evans the Wireless", whereby a person's occupation was used as part of their identifier." HiLo48 (talk) 23:05, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

There are about 71,000 people with the surname Evans in Wales [11] (represents about 2.3% of the Welsh population by my count). The prevelance of this type of surname (Jones, Williams, Davies, Evans, etc) is apparently due to the forced adoption of surnames instead of the traditional patronyms during the 16th-century and the way they were transcribed by English-speaking clerks. Alansplodge (talk) 22:32, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

As explained in the above responses, there's no taboo against it, but it's not common simply due to the diversity of surnames. This maybe-reliable source suggests that even within a single country of origin, the most common surname is held by barely over 1% of the population. It may have been more common in times when a lot of people lived their whole lives in small villages and towns and rarely met strangers, and so were all to some degree related. It's undoubtedly more common between people with common surnames.

There is a taboo against marrying people who are closely related, which does put a damper on same-surname marriage. For almost anyone in the West, most of the people you know who share your surname will be relatives.

These days, most people are totally fine with marriage between third cousins (people who share one set of great-great grandparents) -- since it's rare for people to know their third cousins well if at all. Second cousin (people who share one set of great-grandparents) marriage isn't an issue genetically (in terms of inbreeding), but still makes some people uncomfortable. I for one knew most of my second cousins as a child, and would find the idea of marrying them weird.

There was a time when marriage between first cousins was considered permissible (if not ideal) in parts of the West. Or even desirable under certain circumstances relating to consolidation of power or resources (see also the tangled European royal family trees). That's fallen out of favor in the 20th and 21st centuries and would now be considered taboo in most places.

Some of this is detailed in our article on cousin marriage. -- Avocado (talk) 14:02, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

The canonic example is Queen Victoria and her Prince Consort, Albert, who were first cousins. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:26, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Heath of the US president

First of all: SPOILER ALERT. The question may involve a spoiler for the film Captain America: Brave New World, so if you did not see the film but plan to do so, please avoid this section.

...and now that we said that, let's go on. One of the lead characters of the film Captain America: Brave New World is the president of the United States (a fictional one, Thunderbolt Ross, played by Harrison Ford). At the end of the film it turns out that, like Bruce Banner before him, he can turn into a Hulk. Meaning, a destructive and superpowerful monster (as in, he demolished the White House as if he was a bull in a China shop), and he has very limited control over the transformation or his actions once transformed. There's the usual big superhero fight of the film's finale, he's defeated and back to human, and we know in the epilogue that he has resigned and agreed to be kept prisoner in a prison that can contain him.

Which begs the question: what if he didn't? The old Ross surely wouldn't have. What if a US president gets health problems that make him unable to properly serve as president (perhaps not to that extreme, but let's suppose so), but refuses to resign? Cambalachero (talk) 17:43, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

See Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Vice-President and members of the presidential cabinet tell the Senate that the president is unable to perform the duties of the office. The VP becomes acting president until the actual fitness of the president can be assessed. I assume Secret Service agents or even military personnel would be used to physically detain the president if needed. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 17:58, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

The President is the head of the Executive Branch of the government, which places the President in charge of the military and the Secret Service. As soon at the new President takes the oath of office, the old President is no longer in power at all and is technically tresspassing if they refuse to leave office. It is trivial to order proper law enforcement to arrest and remove the old President because, in real life, nobody turns into a magical creature with super powers. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 18:45, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

Maybe confine him with Heath bars. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:25, 17 February 2025 (UTC)

They might gnaw their way through. Just like vampires can be warded off with garlic, a circle of fresh crops of lettuce may have a stronger confining effect on some former presidents  ‑‑Lambiam 11:12, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Kind of like JFK, whose inaugural address contained the statement, "Lettuce begin." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:05, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed and blind and couldn't do much. No one was allowed to visit him except for a very few. Vice President Thomas R. Marshall made no attempt in trying to call Wilson unable to serve the presidency. 115.188.71.85 (talk) 09:35, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

The reason may have been that at the time no process had been defined for making the vice president the acting president. Before Marshall, Vice President Chester A. Arthur had declined to become acting president during the eleven weeks President Garfield was incapacitated between his being shot and his deat.  ‑‑Lambiam 12:03, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

I don't care about the spoiler, because I have no intention of seeing the film. I'm just saying that you could have asked your question perfectly well without it. Your post could have started with the words "What if a US president..." and nothing would have been lost. --Viennese Waltz 10:05, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

