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June 28
[edit]Prince Arthur's Death
[edit]I was reading today that in relation to King John (play), nobody knows the location of the scenes surrounding prince Arthur's death. And I was wondering why history does not help. Was there a real prince Arthur? If so do we know where and how he died? Or was his death so different from Shakespeare's depiction that it gives no clue to the fictional setting? AndyJones (talk) 13:10, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
- Yes, there was a real Prince Arthur. And, no, history does not record the details of how he died. See: Arthur I, Duke of Brittany. Blueboar (talk) 13:42, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
- Fascinating, thank you. Odd that Rouen Castle is not one of the places speculated as a location in my copy of King John, which only suggests places in England. AndyJones (talk) 14:01, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
- FWIW, in my non-scholarly and un-annotated copy of The Complete Works . . . .
- ACT IV Scene I opens in NORTHAMPTON. A Room in the Castle with the imprisoned Arthur;
- Scene II in The same. A Room of State in the Palace with King John and others;
- Scene III at The same. Before the Castle. Enter Arthur, on the Walls.
- Arthur. "The wall is high, and yet I will leap down:—
- (seven more lines)" [Leaps down.
- "Oh me! My uncle's spirit is in these stones:—
- Heaven take my soul, and England keep my bones" [Dies.
- Arthur. "The wall is high, and yet I will leap down:—
- Clearly, then, Shakespeare portrays Arthur dying at Northampton Castle. In his day probably he, and certainly most of his audience, would not have had access to as much historical data as we now do, and in any case he would not have hesitated to bend facts with dramatic licence to make the play work better.
- Fascinating, thank you. Odd that Rouen Castle is not one of the places speculated as a location in my copy of King John, which only suggests places in England. AndyJones (talk) 14:01, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
- [Edited to add] At the time of the actual events, the Angevin Empire was split over England and the Continent, with the latter being more important to its ruling Plantagenet dynasty. Naturally events relevant to this story occurred in both (and Arthur's death, most likely, in Normandy). By Shakespeare's time, 400 years later, the Continental holdings were mostly lost and his audience was focussed mainly on England, so compacting all the action to take place in England, and mostly in the same location, made dramatic sense.
- {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.192.251.148 (talk) 17:40, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
- Not exactly a modern source, but The New Royal Readers (1884) p.252 says:
- Arthur, having been sent to England, is imprisoned in Northampton Castle. (Historically this is not true. Arthur was first sent to Falaise, then to Rouen; but Shakespeare's arrangement of the play requires the scene to be laid in England.)
- The The Oxford and Cambridge Shakespeare, with notes (1881) p. vi says:
- The deviations from history are great in this play.
- It goes on to give the account from Holinshed's Chronicles, in Shakespeare's time considered to be a definitive history.
- Alansplodge (talk) 11:13, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
June 30
[edit](Courtesy link - Lot (biblical person) DuncanHill (talk) 21:50, 30 June 2025 (UTC))
Was Lot considered a patriarch by the Moabites themselves?Rich (talk) 02:28, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- I'm not finding any reference that Lot was considered a biblical patriarch at all. 196.50.199.218 (talk) 07:48, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- I didn't ask if he was a Biblical patriarch.Rich (talk) 09:55, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- As I understand it, the only written record of Lot is the Book of Genesis, the narrative of which is covered in our article, but the primary source is the Book of Genesis, chapters 11–14 & 19. Anything else would be conjecture. Alansplodge (talk) 11:24, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- Lot is a figure peculiar to the scriptures of the Abrahamic religions which developed from Yahwism, which was a derived variety of the ancient Canaanite religion.
- Scholars consider the stories of Abraham to be a 'late literary construction' in writings (the Torah) composed around the time of the Persian restoration following the end of the Judahites' Babylonian captivity in the late 6th century BCE, long post-dating the emergence around the 12th century BCE of the Israelites and Judahites from the Caananite culture which included the Moabites.
