Wikipedia:Help desk
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March 19
Recent change in RSS Syndication?
I use The Old Reader to subscribe to the edit history sections of lots of articles which I want to monitor. Today I started getting lots of old content served to me. I emailed The Old Reader support and they seem to think it's on Wikipedia's end ("Seems likely that its a change on their end. I don't have a record of feed, but these old posts were created in our system today, which suggests they arrived in the feed for the first time today, and did not exist before"). Anyone know what's up or have suggestions of where I should ask instead of here? Thanks. (I've cross-posted this at Wikipedia talk:Syndication--I hope this isn't rude/inappropriate). --Pengortm (talk) 03:48, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- It's perfectly all right to post both places in this case, because it doesn't look like that other page gets a lot of action. If this is a Wikipedia issue, they may be able to answer in WP:VPT.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 21:19, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
how to add pictures to your articles
hi Wikipedia, how do you add pictures to your articles because when I make an article I want a picture in it instead of it just blank just writing (article boring)NewbornCircle (talk) 07:26, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- @NewbornCircle: See WP:IMAGES for a list of information pages about that, and come back here if you need any clarification. ―Mandruss ☎ 07:55, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
do you think this is going to be deleted
hi Wikipedia do you think James Cook Navigation will get deleted. — Preceding unsigned comment added by NewbornCircle (talk • contribs) 09:38, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Yes. James Cooks Navigation (note correct title) has already been nominated for deletion, because we already have detailed, well referenced, articles on James Cook, First voyage of James Cook, Second voyage of James Cook Third voyage of James Cook etc. etc. - Arjayay (talk) 09:49, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- It has now been deleted. - Arjayay (talk) 10:29, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
De Anza Hotel Incorrect Name
I have tried to correct the De Anza Hotel page name to Hotel De Anza. It was formerly named De Anza Hotel and this is creating problems in Google search results because they are pulling the information from here. If this could be updated that would be perfect.
Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:A:4E80:DC00:840:AB67:7FAB:F0A2 (talk) 13:07, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- You can't move pages without an account, and non-autoconfirmed user accounts like Medmond12 can't move pages either. I've moved it for you. Nyttend (talk) 13:10, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Are you by any chance referring to a photo or text shown to the right of a Google search? Google's Knowledge Graph uses a wide variety of sources. There may be a text paragraph ending with "Wikipedia" to indicate that particular text was copied from Wikipedia. An image and other text before or after the Wikipedia excerpt may be from sources completely unrelated to Wikipedia. We have no control over how Google presents our information, but Google's Knowledge Graph has a "Feedback" link where anyone can mark a field as wrong. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:27, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- PrimeHunter, that's not quite the situation. The hotel indeed uses the name "Hotel De Anza", and our article used the (older? former?) name of "De Anza Hotel". This is vaguely comparable to using the Zaire title for the current country, instead of its current name of DR Congo. Nyttend (talk) 13:33, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- (ec) It was rather about the desired De Anza Hotel → Hotel De Anza rename, done [1] by Nyttend. --CiaPan (talk) 13:35, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- I know, and I would have moved the page if it wasn't done already, but the poster seems more concerned about what is displayed by Google than by Wikipedia. So I pointed out that Wikipedia changes may not affect Google, and they have their own system to report problems if it is indeed about Google's Knowledge Graph. The Google search Hotel De Anza currently displays a box saying "De Anza Hotel". No content is actually credited to Wikipedia for me but the poster may know that they often use information from us. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:13, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
Problem with book downloads
Help please. I have been trying to download the "Wikipedia book titled Electronic Components and Symbols." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book:Electronic_Components_and_Symbols. All I get, for the last 3 days is the following: Rendering failed Generation of the document file has failed. Status: Rendering process died with non zero code: 1. I have the same problem in Chrome, Firefox, and IE on a PC running Windows 7. I am also not able to download the book "Electronics" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book:Electronics which gives the same failure message. Thanks for your help. MikeDGlass (talk) 15:48, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- It seems that this issue has been raised several times on our local Book feedback page (Help:Books/Feedback) and the Meta-Wiki Book Feedback page (m:Book tool/Feedback). I'm sorry I don't have more info for you, but you might want to watch those pages to see if any solution is provided. --Nick—Contact/Contribs 20:05, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
Help:Cite errors/Cite error included ref for Stuart Chase article contribution by Nnamelet
Stuart Chase - please clarify the problem to be corrected — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nnamelet (talk • contribs) 15:59, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
Referencing errors on Stuart Chase
Reference help requested. I lost my connection to help as Frank1
Thanks, nnamelet 16:16, 19 March 2015 (UTC) nnamelet 16:16, 19 March 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nnamelet (talk • contribs)
- I started to reply to your vague question above, I now see that you are referring to this edit, where the first error message said "Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page)" and the second said "Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name (see the help page)". In each case the words "help page" were in blue, indicating that each was a wikilink to a specific help page to explain the problem, Help:Cite errors/Cite error included ref and Help:Cite errors/Cite error ref no key respectively. You will see that another editor has solved your problems by adding the missing ">" characters to the end of the tags concerned. --David Biddulph (talk) 16:21, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
Is there a way to find pages with BARE URLs?
