Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 August 27

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August 27

Belgium Croix de Guerre WWII Medal

I am trying to determine to what U.S.A. military medal does the Belgium Croix de Guerre' with Fourtergeree and colors is equal to. my uncle recently passed away, and we, the family, are trying to see what the medal from Belgium is equal to in the U.S. military. He was in the 2nd Armored Divsion in WWII. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Justanavyvet (talk • contribs) 03:51, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

It seems to depend on some details that you didn't mention -- it may help to look at our article Croix de guerre#Belgian Croix de guerre or Oorlogskruis. And the extra thing is actually a Fourragère. (I find those articles pretty difficult to understand, but that's the best I can do.) Looie496 (talk) 04:23, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Hmm, did he actually have the Croix de Guerre itself, or just the fourragère? Our article on the 2nd Armored Division (United States) says that because of its actions during the Battle of the Rhine, all members of the division for the next fifty years were entitled to wear the fourragère. Looie496 (talk) 04:37, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

UK History 16th century

Please could anyone direct me to an article or reference book, or give me a description of the formal bedding of a royal bride in the sixtheenth century. If Scotland varied in any way from England I would be very grateful to know in what way. Thank you ElspethCam18 (talk) 09:38, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Could you clarify what you mean by formal bedding? The great majority of uses of the term refer to gardening, which I'm pretty sure is not what you have in mind; it is occasionally used to refer to bedspreads and such -- is that what you mean? Looie496 (talk) 16:31, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Presumably it refers to the consummation of the marriage. I've heard stories that this had to be witnessed by various members of the court because of the dynastic implications - I can't find a good source but see this from Yahoo! answers for example . AndrewWTaylor (talk) 16:40, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

No, not the consummation I think. 'A putting to bed; esp. of a bride' (OED's definition of bedding, verbal substantive, sense 5). There's an account of 19th century Caithness wedding customs here which includes a short description of the bedding. Yahoo Answers also has a short description of 15th/16th century bedding here which, for a wonder, cites reputable sources. The relevant part goes as follows:

It was the bridesmaids' duty to prepare the bride for bed, to throw her stocking and distribute her garters and the knots of ribbon from her gown if these had not already been snatched in the general horseplay, before the groom arrived, surrounded by his friends. At grand weddings theer might be a bishop or two on hand to bless the marriage, bed, but in every case everyone still capable of standing up expected to come crowding into the nuptial chamber to offer good wishes, encouragement and explicit advice.

None of this addresses the OP's interest in how the royals did these things though. --Antiquary (talk) 20:48, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

inflating boats

Those boats where you pull on the string and they suddenly pop up inflated by themselves, can you just go into a shop and buy one, or are they only available to certain professionals from their quartermasters' stores or wherever?

79.66.99.126 (talk) 15:02, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

I guess that you're talking about an inflatable liferaft like the ones you can see in Lifeboat (shipboard). Googling buy inflatable liferaft gives a lot of hits, and I can't see anything in those links that says you can only buy them for professional use. In fact, I've seen several pleasure boats this summer with a small inflatable liferaft canister on deck, so they must be available to anyone.Sjö (talk) 15:47, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Yes you can buy them through any major marine store.Phalcor (talk) 17:28, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Including online ones, such as these Just an example - I have not used, and do not endorse, this brand or store. However, you might want to read Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea, where such an inflatable lifeboat does save the author, but only barely. He later used his experience to help design a hard bottom life raft [1], though I don't think it was ever produced commercially. Buddy431 (talk) 19:59, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Of course, such liferafts aren't really designed to keep you alive for 76 days. The fact they it was barely up to the task isn't really a reason against getting one. The chances of you surviving 76 days at sea in even a fully functional raft are very slim. --Tango (talk) 22:04, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Sure, but the point of Calahan's design was to be sail-able, so that you wouldn't have to spend 76 days at sea, but rather 2 or 3 weeks tops. You're right, most people who are required to carry a life raft will never need it, and most people who need it won't need it for long. Like all things in life, there are cost-benefit analyses to be made - is a more durable raft worth the extra space it takes up on the boat? For many people, the answer is no, and that's probably why inflatable rafts are still the norm, and hard-bottom ones extremely rare on small boats. Buddy431 (talk) 02:45, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

Wow, those things are super-fancy. Far nicer than Hollywood had lead me to believe. I've got a stupid question, though. They all seem to come with signaling equipment like rockets, whistles and heliographs. Why not equip them with radios? Even just automated beacons? Perhaps something that beams out a distress call and the current GPS coordinates?

I would hate it if my life depended on properly operating a heliograph. APL (talk) 08:26, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

They do exist, and are called EPIRBs. For the type of liferaft required, it really depends if you are a coastal or deep-water sailor, and how much space you have on your boat to store the raft. CS Miller (talk) 08:48, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

So they are available from specialist stores, for quite a lot of money, it seems. Nowhere else? 85.210.126.209 (talk) 15:14, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

You can get non-self inflating RIBs for much less. These are normally inflated with a bellowed foot pump (same as airbeds), or an electric pump for larger models. Part of the cost of life-rafts is that they must inflate when required, after a few years of storage on-deck, often semi-exposed to the weather (depending if it is stored in a plastic box or canvas bag). CS Miller (talk) 18:33, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

There is a substantial qualitative difference between a "boat" and a liferaft. The latter is stored for years in its container in any and all kinds of weather conditions but when it is released/activated it absolutely definitely must function as designed. The ancilliary survivial supplies and signalling equipment must also comply with that requirement. The requirements and specifications are enforced by law in most countries. An inflatable utility or pleasure boat is a much less complex, and thus far cheaper, item. Roger (talk) 12:28, 29 August 2011 (UTC)

Alejandro Lerroux

I'd be ever so grateful if someone could find a Wikipedia-friendly picture, even a poor one. Should be possible, he'd made his name before 1923 - it's just finding one with a clear provenance I'm finding difficult. Grandiose (me, talk, contribs) 15:29, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

I personally suggest asking this on WP:Reward board, and offering a barnstar for it. Sophus Bie ^(talk) 12:27, 29 August 2011 (UTC)

Good suggestion - done. Grandiose (me, talk, contribs) 17:45, 29 August 2011 (UTC)

Source of Osama Bin Laden Photo?

What is the original source of this photo of Osama Bin Laden? --CGPGrey (talk) 20:38, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Corbis claims it was taken by a photographer named Mike Stewart working for the once-legendary news photo agency Sygma. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:31, 28 August 2011 (UTC)