Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/IncidentArchive784

Weird and inaccurate information repeatedly inserted in reference on Elastic Therapeutic Taping.
I do not know who is inserting this information so I cannot notify them. I am notifying whoever is reading this that the product and medical technique known as Kinesiology taping or Elastic Therapeutic Taping was not invented by Komp and Mazza. The patents cited in the early edits were for a different product, sold currently as Kendall "Sher-Light" tape. This has been going on since the summer of 2012 and it is hard to continue to assume good faith, as at some point this person or discrete group of people had to have read the patent materials they were citing. At least I would hope so. Here is a link to the tape they developed. It is a different tape.https://www.medco-athletics.com/Supply/Product.asp?Leaf_Id=85910 — Preceding unsigned comment added by DemonTigerMom (talk • contribs) 19:39, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The who in question seems to be User:67.168.206.47. However, I don't think this is the right place to discuss the matter. This probably should either be brought up at Talk:Elastic therapeutic tape or you could try communicating with the IP as this seems to be more of a content dispute. SassyLilNugget (talk) 20:16, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Regardless of this particular issue, the article needs more attention. In particular, it had a so-called 'history' section full of promotional claims. As none of these complied with the relevant policy, WP:MEDRS, I have deleted it. AndyTheGrump (talk) 20:20, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Well, that's weird ... the "history" deleted was appropriately sourced (they weren't medical statements, they were statements explaining how this particular unproven medical "stuff" came to be so popular), and several MEDRS tags on medical claims which did need to be sourced to secondary review sources were removed. Whatever.  I'm (undeniably) a fan of MEDRS, but when it's misapplied, folks end up (wrongly) irritated at the guideline.   That means either allowing medical claims from journal sources when secondary reviews should be used, as well as disallowing lay sources when they are appropriate.  Sandy Georgia  (Talk) 21:16, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * There were no sources 'explaining how this particular unproven medical "stuff" came to be so popular' - for that, we'd need a source that actually explained it, rather than sources that it was seen at the Olympics, was used by Lance Armstrong (I'll not comment on his reliability as a source), and was used at Wimbledon and the EUFA championships. Find a reliable source that says it is popular, rather than trying to prove it by synthesis. Incidentally, there seems to be some confusion in the article as to whether it refers to a particular brand of tape, or to 'elastic therapeutic tape' in general. AndyTheGrump (talk) 00:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

TWFanmily and User:Ellielouux
Today, new editor created the article "TWFanmily". This article is about the fanbase of the group The Wanted. I've been able to confirm the existence of this term to describe the fanbase, but the article as created by Ellielouux is a jumble of unreferenced, highly non-neutral text. The article was prod'ed by User:Scientific Alan 2, but Ellielouux unprod'ed it a minute later. I then turned it into a redirect to The Wanted (where the fanbase isn't even mentioned). I then posted to Ellielouux's talk page explaining what I did and why. Ellielouux continues to revert changes to the article. Some other eyes, please. Ellielouux has been notified. Thank you, --Hammersoft (talk) 22:17, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * User:MrX tagged it for speedy deletion. I turned it into a redirect again, and tried (hopefully not in vain) one last time to explain the situation to Ellielouux . --Hammersoft (talk) 22:39, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * And again Ellielouux reverts. I'm done. Another set of eyes please. Please? --Hammersoft (talk) 22:42, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It's been speedy deleted now, but it really should exist as a redirect. Oh well. --Hammersoft (talk) 22:56, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Boldly recreated as redirect. — Theopolisme   ( talk )  23:44, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

A concern about the article about Walid Shoebat


The article says that CNN accused Walid of being a fraud. It leaves the matter there without further remarks. However, Walid provided an extensive response to these accusations. Why were these not included? The author included the criticisms of a member of CAIR. However I have heard that at one individual was actively involved at some level with Hamas and they were convicted of a crime for this. Would someone please look into this matter further. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.36.154.115 (talk • contribs) 2013-01-28 22:33:29‎
 * This is Wikipedia. Edit the article. Source your claim. Be prepared to discuss.--WaltCip (talk) 23:06, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Or, rather: Find a better and more trustworthy source of information than "I have heard.".  Nail down the actual facts of the matter using people who check their facts, who have good reputations for accuracy, and who have properly published their information.  Read Talk:Walid Shoebat and the rest of the talk page.  Then and only then turn to editing the article.  Uncle G (talk) 23:53, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

What's up?