Is there a way to find articles with BARE URLs, preferably ranked in order of number of bare links? Please include {{ping}} command in your reply. Thanks! --Jax 0677 (talk) 18:37, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Not ranked by number, but categories such as Category:Biography template using bare URL in website parameter, Category:All articles needing link rot cleanup, (and dated subsets thereof such as Category:Articles needing link rot cleanup from February 2015) can help, or simply a search, or a dated search. --David Biddulph (talk) 18:50, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Pinging user since that wasn't done as requested by OP. @Jax 0677:. Dismas|(talk) 20:56, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
why is my name and infro gone?? Can I be put back on?
My name is Rev Delores Berry. My name was on Wikipedia. Now I can’t find it. How can I be put it back on this amazing work?????? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.59.201.243 (talk) 20:12, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- I see that it was deleted in 2010. Sorry, but if an article lacks independent non-primary sources (such as newspaper or magazine articles), it usually gets deleted for not meeting our notability guidelines. I see that the LGBT Wikia has an article about you, though Wikipedia and Wikia are officially independent. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:18, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
How much copying is too much?
I ran across the Suncore Photovoltaics article just now and found that some of the info is lifted directly from the sources in the article. i.e. the info was not "put in their own words". Would this qualify as a copyvio or would the sentences fall under fair use? Basically, where is the line between plagiarized and not? Dismas|(talk) 21:37, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- For the lazy among us, could you save us the trouble of researching the extent of the copying? I.e., give an example or two of verbatim lifted text? ―Mandruss ☎ 21:59, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Sure. The first two sentences of the second paragraph are copied directly from the source provided which is here. The first sentence of the third paragraph comes directly from this source. Dismas|(talk) 22:14, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- I'm not an expert in this area (or anywhere close), but FWIW I would call that copyvio. In my own editing I'm willing to use a phrase of up to four or five words from the source, when there is simply no acceptable alternative, but never a complete sentence of that length. ―Mandruss ☎ 22:19, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Sorry guys, wiki newbie here. I'll change some of the wording. Thanks,Xanderyang (talk) 17:01, 20 March 2015 (UTC)Xanderyang
- I'm not an expert in this area (or anywhere close), but FWIW I would call that copyvio. In my own editing I'm willing to use a phrase of up to four or five words from the source, when there is simply no acceptable alternative, but never a complete sentence of that length. ―Mandruss ☎ 22:19, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Sure. The first two sentences of the second paragraph are copied directly from the source provided which is here. The first sentence of the third paragraph comes directly from this source. Dismas|(talk) 22:14, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Earwig's Copyvio Detector... result = Violation Possible 45.4% with crunchbase as mentioned above. -- Moxy (talk) 22:23, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Not to say that the Copyvio detector isn't going to be useful in some situations, but I have found it to be overly sensitive in some situations just FYI. Dustin (talk) 22:26, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- I was unaware of that tool. Thanks for that! Dismas|(talk) 22:27, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Not to say that the Copyvio detector isn't going to be useful in some situations, but I have found it to be overly sensitive in some situations just FYI. Dustin (talk) 22:26, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- I just tried running the Songs from the Black Hole article through that tool (which I wrote pretty much single-handedly), and it gave a possible violation rating of 70%! I assure you that's all original prose, so I wouldn't trust the tool too much... Popcornduff (talk) 22:35, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Meh, I can top that. Shooting of Michael Brown earns 95.8%. I have been heavily involved with the development of this article almost since its inception, and I know that most of the content was written by experienced and competent editors who know better than to lift text from a source. I don't know what that percentage is supposed to mean. If it means that there is a 0.958 probability that some unknown degree of copyvio exists somewhere in the article, I could accept that. But the tool's results highlight countless things like "shot was fired" and "at the request of", and excuse us for writing in the same language as the sources, English. ―Mandruss ☎ 22:52, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Not quite as high, but involving an article with only minor changes since I singlehandedly overhauled it (with brand new summaries of mostly previously uncited sources): it says that Lesser Key of Solomon was 93.4% lifted from a forum post made several months after I made those changes. I guess I need to go buy some lottery tickets and hit the racetracks. But, it's otherwise useful if you check results to make sure they're from after the fact. Ian.thomson (talk) 23:27, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- Meh, I can top that. Shooting of Michael Brown earns 95.8%. I have been heavily involved with the development of this article almost since its inception, and I know that most of the content was written by experienced and competent editors who know better than to lift text from a source. I don't know what that percentage is supposed to mean. If it means that there is a 0.958 probability that some unknown degree of copyvio exists somewhere in the article, I could accept that. But the tool's results highlight countless things like "shot was fired" and "at the request of", and excuse us for writing in the same language as the sources, English. ―Mandruss ☎ 22:52, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- I just tried running the Songs from the Black Hole article through that tool (which I wrote pretty much single-handedly), and it gave a possible violation rating of 70%! I assure you that's all original prose, so I wouldn't trust the tool too much... Popcornduff (talk) 22:35, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
