Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 November 15

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November 15

US to UK

I want research how an older person of 60 yrs that is drawing social security widows benefits could migraite to the UK..what if any programs there would be available to me if I were not a citizen of the uk..if I have a sponsor to get there..then how I could stay there but my main imediate research is ..are there any at all programs to help the poor that come to the UK from the US..I do not know where to begin..I do not know what their policies are and also what culture shock would there be for a poor person moving from the US to the UK? Any help on what I need to research and where to begin on this quest.. I have a dream of living out my elderly years in the UK..any help for direction would be such a blessing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Adams1952 (talk • contribs) 03:58, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Others can advise on UK culture and benefits. Some info from Social Security on what countries a US citizen can reside in and receive SS benefits is at [1]. Edison (talk) 04:13, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

The first thing to find out is whether a person who does not intend to work upon arrival is permitted to move to the UK. The Wikipedia article to read is Immigration to the United Kingdom since 1922. The official rules for immigrating to the UK can be found on the Home Office website. If you qualify to immigrate, then these pages explain what is available to migrants: healthcare and public funds (in general public funds don't seem available, but it will depend on your immigration status, so read the first two links first.) Best wishes. 184.147.123.169 (talk) 13:13, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

P.S. I overlooked your mention of a sponsor - in that case, this page might be relevant: adult dependent relatives. 184.147.123.169 (talk) 13:17, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

It would depend on if the person had contributed over-their-life-time to the UK social security benefits system, so as to build up an entitlement to receive UK benefits. It requires contribution to NI, similar to what Obama is trying to introduce to the US. Your sponsor (and I wonder what you mean by that) would have to be willing to pay all your medical bills etc. Some foreign nationals have paid intermediate parties to create a UK Social security number for them, only to find they are up the creek without a paddle. Who is this so called 'sponsor'? What has s/he he promised you? Consider this, Britain would be knee deep in elderly foreign nationals if they could come to the UK and receive Government handouts. P.S. Why do you want to come to Britain? You talk of culture shock – is always foggy-and-wet here – save for July when the sun comes out for a couple of days – if we’re lucky! That's culture shock! Electricity and natural gas prices are higher, so you would freeze in winter like all the other old age pensioners. Think you have been talking to people that have been telling you lots of 'porkies'. --Aspro (talk) 19:13, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

If in a slightly different case from the OP, a 60 year old United States citizen wished to live out her years in the UK (regardless of whether she was already drawing Social Security), it looks like weight is given in the decision to admit if the applicant has useful skills and advanced degrees. If the applicant has a great resumè, and gets admitted as a worker, but does not seek work and just lives like a prosperous retiree on US-based pensions, Social Security, and savings, do the authorities catch on and send her back to the US? (Usually one sees warnings about people on tourist or student visas who overstay the visa and try to work, as opposed to legally admitted "workers" who do not seek to work). Would a non-working legal resident "worker" become eligible for the UK national health plan? What is the "cost of living" in the UK compared to the US? (A hard question, since the US resident might drive a bigger car over longer distances using cheaper gasoline, and have more square feet of living space, as well as paying more for medical expenses). Edison (talk) 20:18, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

Expired water

While shopping the other day, I noticed that the bottled water actually had "best before" dates stamped on them. Is it actually possible for water to begin to taste "less fresh" (for lack of a better term) after several years? Or could it just be that someone figured that if we Americans were foolish enough to spend money on drinking-water, we would be foolish enough to throw it out and buy new water if we were told it was "expired"? Joefromrandb (talk) 05:39, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

What store, what jurisdiction, and what brand? μηδείς (talk) 05:43, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

I live in suburban Philadelphia. I've seen this in various stores for virtually all brands. Joefromrandb (talk) 05:58, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Perhaps chemicals from the plastic bottle leach into the water after a while? Double sharp (talk) 06:08, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I think so; also, I believe there is more chance of getting a mildew or algae taste. There's not much for mildew or algae to live on, but it might not take much of either to give rise to a noticeable taste. --Trovatore (talk) 06:13, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

And now for references. Mental_floss covered this more than a few times: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/26866 Story goes that it's New Jersey's fault. Mingmingla (talk) 06:39, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

(EC) Unsurprisingly, this is a much discussed topic. Many sources including the FDA say the water is safe to drink indefinitely provided the container is properly sealed and stored (away from sunlight, solvents and in a cool place) and remains unopened [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. The date is intended to be a quality guide (although in some cases it could be a legal requirement and so it's often easier to just print it for all anyway), as the taste or odour may change, and may also serve as a guide for retailers. Some sources do seem to suggest replacing after 2 years or so or around the time of the end of the best before date, when used for emergency storage purposes although this seems to be confused by recommendations for home bottled water. The last result is interesting, a dissertation from South Africa it found that of the 12 month period there was an initial rapid rise in bacteria count for a few samples (quickly peaking after 6 weeks) as well as some algal growth but no significant concerns from chemical paramter changes. I don't know about the US, but here in NZ a distinction is made between 'use by' and 'best before' dates [10]. Bottled water may have a 'best before' date, but I'm pretty sure shouldn't generally have a 'use by' date. Nil Einne (talk) 06:48, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Expired toothpaste

Does toothpaste have an expiration date, if kept properly sealed and stored? --Viennese Waltz 08:28, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

In the US and Canada (my bathroom anyway) the answer is yes. See here. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 09:21, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

I don't even buy the nasty stuff, I use salt instead.85.211.134.39 (talk) 15:31, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

You use salt for what? --Saddhiyama (talk) 21:10, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

I think that was a reference to the use of salt to clean teeth during mediaeval times, as it's ebrasiveness can help to remove plaque and such. As a bonus fact, Queen Elizabeth I used to paint her teeth black to hide any problems she may have had with her teeth, which is counter-intuitive to our white-teeth obsessed modern world. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:58, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

That's interesting because people in Vietnam used to paint their teeth black until some time in the 20th centuryItsmejudith (talk) 02:21, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia fundraiser stats

Hey folks, where do I find the chart that tracks how much money has been given in the fundraiser so far? Thanks. 184.147.123.169 (talk) 17:47, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

I can't find the charts directly, but I did find http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Fundraising_2012 which is probably the best place to ask questions like this. --Jayron32 18:29, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks! I think I found it linked from that page: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserStatistics. 184.147.123.169 (talk) 21:48, 15 November 2012 (UTC)