User talk:WikiDon/07archive

Trucks
Pardon for intruding, but would you be interested in supporting the creation of a project about trucks? Please feel free to sign up or just comment at WikiProject_Council/Proposals. Rotten Stone 16:31, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Terry Stafford
Hello, WikiDon, thanks for improving my Terry Stafford article. Not that I can find any reference to myself in the history, but then I am fairly new to Wikipedia & don’t know all the tricks by any means. Another example: how did you manage to capitalise ‘Stafford’? It was uncapitalised because I always type in the search box in lower case & the article originated from there - Rothorpe 18:52, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Hi, Don, I reckon you deserve the epithet Wiki after all that stuff you have written. Thanks for the explanation re ‘Terry stafford’. It seems he had a sad life, the archetypal one-hit wonder. I didn’t know he was also a songwriter until I researched the article. Yes, I like various kinds of music, as you can see from the list, though some of my favourites are missing, Miles Davis, Delius, Sibelius, Beethoven, Dylan. Nice funeral selection - Peter Sellers, though, had a different approach… You deduced I had cats from the user page, right? Eva is in charge of the photography around here, and I don’t think we’ve got any pictures of our current pair - we’ve had about a dozen, I reckon. Sad about Fiesta. There was a dog where we lived in Guimarães who eventually died. He was named Dany by a member of Eva’s family - I spelt it that way because of the Café Dany down the road, which turned out to be named after the owner, a Frenchwoman called Danielle. Dany the Dogg never had a proper owner before me, as he was officially Eva’s mother’s dog, but she didn’t like animals, so he took to following me around - at one time I used to take him for a long walk every afternoon & again after midnight. Nice maps of Iceland. Have you been there? - Rothorpe 23:34, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Chicago Theater on DYK
Thank you for your contributions! &mdash; ERcheck (talk) 04:57, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Elmer Harris Entry
WikiDon:

I was pleased to encounter what seems to be your entry on Elmer Harris, playwright, etc.

Numerous details are in error, however--perhaps a consequence of the understandable difficultly one experiences when collating online sources and when continuing research reveals new information.

For example, the broom factory referred to was not Harris' father's, and it was his eldest brother who worked there (his father was a lay minister); the San Francisco earthquake damaged the San Francisco Call-Bulletin's headquarters and ended Harris' association with it, but the earthquake did not end the newspaper itself; Harris *probably* worked on translations with Cora Older, but this has not been verified; Harris did not, despite his own claim, help found the artist colony at Carmel-by-the-Sea, but was merely an early member, which perhaps has the retrospective effect of seeming to be a founding member (this was also true of his membership in the PEI colony); Harris did not, as you state, travel back and forth from Manhattan to San Francisco, as his professional interests were in Los Angeles, not San Francisco; _Sham_ was neither Harris's first play nor even his first American play, as _Sham_ as this was preceded by production of _Tempesta_ in Germany in 1902 and _The Offenders_ in 1908; Harris wrote _The Offenders_ and _Trial Marriage_ in someplace other than PEI as you state, as he had not acquired the property at the time of his writing; the sentence in your text that reads, "He would see the transitions of the motion picture industry of both the move from New York to Hollywood, and from silent flims to sound" includes a misspelled word ("flims") and I believe needs to substitute the "of" with "from" to clarify your meaning; your sentence "For the next twenty-years he was very prolific, collaborating on, directing, adapting, or supervising the production of almost 35 silent and "sound" films, while also writing seven original screenplays of his own" is unattributed plagiarism of my own sentence, "Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Harris wrote more than seven original screenplays and had adapted, collaborated upon, directed or supervised the production of almost thirty-five other silent and "sound" films" (the definition of plagiarism admitting that an inexact reproduction or only cursory rewording constitutes such a violation that is not mitigated simply by providing a link elsewhere on the page--a concern that applies equally to your next sentence); Harris had written a good handful of screenplays before _The Lottery Man_, as is supported by records at the Library of Congress (and often poorly reported elsewhere); it's probably not exact to state that he spent half his time in New York City, ply that the other half was in California, and then suggest he spent summers in Canada, as this would consitute something over two halves; and, if you'll forgive me, please change "Lydia" Dingwell to "Belinda" Dingwell.