Am I the only one who can't get scripts and collapsible thingys to work or is it a site-wide problem? Automatic Strikeout ( T  •  C ) 04:46, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I haven't seen any of that, but the best venue to get a problem like that fixed is at WP:VPT. They'll probably suggest bypassing your cache or something along those lines. Ryan Vesey 04:50, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It worked! Thanks. Automatic Strikeout  ( T  •  C ) 04:53, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Undo some moves please
A month or so ago, I meant to indefinitely block the already temporarily blocked for socking, but neglected to do so. I fixed the block, but he moved a couple of pages before I was aware of him. I don't know how to undo page moves. Thx! --jpgordon:==( o ) 05:16, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I only see one move, of the article on partial-birth abortion, and there are no deleted contributions. Did you meant some other username?  And why can't you undo the moves?  It looks like they'll be simple Special:MovePage/Late termination of pregnancy tasks; is there something I'm missing?  I'd rather not move anything myself until I know better what's going on.  Nyttend (talk) 05:25, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * To undo a page move, you just move it again back to the original - if there's a redirect it'll warn you and as an admin you can force the move over the redirect. But one thing to be wary of is that if you tell it to move the talk page too and there's a redirect for that, it can fail and leave you with the page moved and its talk not. When there have been redirects, I've generally moved the page and the talk separately. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 05:36, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks! --jpgordon:==( o ) 06:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

BLP issues at Anita Sarkeesian
As many of us know, the Anita Sarkeesian article has been a particularly sensitive BLP issue since the subject was the victim of a sustained harassment campaign last May. Mostly this has been handled through scrupulous patrolling, however one particular user, Niemti, continues to use the talk page in a manner inconsistent with BLP, the talk page guidelines, and general competence, and it needs to stop. Niemti, coming off a ban as HanzoHattori and currently the subject of an RFC/U about his behavior, dislikes Sarkeesian and feels the article is primarily about video games, entitling him to add negative material from video game blogs. Worse, for over two months, he has choked the talk page with incoherent rants that disparage the subject, circulate negative gossip, and derail any discussions about actual article improvements. He has been warned about this various times, but won't or can't stop his disruption. Most recently he started a facepalm-inducing RM that's a pretty transparent attempt to shift the focus of the article in the hopes it will let him introduce negative material from video game blogs. He's spent the last three days bludgeoning any RM participant who disagrees with him (which, naturally, is every other editor) and going off on yet more disparaging tangents. Enough's enough. It's clear Niemti can't participate at this article in any collaborative fashion. He needs to be banned from the article and its talk page - and any discussion of Anita Sarkeesian on Wikipedia. It's also time to look more comprehensively at the issues brought up at his RFC/U.--Cúchullain t/ c 16:25, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I support Cúchullain's analysis of the situation. Classic case of WP:IDIDNOTHEARTHAT that has gone on for far too long. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom  18:10, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I can support/reinforce what Cuchullain is saying too. It's the same problems I come into every single time I interact with Niemti. (For the record, I rarely have actual personal conflicts with him, it's more that editors are always coming to WP:VG asking for help with dealing with him, a place where I frequently provide assistance.) He has ownership issues, and you can't hold a rationale discussion with him on talk pages. His responses are usually long confusing rants filled with condescending, saracastic remarks..
