Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 July 6

= July 6 =

Fiduciary vs. Agent
What's the difference between the terms "fiduciary" and "agent", if there is any difference? Kalimi (talk) 03:41, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Very different. First off, not all agents are fiduciaries. If you send your brother to go pick up your car from the mechanic, he's acting as your agent, and has the authority to take delivery of the car on your behalf (and potentially bind you under the service contract as having accepted the car's repaired condition as satisfactory). If your brother then uses the car to deliver pizzas for the afternoon, while he's done something crappy, he's not violated a fiduciary duty to you. Secondly, not all fiduciaries are agents. For instance, the board of directors of a corporation have a fiduciary duty to the shareholders, but it's clear that the board cannot bind the individual shareholders personally to a contract like an agent could. 199.66.69.67 (talk) 06:32, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

Is Walter Breuning's death record available on Ancestry.com?
Is Walter Breuning's death record available on Ancestry.com? If so, does it give his cause of death? If so, what exactly is it? Futurist110 (talk) 07:24, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * It looks like Walter Breuning's death record might be available here, but I can't actually access it because I don't have a subscription to this website (or to Ancestry.com, for that matter): https://www.findmypast.com/search/results?firstname=walter&firstname_variants=true&lastname=breuning&yearofdeath=2011&yearofdeath_offset=2&sid=999 Futurist110 (talk) 07:27, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I can get to in Ancestry.com, but I hesitate to comment since it's a relatively recent death. Why do you want to know? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 11:31, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I was simply curious about this because I really liked Mr. Breuning and I thought before his death that he had a huge amount of potential--possibly up to becoming the oldest man ever and being the first verified man ever to reach age 116+. Breuning ultimately did go very far, but fell a tiny bit short of Mathew Beard's record for US-born men and died slightly more than a year before he could break Christian Mortensen's then-all-time male longevity record. So, I was curious as to what it was that caused Walter Breuning to decline so fast (within a two-week period, he went from being vibrant and healthy to being dead). :( Interestingly enough, Breuning's successor as the world's oldest living man, Jiroemon Kimura, did in fact subsequently go on to break Mortensen's record and also became the first verified man ever to reach age 116+. Kimura was also (due to Breuning's untimely death; Breuning died just several days before Kimura's 114th birthday) fortunate enough to celebrate three birthdays as the world's oldest living man--specifically his 114th, 115th, and 116th birthdays. Futurist110 (talk) 20:17, 6 July 2020 (UTC)