I imagine that one of the predictable shortcomings of trying to write such texts based solely on internet sources rather than based on your own research lends both to the inadvertent reproduction of errors, and, in your case, the inadvertent creation of unintended new meanings as you reword others' writings. It is analogous perhaps to the difference between copying from an encyclopedia in order to create a quick book report and actually going to the library: the first method is expedient and, compared to the second method, error-prone and lacking in intellectual rigor.

Alas, I admit my own work has plenty of errors--lots of them--and that's my problem, and I have to correct them as I research about them. The operative difference in our cases might be, however, you seem to have borrowed uncritically from your sources without questioning them and then, worse, presented others' writing as your own (one has to wonder why you attempted to rewrite my work at all, and didn't simply cut, paste, and attribute it accordingly. At least in this way you would cede responsibility for any errors).

When time permits, and when I've completed my current research, I'll look into collaborating with you on a revsion of Harris' Wikipedia entry. For now,

Regards, http://elmer.hipbo.org/ 12 Mar. 2007 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 143.112.32.4 (talk) 15:25, 12 March 2007 (UTC).

Chicago Theatre GA
TonyTheTiger (talk/cont/bio/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 15:14, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Why Tai-Pan??
The description of the limbs being cut off over a long period seemed to me a variation on slow slicing, particularly since this novel is very detailed in Chinese culture. I thought it was appropriate because of the below exert from this article in Wikipedia which seemed to me similar.

In his novel The Journeyer, author Gary Jennings demonstrates the distinction between Western myth and Chinese reality by referring to the "Death of a Thousand" as a torture procedure he explains thus: One thousand pieces of paper are placed in a container, and a paper is drawn out by the Fondler (the torturer) to determine where the cut will be made. Having determined that there are 333 body parts, each of these parts is represented three times (for a total of 999 - the 1,000th paper represents immediate death).

For example, the pinky finger - when the first paper is drawn denoting the pinkie finger, perhaps the digit will be removed to the first joint. The second time the pinky finger paper is drawn, another section to the next joint is amputated. The third time the pinky finger paper is drawn, the rest of the finger is amputated. Jennings also fictionalizes in the book that, in an extended form of the torture, the body parts and blood are fed to the condemned as his only nourishment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lorenzen6 (talk • contribs) 02:36, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Feedback: Lorenzen6
I agree that I need to know more. I was really just interested in adding 2 things that I believe impacted on the future:

1. Mae West choosing Cary Grant as her leading man made him a star which had an impact on not only him but the movie industry. This is well documented in every biography I have ever seen or read on her and him. However it is said.

2. Also, Sean Connery accepting a low salary upfront and reaping a big reward because he took a share of the profits had an impact on the way actors looked at movies. At the time, it was fairly shocking.

I don't wish to edit Wikipedia. I think it is great and very helpful.

Those 2 things were all I saw. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lorenzen6 (talk • contribs) 15:20, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

New Mexico article film additions
WikiDon,

Thanks for your input on the recent additions I made to the New Mexico article. I'm a noob at navigating around Wikipedia, so I can't seem to find your comments right now, but I think I've addressed them all. Like I said, I'm a noob, so let me know if there are still things I should change or do differently in the future. I also hadn't noticed I was editing the page without logging in, so please note the anonymous changes made in the Economy section regarding film production and post-production were me.

My partner and I specialize in audio post-production but are getting involved in producing, so it's actually possible I can get you an extra role in a film that's shooting next year if you're serious about that.

And thank you for the suggestion of a new article about Film in New Mexico. I have, indeed, considered that, but wanted to get my feet damp before I get them wet. (In retrospect, I probably should've spent more time in the sandboxes before I started throwing things into articles.)

Again, thanks for your input.

KingTor 20:17, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Re: Calle
Calle: Ha ha. Right now I'm not taking any medication, thank God. Thanks for fixing the error. Shalom Hello 15:30, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Re. WP:NOPRO
Dear WikiDon, I humbly disagree with your assessment. WP:NOPRO clearly states that Today's FA is "rarely ever" semi prtected, and should only be under "extreme circumstances". From my humble perspective, the levels of vandalism that Harry S. Truman is enduring today are comparable to any other article featured at the Main Page. Furthermore, I see that some of the most problematic IPs have already been blocked. Yet, I may well be wrong, so I encourage you to submit a request for another admin to review my decision, right under my note at WP:RFPP. Let me know if I can help you in any other way. Have a beautiful day,  P h a e d r i e l  - 05:58, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Protection of Harry S. Truman
Actually, now that it's not the featured article of the day any longer, there will be less vandalism. We don't protect or semi-protect articles by default, or preemptively, not even for featured articles. — TKD::Talk 00:46, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