cookies
Is there any way to use my user name and password to see what content I have researched . — Preceding unsigned comment added by DavidHuf (talk • contribs) 23:18, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
- That sounds like a job for your browser history. We keep track of editor contributions, but I don't think we keep track of what articles you've read. Ian.thomson (talk) 23:30, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
March 20
the article on the mennites
there is one gross error the anabaptists were never a part of the protestant movement they existed long before that movement and there persecution existed long before it as well read " the trail of blood" by carroll and foxes book of myrtyrs why people trying to catorgize us into protestants i can notunderstand escept they can not deal with more than two in an equasion. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.81.180.203 (talk) 00:54, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- If you have an issue with content in an article, please discuss it at an article talk page, such as Talk: Anabaptists. Since this is your only edit, it is not obvious what article you think should be changed. Robert McClenon (talk) 01:44, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Blood Moon
Merry meet, what the person said about The Blood Moon is wrong, the blood moon is Wicca's holiday, christions dont know what their talking about, and btw the bible is wrong — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.68.212.104 (talk) 00:56, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- It doesn't appear that you are replying to a previous comment. If you think that the content in an article is wrong, please discuss at a talk page
, such as Talk: Blood Moon. Since this was your only edit, there is no way to determine except by guessing what article you are referring to. Robert McClenon (talk) 01:46, 20 March 2015 (UTC) - There is no article about a Wicca holiday known as a Blood Moon. If you think that there should be one, you should cite reliable sources. Robert McClenon (talk) 01:49, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Don't like the font
Just a few days ago my font on Wikipedia is changed to this Italic looking stuff how do I change back to normal letters I hate these letters the way thay are...I can't read your articles like this...please send me directions on how to change back to regular letters instead of this stuff
Thanks, Barb — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bbynum1 (talk • contribs) 01:26, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Running Vista? Per Microsoft: "After you install security update 3013455, you may notice some text quality degradation in certain scenarios. The problem only occurs on systems that are running Windows Vista SP2 or Windows Server 2003 SP2. Microsoft is researching this problem and will post more information in this article when the information becomes available."
- So, uninstall update 3013455. -- Gadget850 talk 01:36, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- @Bbynum1: The quoted message is what https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3013455 said a month ago. There is now a fix linked there. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:50, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Wikipedia wants to re-name my account???
hi. I received a message from User:MediaWiki message delivery telling me that my account would be re-named because it supposedly clashed with someone else's account with the same name. I've done a search on wikipedia and google and could not find anyone else with this name.
The message than told me that if I thought this was an error, I could use "Special:Merge Account" to reserve all accounts named "JayJ47" from being re-named.
Now that I've done this, does that mean my username will not be changed. If not, how can I stop this from happening? Thank you. JayJ47 (talk) 02:55, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Hi JayJ47, all your accounts are now merged. Your username will not be changed. You have take no further action. Nothing will happen to your account. All the best, Taketa (talk) 05:15, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
The article on Sang Min Park (singer - 박 상민) is only in Korean.
Would you please put up the English Version of the same articel? I could see in English thru "Google Translate" but it was not in printable form. Somehow, the English version after translation doesn't print. Help!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.240.43.174 (talk) 04:11, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Hello, 216.240.43.174. I'm afraid "the English version" of that article doesn't exist until somebody decides to write it (I take it that this is a different person from Park Sang-min). Each language Wikipedia is a separate project, and may or may not have articles on the same subject, which may or may not start as translations of one another (and typically they will thereafter be edited independently. You could request somebody write the article at requested articles (though there is a long backlog), or try to interest somebody at WT:WikiProject Korea. --ColinFine (talk) 15:54, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Khatu shyam
Hi, I just want to make a correction on the Khatu shyamji article (link: Khatushyam). Babarik was the son of Bhim and Ahilya (Naag Kanya) and not Ghatotkach. The most reliable text which gives a detailed knowledge about the life of Shyam Baba is Akhand Jyot. Every shyam prabhu follower must be knowing about it and must have recited the akhand jyot path. One of the links is http://shreeshyammandiralambazar.com/page.php?id=17 please go through this and you will get your answers.
Regards — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.124.251.170 (talk) 08:56, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Hello, 124.124.251.170. If you look at the Talk page Talk:Khatushyam, it is suggested that this is "not about the classical Babarika of the Mahabharta, but of a regional variation". If this is true, it may account for the discrepancy you refer to.
