Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 June 3

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June 3

Notability Problems

Asked at the Teahouse, a better place for the question. Please do not post the same question in more than one place.

I have seven references. The article includes all these references, links to wikipedia pages and quotes. What else is needed? https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Rotland_Press&oldid=665264301 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hannaguido (talk • contribs) 02:17, 3 June 2015 (UTC) You should discuss this with those who declined the article submission and commented on the decision. StuRat (talk) 02:26, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

--ColinFine (talk) 07:58, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Death not treated as suspicious

Note that this question does not relate to any particular real-world case. If the police discover a body, and then make a statement saying that the death is not being treated as suspicious, presumably that rules out foul play. So what are the other possible causes of death? I can think of suicide, a health problem (e.g. a sudden heart attack) and accidental death. Are there any others? --Viennese Waltz 11:47, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Coroner's verdicts may help.--Phil Holmes (talk) 14:52, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Some info at Death_by_natural_causes and cause of death. The former has a few book refs, as well as a less reliable article on Slate that says for the USA "Most states recognize five different manners: homicide, suicide, accident, natural, and undetermined." SemanticMantis (talk) 14:58, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

But it is very often a euphemism for "the death is believed to have been self-inflicted", i.e. suicide. It usually applies where the death was not by natural causes. I mean, if a person went to bed one night and died of heart failure in their sleep, there's no way the police would raise the question of suspiciousness, not even to deny it. Suspiciousness only potentially comes into play when there's apparently been some unnatural occurrence, such as violence, or poisoning/drug overdose, or falling from a height etc, and that could include accidents and murder, but it could also include the person deliberately doing something to themself. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:38, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Yes. The cops probably have to be a little careful, because they don't want to prejudge the coroner's report. That kind of comment is also used to indicate that they don't consider the public to be in danger. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:00, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

F'rexample, the UK police state that Charles Kennedy's death is "not treated as suspicious". It is really a catch-all term that probably means "nobody else was involved, so either he was in ill health or suicided, but we can't say so while it is sub judice until the coroner reports". A bit of a euphemism, really. Si Trew (talk) 23:54, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Brian Tracy

Could you please create an article about this man? He is very famous but for some reason he has no Wikipedia page. 49.145.33.23 (talk) 13:08, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

I think your idea of "very famous" is probably quite different from that of Wikipedia. --Viennese Waltz 13:21, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Please see Wikipedia:Requested articles. ―Mandruss ☎ 13:21, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

As Mandruss implies, this is not the place to request new articles. But as to fame, well, I hadn't heard of the fellow (even if he is from the same country as me), but a Google search for his name (in quotes, i.e. searching as a phrase) said there were over 14,000,000 hits, and most or all of the top 20 seemed to be about the same person. The search also produced multiple ads for him. So while it might be more the result of effective self-promotion, I think that's at least prima facie evidence of notability. And there are Wikipedia articles on him in (at least) Albanian, Azerbaijan, Farsi, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Kazakh, Polish, Russian, and Swedish, just not in English.

On the other hand, if you follow that red link, you'll see that articles on him in English have been created three times in the last 8 months or so, and each one deleted on a basis like "no references to support notability" or "unambiguous advertising". So maybe he's really not notable and that was the right decision. I'm drawing no conclusion one way or the other. --174.88.135.200 (talk) 18:06, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Incidentally, the first item I found on Google about Mr Tracy that he hadn't written himself was on page _16_ of the results. I would consider it highly unlikely that he'd pass WP:AUTHOR. Tevildo (talk) 23:47, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Infestation of tiny bugs

Some tiny bugs have recently started appearing in my bathroom, especially at night - see photo here. They're less than a centimetre long and they scurry around the bathroom floor. I haven't seen them anywhere else in the house. What are they called, should I be concerned about them and how can I get rid of them? --Viennese Waltz 22:43, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

They look like silverfish to me. These eat paper and clothing especially in damp conditions. You are likely developing holes in things. You will be better off without them. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 22:49, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

Definitely look like silverfish. And if you're seeing this many out in the open, imagine how many are in the walls, etc. I recommend you call your local pest control company. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:56, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

According to Orkin, you can keep them away with cinnamon. Not surprisingly, they also say this is not good enough, and to call them. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:19, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

I would first look for a locally owned company that's been in business for a long time, and call them and see what they recommend. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:16, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Wherever there are pests, you'll find the Orkin Man. Not exactly true, but nearer to it than any other poison company can say. InedibleHulk (talk) 11:50, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Thanks all. Actually this site recommends not to use pest control, but to use natural methods. --Viennese Waltz 07:24, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Let us know how it works out. If nothing else, you could get a cat or two, and they would enjoy all these little crawling toys. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:28, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Careful, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 11:40, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

• If you are going on the silverfish theory (they certainly could be silverfish, unless they have wings) that usually indicates you have a moisture problem. You might want to use an exhaust fan if you have one and a heating lamp to drive off moisture. Also, if you have a leak, that will be a much greater problem than the silverfish. μηδείς (talk) 17:57, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

