Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2016 May 31

= May 31 =

America/Boise
When did the America/Boise time zone area take its present existence? Presumably it switched from Pacific Time to Mountain Time (it's in two states, so changes in daylight saving time probably aren't responsible), but I can't find anything (even unreliable sources) addressing when and why this change happened. Anything reliable would help with expanding our article. Nyttend (talk) 14:30, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * This 2008 article in The Oregonian asserts that a portion of Oregon being on Mountain Time "grew out of a 1923 federal decision to uncomplicate service by the Oregon Short Line Railroad, which served the region during the Jazz Age." This 2009 blog discusses the time zone border in Idaho but says nothing about the history. A comment to this article says "If I recall correctly, North Idaho WAS once on Mountain Time about 40 years ago which sure made it confusing for doing business in Spokane or listening to newscasts or inviting Spokane friends for dinner"; another comment implies that Shoshone County (which is in the north of the state though not on the Oregon border) used to be on Mountain Time decades ago. Mathew5000 (talk) 15:03, 31 May 2016 (UTC)


 * The key year seems to be 1974, when "Southern Idaho and eastern Oregon (Mountain time zone) began DST Sun February 3 02:00" - a month later than neighbouring areas. These particular zones, used in computing, are designed to show areas which have varied, even slightly, from their neighbours. 86.191.126.192 (talk) 15:15, 31 May 2016 (UTC)


 * I think the original question was asking about 1923 (when part of Idaho, including Boise, switched from Pacific Time to Mountain Time), not 1974. Mathew5000 (talk) 16:14, 31 May 2016 (UTC)


 * I found an article from 1966 about the time zone in Shoshone County (northeast Idaho). The article says "Shoshone County has been on permanent daylight time for the last 30 years". The IANA tz database does not reflect any different time historically in Shoshone County as opposed to other counties in north Idaho. Mathew5000 (talk) 17:32, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * The tz database only pays attention to time changes that occurred after 1969, and America/Boise is specifically a tz database entry, so the 1974 change is much more relevant than anything in the 1920s. Thank you!  Nyttend (talk) 20:24, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * And there is a comment in the database posted by Paul Eggert on 2013-08-26 reading: "Southern Idaho (Ada, Adams, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonneville, Butte, Camas, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Custer, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Lemhi, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley, Washington counties, and the southern quarter of Idaho county) and eastern Oregon (most of Malheur County) switched four weeks late in 1974." Boise, of course, is the largest of those places; hence America/Boise. --69.159.60.83 (talk) 21:29, 31 May 2016 (UTC)

Wealthy people
Forbes rich list indicates that Bill Gates is worth around $75 billion USD. What does this number encompass, is it money in the bank, or does it take into account things such as stocks, shares, assets, et? Is the number at first more complex than it initially appears? The list seems quite vague and non-specific. --Andrew 20:17, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * I googled "forbes rich list methodology". "To estimate billionaires’ net worths we value individuals’ assets, including stakes in public and private companies, real estate, yachts, art and cash–and account for debt." The Quixotic Potato (talk) 20:21, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Oh right, so its their total asset portfolio, as opposed to how much readily available cash they have? Interesting --Andrew 21:12, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * No filthy rich people keep all their assets in cash, not even drug kingpins. (Warren Buffett would have a fit.) Clarityfiend (talk) 21:36, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Even the "cash" is liquid sellable short term bond-like instrument(s) with very little actual cash. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 23:01, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * And that's why we say he's "worth 75 bn", and not "he has 75bn in the bank". --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  22:50, 31 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Heck, even the moderately unclean rich don't do that. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:42, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * When my dad turned 60, he said that if he won the "mega millions" lottery, he would take the payment as a "lump sum" (where they give you about half the advertised amount in one payment, instead of the full amount in installments over several years)... and put the money in a non-interest bearing checking account. His rational was that once he paid taxes on the lump sum, he would have plenty to live on for the rest of his life... And never have to file a tax form ... ever again!  Blueboar (talk) 01:38, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * That's an irrationale, except for the bank (which would be laughing all the way to ... where it is now, I guess). Clarityfiend (talk) 02:34, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * See Cutting off the nose to spite the face. Since taxes are usually less than 100% of income, you still end up with more money if you make money, even if you pay a portion of that money to the government.  -- Jayron 32 02:36, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * But he didn't say it was about paying taxes, he said it was about needing to file a tax form. --69.159.60.83 (talk) 06:14, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * That's why one has minions. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:01, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't trust a Minion anywhere near a tax return. 86.191.126.192 (talk) 11:24, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Your dad, if he wins the lottery, needs to learn about tax-free municipal securities. Well, if he lives in the United States, anyway.  John M Baker (talk) 13:58, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
 * No, his Dad needs to go to a professional financial adviser to get the best advice, and not pay regard to anything he reads on the internet. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  22:12, 1 June 2016 (UTC)