 * It's hard to recommend what to do though; as difficult and rude as he may be, he usually keeps within the bounds of blockable offenses. (He reverts people without explanation, but usually stays within 3RR. He's rude, but usually doesn't violate WP:NPA.) Sergecross73   msg me   18:19, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Topic ban proposal
In this case his strange gossip is clearly a BLP issue, and his refusal to get the point and talk page railroading is disruptive. He needs to be banned from all discussion involving Anita Sarkeesian. And please, someone close that disruptive RM.Cúchullain t/ c 18:36, 18 January 2013 (UTC) Okay, let's make it formal. My proposal: Niemti is indefinitely banned from the Anita Sarkeesian article, its talk page, and any discussion of the subject on Wikipedia.Cúchullain t/ c 18:41, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Niemti's issues stretch beyond just this article as noted above, but if this works in halting some of his disruption I don't see the harm in supporting a ban. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ( talk ) 18:43, 18 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I also support Cuchullain's topic ban proposal and if this works in preventing some of his disruption, I do not see any problem with that per David Fuchs's comments on this situation. I agree with Cuchullain that it's perfectly clear that Niemti cannot participate in this article in a collaborative fashion and also that it's about time to look into the situation over at the user's RFC/U. This pattern of disruption is unacceptable. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 18:51, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

I have to ask at this juncture whether anybody not editing from Sympathetic Point of View with Sarkeesian will be treated as part of a larger "harassment campaign" and blocked. Iamcuriousblue (talk) 20:44, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Feel free to comment on the actual situation here.Cúchullain t/ c 21:10, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Also note that the RM has been closed by TRPOD. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:08, 18 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support a topic ban. Drmies (talk) 00:57, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support topic ban. Nobody is suggesting the AS article should be free of criticism or critique, merely that all such be cited from RS. The editor under discussion has long since passed the threshold of disruptiveness. BusterD (talk) 04:41, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support topic ban. This editor has gone too far beyond constructive dialog and consensus-seeking and is way into disruptive territory, and clearly will not stop voluntarily. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 05:37, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree wholeheartedly with a topic ban. Niemti hass shown time and time again to be incapable of separating passionate personal views on the matter from what is relevant to article content or talkpage discussion. As long as there is zero understanding and not even the mild intellectual sympathy of feminist media analysis in video games, Niemti's interaction with the topic will remain destructive. Peter Isotalo 05:43, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support See also recent AN ban discussion, closed as no consensus. NE Ent 13:27, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose - I went to the Anita Sarkeesian article and talk page expecting to see a woman-hating disruptive editor harassing other editors, based upon the description given above, but that's not what I saw. Many of the editors Niemti suggested did, in fact, advance the cause of NPOV policy. He has a clear view, but it's clear that certain editors are wikilawyering to prevent that view from being even mentioned in the article. When editors try to argue that an article about a woman known for criticizing video games for sexism has nothing to do with video games and therefore sources about videogames cannot be used in the article, that's crazy. When they try to prevent published criticism of the topic of the article by saying that the source is not reliable because it is a video game blog (video game blogs can be reliable) but allows a lot of primary sources and feminist blogs to be used as sources, that's not following WP:RS, that's cherry picking sources to use the article as a promotional piece advancing her views and her career. In my opinion Niemti is not any more guilty of WP:IDIDNOTHEARTHAT than the editors currently their rejecting his input. Wiipedia editors are far too quick to try to block people over disagreements over views instead of actual behavior. This is just civil POV pushing. DreamGuy (talk) 17:03, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * All I can say is that regulars of WP:VG appear to have a thing or two to learn about critical analysis of references. Some of the nonsense sourcing (blogs, forums, fan databases, "quote references") that many video game articles get away with would never be tolerated in other fields. This is a perfect example of what happens when those standards are applied outside the somewhat sheltered views of gaming aficionados. Peter Isotalo 03:42, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I can't stress enough that WikiProject Video Games does not call the source in question (Destructoid) "reliable". This is something that Niemti keeps on saying that simply isn't true. WP:VG classifies it as "situational", as it can only be used in rare instances, because sometimes their stories are picked up by more reliable sources, showing it's likely reliable/true information, yet Destructoid should ultimately get credited for being the source. There's no way that this is one of those scenarios where WP:VG would deem the source useable. So don't misdirect the issue here. Sergecross73   msg me   04:32, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Content matters aren't at issue here. The issue is Niemti's behavior, which has been totally disruptive to the article. Comments like this have no place anywhere on Wikipedia.Cúchullain t/ c 04:43, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think this your diff shows exactly what we disagree about. In the diff, Niemti simply makes an argument that a person is not really notable. This may or may not be a correct argument (I would have to do my own research), but I do not see this at all as a BLP violation or a personal attack. I would never make such comment. However, if someone else made such comment in discussion with me, I would consider this comment as frank and straight to the point. My very best wishes (talk) 14:03, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't get it. Niemti has repeatedly attempted to insert his own favored POV into the article in obvious violation of WP:RS and without any understanding of the topic at hand. Niemti has plagued the talkpage with long-winded rants, general incivility and only two days ago a disingenuous attempt to move the article. He has time and time again shown that he is unwilling or incapable of listening to arguments or to respect consensus.
 * Are you trying to tell us that Niemti's behavior in this case has actually been helpful and constructive...?
