Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous#acne

His bio says he died from complications related to Group A streptococcal infection at the age of 53 in 1990. Wasn't it unusual to die from this in 1990? How common would it have been? It says he recently traveled from Los Angeles to North Carolina to New York over the space of two weeks while he came down with his initial symptoms. Could he have caught something while traveling? I remember reading that back in 1990, there was little oversight over the health quality of circulated air on board commercial air travel, and HEPA filters didn't become common until much later. It sounds like there was no particle filtration on planes when Henson flew. Could an airplane HEPA filter have saved Henson's life? Although it isn't mentioned in his Wikipedia bio, other sources suggest that Henson was a private tobacco smoker and this might have contributed to his poor health. Viriditas (talk) 21:44, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

:It's potentially possible. But as I recall from that sad event, he knew he was sick but didn't want to "bother" anybody with it, and by the time he got around to looking into it, it was too late. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:30, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

::It's a bit creepy to me, because I was deathly ill just around the same time (I think it was several months before that date) and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I think I had been spending too much time in Tijuana (it was a thing back then) and probably caught some unusual bug. Viriditas (talk) 09:39, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

:The article states that "Infection of GAS may spread through direct contact with mucus or sores on the skin," and "Close contacts of people affected by severe Group A streptococcal infections, defined as those having had prolonged household contact in the week before the onset of illness, may be at increased risk of infection." It doesn't commonly spread through the air, so HEPA filters are unlikely to make a difference. PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:57, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

::I'm seeing different information. It apparently spreads easily through airborne dispersion in airplanes if you are within 1-2 rows of the carrier. There's a bit more info here.[https://www.proquest.com/openview/64acbece3219634a7e541ca3aac08c56/] That's from 2015, and there's a lot of unknowns. Viriditas (talk) 11:33, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

= May 28 =

I'm trying to track down info about "Tavernier's Drup". John Tavernier, the British father of Jules Tavernier was apparently successful with this product as a candy maker, although it isn't clear if he made it in Britain or France, as they lived in both countries. The product is described as "a lump of sugar dyed pink and flavored with banana essence, which proved popular and led to a series of other creative, colorful confections." This is interesting, because apparently banana flavoring in candy had never been done before up to that point, but it isn't clear if Tavernier's father was an innovator or an early adopter of the new flavor.[https://www.artandantiquesmag.com/jules-tavernier-works/] That's about the only info I can find. Artificial banana flavoring was said to have been introduced in the 1850s, which was around the time Tavernier was supposedly making his candy. Anyone know anything else? Viriditas (talk) 10:15, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

:Not much yet, I thought an advert would turn up easily, but no. The following is from a [https://archive.org/details/annualofscientif0000davi/page/228/mode/1up?q=banana scientific yearbook for 1854]: {{tq|The various artificial extracts of fruit have been applied to the flavoring of an agreeable species of confectionary known as the “acidulated fruit drops.’ These have been denounced as poisonous by some persons, on the ground that fusel oil is known to produce deleterious effects; and as a natural consequence the confectionary referred to has been discarded. There is, however, no foundation for such statements or belief, and if the confectionary flavored with these extracts has in any case produced injurious effects, it is undoubtedly to be referred to an injudicious consumption of it, and not to any inherent deleterious property.}}  Card Zero  (talk) 12:04, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

::Google shews lots of antique tins, jars, boxes, and adverts for Bonbons John Tavernier, 1 Rue du Cloitre St Merri, Paris. DuncanHill (talk) 12:10, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

::"Drup" is perhaps a slip for "Drop", I've seen him described as "[https://www.zeldaetcharlie.fr/products/boites-en-metal-bonbons-john-tavernier-1930?srsltid=AfmBOoq-rslFS43Iddna6Gw9D67AmBii2oUncMUCzuZ8uCncNA2zjgI5 Cet anglais a importé en France les bonbons anglais appelés drops, en forme de quartiers de fruits, de coquillages colorés et parfumés aux essences de fruits]" Do we have an article on fruit drops, or pear drops, or acid drops? DuncanHill (talk) 12:24, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

