User talk:Spencer/Archive 25

The Signpost: 26 November 2014

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67.236.182.55
Hi Spencer, you recently blocked for adding bizarrely formatted sponsorship content to various articles. The IP continues to add this content to their user page, which is becoming disruptive for those who have it watchlisted. I think perhaps revoking talk page access might be in order? User has done this six times today according to their contribution page. Thanks, Cyphoidbomb (talk) 22:01, 3 December 2014 (UTC)
 * ✅. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Cyphoidbomb.  Spencer T♦ C 22:42, 3 December 2014 (UTC)
 * No probs. Could it be roboediting? Very weird stuff. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 03:36, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
 * Possibly a spambot, but I don't have enough experience identifying those to conclude that (and I haven't seen previously established spambots with a similar editing pattern.  Spencer T♦ C 06:30, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 03 December 2014

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WikiCup 2015 is just around the corner...
Hello everyone, and may we wish you all a happy holiday season. As you will probably already know, the 2015 WikiCup begins in the new year; there is still time to sign up. We have a few important announcements concerning the future of the WikiCup.


 * We would like to announce that Josh (J Milburn) and Ed (The ed17), who have been WikiCup judges since 2009 and 2010 respectively, are stepping down. This decision has been made for a number of reasons, but the main one is time. Both Josh and Ed have found that, over the previous year, they have been unable to devote the time necessary to the WikiCup, and it is not likely that they will be able to do this in the near future. Furthermore, new people at the helm can only help to invigorate the WikiCup and keep it dynamic. Josh and Ed will still be around, and will likely be participating in the Cup this following year as competitors, which is where both started out.
 * In a similar vein, we hope you will all join us in welcoming Jason (Sturmvogel 66) and Christine (Figureskatingfan), who are joining Brian (Miyagawa) to form the 2015 WikiCup judging team. Jason is a WikiCup veteran, having won in 2010 and finishing in fifth this year. Christine has participated in two WikiCups, reaching the semi-finals in both, and is responsible for the GA Cup, which she now co-runs.
 * The discussions/polls concerning the next competition's rules will be closed soon, and rules changes will be made clear on WikiCup/Scoring and talk pages. While it may be impossible to please everyone, the judges will make every effort to ensure that the new rules are both fair and in the best interests of the competition, which is, first and foremost, about improving Wikipedia.

If you have any questions or concerns, the judges can be reached on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, on their talk pages, or by email. We hope you will all join us in trying to make the 2015 WikiCup the most productive and enjoyable yet. You are receiving this message because you are listed on WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. J Milburn (talk), The ed17 (talk), Miyagawa (talk), Sturmvogel 66 (talk) and Figureskatingfan (talk) 18:54, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 10 December 2014

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:50, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 17 December 2014

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 10:08, 19 December 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 December 2014

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WikiCup 2015 launch newsletter
Round one of the 2015 WikiCup has begun! So far we've had around 80 signups, which close on February 5. If you have not already signed up and want to do so, then you can add your name here. There have been changes to to several of the points scores for various categories, and the addition of Peer Reviews for the first time. These will work in the same manner as Good Article Reviews, and all of the changes are summarised here.

Remember that only the top 64 scoring competitors will make it through to the second round, and one of the new changes this year is that all scores must be claimed within two weeks of an article's promotion or appearance, so don't forget to add them to your submissions pages! If you are concerned that your nomination will not receive the necessary reviews, and you hope to get it promoted before the end of the round, please list it on WikiCup/Reviews. However, please remember to continue to offer reviews at GAN, FAC and all the other pages that require them to prevent any backlogs which could otherwise be caused by the Cup. As ever, questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup and the judges are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! , and

If you wish to opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself from the mailing list or alternatively to opt-out of all massmessage mailings, you may add Category:Opted-out of message delivery to your user talk page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:51, 2 January 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 31 December 2014

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:10, 2 January 2015 (UTC)

Thanks
Very decent of you on the Je Suis Charlie Hebdo issue. The images are still bug news here in the US where I get my news aggregator's reports. μηδείς (talk) 19:34, 9 January 2015 (UTC)
 * No problem! Best,  Spencer T♦ C 19:44, 9 January 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 07 January 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:39, 9 January 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 14 January 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:27, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 21 January 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 10:14, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 January 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:15, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 04 February 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:41, 6 February 2015 (UTC)

Beck Grammy Awards 2015
Hello, Mr. Spencer User:Kagemaru2022 Why do keep on thinking that beck has only got 2 grammys at 57th Annual Grammy Awards night Or should I say that he didn't deserve the award of album of the year but Beyoncé or you hate him me two but man, it's over he take it home and let's face it he deserved it. The Grammys do not lie to us He really Got 3 awards; Album of the year, Best rock album, Best engineered album Special thanks to You Kagemaru2022 (talk) 16:55, 10 February 2015 (UTC)
 * Hi User:Kagemaru2022, I wasn't involved with posting this particular item, so I would recommend you bring these concerns over to In_the_news/Candidates. Best,  Spencer T♦ C 19:25, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Hi, Spencer I'm sorry about that but you know I see you were the last editor of that page [|Page] after only 10 hours of my edit I saw you are a big editor experience©…………right ..Complex wiki and you ..I'm talking about edit like( &+$*@ ¢ <3 #+
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The Signpost: 18 February 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:25, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 February 2015