A very similar situation could have occurred in 1981, when US President Ronald Reagan suddenly experienced near-fatal blood loss; the only difference is that instead of refusing to do anything, he did nothing because he simply couldn't choose to do anything. Confusion among senior members of his administration and Reagan's rapid recovery prevented them from invoking the forcible removal component of the 25th Amendment (Section 4), although the amendment's original sponsor, Birch Bayh, later wrote that it should have been invoked. Nyttend (talk) 02:08, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

February 18

Thomas Sankara political thought

On Thomas Sankara’s article, I strongly disagree with him being labelled as a “Marxist revolutionary” and instead would describe him as a Marxist inspired socialist. Is this not misleading by misinterpreting his political view? Petrosm7 (talk) 11:10, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

it seems that he considered himself to be a revolutionary. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:02, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

One can be a socialist and a revolutionary, or a socialist but not a revolutionary, or not a socialist but a revolutionary, or neither a socialist nor a revolutionary. After attaining power, Sankara created, following the Cuban model, Comités de Défense de la Révolution (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution) and set up a new system of courts, called the Tribunaux populaires de la Révolution (People's Revolutionary Tribunals). While it is defensible to call him a coupist,^[12] his own preference was clearly to see the coup as "revolutionary".

The distinction between "Marxist" and "Marxism-inspired" is hard to draw, because many self-avowed Marxists paint other self-avowed Marxists as not being "true" Marxists. The analysis of society in terms of dialectical materialism and class struggle found in his Women's Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle^[13] is undeniable Marxist, but this need not mean that he embraced all theses of classical Marxism, and most likely he did not, just like many Marxism-inspired African thinkers aspiring to social justice before him..  ‑‑Lambiam 12:08, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Very well written thank you. You made the point that I believe in when you said, “ "Marxist" and "Marxism-inspired" is hard to draw, because many self-avowed Marxists paint other self-avowed Marxists as not being "true" Marxists.” Even though I am not Marxist I understand it’s a fine line as Sankara did not embrace a one party system or emphasise a global proletariat revolution, but his writings were indeed Marxist. It just depends whether you count thoughts or actions as depicting overall political view. Petrosm7 (talk) 13:23, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

While Marx advocated the dictatorship of the proletariat, there is no reason to think he conceived of this as being realized by a one-party system, and definitely not one in which the reins of the party were firmly in the hands of an elite of committed communists. (Quoting from Samuel Moore's 1888 translation of The Communist Manifesto: The Communists do not form a separate party opposed to other working-class parties. They have no interests separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole. They do not set up any sectarian principles of their own, by which to shape and mould the proletarian movement.)  ‑‑Lambiam 19:15, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Ahh I see, thanks ! Petrosm7 (talk) 19:23, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Hi Petrosm7. The problem with Sankara is that he spent most of his years of political activism in underground organization, then a few years in government (a government that was ridden by internal ideological differences) and then he was killed leaving us with no possibility to dig into autobiography etc. But a few things can be said,

• Sankara's early political mentor was Adama Touré (PAI general secretary), who introduced Sankara and other students at the military school to Marxist concepts, presumably in a fairly orthodox Marxist-Leninist setting.
• But Sankara would have known Soumane Touré at high school, and although Soumane Toure was not yet a PAI (communist party) member he organized student protests at the school. So Sankara would have been exposed to radical politics to some degree before joining military academy.
• Authors differ on the degree of the influence Adama Toure had on shaping Sankara's political ideology. Arguably Sankara and others near him in the 1970s found themselves in the midst of different revolutionary streams, all of different shades of Marxism-Leninism.
• Sankara's secret group of radical military officers used the name 'Roc'. In many sources it is stated that ROC was short for Rassemblement des officiers communistes ('Communist Officers Grouping'), but this hypothesis has been rejected by ex-ROC members who argue that the name was just the French word for 'rock'.
• Roc had contacts with the pro-Soviet (PAI), pro-Chinese (ULC) and pro-Albanian (PCRV) groups in Upper Volta. When in government, Sankara's coalition included his own Roc faction (now using the name OMR), PAI, ULC-R and two PCRV splinter groups.
• In the months before his death and as tensions within the ruling coalition had become much more problematic, Sankara relaunched the OMR and sought to convert it into a formal political organization. The draft statues of OMR, which Sankara distributed at the last meeting before he was killed, had a preamble stating that OMR was committed to the "union of the Burkinabé left-wing towards the creation of a Marxist–Leninist party".
• After Sankara's death, Sankarism emerged as a distinct political trend in Burkina Faso, there have been at least 10-20 different Sankarist groups, some more to the left and some more moderate. Sankarism after Sankara's death exists outside of the communist movement, and represents more of a broad radical pan-Africanist tendency.