:::[https://archive.org/details/lagrandeencyclop07dref/page/271/mode/1up?q=%22john+tavernier%22 Bonbons anglais.— C'est vers 1830 que ce bonbon a été importé en France par un Anglais nommé John Tavernier; plus tard, on a perfectionné les machines qui permettent d'obtenir économiquement ce produit.]  Card Zero  (talk) 12:49, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

:[http://nadiaberenstein.com/blog/2016/2/15/bananas In order to really understand where artificial banana flavor comes from,] {{tq|you have to start with artificial pear. Because amyl acetate — produced from fusel oil, a waste product of alcohol distilling, and one of the very first synthetic chemicals used as an artificial flavor -- initially came to prominence as a pear flavoring. Pear drops — barley sugar flavored with amyl acetate diluted in alcohol — were one of the new confections available at the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition in London. The drops and the chemical used to flavor them drew the attention of August Hofmann, the distinguished chemist who was one of the judges of the exhibition. In a letter to Justus Liebig, his teacher, he noted the "remarkably fruity odor" of amyl acetate ...}} if you scroll up in my previous link, before "various artificial extracts of fruit", there is a section that ends "Hofmann's letter to Liebig". {{tq|pear oil is an alcoholic solution of acetate of oxide of amyle, and acetate of oxide of ethyle, prepared from potato fusel oil, (the hydrate of oxide of amyle.) }}  Card Zero  (talk) 13:30, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

::Thanks, everyone. Based on the above, it looks like the pear drop is a type of Tavernier drop. Also, it’s interesting to see The Crystal Palace come up again as the focal point for the Great Exhibition. No matter what topic I work on, I am inevitably drawn back to those two like a black hole. Viriditas (talk) 20:13, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

:::There is a British company called [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgl08x1pvjo Tavener], but I don't think they are connected. DuncanHill (talk) 20:26, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

::::That was the original spelling of his name before he changed it, I think. Might be a coincidence. Viriditas (talk) 20:40, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::Sorry, I'm wrong (and slightly blind) . The original spelling was "Taverner", which somehow morphed into "Tavernier". This information is also suspect because apparently Jules was the source for all of it, so nobody knows what was really true. But some of his obituaries (which were for the most part written by his friends) seemed to suggest that some of it was true. One other interesting thing I recently discovered was how much his friends left out of his obituary and their memoirs. That's where the real "fun" begins. Of course, this isn't the first time I've found some pretty shocking things once you go looking for it. Viriditas (talk) 23:53, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

= June 1 =

Photo is by Corwin Short: [https://uofllibraries.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/m-b-w_1.jpg] Date is late January or early February 1937, Louisville, Kentucky. Subject is Margaret Bourke-White who had just arrived in Kentucky after covering the FDR inauguration, so possibly same gear. ChatGPT says the camera is a Graflex Series D or Graflex Super D and the vehicle is a Pontiac, but it's probably just making that up. Viriditas (talk) 02:21, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

:The car looks like a number of models did in that time period, complete with rumble seat. You'd probably have to study the details to narrow it down. Google "1937 car with rumble seat" to get help narrow it down. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:29, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

:One thing I've learned looking at car photos is that people prefer to showcase the front of the car rather than the rear. That said, the back of the model here looks pretty distinctive, with tail-lights mounted directly on the body and the handle for the rumble seat at the top rather than the bottom. None of the images I found, matched closely. See [https://carstylecritic.blogspot.com/2018/11/those-plain-1936-usa-rear-end-designs.html first gallery] [https://carstylecritic.blogspot.com/2021/06/some-1930s-back-windows.html second gallery]. The camera doesn't look like a [https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=8351c8bc86ea8233&rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS951US951&sxsrf=AE3TifPru7yeys6As3tayQTvSI1HbMlNMg:1748818843517&q=graflex+series+d&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeioyp3OhN11EY0n5qfq-zEMNIp8LUgCyfMBh3p2QSOggsatznFh8KsGHOpPLfsyNlNDyzTt_AEe046g50_mnAj58ShPRdIcX1B5p8XQebe6rqZpqjiicpFvFE21ARa42pbmnNuqagUn5QI2Eg8EJheIbVT4FN33UTFTOqWZ-cCvlGEQrMQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjb7cbvqdGNAxXxke4BHe4qOkkQtKgLegQIFBAB&biw=1920&bih=919&dpr=1 Graflex series D] to me, but I can't really see much detail. Our article says that the Super D wasn't released until '41. Eluchil404 (talk) 23:03, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