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 * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:38, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 February 2015

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WikiCup 2015 March newsletter
That's it, the first round is done, sign-ups are closed and we're into round 2. 64 competitors made it into this round, and are now broken into eight groups of eight. The top two of each group will go through to round 3, and then the top scoring 16 "wildcards" across all groups. Round 1 saw some interesting work on some very important articles, with the round leader owing most of his 622 points scored to a Featured Article on the 2001 film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within which qualified for a times-two multiplier. This is a higher score than in previous years, as had 500 points in 2014 at the end of round 1, and our very own judge,  led round 1 with 601 points in 2013.

In addition to Freikorp's work, some other important articles and pictures were improved during round one, here's a snapshot of a few of them:
 * took Bumblebee, a level-4 vital article, to Good Article;
 * worked-up the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 article, also to Good Article status;
 * developed an extremely timely article to Good Article, taking Magna Carta there some 800 years after it was first sealed;
 * And last but not least, worked up a number of Featured Pictures during round 1, including the 1948 one Deutsche Mark (pictured right), receiving the maximum bonus due to the number of Wikis that the related article appears in.

You may also wish to know that The Core Contest is running through the month of March. Head there for further details - they even have actual prizes!

If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on WikiCup/Reviews. Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. , and

Thanks for your assistance! Miyagawa (talk) on behalf of Wikipedia:WikiCup.

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ERRORS ON THE PRESIDENT'S OWN MARINE BAND PAGE
Hello Spencer: I wanted to let you know about errors on a page defining the President's Own Marine Band. The opening sentence is incorrect. (The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps.) The President's Own Marine Band is NOT a part of the United States Marine Corps. It's members do not get paid by the Department of Defense. The budget for the President's Own Marine Band is NOT part of the Department of Defense budget. If you look carefully at their website as well as their printed and advertisement materials the word "Corps" is left out deliberately.

Also, this section is incorrect: "Selected band members serve under a four-year contract as active duty enlisted Marines and are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and physical standards. They are the only members of the United States Armed Forces not required to undergo recruit training and do not perform combat missions." Marine Band members DO NOT serve as active duty enlisted Marines, although they are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and physical standards, they are not considered active duty. Instead they serve under 6 year government contracts that are renewable.

I spent nearly 21 years as a member of the United States Marine CORPS Bands and my neighbors are current members of the President's Own Marine Band.

Patricia A. Fitzgerald Gunnery Sergeant, USMC (Retired) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.162.128.55 (talk) 20:38, 2 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Hi, I'm not familiar with the article; you may want to note these on the article talk page (Talk:United States Marine Band) or you can edit the article yourself if you have reliable sources. Best,  Spencer T♦ C 00:10, 3 March 2015 (UTC)

Bandatoryy
I have found out that this user's actions indicate a vandalism-only account, and should probably be blocked indefinitely. Electric Burst (Electron firings)(Zaps) 21:36, 4 March 2015 (UTC)
 * The user's edits have not been blatant vandalism as far as I can tell. After two weeks, the user will be able to return to contribute constructively to the encyclopedia and if not will be blocked for a longer period of time, perhaps indefinitely.  Spencer T♦ C 21:39, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 04 March 2015

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The Signpost: 11 March 2015
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75.154.161.210
Immediately following the end of the block, this IP has continued the same vandalism. Frietjes (talk) 16:17, 8 March 2015 (UTC)
 * back again as 75.158.244.157. Frietjes (talk) 17:30, 14 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 March 2015
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The Signpost – Volume 11, Issue 12 – 25 March 2015
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LTA case
Spencer, how about this? I've seen a half a dozen accounts already, plus numerous IPs. Is there an SPI? Is this party over already? Drmies (talk) 01:09, 30 March 2015 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure about an SPI - it appears that this was roughly 2 years ago - but there was a carryover of extensive abuse from another language Wikipedia involving multiple accounts. I haven't seen anything recently, however.  Spencer T♦ C 01:13, 30 March 2015 (UTC)
 * That same person was active with different accounts until at least August last year. I was just wondering. Drmies (talk) 01:24, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost, 1 April 2015
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The Signpost: 01 April 2015
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The Signpost: 08 April 2015
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The Signpost: 15 April 2015
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The Signpost: 22 April 2015
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ITN
Could you take a look at this discussion and assess the consensus? If there is no consensus to post, no problem, but I would at least like an admin to weigh the arguments. Thanks, ThaddeusB (talk) 16:02, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 April 2015
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