- I suggest you raise your question on that talk page (though I don't know if anybody is watching it). Alternatively, you may edit the article yourself. But what will improve the article is not replacing one unreferenced assertion with a different unreferenced assertion, but referencing every claim in the article to a reliable published source. --ColinFine (talk) 16:07, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Transferring image to Commons
Have transferred an image to Commons, but cannot understand the instructions about putting the appropriate tag on the image at WP to indicate that it has been transferred to Commons. Image is File:Newnesglowworms.jpg. Sardaka (talk) 09:32, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Hello, @Sardaka:, information about WP -> Commons moves can be found at Wikipedia:Moving files to the Commons (especially "Transferring manually" for non-bot uploads). While you already added most information, Commons has a special Commons:Template:Original upload log to provide as much log data as possible (see template documentation and "What links here" for some use cases). After double-checking, that all en-Wiki information is copied, you can tag the en-Wiki image with {{Now Commons}} and an admin will handle it. You can remove the tag to request an admin move, as you already did that manually. GermanJoe (talk) 10:05, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- I filled in a few minor details and tagged the en-Wiki file as duplicate (see file histories of both file versions). That should be all for now - an admin will check the situation and remove the local file, if all is OK. GermanJoe (talk) 16:24, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- IOW, if you ever need it again, add a {{nowcommons}} here after toollabs:commonshelper helped you to get the original upload log right on commons. SCNR, but the "moving files" page is rather long for what fits in one line. –Be..anyone (talk) 18:35, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
reliable source help
I am a new user and don't understand why if I have a lot of reliable sources listed, I still have the warning at the top of the page? Adamoppedisano (talk) 13:40, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Because maintenance and BLP PROD templates are not removed automagically. If you think you have dealt with the issue, you can remove the PROD template, but please indicate why you have done so in your edit summary, or, preferably, by leaving a message on the article's talk page.--ukexpat (talk) 14:21, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- I went ahead and removed the PROD. I also attempted to clean up some of the extremely promotional language and formatting errors, but both still need more work. Are you in some way connected with the subject? If so please declare your conflict of interest on your user page and take a look at WP:COI. I also note that you uploaded the image to Commons as your own work - please confirm that you own the copyright to the image either because you are the photographer or because it was assigned to you. If you don't own it, there is a permission problem that will have to be resolved. Thanks.--ukexpat (talk) 14:36, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Title of article 'Of empires'
Hi,
I was wondering. Is there a way to change the title of an article? It would only be a minor change to capitalise the word 'Empires' so the title of the article reads 'Of Empires'.
Here is a link to the article in question - 'Of empires'.
Many thanks, Josh Jgrfletcher (talk) 14:47, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- It has been moved to Of Empires.--ukexpat (talk) 15:01, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- (edit conflict) It looks like someone already did it for you. All you have to do to change the title is move the article, there are some restrictions on who can move articles and which can be moved. See WP:MOVE. PhantomTech (talk) 15:02, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Eye problem
sir, iam suffering from eye problem my two eyes.now iam seeking a batter tretmentfor a long dayai have been seejibg a batter tretment in Bangladesh for this disease could you infrom me a batter treatment point or place in India.very immediately as soon as possible by you..... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.242.106.2 (talk) 16:25, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- This is the Help Desk for Wikipedia, where we advise people on how to use and edit Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not allowed to give medical advice. Maproom (talk) 16:49, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Re: Ruby Andrews: Entertainer, Professional Recording Artist, CEO-COO-CFO-President -Genuine Ruby Records
My name is Ruby Andrews and I am the one who corrected information under my name. I am obligated to keep my career updated some people just copy information. I am the original. I was reading information on my career as well as myself and like I said information on this page is misinformation. As a experience d entertainer, professional recording artist this information needs to be updated as fans do not need to read misinformation on me or my career, and yes I am still active in this business of music. I will from time to time seek to correct information under my name and likeness. Thank you for your time and interest in this matter... Ruby Andrews — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ruby Andrews (talk • contribs) 17:10, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Hello, Ruby Andrews. Wikipedia requires all information to come from reliable published sources, especially about living people. If you want something on your page changed, please follow the advice on WP:AUTOPROB and avoid editing the article yourself except in the circumstances mentioned there. Unreferenced material may be removed from the article. --ColinFine (talk) 17:39, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Problems with pages at: wikiquote:Margaret Thatcher
Problems with pages at: wikiquote:Margaret Thatcher
Hacked with a load of text
Thanks
IndustrialComponent.com is a regular contributor to the Wikipedia Foundation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:9:D00:A700:1062:5CF8:EB2E:DA9D (talk) 17:12, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- This is a help page for Wikipedia. Your link is at one of our sister sites Wikiquote. They have a help page at wikiquote:Wikiquote:Village pump but this was obvious vandalism so I have made my first Wikiquote edit and reverted it. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:41, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- And thank you for supporting the Foundation, but nobody at the Help Desk either knows or cares whether a particular person asking a question is a contributor or not. --ColinFine (talk) 17:45, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- And nobody cares for your snarkiness to another contributor. Dismas|(talk) 18:25, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Editing Display title
I am trying to edit the title of my wiki page: Victoria seaman
It currently reads "Victoria seaman" and I would like to capitalize the last name to read "Victoria Seaman"
I have tried entering this code
{{subst:RMassist|old page name|requested name|reason= reason for move}}
in the text section, but it tells me I have to do it on a requested moves page, which there is no link to.