- Even if the compilers of the Torah had utilised existing Abrahamic folk myths that included the figure of Lot, it seems unlikely that the Moabites, not being Abrahamic, would have shared those particular myths. That said, we have only a limited amount of evidence about specifically Moabite religious beliefs and, as far as I can tell, virtually none at all about their folk myths. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.192.251.148 (talk) 19:31, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- See also Hinduism and Judaism § Theological similarities, in particular regarding the parallels between the Upanishads and the Abraham legend. ‑‑Lambiam 21:05, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- The Bible doesn't consider Lot a patriarch, at least of Israel, but it says in effect that he was an ancestor of the people of Moab. One conceivable possibility, at least, is mention, even on a potsherd, of Lot in Jordanian archaeological digs, which would be much needed support of the currently widely doubted Old Testament.Rich (talk) 23:42, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- Most likely, a Moabite asked about how they saw Lot would have replied with the Moabite-language equivalent of "Lot? Never heard of." Note that the "need" of the "much needed support" strongly represents a particular, non-neutral point of view. There are others who feel that more support is needed for the interpretation of the narratives of the Old Testament as a collection of myths, so as to counter the still widely held mistaken view of these narratives as being historically accurate. ‑‑Lambiam 05:44, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
- Of course. I figured we were already on the same page on that.Rich (talk) 21:48, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
- Most likely, a Moabite asked about how they saw Lot would have replied with the Moabite-language equivalent of "Lot? Never heard of." Note that the "need" of the "much needed support" strongly represents a particular, non-neutral point of view. There are others who feel that more support is needed for the interpretation of the narratives of the Old Testament as a collection of myths, so as to counter the still widely held mistaken view of these narratives as being historically accurate. ‑‑Lambiam 05:44, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
- The Bible doesn't consider Lot a patriarch, at least of Israel, but it says in effect that he was an ancestor of the people of Moab. One conceivable possibility, at least, is mention, even on a potsherd, of Lot in Jordanian archaeological digs, which would be much needed support of the currently widely doubted Old Testament.Rich (talk) 23:42, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- See also Hinduism and Judaism § Theological similarities, in particular regarding the parallels between the Upanishads and the Abraham legend. ‑‑Lambiam 21:05, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- As I understand it, the only written record of Lot is the Book of Genesis, the narrative of which is covered in our article, but the primary source is the Book of Genesis, chapters 11–14 & 19. Anything else would be conjecture. Alansplodge (talk) 11:24, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- I didn't ask if he was a Biblical patriarch.Rich (talk) 09:55, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
The island on Lock Muick
[edit]Despite the claims of Wikipedia (and Google, which in its AI tosh says there isn't, presumably because it's read Wikipedia), there is an island on Loch Muick in Aberdeenshire. You can see it on Google here. The Scots Magazine for 1 July 1970 also mentions it, as a place where Sandy Campbell, the stalker at Glas-allt-Shiel (variously spelt) in Queen Victoria's time, grew potatoes. I would like to know a) what is the island's name, and b) anything else at all you can tell me about it. Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 21:47, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- The Ordnance Survey name book mentions the island in its entry for Loch Muick: "Towards the west end of [the loch], there is a small island, on which seagulls are always found." There is a picture of it here. No seagulls are in evidence, however. Zacwill (talk) 23:16, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
- This view of the loch was possibly taken from the north from just outside the cottage... almost identical view
- Annoyingly, the Infobox entry of 'Islands 0' is referenced to a respectable source, which however contains only the same (evidently erroneous) entry, so could easily be a typo or blunder. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.192.251.148 (talk) 08:15, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- The Ordnance Survey show it (but unnamed) on their 1:25,000 map, but not on their 1:50,000 map. A modern photograph is here. My Googling abilities have failed to find anything else. Alansplodge (talk) 17:39, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- It is also shown on the Six-Inch to One Mile OS map for Aberdeenshire, Sheet CVII, surveyed in 1866 and revised in 1900, but alas remains nameless. Alansplodge (talk) 17:52, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- The Ordnance Survey Name Book for Aberdeen county is also a redoubtable source. There is no obligation to incorporate information in Wikipedia from sources, however well-respected, that is evidently incorrect. ‑‑Lambiam 12:37, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
- I've changed it, citing OL53. WP:ORMEDIA says straightforward reading of a map is not OR if done correctly. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 12:31, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
- The Ordnance Survey show it (but unnamed) on their 1:25,000 map, but not on their 1:50,000 map. A modern photograph is here. My Googling abilities have failed to find anything else. Alansplodge (talk) 17:39, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
July 1
[edit]Identify Kuala Lumpur high-rises
[edit]Would someone be able to identify the cluster of three sinuous buildings in the foreground of skyscrapercity.com/attachments/274530710_1006930033566857_6495661088138170893_n-1-jpg.2831865/ please, as searching for it or prithipal pannu didn't yield anything useful?