::Revisiting my same google search, I found a number of cars that look similar, but none that are an exact match. One thing to point out is that the handle for the rumble seat is going to be near the rear window. If the handle is at the bottom, it's going to be a trunk rather than a rumble seat. I wonder if there are car collectors (such as Jay Leno) who might have question-and-answer pages about particular makes and models. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:53, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

::::What is called a "rumble seat" is a "dickey seat" in the UK. Mjroots (talk) 15:43, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

:::::Do Brits also call it a "mother-in-law seat"? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:12, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

::::::No we don't. DuncanHill (talk) 23:13, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

= June 3 =

Hello. Why do we usually prefer the term "England" to "English" to define something from England? I'll give you a simple example: Thomas Tuchel is the current manager of the England football team. Why not English football team? Maybe because it sounds better? Thanks. 93.150.82.92 (talk) 00:44, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:The term "English football team" is not particularly rare: [https://www.loc.gov/item/2014693891/], [https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/three-lions-england-football-shirt-history-why-king-henry-i/], [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-heartbreak-of-an-english-football-team]. Outside of the UK, the adjective "English" is sometimes used indiscriminately when the proper term should have been "British". One potential reason for an English entity to prefer the modifier "England" is to reduce potential confusion abroad.  ​‑‑Lambiam 06:43, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:The journalistic replacement of "X-ish" (and equivalents) by "X-land" (and equivalents) is something I've noticed becoming increasingly common over the last several decades. I have previously supposed it might derive from "Headline-ese" where shorter words are usually preferred, since often (though not in the case of England/English) the adjectival form is longer.

:However, in the case of National football (and other) teams, the usage makes sense. The team is actually called "England" and there is only one such football team, whereas all of the teams in the English football leagues (bar a few Welsh ones) are English teams (even though they frequently include non-English players), and are often referred to as such when playing against a club from a non-English country (which might contain some English players).

:More generally, the world is increasingly globalised and culturally mixed, so a person who is a citizen of Y-lia may not be an ethnic Y-lian, leading to possible ambiguosity, which the noun-form avoids.

:Being old-fashioned (because I am old), I have always found this changed usage somewhat ugly, but I may be in a minority. Being also intrigued by the question, I look forward to more informed explanations. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.105} 90.192.228.242 (talk) 06:54, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:I don't agree that {{tq|we usually prefer the term "England" to "English" to define something from England}}. In an expression such as "England versus Germany" it is clear that these are the names of teams so we are talking about a game, whereas the connotations of "the English versus the Germans" are very different. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:47, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

::I agree with Shantavira. It would sound very odd if you used it in other contexts than when referring to a team named England, viz. "the England Premier League" or "England weather". AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 11:17, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

I have learned that there are two common types of hybrid cars. Trying to simplify: One type has both the gas engine and the electric engine connected to the drivetrain with a computer that switches which is the producing power. Another type only connects the electric engine to the drivetrain. The gas engine charges the electric engine. What I haven't found is standard terminology for these. For example, looking out in the parking lot right now, I see a Honda CR-V. If I go to Honda's website to look at the specs, what terminology would tell me which type of hybrid it is? 68.187.174.155 (talk) 10:57, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:According to [https://motorlease.com/article/hybrid-vehicle-types/ this], that would be parallel and series type hybrids. Mikenorton (talk) 11:07, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:From [https://www.honda.co.uk/cars/new/cr-v-hybrid-suv/overview.html this] the CR-V seems to be a series hybrid, although they don't use the term, simply saying "The engine is powering the generator motor that drives the car". Mikenorton (talk) 11:19, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

::Thank you. The explanation on that page makes it more complicated. It says that it has two petrol modes. In one, the petrol engine charges the electric engine. In the other, the petrol engine drives the wheels directly. So, it is both parallel and serial... unless marketing didn't understand what the engineers said and mistated how it works on the website. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 14:49, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:::Our article Hybrid vehicle drivetrain has sections Parallel hybrid and Series hybrid.