Now considering the points above, I'd say it is pretty safe to frame Sankara as a Marxist, and possibly Marxist-Leninist. --Soman (talk) 12:09, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Sankara’s connection to Marxism is undeniable, but the idea that he was fully Marxist-Leninist in both thought and action doesn’t hold up when looking at his actual governance. While he was certainly influenced by Marxist ideas, his political approach was shaped by a broader mix of revolutionary and pragmatic considerations, all explained below.

1. Adama Toure’s Influence: Its true that Sankara was introduced to Marxist thought by Adama Toure, but that alone doesnt make him a strict Marxist-Leninist. Many young revolutionaries in Africa during the Cold War were exposed to Marxism in some form, yet they often adapted it to their local context rather than following a rigid doctrine. The fact that sources debate how much influence Toure had over Sankara suggests that his ideological formation was more complex than simply adopting orthodox Marxist-Leninist principles.

2. Early Exposure to Radical Politics: While Soumane Toure introduced Sankara to student protests, radical activism in high school doesnt necessarily mean a full commitment to Marxism-Leninism. Many anti-colonial and nationalist movements shared similar rhetoric about revolution and class struggle, but they didn’t always translate that into the kind of vanguard-party dictatorship or planned economy characteristic of Marxist-Leninist regimes.

3. Multiple Revolutionary Currents: The fact that Sankara and his contemporaries were exposed to different Marxist groups (pro-Soviet (PAI), pro-Chinese (ULC), and pro-Albanian (PCRV)) is evidence of ideological fragmentation rather than strict adherence to a single Marxist-Leninist line. If he had been a committed Marxist-Leninist from the start, he would have aligned with one of these factions rather than engaging with all of them. Instead, his movement took influence from various sources, making it difficult to categorize as strictly Marxist-Leninist.

4. ROC and Its Meaning: The claim that ROC stood for Rassemblement des officiers communistes has been rejected by ex-members, who insist it was simply the French word for rock. If ROC had truly been a communist officers group, its members would have no reason to distance themselves from that label. This suggests that while ROC was a radical military faction, it was not necessarily a communist vanguard organization in the traditional Marxist-Leninist sense.

5. Sankaras Coalition in Government: His government was made up of different leftist factions, but rather than enforcing a one-party Marxist state, he attempted to balance their competing interests. A true Marxist-Leninist leader would have imposed a single-party system, centralized all decision-making, and eliminated factionalism within the government. Sankara did none of this, which suggests his leadership was more pragmatic than ideologically rigid.

6. Late Formation of OMR as a Marxist-Leninist Party: The fact that Sankara only attempted to formally structure OMR as a Marxist-Leninist party in the months before his death shows that his government was not fully committed to Marxism-Leninism from the start. If he had truly intended to build a Marxist-Leninist state, the creation of a vanguard party would have been an immediate priority, not an afterthought during a period of rising internal tensions.

7. Sankarism After His Death: The way Sankarism evolved posthumously also undermines the idea that he was a strict Marxist-Leninist. Rather than becoming a purely communist movement, Sankarism developed into a broader radical pan-Africanist current, with groups that range from leftist to more moderate. If Sankara had built a clearly defined Marxist-Leninist political structure, his ideological legacy would have been more rigidly communist rather than the diverse range of Sankarist factions we see today.

Taken together, these points show that while Sankara was deeply influenced by Marxist thought, he did not govern as a strict Marxist-Leninist. His policies were shaped by revolutionary ideals but also by pragmatism and local political realities. Whether we call him a Marxist-Leninist depends on whether we prioritize his ideology or his actual governance but in action, he diverged from the rigid structures that define true Marxist-Leninist rule. Petrosm7 (talk) 01:59, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

Art heists

OP is a banned user
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I was just watching a documentary about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft. They said that when someone steals art, they are committing a property crime against a private individual. Nonetheless, it becomes a federal crime and invokes the FBI. Why is this? What’s the basis and rationale? What constitutes “art”? Thanks. 32.209.69.24 (talk) 18:36, 18 February 2025 (UTC) The FBI was granted jurisdiction on the grounds that the stolen artwork had likely crossed state lines (which makes it a federal crime). Blueboar (talk) 18:49, 18 February 2025 (UTC) Thank you! 32.209.69.24 (talk) 03:26, 20 February 2025 (UTC) Resolved

Who is Kubkullus?