They look like silverfish to me to. Don't take anything you read here as gospel but I think if you use a good humidity meter you may find your home is a little bit too humid (plus 40 RH). Cure that first and then use a little borax. P.S. Open the windows to let moister out. The same thing can happen in kitchens to (lots of boiling veg with closed windows) due to poor ventilation.--Aspro (talk) 22:00, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Also, for heavens sake, buy a bottle of vinegar: [1] How to Clean Grout From Tile Using Vinegar --Aspro (talk) 22:47, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Any kind of acid is all right, but acetic acid (vinegar) is about p.H. 4. Better with hydrochloric acid at about p.H 1 (depending how much it is diluted) but that is only to trade, depending on your jurisdiction. You want then to re-grout it, make sure you have it dry and clean before you start, then just a bit of slap and water, about four to one (read the packet) and after trowelling it in, your little finger is the tool of the trade to push it in. Let it dry for about fifteen minutes, then give the whole surface a quick wash with water to clean up and it will fill any gaps you've missed. Grouting is not a particularly hard job, but make sure you have bucketloads of water, and plenty of cloths. (Cotton clothes you need to wash are just as good, the grout won't hurt the washing machine.) Si Trew (talk) 00:38, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Si Trew is quite in saying that any acid will do, yet for practical household use, use vinegar. It is better because it can be used straight from the bottle. My household bottle of sprit of salts (hydrochloric acid) states it is 32%, meaning it needs to be diluted 10 times in order to be most effective (strength alone is no indicator of effectiveness, i.e, concentrate sulphuric acid can be transported in mild steel tankers because sulphuric doesn’t become steel corrosive until it is dilute.) Also, high strength acids give off unpleasant and dangerous fumes. If you where good at chemistry at skool and know how to add acid to water to get the best concentration – then fine. Otherwise stick to vinegar. Although I use various acids around the home, I stick to vinegar for these jobs. Other acids can attack the chrome plated fittings and that would make the wife mad ( and you would not like to see her angry – she doesn’t turn green like the Incredible Hulk, just red and purple, with the ability to launch cast-iron cookware around the house at speeds faster than a flying bullet) Take my advice -stick to vinegar.--Aspro (talk) 15:51, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Silverfish are pretty harmless, though, and also you can go the other route by a little sprinkle of Bicarbonate of Soda or something alkaline. Most cleaning products are acidic, but some are alkaline, anything with soda in will be alkaline. Anything either side beyond their p.H. balance which is about 5.5 to 6. If you have a decent bar of old-fashioned soap, that would do just as well (don't slip!) Si Trew (talk) 00:44, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I agree they are pretty harmless, although not entirely; the main thing is that they are a sign of excess moisture, which itself is a possibly huge problem. μηδείς (talk) 04:17, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I would go with what μηδείς states. The silverfish are the 'visible' indicators that the environment is too damp. Out of sight, fungi and other stuff could be silently eating you out of house and home. Most shop bought humidity meters are rubbish. Invest in a proper dry-wet bulb one. Then ventilate your home (open windows) until the humility level reaches normal. --Aspro (talk) 16:13, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Based on the article, you could bring in some spiders, which should take care of the silverfish. Then you could bring in some scutigeras, which should take care of the spiders. Then you'd need to bring in something to consume the scutigeras. And so on. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:22, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

"We’ve lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat." InedibleHulk (talk) 11:10, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

"There was an old woman who swallowed a cow, / I don't know how she swallowed a cow! / She swallowed the cow to catch the goat, / She swallowed the goat to catch the dog, / She swallowed the dog to catch the cat, / She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, / She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, / That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her, / She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, / I don't know why she swallowed the fly, / Perhaps she'll die." Alansplodge (talk) 17:22, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

...I know an old woman who swallowed a horse,/ She died, of course. μηδείς (talk) 17:24, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Who died... The mare or the old women? P.S. you sure know some weird people. Have you thought of relocating? :¬)--Aspro (talk) 18:48, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Medeis could relocate to Chicago, where the leading public official is called "da mare". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:49, 7 June 2015 (UTC)

Hey, horsemeat is a delicacy in Japan - great raw, with some soy sauce and garlic, plus a touch of wasabi. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 13:24, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

She should have swallowed a duck, then she could talk to a quack doctor. "You've swallowed a fly, perhaps you'll die" is hardly the best prognosis. Si Trew (talk) 21:37, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

You people have it easy. Be glad you don't have pharaoh's ants. Exterminators visit regularly but they've been around for more than forty years and always come back. It doesn't help that there's an African street market in the vicinity and the food traders store their stock in their flats. Pharaoh's ants colonise kitchens - leave food out unprotected and it will be black with insects within minutes. 87.81.147.76 (talk) 17:47, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

You ought to take out a court order against those extremely pesky and determined exterminators, who keep on coming back even after 40 years. Or maybe you've developed a sort of Stockholm Syndrome thing. It happens. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:02, 6 June 2015 (UTC)