Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with queen

Is the 1998 Toyota RAV4 5-door able to transport a queen size mattress?

gttommy — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 07:50:58 -0800

Is the 1998 Toyota RAV4 5-door able to transport a queen size mattress? Assuming the backseats are folded forward of course, and the mattress is inside the car, not outside.

I'd imagine personal stories would be the best answer, as opposed to theory.

But if it helps, here are some car lengths (from Wiki) for cars that can achieve this:
Toyota Camry XV20 Wagon - 189.8 inches (4,821 mm) - YES
Mitsubishi Magna TJ Wagon - 4,746 mm (186.9 in) - YES

Toyota RAV4 in question: 4,160 mm (163.8 in) - ???

Because that would be silly, that's why

Countess Elena — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:39:49 -0800

If Prince William and Duchess Kate were to legally adopt a child, would that child take hereditary positions and title? If not, would the Queen have the power to bestow them -- that is, to declare a child to be in line for the throne? Obviously they aren't going to attempt this. Equally obviously, no one would stop them from making an ordinary adoption in which the child gained a family but no titles. (When I asked Google this question, it came back with a lot of tabloid rumors about that happening, but no answer to my question.)

I just wondered who had the power to make such decisions, if anyone.

God Made the Queen?

goat — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:52:00 -0800

Where does The Queen (of England)'s original authority come from? I'm looking for the ultimate legal statement that grants authority to the monarchy. Sort of the "because god fuck you" moment -- the root idea buried under all the archaic nonsense.

I've been wondering how they are going to deal with the absurdity of changing to the new guy and am curious if the legal possibility exists of God tapping someone new.

Where is this picture of the Queen firing an SA80 from?

richb — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:13:33 -0800

Where is this picture of the Queen firing an SA80 from? The picture linked below is of the Queen firing an SA80 on a bench rest. Can anyone dig up the details of the occassion? When, where and why was the queen doing this? Bonus points for who else is in the picture.

Thanks in advance.

http://i.imgur.com/wvrde.jpg

(via reddit )

Help me be a better King George. How do I properly grow a colony?

Toekneesan — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:58:29 -0800

I found an ant queen under a pile of compost in the garden. I've taken her, some of her colony, and a few larve/eggs and I put them in a mason jar. They've lived on my desk for about a week. The larve are all gone now, I suspect they've matured. And I just found where they hid the queen and it looks like she's starting to lay again. Now what? I want to move them to a farm. I have one, but it's small. Traditional Uncle Milton. Any opinons on gel vs. sand? I think I need a bigger one.

The ants are small but I haven't figured out their species. Very tiny, but not like crazy ants. Maybe two millimeters. I've been feeding them sugar and water. Water with mist and a sponge.

The jar is topped with a paper towel held in place with a mason jar ring.

So what kind of ant farm? How big? Medium?

Then,

How do I feed them? Sugar okay forever?

Anything I should know about diseases they might get?

Do I clean it?

Most ant farms don't come with queens. Therefore they are usually a deathwatch, not a colony. Previously. What are your best tips on keeping a colony healthy and happy, short of giving them their freedom, of course.

Thanks!

Is the woman in the picture Queen Victoria?

Kattullus — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:35:26 -0800

Blogger Steerforth of The Age of Uncertainty found an old picture which intrigued him, especially the figure in the center. He wonders in his blogpost if it might be Queen Victoria. Some commenters dissent. I'm curious about it myself. Can anyone shed further light on the image? The crest behind the mystery woman is the Royal Coat of Arms.

One commenter says that he or she played in the ruins of Crystal Palace as a child and that's where the picture is taken.

Is the woman in the picture Queen Victoria? Another member of the royal family? Someone completely different?

God Save Our Gracious Me

jefficator — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 04:00:18 -0800

Does anyone have a link to the Kenny Everett sketch where the Queen sings, "God save our gracious me" while cooking breakfast? Just noticed the Queen doesn't sing "God Save the Queen," which I never thought about but of course makes total sense. While "researching" this I found a reference to a Kenny Everett sketch where the Queen sings the anthem about herself while cooking breakfast. (Yahoo answers. There. I confess). It sounds hilarious. Does anyone have a link by chance?

Thanks!

No law saves the Queen?

vapidave — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:30:30 -0800

Is there a mechanism enshrined in law by which the British monarchy could be removed by a popular vote?

Freddie at home

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:43:41 -0800

Have you seen: Freddie Mercury in a kittycat sweater? O, internets. Back in the day, mid nineties, searching up rad .wavs and .bmps was my favorite teenage pastime. I had one which was a photographic portrait of Freddie Mercury (lovelovelove) late in his life, in a very 1980s, very femme chunky sweater depicting cats — a kitty sweater.

I have searched and searched for this since that time. Can anyone produce it?

