Miscellaneous desk
< May 2	<< Apr \| May \| Jun >>	May 4 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

May 3[edit]

1960's -1970's Stronger Beer[edit]

I am trying to find out about a stronger beer distributed in NE Pennsylvania in the 1960-70 era, called Brew ll (2). I remember it but don't remember the main brewery, or the years produced. Can anyone help me with this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.58.205.60 (talk) 01:14, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It was brewed by Horlacher Brewing Company of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The brewing company does not have an article, but the company is mentioned in the Wikipedia article on Allentown, Pennsylvania in the "American Industrial Revolution" section; the company closed in 1978. Here is a page that describes the history of the company and the Brew II beer, which according to the article had the highest ABV% then allowed by regulation for a beverage labeled "beer" and not malt liquor. --Jayron32 17:37, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Music streaming apps[edit]

Can anyone recommend some music streaming apps that give at least a two week free trial and allow you to save songs for offline listening? 69.156.170.189 (talk) 04:06, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

That would be advertising. Try a search engine such as Google.--Aspro (talk) 16:18, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

A recommendation would be fine here, although I don't have one myself. I'd avoid RealPlayer, however, as it acts like malware and runs crap in the background even when you're not using it: RealPlayer#Controversies. The Computer Desk would be the logical place for this Q. StuRat (talk) 13:55, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Do Girls Do Not Like Unfit Guys[edit]

I have mild left hemiparesis for which i have minor defect in my left hand and a bit in left leg but i kave no problem in doing regular i can even run.i dont tkink that i am bad looking.i m 30 an around 5' 4 .Will no good looking girl date me and marry me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.194.249.78 (talk) 17:19, 3 May 2014 (UTC) [reply]

We are a reference library, not a dating service or relationship counsellors. While I wish you luck, we do not answer this kind of question. Mingmingla (talk) 17:25, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If the question was "who were some famous people who were successful with women despite physical handicaps," we could answer "Lord Byron had to walk with a cane because of his dysplasia, but plenty of women loved him (and his poetry)." Ian.thomson (talk) 17:38, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Evolution provides a couple reasons to want a fit mate:

1) So they will pass their fit genes down to their offspring. If your condition is not genetic or transmissible, you might want to tell people that. That would help to make you look like "better breeding stock". If your condition is genetic, you might want to look for mates who already have all the children they want (which might well be zero), or who want to adopt.

2) A fit person is more likely to be able to protect the family and provide resources for it. If you already have resources, like money, you might make that more apparent. Of course, just saying so is often taken badly in a social context, but there are other ways to make wealth apparent, like a nice house and car. Those resources can also provide protection for the family, like a security system. StuRat (talk) 18:26, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, evolution doesn't provide those reasons. Those reasons were provided by StuRat singularly, by the method known as "pulling stuff out of his ass". --Jayron32 18:28, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Really. You think I made up the fact that animals search for fit mates so as to pass those traits down to their offspring ? Try reading some Darwin, or for that matter anything, on evolution. As for picking the mate which can provide the best resources, try reading up on bower birds. Or do you not think people are animals, guided by the same basic mating drives as other animals ? StuRat (talk) 18:31, 3 May 2014 (UTC) [reply]

Again, Stu, I see no links to studies, articles, Wikipedia text, anywhere in you response. Without any reference to anything concrete that supports your statement, your ever-making-shit-up-just-for-the-hell-of-it ass is the only place I can assume you get your answers, because you never give us anywhere else that it could come from. The OP didn't ask about bower birds. They asked why they were having trouble getting a date. Which, besides being the kind of question we don't answer, you come up with an answer with no concrete links to any study, article, Wikipedia text, or really anything that resembles a reference. --Jayron32 18:52, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Sexual selection is probably the relevant article. Or Sexual selection in human evolution, if you do think we're special. Physical attractiveness may have some answers. But self-confidence can override minor flaws. Women generally don't want guys who pity themselves. It's not inspiring. InedibleHulk (talk) 19:00, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly, but that doesn't help the OP find a date. Which is still not something we can do. The fact that sexual selection exists doesn't tell us how to answer the question, and I quote "Will no good looking girl date me and marry me" I'm married and had sex at least twice (evidence by two "mini-me"s running around) and I'm a fucking troglodyte with the personality of a wet blanket and a penchant for all things nerdy. So based on a study of 1, people who are not supermodel good looking with fascinating personalities have, in at least one instance, found someone to touch their genitals willingly. That still doesn't mean that StuRat provided a single reference to a reliable source or Wikipedia article in his response. Thank you, Hulk, for covering for him and at least doing the right thing in doing the mission of this desk, by at least linking to articles the OP could read, no matter how tenuously connected to the actual question. It would be nice if StuRat did this at some rate approaching 1% of the time. --Jayron32 19:13, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The self confidence link was the (slightly) helpful one. There was obviously something about your nerdy, wet-blanket troglodyte self that convinced your wife to further your line. If the OP is self-conscious about his hand and leg, doubt will come through in his voice and face. Even if women don't consciously realize what's going on, they'll pick up on it. But if he's thinking about his positive aspects, the certainty will exude. That positive aspect doesn't even have to be one that women want; as long as you're proud of it, that pride itself is the sexy thing. Bragging about the positive aspect directly can be off-putting, but the general air of "I'm worth your time" is a good thing. InedibleHulk (talk) 19:45, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I'm here to provide answers to the OP, not to provide Jayron with the most basic lessons in biology, which he should have learned long ago. If he is really that deficient in his education, and can't answer without obscenity, then he should avoid responding here. Incidentally, I responded to the question in the title, which is the only one we can respond to. StuRat (talk) 20:08, 3 May 2014 (UTC) [reply]

