User:Nmateo1997/sandbox

Week 4
-'''Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?''' Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources because they have the potential to be biased. Under Wikipedia's rules for posting, information must be unbiased since this is an online encyclopedia (it gives information, not opinions). Also, blogs and press releases are not peer reviewed and therefore, if they contain false information, they are not corrected.

-What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company? Again, much like with blogs and press releases, a company website can be biased. Also, by using the company website, it could be assumed that the editor has some affiliation with the company which also goes against Wikipedia's posting rules. Wikipedia is a place for facts not for opinions nor political or company affiliations.'''

-What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?

A copyright violation is completely taking information from a source without citing it. This causes major conflict because it gives no credit to the source. Plagiarism is taking a sources words and passing them as your own. Plagiarism can most often be seen in essays written by students at the last minute.

-What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?

Rather than summarizing the info, it is better to read the source and information, break it down, digest it, then convey the main idea in your own words. A good way to completely prevent plagiarism is to "forget" how to copy paste. For my own edits on wikipedia I have completely forbid myself from copying and pasting. It has been removed from my technical shortcuts and abilities entirely. This in turn has helped me to avoid plagiarism (obviously) and to really understand the material I am reading since I am forced to state it in my own simplified words. Another way to avoid plagiarism is to not leave an assignment for the last minute. In rushing to complete an assignment, it is entirely possible and tempting to just copy and paste information to get a good grade.

--- Trophime Gerard Lally- Tollendal

I have chosen this first article for two reasons: the first, being the most obvious, is my assigned role for RTTP, and the second reason being there is an extreme scarcity of information on this person. In doing research on this character I have found plenty of his own publishings and the publishings of others that provide a more in depth biography than what is provided on wikipedia. The talk page of this article is almost completely blank. The only messages seem to be coming from the heads of wikipedia saying that the article needs more citations.

National Convention

This second article I have chosen because I stumbled upon it while reading my character's page. Once I clicked on it the top of the article displayed a message from wikipedia saying that the article was written more like a personal reflection rather than a presentation of facts. Also, on the article talk page, the most recent comments are from 2014!

Week 5
What I plan to contribute to my assigned article is more in depth information on the life of this person. I plan to truly bring this person "back to life" rather than him being an unknown figure in the world's most influential revolutions. I also plan to fix up the grammar and dates so that everything sounds smoother and more concise. Some information that I would add is more facts on his father since most of his early adult life was spent clearing his father's name. I also wanted to add a family tree that includes Lally-Tollendal's wife. A final piece I would like to add is short descriptions on all of Lally- Tollendal's works and writings since he was a very influential writer at the time. My end goal is to make Trophime Gerard Lally- Tollendal more well known so that people can learn from his life and also learn that the French Revolution didn't just consist of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Week 6
What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?

Wikipedia's definition of neutrality is basically that all articles must contain unbiased opinions and sources. This means that along with outside information, the information presented should cover all aspects whether they be good or bad. For example, it would not be neutral for someone to write an article about the colonization of the West in the United States through the Transcontinental Railroad and the economic boost that provided and not mention the killing and relocation of Native Americans. This necessity of neutrality maintains Wikipedia's truthfulness and ensures that all who use wikipedia receive in depth and rounded information.

What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?

Wikipedia can be a great source if the article used has been peer reviewed and has reliable sources such as textbooks, academic journals, scientific studies, etc. The limits of Wikipedia is that there are millions of articles on the website and not all of the get top be peer reviewed due to the sheer volume of articles. Also, not every article has reliable sources. For example, the article on my assigned character for RTTP has many notifications on the talk page saying that it is missing many sources and references.

'''On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?'''

Reliable sources include: textbooks, academic journals, scientific studies, and government records. I believe the only problem this creates is if someone wants to create an article on a new addition to the sciences, such as recent medical breakthroughs and new scientific theories, they most likely will not find an abundant source of information through textbooks or academic journals since the information is so new.

'''If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?'''

If we are discussing exactly 100 years ago, 1917, the world would be in the throws of WWI, San Francisco begins using streetcars, Immense American Xenophobia (especially towards Asians, Western Europeans, and Jews), the 1st synagogue in over 400 years opens in Madrid, the world's first Jazz records were recorded, Puerto Rico becomes a U.S. territory, The last Russian Tsar (Nicholas II) abdicates the throne, and many more events. With all these world changing events going on, I believe wikipedia's information would be extremely skewed and biased especially with the use of war propaganda. 100 years from now, the year 2117, I believe wikipedia will continue to advance and have perhaps double the amount of articles due to the advancements and historical events yet to come.

