Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 November 14

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November 14[edit]

Dutch hot cocoa[edit]

How is Dutch hot cocoa different from regular hot cocoa? --75.33.217.61 (talk) 02:03, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See Dutch process chocolate. --Jayron32 02:05, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Locked up[edit]

So sitting here watching the MSNBC documentaries "Lockup," its obvious some state's prisons have air conditioning and some dont. Which states have a/c in their prisons? Which dont? How do we find out? Fundamental Error 1985 (talk) 03:07, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Such information is likely impossible to determine, unless you contacted each prison individually. Most states run many prisons, and there isn't likely to be consistancy even within one state. --Jayron32 04:01, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I found that Prison's in Louisiana don't have air conditioning, A judge ruled that Wisconsin's toughest prison should have air conditioning installed costing $700,000. and a fortunate few have air conditioning in Indonesian prisons. Here is a company that provides air conditioning to British prisons., and another one.. Also, air conditioning for prison vans is not neglected in New Zealand. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:48, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I did look for some information on this, specifically in state criminal justice budgets, but it doesn't break it down by type of utility that is paid for. It did give me a new appreciation for the logistics involved in criminal justice, though. schyler (talk) 03:45, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Unknown tool[edit]

A smoothing plane

What is the name of the tool on the table?

http://i52.tinypic.com/2uf6kr7.jpg

Jib-boom (talk) 10:47, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's a type of hand plane. See photo to the right for comparison. HausTalk 11:01, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Why do Dutch people wear wooden shoes?[edit]

--75.33.217.61 (talk) 22:00, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What makes you think they do? Traditionally the Dutch have been associated with clogs but they are a form of footwear that was used in rural Frances and the north of Spain. They seem to have been retained in Holland as a tourism bric-a-brac, indeed they can also be found in north Spain in tourist areas. But if you had the choice you'd wear leather shoes wooden you! Caesar's Daddy (talk) 22:13, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
We took our Scouts to the Netherlands about 10 years ago. We talked to them beforehand about language and culture, and not expecting everyone to be wearing clogs, as it was a stereotype; like Englishmen wearing bowler hats. However, when we got there, there really were an awful lot of Dutch men, women and children walking round in clogs as leisurewear (this was Zeeland in the south). Alansplodge (talk) 09:23, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Why do American people wear stetsons? --08:29, 15 November 2010 (UTC)
People used to wear clogs in northern england in the recent past. 92.15.7.155 (talk) 22:27, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
We do have an article that is fairly informative. --Saddhiyama (talk) 22:35, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
But also fairly confused. The Lancashire clog has nothing in common with the Dutch clog except that it is footwear and includes some wood. I'm also rather dubious of the section on Clog fighting: there's a reference, but it is to what appears to be a personal website, which itself it completely unreferenced. I'll have a go at the article when I have time. --ColinFine (talk) 08:29, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The OP asked about "wooden shoes". 92.29.117.14 (talk) 11:09, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Just a note to clarify that in general clogs were working footwear. Developed for a reason such as having to work on wet floors. The Dutch have developed the clog as a national emblem, and good luck to them, but they were not normally worn for everyday use. And I have seen references to clog fighting - where two men face each other and kick the other's shins!! What people will do!!Froggie34 (talk) 11:01, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wooden shoes (klompen) are still used as working shoes in the Netherlands. They recently withstood a EU directive by being certified to meet safety standards.[1]. They certainly were everyday shoes in a nation full of people trying to farm land most of which is below sea level. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 15:20, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
In 18th century England "wooden shoes" were seen in popular protest as an emblem of Catholicism. Mentionedhere for example (p78). I don't know why, perhaps because the English thought they were worn more often on the Continent, or worn by Irish people who they thought would be used to undercut wages? Itsmejudith (talk) 16:46, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
This is OR, but when we asked our Dutch friends about the wooden shoes, they were confused and asked what the hell we were talking about, and then after a few moments they said: Oh. Those are for farmers only. Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:57, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
In Sweden clogs (different than Dutch clogs, I think) are often worn in the country-side, say during summers at summer houses. They are easy to take on and off when entering and leave the house (Swedes generally remove their shoes when entering a house). --Soman (talk) 17:27, 18 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Klompen were used in my country regularly up to say 60 years ago, but mainly in rural areas. Clogs were warm and cheap, and if you hit your foot with a shovel it gave some protection. Nowadays, a few people in the countryside still wear them. Jan Arkesteijn (talk) 10:50, 19 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]