The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXVIII

[Samson]

Couple of questions:

Why can you not buy pre-mixed gin and tonic in american bars without a liquor licence? G+T seems to be the biggest selling mixed drink, is sold pre-mixed in shops, and seems very like smirnoff ice in which is sold in american bars without a liquor licence.

It seems you can disolve a human body in drain clog remover in a motel room or bath in the middle of nowhere , as is frequently depicted in popular media. If you can, why do they ever find gangland bodies? It seems so complete, compared to the others. And pretty amenable to cities.

 

[Farm Boy]

Not entirely sure about what you mean by having a liquor license in bars. Possibly because the answer is going to be, however you mean it: Depends on what state you are in. Then, it depends on what locality within the state you are in.

Also, it pains me to say, but I'm not sure that gin and tonic is the biggest selling mixed drink, I think a rum and coke might outdo it over here. Not positive on that though.

 

[Samez]

Dissolving a human body is not as easy and complete as the media likes to show us. HF tends to dissolve bones really good but is comparatively weak on flesh. In fact HF will seep through the flesh without dissolving it and attack the bones and blood. So you might end up with a lot of human goo and perhaps even some remaining DNA.
There is also the matter of HF vapors which are very dangerous if inhaled... so it one of the worst options.
Disposing a body by complete cremation or even better vaporization should be the safest way.

 

[Borachio]

It seems you can disolve a human body in drain clog remover in a motel room or bath in the middle of nowhere , as is frequently depicted in popular media. If you can, why do they ever find gangland bodies? It seems so complete, compared to the others. And pretty amenable to cities.

It seems to me that you need to consider using sodium hydroxide (your drain cleaner) to dissolve all the flesh, wait a bit, and then use hydrocholoric acid to dispose of the bones.

But why do you want to know all this?

If you've a body to dispose of, I'd recommend the old Sweeney Todd method. Not only can you get rid of the body virtually untraceable (assuming your pies are tasty enough - and why wouldn't they be?) you also get pies!

That takes care of the flesh, assuming you've got the right machinery for the mechanical recovery of it from the carcass.

And then you want a bone grinder, to reduce the bones to something that you can add to chicken feed.

And then, you've even more pies to sell. Chicken pies!

And with any left over bits of pie (let's face it, who hasn't at sometime had more pie in front of them than they could eat?) you can make pie pies.

I think this is a win-win, all round.

 

[Samson]

Not entirely sure about what you mean by having a liquor license in bars. Possibly because the answer is going to be, however you mean it: Depends on what state you are in. Then, it depends on what locality within the state you are in.

Also, it pains me to say, but I'm not sure that gin and tonic is the biggest selling mixed drink, I think a rum and coke might outdo it over here. Not positive on that though.

I am currently visiting San Fran, and there are 2 types of bars, those with a liquor licence that are allowed to sell any alcohol and those without, who are not allowed to sell distilled drink. Sorry if this is a California thing and not applicable everywhere.

It seems to me that you need to consider using sodium hydroxide (your drain cleaner) to dissolve all the flesh, wait a bit, and then use hydrocholoric acid to dispose of the bones.

From my link:

The resulting compounds are thus either liquids or water-soluble alcohols and salts, which flush down the drain. What's left is the brittle, insoluble calcium "shell" of the skeleton; if hydrolyzed by sodium hydroxide, the resulting calcium hydroxide ("slaked lime") won't dissolve completely but is relatively easy to clean up.

I read this as you are left with calcium hydroxide powder, not actual bones.

 

[Farm Boy]

I am currently visiting San Fran, and there are 2 types of bars, those with a liquor licence that are allowed to sell any alcohol and those without, who are not allowed to sell distilled drink. Sorry if this is a California thing and not applicable everywhere.

Ah ok. You'll need a west coast man, maybe even a SF man(Hope you're having fun in Cali!). The town I generally drink in doesn't allow anyone to sell beer or liquor without at least an event liquor license. That city does not grant licenses to gas stations, for example, so you can't pick up a 6 pack with your fuel. But most of the small towns in the area around it will, and those are likely to be the only place you can pick up a beer without a drive. Which may or may not actually sell spirits, those you might have to drive for anyways.

 

[madviking]

It seems you can disolve a human body in drain clog remover in a motel room or bath in the middle of nowhere , as is frequently depicted in popular media. If you can, why do they ever find gangland bodies? It seems so complete, compared to the others. And pretty amenable to cities.

either through a snitch, dumb luck, or someone screws up.

the wire season 4 deals with a gang that does this.