Sambhaji & Kubkullus

1921 painting by M. V. Dhurandhar. Sambhaji is Sambhaji, 1657-1689. Who is Kubkullus? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 20:48, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

The auction-house page from which the image was copied ([14]) reveals nothing beyond the title "Sambhaji & Kubkullus". When the image was added to our article Sambhaji this was expanded to the caption "Sambhaji meeting Kubkullus at a military camp". Perhaps the editor who added this knows more about the underlying story.  ‑‑Lambiam 21:52, 19 February 2025 (UTC)

It looks like every online reference to “Kubkullus” is to this particular painting. Maybe there is a different spelling? John M Baker (talk) 04:17, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Here's someone also wondering in 2022:[15]. It probably has some significance that the 2 central people are wearing white, but what that is I can only guess. I'm thinking rank/status.

This page [16] use a cropped version with picture text about (I think) the Sambhaji#Accession events.

The pic appears in the slideshow here [17] with some text I can't google translate. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 07:04, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

White symbolizes purity, but may have been used artistically for focus of attention. The lady was cropped out of the picture in the cropped version, apparently considered a distraction from the message. The slideshow's caption reads, नौ साल की उम्र में ही निधन होने की वजह से उनका पालन पोषण शिवाजी महाराज की माता जीजाबाई ने किया था, which Google translates as the entirely unrelated message, "Since Shivaji Maharaj's mother Jijabai died at the age of nine, he was raised by Shivaji Maharaj's mother Jijabai."  ‑‑Lambiam 11:43, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

I'm going to take a wild guess—this painting is focused on two figures: Sambhaji, dressed in white and reclining on a seat, and a woman in white standing before him. "Kubkullus" most likely refers to the woman, who I assume is not of noble status.I’m not sure, but my intuition suggests that the woman is most likely from a region recently conquered by Sambhaji. The AP (talk) 03:33, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

It is not likely that the painter depicted a scene conjured up purely by his imagination and randomly assigned a name to the imaginary woman in the scene. The painting is almost certainly based on some existing story, well known to the artist, that was told around the military campaigns of Shivaji. But then it is strange that no other mentions of "Kubkullus" can be found but in relation to this specific painting. Did the auction house, or a previous owner of the painting, misspell the title?  ‑‑Lambiam 11:40, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

That's what I'm thinking, that it's unlikely to be just made up by artist. I'm hoping someone will have access to good Indian sources. Perhaps searching for the artist + Sambhaji in relevant languages/sources could give something. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 11:47, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång The woman is a definitely a widow, as white was chiefly worn by widows following the Vidhwa tradition. Imo (just an assumption) the woman appears to be Soyarabai, Sambhaji's step mother who plotted against him, and is now being confronted. Regarding, Kubkullus, must be error from uploader's side. 2405:201:402D:98AD:F5A4:C897:7479:3D94 (talk) 15:26, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Soyarabai does make an amount of sense, and citogenesis (via Commons) is a possibility. But you'd think that with a known author like this, it shouldn't be impossible to find a good source mentioning the painting. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

The title "Sambhaji & Kubkullus" was copied from the web page of an auction site from which also the image was copied: [18]. See also [19], [20] and [21]. So if it is an error, the error was not made by the uploader.  ‑‑Lambiam 20:58, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

One avenue of approach might be to transcribe the name Kubkullus into Marathi and search based on that. I attempted to do so but, given my nonexistent grasp of the language and of Devanagari, I had no luck. GalacticShoe (talk) 19:46, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Just to add more confusion... I found the photo in two collections. Both of them refer to the woman laying on a bed. It is clear in the photo that a man is laying on the bed and the woman is standing. Is there a third woman? Is that what was noted as being cropped earlier in these answers? 68.187.174.155 (talk) 16:16, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

No, the cropped image mentioned above has no Kubkullus. But now that you mention it, the person in white on the right does not have a mustache. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 16:25, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

February 20

Net ton-miles

Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway refers to the railway's annual net-ton-miles of freight. I know what a ton-mile is, but how does it differ from a net-ton-mile? [22] talks about "net ton" being a synonym for 2000 pounds, e.g. a short ton, but this seems a bit awkward — why not just say "ton" instead of "net-ton"? It sounds like it's positive tonnage minus negative tonnage, but you can't carry negative tonnage, so "net" is just confusing. Nyttend (talk) 06:35, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

I assume it just means net tonnage as opposed to gross tonnage; see Weight#Measuring_weight. Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:31, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

You can't haul negative tonnage, but you can haul negative mileage. If you move a load first from A to B, then move the same load from B to A, your net-mileage and net-ton-miles are zero. Or more realistically, net-mileage may measure the distance from source to destination along the shortest possible route (which is what you can charge for) and gross-mileage is along the actual route taken. That's how it works here for passenger trains: you pay for the shortest route, even if you actually take a faster detour (some caveats apply).