John Wayne
The Native American stuff I left alone, though I was skeptical. Someone else took it out. That's fine. The other thing, which I deleted, was a blog, and didn't belong there. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 04:15, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I see. Looks like I messed up. But I think both of those items are gone now, right? Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 04:45, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
 * A bad carrot? Well, it could have been. I try to do things right, but sometimes I get a little mixed up on what version I'm reverting back to. Don't hesitate to call me on mistakes. :) Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 21:40, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Frank Wead
The only change I made to the Wead article was to change "Z telegram" to "Zimmermann Telegram", with a link to the wiki article. Reading that article will show you that it is the same incident that is being discussed. As for a cite re: the blockade, I have no idea. We'd need to find the person who added it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mykej (talk • contribs) 04:58, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

When I first saw "Z telegram", I thought it odd that it wasn't a link and yet was an incident famous enough to cause a blockade. I googled "Z telegram", and everything that came back had said "Zimmerman telegram", mentioned the connection to Mexico, WWI, and superficially, a blockade. In looking further, I've not found any indication that the US blockaded Mexico, either on the web or indeed, in the wiki article on the telegram itself. I would strongly support striking it from the Wead article. Mykej 04:44, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

With a little more searching, there was a brief blockade of Mexico during WWI, but long before the US entered the war, and three years before the telegram. USS Nashville (PG-7) article has a bit more info, but that blockade was in 1914. Wead didn't graduate from Annapolis until 1916. He was on a mine layer in the north sea in the last year of the war, the only reference to sea duty I can find for him so far. Mykej 05:43, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

McLintock!
RE: McLintock!: Good question. I haven't seen the film in ages, and although there are endless references to this line in Google, they don't seem to name the guy he slugged. Regarding rabbits, they actually like the greenery, not the roots, as I understand it. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 02:52, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
 * According to wikiquotes and the Leo Gordon article, that's the guy. So I added it to the quote. They're either all right or all wrong. Consistency R Us. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 03:19, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
 * "And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand / Sent a Lou'siana fellow to the Promised Land - Big John." Oops, different Big John. Also, there seems to be a slight discrepancy, as the article says Gordon died in 2000, unless that's a different Leo Gordon. More investigation needed. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 03:53, 25 September 2007 (UTC)
 * You're thinking of Gordon Jones, who also appeared in the film. But apparently it was Leo Gordon who took Wayne's fist and slid down a mudhill. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? 03:56, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

John Wayne, again
Hi and thanks for your note. I was mostly trying to make the reading flow better. There were a lot of run-on sentences and awkward phrasings that I was trying to improve. Your changes to the section regarding his mother's ancestry look great.

Regarding the cancer controversy section, I wasn't that thrilled with the word surprising either, but the lead-in still sounds weaselly. I'm not at all in favor of the "good number of" referral, as it's just ambiguous. It still needs a better descriptor.

Thanks again. Wildhartlivie 18:56, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Re: internal links
Well, about 75% of the movies in the Redford article were linked. I was merely linking the remaining few for consistency and convenience of those who might be interested in the main article about those movies. At any rate, this supposed 'rule' you cite about 'one link per article' is not observed in almost any article you care to look up. A rule no one attends might as well not exist. And further, do you chastise every person who adds more than one link per article? You must be kept quite busy if you do. The superciliousness and pettiness of wiki admins is one of the reasons wiki is considered a joke by a large portion of the net community. I was attempting to add value to an article. Your message to me is merely 'straw-bossing' and being irritating and unnecessary. I'm sure you'll delete this but I hope you'll learn something from it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.100.1.7 (talk) 04:51, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

HST & Cite Error 2
Thanks- I did not know how to generate a Cite Error 2 (see Truman's middle initial). I have added it to the troubleshooting section of my tutorial. Now I need to figure out 3, 5 and 6. BEG. --Gadget850 ( Ed) 21:17, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Infoboxes
I dont know this for sure but I dont think you can put the infobxes side to side, maybe you should ask user:Masonpatriot (who also makes infoboxes), if you can, he may know--Yankees10 22:47, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Re: Ext Lnks
Hi WikiDon. You left a message on my talk page (here) and I'm not sure what it's in regard to. Could you elaborate? Thanks. -- SiobhanHansa 19:44, 26 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Ah. These sorts of links are not normally appropriate.  They fall under Links normally to be avoided #11. Links to social networking sites (such as MySpace), discussion forums or USENET. (Yahoo groups are discussion forums). There are always exceptions, but this doesn't look like one of them to me. -- SiobhanHansa 20:03, 26 September 2007 (UTC)
 * You could propose rewording or adding that to the guideline. The problem with simply adding is that there are lots of examples that could be added (bulletin boards, message boards, email lists to name three others we don't already have).  So it could get ugly - but we do see a lot of yahoo groups getting put in articles so it might make sense to add that one. -- SiobhanHansa 20:47, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