Any advice? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Victoriadseaman (talk • contribs)
- The article has been deleted because it was too promotional in tone. Please see WP:SPAM.--ukexpat (talk) 18:02, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- A new stub has been started, to replace the deleted shameless campaign ad. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:04, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- {{R from other capitalisation}} added on Victoria seaman. –Be..anyone (talk) 18:24, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- A new stub has been started, to replace the deleted shameless campaign ad. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:04, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Ms Seaman (or someone using her name as a user name) has edited the article to add a huge promotional screed, which I have just reverted.--ukexpat (talk) 19:26, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- She is copying http://victoriaseaman.com/meet-victoria/. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:54, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- And again...--ukexpat (talk) 19:56, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- She has been blocked. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:10, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Image licence
I want to use this image of a living person in an article. [2] What licence do I need? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pickuptha'Musket (talk • contribs) 17:50, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Unfortunately you cannot use it, under any license. The page clearly says "© Copyright ITV plc 2015" at the bottom, and as James Murray is still alive, there is no free-use rationale to justify its use. - Arjayay (talk) 17:56, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Aquila Court Building name change to Magnolia Hotel Omaha
I have tried to correct the Aquila Court Building page name to Magnolia Hotel Omaha.This is creating problems in Google search results (Knowledge Graph) because they are pulling the information from here. If this could be updated that would be wonderful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.193.220.28 (talk) 18:37, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- I have renamed the article to Magnolia Hotel (Omaha). Maproom (talk) 20:14, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Help:Cite errors/Cite error ref no input
hi is anyone there — Preceding unsigned comment added by GabbyGirl31 (talk • contribs) 19:38, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- @GabbyGirl31: I removed extraneous markup in this edit. You had some empty ref tags and your signature at the beginning of the article. ―Mandruss ☎ 19:45, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Single-purpose account
Hi there. I noticed what seems to be an account created for self-promotion. The user is User talk:Ash & Bloom. I'm not quite sure how to report it, or how to tag their talk page. Thanks for your help. Magnolia677 (talk) 20:30, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Clear user name violation - informed and reported to WP:UAA.--ukexpat (talk) 20:48, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
State Controller Wikipedia Entry
Dear Help Desk:
I work for the person in the Wikipedia entry and I formerly edited Wikipedia entries for a think tank in Washington.
At the subject's request, I revised her very outdated Wikipedia entry that did not reflect her faculty positions at UC Berkeley or UCLA, her columns for the Christian Science Monitor, her long career in investment banking or her current CEO status of a technology company. The facts for my March 18th updates came from documented sources and from the professional CV (a background that has been carefully vetted for a top security clearance by the FBI)of the subject. However, the entire entry has now been undone and the old, outdated and factually incorrect one has been mysteriously restored.
Can you please tell me how this happened? How can we re-do, update and be-build the page as it should appear to fully and factually represent the subject's full 30 year career. This needs to be amended immediately so the public record does not reflect gross inaccuracies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.31.78.181 (talk) 21:06, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- We aren't mind readers - you will have to tell us the individual's name before we can come up with a meaningful response. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:10, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Proposed for deletion
I have a page that has been recently proposed for speedy deletion. What issues does this page that have made it a candidate for deletion? Proposed page link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_Magazine — Preceding unsigned comment added by Madegray (talk • contribs) 21:19, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- It is a strong candidate for deletion because it has a total lack of in-line citations which establish its subject's notability. I don't think this is your fault – as far as I can tell, there are no reliable independent sources which discuss the magazine. Maproom (talk) 23:15, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Editing
Hello Wikipedia, I have edited these articles. Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Queensland and James Cook in 10 days and I still cant edit every article. My old user @pabdelma I vandalized a article but I don't do that anymore. Why cant I edit every article. NewbornCircle (talk) 22:19, 20 March 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by NewbornCircle (talk • contribs) 22:18, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- Your account was created yesterday. After it is at least four days old, you will become autoconfirmed and can edit more things. RudolfRed (talk) 22:22, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
- given User talk:Pabdelma and [3] you probably shouldnt still be editing. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 18:39, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
March 21
Main page versions
How can I retrieve prior versions of the main page? (I don't need to edit them. I'm interested in the "In the news" section for previous weeks.) The main page history tab only lists about one version for every six months and when you link to a previous page (like 18 February 2015 or 4 July 2014), you get the same current main page. --RoyGoldsmith (talk) 00:57, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Looks like ITN comes from Template:In the news, which has far more frequent updates. ―Mandruss ☎ 01:04, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- See also Wikipedia:Main Page history. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:25, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Thanks to you both. --RoyGoldsmith (talk) 18:51, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- See also Wikipedia:Main Page history. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:25, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Request help with multiple category CfD
Please see Talk:War in Afghanistan (2001–present)#Category title move. This is a WP:C2D due to the results of Wikipedia:Move review/Log/2015 February#War in Afghanistan (2001–14). I have never done a CfD before, let alone multiple categories.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 03:53, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Geographical Dna test article and Mowa Choctaw article talk page inaccuracies .
