User talk:FidesetRatio

Jim Gerlach
The "minor POV" issue wasn't the split-ticket thing, it was the "overwhelming victory" wording. 54/46 (berks) and 55/45 (chester) isn't "overwhelming" in NPOV terms - but it was just enough to win.

The "split ticket" thing - if you check the precinct results for random precincts in Chester County, you'll see that a lot of the voters split tickets, which is why Rendell and Casey got so many votes (65% and 55%). As I said, that was an accurate recounting of the article, but the actual vote totals are at odds with the statement. Instead of making it an issue in the page with a refuting statement/citation, I think it's better not to mention it either way.

Only 43% of voters on either side voted straight-ticket, and given the final results for casey and rendell, probably a higher percentage of democrats went straight-ticket.. 45% of registered democrats (probably) voted straight-ticket, and 21% of registered Republicans. (Assumes that straight-ticket voters vote their own party; both may be slightly lower due to independents voting straight ticket on either side.) He may be smart, he may be quoted in the Inquirer, but the data says he's wrong. Note: I didn't check Berks, and less may have split tickets there, but I still would say that he's wrong.

Thanks for the useful edits, BTW. jesup 03:21, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Objectively, Gerlach won overwhelming victories in Chester, Berks and Lehigh counties where he defeated Lois Murphy by in excess of 10 percentage points. Gerlach's district covers mostly Northern Chester County. If you look at the precincts in N. Chesco where Gerlach won handily, you will also see that Sen. Santorum beat Casey in those precincts.

A 10-point victory isn't anything to shake a stick at. If it were four percentage points, then I'd agree with you. Numerically, Gerlach beat Murphy by some 15,000 votes in Chester County.

The greatest area of Democratic realignment in the county is in the West Chester vicinity, which is evidenced by the current state of affairs with Shannon Royer and Barbara McIlvaine-Smith in the 156th state house district. BTW, it's interesting that State Rep. Curt Schroder,R-155th, (Gerlach's successor in the 155th State House District)declared his candidacy for majority/minority leader the day after the election on a reform platform. I wonder if he's posturing himself for something bigger, hmm.

As far as Berks is concerned, you would have to look by precinct on the voter services Web site.

I'd like to flesh out Gerlach's state legislative career a bit more on his open-space activism.--FidesetRatio 04:05, 12 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Actually it was ~9200 votes in Chester County. (~15000 in Chester, Berks, and Lehigh). The point is "overwhelming" is a very loaded term in a number of ways; 55/45 or 54/46 is not what I'd call overwhelming (nor is it dramatically different than the results in those counties in the last two elections); I think most people wouldn't use that term.  4% (52/48) would be considered a pretty close result.  It's hard to use that term without risk of POV (and newspaper articles often can have POV, and often use somewhat loaded terms to enhance the "drama" of an article, which is not sufficiently neutral for an encyclopedia).  Kind of like "landslide".  "Significant" might be a better word; less tricky connotations.
 * I scanned a bunch of precincts in the NW of the county, and also around Downingtown - while the NW is more republican and splits less, the overall pattern holds - lots of republicans splitting tickets, voting for casey and even more often rendell, but often not for murphy. The only one I saw where casey and rendell didn't win or come very close was Elverson (with ~600 voters, registration 662R/190D/92I), though I didn't look at them all.  jesup 04:54, 12 November 2006 (UTC)


 * We'll agree to disagree, and I won't press the issue.--FidesetRatio 19:03, 12 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Thanks. And again, thanks for the useful edits.  jesup 22:43, 12 November 2006 (UTC)
 * FYI, this analysis of Berks voting backs up what my analysis of Chester county above, and backs up the idea Madonna hadn't looked at the details yet - hey, he has the entire state to deal with, it's not surprising. :-)  jesup 02:31, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
 * BTW, earlier today I changed the wording slightly; you may like it better than before. jesup 02:32, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
 * I saw it. No complaints here.--FidesetRatio 02:34, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Nidaros Rite
I'm sorry, I know nothing of this rite apart from what I have seen on Wikipedia. I presume you have already found anything useful that I would myself would be able to find on the Internet. I have no book that would give information.

By the way, I pass on to you a recommendation that was given to me some months after I was provoked to get involved in Wikipedia: Put something on your User Page. User:FidesetRatio will then no longer appear as a red link, and this will add yet more to the inherent significance of your comments. Lima 05:05, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Google Books
The snippets shown are of no interest to me. I would like to have access to a book in a way similar to the way you can, with other systems, easily read on screen certain old sources recently added to Wikipedia articles. Google Books seems to have some way of downloading books, perhaps also of reading the whole book on screen, but I have not been clever enough to work out quickly how that is done. Doubtless you can explain the procedure. Lima 06:24, 26 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Point and click my friend. I've already uploaded a bunch on the Pre-Tridentine Mass page, Use of York, Durham rite, Sarum Rite and the Breviary page.

It allows you to save them as pdfs for later review.--FidesetRatio 06:27, 26 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Point and click at what? I've seen that you have put links to several Google Books pages on the Wikipedia Pre-Tridentine Mass page.  Let's say I follow the last link that you have placed there.  It takes me to The missal of Robert of Jumièges. What is there for me to point to and click?  There is even the indication "No preview available".  You may have some way of overcoming this difficulty.  I do not.  Your next-to-last link takes me to Sarum Missal. Here I see no indication of "No preview available".  But I still do not know how to get to read more than some for me useless snippets of the book.  I presume there is a way of viewing the book and perhaps of downloading it.  I leave it to you to explain it to me, rather than trying to puzzle it out myself.  As things are at present, I can make no use of the Google Books links you have provided.  Lima 19:22, 26 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Even "Click on the download feature and save the book as a pdf for future review" is of no help to me. I have already looked in vain for something on the Google Books screen like what you call the "download feature".
 * Perhaps the solution lies in clicking on something different, namely "Sign in", in the top right-hand corner. I may try this later today.  I expected something much more simple and direct.  Something like the Web pages you arrive at with the last two links at Tridentine_Mass.  There you can immediately read what you want, without going through any preliminary procedure in order to be allowed to.  Lima 04:58, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't know what's up there because I can do it on my computer without logging in.--FidesetRatio 17:16, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Benedictine Rite
One speaks of the Sarum Rite etc. in relation to Mass. There never was, I believe, a Benedictine Rite of Mass. Only of the Liturgy of the Hours. An apples and oranges situation, I would think.

By the way, Google Books now works for me. Not that I did anything such as signing in. (The pre-Tridentine forms of Mass used outside of Rome do not stir my curiosity, at least not now.) The change must have come from Google Books itself. Can it perhaps have removed a limitation that it previously applied to the country where I am? Lima 20:00, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

per your comments on Talk:AP Stylebook
I disagree that quality control on Wikipedia is useless. Articles undergo a rather rigorous quality control process ultimately leading to peer review and featured status. Maintaining the quality of articles is challenging and often relies on the concerted efforts of a core group of individuals who become invested in the article's quality. I agree that the vast majority of writers don't know an expletive from a superlative, but the fact that anyone can write also allows anyone to edit. I have always been impressed by the usual swiftness with which vandalism of articles is reverted. --Shaggorama (talk) 16:47, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
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