Sandbox
The best way to prevent your page from showing up in search engines is to keep it on your computer. There are ways to prevent the content from showing up (using display:none), but the search engine will still take it. Prodego talk  23:20, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

re "Please don't sign article pages."
I just got a message which I believe was from you with the subject message. I'm pretty new and was working on a couple of different biographies doing a little cleanup and getting a little practice. I'm a little confused as I don't know if this is a general comment or specific to a certain entry. Regarding signing, I think I'm following the requirements of signing edits and talk comments. Please let me know what you meant and where the item is so that I don't repeat this mistake. Thanks.--CheMechanical 05:33, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Got your message re Guba. I never would have remembered that entry. It took me a while to check the history and figured out what happened but it appears I did accidentally sign the article. (I even previewed it and still didn't notice.) Thanks for catching that; I'll be more careful next time. OK to delete this section after you read it.--CheMechanical 05:48, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

RE Ginevra King
Thank you for the tips on citation; I constantly use and occasionally edit Wikipedia, but this is my first attempt at making a whole article (on a topic I couldn't believe there wasn't already an article on).

I searched for Ginevra King's birth date, but all I could find were her years of birth and death; I don't own either of the books mentioned in the article, but will keep an eye out. Also, unsurprisingly, she's mostly known only as a socialite and literary inspiration- very few accomplishments are cited and she's rarely mentioned at all outside of the context of Fitzgerald. However, I'll continue to add to the article as I find more information.

Again, thank you for the help.

Tenkun —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tenkun (talk • contribs) 03:11, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Page protection
WikiDon, I'm sorry about my failure to communicate at the Harry Truman page. Let me please try to explain carefully, and I apologize for the length. Indeed, I'm disappointed that I was unable to explain myself clearly before, because I'm afraid that I made you very stressed out for no reason. Please look at the Harry Truman protection log. You will see the protection in question with the text:

16:43, 19 September 2007 Rlevse (Talk | contribs) changed protection level for "Harry S. Truman" ‎ (stopping two days of constant vandalism [edit=sysop:move=sysop] (expires 00:00, September 21, 2007 (UTC)))

The way you can tell if a page is "full-protected" as opposed to "semi-protected" is from the field in the square brackets. When a page is semi-protected it says, [edit=autoconfirmed:move=autoconfirmed]. An example of a page that has been semi-protected is Blue Whale protection log. [edit=sysop], however, means that only a sysop/administrator can edit the page.

Any time a page is protected, it shows up on the protection log. You pointed to this version of the page as evidence. The notice on this page is actually generated by a template: {t1|ss-semi-protected}}. The template doesn't actually block a page.

Unfortunately, at Harry Truman, the protecting administrator accidentally used the incorrect template. He full-protected the page, but accidentally used a semi-protection template. Have I explained this so that it makes sense?

The essay WP:NOPRO says "Full protection of the page is generally prohibited." This is the only sentence that I was concerned about. As I said at talk:Harry Truman, almost everyone agrees with you that it is sometimes necessary to semi-protect these pages. I am deeply sorry that this misunderstanding led to Wikistress for you. I hope this makes better sense now. --JayHenry 05:12, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Ginevra King
The "Big Four" were mentioned in one of the articles cited, and also in this article from TIME in 1933 which I didn't cite because all it adds is the names of the other three. Although it might be significant that, as I think one of the articles on King mentions, Edith Cummings (another of the 4) was probably the inspiration for Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby- she presumably met Fitzgerald through King. TIME describes them as "famed" so they're definitely worth mentioning, but I think all they did was be an elite group of debutantes. (The others, however, it appears married significant men, including Edward Cudahy, Jr.)

Tenkun 05:12, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

The Big Four
After a substantial amount of research, I have basic outlines of the lives of each of the four, and I think it's a subject deserving of an article, although the individual members (especially Carry and Cummings) might not be notable enough for whole articles themselves.