Draft
* all things in parenthesis are edits I am currently working on*

Born in Paris into an old aristocratic family, he was the legitimized son of Thomas Arthur de Lally, who served as viceroy in India under King Louis XIV , and only discovered the secret of his birth on the day of his father's execution (May 9, 1766), when he devoted himself to clearing his father's memory. (He was supported by Voltaire, and in 1778 succeeded in persuading King Louis XVI to annul the decree which had sentenced his father. Unfortunately in the parliament of Rouen, to which the case was referred back, again decided in favor of Lally's guilt in 1784. The case was retried by other courts, and Lally's innocence was never fully admitted by the French judges.)

In 1779 Lally-Tollendal bought the honorary title of Grand bailli of Étampes, and in 1789 was a deputy to the Estates-General for the noblesse of Paris. He played some part in the early stages of the French Revolution, but, as a conservative, quickly rejected more profound changes.

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(Early Life)
(Trophime Gerard Lally-Tollendal was born into an old aristocratic family on March 5, 1751. Although he was the legitimate son of Thomas Arthur Lally, he was kept unaware of his Irish heritage through his bringing up under the name Trophime. He learned of his ancestry the day of his own father's execution on May 9, 1766 . After his father's execution, Lally- Tollendal spent most of his adult life fighting to clear his father's name. During this time he attended the College of Harcourt which allowed him to gain the skills needed to not only fight against his father's verdict but participate in French government.)

(Fighting for His Father's Innocence)
(Trophime's introduction into the French political world was through his constant fight to prove his father's innocence. Lally- Tollendal first began this investigation when he was only 19 years old. He sought the help of Voltaire for his influence and strengths in writing. He first approached Voltaire in 1770 via a letter outlining every injustice and false accusation made against his father. Unfortunately, at the time, Trophime Gerard Lally- Tollendal was considered Thomas Arthur's illegitimate son. This disqualified him from defending his father in a court of law. In 1772, Trophime achieved his legitimacy and the process of clearing his father's name officially began.

It is important to note that the outcome of the Thomas Arthur case is unclear. Some sources record that Thomas Arthur's case was reopened and retried more than 3 times. Although the King and his Council ruled in favor of Thomas Arthur's innocence, courts across the different provinces of France declared him guilty time and time again.

Other sources state that King Louis XVI single handedly repealed the guilty verdict while similar sources state that along with King Louis XVI, the King's Council gathered over the case and had a majority vote in support of Thomas Arthur's innocence.

What is certain is that Thomas Arthur's innocence was never officially recorded.)

(Politics)
(At the beginning of the Revolution, Lally- Tollendal was in support of a Revolution and supported the Marquis de Lafayette. But, as the Revolution progressed, Lally- Tollendal's own conservative ideologies prevented him from continuing his support. As a result, he became in full support of Le Ancien Regime and France's traditional institutions.

Trophime Gerard Lally- Tollendal was in favor of King Louis XVI even under the circumstances of the French Revolution. Throughout the Revolution, Lally- Tollendal remained entirely loyal to the King and even risked his life in an attempt to defend the King during his trial.

Lally- Tollendal was also part of Clermont- Tonnerre's Monarchist Club. One of the first issues this club experienced was the Constituent Assembly's refusal to declare Catholicism as France's national religion. As well as being part of Tonnerre's Monarchist Club, Lally- Tollendal, Clermont- Tonnerre, Bertrand de Molleville, and Malouet all plotted to help save the King from hiding on August 10, 1792. Unfortunately all of the men were recognized on the street and hunted down. They all fled to the Hôtel of Madame de Brassac where Clermont- Tonnerre was ultimately killed.

Although Lally- Tollendal supported the King, he also was in support of a government with three bodies. This new government would consist of a Senate, Chamber of Representatives, and the reigning King. Each legislative body would have the power to veto but ultimately the King's vetoes held more weight. These legislative bodies would be put in place in order to create a governmental balance to ensure equal distribution of power. )

Exile and return
(In 1792 Lally- Tollendal was arrested but managed to emigrate to England prior to the September Massacres. ) During the trial of Louis XVI by the National Convention (December 1792 - January 1793) he offered to defend the king, but was not allowed to return to France. He did not return until after the establishment of the Consulate. Louis XVIII honored him with the title of Peer of France, and in 1816 he became a member of the Académie Française.

From that time until his death, he devoted himself to philanthropic work, especially identifying himself with prison reform. He died in Paris (on March 11, 1830).

Works

 * Lally-Tollendal, Plaidoyer pour Louis XVI, London, 1793
 * Défense des émigrés français adressée au peuple français] par Trophime Gérard de Lally-Tollendal. Avant-propos de l’auteur, (daté de Londres, janvier 1797). Hambourg, chez P.F. Fauche, Imprimeur – Libraire, 1797, (X + 247 pages).
 * Mémoires, attributed to Joseph Weber, concerning Marie Antoinette (1804, partial authorship)