Thanks, cmɢʟee⎆τaʟκ 12:40, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- Arte Mont Kiara in Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Kuala Lumpur Stanleykswong (talk) 15:47, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks, Stanley. Good spot! cmɢʟee⎆τaʟκ 13:11, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
Resolved
July 2
[edit]Unknown writers
[edit]Hi, I was looking for information about Kyla Stone and James Hunt who are supposed to be writers of dystopian fiction, but I can't find any information on Wikipedia. From Amazon, Kyla Stone is the million-copy USA Today Bestselling Author of 24 novels. Yann (talk) 17:26, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
- Both names have entries in ISFDB, (which is here), though that of James Hunt is minimal – 1 poem in 1993 – so it's probably not the same person. ISFDB is also a Wiki, so (as you know, Yann, but other readers might not) not a Reliable source for Wikipedia's own purposes.
- Stone's only publisher, Paper Moon Press, appears to have published no other Speculative Fiction author from 2017 (and only 5 works by others, back in 1994–5), so probably she is in effect self-published. Such writers are often not written about, or their works reviewed, in Reliable sources, so it's very doubtful she would qualify as Notable, and therefore for a Wikipedia article. It's telling that despite writing SF, she hasn't appeared on the online Science Fiction Encyclopedia (which I occasionally contribute to and consult daily, so know it's generally fairly up to date on authors of any significance).
- Speaking generally, generating a million sales in total from more than 2 dozen titles published electronically over 8 years is not particularly spectacular, and it's easy to make a title qualify as a 'best seller' if its genre category is defined restrictively enough. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.210.159.137 (talk) 23:08, 2 July 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks for your reply. I didn't intend to create articles, but I was surprised not to find any mention of them. Your analysis explains why. Yann (talk) 16:32, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
- More English language novels are published in a single year these days, than during the entire Victorian era. Trying to comprehend this landscape is challenging. -- GreenC 21:43, 7 July 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks for your reply. I didn't intend to create articles, but I was surprised not to find any mention of them. Your analysis explains why. Yann (talk) 16:32, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
July 5
[edit]inescutcheon-ception
[edit]
These arms of Nassau-Fulda contain an inescutcheon on an inescutcheon on an inescutcheon (on an escutcheon). Does anyone know of heraldic arms which have even more 'scutcheonception going on? -sche (talk) 23:01, 5 July 2025 (UTC)
- Interesting observation. As a bonus question, are there arms that have an equal degree of 'scutcheonception', but more differing quarters (since the inner inescutcheon is not quartered and the next is 'first and fourth, second and third')? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.210.159.137 (talk) 01:05, 6 July 2025 (UTC)
- Wikimedia Commons has categories up to 5 inescutcheons. In the 5 inescutcheon category it seems that none of the arms have any nesting (at least, as far as I could tell; at that level of inescutcheoning it's a bit hard for my eyes to parse.) In the 4 inescutcheons category the only arms matching the level of nesting seen with Nassau-Fulda are those corresponding to Philip Mountbatten (1947-1949). These are based on the equally triple-nest-escutcheoned royal arms of Greece (1936-1973), which also happen to be the only other triple-nesting I could find in the 3 inescutcheons category. GalacticShoe (talk) 02:35, 6 July 2025 (UTC)
July 6
[edit]primo.exlibrisgroup.com
[edit]while researching Ketti Gallian, I found:
Hilton, Louise G. (Spring 2021). "French Actors and the Hollywood Studio System: The Case of Ketti Gallian, 1934–1937". Film History. 33 (1). Indiana University Press: 1–45. doi:10.2979/filmhistory.33.1.01. JSTOR filmhistory.33.1.01. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
and this MIT resource:
it seems useful to others
Piñanana (talk) 07:38, 6 July 2025 (UTC)
July 7
[edit]Epstein CCTV footage released by the Department of Justice
[edit]I keep seeing news that the FBI / DoJ have released 11 hours of CCTV depicting Epstein's prison cell. But as far as i can tell none of these news sites tells me where the CCTV have been released
I found a video of most of the CCTV on YouTube. Unfortunately it's useless as it comes with a giant ugly watermark and pointless text commentary edited in
Does anyone know where the original CCTV footage was released? Trade (talk) 22:29, 7 July 2025 (UTC)
- Not sure where to find it but according to the NYT, a reliable secondary source that has reviewed it, the "video appears to be missing a minute just before midnight. The digital clock on the screen jumps from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Officials did not immediately have an explanation for the apparent gap." -- GreenC 22:59, 7 July 2025 (UTC)
July 8
[edit]FBI Wanted Posters and copyright
[edit]
When the FBI releases a wanted poster and the copyright of the photos belongs to a third party who does not work for the agency are they (FBI) required to get permission form the photographer before they can distribute his photo(s)? I have not been able to find any policy which states they are required to obtain permission from the photographer. But i also find it hard to believe that a photographer can lose the rights to his works just because the FBI wants to distribute them--Trade (talk) 03:42, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
