Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2013 December 3

= December 3 =

Caracalla's hair color?
Do we know the various Roman emperors' hair colors? Is it known whether Caracalla was fair-haired, red-haired, or dark-haired? Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 04:09, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually we do. Let me find that link again. May take a minute.--Mark Miller (talk) 04:17, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately he is not one of the emperors who was mentioned in such a way by contemporaries, but here is the list: .--Mark Miller (talk) 04:24, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, yes, that list gives through Commodus, last before the Severan dynasty to which Caracalla belonged. I have always imagined him a redhead, and wonder if there's some basis for this. μηδείς (talk) 04:29, 3 December 2013 (UTC)


 * One of my hobbies is copying classic paintings. This is one I have been working on a while and I doubt it is accurate, but it depicts Caracalla and family as "Italians" of dark skin tone and hair.--Mark Miller (talk) 04:32, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Now here is something I was unaware of. Our article describes Caracalla as being of Berber decent, from North Africa west of the Nile Valley. It appears the painting may be attempting to show that decent in some manner but it is unclear what his true skin tone would have been, but is likely he had dark to black hair, not red or auburn which was a characteristic of the Julian line. Interesting. learn something new here everyday!--Mark Miller (talk) 04:46, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually, he was a quarter Libyan Berber, a quarter Italian, and half Syrian. This is not a combination that would be likely to result in red hair, though it is not inconceivable.  More likely, he was dark brown or black haired. Marco polo (talk) 16:12, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

I've just had a look at wikiquote:Berber people. Here's some excerpts about their physical appearance:
 * "Many of them present the purest type of the blonde races, blue or gray eyes, tawny beard, fair complexion, curly light or reddish hair, muscular in build and often tall in stature."
 * "A very large proportion of fair (sometimes golden) hair, blue eyes, and complexions, especially in the case of young children, who lack the tan produced by years of exposure to the fierce heat of the summer sun..."
 * "They are distinctly white-skinned, even when sunburned. Usually they have black hair and brown or hazel eyes, some have yellow hair and blue eyes."
 * "Like all other Berbers, the Riffians include standard Mediterraneans in their tribal populations. Among these Mediterraneans the incidence of elements of blond hair and blue eyes is a bit higher than the usual twenty-five percent. (...) Concentrated in the more isolated tribes in the central Rif, the older strain is characterized by individuals of stocky build, with large heads, broad faces, low orbits, large teeth, and broad noses. While variable in pigmentation, these individuals, who look like Irishmen, run to red hair, green eyes, and freckles."
 * "When the Spaniards conquered these islands in the fifteenth century, they found a distinct population with some blond-haired and blue-eyed people – traits that are still evident among some Berbers in Morocco."
 * — Kpalion(talk) 17:38, 3 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Red hair is present in a small minority of Berbers, especially in Morocco and Algeria. However, Caracalla's ancestors were Libyan Berbers.  See this page for some photos of Libyan Berbers today.  A couple of the people shown (maybe 1% of this sample) are blond, but no real redheads.  Libyan Berbers were one quarter of Caracalla's ancestry.  Another quarter was Italian.  Again, redheads are not unknown in Italy, but they are rare.  Finally, a full half of his ancestry (his mother's side) was Syrian and probably Arab.  Red hair is virtually unknown in that population.  So there is a tiny chance that Caracalla was red headed, but it would be surprising.  Marco polo (talk) 00:55, 4 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Wow...great work!--Mark Miller (talk) 07:02, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

Swiss Guards and the Pope
Why is it that Swiss Guards – as opposed to Italians (or perhaps Romans) – serve as guards for the Pope and the Vatican? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 05:27, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * See the Vatican history on the subject. .--Mark Miller (talk) 05:45, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I didn't want to nutshell it as it is a rather interesting read.--Mark Miller (talk) 05:49, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * We also have our own article, called, strangely enough, Swiss Guard. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  06:33, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Also Military in Vatican City.--Shantavira|feed me 09:17, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. Yes, I have seen and read those articles. They explain (in the affirmative sense) why it is that the Pope and the Vatican do use the Swiss Guards. I guess the question I was asking is really more in the negative counterpart: why is it that they do not use some Italian military force or guard? A subtle – but important – distinction, I think. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:14, 3 December 2013 (UTC)


 * See unification of Italy. The Papal States were the last territories to be incorporated into Italy, and during that time, Italy was seen as the enemy, while the Swiss guards are an otherwise neutral mercenary force. μηδείς (talk) 18:14, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * The tradition of the Swiss Guard is much older than united Italy, but μηδείς is right in the sense that the Papal States had been warring with other Italian states for centuries before the unification. — Kpalion(talk) 19:15, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Also, the Vatican is an independent nation/state and is under no obligation to use Italian forces.--Mark Miller (talk) 00:52, 4 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, it's a state, but I wouldn't call it a nation. I doubt that there are any native-born Vaticanians. — Kpalion(talk) 00:02, 5 December 2013 (UTC)
 * No, there are. Disappearance_of_Emanuela_Orlandi. μηδείς (talk) 02:58, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

Our Vatican City article says; "The military defence of Vatican City is provided by Italy and its armed forces". Countries without armed forces or no standing army says; "Vaitcan City - Maintains a Gendarmerie Corps for internal policing. The Swiss Guard is a unit belonging to the Holy See, not the Vatican City State. There is no defense treaty with Italy, as it would violate the Vatican’s neutrality, but informally the Italian military protects Vatican City." Alansplodge (talk) 17:39, 5 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, that's a result of the Lateran Treaty of 1929. It accounts for external security, not internal, and long postdates the presence of the Swiss Guard. μηδείς (talk) 22:39, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