My main question is this: what would be the best name for such an article? Big Four (debutantes) or Big Four (socialites)? Something else? Since there are already, of course, several articles called "Big Four," some clarification would be made, but I'm just not sure which is the most appropriate. Thanks for the help.

Tenkun 19:47, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Chicago articles
All you have to do to make sure an article gets a ChicagoWikiProject is make sure it has at least one category from WP:CHIBOTCATS. The bot checks these cats for new articles twice a week. I will look at all the links you sent later though.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 15:20, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Libby, Montana
My sympathies on your plight in dealing with User:17.221.13.236. I'm a member of WikiProject Montana, so I was drawn to your situation with the Libby article because it pops up on my Watchlist. It'd be nice if a fuller treatment of that town and its environmental history and status could be developed for Wikipedia sometime in the future--preferably with the input of conscientious users and not vandals. Good Luck. -- Ltvine | Talk 22:56, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm afraid to look at the Hairy "S" discussion
Here is a pretty good reference on southerners using initials as names.

. It's mainly about why black preachers used their initials instead of names -- short answer, better to be J.A. with the chance of being Rev. Jones, than to condescendingly  called by your first name, James, or Jim, or Jimbo or Jimmy.

However, down in the body of this impressive item, we find:

Of course, it's also true that most of the black preachers who used initials were in the South - where the use of initials for names also has a long history among whites. Every Tallahassee City Commission from 1920 to 1960 included at least one initialed member. In 1950, the commission consisted of five white men: W.T. Mayo, H.G. Easterwood, B.A. Ragsdale, W.H. Cates and - apparently an outlaw - Robert C. Parker.

William Rogers, retired Florida State history professor and prolific author, said he didn't know of anyone who'd done a study about the use of initials instead of first names. But he's convinced it was mainly a Southern custom of bygone days - among both whites and blacks.

He said many Southerners chose to use initials instead of given names they found "awkward or too fancy." Perhaps one-time Louisiana State quarterback Yelberton Abraham Tittle springs to mind.

Moreover, Rogers said, black and white Southerners had a history of giving their children only initials instead of full names. In some cases, they liked the catchy sound. Sometimes, Rogers said half-jokingly, large Southern families ran out of names by the time they got to the 10th or 11th child. Often, he said, it was a tribute to someone notable, such as the doctor who delivered the child or a local sports hero (Y.A. Tittle again?) - or even a minister - with just initials for his name.

"I think (Rivers') point is valid: In the South, you can never get away from race," Rogers said. "But I think it's a Southern cultural thing that cuts across racial lines."

Hope this is helpful. Thanks for asking. Ortolan88 01:57, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

Flags in Articles
Got your message about flags in biographies. As I mentioned earlier this week on a separate issue, I was practicing editing doing small things. I noticed that some of the information in the summary box for biographies was not consistent. Some had flags for the state, some for the country, some not at all, plus various usages of U.S., U.S.A., United States, etc.

I spent nearly an hour searching for a standard biography format to use as a guide but could not find anything, so I decided I would try cleaning a few up by matching the best format. After skimming the article you referenced I understand and agree. I'll go back and delete the flags in the articles I edited. Thank you.--CheMechanical 06:03, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

Re: F. Scott Fitzgerald House
Thanks for catching my goof in spelling F. Scott Fitzgerald House in F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was a combination of being in a hurry and being late in the evening when I needed sleep. Oh well. The link to 599 Summit Avenue looks better as well. --Elkman (Elkspeak) 14:30, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I was just thinking that we should have an article on Summit Avenue. It's an important street in St. Paul, and there are a lot of expensive and well-kept houses on there.  The James J. Hill House is a National Historic Landmark, and the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul (also on the National Register) is at the intersection of Summit Avenue and Selby Avenue.  There are a few different names for the area.  The National Register of Historic Places lists it as "Historic Hill District", while locals typically call it "Summit Avenue" even though there are important houses north and south of Summit as well.  Whatever we decide to call the article, it's definitely worth writing about.  I'll talk with other people at WikiProject Minnesota and see what we can come up with.  --Elkman (Elkspeak) 02:27, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

