Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2012 March 11

= March 11 =

Leopold I of Belgium
Was Leopold I of Belgium the only choice to be King of the Belgians? Presumably, if his first wife, Princess Charlotte of Wales had not died, Leopold would not have been considered for the Belgian throne. Who, then, would have been second choice? Was there a list of possibles somewhere? 69.62.243.126 (talk) 00:16, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
 * It would seem that the Duke of Nemours, son of King Louis-Philippe of France, was the first choice for the position, but was dissuaded from accepting the position by his father. Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier then served as regent until Leopold I was chosen by the National Congress. More info on this page.  I ♦  A  04:32, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks. 69.62.243.126 (talk) 18:52, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Registration in a community
In the UK, we don't really have the concept of registering your place of residence when you move to a new town/city. In theory, you can rent accommodation somewhere and not tell anybody you are there. Of course, if you require services like water/gas/electricity/internet you will need to create accounts so you can pay the providers for those services and eventually a letter will arrive about paying the council tax, unless the landlord includes these as part of your rent. However, I have become aware that in some other countries, new residents in a community are expected to register with the local authorities. For example, in the Netherlands you take your id down to the town/city hall and fill out a lengthy form which includes questions about your birth place, details about your parents, and so on. Do many other countries run a system of community registration, and for what reasons? Astronaut (talk) 12:28, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * China's Hukou system comes to mind. Japan also have a similar system. Unlike other countries where the registration serves a means of community building, the Hukou system is just the tip of the iceberg of the overall government database (Dangan) for population control. 99.245.35.136 (talk) 14:42, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Japan has Jūminhyō residency registration system, which is different form the Koseki system (the Japanese version of Hukou system), which is a family registry. --Kusunose 06:48, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * If you want to vote in the UK, you need to register when you move house. You are also supposed to keep the address on your driver's license up-to-date. --Tango (talk) 16:37, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Actually we don't have driver's licenses in the UK. We have driving licences instead. --ColinFine (talk) 21:52, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * That might explain why they drive on the left side. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:38, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Actually, the reason we drive on the left is that if we didn't, we'd collide with people coming the other way ;-) AndyTheGrump (talk) 07:00, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * I think it's all a leftist conspiracy. :-) StuRat (talk) 07:07, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Sinister... AndyTheGrump (talk) 07:19, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * In NZ enrolling to vote is compulsory although never enforced . I presume you're legally required to keep your details up to date as well although I'm not sure. (If you move you may be in a different electorate or local government area and voting if you're not eligble would I presume be an offence but voting isn't compulsory and of course in some cases you may still be in the same area. It may be if you fail to keep the details up to date your enrolment becomes invalid even if the electoral commission isn't aware of it so you have failed to enroll.) Participating in the census is also compulsory and sometimes enforced although I can't remember if they ask for your place of normal residence (I think they do) if you happen to be somewhere else on census day. Of course you can also just go overseas on census day, and access to personalised census details is heavily restricted. Nil Einne (talk) 13:03, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * In the US state of Michigan, you register with the state for either a driver's license or other ID. You're supposed to let them know of a change of address within 30 days, but I doubt if many people bother with that.  Similar rules apply for registering to vote.  "Sex offenders" are required to register their address, with much tougher penalties for failure to do so.  Some of these laws vary by state.  StuRat (talk) 06:54, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * We have an article, Resident registration, which is pretty detailed on the mechanics but light on the reasons. From personal experience I would also note that in Austria, employees of international organizations are not required to register with the local authority.  They are registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instead. --Viennese Waltz 08:42, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Germany does the same. The precise details vary from state to state but generally you have to register in person at the Bürgeramt (a local government office a bit like a town hall) within two weeks. As well as being required for tax and voting reasons, banks and utility companies will demand to see your registration papers as definitive proof of address before giving you a contract. Smurrayinchester 09:33, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * My CT driver's license says to notify the DMV within 48 hours.RJFJR (talk) 14:06, 12 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Consider the things that require registration: Voting, driving, working, and the like. If you want to do any of those things, you have to register with somebody someplace. It's possible to live totally unnoticed, but it's not easy. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:23, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Largest coin
I read about Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria) and in particular the immense size of the €100,000 coin. I this just a large coin (370 mm in diameter, 20 mm thick and over 31 kg in weight), or is it the world's largest coin? Astronaut (talk) 12:56, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Canada had a $1 million gold coin, they used to have one on display at their mint in Winnipeg, but I believe they sold it. Getting beyond that, "coin" can be a debatable term, for example the Yap Island stone rings, and also such things as Swedish plate money.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:16, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * A mere tiddler compared to the Big Nickel listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Whether it will pay for the hernia caused by trying to lift it though, is another matter. --Aspro (talk) 13:45, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Let's qualify this slightly with ... the world's largest coin that is actually still money. Astronaut (talk) 16:11, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * The Canadian mint actually sold five of its 100 kg gold coins. However, the Perth mint unveiled in 2011 the "world's largest gold coin", weighing in at 2231 lb. Oddly, while the face value is A$1 million, it's actually worth A$53.5 million. Clarityfiend (talk) 21:15, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Not so odd. Gold coins and collectable coins routinely trade for over their face value, even when new. StuRat (talk) 21:30, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Not by 54 times - the face value is therefore meaningless. Grandiose (me, talk, contribs) 13:07, 12 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, the face value is meaningless. Why do they have one ?  Just out of tradition, I imagine. StuRat (talk) 03:35, 13 March 2012 (UTC)