Pencil it in. It's gonna be one hell of party.
"Scot[']s law is the legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system."--Wikipedia There are several islands off the coast of Normandy. Some people in my vicinity self-identify with the Irish. (And indeed they have an innate knowledge of the methods and sources of "party-tology" if I may employ a neologism). However, a special branch in my metaphorical heart exists for those clannish sorts who enjoy a rousing tra-la-la any day of the week, no special raison d'etre required. Now, in mid-September of the coming year, the English aka Shakespear's "invidious Albion" question mark, may present a present, a "gift" to be inexact (let's not argue). The "gift", something like, quote liberty and justice for all unquote. Some may, in good faith, call this a dream produced by pipe inhalation. However, were a significant fraction of Scot-Americans to, once enlightened, reverse deport themselves back to their Spiritual Homeland, the result of the voting would be clear, through the use of present-day polling techniques, by a civilized hour of the afternoon. So please, if not too great a burden, illuminate the hour (and minute) that the pubs of Scotland will open on the next day, that is, the nineteenth of September one year hence. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.240.77.215 (talk) 06:39, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

U.S. international flight compensation?
Cathay Pacific to China via HK, out of JFK in NY. Flight was delayed for 6 hours, the only compensation a meal ticket at the airport. A 2-hour stay in HK became overnight--a hotel stay is hardly compensation when a separate computer glitch means unexpectedly having to haul luggage through customs in HK, not to mention a whole day ruined. If I hadn't gotten on the delayed flight and instead waited for another flight, the airline wasn't even going to compensate at all. I'm writing to the airline but not expecting any compensation. Something even worse happened last year on the same airline, so is boycotting it the only thing I can do now? 24.215.201.206 (talk) 15:17, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * See pyrrhic victory. Any compensation you may get or be entitled to could likely cost you more to obtain than it would be worth.  -- Jayron  32  15:38, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * There's a thing called suing. See a lawyer.  Call one, they will be happy to talk long enough to determine if you have a case. μηδείς (talk) 18:11, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * As I said, see again pyrrhic victory. -- Jayron  32  19:26, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Suing over a (admittedly badly) delayed flight?! You've got to be kidding me.... Fgf10 (talk) 23:24, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Depending on the income level of the plaintiff, it might be cheaper to just buy the airline and then run it better than the previous guy did. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:43, 4 December 2013 (UTC)


 * If I were you, I'd take it on the chin. There's always someone worse-off than you, and if it's any compensation, at least you don't have the ghastly Ryanair, which seems to be actively at war with its customers, and the French air-traffic controllers, notorious throughout Europe for going on strike during the holiday season. 86.183.79.28 (talk) 03:01, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

If the OP's going to bother, he needs a lawyer, not us. If he's not going to bother he doesn't need us as life coaches either. Does anyone have any relevant references to add? Otherwise this is ready for a friendly collapsing. μηδείς (talk) 03:51, 4 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, there are references, actually. Since you mention your flight left from JFK, I will simply note the American side of this. I have no clue what the Chinese rules are, if they exist at all. Basically, the Airline is under no obligation under either Federal law or FAA rules to give you any kind of reimbursement for a flight delay. Mandatory rules cover tarmac delays and overbooked flights only. Your only options are to seek compensation from your airline, or to protest in some manner and hope the free market punishes them or compels them to action. Reference here: http://www.usa.gov/topics/travel/air/resolve-problems/flight.shtml And that is, I believe, all the reference desk can help you. Someguy1221 (talk) 03:59, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

If I were in the OP's shoes, I would call (not necessarily write) and complain. Keep asking for higher levels of supervision until you find someone who will throw you a bone. If all else fails, yes, silently "boycott" the airline, if that's possible or practical. You could "openly" boycott by various means, e.g. reporting this problem via a website that collects reviews of things. But the free-market bottom line is that, whether organized or not, if enough people get fed up with a product and don't buy it any more, the company will go bust. It's unfortunate that a company could go bankrupt and not even know why people stopped using their product, because most folks don't want to "make a scene". You know what? If the customer service area won't help you, try to contact the company president or CEO. In my (fairly limited) experience, the CEO is the one guy who's most interested in customer issues, because he's the face of the organization. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:04, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

If the OP had a stop-over in the European Union, then he might be able to apply for compensation through the EU's laws; they are fairly generous. CS Miller (talk) 18:19, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I spoke to soon; only flights that are wholly with in the EU, or are on a EU carrier to/from a EU airport are compensable. I'm not sure about flights with a EU carrier, with a EU stopover.  CS Miller (talk) 18:34, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

Is a sacristan in the Catholic church allowed to marry?
Is a sacristan in the Catholic church allowed to marry? I was reading the page on Macaulay Culkin, and I noticed that his father worked as a sacristan. I clicked on that page and noticed that a sacristan was really a priest. Can someone tell me exactly who is and who is not allowed to marry in the Catholic church? 140.254.136.157 (talk) 19:42, 3 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Our article links to the Catholic Encyclopedia which says a sacristan should ideally be a priest, but that laymen often get the job due to a shortage of clerics. Any unmarried adult Catholic in good standing who is not serving under holy orders can marry another Catholic in a Catholic marriage or a non-Catholic with a Bishop's permission.  If you want more than that, search the archives at the top of the page for Catholic marriage.  This comes up every three months or so. μηδείς (talk) 20:05, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Even within our article it says only that "the Cæremoniale Episcoporum prescribed that in cathedral and collegiate churches the sacristan should be a priest." That key word here is "should" with the added caveat that it's specifically cathedrals and collegiate churches that this is prescribed for.  That leaves it open to anyone else, barring other rules elsewhere. Mingmingla (talk) 20:21, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Both my parents were sacristans for years. So, yes.  Dismas |(talk) 20:30, 3 December 2013 (UTC)