 * Immediate cause of death was "inanition" due to or as a consequence of "presbyesophagus". That's all the information available and an autopsy was not performed. Death was pronounced by Timothy C. Weill, M.D. on April 14, 2011. His remains were cremated on an unspecified date in Great Falls, Montana. 199.66.69.67 (talk) 18:13, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Very interesting! So, it wasn't pneumonia or deep vein thrombosis (DVT was my own previous guess in regards to this, for the record) that killed him. I am curious, though--what exactly causes presbyesophagus and is there actually any successful treatment and/or cure for this? What about at extremely high ages? Futurist110 (talk) 20:17, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, that was it. It occurs to me there could be privacy concerns if the family didn't want it made public for whatever reason. Too late now. :( ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:08, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I would not have made it public if it would not have already been on various websites such as Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.com. Since this death record does already appear to have ended up on these websites, though, I figured that it was fair game to ask about it. Futurist110 (talk) 20:17, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I don't see any real privacy concerns here, but I understand some people may disagree. Presbyesophagus is a degenerative motor condition of the esophagus, though its etiology may be controversial, and the term itself may be outdated. Based on its characteristics, I suspect treatment is mostly supportive, such as a nasogastric feeding tube. Here are some sources.   199.66.69.67 (talk) 21:28, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Anyway, does this mean that if someone has such a condition, then it's incurable and they are likely to eventually die from it if something else doesn't kill them beforehand? Futurist110 (talk) 21:59, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Also, another question--does this mean that if, for instance, 3D printing of human organs using one's own DNA would have actually been possible in Walter Breuning's lifetime, and if he would have gotten an esophagus transplant and also survived the relevant surgery, then this problem would have been fixed and taken care of--thus allowing Mr. Breuning to live for some additional time--perhaps even a couple of additional years if he was really lucky? Futurist110 (talk) 22:01, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Based on my understanding, it would eventually be fatal because it would cause you to become incapable of eating. Either a nasogastric feeding tube or total parenteral nutrition should solve that problem, but with a marked decrease in quality of life. Why neither of those were used in this gentleman’s case is unclear (or if they were used, why he died of malnutrition secondary to the presbyesophagus). As to 3D-printed or cloned organs, my understanding is that the primary issue is a neurological one that causes a progressively degenerative structural problem. Whether replacing the esophagus is a viable treatment is not clear to me. I suppose it would be worth looking into whether esophageal transplants generally have been attempted. If I might ask, are you just curious or are you writing a sci-fi novel? 199.66.69.67 (talk) 22:50, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * A decreased quality of life seems better than nothing, no? I mean, at least one would still be able to watch TV, listen to the radio, and/or go on the Internet, no? Also, what exactly is the neurological problem here? I honestly don't get it. As for why I am curious about this, well, I am a member of the 110 Club forum about supercentenarians (username "Futurist") and I am interested to see if there are any cases where we could be able to increase supercentenarians' lifespans. I do not have what it takes to write a sci-fi novel--though what I do hope to eventually see is more people living to age 120+. Futurist110 (talk) 23:27, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Please don't make assumptions about a decreased quality of life. I recently experienced a temporary decreased quality of life that I recovered from. I was unable to watch TV, listen to the radio, go on the Internet, read, talk, or even roll over on my side unassisted. All I had was constant pain despite heavy painkillers. If not for the knowledge that I would heal I would have put in a do not necessitate order and disconnected my own respirator with what little strength I had left. --Guy Macon (talk) 14:54, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * What did you suffer from, if you don't mind me asking? Futurist110 (talk) 17:23, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * A decreased quality of life seems better than nothing, no? No. That's why people put DNR orders in their medical orders, estate planning documents, and such. I don't want to spend decades intubated in a coma, for example, and I don't want to require those that cared for me to keep me in that state. I think maybe you've never had an old old dog or loved an old old person. --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 15:11, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Those are certainly excellent points, but is there any indication to suggest that Walter Breuning was going to fall into a coma if he would not have died? After all, can't one be tube-fed for years and still be conscious and even alert, awake, and active? Futurist110 (talk) 17:23, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Looking only at the information on Walter Breuning's death record, I was under the impression that it was only Walter Breuning's esophagus that was giving out; so, not the rest of his body parts. So, I don't see why exactly a failing esophagus has to result in someone falling into a coma if this person will still receive adequate nourishment and nutrition by being tube-fed. What exactly am I missing here? Futurist110 (talk) 17:25, 7 July 2020 (UTC)


 * I raised the question of using his DC as a source within the article (if you had that in mind), and the answer appears to be NO, because it's a primary source. The start of that discussion is at Wikipedia talk:Reliable sources. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:43, 10 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Primary sources are unreliable? What about using autobiographies for information for various people's Wikipedia articles? Surely that's allowed, no? Futurist110 (talk) 03:21, 11 July 2020 (UTC)

Who was the Soviet journalist "Svetlagorsk"?


The above image is captioned at source "The heavily bombed ground floor of the Reichstag building. The well-known Russian journalist Svetlagorsk is interviewing a refugee... Berlin 1945". Who was Svetlagorsk? Google finds nothing relevant, but suggests the alternative spelling "Svetlogorsk". That there is a Russian town called Svetlogorsk complicates searching. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:19, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Sure not a very fruitful Googling -- and most everything about photos and reichstag and 1945 gets swamped by that famous doctored photograph. --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 16:25, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Preliminary fumbling with Bing yielded little, although there this suggestive tidbit: one of the towns with that name today was first mentioned under another name (Šacilki) in 1560 and only became Svetlogorsk (several spellings) four centuries later, in 1961. If that naming followed (say) Gorky — the Soviet name for Maxim Gorky's birthplace of Nizhny Novgorod — then perhaps citizen Svetlogorsk was either a noted Soviet journalist and/or a local boy (girl?) made good (i.e. prominent enough to make his or her home town proud). —— Shakescene (talk) 18:45, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Or could be a pseudonym / nom de guerre. 2602:24A:DE47:BB20:50DE:F402:42A6:A17D (talk) 00:40, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Wow, some interesting graffiti on the wall. The big one says Кошкин; that, I believe, is a reference to Mikhail Koshkin, who designed the T-34 tank. --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 20:39, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * That name doesn't match any of the names in the Russian Wikipedia's list of WWII war correspondents ru:Категория:Фронтовые корреспонденты Великой Отечественной войны. I suspect this detail has gotten mixed up somewhere along the line.  First, can we confirm that "Svetlagorsk" is really what's printed in the book?  --Amble (talk) 22:33, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, that's what I meant by "at source"; see the "source" link on the image page. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:41, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Understood, but it looks like a transcription error may have happened at some point along the line. Often enough that's when someone types the description into Wikipedia.  If you can confirm you've double-checked against the book, then we can rule that out in this case.  My misunderstanding; now I find a scan of the relevant page in your link to Amazon.  It indeed does say "Svetlagorsk" in Vebell's book.   --Amble (talk) 17:34, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