While I didn't have the same strong negative reaction Jayron did to the answer, it's misleading to say that this is just basic biology. This application of Darwin's ideas to specific examples of social interaction (e.g. telling someone a condition is not genetic/transmissible, finding people with existing children, or anything related to courtship, attraction, partnership, etc.) or to draw rules about social behavior in a particular cultural context in a particular point in history is not the same as basic biological evolution. It's the appropriation of evolutionary ideas to other fields (a methodological choice with quite varied results). Sex and the concept of sexual selection may have an evolutionary basis, but humans are pervasively social animals, and our tastes, priorities, and values (including all those that apply to mate selection) are in very large part products of social/cultural/historical context. For that reason, these kinds of generalizations to answer a quite sensitive question and saying it's scientific is dangerous business. I would furthermore add that because we're talking about an animal (humans) with unusual frontal lobe capacities, it is the case that we are not, as a rule, subject to the same forces of instinct as other animals, quite often overriding instincts for various reasons (although I suppose there's a closed system reductionist argument that could be made). Anyway, I didn't see anything quite so egregious in the original message -- I just don't like seeing science misappropriated :)

Also, as an aside, bowerbirds don't mate based on resources. The bower is just a place for the male to show off. The female chooses a bower, mates with the male, then flies somewhere else and builds a nest. She doesn't benefit from the bower. --— Rhododendrites ^talk | 16:03, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Male bower birds show off resources they've gathered in their bower, although those aren't used directly by the female, they do demonstrate the fitness of the male. As for my evolutionary answer, you must admit that evolution plays a major role in mate selection. If you look at the portion of people who prefer obviously unfit mates, that's going to be far lower than fit mates. Yes, there are also cultural differences in mate selection, like preferring fat or thin mates, and I'd be happy to see responses along that line, too (I'd also argue for an evolutionary underpinning for the cultural differences, like fat being the ideal where starvation is endemic). I would not attack them for taking another tack in their response. Indeed, seeing response from many different perspectives is helpful, not "dangerous". StuRat (talk) 16:26, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I'm no mathematician but I would say that with all the people in the world, there is a big chance that there is someone out there for everyone. For instance, there is a couple in the news locally here who are accused of killing a local teacher for the experience of killing someone and for "sex stuff" (their words, as far as I recall). As twisted as they are, they still found each other. So, now we've had some biology and some maths. Now where is Medeis to hat this topic? Dismas|^(talk) 20:17, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Fuck you dismas. That was gratuitous, insulting to the desk, the project, the OP, and just about par for you recently. μηδείς (talk) 06:28, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The OP should seek out hemiparesis support groups. I can think of two very charismatic characters on recent TV shows, Deadwood (TV series) and Breaking Bad with similar characters I would think could easily find partners. Keep in mind also men with scars and amputations are often found very attractive, although the situation is not identical. Women who see something valuable in you and know you are unlikely to pass on the condition will often ovelook a matter of looks--and looks cease to become important about a month into a relationship from my experience. Seek out peer and professional advice, and best of luck. μηδείς (talk) 06:28, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

My Left Foot is a semi-documentary story about a guy who never expected to find love because of his disability, and who ended up getting married. There are many more stories like that. HiLo48 (talk) 06:39, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]