Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 January 9

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January 9

Larson Army Airfield

I am trying to find out the light transportation designation and shoulder patch design that was in use at the larson army airfield , located in fort benning georgia in the year 1958 1959 1960 . I was a helicoptor mechanic at this location , and was a member of the united states army stationed there .Desigination meaning ,the number on the patch .I am making a collection of items from the past . I did write a letter to the commanding officer of fort benning this past week and am awaiting an answer .my army sn was RA12570096 name the same as now Edward Ginnegar .Any information you can find will be greatly appreaciated .Please forgive my spelling and grammer ,I do not often use a computer thank you Edward Ginnegar —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edulovin (talk • contribs) 01:51, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Well, I didn't find much with a web search - nothing whatever about shoulder patches or anything - it seems that there is a Larson airforce base in Washington that comes up in all of the searches...

• http://www.ccrh.org/comm/moses/primary/larson.html
• http://www.ccrh.org/comm/moses/community4.html
• This is only in Google Cache
• That last link was written by: Melvin G. Nelms, TSGT, USAF Historian, Directorate of Information, Headquarters, 462nd Strategic Aerospace Wing, Larson Air Force Base, Washington...but now I'm confused because the article is about the Larson ARMY airfield - and he's at the Larson AIR FORCE base in Washington.

Argh...I don't think there is anything more I can find. I hope you have more luck with writing to the station commander. SteveBaker (talk) 21:19, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Quebec separatism and US Army

Would Canada be able to rent part of the US Army if it were necessary to keep Quebec from separating? NeonMerlin 08:07, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

You can't generally 'rent' an army. Mercenaries perhaps but not another countries army. You can ask for help from other countries or the UN but whether they will help you or not depends on whether they are too busy and whether there is any reason to help you. If after a referendum where 90% opposed a seperation, the Québécois tigre or whatever, attacked police bases and government buildings and slaughtered anyone who disagreed with them then declared independence it's far more likely there will be support for an international intervention then if after a referendum where 90% supported indepence, and a Supreme Court decision demanding the government abide by the referendum, a military coup abolished the government and courts and annouced that Canada's borders were indivisable and began slaughtering anyone in Quebec who opposed them you're much less likely to to see any support for an international intervention in support of this military coup Nil Einne (talk) 10:59, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Didn't the U.S. use promises of help getting into NATO or threats of the cutoff of foreign aid to induce various countries to get small numbers of soldiers sent to join the "Coalition of the Willing" in Iraq, or to get "paper membership" in the coalition without any miliitary or financial assistance, so it looked less like a U.S. invasion and occupation? [1]. There are also "security forces" employed by the thousands in Iraq who the press have called mercenaries and who outnumber the non-US "C.O.W." forces in Iraq. The likes of Blackwater might be effective against rebels in a country. [2] [3]. Edison (talk) 16:46, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

The short answer is "No." The longer answer is the counter-question, "After the Meech Lake fiasco, why would the rest of Canada want to prevent Quebec from separating?" B00P (talk) 17:02, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

No. But this has happened in the past. Thousands of soldiers from Hesse in Germany were rented out to the British Empire to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Some of them were victims of press-ganging and/or received no pay. — FIRE!^{in a crowded theatre...} 21:56, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Some of those soldiers were offered land in the New World as their pay. One of them was my ancestor. :) Franamax (talk) 12:32, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Indeed, mercenaries have a long history. (First I've heard of the Hessians being press ganged though...). The US military is not, and I dare say will never be, a mercenary force, however. If the US were to offer Canada assistance in the case of separation, monetary considerations would probably not come into it, the outcry from the American public that their troops were having their lives risked to generate money for the military would be intolerable. TastyCakes (talk) 22:06, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd think the American public would be more enraged about having to pay to fix the problems in another country (as they are now in Iraq and Afghanistan), so would be willing to take any money which was offered. StuRat (talk) 23:02, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

But would the non-Quebec public support the the Government asking for intervention by the US army? CambridgeBayWeather Have a gorilla 23:38, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

". . . having their lives risked to generate money for the military would be intolerable"? The money doesn't go directly to the military, it is true, but England the United Kingdom, for example, would be surprised the hear that there is no cost to getting the American army on side and on site. To be fair, this is true, so far as I know, of standing armies everywhere. If an army comes to the support of any side, it does so for a reason, and that reason generally comes down to power, which is what money is used to attain. Invited into Canada, and contracted (meaning an agreement of some sort), the American army would assist the side it felt best represented its own best interests. Once again, in this, they are no different from any other standing army. As for the American army coming into Canada uninvited, the last time it tried, it was sent back home.. ៛ Bielle (talk) 00:38, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

