July 10

Where can I learn about train travel in Europe in sleeper cars. I am especially interested in longer, multi-night travel ThomBombadil (talk) 00:37, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Moving from sci RD. Llaanngg (talk) 01:19, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You might want to start at Sleeping_car#Europe.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:50, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

See also raileurope.com, www.eurail.com and www.seat61.com. Alansplodge (talk) 09:15, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

• The Man in Seat Sixty-One (http://www.seat61.com/) is a great website for rail travel advice, and has extensive information about European sleeper trains. Smurrayinchester 09:17, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, one point I'll add: there are not many multi-night sleeper trains in Europe, just because Europe a) is relatively compact, b) has fast trains and c) has several incompatible track gauges, so there aren't many non-stop routes that take more than a day or so (the longest I know of is the EuroNight 17/18 from Moscow to Nice, which takes two nights). If you want a long journey, you've got three options: go for a dedicated railtour service like the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, travel on several different trains (say, get a night train from Paris to Barcelona, then a different night train from Barcelona to Lisbon), or take one of the Moscow-France trains. Of course, from Moscow you can then catch the Trans-Siberian - now that's a long distance train journey. Smurrayinchester 09:51, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Why is there no Moscow to Paris train? Now Gibraltar or Lisbon to Malmo would be a long trip by European standards (if it exists and there's no rail crossing from Denmark). Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 05:23, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

There is a Paris-Moscow train (EuroNight 452), but it's not as long (since it just has cut across Germany rather than weaving around the Alps). For the most part, it's not possible to go from Lisbon (or anywhere in Iberia) to France or beyond, because Spain and Portugal use wider tracks than the rest of Europe (there was a sleeper train - the Sud Express, but they had to lift the carriages up and change their bogies at the border, which was a pain. Now, you have to change trains somewhere along the way (either Barcelona or Irun, most likely). There is incidentally a direct rail crossing to Malmö: the Oresund Bridge. Smurrayinchester 07:54, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

That seems to me an outstandingly helpful reply. I'd come across that website years ago and forgotten all about it. Thincat (talk) 13:23, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Why is it sometimes kindle books only come in e-readers and not as novels? 50.68.118.24 (talk) 04:38, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Fairly confused by what you mean. If you want to know why some books are only available in digital format and not available as printed copies, this will generally be because of the rights owner or publisher. For books that are either self-published or published by either a vanity or "indie" publisher; while various print on demand and low volume printing systems enable authors and small time publishers to make printed copies of their books available at a fairly low cost, there may still be some upfront cost. Even if there isn't, authors or publishers may still prefer to only publish digital versions for various reasons such as money earned per copy sold, simplicity, perception of print on demand or other low volume publishing etc. In cases where more traditional publishers are involved, they may have quite significant minimum copies they will print, and may only do so if they think there is sufficient demand. But again, this doesn't apply to digital copies so they will have lower requirements before releasing it (presuming they either have or can get the permission of the copyright holder). Nil Einne (talk) 05:03, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I have an idea for a book or television series ,problem ,I have never written a book before and do not know were to start if I give the idea to a ghost writer do I still retain the rights, — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.236.229.251 (talk) 10:34, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

How the rights (and potential profits) would be shared if you use a ghost-writer would depend entirely on the terms of the contract you enter into with them. You might be able to pay them a lot of money to do the work, then keep all of the rights - just make sure what you negotiate is clear and watertight. Wymspen (talk) 10:48, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Our article at ghostwriter has some information. Work for hire is also appropriate, particularly in the US. Matt Deres (talk) 15:45, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You can not be said to have started on a professional writing career until after you begin exposing your ideas and drafts to critical views. For example, a critical reader may tell you that your own posting contains multiple errors of punctuation and spelling. Scripts for TV series invariably go through many rewrites before transmission and literary "ideas" are seldom marketable until they have been incorporated in a significant work of original composition. AllBestFaith (talk) 16:07, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

[EC] It's a common misconception of people who aren't writers that the ideas are the most important component and the skills, craft and application needed to turn them into a finished work are lesser matters that can be delegated to a hireling.

[Disclosure: I'm a former professional non-fiction editor (which itself entails some writing), and have actively studied the craft of fiction writing.]

In reality, for any competent writer ideas are easy to come by – it's the ability to turn them into publishable quality prose (or script) that is difficult to master.

Writing for hire does occur, but it's usually done for people who are prominent for some other reason: ghosting an athlete's "auto"biography, for example, or turning a film producer's scenario into a full script. It's also not cheap: the professional writer has to make a living, which means earning the equivalent of a reasonable hourly rate, which most people with just an idea are unlikely to be able to afford to pay. The proposition of splitting the assumed future earnings of such a collaboration are a much poorer bet than working on something of their own more likely to sell, or writing something commissioned by a publisher. [I myself have worked on the publisher side of such arrangements.]

