Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 September 13

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September 13

My hand is on FIRE!!!!

Today I made the mistake of not wearing gloves prior to cutting hot peppers, and now I'm paying the price for it. My hand feels like it's literally on fire, not to say worse. I've doused it in ice water, milk, lime juice, and none have worked. Right now I have baking soda rubbed all over my hand, and it still burns LIKE A MOTHER!!!!!!!!!! I have no aloe vera on hand and all the shops near me that sell it are now closed. Short of having to go to the emergency room for this unbearable agony, what do I do? 174.95.231.178 (talk) 00:24, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

We are unable to provide medical advice, please contact your doctor--Jac16888 ^Talk 00:36, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Or go to the emergency room. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:44, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Or possibly the fire department. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:00, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

I googled [hand burns from hot peppers] and plenty of alleged remedies turned up. Proceed at your own risk. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:08, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

The only non-medical but still useful advice I can give, as someone else who has done this: if you're a male, be extremely careful what you touch when you go to the bathroom after cutting up hot peppers. You have been warned. --Mr.98 (talk) 01:13, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

• Why wouldn't this advice apply to females? Cognitio ipsum (talk) 22:44, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

The advice was specifically about going to the bathroom. Think about what males and females do there. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:43, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

Well, I also don't understand why males would suffer more in this case. Woman have lots of sensitive skin down there too, even more than men. Do not suppose that men do many different things than women in the bathroom. Quest09 (talk) 17:05, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

I make no presumptions about how females use the bathroom. I speak only from experience as a male. My understanding — no doubt limited — is that males handle their bits more routinely and directly when using the bathroom on account of their standing procedure. But sure, if you're female, watch out what you touch, too. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:15, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

Never mind, problem solved... for now, anyway. 174.95.231.178 (talk) 02:13, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

It would be helpful to others to hear how you solved your problem. --Thomprod (talk) 13:30, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

The stuff that burns is an oil and oils are generally removed by soap, and I have always found that whatever you do after cutting hot peppers, don't touch your eyes or nose. Googlemeister (talk) 13:48, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Another tip, when washing with soap, is to use cold water, so that the capsaicin and other irritants do not leak into pores opened up by the heat of hot water. Marco polo (talk) 15:00, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Actually, our article on capsaicin suggests rinsing the skin with oil, not water. Marco polo (talk) 15:05, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Was the pun intended when you said "I have no aloe vera on hand" ? TheGrimme (talk) 17:57, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

I've done this myself, too. While it burns, it doesn't cause any permanent damage, so not a medical issue. I agree with diluting it with some type of oil, such as mineral oil, olive oil, peanut oil, corn oil, moisturizer, or, if you have nothing else, salad dressing. That will lessen the pain somewhat, but only time (a few days) will make it go away for good. I suggest you wear a glove until then, as I also had a problem with transfer onto other skin, although thankfully none of my important bits. :-) StuRat (talk) 18:02, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Water buffalo habitat?

What is the natural habitat of the water buffalo? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Zestforlemons (talk • contribs) 01:36, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Water. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:38, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Buffalo? --Jayron32 02:13, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. ^Avic_ennasis @ 04:54, 16 Elul 5771 / 04:54, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

See Wild water buffalo. Rmhermen (talk) 01:47, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Vitnemål

Is the Norwegian Vitnemål a general exam or do Norwegians take exams in a varirty of subjects? Scraggy4 (talk) 21:58, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Looks like none of us know, but our opposite numbers at Norwegian Wikipedia probably do. Most of them speak English better than us as well. --Antiquary (talk) 18:47, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

"Vitnemål" simply means "Diploma". The word usually refers to the one you get when leaving secondary high school (the one you finish when you are 18/19). It lists your grades (given by the teacher) in the various subjects as well as the results from some exams (3-6 I would think). Jørgen (talk) 20:07, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

Adler Gin

People where can I buy Adler Gin. It is German, from Berlin. The only place I can see get it in the UK charges £20 delivery charge! Any ideas? Quidom (talk) 23:07, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Email info [at] likoerfabrik-berlin.de -- you might want to write in German as well as English to get a quick reply. Dualus (talk) 23:38, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

I have the same problem with Ponche Caballero which is the only licquer that my wife likes so next week I am taking her for a week's holiday to Mallorca so that we can fill our suitacses in readiness for Christmas. Hope that helps. 94.172.117.205 (talk) 23:23, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

It's not going to be cheap to ship a bottle of spirits from Germany. By my calculations it will cost nearly 19 GBP to send a kilogram of merchandise by Royal Mail AirSure to Germany from the UK, and I imagine the reverse journey would be similar. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:03, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

Canterbury Clothing Company Logo

The CCC logo has 3 birds heads in it. It seems that many people believe these to be Kiwis (The New Zealand national bird) however I believe they are Godwits which migrate from Siberia to Canterbury. Is there any way that this can be confirmed with CCC? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.97.149.38 (talk) 23:34, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

You can contact the company directly at http://www.canterburyofnz.com/contact-us Good luck! --Jayron32 00:15, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

Can't say for certain about the three Cs, but the alternative logo that Canterbury use for their Lifestyle range has been explicitly identified as a kiwi. The bird's head is a close, but not exact, match for the ones in the Cs. 217.35.93.47 (talk) 10:53, 14 September 2011 (UTC)