John Ford reference
I have added a reference but if you might also like to listen to the BBC program that included the info about John Ford. You may need RealPlayer to hear it. Here is the link but you will need to skip the first couple of minutes from the previous program. Peter Bogdanovich JMcC 18:16, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Hydraulic hammer
From my experience, in the field hoe ram is typically used. If an operator was told to move the hoe ram, hydraulic hammer or hydraulic breaker, they would likely know what was being asked. Maybe these are regional dialect differences or different craft terms for the same object. Hydraulic hammer appears to be the actual name and in my opinion is what the page should be titled. The two pages need to be combined they are the same. Just for reference, which term is linked to a redirect and which is linked twice. I will be more conscious of this in the future, thank you for making the correction, it is what makes Wikipedia so good.Granite07 01:07, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Award
Hey WikiDon! Congratulations on finding the page that does not exist. Here is your reward; you've earned it.

Congrats! selfworm Talk ) 01:44, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Ben Johnson
You're right, it doesn't MEAN he was Osage merely because he was born on the res, but it's highly indicative. I'm doing some digging and think I can ferret it out. I'm also in the process of getting exact confirmation on birthplace. I keep seeing Shidler, Pawhuska, and Foraker, all of which are on the Osage res, and all of which are within a few miles of each other (which might explain them being used variably, if Johnson were perhaps born on a ranch somewhere between all three towns). The fact is, it's highly unlikely he was born IN either Shidler or Foraker, as both towns are about the size of your computer screen. More likely, one of them is simply nearest to where he was born. But as I say, I'm digging. I knew Johnson very slightly, not enough to confirm any of this stuff, but I do know I'd always heard Osage rather than Cherokee. I'll be in touch when I find something solid. Monkeyzpop 07:16, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
 * P.S. As a Cherokee myself, I'd love to claim him.  But I don't think it's true. Monkeyzpop 07:17, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

Dick Cheney
Hey, I wanted to drop you a line, real quick, regarding Dick Cheney. You and Anastrophe. appear to be having a conflict there, and, you're right at 3 reverts. Just wanted to remind you about the 3 revert rule, and, ask that you discuss changes on the talkpage, instead of just endlessly reverting each other. (1st revert 2nd revert 3rd revert). Let me know, if you need anything. SQL(Query Me!) 11:44, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Wikiquette alert
Hi WikiDon - I've responded to your Wikiquette alert. Your response to my response would be greatly appreciated. Sarcasticidealist 17:25, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Weatherford
$$ Insert formula here $$

I have just made it a link so the link will obviously lead to a stub or less if there is no article but then someone who knows about weatherford will probably contribute to the article, after all thats the original idea of Wikipedia isnt it ?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Anipilot (talk • contribs) 12:35, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Cheney and Obama are eigth cousins -
Hello WikiDon - I must say, that was a rather rude comment you posted on my talk page. Rest assured, I do think before I make comments. If you read many long Wikipedia articles (Barack Obama for one), as well as any scholarly book, you'll discover that footnotes sometimes include explanatory material beyond  just references. "Footnotes are useful for material that would be distracting if included in the main text, yet is helpful in explaining a point in greater detail." (That quote, by the way, is from WP:FN.) The Cheney-Obama very distant connection is covered in a note that links to Cheney's parents - his ancestry - and provides a very tangential piece of information  about his genealogy. Next time, how about just making your observation or asking your question rather than suggesting that another editor doesn't think first. Cheers Tvoz | talk 07:54, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Schweitzer's Records
Hi there, WikiDon, I like your hounds. Thanks very much for trying to tidy up that Schweitzer discography. I have been adding to it (and to the Music section) as and when new information became available to me, and was suddenly aware of more lp stuff the other day. I would be surprised if there wasn't a complete discography somewhere but I have never found it. Sorry my efforts are a bit haphazard, its partly because my information is incomplete. But I think the current showing is fairly good, if slightly 'uncomfortable.' best wishes, Eebahgum 00:17, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Re:Flag icons
Hey, WikiDon how you doing? To tell you the truth I'm not a flag icon fan myself as you noticed in my Herman Bottcher article so, there will no problem even though it can be contested. Any fan of the Phoenix SUNS can not be all bad (smile). That said, since you read my artucle on Bottcher, I want you to tell me what you think. Incredible guy don't you think? Tony the Marine 20:34, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

About the Western Star
Why don't you do it? Optimus Prime did transforms into a Western Star truck remember? Also the Violations will simply be deleted anyway.(TougHHead 04:27, 31 October 2007 (UTC))