There are also a good many scam artists around, who will promise much and take money in advance, but may not actually try (or be able) to produce a truly professional-level result. The OP (though not themselves a writer) might benefit from investigating sites such as Writer Beware (scroll down to "Advocacy and support") that warn of such practices and practitioners. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.123.26.60 (talk) 23:41, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The OP might like to peruse some issues of Writer's Digest or the annual Writer's Market, both of which provide much information about the ins and outs of writing and publishing. Textorus (talk) 03:37, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Miscellaneous&action=submit# Shooting of Philando Castile. If Castile was driving, then Diamond Reynolds's video, which shows him in the right seat, must be reversed. Why?

Another possibility, of course, is that it's a right-drive car, but that's contradicted by this image (note the plate). —Tamfang (talk) 23:39, 10 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

It definitely looks like the video was showing a mirror image. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:38, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Various sources suggest it's either because it was shot using the front facing camera http://boards.4chan .org/pol/thread/80141302 [1] or with the rear facing camera option set in Facebook's settings [2] (I presume still shot with the front facing camera). I guess it could also be the rear facing camera with the front facing camera option set. Nil Einne (talk) 07:46, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

July 12

Is Theresa May the first Type-I diabetic to become Prime Minister of a G-7 nation? RomanSpa (talk) 22:10, 12 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Your selection seems extraordinarily specific. I assume the Chancellor of Germany is counted as the Prime Minister, but you're still excluding the President of the US and any US leader. And for France, you're including the Prime Minister of France but not the President of France. In addition, it's not clear whether you want to include the G7 countries during the time they were G7+1 or G8 or before they were G7. This source [3] does claim that she's the first world leader, but I somewhat doubt they'be actually looked into every world leader for the past 50-100 years. (Of course if you go back far enough, it will not be clear if it was type 1 or 2. 2 may be more likely but Theresa May herself perhaps illustrates the risk of assuming which one by factors such as age rather than a proper diagnosis.) Nil Einne (talk) 05:51, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I selected the G-7 because it restricted the search area to a manageable size, and because I did not want to precipitate one of the Reference Desk's discussions on "what would constitute a 'major' country". If you wish to include non-Prime Ministerial heads of government, that would be helpful. RomanSpa (talk) 00:53, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

• Several Soviet/Russian premiers had diabetes - mostly type 2, but it's unclear what type Yuri Andropov had. Russia is currently suspended from the G7/8, and of course was not a member when the Soviet Union was still around. This list of politicians with diabetes may help. Smurrayinchester 09:34, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for this list. As you said, many of these appear to be Type-2, but (although not a Prime Minister) it was interesting to read that Sonia Sotomayor is the first Type-1 Supreme Court Justice. RomanSpa (talk) 01:01, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

According to diabetes.org.uk, diabetes.co.uk and jdrf.org.uk she is the first world leader with type 1 and not just a G7 PM. CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 01:23, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, this is exactly what I wanted to know. In case you're interested, my nephew now has a picture of Theresa May pinned to his bedroom wall! Thank you for your help with this. RomanSpa (talk) 10:39, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

July 13

I probably shouldn't bother, given that this question is hatted and the remark is off-topic anyway, but just for @Baseball Bugs:' edification (or anyone else's who doesn't know), when an IP address geolocates to the United States, but not to any more specific location than that, the geolocate page puts it in Kansas, which is the geographic center of the Lower 48. --Trovatore (talk) 21:03, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Our article also suggests the coach took medical leave in January last year and as per one of the sources used, permanently left the NC team in March of last year. Even ignoring geolocation issues, I don't see how we know where the coach is or what they're doing in July 2016. Although as with many here I'm sure, I hope they're doing well. (If someone does find something, unless it's well sourced please don't add it to the article.) Nil Einne (talk) 23:03, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

First, I have been told that the colour of wine is not a product of the colour of the grapes used, but the presence or absence of the skins (skins lead to red wine). Is this quite correct?

Second, I generally prefer New World wines, but particularly enjoy sparkling wines, such as Champagne, Prosecco and Cava, which are Old World wines. Are New World equivalents (equivalent in the sense of being sparkling) available in the UK, and what are they called?--Leon (talk) 17:32, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

1) No, that's not entirely correct. If you use white grapes, which actually look green, but their juice is clear, you won't get a red wine. But, the color is indeed in the skin, so you will need to include the skins from black or red grapes to get red wine.