"but England the United Kingdom, for example, would be surprised the hear that there is no cost to getting the American army on side and on site" Are you sure of this? As you say, it's true of most standing armies. I'm not aware there is a common misconception that you have to pay for the American army, or any army, to come and help you. AFAIK, most people who actually think about the thing know you don't pay for the a foreign army to come and aide you, they come if they want to and sometimes even when you don't want them to. I've never heard for example, a question in parliament or asked of a MP etc "How much did we pay for the US Army to come and help us? Oh we didn't pay anything? That's so cool man!" Nil Einne (talk) 12:16, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

America would be unable, IMO, to convince its population that using its armed forces as mercenaries was acceptable. Restitutions, "big picture" economic concerns and so on aside, it is difficult to imagine Canada being able to "hire" the US military, just as it would be difficult to imagine a rebel Quebec hiring the US military. TastyCakes (talk) 18:34, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

It wouldn't be represented as being a mercenary action, it would be seen as "helping out to prevent chaos in a neighboring country". The payments would only be seen as "helping to defray the cost". Similarly, if the US ever gets Iraq to pay for the cost of defending their country for them, that won't be seen as a mercenary action either. StuRat (talk) 13:00, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

Canada has its own armed forces. Quebec doesn't. I can't imagine the Canadian armed forces would need much help repressing Quebec if it came to that. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:04, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes but a large part of the Canadian forces is based in/from Quebec. That is one of the reasons it would have been such a sticky situation if one of the referendums had been successful. TastyCakes (talk) 18:34, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

If a majority of Quebecers truly wanted to separate then the Canadian government would almost certainly negociate rather than fight. Any other form of separation would constitute a rebellion. You might like to look at October crisis and War Measures Act for the history of this. DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:26, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

music videos

Hi, im having some trouble finding information on various things about music videos and the industry. Im mainly having trouble with finding information on how "the financial artist and record company income gained from music videos and how this is dispersed" and "how videos are used as a tool to promote to a specific target audience and genre". Can any1 help? id really appreciate it! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.106.65.248 (talk) 11:52, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

We don't do homework for people on the ref desk, sorry. As a tip, try to figure out where the money comes from for music from consumers, and then try to figure out where videos figure into that (since most consumers don't buy videos, or at least didn't in a pre-iTunes era). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:29, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

We don't do homework for people, yes, but we do point people in the right direction. Target market, Target demographic and Marketing might be useful. Steewi (talk) 23:18, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Eastern European sex slaves

My email friend said in passing that in Eastern Europe you can buy young girls and keep them locked as sex slaves. Is this true? It is legal? I realize this is a bit of an odd question, but all I can find via google are news stories about human trafficking. thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nescapsnot (talk • contribs) 12:42, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes, there are sex slaves bought and sold in Eastern Europe (along with any area of the world). No, it is not legal. Human traffickers sometimes do traffic in sex slaves, so those links are relevant.--droptone (talk) 13:06, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Take a look at the columns of Nicolas Kristof. Almost all of them are about sex slaves nowadays, usually in Asia but he often takes a European and global view. Sex slavery is one of the more disturbing and disgusting facets of our modern world. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:19, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

If you want to find out more about it, may I suggest starting with the book Not for Sale by David Batstone. It's a fairly short, easy-to-read book about human trafficking and there's a section on Eastern Europe. Scary stuff, but pretty informative. Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 17:30, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

We have articles: Sexual slavery and Forced prostitution Read away!--Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:39, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Biodiversity

Along a narrow path on the south coast of England, between a steep grassy hill on one side and a low wall the other, that drops a few meters down to the sea all along the path, how might someone go about making it so that there were more animals, and a wide variety of plants living there without blocking the path, such that people could walk along and see butterflies flying around, other insects buzzing about everywhere, maybe a few other small animals scattered around the area, frogs perhaps, if the sea were very shelterd and calm. 148.197.114.165 (talk) 13:11, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

This website has a lot of tips on how to attract various animals into your garden. I would imagine the principle would be the same for the location you specify. Fribbler (talk) 14:10, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

I would write to a local wildlife club or governmental conservation agency and ask them this question. We have a zillion articles on conservation in the UK, most of which can be found on the page "List_of_conservation_topics" and the category page. There is an international Biodiversity Action Plan being implemented in the UK as the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan. Their website identifies local plans and has links to people who can help. I'm thinking along the lines of trying to restore to your area the plants and animals that historically have done well there. --Milkbreath (talk) 17:07, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

By the way, Milkbreath, you can link to a Category page without inserting this page in that cat, by prefacing it with a colon: Category:Conservation in the United Kingdom. —Tamfang (talk) 18:56, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

It's possible that so close to the sea, the salt spray that must get dumped there in high winds will have made the soil very salty - and hence antagonistic to the kinds of wildlife you imagine. For example, to attract amphibians you'd need some freshwater ponds - but if those turn to salt water within six months, your amphibians are gonna be dead. Probably the best way to get it back to nature is to simply do nothing...don't cut the grass, don't get rid of 'weeds' - just let nature take its course. SteveBaker (talk) 04:59, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Why can't you buy mouse-flavoured cat food?