The Case of the Missing Breath Mint

sallybrown — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:10:31 -0800

Help me identify the mysterious oversized breath mints I purchased somewhere in Europe four years ago. The mints were white and round, shaped almost like checkers, and just as large. They came in a rectangular white stiff paper/cardboard box (you know, like what a cereal box is made from)--maybe four inches by three inches by three inches--decorated with a blue and maybe red stripe over one corner, black writing that I believe was neither English nor French nor Spanish, and a little portrait of a (to my eyes) generic queen.

I think--but am not certain--that the mints themselves were engraved with a side profile of a queen's face.

I only bought them in the first place because someone I knew mentioned that they were widely loved in Europe. Whether or not that is true, I bought them at an airport in Europe four years ago. The most likely candidate is Amsterdam's Schiphol, but Heathrow and Gatwick are other possibilities.

Their flavor was not strong--none of that burn your tongue freshness--just a little sweet and a bit pepperminty. Even though they were unwieldily large, I loved them. I'm usually a skilled Googler but the whole "royal mint" = Royal Mint is interfering with my mojo.

So, what were they? I'm headed back to Europe this summer and want to find more!

small-r republicanism

northerner — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:53:44 -0800

Could I have a case in the European Court of Human Rights against being subject to an unelected monarch? I'm repeatedly amazed by the lack of interest my fellow British subjects (remember we're not 'citizens') have in republicanism. Occasionally I can persuade people with the old expensive-unelected-spongers argument, but as far as I'm concerned it's the principle of it that should be getting people angry.

As a British subject I, and all my fellow subjects, are represented to the rest of the world by and unelected queen. It is not possible for anyone else to be head of state.

Although this question is to address the possible human rights issue I would also like to get a sense of why the political will for republicanism isn't stronger than it appears to be.

Before you ask, yes, I've heard the arguments for the monarchy before:

1. But it's only ceremonial, they have no real power, why not continue for sake of tradition? - Even if it is only a formality it is offensive that we are subjects of the unelected and our elected government has to ask the unelected for executive powers.

2. But it's good for tourism. - Why should we allow one sector of the economy to decide the most important part of our constitution? I'm sure if Colonel Sanders' family line became permanent heads of state it would be good for the fast food sector, but that's no excuse.

3. It removes the political element from the head of state so they can get on with championing the country to the rest of the world and we can unite behind them. - But the monarchy is a political entity. Also, isn't a few citizens disliking the politics of the head of state a small price to pay if they are elected and truly representative?

"Dave, let me tell ya: she'll never be Queen"

_dario — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:42:36 -0800

Who are the people portrayed in this photo? This photo was taken on Jul 13, 1985 during the Live Aid concert in London. Of course, a few people are instantly recognizable: from bottom to top, left to right we have then Princess Diana, Prince Charles, Bob Geldof and, right behind them, David Bowie chatting with Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen.

The question is: who are the other people portrayed? Who's the gentleman wearing dark sunglasses between Bowie and May?
(I'm asking because, given the setting and the occasion, I think they probably are other VIPs)

And: does anyone have an idea about who's the photographer or whether this photo has been (as it appears) cropped from a wider image or if it's available online in high res (maybe from Getty, Corbis or some such)?

(Japanese?) female cover of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now"?

wander — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:02:11 -0800

This is going to be a bit of a longshot, but when I was in Japan a few months ago, I heard a cover of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" sung presumably by a Japanese female, and I've been trying to find it ever since. I heard it while I was in one of the gift shops/convenience stores at the Tokyo/Narita Airport, and I was there at the end of November, if any of those details help.

I have tried google searches to no avail. I was wondering if anyone out there knows of this cover, or, barring that, if one of the Japanese-speaking mefites could possibly do a search for this online in Japanese? Thanks a lot / Arigato Gozaimasu !

Our bed is so bad we tend to roll together into the trough in the middle.

QUHZK — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:01:55 -0800

My wife and I stayed overnight at a hotel a few weekends ago and came to the realization that our bed is truly horrific. Help us buy a new mattress! (details inside) We've decided that we are now in the market for a completely new bed, starting from the bed frame up. We've never done any mattress/box spring shopping (we're still sleeping on my queen bed from my college years...eww) so we wanted to query the mighty green for as much personal experience and suggestions as possible.

Here's the information that we do know:

We want a king size bed.
We don't want a Tempur-pedic (too expensive, and I understand it can cause people to get overheated while they sleep and I am a naturally prone to overheating-type-person).
We would like a "grown-up" bed. No Ikea/do it yourself creations.

So, what should we get, where should we go, and what should we avoid/ make sure we get?

Is the British Queen regnant/reigning King allowed into the City of London?

krautland — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:36:04 -0800

Is the British Queen regnant/reigning King allowed into the City of London? I remember hearing somewhere elizabeth had to get special permission to enter either the center of london or the city of westminster. google has failed me.

is this true?