- Do you know of any examples? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:04, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
- See fair use. 196.50.199.218 (talk) 05:06, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
- The wanted poster released for the 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators features a photo taken from the official website of the accused. That's just one out of many Trade (talk) 08:07, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
- Copyright owners do not lose their rights by unauthorized (or, for that matter, properly licensed) republishing. ‑‑Lambiam 08:08, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
July 9
[edit]Misinformation
[edit]July 10
[edit]18 U.S.C. § 795
[edit]"[w]henever, in the interests of national defense, the President defines certain vital military … installations or equipment as requiring protection …, it shall be unlawful to make any photograph, sketch, picture, drawing, map, or graphical representation of such … installations or equipment without first obtaining permission of the commanding officer … and promptly submitting the product obtained to such commanding officer … for censorship or such other action as he may deem necessary"
Is there a list somewhere that shows which exact locations, structures or buildings that the US President’s Executive Order have designated as a "vital military and naval installation or equipment"? Trade (talk) 23:14, 10 July 2025 (UTC)
- The text of Executive Order 10104 of February 1, 1950, still in effect, can be found here. If this was the UK, the list of secret installations would itself be a state secret. For the US perhaps not, but the list is fluid; if the Secretary of Defense tomorrow designates Palantir as "restricted", making a photograph as seen here may end you up in Alligator Alcatraz. ‑‑Lambiam 06:18, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- For the UK, how would that work? What if a publicly visible building is on the list? Can you accidentally violate the relevant act because there's no way to know the building is un-photographable? Or, since you have no way of knowing that it's prohibited, would you be able to argue that you lacked the mens rea to break the law? Nyttend (talk) 21:32, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- See BT Tower. Nanonic (talk) 21:43, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- It always amused me that the radomes at RAF Fylingdales - 130ft high, bright white and visible for miles - were carefully omitted from the Ordnance Survey's oh-so-accurate maps. (I haven't checked to see if the replacement pyramids are mapped.) -- Verbarson talkedits 22:00, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- See BT Tower. Nanonic (talk) 21:43, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- For the UK, how would that work? What if a publicly visible building is on the list? Can you accidentally violate the relevant act because there's no way to know the building is un-photographable? Or, since you have no way of knowing that it's prohibited, would you be able to argue that you lacked the mens rea to break the law? Nyttend (talk) 21:32, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
July 11
[edit]Influence of news papers on the circulation of hard copies among workers in IAUE
[edit]How can I get the data analysis for this topic Victory Segun (talk) 15:27, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- It might help if you told us what you mean by IAUE and hard copies of what? Shantavira|feed me 07:15, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
UK House of Lords
[edit]Why are the Conservatives in the Loyal Opposition when they have more seats? Is there a coalition or the incumbent party gets the primacy regardless of seats? Matt714931 (talk) 15:59, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- There is only one government, which is decided by the seats in the House of Commons, especially now that the House of Lords cannot de-jure block legislation from passing. Aaron Liu (talk) 17:49, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
US Census in 2025
[edit]Where could I find the US Census in 2025? 76.81.87.234 (talk) 20:44, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- Probably the same place as any other year, at census.gov. If you want to know the 2025 estimate, then it's on that page, just need to scroll a little bit. --Golbez (talk) 20:50, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- The US census takes place every ten years. The most recent one is the 2020 census. ‑‑Lambiam 03:46, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
Canterbury wheat bonanza
[edit]What were the circumstances of the "Canterbury wheat bonanza" mentioned at [1]? Margaret Gardner (mill owner) could stand to have something mentioned about it, but Canterbury Region doesn't even mention wheat, and I don't know enough about NZ history to know where else to look. Nyttend (talk) 21:00, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
- I'm not sure either, but there's mention here that the wheat industry in Canterbury was expanding in the period, partly because of the Oxford Branch opened in 1874, which ran alongside their land. Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 21:23, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
July 12
[edit]Sukaborō
[edit]What happened to the Scarborough Shoal during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during WWII? 82.56.18.59 (talk) 09:30, 12 July 2025 (UTC)