But as above poster mentions, it could just as well refer to net tonnage, ignoring the empty weight of the train. Or at least the weight of the locomotive: sometimes railway companies are hired to move freight, sometimes they are hired to move someone else's wagons, making the entire wagon, not just its contents, the payload. PiusImpavidus (talk) 11:23, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

"Net Ton-Mile    The movement of a net ton of freight one mile."^[23]  ‑‑Lambiam 11:48, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

And from the same source "Net Ton - 2,000 pounds". DuncanHill (talk) 12:04, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Isn't net tonnage the weight being hauled, minus the weight of the vehicle upon which it sits? DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 16:36, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Delete Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj being addicted

It is totally false and is used to vandalize his pure image. This is so unfair to such a great Soul. Humans have become so insane. 😞 42.104.218.5 (talk) 22:32, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Where’s your evidence? Pablothepenguin (talk) 00:30, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

The claims about him being "addicted" appear to be sourced. And nobody's perfect. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:11, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Please make edit requests for protected pages on their talk pages. In this case I believe the proper place for the request would be at Talk:Shivaji. However, also note that the requests won't be acted upon if they simply state a claim (including that something is true or false) without evidence. Dekimasuよ! 01:23, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Why the talkpage of a different article? Sure, Talk:Sambhaji is protected atm, but then WP:RFED is the way to go. However, there is some background here, including a lot of media coverage. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:49, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

If that’s the article in question, then fine. The title of this section appeared to be a redlink when I visited it earlier, so I assumed this was about material in the references of the article I linked. The underlying point remains the same in either case; this is not a request for reference desk assistance. Dekimasuよ! 12:20, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Side note: It having been a red link was my fault. I put square brackets around the name in the title, not realizing at the time that it had been misspelled. I fixed that, and also added an "anchor" with the original title. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:23, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

hey all,

i just want to share my view on this whole discussion about chatrapati sambhaji maharaj being addicted, and i feel that such info should not be deleted, because it is not only about strict factual accuracy but also inspiration to readers and giving a moral lesson. as our dear bhagavad gita reminds us, "o son of kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer". this verse shows us that the ups and downs in life are natural and transient, meaning that even a great soul such as chatrapati sambhaji maharaj goes through phases that might seem less than perfect, but they don't detract from his overall greatness. also, our old texts like mahabharata and upanishads tell us that nobody is perfect and that every man has his own vulnerabilities, which gives a strength to those who are admiring him.

so, in my honest opinion, deleting this info would only take away a chance for many to see themselves in his struggles, and be prideful as they connect with his legacy, even if every detail is not 100% perfect. please administrator ji keep this information intact so it can motivate us and help us understand a great man like him is also human.

thanks a lot for reading 130.74.58.97 (talk) 16:02, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Hello, IP user. I'm afraid that your comment is 100% irrelevant to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia - that is, it summarises what reliable sources say about notable subjects - nothing more. It is no part of Wikipedia's purpose "give moral lessons", or even to teach. Please see what Wikipedia is not. ColinFine (talk) 12:33, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

New optical illusion

http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Brown_spheres_optical_illusion.png

We know that this is an illusion where all the spheres are brown. To show this fact, zoom in the image and you'll see that the spheres are brown. But here's another illusion with this image:

Zoom in the image. Look at the spheres that the green lines go over. The lines don't appear to be straight when the lines cross the edges of the spheres. (Please focus only on the spheres that the GREEN lines go over.) Georgia guy (talk) 23:36, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

It's not just an illusion. Some of the lines appear to be poorly drawn. Unless that was done on purpose to try to make the spheres look more spherical. Maybe you could contact the original uploader (user Smial) and ask about it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:18, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

And it is also not just the green lines. All lines, while going over spheres, are curved upwards across the higher spheres and downwards across the lower spheres, as if drawn in perspective. The curvature is zero for lines right in the middle across spheres.  ‑‑Lambiam 04:17, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

