Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 August 2

= August 2 =

Umbrella insurance
Does personal umbrella insurance typically cover discrimination lawsuits? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.177.10.216 (talk) 03:01, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Genealogical Relationship
Can someone tell me the exact consanguinity relationship of Umberto II of Italy and his wife Maria José of Belgium. Thanks. --84.222.155.253 (talk) 09:42, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * For European royals, the two were fairly distantly related. In short, Umberto's father's mother's mother's mother's mother's parents (or his great-great-great-great-grandparents) Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt and Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden (who were themselves first cousins) were also the parents of Marie José's father's mother's mother's father (or Marie José's great-great-great-grandparents).  Marco polo (talk) 21:24, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * That makes them 4th cousins once removed, by my calculation. Had Landgravine Amalie and Charles Louis been unrelated, Marie Jose and Umberto would have been 6th cousins once removed.   --  JackofOz (talk) 21:39, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much!!!!!! But weren't they related with the family of the Two Sicilies, Marco Polo??? --84.222.154.142 (talk) 08:01, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Family photo
Does someone knows the names of this people in this photo, from left to right. I need the exact names of Roberto I of Parma' children, if it's possible. Thanks. --84.222.155.253 (talk) 09:46, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * You forgot to attach the photo. --  JackofOz (talk) 09:49, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Yes the photo is  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.223.192.213 (talk) 09:58, 2 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Our article has a list of all Roberto's children. Doesn't help put names to faces though. Algebraist 11:54, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Budget for village fete
As an ex Marketing Director I have been asked to prepare a marketing plan for our 2009 village fete. I am not used to small budgets and will appreciate advice from those who are. Our annual fete features a big musical production featuring lead singers with the cast made up of 60 villagers. Attendance is 2,400 over 4 shows. I want to add programmes, souvenir booklets, medieval hats for the girls and heroes’ swords for the boys...plus any ideas that may be suggested. Trouble is I don’t know quantities to budget. Can anybody help from experience, please ?86.219.161.122 (talk) 10:41, 2 August 2008 (UTC)petitmichel


 * I suggest you figure it out as follows:


 * 1) Find the price of a sword you consider to be appropriate, then multiply by the number of swords needed (get a few extra in case some break).


 * 2) Repeat this process for hats, programs, souvenir booklets, and anything else you can think of.


 * 3) Add them all up. Then maybe double it for a margin of error/cost overruns.


 * Just an order of magnitude estimate gives me something around $50,000. BTW, are you giving all this away or selling it ?  If selling it, you can expect to get your money back, of course, but still need to have the money up front. StuRat (talk) 14:09, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the thought... but it only repeats the question. What I need is some idea of a typical demand. Everything hangs on that. From around 3,000 people how many are likely to buy and what? That is why I asked for help from experience.86.219.161.122 (talk) 15:09, 2 August 2008 (UTC)petitmichel


 * Er: your estimate of turnout has just risen from 2400 to 3000, an increase of some 25%. If you order enough for the lower figure and even only 30% of your first estimate buys your offerings and you calculate your costs on that 30% figure, you will break even. But, if you sell any more than that lower figure, you are in surplus. Of course, as an ex-Marketing Director, I am sure you will have hordes of willing and able amateurs around you who have experience of previous years' take up levels. I too used to be the Head of Administration in a large public organisation and always planned my programmes on domestic principles - and they always exceeded expectations. 92.20.198.103 (talk) 16:41, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * (ec) Maybe obvious, but would it not be the simplest solution to check what happened in 2008 and before? Forecasting a demand would be tricky, not knowing the specific economic data of the residents, the age / gender mix, the enthusiasm of the folks and so on.  Extrapolating from a previous demand (if at all possible) gives, at least, a ballpark figure.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:43, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * That was my first thought as well&mdash;though if this is the first year for swords and hats, he may have to make a wild guess. Best bet is still to talk to other people who have organized similar events, of course.  Also worthwhile is to consider what you'll do with leftover hats and swords.  (Can they be returned?  Sold at a later event?  Given to unarmed orphans?)
 * Depending on the budget you have available, you may also be able to consult with or hire a professional event planner who will be able to advise you on suppliers and quantities. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:16, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Sort of random, but if the event takes place at night and there are lots of elementary to middle school aged kids and their parents (who have money) in attendance, glow-necklaces like these are very popular and have sold out at night events I've been too. I suppose the average per kid will probably about one. You might have the girls build their own hats using construction paper + sequins + glue + other accessories at a booth manned by volunteers. It will be messy, but it is probably less expensive overall then buying pre-fabricated hats. Also consider that children and swords will guarantee that sword fights are going to break out, and people will be whacked. It would be wise to make sure the swords are constructed out of something soft like foam and not plastic. If you choose the foam route, you can get a large foam sheet, spray paint it silver, and cut it into long skinny rectangles that are length of the blade + hilt. At a booth the corners at one end will be lopped off to make the end a triangle and the kids could stick on a construction paper crossguard and decorate it. Also keep in mind that girls may want swords too. 71.77.4.75 (talk) 02:54, 3 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Definitely look to volunteers whenever possible to lower costs. You may also consider cutting costs by trying to get local businesses to sponsor part of the event in exchange for advertisements in the programs. If you need cheap labor doing something you can't find volunteers for like folding hats or the like, high schools or colleges may be a good source. You could try asking the administration if you can post an announcement or fliers on campus and borrow a classroom for an hour or two after school lets out. 71.77.4.75 (talk) 03:22, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