2) "Sparkling wine" is the general term for that type of wine that avoids any legal consequences of calling it Champagne, which, understandably, those in the Champagne region of France think should be only used for their sparkling wines. StuRat (talk) 19:07, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, but do we get sparkling New World wines in the UK, and what are their names? I would like to try some.--Leon (talk) 19:30, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I googled '"new world" sparkling wine site:.uk' and found lots of ads. However I also found this and, rather less relevant, this. Thincat (talk) 20:08, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I like this wine https://www.wolfblass.com/en-gb/wines/sparkling-brut/pinot-noir-chardonnay and it's easily obtained in supermarkets and wine shops. --TrogWoolley (talk) 11:35, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

It has been shown that experts can fail to identify the origins of various wines (they are all made grapes from species, Vitis vinefera grapes). For real New World wines, look for wines made from New World species of grapes which have distinctly different tastes (mostly Vitis labrusca but also Vitis rotundifolia and others). These are less commonly available. Rmhermen (talk) 21:34, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

В надежде увидеть в проекте DICE историчность. А так-же не допустить несправедливого передела ролей стран Антанты и Тройственного Союза на фронтах ПМВ. Российская Империя, а позже Республика Россия вместе с Францией являлись главенствующими державами в данном конфликте, наравне с Британской империей, Автро-Венгрией, Германией, Италией и Турцией. Я считаю крайним проявлением варварства и кощунства обходить одну сторону конфликта в угоду другой. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.42.208.137 (talk) 18:37, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

If Google Translate is to be trusted, this posting is about the Entente Cordiale and the Triple Alliance (1882), but it doesn't appear to contain a question. If there is a question here, please can you ask it in English? A machine translation will probably be enough for us to work with. Tevildo (talk) 20:40, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Or maybe ask it at the Reference Desk in the appropriate language, if one exists. Our ref desk front page has links to other languages. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 22:32, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I translate thus: "I wish to see the historical concept used on Russian TV-Tsentr television (which should not allow) unfair revision of the roles of the Entente countries and the Triple Alliance on the PRC fronts. The Russian Empire and later the Republic of Russia, together with France were the main powers in this conflict, along with the British Empire, CPS(?), Austro-Hungary, Germany, Italy and Turkey. I believe the extreme manifestation of the conflict's barbarism is biased one-sidedly in favor of one side." AllBestFaith (talk) 23:12, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I visited a few days ago after being directed here from somewhere else (don't ask me where, at this point), and discovered a page about Old West bedrolls. I wanted to improve upon it because the West is my major area of expertise. Now all I can find is a redirect page that takes me to "sleeping bag," which is not the same thing. What became of the entry? I distinctly remember it; it even had a picture. If it's gone, how can I create one myself?

I suppose you have some way of knowing who I am, but if you don't, I'm chrijeff.

Chrijeff (talk) 20:05, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Bedroll has been a redirect to sleeping bag since August 2007 — see the history. So it's hard to guess what you found.

Definitely you can change the redirect to a standalone article if you like. There's always the possibility that others won't agree and will merge it back into the sleeping bag article, but you can do it.

For an article, even a very short one, you should have at least one reliable source backing up whatever claims you make. That might not be enough to save it from getting merged, if others don't agree that the topic has independent notability. --Trovatore (talk) 20:12, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

We have an article Cowboy Bedroll with a picture. Could that be what you were looking at? Thincat (talk) 22:00, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I took the liberty of adding Cowboy bedroll to 'See also' section of Sleeping bag. Should Bedroll redirect to Cowboy bedroll instead of Sleeping bag (my vote is "yes")? --2606:A000:4C0C:E200:3994:3C44:6154:DBD2 (talk) 02:55, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I changed redirect (as above). 02:58, 14 July 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:3994:3C44:6154:DBD2 (talk)

July 14

I'm from India and I've never seen this fruit before. I found this in my office in Poland and picked it up thinking it's an apple. But it had fuzzy skin and a hard stone inside (you can see it in the bottom corner of the photo here https://s31.postimg.org/hjlqnfjd7/20160714_073058_1.jpg). It was kept in a basket along with bananas in the kitchen. Can anybody identify the fruit? It got soft and mushy when I started cutting into it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.254.226.113 (talk) 05:42, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

A peach. ---Sluzzelin talk 05:55, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Just looking at the picture, I would have said a nectarine (on the basis of the dark skin colour) - though fuzzy skin would suggest a peach. Wymspen (talk) 08:23, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Where can I find evidence that the quality of life of an average person in soviet russia was worse the US, at its peak. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.207.186.185 (talk) 18:29, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I'm reminded of something Will Rogers said: "In Russia, they ain't got no income tax. But they ain't got no income!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:32, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I'm reminded of something German comedian (yes, that's a thing) Volker Pispers said – roughly translated: "We all remember those terrible images of homeless people with no teeth. Oh, I'm sorry, that was the US. In the GDR, people had no bananas." Rgds ✦ _hugarheimur 19:11, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