A 2-D representation of a 3-D object is necessarily an 'optical illusion' in its own right. Yes, the curvature of the lines is a deliberate contribution to the illusion of there being 3-D spheres; so is the shading employed on their representation. Yes, the illustration is not rendered as perfectly as it might be; any illustration could likely have been rendered 'better' with more effort or better drawing tools. However, the rendering in this illustration is sufficiently good enough to serve its purpose, of illustrating a colour illusion. I see no problem with this. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.8.123.129 (talk) 10:58, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

February 21

Execution of Charles I

Would the American Revolution have taken place if the execution of Charles I had never occurred? Viriditas (talk) 02:08, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

"We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate." AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:25, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Which articles and/or sources discuss the impact of the execution of Charles I (1649) on the British colonies in North America? The article on 1649 has one sole entry describing the impact of the execution on Bermuda. Viriditas (talk) 02:30, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

[24][25] Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:32, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

[26] --136.56.165.118 (talk) 14:55, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

February 22

Curve relating interest rate and inflation rate

One of the principal objectives of monetary policy is to regulate the inflation rate, so the relationship between the interest rate and the inflation rate is obviously very important. Does this curve have a name in economics? 101.119.84.115 (talk) 08:02, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

Did you mean Fisher equation? i ≈ r + 𝜋^e Stanleykswong (talk) 10:21, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

No. The Fisher equation is a relationship between the real interest rate and the nominal interest rate. What I meant was how the inflation rate varies as a function of the interest rate. After all, central banks try to control the inflation rate by setting the interest rate. The interest rate is the independent variable, the inflation rate is the dependent variable. 101.119.84.115 (talk) 10:28, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

Without addressing the specific question, I suggest that there is likely no exact real-world equation because many other variable factors likely also affect the inflation rate. (Just my annualized 2%.) {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.8.123.129 (talk) 11:05, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

That's true of virtually every relationship in economics, yes. 101.119.84.115 (talk) 11:19, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

I am not sure what interest rate you are referring to? Nominal interest rate or real interest rate? Stanleykswong (talk) 13:18, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

The Fisher equation expresses the relationship between nominal interest rates, real interest rates, and inflation. In the equation, nominal interest rate (i) is the dependent variable, both real interest rate (r) and inflation rate (𝜋) are independent variables.

If you rearrange the equation, it becomes, approximately, 𝜋 ≈ i - r, i.e. inflation rate (𝜋) being the dependent variable, both nominal interest rate (i) and real interest rate (r) being the independent variables. Stanleykswong (talk) 13:25, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

Basically I was interested in a relationship roughly of the form $\pi =f(i)$.

The Wikipedia article on Fisher equation exposed me to the "Fisher hypothesis", which I didn't know about. If the Fisher hypothesis is true, then it makes sense for $\pi$ to vary linearly with $i$.

But if the Fisher hypothesis is false, then in general $r$ can be a function of $i$. So declaring $\pi =i-r(i)$ just begs the question. What is $r(i)$?

I don't know what the accepted status of the Fisher hypothesis is. 101.119.84.115 (talk) 13:52, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

If the formula of π = f(i) is what you want, I think the simplest way is starting with a basic relationship of π=α+βi, and then use the historical data to find out the best-fit curve and hence the values of α and β. Stanleykswong (talk) 16:04, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

The key interest rate set by the decision makers of a central bank depends on:

• their forecast of the development of the inflation under unchanged policy;
• their inflation target (which in the US may depend on the saltiness of the water);
• the current interest rate.

If their forecast is considerably higher than the target, they may increase the key interest rate. If it is considerably lower, they may decrease the key interest rate. It cannot be expected that this can be captured in a formula π = f(i); it should be more like Δi = g(π _fcst − π _targ), in which π _fcst is the forecast and π _targ the target. If this (very simplified) picture is basically correct, a scatter plot of π versus i will not resemble a simple curve.  ‑‑Lambiam 20:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

The Taylor rule Stanleykswong (talk) 20:43, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

This is a model of the behaviour of a central bank. I was interested just in how the inflation rate of a currency depends on its interest rate. 101.119.124.17 (talk) 00:38, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Let me put it this way. Assume a rule of the form π = f(i) to hold. Under the reasonable assumption that f is a monotonic and continuous function, it has a functional inverse, say g, so i = g(π). This would give the central bank people a very simple rule: set the key interest rate to i = g(π _targ), and bingo, the inflation target will be met. The fact that they use much more complicated rules, also involving the actual rate of inflation, strongly suggests it ain't so easy.  ‑‑Lambiam 07:32, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Yes, besides the actual and target inflation rates, they also need to consider factors, such as actual and target GDPs, actual and target unemployment rates, etc... Stanleykswong (talk) 10:54, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