I would like to complain about two huge problems the Wikipedia Geographical Dna test article and the Mowa Choctaw article talk page.
both are related problems. There are several Scientists who say that Genetic ancestry tests are not accurate at all.
How come the views of those Scientists are not reflected in the Geographical Dna test article.
For example I have an email that UNC - Chapel Hill Anthropology Department sent me in 2010 and yes its still current unless I hear directly from Unc Chapel Hill Anthropology Department what they emailed me about genetic ancestry testing is still true.
UNC Chapel Hill's Anthropology Department responded to a question I asked about what Dr Loretta Cormier a Medical Anthropologist with the University of Alabama at Birmingham told me about Genetic Ancestry testing.
She said
" There is no such thing as a Native American gene , a European Gene or an African Gene, with Dna tests for race
all you get is an allele saying you are more likely this or that and with racially mixed people
you are mixing together the different alleles making it even harder to know what you are".
She said " there is nothing to show you your race though we wish that there were".
That was her response to the Genetic ancestry tests done on former chief of the Mowa Choctaws in Mobile and Washington Counties Alabama Wilford Taylor who is still an enrolled member of the Mowa Choctaw Tribe.
I also asked UNC Chapel Hill about the Genetic ancestry tests done on 350 Mowa Choctaws out of 3000 tested in 1976 by Dr Pollitzer where they supposedly came back 70 percent White and 30 percent Black, with very Little Indian.
Unc Chapel Hill Anthropology Department said " its true there is no such thing as a Native American or African Allele in the sense there are no Alleles (Alternative Copies of a gene) that are found in all Native Americans and only in Native Americans
there are some Alleles that are more common in Native Americans than in other populations but that's not a particularly useful way to trace anyone's ancestry.
they then said what these tests are useful for studying Populations.
And they said that Professor Pollitizer was trying to determine the level of admixture in the US south.
they then told me that for many reasons these tests can be considered only Rough Estimates.
They said the Real issue underlying all of this is that race has both a biological and Sociological definition and that those two concepts are often blended and confused.
They recommended I read a book on Physical Anthropology by Physical Anthropologist Jonathan Marks.
I know from an internet article Jonathan Marks wrote called the Science and Business of Genetic Ancestry Testing that Jonathan Marks does not believe Dna tests for race are accurate.
For the same reasons UNC Chapel Hill's Anthropology Department does not.
He also said the Scientists who claim Genetic Ancestry testing is accurate are people who are unintentionally misleading the public to get more money and media attention for Genetic Research.
Finally the Mowa Choctaw Talk page should just say what UNC Chapel Hill's Anthropologists say about why Genetic ancestry testing is not accurate.
Dr Loretta Cormier of UAB is the Anthropologist for the Mowa Choctaws of Mobile and Washington Counties Alabama. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.5.212.168 (talk) 05:25, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- I took the liberty of fixing the formatting in your post. It was previously almost unreadable. JIP | Talk 05:49, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- If you believe an article contains inaccuracies, point it out on its talk page. On Wikipedia, if information is well supported by sources, it is included. If you have other sources that support a view that contradicts the one in the article, provide those sources on the article's talk page or add the information to the article with citations. Remember that everything on Wikipedia must meet WP:Verifiability, emails that have not been published by the sender do not. As a final note, you said Jonathan Marks said "the Scientists who claim Genetic Ancestry testing is accurate are people who are unintentionally misleading the public to get more money and media attention for Genetic Research," that statement is a logical contradiction, you cannot both be doing something with a motive (for money/media attention) and unintentionally. If it says that in the source it might cause an issue and so I would recommend finding multiple other sources in addition to that one. PhantomTech (talk) 06:06, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- It is still hard to read the above post even after the reformatting. It is also hard to tell what articles the OP is concerned about. The above post is the only post made from that IP address, so that there is no way of guessing what DNA test article is being discussed. It does appear that the other article is MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. I agree that that article is poorly written, containing poor grammar and syntax, and unencyclopedic language. What article about DNA testing is problematic? Robert McClenon (talk) 16:09, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- @Robert McClenon: If I understood it, the problem they're talking about is using DNA to check for race or the geographical origins of ancestors. PhantomTech (talk) 16:36, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Yes. I know that is what the OP is talking about. But the OP complained about two articles. One of them is MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. It isn't clear what article the other one is, only what its topic is. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:22, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- @Robert McClenon: If I understood it, the problem they're talking about is using DNA to check for race or the geographical origins of ancestors. PhantomTech (talk) 16:36, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Band notability advice
Hi. I never realized how complex the inner workings of Wikipedia were until now, that i'm interested in asking advice. In advance, I apologize if this isn't the right place to be asking this.
My issue right now pertains to the Musician WikiProject, which seems to be somewhat inactive (or I have no idea where to start looking for an active person), and the notability page it linked (viewable here). I was interested to find out if a moderately small band was eligible for a wikipedia page- so I read over the notability article, but I still wished to get some clear tips from a more experienced user (because to be fair, it can get to be a bit blurred or confusing), and I wasn't sure where to start (so I'm hoping someone here can look into it and give me some answers).