 * Peter Isotalo 15:11, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Wishes, again, this isn't about the content matters Niemti brings up, it's about his disruptive behavior. In that single edit, Niemti went, FORUM-style, on an irrelevant tangent about some other YouTuber, ignored previous warnings to stick to discussing article improvements, and claimed, with no backing or relevance whatsoever, that Sarkeesian engineered the trolling campaign in a "media-savy way" to "start a huge moral panic" in order to benefit financially from it. Oh, and he suggests she should have just rolled over for her harassers or "counter-attack literally using her vagina". Are you really suggesting this is appropriate and productive talk page discussion? And people wonder why few women edit Wikipedia.Cúchullain t/ c  16:36, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, that was probably an inappropriate statement, but a quote from elsewhere and about a different person. Still, I would advise Niemti should stay away of this page. As about women in the project, come on, they simply have more important things to do than waste their time here. My very best wishes (talk) 19:56, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That kind of blasé comment does not alleviate any concerns, you know.
 * Peter Isotalo 04:28, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I would not be so much concerned about this particular statement to bring the matter to ANI. My very best wishes (talk) 22:04, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * These examples are merely to show that Niemti refuses to take feminists like Sarkeesian seriously. This is about campaigning for months to skew the article to fit his own personal preferences, and for choking the talkpage in the process. Peter Isotalo 06:31, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If the comment were isolated it would not be a matter for ANI. However, it's part of a pattern of similar negative and unsourced comments about a BLP along with various other disruptive behaviors that have continued for over two months.Cúchullain t/ c 14:39, 24 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose. I still do not think that any statement by Niemti provided in the diffs above (on the article talk page) represents a clear-cut BLP violation. However, I would strongly advise Niemti to voluntarily stop editing this page, stop commenting about this person and make a clear statement about this here.  My very best wishes (talk) 18:43, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support - Per my comments above. Sergecross73   msg me   21:11, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Neutral agree with DreamGuy. While Niemti's view may be unpopular, I don't see any blatant BLP issues by him in the discussion. Note also that TRPoD's closure of discussion was not appropriate, as he has already voiced his opinion in the discussion with comments, he has a conflict of interest and should not close the move discussion. As I'm not a participant in the actual discussion, however, I'll just go with neutral !vote. Still waiting for Niemti's statement, though... Satellizer  talk contribs 23:42, 19 January 2013 (UTC)  I've decided to remove my !vote per the comments responding to this and other comments; I thus have no opinion on this issue.Satellizer (talk) 00:13, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Indeed, I understand where you're coming from. Personally, I'm not as much bothered by the BLP problem as much as that there's clear consensus against what he's trying to do, and yet time and time again he wastes editors time with his incoherent rants and attitude, and has even made comments that seem to suggest he's going to just go against consensus once editors lose interest in the topic. Sergecross73   msg me   00:28, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You may be neutral in your vote, but you're definitely not neutral in your commentary. It's not a matter of unpopularity. This is a classic example of "Experts are scum" in my view, something which I thought was rather rare on Wikipedia these days. The views Niemti is trying to push so obstinately are about as relevant as the views of an oil lobbyist in a debate about global warming. Gender studies may not be as "hard" a science as climatology, but it sure as hell is more absolute than the opinionated and uninformed editorials of video game reviewers. Peter Isotalo 03:54, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If a source is reliable, it's reliable. Your comments here suggest that you don't think games journalists can be considered reliable for a game-related topic, which seems pretty absurd. Niemti might not be a productive Wikipedian but your attitude is not helpful either. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ( talk ) 21:11, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It's really simple. Hot Rod Magazine might be a reliable source when it comes to the topic of cars, however it is not a reliable source for the theory of relativity...even if the theory of relativity is applied to cars. Similarly, game journalists might be reliable sources for games, however they are not reliable sources for cultural studies/women's studies/etc...even if those things are applied to games--which is what's going on in this instance. So no, a reliable source for one topic isn't a reliable source for another topic. As mentioned above, failing to get this point (WP:RS) is one of the problems. DonQuixote (talk) 01:30, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment. Clearly I believe that taken as a whole, Niemti's rantings, many of which just introduce unsourced gossip, disparaging innuendo, and personal gripes about Sarkeesian and her motivations, constitute a BLP issue. But even if you disagree on that point, there's still the matter that his repeated violations of WP:NOTAFORUM and the WP:TPG, his unwillingness to get on track despite numerous warnings, and his bludgeoning of editors who disagree with him. This is patently disruptive and it needs to stop.Cúchullain t/ c 00:35, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * My thoughts, exactly. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 02:09, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose per DreamGuy. 5.12.84.224 (talk) 02:48, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Strong Oppose as my analysis mirrored DreamGuy's -- No  unique  names  03:58, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Strong Support in agreement with comments by Cuchullain and Sergecross. --ThomasO1989 (talk) 08:45, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support - Niemti is an excellent editor when working alone on uncontroversial subjects, but terrible at working with others. He is unable to make even the slightest concession to other editors and becomes demanding, patronising and sarcastic almost immediatly upon sighting an alternate point of view. This issue is not about what the Sarkeesian article should look like, but the way he goes about the discussion, which is wholly inappropriate and completely disruptive to civil, useful discussion. Euchrid (talk) 21:15, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * First, and foremost, I'd like to start of by saying that I do not consider Niemti to be sexist, at all. The arguments sighted on the article's talk page stem more from a disagreement about the source of Sarkeesian's notability than any misogynist sentiments on his part. Nevertheless, the concern is that he is using said talk page as a platform to express his opinions (or as he may call them, "facts" &mdash; of the variety that cannot be adequately verified by any third-party sources) regarding the subject, and specifically the reasons in which she is considered significant enough to have a biography on Wikipedia; it delves into BLP-violating territory when he says that her fame mostly comes from the harassment campaign levied against her, which cannot possibly be substantiated in the article. It's hard to really get a good sense of what he's trying to accomplish in his contributions there, and it's unfortunately stirred up a great deal of ill will among the participants. Therefore, I'll have to echo the sentiments of My very best wishes in suggesting that Niemti disengages from the topic altogether, precluding the need for an actual community sanction. I think he would find much more satisfaction in editing other topics of interest than from continuing to beat this particular dead horse. Kurtis (talk) 22:05, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. Echoing DaveFuchs and NE Ent, as I see it there's already consensus that Niemti should not be editing video game articles at all. bridies (talk) 12:38, 21 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I came from my weekend and I see what. You "should not be editing video game articles at all", too, but also maybe first decide if this is a video game article or not (allegedly it sin't). The article is also using Kotaku, which is a very unprofessional video game tabloid blog (as noted by the acclaimed game director Hideki Kamiya). And you know what's "disruptive"? Not allowing a discussion on talk page, replying with "fucking deal" and such, doing things like this thread. Bye. --Niemti (talk) 18:39, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, amd also I just though about it, and this single-event article should be merged into something like "Women and video gaming controversies" (or some better name, it was quick). Which would also cover the professional gamer Miranda Pakozdi, the game writer Jennifer Hepler, and so on (who all have no articles on Wikipedia, despite being widely reported, too, including in the mainstream press, and often in the very same articles as Sarkeesian - just google them and you'll see). --Niemti (talk) 18:53, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you. That's a fine example of the incoherent, attitude riddled rantings you tend to muddle discussions with. Sergecross73   msg me   19:05, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You're welcome, also not. --Niemti (talk) 19:20, 21 January 2013 (UTC)


 * This is just an attempt to midirect attention away from your disruptive behavior and towards abstract content issues. That's not going to fly.Cúchullain t/ c 20:48, 21 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Niemti shows no sign of relenting either here or at Sarkeesian's talkpage. He's even calling WP:VG/RS "a joke". And then there's the deeply offensive suggestion that women are by themselves video game controversies. Topic ban now, please. Peter Isotalo 20:19, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The discussion has been going on for just a few days. As an uninvolved admin, in my view it would be premature to close it.--Bbb23 (talk) 20:36, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't know if it's time to move forward with this proposal yet, but Niemti's recent spate of commentary contains more of the same problematic behavior and suggests he has no intention of changing.Cúchullain t/ c 20:48, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Because treating Kotaku (a source of such fine "journalism" as this or that) an unconditionally reliable source surely must be a joke. Anyway, I'm done hopelessly trying to initiate a proper (with arguments and counter-arguments, instead of abuse and bullying that I'm getting from you) discussion on the changes with the article (the article that I've previously edited more than anyone else). See you at AfD in time. --Niemti (talk) 21:47, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

