Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 June 9

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June 9

Siblings

The sibling article has no info on whether there is a difference between the way same-sex and opposite-sex siblings interact. Are references on such issues lacking? If not, is there sufficient citation to create separate brother and sister articles? 2.96.211.51 (talk) 00:58, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

See Sibling#Sibling rivalry, Sibling rivalry itself, and Sibling#Gender roles in siblings. RegistryKey^(RegEdit) 07:21, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

What is an Ofigillion Dollar?

[1]?178.12.122.74 (talk) 15:12, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

It's toy money. They could have also used 'Jeff Dollars' if they wished. Nanonic (talk) 15:36, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Though ending in "-illion" gives it a small degree of legitimacy. InedibleHulk (talk) 15:39, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

(edit conflict) "Ofigillion" is a romanization of Russian "Офигиллион", a large fictitious number similar to gazillion in English. Офигиллион Долларов ("Ofigillion Dollar") is a name used on a specific Russian product with a briefcase-looking box of false Dollar bills seen in larger resolution here. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:44, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

We don't offer legal advice but let me just say that I don't know whether the product would be illegal in some countries. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:57, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

OK, thanx. Maybe the notes are very small. 178.12.122.74 (talk) 16:06, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Then there's the razzbucknik. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:53, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

For a moment there I thought they were talking about the salary of the CEO of the AFL. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:58, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

No, I think it's what Wikipedia pays it's editors with. SteveBaker (talk) 12:38, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

dry leaves

in our building compound, there are many dry leaves which have fallen from the trees and gathered. we would like to dispose off these dry leaves. can we burn them in a small lot ? will there be an objection from the amc ? is so, what is the viable solution to the problem. we would not like to throw them on the road for the amc sweepers to clean them as it will spread all over the road and surrounding areas. please give us a solution. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.220.211.239 (talk) 16:43, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

We have no knowledge of the policies of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. You should be able to contact someone through their official website. Rojomoke (talk) 17:02, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

I take it you are joking, but I would like to know what "the amc" is, too. StuRat (talk) 19:58, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Rojomoke presumable geolocated the IP, which shows Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, then searched on "Ahmedabad amc" to reveal the acronym's expansion, and finally discovered our article. Looks more like good sleuthing than joking. -- ToE 20:25, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Thank you. Rojomoke (talk) 23:11, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

In many places, a "burn permit" is needed to dispose of yard waste. You could check with the AMC to see whether that is necessary. In order to get the permit, you will generally have to say that there will be a large supply of water on hand to douse the flames if they get out of control. The person giving out the permit will often also say whether or not it is safe to burn anything. For instance, if it hasn't rained in many days, they may not issue the permit. The AMC may also have a place where they would like you to bring all the leaves. Something like a land fill. In short, check with the AMC and ask. They would know better than we do. Dismas|^(talk) 19:53, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Burning leaves produces lots of air pollution, so that's another reason not to do it. Best practice is probably to compost them. In other words, bury them and they will rot away on their own, to produce good soil. StuRat (talk) 19:58, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Any potential solution would be subject to local ordinances. In the US, people used to burn leaves in the fall. Typically they're not allowed to now, at least not in urban settings. Hard to tell what Mumbai wants done with fallen leaves. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:00, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

In the fall? Falling where? How? What do you mean? -- 131.251.254.154 (talk · contribs) 11:59, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

Leaves falling from trees. Brits used to use "the fall" to mean "autumn", but they stopped saying that, for reasons known only to them (if anyone).[2] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:34, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

(ec)It seems that you are in the USA, because you don't say so. Dismas's response is interesting from a European perspective. In various parts of Europe you aren't permitted to burn leaves, not because of the fire hazard when they're too dry but because of pollution if they're not dry enough (particulates, dioxins). Luckily, leaves decompose very well to make an excellent compost. If you can get a "big bag" of the kind that building sand and aggregates come in, then you can use that. Add water periodically. The resulting leaf mould can be used as a mulch or for potting. It would be sad to send them to landfill. There might be a community composting scheme or allotments that would love to have them. Itsmejudith (talk) 20:00, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

As I said, something like a land fill. Yes, many places do have composting centers. Therefore, my summation applies. Check with the AMC. Dismas|^(talk) 23:18, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

I didn't mean to diss your advice, and of course the OP might get a lot of information from a single phone call. However, landfill means that the leaves would be in with general household waste and will over the decades constitute a serious environmental hazard, whereas composting them will be of benefit either directly for OP or for others in the community. Itsmejudith (talk) 09:24, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

Composting is somewhat tricky in a hot, dry climate such as exists in Ahmedabad most of the year. It is not as easy as in western Europe. It can be done, but it requires a mostly enclosed container (even a plastic bag, as Itsmejudith suggests) to limit evaporation, as the compost must be kept moist. The container cannot be completely enclosed, as it needs to breathe and take in oxygen, so you may need to punch small holes in the container. If it is a hot period, you may need to add water periodically to keep the contents as moist as a damp rag. To limit evaporation, the container should be kept in the shade. One way to add some moisture and speed the composting process is to add vegetable kitchen scraps, which add nutrients that help microorganisms decompose the leaves, while the leaves provide nutrients that help decompose the kitchen scraps. You don't want to add fatty or meat-based scraps as that would disrupt the chemistry and lead to foul smells. You also want to limit the kitchen scraps to one part for every 30 parts dry leaves. That means you won't be able to put all of your kitchen scraps into the compost if you are confined to an urban residential lot. You want to mix kitchen scraps and leaves well so that microorganisms can obtain nutrients from both. Over the course of a few months, the leaves and kitchen scraps, if well-mixed and kept moist, should turn into a black soil-like substance. This finished compost is very fertile and valuable enough that you might be able to get a market gardener with a garden plot near the edge of the city to come and haul your compost away free of charge for use in his or her plot. If there is a vegetable market in Ahmedabad, you might try to find a market gardener and ask whether he or she would be interested in your compost. You might ask before starting to compost, and the gardener might have ideas about making good compost. Marco polo (talk) 14:12, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

All those steps may be necessary to compost leaves quickly in a dry climate, but if speed isn't an issue, just bury them and they will decompose eventually. It's a lot less work and stink that way. StuRat (talk) 14:42, 10 June 2015 (UTC)