Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 November 30

= November 30 =

Are there Washlets for noses? (A Puffs Tissue commercial spurred me to ask this.)
Too much tissue paper used on cold noses would cause us to be wasteful, and in cases that involve dry-wiping, water would win. Therefore, what is the closest we have to a washlet for nostrils? If there is none, why would that be? Thanks. --70.179.174.101 (talk) 07:10, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


 * See Neti pot. -- Jayron  32  07:13, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


 * Or you can blow your nose onto the ground like a sportsperson (see also: sleeve). --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:44, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


 * How about suction? Just for babies at the moment, but you may have discovered a niche in the market :-) Alansplodge (talk) 16:51, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


 * You can get sinus rinse kits, which involve squirting warm saline solution up your nose and having it dribble out disgustingly with mucus. That sort of thing? The ones I've seen have a bottle that you warm in the microwave. 86.164.60.202 (talk) 12:43, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Note that spraying liquid up the nose to clean it doesn't work in most places, since snot will then run down your face and onto your clothes. This pretty much limits it to home use, and in the shower would be best. StuRat (talk) 15:07, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Nah, you just do it over a sink: if you lean forward, as is natural, you don't dribble on yourself really. Shower would involve mucus around your naked feet, ew. Still pretty gross, though, and not something you'd want to do where people have to watch. 86.164.60.202 (talk) 17:46, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Who watches you shower? -- Jayron  32  18:39, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Chauncey Gardiner: "I like to watch". :) --  Jack of Oz   [your turn]  23:28, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Don't know what's wrong with having mucus at your feet in the shower. You're going to be putting them in a shoe to sweat all day...  Dismas |(talk) 17:28, 2 December 2011 (UTC)
 * No separate washlet exists for noses. I just blow my nose into the sink. There is usually some kind of a bathroom around that I can use. I bring soap&water up to my nose with my hands to rinse off the mucus, and then wash my hands separately. Then pat everything dry with a paper towel. I get some weird looks (it really does look like you're throwing up or praying to the sink), but I'd rather do that than have to get my hands all mucky using a tissue, and then have to go find a sink to wash my hands. 68.32.251.73 (talk) 15:52, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Is Medovina Kosher?
Is Czech medovina kosher? --78.128.205.47 (talk) 13:04, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Not sure, but according to the kashrut article, all insects except locusts are unclean, which would make bees unclean, which may make honey unclean, which may make medovina (mead) also unclean. I'm sure someone who is actually Jewish may come along to confirm or correct me, but that is how I read it.  -- Jayron  32  13:31, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Kosher foods says that honey is considered kosher because it is considered to be plant material gathered by insects, rather than an animal product. --Colapeninsula (talk) 15:56, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Although that doesn't mean mead is kosher - Kosher foods says that wine is normally only kosher if prepared by Jews, though opinions vary. Additionally, some wines and other alcoholic drinks contain non-kosher finings, e.g. pork gelatin. --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:02, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

I'm no expert on mead, but I know a thing or two about kashrut. Most alcholic drinks are kosher - the ones that are not tend to be ones that are wine-based, such as sherry, port and of course wine. So long as there's no wine in it, it's likely to be kosher - there are few drinks that include ingredients of animal origin. Honey is definitely kosher - barring some weird added ingredient. --Dweller (talk) 16:42, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Some mead is definitely kosher, e.g. Honeyrun Mead "Ragnar's Dry Mead" Honey Wine NV, and various by Woodstone Creek . However the fact that it's called "honey wine" made me wonder whether it counts as wine rabbinically; Woodstone Creek say it's actually closer to beer. --Colapeninsula (talk) 18:45, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Halachically, the problem with "wine" is grapes. Any drink with grapes in is at best problematic and almost certainly prohibited, even if not alcoholic. Drinks called "wine" but not containing grapes are kosher unless there's some other ingredient that affects them, such as an animal-based stabiliser etc. --Dweller (talk) 21:33, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

Math font
Hey everyone. What font does Wikipedia use for math formulas (by using, for example $$ax^2 + bx + c = 0\,\!$$)? Any help would be great! 64.229.180.189 (talk) 21:29, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
 * I believe it's Computer Modern. Hut 8.5 22:29, 30 November 2011 (UTC)