Sakhalin
Sorry about the bad English I edited. I didn’t copy-past the corrected sentence from MS word. I was going to change it, but I had to leave for a moment, thus it was on my desktop ready. Thanks for correcting my mistakes, but I would suggest not to pedantically chastise me in such detail. WP:DBN -Kain Nihil 00:00, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

User talk:Monkeyzpop
Welcome to Wikipedia. Everyone is welcome to contribute constructively to the encyclopedia. However, we remind you not to attack other editors. Please comment on the contributions and not the contributors. Take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. -Kain Nihil 00:36, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
 * My template was standard warning implementation; I am neither mad nor hiding. I am sorry that I did not know you were friends with Monkeyzpop and comments like ' Call your English professor.'and 'Where did you go school?' were jovial. That latter comment's bad english btw. However on this discussion page under 'Your edits to User talk:216.82.180.23' suggests more aggressive comments by you so I believe my template was justified for the amount of information I had at the time. -Kain Nihil 01:03, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Ohh well then no hard feelings, I felt from the three instances you were obsessed with correct English and wanted to sting in inappropriate detail any user whom didn't follow perfect English (yeah the edit I did seemed pigeon english), but I understand now, I suppose. -Kain Nihil 01:10, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
 * By the way I'm an anthropologist and I've been recently improving the Nivkhs article, I was wondering if you could edit it for correct english, clarity, and pertinence. If you have the time, Thanks. -Kain Nihil 01:58, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

John Wayne, Grammar, and where I went to school ;-)
Hey, WikiDon, I went to several schools up through graduate school, and then I taught high-school English, and in all of them it was taught what the difference between an independent and a dependent clause was. The sentence you quoted is not, as you suggested, made up of three (or more) independent clauses. Here's the whole sentence: "The rampant patriotism with which he was so identified in the decades to come sprang, it appears, not from hypocrisy but from guilt." You wrote: Independent clause: "with which he was so identified". Nope, an independent clause can stand alone, and this phrase can't. This is a dependent prepositional phrase serving as an adjectival modifier. You wrote: Independent clause: "in the decades to come". Nope, this is a dependent prepositional phrase serving as an adverbial modifier. You wrote: Independent clause: "sprang". Nope, this is merely a verb, not any kind of a clause. It is the predicate of the independent clause "The rampant patriotism...sprang." The elements of the sentence are a little more verbose but no different than "The patriotism he's identified with today sprang from...." and certainly no commas separate those elements. Diagramming the sentence (minus modifiers) would show "patriotism" as the subject, "sprang" as the verb predicate, and "it appears" as a parenthetical phrase. Parenthetical phrases are always set off by either commas or dashes, depending upon the length of the phrase. I don't think you'll find a reputable style manual, including even Wikipedia's, that disagrees. (See? I did it again just now.)  I appreciate very much your intention of being helpful with my grammar, but in this case you're in error. But thanks for the thought. Monkeyzpop 01:43, 2 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Re: "thus appears"  Yeah, it felt that way to me, too.  I was trying to get rid of that parenthetical phrase, "it appears," which seemed to trouble you grammatically, but which, of course, was no less waffly.  What I'm trying to do is suggest that reasonable people could and do conclude that his later actions were a response to his own feelings about his earlier behavior, and I think there's a legitimate WP means of doing so without being either waffly or POV.  But I haven't quite figured it out yet.  I'll ponder.  Suggestions welcome! Monkeyzpop 02:14, 2 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Perfect suggestion. I've rewritten.  Whaddaya think? Monkeyzpop 02:43, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Re: Mack Trucks
One source is American Truck & Bus Spotter's Guide: 1920-1985, by Tad Burness, but I remember others indicating that 1965 was the first year for the R-Series. 1966 was actually the last year for the B-Series. The first ones had the insignia above the grille written in script(like the B-Series, and previous models). Here's another tip; The U-Series is the same truck, with an offset cab. --DanTD 00:47, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Not vandalism
Respectfully, my edit is not vandalism.

Vandalism is defined as "any addition, removal, or change of content made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia." In contrast, my edit improves the integrity of Wikipedia by adding a cogent, sourced, neutral lead to an otherwise poorly written and poorly sourced section.

The added line: "Wayne, though a leading tough guy on screen and qualified to perform military service during World War II, managed, with the help of his studio, to avoid the draft.[16]" Is true, based both on external and internal references. It is sourced. It is neutral. Most importantly, it summarizes the controversy in one sentence so as to guide the reader into the subject matter. In short, it does everything a good lead should do.