 * I think that a face value may be required for the coin to be legal tender - ie to make a coin, rather than just bullion. Mitch Ames (talk) 11:43, 13 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Perhaps you're not familiar with the USA's $10 coin. You can get them straight from the mint for the low cost of $991! APL (talk) 12:35, 15 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Ah. Thought the first post was too easy. How about this: Rai stone from Yap currency.jpg. Such stones were used as currency until the 1960s]]--Aspro (talk) 21:29, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Driving in Italy quote
I'm looking for a quote that I read about a decade ago in which someone said that he did not drive in Italy for fear he would not be able to resist running over a priest on the side of the road. I think it was said by an English ex-pat. LShecut2nd (talk) 16:24, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

American (US) ambassadors of Chinese descent/heritage? -- the most recent being Governor Gary Locke, now US Ambassador to China.
Can you help confirm the names of the first American (US) ambassadors of Chinese descent? Per this recent article, it lists the first five as:

Julia Chang Bloch, US Ambassador to Nepal (under President Reagan) Marge Fong Eu, US Ambassador to Micronesia (under President Clinton) Linda Tsao Yang, US Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (under President Clinton) Curtis S. Chin, US Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (under Presidents George W Bush and President Obama) Gary Locke, US Ambassador to China (under President Obama)

http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2012/02/former-u-s-ambassador-curtis-s-chin-says-new-year-offers-opportunity-for-apis/

Was President Reagan the first to nominate a US Ambassador of Chinese descent? Can you provide biographical information on all 5 of them? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wiki4info2012 (talk • contribs) 18:18, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * We have articles about some of them - the United States Ambassador to China, United States Ambassador to Nepal, and United States Ambassador to Micronesia, and about Julia Chang Bloch, March Fong Eu, and Gary Locke. Adam Bishop (talk) 20:11, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Donald Lu was CDA (essentially unappointed ambassador) in Azerbaijan and now Deputy in India. Momofukucakes (talk) 03:50, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

best selling authors
Can't seem to find a list of the best selling authors, either world wide or by language. Does such a list exist? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.191.146.112 (talk) 20:17, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * This list should be a starting point. --178.191.228.164 (talk) 20:34, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Note that the best selling authors are not likely to be the most widely read authors. Because of population increases, written works which have not yet fallen into the public domain are likely to have the most sales, while very old works, like Shakespeare, are likely to have been more widely read. StuRat (talk) 21:40, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * You could start with List of best-selling fiction authors and List of best-selling books. However, take note of Bestseller - it is VERY difficult to come up with a definitive list of bestselling authors. For instance, it's well known that JK Rowling has sold more than a few books in her time. But you'll notice our list of bestsellers say there are 'no reliable figures' for exactly how many she's sold. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 22:18, 11 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Corín Tellado: 4000 books, "about her secret love affair with 17 year old boy Brock Austin"? Jeezes...84.197.178.75 (talk) 14:10, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Must set a record for most romantic words generated by the shortest romantic event. StuRat (talk) 08:06, 15 March 2012 (UTC)