:::In a parallel hybrid, the electric motor doubles as a generator, charging the batteries. For example, when slowing down or going downhill, it converts kinetic energy to electrical energy (regenerative braking). The combustion engine does not "charge" the electric engine but, if connected, can drive it. The most flexible is a full hybrid that allows most modes that makes sense, in many models even a mode where both engines deliver power to the wheels together.

:::A series hybrid has a dedicated electric generator, separate from the electric motor. It is driven by a combustion engine that is not mechanically connected to the wheels. It delivers electric energy directly to the electric motor or charges the batteries that power the engine.  ​‑‑Lambiam 16:31, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

::::Thank you. That explains the picture that was on the Honda site linked above. It showed one electric motor, another one that appeared to be generator, and a petrol engine. It then showed multiple modes in which they can operate, indicatin it is full hybrid. When I saw the note about there being two types of hybrid cars, I wasn't expecting it to be this complicated. (And now, looking for images of that Honda, I discovered Honda angels. Another rabbit hole!) 68.187.174.155 (talk) 19:16, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

::::::I take it that you've seen our plug-in hybrid article? Alansplodge (talk) 11:27, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

I bought a small bottle of absinthe because I wanted to know what it's like. I first drank a tiny drop of it neat and found it tastes somewhat repulsive.

Then I read that it was supposed to be diluted with water to achieve the "louche" effect like in pastis. The traditional "absinthe ritual" seems to include letting water seep into the absinthe through a sugar cube held on an absinthe spoon.

Well, I don't have an absinthe spoon, and I didn't have any sugar cubes handy. So I just diluted it with ice-cold water as such. It didn't achieve the "louche" effect, the vibrant green colour only turned paler, but the drink was still transparent. And the taste didn't become sweeter, only milder.

Is there any way to get the proper "louche" effect and a sweeter taste with only ice-cold water without going through the whole "absinthe ritual"? JIP | Talk 20:50, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

:See [https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1102/absinthe/how-to-serve-absinthe Drifford's Guide - How to serve absinthe] but scroll down to the last paragraph for a practical suggestion. Alansplodge (talk) 17:43, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

::The quote at the end says, in part, "[t]he slow drip is more about ritual and theatre than flavour". JIP, if you'll permit a personal observation, it sounds to me like you don't really like absinthe. Which of course is fine. But then the only reason to drink it (the speculations about thujone having been fairly definitively debunked) seems to me precisely to connect to the ritual. --Trovatore (talk) 17:56, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

:::It's in that aniseedy/liquoricey/fennely family of tastes, which is to say disgusting. DuncanHill (talk) 18:04, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

:::: Or delicious. Send your supply to me. I love that family. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:06, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

::::: Sometimes I like it, sometimes not. I like the little ultrastrong unsweetened licorice pills that come in a small metal tin. Caraway seeds in rye bread seemed odd to me at one time, but I sort of got used to them. I still haven't really gotten used to raw fennel (bulbs) in green salads. As for the topic under discussion, absinthe, it's interesting on rare occasions but I'd never make it my regular tipple. (What about Fernet Branca?)

::::: In any case, for anyone who doesn't like it, I see no reason they should try to like it. --Trovatore (talk) 22:37, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

: How are you with pastis? Absinthe was largely banned at one time (blamed for bad poetry and a number of murders) and a replacement was developed that had a similar taste but avoided the untrusted ingredients and their concentration. It's also commonly drunk when diluted with just water and conveniently served in a dedicated glass with a line marked for the amount of raw spirit, then topped up. This isn't really a taste thing - although some people will surely adjust this a bit for personal taste, you have to stay fairly close to the standard or else the chemistry just doesn't work right.

: Henri Bardouin is a good pastis available outside France, Ricard a drinkable one and Pernod also exists.

: Absinthe is available widely these days (Europe at least) but you'll find brands from both France and Eastern Europe, mostly Czechia. There is quite a difference! French or Spanish absinthe is a bit more approachable.

: I have absinthe in the pantry, but almost never drink it as pure absinthe. I drink Bardouin's pastis quite regularly as an aperitif when cooking. My main use for absinthe is in cocktails such as the Corpse Reviver №2. It's an important ingredient, but it's crucial to measure it carefully as using to much of it makes a balanced cocktail taste instead of absinthe and nothing else.