Let's take a moment to dissect it and lay it next to the material that follows it in the article.

"A leading tough guy in screen" = "He epitomized ruggedly individualistic masculinity, and has become an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive voice, walk and enormous physical presence. "

"qualified to perform military service during World War II" = "Wayne was ... classified as 3-A (family deferment) ... In May, 1944, Wayne was reclassified as 1-A (draft eligible)."

"managed, with the help of his studio, to avoid the draft" = "but the studio obtained another 2-A deferment."

So, the lead is consistent with the body factually. Now let's examine it for bias or POV by examining it in its entirety.

"Wayne, though a leading tough guy on screen and qualified to perform military service during World War II, managed, with the help of his studio, to avoid the draft."

The sentence is objectivity neutral. It does not take a side. It does not say Wayne was wrong or hypocritical, nor does it say he right or righteous. It simply says "Hey - here is what you are going to read about in this section." In other words, it cogently expresses the controversy in a way the current lead does not.

If you do not accept the neutrality of the sentence, then, yet again respectfully, you are probably not a neutral reader and in removing the sentence you are deliberately attempting to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia by having the Wiki take sides in a very public controvery. 65.119.192.122 00:19, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

If you read the full article, you would see the quote. Further, even if unsourced, the lead is nuetral and supported internally by the section itself, as a good lead should be.

I note that you are unwilling to refute my discussion of the lead. That is unfortunate, I was interested in learning why you opposed it. 65.119.192.122 00:43, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

Hi Don
Hope all's well; Been working too hard to up-date my entries as yet, think I may have wait untill retirement to do all those little things I keep putting off! (That's not too far off either!)

Have though, read you articles with interest and can see where I'm going wrong.

Anyway, all the best from the UK, will be walking my dogs later though no-where as exciting as Mexico!

Take it easy,

Warren —Preceding unsigned comment added by Warrenwestbury (talk • contribs) 15:26, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

My inept edits
I shall take your advice and refrain from further edits. Thank you for being so gentle in pointing out my defficiencies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wmlschlotterer (talk • contribs) 08:47, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Just for your information, DDC has a policy for e-mail that we cannot recieve outside e-mail. Just inside the plant. Thanks to Diamler. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.14.36.195 (talk) 14:13, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Use of wikify tags
Hello. Just curious as to why you added a wikify tag to the Fifth Third Bank article, as it would otherwise appear to fall well into the safe zone between the WP:MOSLINKS and WP:OVERLINK guidelines. Likewise, while I completely agree with you that articles such as CCNY Point Shaving Scandal and Daimler Financial Services warrant cleanup tags, I do not see how wikify tags are applicable. Thanks, Kralizec! (talk) 19:39, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Thanks
I am not as good with wikipedia as you are but I would like to thank you for all of your help. UnclePaco 23:37, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

Categories
Is there some kind of policy page that states what order categories should be in? I've been trying to find one but have not succeeded. I think a discussion between me and User:Æthelwold would be fairly pointless when looking at the big picture - if there's not already a policy, this is something that should be discussed and decided on by a large number of participants and set into a definite standard. All Hallow&#39;s Wraith 05:38, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

John Gunther's Biography
Someone messed up this biography. I don't know enough to fix it or track down the perpetrator. I left that to you. Please advise. William L. Schlotterer 08:08, 12 November 2007 (UTC)Will Schlotterer

Edits to New Mexico History Page
Why did you do this: header 1 	header 2 	header 3 row 1, cell 1 	row 1, cell 2 	row 1, cell 3 row 2, cell 1 	row 2, cell 2 	row 2, cell 3

Looks like pure vandalism.

I was going to fix your other edit until I saw that, but then just reverted the entire addition.

The fix was:

"...colony.Franciscan monks followed the colonists to minister Christianity to the Indians. In this region of the Upper Rio Grand is where grape vines were first introduced to New Mexico."

In this country, we put a space after punctuation before continuing.

~ WikiDon 00:01, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

WikiDon,

My boss and I share ownership of our user page and thus the power to edit other pages. He is learning how to use Wikipedia. I apologize for the incorrect grammar on your page. The new edit will be correct.

Thank you,

ViticultureNMSU.

Nivkhs
Thanks for helping me on the Nivkhs page. -Kain Nihil 06:40, 16 November 2007 (UTC)