 

[The_J]

It seems you can disolve a human body in drain clog remover in a motel room or bath in the middle of nowhere , as is frequently depicted in popular media. If you can, why do they ever find gangland bodies?

Too complicated for most cases, I guess. And many people will either not have the knowledge about it, or will think they'll get away with it if they do it in another way.

For the complications: Don't think you can as consumer get big amounts of HF (if you work in the related industry, then it should be easiy).
For sodium hydroxide, you can easily get that (e.g. drain cleaner), but big amounts will be suspicous. Even if you don't get some attention from buying a truckload, you'll need an area where you can easily dissolve it. The dissolving body will probably smell like Satan's burned anus, you can't do that in a hotel room, and you'd not want to do it at home. Also not that save to stay in there, due to the fumes which it will generate.
Digging a hole somewhere in the dessert sounds way easier.

 

[really]

Which is more dangerous: Midsomer or Cabot Cove.

 

[Samson]

The dissolving body will probably smell like Satan's burned anus, you can't do that in a hotel room, and you'd not want to do it at home. Also not that save to stay in there, due to the fumes which it will generate.
Digging a hole somewhere in the dessert sounds way easier.

I suspect this may be the reason. If you cannot do it in a hotel room then it is going to have to be in the middle of nowhere. Once out there it is going to be easier to bury it.

 

[Borachio]

Which is more dangerous: Midsomer or Cabot Cove.

I don't know anything about Cabot Cove. But Midsomer, they say, is perfectly safe, unless you happen to have the face of a famous actor, when it turns suddenly lethal.

 

[Arakhor]

Which is more dangerous: Midsomer or Cabot Cove.

Midsomer. Cabot Cove is only dangerous when Jessica is around, which isn't that much at all when she moves to New York.

 

[Takhisis]

Is there a particular word for that thing doves and other birds do when they appear to be huddling and leaning on themselves? I saw one today that might have just decided to become smaller in space and collapse onto itself (if there's warning of a black hole swallowing Argentina, it's not a metaphor for corruption, but the bird having achieved its objective).

 

[Mouthwash]

Just what the heck is the music from this Farcape scene? Everyone suggests it is called 'Lacrimosa' (which appears to be a common name for melodies) but I have not found anything with Google.

It's driving me crazy, because it is clearly something I should know.

 

[Atticus]

Try Mozart's Requiem.

 

[Mouthwash]

Try Mozart's Requiem.

Requiem does indeed have a piece called Lacrimosa, but it isn't what I'm looking for:


Link to video.

I doubt that Lacrimosa is the name, anyway. I've exhausted every possibility.

 

[sophie]

'Lacrimosa' (which appears to be a common name for melodies)

Lacrimosa is Latin for "tearful". It comes from the dies irae (day of wrath), a certain Christian hymn:

Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus:
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen.

Spoiler :

Full of tears shall be that day
On which from ashes shall arise
The guilty man to be judged;
Therefore, O God, have mercy on him.
Gentle Lord Jesus,
grant them eternal rest. Amen

It's a part of the Dies Irae segment of Requiem Masses. So your best bet is to go through those. The most famous requiems are the aforementioned Mozart, Verdi, and Berlioz. But honestly it could be anything, perhaps even something that was composed specifically for that scene.

Mozart's entire (posthumously finished) Requiem is beautiful though, and you should definitely check it out:

Link to video.

Link to video.

 

[Mouthwash]

It seems that it was actually made for the scene.

I still can't shake the feeling that it is familiar. Do modern composers typically lift from classical music?

 

[Borachio]

It seems that it was actually made for the scene.

I still can't shake the feeling that it is familiar. Do modern composers typically lift from classical music?

Sure. Why not?

Classical composers traditionally did exactly this. Some of them even ripped themselves off. So why wouldn't modern composers lift their themes from the classical? Especially as the copyright has usually run out. (If there was one, in the first place.)

It is, I have heard, actually surprisingly difficult to come up with an original melody.

 

[sophie]

I still can't shake the feeling that it is familiar. Do modern composers typically lift from classical music?

This is almost surely the sentiment the composer was going for. People LOVE Mozart. Especially his Requiem. So it's understandable that he'd lift melodic themes from Mozart's Requiem to elicit the feels.