My cat just brought in his sixth mouse this year, and after carrying it around the house a couple of times dripping mouse blood everywhere proceeded to sit in the middle on the kitchen floor and wolf it down whole. It just led me to wonder that you can buy cat food in things like beef flavour and tuna flavour, and yet nowhere that I shop sells mouse-flavoured cat food. Why is that? -- role^player 18:30, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

You do know that's an old joke, right? Not sure if you have a serious question or not. If you're serious.. a couple factors to consider: I doubt there's much market for artificial mouse flavoring, so that leaves real mice. There's not a lot of meat on a mouse. But with things like beef or tuna, there are a lot of various scraps and meat by-products that are already widely available. Friday (talk) 18:39, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

No I wasn't aware it's an old joke, I was actually being serious. -- role^player 18:45, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

They do sell mice at pet stores to feed pet reptiles, I think. bibliomaniac15 18:47, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Cats will instinctively chase and eat anything small enough, so you might just as well ask about spider, frog, bird, or butterfly flavoured food. The flavour wouldn't actually make any difference.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 19:20, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

My cat chases screwed up choc ice/Quality Street wrappers. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:33, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

And one of my cats eats flies and spiders. But what was previously said about there not being enough mouse meat scraps around is true. Chicken, tuna, and beef flavored foods all have some part of that animal in them (at least the better quality stuff does). So, you'd have to raise mice specifically for cat food in order to have mouse flavored food since mice aren't used for anything else. Well, not dead ones. Live ones are used for pets, snake food, and lab test subjects... Dismas|^(talk) 20:49, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

If you actually try eating a small bit of canned cat food (truly - a teaspoonful isn't going to hurt you) - you'll almost certainly discover that it doesn't really taste of much at all. Most of what you smell when you open the can is just an odor put there for us humans so that we believe that the poor moggy is getting really good meat - when in fact it's basically minced up bits of boiled up scrap that was too yukky for humans to eat - mixed in with really mouthwatering ingredients like ash! (Actually, I've never tried cat food - I'm not a 'cat person' - but dog food is very bland indeed...I'm betting it's the same). Those "beggin' strips" things that they advertise as being so good that your dog can't tell it's not bacon...well, those guys are surely in denial! My dog's nose is about 100,000 times more sensitive than mine - and the taste of those things is about as far from bacon as I could reasonably imagine! The only dog snacks that really are what they say (and taste like it) are those dried chicken strips (which are actually rather tasty) and 'pig ears' which are also not too terrible. But the dry biscuit and the canned meat is close to flavorless. SteveBaker (talk) 20:57, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

One of my uncles said the paté in the fridge was quite nice :) Dmcq (talk) 22:22, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

The dried and canned cat food are similar to dog food in taste. Milk-Bone are truly awful tasting but overall hand sanitizer is the worst thing I ever tasted. CambridgeBayWeather Have a gorilla 23:24, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

I have it on reliable authority from a friend who tried them that dog food was far less pleasant than cat food. Certainly I seem to recall Gocat having a distinctive taste that I now associate with pork scratchings. 79.66.15.40 (talk) 03:15, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

I once bought a chocolate mousse, thinking it fancy French treat for cats, but was disappointed to find out it's just pudding. :-)

Perhaps there would be enough meat on a super-sized mouse, say a nutria ? Of course, the cat would flee in terror at the sight of a live one, but would probably gobble it up if he found it plopped onto his plate one day. StuRat (talk) 22:34, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

You cat eats Moose? Wow! SteveBaker (talk) 04:53, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

I first encountered this question in Do Ants Have Arseholes ... and 101 other bloody ridiculous questions (John Butler and Bruno Vincent, Sphere, 2007) which claims to be a collection of actual weird questions sent in to a magazine called "Old Git", and the sometimes even weirder responses they attracted (and cackle-worthy editor's comments). Afaict, this "Old Git" is a fictional magazine, not to be confused with this real one. It's hilarious, and should be required reading for all Ref Desk Regulars. The questions include such beauties as

Where does my lap go when I stand up? And can I have it back?

