Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 May 9

= May 9 =

Siege of Paris painting
I've been tinkering with the Thiers wall article and am putting together a section about the role of the fortifications in the Siege of Paris by the Prussians in 1870-71. I think I recall seeing a large painting about the preparations for the siege in which French soldiers are burning wooden buildings in front of the walls to give a clear field of fire. It was set at night with lots of leaping flames. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Also any detailed references to the siege that I can read online; the preview of The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71 stops just short of anything useful. Alansplodge (talk) 15:58, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You can borrow Horne's The Fall of Paris from Archive, unless you meant the author stopped short of being useful? fiveby(zero) 20:45, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Great, thanks. I had always assumed that you had to be some sort of academic to have an account, but anyone can. I'm reading it now. Alansplodge (talk) 10:35, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * has some maybe useful bits aside from the siege: "They have sewn rags onto the dress of a Queen" when the city was extended from the Farmers General Wall to Thiers Wall in 1859-60. fiveby(zero) 23:28, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you kindly. I shall include that quote. Alansplodge (talk) 10:35, 10 May 2020 (UTC)

The residents of Sodom, Shetland--are they called Sodomites?
Are the residents of Sodom, Shetland called Sodomites? Completely serious question, by the way. Futurist110 (talk) 20:05, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * According to the Sodom, Shetland article, "Hugh MacDiarmid, [was] greatly amused at the anglicised form of the name." Reference: Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.  Guess: he probably noticed that he was therefore a "Sodomite". 107.15.157.44 (talk) 21:23, 9 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Are the residents of Paris called Parisites? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:19, 10 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Probably not; rather, Parisians is probably much more likely. However, the residents of Moscow are called Muscovites. Futurist110 (talk) 21:04, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Ooh la la!! c'est le "Moscou-Paris", n'est ce pas? Martinevans123 (talk) 21:42, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I really don't get this joke. :( Futurist110 (talk) 22:34, 15 May 2020 (UTC)


 * No, but my partner and I lived for some years in Maffra, and we were tickled pink when a friend of ours referred to us as "Maffradites". --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  05:56, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Is this friend of yours female? Because if so, you two will be Her Maffradites! Futurist110 (talk) 22:35, 15 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Sadly (for the sake of your joke), no. -- Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  22:54, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

People from Toronto are called Torontulas. 2602:24A:DE47:B270:DDD2:63E0:FE3B:596C (talk) 01:17, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Natives of Edinburgh are referred to (by people from the rival city of Glasgow) as "Edinbuggers". Alansplodge (talk) 10:48, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I'm surprise no one has yet proposed demonyms for residents of Coxsackie, New York or Tampa, Florida. -- Jayron 32 18:31, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

Greeks from the island of Lesbos are known as Lesbians. 86.186.232.80 (talk) 11:02, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Even the men? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:00, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * It's all Greek to me. Martinevans123 (talk) 13:04, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * There's actually a male lesbians group on Reddit, I believe. Seriously. Futurist110 (talk) 22:35, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

Kalakaua coronation fashion
Identifying photographs to fashion for Likelike and Liliuokalani at their brother's coronation in 1883. So according to this source: Princess Liliuokalani wore a gold brocade dress with a train and a headdress of gold leaves and white feathers and Princess Likelike, a white Satin brocade trimmed with pearls and ostrich feathers and slippers of scarlet satin. According this more detailed source, Her Royal Highness the Princess Liliuokalani wore a Parisian toilette of gold brocade, the front part of white satin embroidered with gold, and a heavy crimson velvet train ; the head-dress was a wreath of gold leaves and white white feathers tipped with pearls ; gold necklace with diamond cross, and diamond earrings. Her Royal Highness the Princess Likelike wore a robe of brocaded white satin trimmed with pearls and feathers. Does these dresses fit the two pictures below? KAVEBEAR (talk) 21:37, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

Is there any country today without monetary inflation?
Is there any country today without monetary inflation?2804:7F2:591:8124:85AA:3A18:1398:3B5 (talk) 21:57, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Not likely, because if a country's money isn't inflating, by definition it's experiencing deflation, which is an economic crisis because it means the circulation of money will slow, which means economic activity will slow. Under deflation, spending is discouraged and incurring debts becomes highly undesirable - because why spend money now if you can get more for your same amount of money later, and debts will have to be paid back in units of currency that are worth more than what was originally borrowed. In a global economy based on consumer spending and credit, this is problematic to say the least. See deflationary spiral - this is why all modern economies treat money as a medium of exchange, not a store of value. Modest inflation is desirable. NorthBySouthBaranof (talk) 22:19, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * "...because if a country's money isn't inflating, by definition it's experiencing deflation, which is an economic crisis because it means the circulation of money will slow", I am talking about monetary inflation (not printing more money, unless you destroy the same amount or more to print it [like destroying one 100$ note to print 100 1$ notes]), not price of stuff increasing over time.2804:7F2:591:8124:85AA:3A18:1398:3B5 (talk) 22:29, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * List of countries by inflation rate - those with a minus number are in deflation. Alansplodge (talk) 22:42, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Note that Japan experienced a whole decade of deflation from 1991 to 2000, known as the "Lost Decade" and while it wasn't terribly good, it was by no means a disaster (give it a few weeks and we'll all be having one). Alansplodge (talk) 22:44, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I already knew the list you posted, it shows price inflation/deflation, not monetary deflation.2804:7F2:591:8124:85AA:3A18:1398:3B5 (talk) 23:37, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * There are no countries with an entirely-fixed money supply - which would be fixed at what number for what reason? The entire world abandoned the gold standard as fundamentally unworkable no less than 50 years ago. All world currencies are fiat currencies, floating on an international exchange rate market, and their supply is controlled by central banks more or less controlled by central governments. NorthBySouthBaranof (talk) 00:05, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * "which would be fixed at what number for what reason?" Different countries have different ways to think about economy and what to do with it, there are more than 180 countries out there, I assumed some of those would have monetary inflation, because its unlikely 180+ countries with follow the same specific law/rule/idea when they are very different.2804:7F2:591:8124:2C95:D744:915F:6313 (talk) 16:02, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Some ideas have proven to be so unwise that no one does them anymore, even if they used to, because experience has shown them to be unwise. -- Jayron 32 12:43, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

The OP may be interested in Fixed exchange rate system for a list of currencies hat may have had monetary deflation. From first-hand (and professional) experience, Hong Kong most certainly did, 1997-2003.DOR (HK) (talk) 08:12, 13 May 2020 (UTC)