: To drink absinthe with a simplified ritual, you can swap the sugar cube for some simple syrup (you can make this yourself, it's just sugar in water). But for many drinkers (and teenage goths) the ritual is an important part of the process. A spoon can be improvised from a small fork (you might need to shorten or bend the handle to get it to balance). Water can be dripped from one of those (now popular) glass jars with a tap on it, sold for Summer barbecues. It's also important to throttle the speed of absinthe drinking, which the ritual helps with, otherwise your head falls off! Andy Dingley (talk) 18:36, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

::Some other anise-flavoured drinks are French anisette, Greek ouzo, Italian sambuca and Turkish rakı.  ​‑‑Lambiam 05:42, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

::User:Andy Dingley, bad poetry? Absinthe#Bans doesn't mention anything about bad poetry, which seems a rather exceptional reason to ban a beverage. Nyttend (talk) 20:22, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

:::{{u|Nyttend}} I think you need to adjust your irony detector. Andy is referring to the Bohemian demimonde that stereotypically indulged in the beverage. Think the Beats, fifty years in advance. Substance prohibitions are often barely disguised assaults on a particular subculture. On the poetry that came out of that particular one I express no aesthetic judgment positive or negative. --Trovatore (talk) 20:31, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

::::{{small|Does absinthe make the heart grow fonder? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:10, 5 June 2025 (UTC)}}

= June 4 =

Do we have an article about country stickers for cars, and if not, what's the common name for these stickers? I'm thinking of the ovals that European cars bear, which indicate the car's country of "residence", e.g. "D" for Germany or "GB" for the UK. All Google shows me is images of these stickers, especially from websites that sell them, but nothing else about them. Context — I'd like to add a link to {{tl|Geocoding-systems}} if we have an article. Nyttend (talk) 20:59, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

: European vehicle registration plate (which says the oval thing is a valid alternative to the bit on the end of the plate) and International vehicle registration code (the ovals) -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 21:24, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

::Is there a specific term for the yuppie American version of an oval with some town or vacation spot like (HH) for Hilton Head or (KW) for Key West or (29P) for 29 Palms? OK. They aren't all uppity vacation spots. But, I have a gut feeling they are Americanized versions of the international vehicle registration code. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 10:30, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

:::Maybe something to be included in our bumper sticker article? Alansplodge (talk) 11:23, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

::::See my question at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2017 July 12. Sometimes they're not even towns or vacation spots. A pity that I didn't think to go back there before, since it would have answered my original question :-( Nyttend (talk) 20:16, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

= June 5 =

There should be an article on Bayrak Adası (Abanoz Island). It's a very small island, between Samos and Turkey, but it has strategic importance both historically and in the modern era (as a site for interdiction of Syrian refugees trying to enter the EU.) 192.12.12.241 (talk) 19:50, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

:There is no reason there can't be. It is included in List of islands of Turkey, and you will see in that article that while some of the listed islands are blue-linked to their own articles, the large majority are not. In most cases this will simply be because no-one has yet done the work to create their articles – virtually all articles on Wikipedia have been created by, and further added to by, volunteer editors, all of whom are free to do or not do what they choose to.

:Provided that someone (you, maybe?) can find at least three published Reliable sources (not necessarily online, printed sources are just as valid) that describe the island at some length, their content can be summarized and cited to create the core of the article.

:Creating an article that meets all of Wikipedia's requirements is not easy, but tens (perhaps hundreds) of thousands of volunteers have done so to create all of the 7-million-plus articles in this English-language Wikipedia – ditto for all the other language Wikipedias (which are independent projects, not mere translations of this one).

:If you feel that Bayrak Adası should have an article, read Help:Your first article and the other pages it contains links to, and then start working on a Draft. You might find it easier to do this if you first create your own Account, but you don't have to (I never have). Good luck! {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.6.81.243 (talk) 06:06, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

:In this case I'm not sure you even need "three reliable sources that describe the island at some length". According to WP:NPLACE {{tq|Populated, legally recognized places are typically presumed to be notable, even if their population is very low}}. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:45, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

::Such as Principality of Sealand, which at present has a resident population of ONE. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:48, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

= June 6 =