If you used the US interest rate and inflation historical data to plot their trends, you will see that inflation is a leading variable and interest rate is lagging. My interpretation is the central banks set the interest rates to control the inflation (they also consider other factors such as GDP). In this case, empirical data shows that interest rate is the depending variable (not the independent variable as you said). Of course, you may argue that the two variables are affecting each other and, yes, in most cases, they are. Stanleykswong (talk) 10:21, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

February 23

Looking for book: "World's Dirtiest Jokes"

Hello all. My Google-fu is failing me. I'm looking for a book called "World's Dirtiest Jokes", published in 1969 (some sources say 1968). The actual citation for the work is tricky because it was published pseudonymously, but it appears to be by Victor Dodson (real name: John Newbern), "Richard Rodman", and Peggy "Goose Reardon" Rodebaugh. Not sure how real any of those names are; "Victor Banis" is another name that comes up if you search enough - I've no idea at this point what name(s) are actually on the book itself. On slightly more solid ground it was published by Medco Books, a division of Sherbourne Press. Here is an example citation I found. Adding to the frustration is that, of course, a large number of books have similar titles, including "The World's Greatest Dirty Jokes" also published in 1969 (published anonymously by Kanrom) that are unrelated.
From comments in the Legman books, this is apparently a particularly interesting compendium of uncensored mid-century American humor, which is a subject I'm very interested in. I'd very much like to get a copy (hard or soft) of the book, but I'm coming up empty on Google, Abebooks, etc. I found a lead that Lynn Munroe Books might be a place to look, but he has apparently closed up shop. Any suggestions?
If I come up empty here, I'll try WP:RX next, but I'd really like to get the entire book, not extractions from it. Matt Deres (talk) 23:01, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Victor Dodson appears to be a pseudonym used by Victor J. Banis and his partner Sam Dodson. DuncanHill (talk) 23:46, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Makes sense. His name came up, but it wasn't clear to me exactly what the connection was - thank you. Matt Deres (talk) 20:31, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

I got to looking, and I managed to turn up one thing. I take it you haven't seen this worthpoint post since you said you don't know what's on the book itself. Interestingly, there's a book with the exact title published 5 years later under the name "Mr. J", and a copy of this book is available on eBay currently, but I'm pretty sure they're not the same. Seems like very few of these books were printed, and finding any mention of it is quite a challenge. Kylemahar902 (talk) 01:49, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Wow! You're correct - I had not seen that - that may turn out to be helpful. I agree the Mr J volumes on eBay are probably unrelated. It's not quite the exact same title, though; the ones I saw are titled "The World's Best Dirty Jokes". Too bad! They're cheap and also got a second volume. Matt Deres (talk) 20:38, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

When I saw your ping, I looked again and found something else. Quote:

"(Unpublished collection made by John NEWBERN, q.v., of the "too-hot-to-handle" jokes, poems, and obscœna sent in by readers of his Sex to Sexty and Super Sex to Sexty semibawdy humor magazines. Most of this material was issued by him as The World's Dirtiest Jokes, 1969, by "Victor Dodson," Los Angeles, along with an almost surreptitious pocket-reprint for mass distribution of Immortalia, q.v., also in 1969. The leftover sex-gags and cartoons were combined as a "men's" almanac, the 1968 He-Μan Daily Diary and Stemwinder Reminder, from an east-coast address, New York: Arroco Pub. Co., for presentation to all Newbern's customers, with the sentiment printed in gold inside the padded leatherette cover: "FOR A BUDDY, FROM BIG BAD JOHN.") See: "Victor Dodson.""

The book He-Μan Daily Diary, and Stemwinder Reminder, are both on eBay right now. Hope I could help. Kylemahar902 (talk) 20:43, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Thank you kindly - it's perhaps another piece in the puzzle. I may end up grabbing the item (the one eBay listing suggests that both titles are in fact one volume) out of curiosity, though it's not the actual thing I'm looking for. Matt Deres (talk) 20:51, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

I think I got something a bit more substantial for you. The magazine referred to in the above message is Sex to Sexty, and I found one issue of that on the internet archive. Based on the above information, I would imagine many of the jokes you will find in this magazine would be similar to or the same as the ones that were put in the book you're searching for. I think this will have to be the end of my quest, though - my search history is starting to get questionable. Kylemahar902 (talk) 21:09, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

threats against airlines

A non-credible threat was made against AA292[27]. There were other incidents recently: 2024 Indian bomb hoaxes.