Is it a biological coincidence, or a matter of function, that my index finger fits perfectly in my nostrils, my ears and my bumhole?

Is there another word for "synonym"?

Where is the middle of nowhere?

Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?

Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?

How did a name as unpleasant as Roger ever come into popular usage?

Why is there only one Monopoly Commission?

If one synchronised swimmer drowns, do they all have to drown?

What have the Romans ever done for us?

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

Enjoy. -- JackofOz (talk) 00:04, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

I heard there was once a company that did try to make mouse flavoured cat food but the cats weren't so keen on it because apparently it's not the taste of the mice they like, it's the chase. --Candy-Panda (talk) 10:38, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

And that mice are small and move quickly. I'm sure they'd prefer to eat beef if they could catch it. SN0WKITT3N 12:32, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Its unlikely that cats have a preference for eating mouse over any other type of flesh (thats assuming it actually tastes significantly different to cats, rather than tasting like chicken). Instead its probably the combination of the odor and the visual imprint the of mouse that makes the cat interested in them. Most mammals, with one notable exception being humans, sample much of the information on their world with their nose. Predators, particularly, often have incredibly well developed senses of smell, far more sensitive or complex than us humans do. Moreover, they have neural mechanisms that "plug" their sense of smell directly into their behaviour pathways, which leads to innate responses to specific smells. (See Catnip#Effects on cats for a dramatic example of this). In the case of cats, they also have evolved very strong impulses to spot and chase small quick moving things (because these are characteristics of the primary prey). This is why cats will often chase laser pointers.

Anyway, if the goal was really to market cat food to cats (rather than their anthropomorphizing owners), then we should throw any old meat in the tin, but make sure we coat it in mouse kairomones and then give it little legs so it scoots around the kitchen. That would be kitty heaven. Rockpocket 04:40, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

BOTTLES

What place can i find information on the laws regarding the storage of unrised bottles in public areas in conniciut? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.28.73.16 (talk) 20:23, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

I doubt if there are any laws specifically about that, even in the state of Connecticut. If they attract a large number of insects, they could be considered a health hazard and you could be ticketed accordingly, I imagine, but that's all at the discretion of the officials in charge. StuRat (talk) 22:22, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Why would you store your personal property in a public place, rinsed or otherwise? Dismas|^(talk) 04:05, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Curbside recycling pickup? APL (talk) 05:39, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

If we are talking beer or liquor bottles you might want to check your state [4] and county laws. For more detailed information see the usual disclaimers on Ref. Desk legal advice. Laws on open bottles (formerly) with alcoholic content can be quite regional. There are more concerns than just "recycling" and "sanitation and health". Your question is a bit too general for a detailed answer (which we would not be able/permitted to give you anyway) but some "public places" also restrict or regulate glass bottles for safety/security reasons. A lawyer or your local authorities are certainly a better source of information. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 20:31, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

What is the etymology for the phrase "SEX SELLS"?

I am looking for the etymology of "SEX SELLS" could someone please let me know? —Preceding unsigned comment added by WhyOY (talk • contribs) 20:25, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

It means that associating something with sex means you sell more of it. For example, using scantily glad attractive women in adverts for razor blades. --Tango (talk) 01:07, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

(Our OP isn't asking what it means - "etymology" is the history or origins of the term. Who first came up with that phrase?) I couldn't come up with anything concrete. The 2004 book "Sex Sells!" By Rodger Streitmatter doesn't have any mention of who came up with the phrase - and the term was certainly around long before 2004. This may be one of those things where the origins are lost to history. SteveBaker (talk) 04:38, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

I had a quick check on Google Book Search[5]. Aside from a lot of people who meant "sex cells" in a biological context, the phrase "sex sells" seems to have been in use in the 1950s. Google Book Search seldom dates its results correctly, particularly for periodicals, so some earlier results can be discounted.

There's a story from the New York County Lawyers' Association Bar Bulletin apparently written shortly after the death of Monty Thorne, who died in 1954[6] which says "Sex sells. In the recent Thorne case in Chicago, during the first five days after his death was discovered, every story, in most or all of the papers, had this line: 'Evidence of a drug and sex orgy was...'"[7]

It also occurred in communist journal Masses & Mainstream, as "sex sells books"[8]; the magazine was published between 1948 and 1956[9] (Google's unreliable date is 1952). Perhaps someone with access to newspaper archives could do better. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 18:31, 10 January 2009 (UTC)