Sorry about the 2,400/3,000 figure. The first is the ticket buying people. The balance are those interested. Although there is a lot of useful stuff here, most of it is basic marketing theory. And a lot is off the subject. We don't have a previous year to refer to, this is the first time we have tried to add stuff to generate extra income. What I am asking for (and that is all I need) is for somebody who has run an event such as I describe to share his/her experiences.86.209.27.67 (talk) 09:50, 3 August 2008 (UTC)petitmichel


 * Insure against rain for a start!--Artjo (talk) 11:18, 3 August 2008 (UTC)
 * You might like to pop into a bookstore to check if fetes exist in the following Meeting and Event Planning for Dummies by Susan Friedman and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Meeting and Event Planning by the same author. I'd pop over to another village and pump the minister/vicar and others about their fete. The only fetes I've known have been run by junior schools and their parent body with plenty of volunteers, no big single product purchases, people paying a day fee for their stall selling stuff they want to get rid of, or no fee and any proceeds go to the school (or village). Local businesses might like to sponsor stalls, special items, and the rest. For me, I'd look at what sales are needed before getting the same object x 3000 -- more like two or three products per family, but then I don't really know. To answer your request for someone with experience, it's not me. Julia Rossi (talk) 10:54, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Flight time
Can someone give me a rough idea of the non-stop direct flight time between London and Puerto Rico. Thanks--Artjo (talk) 12:26, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * According to this search site there are no non-stops. One stop flights are about 14 - 16 hours. Of course a real travel agent will be more informative :-)   -hydnjo talk 13:09, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * My brief search agrees with Hydnjo's answer - no direct flights. One deal suggested a 13h50m journey including a 1h50m layover in Miami.  Astronaut (talk) 13:32, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Perhaps they meant the theoretical direct flight time ? StuRat (talk) 13:58, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * StuRat is right, but the above are fine for my needs, thanks all.--Artjo (talk) 14:54, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Maybe use a Flight Simulator to predict it when you fly a jumbo? *shrug* Josh Holloway  16:37, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Geography Geology or Hydrology ?
Is there a term for the line of fastest flow down a river. Note : Not Thalweg which is just deepest.

many thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.108.32.35 (talk) 13:30, 2 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I found some references which seem to indicate that thalweg could also refer to the line of fastest flow. See the Wiktionary definition and the NOAA's NWS glossary. However, the article Thalweg mentions (without a ref): "The thalweg is almost always the line of fastest flow in any river." which would imply otherwise. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:05, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

WAR TROPHY
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF KEEPING SILVER TROPHIES IN OFFICERS MESS? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bsgusain (talk • contribs) 13:43, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Where else would you display the awards and trophies your Regiment had accumulated through the ages ?86.219.161.122 (talk) 15:06, 2 August 2008 (UTC)DT

Need more speaker/amp advice
Hi again, all. The build-your-own-bass-stack project has completed "Phase I", and we have (or had, for a few minutes) two working cabinets, a 2x10 and a 1x15. The boy was proud of our work. They were used in a real gig for the first time this morning.

As is frequently the case with the high-school-level battle-of-the-band format, there is much sharing of equipment. Apparently -- we do not know all the facts yet -- one overenthusiastic and under-mature bassist simply turned all the knobs up all the way and started banging away. By the time my kid got back to the venue, the feedback from the previous band was "dude, your stuff doesn't work."

With that as background, I could use any advice and guidance the WP community is willing to offer. My role in the project was power tools and woodworking; I know next to nothing about the electronics side of this. I've read several articles returned by searching for  "diagnose" and "blown speaker". Encyclopedia-grade responses not required. Thanks to all who can help us here. --Danh, 63.231.153.235 (talk) 20:08, 2 August 2008 (UTC)
 * We will disassemble the cabinets, and inspect and test each driver one at a time. But, what really are we looking for?  The only visual thing we might be able to identify is torn cone -- is there anything else to look for?
 * How can we tell if damage has been done to the amplifier? What kind of damage is likely, and/or how would it manifest itself?  We don't have a spare amp or backup cabinets.
 * I think I've learned that "amp too big for speakers" damages the speakers, but "amp not big enough for speakers" damages the amp somehow. If that's not really correct, could someone clarify?


 * Oh dear! I think it is more likely that the loudspeakers have been damaged. Cones dont tear like that (I dont think)-- you have to put your bot into them to tear them. To test each speaker cab on its own, obtain a 1.5v cell (from your torch, Tv remote etc) and apply across the leads to the speaker (cabinet). You should hear a thump and maybe see the cone move a little. If you dont and it doesn't, you have a blown voice coil. If so, its a new speaker (or you may be able to send back to the manufacturer for repair).
 * Instrument Amplifiers usually have protection circuits to allow them to be driven without damage into any load (including a short circuit) so its unlikely the amp has been damaged. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.199.184 (talk) 01:28, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

UPDATE: Things are not as dire as they first seemed. It now appears more likely that only one speaker has sustained real damage -- it buzzes like a herd of honeybees, which still has to be dealt with, but it's not like the entire project just got tossed in the crapper. Another source has pointed out, and our observations confirm, that there was stuff stacked on the amplifier, which has an cooling fan on the top pointing upward, which was thus blocked, which may have caused the amp to power-limit or turn itself off completely.

Can they really do that? That's a heckuva feature, if true! --Danh, 63.231.153.235 (talk) 03:45, 3 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If you're referring to "be driven without damage into any load", then yes. With the caveat that "be driven" doesn't mean "actually work", just that if the load is unsuitable the amp will "go into protection" and shut down temporarily. I'm not guaranteeing that all amps of any budget and vintage can do this :-) 81.187.153.189 (talk) 11:13, 3 August 2008 (UTC)