The Russian version of Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast tells us:

"After the accession of most of the territory of East Prussia and its capital - the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) - to the RSFSR (as a result of the Potsdam Agreement of 1945), by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of June 17, 1947, the city of Raushen was renamed Svetlogorsk."

but has no clues as to the etymology. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:52, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

There's also a dictionany definition which suggests topographical meaning for the placename. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:08, 7 July 2020 (UTC)


 * In another scan from the book, a Russian-language sign says "Brandenburg" and "Potsdam", but the text says "The street signs translate I believe to Potsdam and Frankfurt". So Vebell was evidently not familiar with the Russian language. --Amble (talk) 18:06, 7 July 2020 (UTC)


 * Vebell calls him a "Russian journalist". Maybe that was an accurate description, or maybe it just meant "a journalist from anywhere in the Soviet Union", since all Soviets were routinely referred to as "Russians" back then, but they actually also included Ukrainians, Belarusians, Georgians, Armenians, you name it. Stalin himself was never Russian, but Georgian.
 * There are four (4) places in Russia called Svetlogorsk. The main one seems to be Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, which prior to 1947 was known by its German name Rauschen (Polish: Ruszowice; Lithuanian: Raušiai).
 * There's also a Belarusian place formerly in the Soviet Union that Wikipedia calls Svietlahorsk. In Belarusian: Светлаго́рск, Svetlagorsk; in Russian: Светлого́рск, Svetlogorsk; until 1961 Šacilki (Shatsilki), Belarusian: Шацілкі.
 * If Vebell somehow got the journo's name mixed up with his place of origin (maybe it should have read "The well-known Russian journalist from Svetlagorsk"), it could be any of these 5 places and/or the multitude of options regarding their names that applied back then. Except that the only places known as Svetlogorsk (no Svetlagorsks) back in 1945 were the three obscure Russian settlements that we don't have articles on. --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  19:06, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I think the most likely explanation is that Vebell's guide in 1945 told him the man's name and that he was a famous journalist; Vebell wrote it down in his notes as he heard it; and many years later, Vebell or someone else preparing the book for publication tried to interpret his notes and came up with "Svetlagorsk." It could be ru:Лясковский, Владимир Георгиевич but for the lack of eyeglasses. --Amble (talk) 21:03, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * His bio places Lyaskovsky in Berlin at the time of the capture of the Reichstag. Presumably he is among the group of Soviet war correspondents photographed here in front of the Reichstag. (His name is mentioned in the accompanying text.) --Lambiam 10:35, 8 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I note that our mystery man is in a suit, not a uniform. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:09, 8 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Acording to, Vebell spoke some Russian. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 18:11, 8 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Which, to me, makes it unlikely he'd have confused "Lyaskovsky" with "Svetlagorsk", which words have zero in common, particularly as the standard prefix from светлый (svetliy) is svetlo-, not svetla-. --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:36, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

Referendum results ruled unconstitutional
Besides the Catalan independence referendum in 2017 and a few of the California ballot propositions, could you give me other examples of when a result of a referendum got declared unconstitutional and/or void/annulled or something similar by the judiciary in a democracy? StellarHalo (talk) 13:12, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Sure, the US Supreme Court has often overruled the results of state referendums and initiatives. --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 16:12, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Indeed, it happens all the time in the U.S. at various levels. Most often, referenda are preemptively rejected by the courts before the public gets to vote on them. If you're interested in referenda and initiatives generally in the U.S., you may find this page at the University of Southern California a useful starting point for further research: 199.66.69.67 (talk) 18:07, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Good link, thanks! --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 20:43, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Outside the US, there is the case of the 2009–2010 Nigerien constitutional crisis where courts tried to block the referendum but the president ignored them and went ahead with the 2009 Nigerien constitutional referendum anyway, eventually being removed by the 2010 Nigerien coup d'état. Nil Einne (talk) 00:24, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * And the 2014 Crimean status referendum - see the legal aspects section. Alansplodge (talk) 16:16, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * How do they plan to enforce that ruling? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:13, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Isn't there a hoo-ha over the last Venezuelan presidential election, where Maduro claims to have won and someone else is recognised as interim president?  This happens quite a lot.   The result of the mayoral election in Tower Hamlets was overturned not so long ago.   Then there was the kerfuffle over "hanging chads" in what I think was the 2000 U S presidential election. 2A00:23C5:E117:6100:A145:30B4:5C48:5510 (talk) 11:07, 8 July 2020 (UTC)
 * True, but the original question was specifically about referendum results. Alansplodge (talk) 11:42, 11 July 2020 (UTC)