The band I'm talking about is a small pop-rock band based in New York (Poughkeepsie, if I remember correctly), mostly a cover band. However, as of March 2015 they have released numerous original songs & singles, two EPs (Infinity and Gravity), have been on at least 5+ tours (not sure if the tours are considered large, medium, tiny), and recently were signed to the record label Fueled by Ramen. As of April or so last year, there are three members (from the original five), Chrissy (Cristina) Costanza, Dan Glow and Will Ferri. The band was founded in mid-2011 (If I remember correctly, possibly earlier). Chrissy and/or the band have also worked with artists such as Alex Goot and Kurt Hugo Schneider I hope someone can look into it, and bring me a response and some WP advice.
Here are some links to the band themselves- Their youtube channel - Their website - iTunes and twitter
Thanks in advance. CentralFloridian (talk) 07:10, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- The most important element in the notability page, WP:Notability (music), is that the group have been the subject of multiple published articles in independent reliable sources). If the group has received an award, or has topped the charts, or been certified gold, it will almost certainly also be listed in multiple published articles. Has the band been the subject of published articles in reliable sources? (The links that you provide are not independent and so are not considered secondary reliable sources.) You might start by doing a Google search for the band by its name. Robert McClenon (talk) 15:52, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Do you have a connection with the band? If so, that is considered a conflict of interest, in which case writing about the band is strongly discouraged, because contributors with conflicts of interest are very seldom able to write from a neutral point of view. If you can find articles about the band in reliable sources, and if you do not have a conflict of interest, you may write a draft article and submit it via the Articles for Creation process. Robert McClenon (talk) 15:52, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- "Small" as in number of musicians is no problem, a duo is fine. You need some reliable references talking about this band, books, journals, or similar. Self-published pages or YT videos don't count for "notable", forums and blogs do not generally count, and if all you find are two-liners in regional newspapers for their concerts it's also bad. Otherwise have fun, or be bold and ignore all rules, as they say here (ideally you'd know the rules before you ignore them, but I digress. :-) –Be..anyone (talk) 16:06, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Link and a reference
Hi, can anyone tell me what is the difference between a link and a reference. Someone told me that Soccerway.com etc are links and therefore, profile of a player like this cannot be used as a reference. RRD13 দেবজ্যোতি (talk) 07:59, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- We need the context to see what they meant. Where were you told this? PrimeHunter (talk) 10:02, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- @PrimeHunter: Hi, you can check my talk page under the Igor Angulo heading. RRD13 দেবজ্যোতি (talk) 10:27, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- By "link" they apparently mean the "External links" section described at Wikipedia:External links, but this restricted meaning of "link" is not normal in Wikipedia. A more common term for that is "external link" but that can still be ambiguous. By "reference" they mean an inline reference described at Wikipedia:Citing sources. Apart from that, I'm not sure why they don't want a page to be used as a reference. Practice varies and in some areas it may be preferred that a page at a well-known site with significant statistical information is in an external links section and not "repeated" as an inline source for simple uncontroversial information. I don't know the reliability of the discussed sources but another consideration is that "External links" allows pages which are considered unreliable for use as references. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:57, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Dear Help desk,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djeak
He is a Real Person, Famous Person. What miss I so that this page is always gotten CSD A7?
with best regards,
Akorda Khan — Preceding unsigned comment added by Akordakhan (talk • contribs) 18:13, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- @Akordakhan: Merely existing is not enough. Reliably published sources not related to the subject must have discussed the subject in a substantive manner and you must demonstrate that by providing appropriate citations. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 18:25, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
is this to not enough ?
http://www.ekizceliler.com/files/cache/d21ec4d0282c89ad88590f0ab6c380c6_f24.png
Regards,
Akordakhan — Preceding unsigned comment added by Akordakhan (talk • contribs) 18:32, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- User:Akordakhan - Forum shopping, asking the same question or raising the same issue in multiple places in Wikipedia, is discouraged. You got the same answer at the Teahouse as at the Help Desk. What would you do if you got different answers? Robert McClenon (talk) 18:35, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
@Robert McClenon,
No not different answers want i, what i would is very fast and best answers, Today is my first day in Wikipedia so i must learn how living is in Wikipedia world and what the Rules is. There is much pages about Rules but not enough for me, thats the way i create my first page and asking in some help pages what i must to do etc... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Akordakhan (talk • contribs) 18:41, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Here is more Newspapers:
http://oi58.tinypic.com/bfhpw3.jpg
http://oi58.tinypic.com/2r2wrde.jpg
http://oi58.tinypic.com/fx8jtj.jpg
is now enough ?
