h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Wartime Use of Conkers - A6464720
Author: Bagil - Patron Saint of Left Handers. Keeper of mnemonics. Saboteur of boring and banal conversation. - U723247

Well, I had hoped to attach this to the end of SoRB's Entry on 'Conkers', but was advised that it unbalanced a 'light-hearted Entry'. Hence decided to submit it as an Entry in its own right.

Now I'd never heard that one before.

I'm glad to see that you've made this a separate entry! It's a great story, and an interesting viewpoint on World War I and the Balfour Declaration.

One thing which I think would be worth clarifying is how useful the conkers actually were compared with maize/potatoes: the Imperial War Museum description says that in 1917, only 3000 tins (sic--I assume they meant tons) of conkers were processed. At the conversion rate you mentioned for maize, that would be 360 tons of acetone--I've no idea how this compares to the figures you give in gallons/litres, but they also say that there was a stockpile of over 3000 tons at the beginnning of the war. I'm curious as to how much difference the conkers actually made.


Azara

This looks really good to me. Can't comment on the chemistry, but everything makes pretty good sense.

Just one vocabulary bugbear of mine...

>>Weizmann patented his process and offered it to the British Government. However, they were disinterested...

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I think a purpose can still be served by not making 'disinterested' and 'uninterested' synonymous. Technically, disinterested means 'without a (political/financial etc) interest', that is, unbiased or impartial, whereas uninterested indicates a lack of enthusiasm. Pretending the two words have identical meanings is kind of like the way that people use imply and infer in the same way. Just gets my goat.

Rant over. Sorry. Otherwise, the Entry's great!

Matt

I haven't read this, but one word jumped out at me:

disinterested --> not interested

(Disinterested means a completely different thing: it means 'impartial').

I'll get on to those changes later (disinterested/uninterested).
How comne you have the info from the IWM to hand, Azara? (I will put that info in).

Intersting Entry BigAl

Just a couple of minor points.

>"W.V.S. centres, W.I.s"

Might be a good idea to put these in full or full in brackets/footnote and a footnote explaining "7/6 per cwt" we're not all old enough to remember what they mean.

Oh, and there's no need for the 'single quotes' when using

Emmily

I'll deal with those (But was won'ring whether it's really necessary when it's info in blockquotes?

I can recall an elementary school field trip to collect milkweed pods for the Korean war around 1950. Our teacher said the pods were for making parachutes, but in retrospect, considering the brutal cold of that war and the superb insulating properties of milkweed, I think that the milkweed pod collections may have been related to a goosedown shortage and she was just simplifying things for us.

Unable to google any links to that collection effort.

Interesting article.

I think I may have heard s'thing of that sort before, Phred. I may take a look on the 'net myself.

I've put those footnotes in Emmily. BTW There's an unedited Entry on W.I. in the Guide. Fancy 'massgaging it?

You shouldn't change the items in a blockquote, as a quote is supposed to be exact, but footnotes are good for explaining things in the quote.

>"I've put those footnotes in Emmily. BTW There's an unedited Entry on W.I. in the Guide. Fancy 'massgaging it?"

Is that question directed at me BigAl? If so (continue this on another thread)

Emmily

Ref Milkweed collection:

Did you find this site, Phred:

http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/2_2003.htm#article1

Thanks, Big Al, beats me why she had us collecting them five years after WWII was over. Maybe she was left-handed?

Good entry

Is there any way you could add a header (such as 'The Weizmann Process') part of the way down to break up the entry a little?

Perhaps. I'll take a look.

I like this, but I think you need to make it clear in the title which war or wars you are referring to. Also, this sentence:

"Lloyd George's gratitude to Weizmann was such that it led directly to the controversial 1917 Balfour Declaration which set out British approval for the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people - the state of Israel."

didn't make any sense to me. Are you saying that since Weizmann (presumably) was Jewish, Israel was (partially) set up as a reward? It's not very clear, I'm afraid.

Indeed, that is what I'm saying. In Footnote 4 I say that Chaim Weizmann was THE leading Zionist of the time, which is why Israel was set up us a sort of reward. I don't see what needs clarifying about that at all.
I think it would be OTT pedantry to rename the title to 'Use of Conkers in World War 1'.

... especially because WW1 is referred to as The GREAT War.