What are the best alternates for flags including the Confederate Stars and Bars?
Of the flags most likely to be displayed by U.S. Army regulations, including state flag(s), what are the most popular alternate design(s) for each? 2601:647:5E00:C5A0:1084:7FA7:DB25:E744 (talk) 14:34, 6 July 2020 (UTC)


 * You're asking for opinion, and this is not the place for that. DOR (HK) (talk) 16:10, 6 July 2020 (UTC)


 * The question (as opposed to its title) not necessarily seeking an opinion; the questioner asks what are the most popular alternatives, not what are the best or the most appropriate. It might be appropriate, however, and lead to less confusion if the questioner or someone else changed the title to match the question.


 * On the other hand, if the question is really which is the best, that is certainly seeking an opinion that can't be answered here. —— Shakescene (talk) 18:57, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * The question is on the popularity, a mean opinion score, or an objective measure as opposed to a subjective opinion. This is not the first time in history that people have proposed alternate flags. EllenCT (talk) 19:49, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * The question still doesn't make sense. There are no alternate designs for state flags. Each state has one flag. There may be former state flags that are no longer official and there may be proposals for replacements for the current ones, but there are no alternate designs. --Khajidha (talk) 23:14, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * If I understand OP's question, the events are: 1) the US Army normally displays state flags, say over Army bases. 2) Some state flags (Mississippi's til recently) have the Confederate symbol on them, and the Army won't display those, so they pick something else instead in those cases.  3) OP's question, then, is what does the Army most commonly choose as a replacement.  Seems straightforward enough.  I don't know the answer though. 2602:24A:DE47:BB20:50DE:F402:42A6:A17D (talk) 00:36, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * The ban on Confederate symbols is new and no current state flags incorporate any. --Khajidha (talk) 00:42, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * New? AFAICT there is no current ban. The army were planning a ban but then decided to wait for a general ban from the Pentagon which is still only a draft [//www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/06/25/army-leaders-hold-off-on-banning-confederate-symbols-renaming-installations/] [//www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/07/06/pentagon-draft-policy-would-ban-confederate-flag-displays/]. However the Marine Corps did actually implement a ban [//www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2020/06/06/marine-corps-bars-public-display-of-confederate-flag-on-installations/]. It's new but predated the end of the Flag of Mississippi featuring the Confederate battle flag i.e. could have come into play. However it did not affect state flags. (The Navy also planned a ban but AFAICT [//www.military.com/daily-news/2020/06/09/navy-moves-ban-confederate-flags-bases-ships-and-public-spaces.html] they never came up with an order either, I assume they too decided to wait for one from the Pentagon.) Nil Einne (talk) 14:35, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * All of which means that the original question makes even less sense. --Khajidha (talk) 15:02, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * PS - the "Stars and Bars" is NOT the commonly encountered "Rebel flag", see Flags of the Confederate States of America. --Khajidha (talk) 12:34, 8 July 2020 (UTC)
 * According to our article, the Mississippi Bicentennial flag "has been used in some instances as a de facto placeholder". This is the flag that is now used to represent Mississippi at the United States Senate - see Mississippi flag bearing Confederate emblem is removed from Senate building.  Alansplodge (talk) 10:49, 11 July 2020 (UTC)

Could someone give me a list of instruments with that sounding range (b1 to c5 )?
Could someone give me a list of instruments with that sounding range: From at least B1 to at least C5 ?

Wolfram alpha site has many instruments and show their sounding range, but I didnt found a way to make it list the instruments that have this sounding range, so I am asking it here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2804:7F2:688:3746:6D70:F487:26C7:7962 (talk) 23:30, 6 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Range (music) might be useful. --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 23:50, 6 July 2020 (UTC)