Regards,
Akordakhan — Preceding unsigned comment added by Akordakhan (talk • contribs) 19:00, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- No. Local promotional event coverage does not provide "significant coverage of the subject by non related reliable sources." -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 19:33, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- In Wikipedia, there is no deadline. You were trying to rush Wikipedia into accepting an article. You certainly are not going to get the article accepted by throwing bare URLs at us at the Help Desk. Whether you will get the article accepted by putting the bare URLs into the article and resubmitting it is another question that I won't answer. I don't intend to check the proposed references further. I suggest that you take a break and be patient enough to learn that impatience in Wikipedia is not usually productive, but I don't expect you to take my advice. Robert McClenon (talk) 19:41, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- @Akordakhan: Please read Wikipedia:Your first article. As it recommends there you can create a draft article out of article space, where there will not be pressure to make it ready for publication, and you can work with an Articles-for-creation reviewer to get it ready. —teb728 t c 21:20, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- In Wikipedia, there is no deadline. You were trying to rush Wikipedia into accepting an article. You certainly are not going to get the article accepted by throwing bare URLs at us at the Help Desk. Whether you will get the article accepted by putting the bare URLs into the article and resubmitting it is another question that I won't answer. I don't intend to check the proposed references further. I suggest that you take a break and be patient enough to learn that impatience in Wikipedia is not usually productive, but I don't expect you to take my advice. Robert McClenon (talk) 19:41, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Obscene?
Dear friends of the English Wik. There is a controversy in the Spanish Wik. on the deeper meaning of the following limerick (poetry) which appears in the article of this poetic form. I think it's totally obscene, but some people think it is not necessarily. Could you help us about it?
- The limerick packs laughs anatomical
- Into space that is quite economical.
- But the good ones I've seen
- So seldom are clean
- And the clean ones so seldom are comical.
Thank your very much. --Sürrell (talk) 18:58, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Nope not obscene AT ALL. it makes reference to the fact that limericks are often obscene, but it is not obscene itself. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 19:14, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Well, then what does it mean, please? For example, what the hell is a "space quite economical", and "clean", clean of what, he, he?--Sürrell (talk) 19:20, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- "space quite economical" refers to the fact that a limerick is only 5 lines . "clean" refers to limericks free from obscenities. and he he referring to the fact that some limericks are free from obscenities but those are generally not funny. which is quite clearly NOT obscene itself. Otherwise, the word obscene would be obscene because it clearly refers to materials that are obscene. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 20:25, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- A translation of the poem would be "Limericks are a short form of humorous poetry, generally bawdy in nature. The limericks that are not racy, are not funny." -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 20:30, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- "space quite economical" refers to the fact that a limerick is only 5 lines . "clean" refers to limericks free from obscenities. and he he referring to the fact that some limericks are free from obscenities but those are generally not funny. which is quite clearly NOT obscene itself. Otherwise, the word obscene would be obscene because it clearly refers to materials that are obscene. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 20:25, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Well, then what does it mean, please? For example, what the hell is a "space quite economical", and "clean", clean of what, he, he?--Sürrell (talk) 19:20, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Nope not obscene AT ALL. it makes reference to the fact that limericks are often obscene, but it is not obscene itself. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 19:14, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
The article saysː ″Gershon Legman, who compiled the largest and most scholarly anthology, held that the true limerick as a folk form is always obscene, and cites similar opinions by Arnold Bennett and George Bernard Shaw, describing the clean limerick as a "periodic fad and object of magazine contests, rarely rising above mediocrity." From a folkloric point of view, the form is essentially transgressive; violation of taboo is part of its function″.--Sürrell (talk) 19:23, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- As the English Wikipedia is WP:NOTCENSORED, it doesn't matter here, and I see the Spanish Wikipedia has a similar policy here - Arjayay (talk) 19:31, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
Yes, yes, "not censored", and?... This cannot be an obscenity in anyway? I think it is, and I want to translate in this way for the article.--Sürrell (talk) 19:46, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- I think it has a second meaning, the second meaning being penile. Sincerely, Taketa (talk) 20:10, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- That is a perception. One looks for an obscenity because the limerick is often obscene. But "a space that is quite economical" refers to the poetic form of the limerick itself, and "clean" refers to the lack of obscenities. Robert McClenon (talk) 20:12, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Sorry, if the stanza "limerick" is of type obscene, I think it must be interpreted as meaning, yeah: obscene. If this type were not obscene I’d interpretː "a space economical refers to the poetic form of the limerick itself”. Did I explain or not explain? The limerick is obscene or it is not. If the limerick is obscene it is not “the poetic form of the limerick itself”. It is another thing.--Sürrell (talk) 00:10, 22 March 2015 (UTC)
Infobox mountain pass
I'm having trouble getting the push pin map for Template:Infobox mountain pass to work. I copied the box to my sandbox to work on it User:Gaff/sandbox. Can somebody check it out and fix it or tell me what I am doing wrong? Then I will fix it on the article page. thanks --Gaff (talk) 20:06, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
- Fixed with this edit. ―Mandruss ☎ 20:14, 21 March 2015 (UTC)
March 22
Help:Cite errors/Cite error ref no input
my edit states no references . The exact reference was provided.