What do I do with an ant Queen?

asavage — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:49:46 -0800

So last night, I found what I think I've determined is an ANT QUEEN crawling across the carpet in front of my tv. I caught it. What in blazes do I do now? Make a little crown? It's weird and looks closest to this.

Though with a more traditional ant head, antennae and no pincer things at the rear end of the rear section (which is six segmented). The proportions are dead on tho'. It's about 1" long. No exaggeration.

Is this a rare thing? Should I contact my local entomologist? The East Bay Vivarium? Does anyone want one?

What does it eat?

Who will rock me?

poweredbybeard — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:18:37 -0800

There's a relatively recent(?) alt-rock song I've heard on the radio a couple of times in the last six months which sounds like I imagine Queen might sound if they were just starting out today. What/who is it? It's not Mika (though he does have a Mercury thing going on). This was definitely alt-rock, but with a slightly poppy operatic tone which, combined with the singer's falsetto, made it sound something like a punked-up redux of the Queen song Killer Queen.

I've heard it on Canadian radio, if that makes a difference. The answer may be obvious, but the only time I hear those stations is on patios or in people's cars.

Barless in Seattle or Wanted: Beer + Talking

silverspeak — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:11:06 -0800

My girlfriend and I just moved to Seattle and are looking for new bars and hangout spots. This might be a long shot, but can anyone suggest places that are like The Garage or Rojo in Birmingham, AL or Cafe Coco in Nashville, TN? For those not aquainted with either city, we're looking for places where we can grab a nice beer (weird european or otherwise obscure beers a plus) or coffee or something in a cozy sort of atmosphere. Ya know, the sort of place where you can curl up with a good book and enjoy the warm glow of dim lighting or sit back and eavesdrop on interesting conversations going on elsewhere. We're both what I guess falls into the general 20 something indie art kid stereotype (me: artist/musician her: theatre). HELP!

Queen music on Flash Gordon pinball machine ?

jurczyk — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:04:14 -0800

Does the Flash Gordon pinball machine from 1981 feature any sound effects with Queen music from the movie soundtrack ?

Who's the biggest queen of them all?

awesomebrad — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:10:32 -0800

Looking for a song a friend heard played at a club this time last year. The only thing he remembers about it is a lyric something like "Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the biggest QUEEN of them all?!" Anyone recognize it? Thanks in advance.

Why will no one break the champions?

sled — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:19:11 -0800

Why is it that Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" always plays back to back? These are definitely seperate "tracks." At least I thought so. Is there something I'm missing here that requires every station and satellite radio to play these smashed together, without exception? I've attempted some basic Google-Fu, forgive me if this easy, I'm just missing it.

God save the queen

punkfloyd — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 09:05:27 -0800

In this day and age, why do England and other democracies continue with this whole monarchy thing? Seems a rather costly form of national pride. And why do you suppose (some) Americans like to hold up certain public figures as "our" royalty?

How do I make a bed on wheels stay put?

sirion — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 23:31:43 -0800

Moving, got new queen bed. I have a metal frame on wheels, but find the idea of rolling my bed around the room retarded. How do I make my bed stay put like the piece of furniture its supposed to be without spending the $$ for a wooden platform bed? So I'm moving, and I've made me a fake queen-sized tempurpedic bed (ebay memory foam + 6 inches of polyurethane in a dust mite zippered cover, plywood boxspring underneath...here's hoping it's comfortable!). I have wood floors, and I believe the bed would feel too low to the ground if I just removed the metal rolling frame. Ideas?

Question 2: why on earth do bedframes have wheels in the first place? I don't know if I've ever seen anyone have any urge to roll their bed to the other side of a room.

What was Freddie Mercury thinking?

Kosh — Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:53:16 -0800

LyricsFilter: Regarding word usage in Queen's "Fairy Feller's Master-stroke" ... what does "quaere" mean? Looking at the lyrics to the Queen song "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke" off of Queen II, there's a line that says "What a quaere fellow." It sounds like "queer," but it's clearly spelled as "quaere" in almost every set of lyrics for this song I've been able to find. Dictionaries say it's a Latin-derived word meaning "query" or "inquiry" and this site says it's a UK legal term but neither meaning seems to fit in the context of the lyrics. "Queer" seems like it would make much more sense, if only because "quaere" is a noun and "queer" is generally an adjective. Anyone have a clue as to what the line's supposed to mean? Is it a pun of some sort?

What is the origin of the word 'Your' (as in 'Your Majesty' 'Your Honor', etc)

Saucy Intruder — Thu, 13 Jan 2005 14:37:53 -0800

PersonalPronounFilter: What's the origin of the word "Your" in "Your Honor," "Your Majesty," and "Your Excellency" (among many others)? Why not "My Majesty" or "The Majesty?" Isn't the Queen supposed to be the source of my majesty? She sure as hell doesn't get any additional majesty from me.