So, has BB ever lived in, or even visited, Russia?--86.187.174.181 (talk) 23:28, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Soviet Union and some subarticles has some information. It was a violent authoritarian spartan country where most would be better off American but there must be a minority of Americans who would've been better off there. Might be better to be born in Moscow than Compton. Maybe. In Soviet Russia, life qualities YOU! Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 01:32, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I gather that life in Russia is not so bad as it was in the USSR. For example, people can actually leave voluntarily. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:44, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You're going to need to decide how to measure quality of life. A very crude method is to take GDP per capita; this places the USA way ahead of the Soviet Union throughout its history. The Human Development Index is popular, but unfortunately didn't cover the Soviet Union. This paper attempts to do so; you can judge how reliable you think it is; they place the Soviet Union fairly high in 1950, but the USA right near the top. It's also worth noting that the USA was similarly ahead of Russia, before the Soviet Union emerged. But there are lots of criticisms of the HDI; the things which you consider contribute to your quality of life may not be easily measured, and might even depend on where you grow up. Warofdreams talk 02:07, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

• Due to the completely different economical and political systems between the nations, it will be hard to directly compare, with any statistic. Also, your question is not stated correctly, you are seeking evidence to support your position, rather than asking for the facts. I would say you are on the whole probably right, but it's still the wrong way to ask the question if you are trying to approach this in a scientific and objective manner. Fgf10 (talk) 07:35, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

We have an article on Happiness economics, in which you can find links to some indices used to measure quality of life. Sjö (talk) 08:55, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

If I do a high lift on my hair colour it dark blond; is there a way I can add pink and blue streaks in it and have it last for six months? My hair is naturally brown. 50.68.118.24 (talk) 22:33, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Nobody here can answer your question because the coloring of a person's hair depends on its texture, tenacity, and porosity; also on the particular coloring agent(s) used. You need to have an experienced hair colorist examine your hair and advise what can be done with it. But even with the best color job in the world - your hair still grows about 1/2 inch a month, so in 6 months, you'll have 3 inches of your natural hair color showing from the roots out. Which makes the idea of a dye job that lasts for six months rather pointless. All artificially colored hair has to be renewed every few weeks to look consistent. Textorus (talk) 23:13, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

July 15

How far is the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower from the water (assuming there are no waves)? InedibleHulk (talk) 01:35, July 15, 2016 (UTC)

I can't easily find it but this measurement is called freeboard. (height (the scraping suspension bridges kind) has a cool name called "air draft"). Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 02:36, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. Not knowing the nautical terms made it trickier for me. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:16, July 15, 2016 (UTC)

You do realize this depends on how it's laden? μηδείς (talk) 02:39, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Design waterline. Oh, and of course. Also water temperature and salinity. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 02:53, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Let's just say everything's average. Mediterranean Sea average, anyway. And it's just sitting there. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:16, July 15, 2016 (UTC)

Why the Mediterranean? Contemplating a US-ISIS war? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 04:34, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

That's just where it is lately. The war's past the contemplation part. My wonder comes from watching a video of a plane snapping the catchwire upon landing and falling off. It flew back up again, but there were a couple of tense seconds. InedibleHulk (talk) 06:49, July 15, 2016 (UTC)

@μηδείς: the load of those war-machines like an aircraft carrier it seems has to be optimized, notably, their propulsion does not affect their charge. Not so with the aircrafts themselves however, I once tried a fighter-bomber flight simulator and repeatedly crashed at take-off because of the load of the machine. --Askedonty (talk) 05:29, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Using a very old-fashioned way of working it out (a photo and a ruler) it is around 30 metres from deck level to the water line. Wymspen (talk) 08:11, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think I own a ruler, but pinching a presumably six-foot-tall man for reference, I can scoot down about 15 units. That's close enough to verified for me. Thanks! InedibleHulk (talk) 09:08, July 15, 2016 (UTC)

I wonder if pilot survival has anything to do with why it isn't lower. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 09:11, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Not sure, but this doesn't seem very safe, and that's 64 feet. Seems every inch the sea stays away is a good inch for airmen. Waves aside, it's extra split-seconds to either correct a poor takeoff or eject a terrible one. Simply falling off gets a bit deadlier, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 10:12, July 15, 2016 (UTC)

Runny nose

Why is my nose always runny and stuffed up in the morning when I wake up, but fine for the rest of the day?--WaltCip (talk) 13:38, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]