Was there ever a case in history where both of the following were true?

1. an explosive and/or incendiary device was planted on a airline,

2. a bomb threat or ransom demand was sent to the airlines or the authorities

Looking through wiki pages like [28]Timeline of airliner bombing attacks I found many cases of #1, and thousands of cases of #2 (but were all hoaxes). I could not find a single case of where a threat was accompanied by a real bomb. Epideurus (talk) 23:55, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Maybe it's possible. But if someone wants to blow up a plane, why would they telegraph it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:20, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Ransom demand, "release our leader", etc. Epideurus (talk) 21:22, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

From the list, the 8 March 1972 incident on TWA N761TW would seem to qualify. An explosive was planted (and later detonated), and a threat and demand for money were phoned in. There's also D. B. Cooper, but we don't know what he really had in his briefcase. --Amble (talk) 17:55, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

@Amble Thank you. TWA N761TW 100% fits.

Also good point about D. B. Cooper. But I guess we would never know for sure. Epideurus (talk) 21:21, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

February 24

Wedding present

I know an older (50+) lady who has been dating a guy on and off for some decades and they are finally getting married. I don't know the guy at all. The lady has what I think of as a middle class condo in AZ though I haven't visited it. By this I mean she probably already has any kitchen appliances that she needs, she's not rich, but not broke either. I'm trying to pick out a suitable small wedding gift. I had been thinking of a Chemex coffee brewer but 1) she likely already has suitable coffee gear, and 2) I have the impression (tell me if I'm wrong) that wedding gifts are supposed to have some kind of permanence, which put the timeless look of the Chemex into my mind, but they can break.

Any other ideas of how to pick something out? Same price range as the Chemex, more or less. Presumably something they could both use. I actually don't know if the guy is moving in with her or what. Is it inappropriate to simply ask her what she would like? Thanks. 2601:644:8581:75B0:0:0:0:2D6 (talk) 00:49, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

I think it would be quite appropriate to simply ask her. Blueboar (talk) 01:37, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

I agree that simply asking what they would like is appropriate in this situation. A young newly-wed couple starting a new household will need lots of things and if they aren't rich will appreciate somewhat permanent useful items. This couple may be in a state where they'd rather want to get rid of redundant stuff, so I suspect that the degree of permanence of any gifts is less of an issue. If she is located close to Scottsdale you might also consider a Neiman Marcus gift card.  ​‑‑Lambiam 09:36, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

My vote is also on gift cards. The poster must not know this couple very well, given they have not been to the lady's apartment and doesn't know her fiancée at all. I don't know about you folks, but my French press hasn't came out of the cabinet in years. Kylemahar902 (talk) 10:37, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Yes. A gift card is money. You can't ever go wrong by giving money. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:19, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

I for one prefer inexpensive gifts that have a personal touch to more expensive impersonal gifts.  ​‑‑Lambiam 18:28, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

I also think gift cards are the best. Stanleykswong (talk) 17:14, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Does the couple not have a gift registry? Most of the wedding invitations I have received in the last few years included a website listing of items the couple were interested in receiving. Often these were part of the website of a retailer and would remove the items from view as they were purchased by guests. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 15:08, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Former Australian council statistics

Shire of Hastings

Shire of Mornington

In km² terms, what was the area for the Shire of Hastings and the Shire of Mornington (Victoria) before their abolition? The articles give the same figure for both, 304.6 km², which is preposterous if you look at the maps, but it's unsourced and I don't know where to look. All I'm finding for Hastings is Wikipedia mirrors, and results for Mornington are filled with information for the Shire of Mornington Peninsula and the Shire of Mornington (Queensland). Nyttend (talk) 02:16, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

The lead section of Shire of Mornington (Victoria) has, "The shire covered an area of 90.65 square kilometres (35.0 sq mi) immediately to the south of Frankston, and existed from 1860 until 1994." This fits well with the relative sizes of the green areas. Both numbers, 90.65 and 304.6, were already present in the oldest revision. It appears that the incorrect figure in the infobox was the result of an oversight after copying the wikitext of the existing article Shire of Hastings as a start for a new article Shire of Mornington (Victoria).  ​‑‑Lambiam 08:38, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Ugg, I'm sorry, I didn't read the article introductions. I'm surprised that this is even mentioned there; it's not mentioned in the rest of the article, so I didn't expect it to appear in the introduction. Nyttend (talk) 10:52, 24 February 2025 (UTC)