Oh, and (of course) I never made a "deeply offensive suggestion that women are by themselves video game controversies", and with this bizarrily absurd comment you've just got a taste of what's going on at this talk page. Now I'm unwatching it, like I just unwatched this article, after being central in building it up. --Niemti (talk) 22:02, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * An AfD right after a unanimously opposed RM. We can add WP:FORUMSHOPPING to the list of disruptive behaviors.Cúchullain t/ c 22:23, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Enough about Kotaku. If you don't like that there's a consensus that it's reliable, start a discussion at WP:VG to change it. The issue at hand here is the edits you're trying to make to this article, and how you handle yourself on the talk page. Neither of those things have anything to do with Kotaku's status of reliability, so it's irrelevant to discuss here. Sergecross73   msg me   00:01, 22 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support narrow topic ban -- it's way past the question of right/wrong or POV. Niemti is being moderately rude (which is hardly unusual) and has shown that he is unable to discuss politely and constructively about, at the very least, this specific topic. This isn't "improving Wikipedia" in the slightest, and that should be everyone's main goal. There's no reason to allow this to further devolve into something even worse and there's plenty of other articles that can be improved.  Salvidrim!    &#9993;  00:08, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support topic ban The problem is evident, even on this page. Johnuniq (talk) 00:59, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support topic ban - My conclusion after having read the various points put forth by editors here and at the RM is that a topic ban is appropriate in this situation. Cabe  6403  (Talk•Sign) 10:28, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Strong Oppose per DreamGuy. And frankly I find the comments by User:TheRedPenOfDoom ("get over it" and "get a on with your life!") and even those by Cúchullain (in the way he describes Niemti's comments - which appear to be civil and reasonable - as "he has choked the talk page with incoherent rants") to be way more uncivil and sanction worthy than anything Niemti has said or done. Volunteer Marek 20:33, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I highly suggest you take a look at the related RfC and see that RedPen and Cúchullain's comments, while not necessarily excusable, are small potatoes to the majority of Niemti's reported behavior. --ThomasO1989 (talk) 20:43, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't accept that any of my comments, or Red's for that matter, have been uncivil, though I'll gladly tone it down in the future if it takes some edge off the discussion. It also bears reiteration that no one else in the discussion has made unfounded or inappropriate comments about the subject, gone off on tangents irrelevant to actual article improvements, refused to hear it when consensus is against them, or engaged in forum shopping when they don't get their way. That's the issue here; it's not one problem, it's a pattern of behavior.Cúchullain t/ c 21:31, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I certainly don't believe calling someone's responses "incoherent rants" is uncivil, especially in Niemti's case, where he almost seems to do it on purpose, or uncontrollably. In calmer past situations, I've kindly asked him to slow down and address issues one by one or with more concise responses, because I couldn't understand what he was trying to say, and he simply wouldn't. He's been told he's hard to understand when he responds like this, and he does it anyways, and yet isn't above complaining when no one sides with him. It's not an attack on him, it's merely an observation on how he handles himself. Sergecross73   msg me   23:57, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose per DreamGuy. I reviewed the diffs as well, and I see a lot of hair pulling over Niemti's responses, some of it uncivil, but nothing worthy of Niemti being TB'ed.  Perhaps some new eyes whose owners blood pressure is 120/80 might be helpful at the talk page.   little green rosetta $central scrutinizer (talk)$ 21:14, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I echo the sentiments of ThomasO1989 and suggest that you take a look at the related RfC about his reported behavioral patterns. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:58, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I count at least thirteen users, including myself, who have tried to debate Niemti regarding Sarkeesian, a few with a bit more intensity than roughness than necessary, but most of them have engaged with him in a civilized manner. If you want to see a particularly frustrating example of how Niemti has operated, take a look at Talk:Anita Sarkeesian/Archive 2. Fifteen posts in 24 hours just in an attempt to hammer home his own views about what "university-level women's studies courses" means. And that's just one of the early ones from back in November. Peter Isotalo 06:31, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment. I think this is the situation when someone (Niemti) actually does a lot for the project, but he is stubborn, strongly opinionated at article talk pages, and he tells exactly what he thinks. However, the info he actually places in articles is good and comply with NPOV. What I did in such cases is allowing the editor (Niemti) to take a lead with creating the content, and discussing only as much as necessary. He suggests merging at article talk page? That's fine. Simply tell "no" and explain why. No need for a long discussion. He proposes and AfD? That's fine. Just vote "keep" and explain why. Hence my "oppose" above. My very best wishes (talk) 14:38, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Niemti is clearly driven by a personal disagreement with the basic tenets of gender studies and critical feminist analysis. And all because someone had the nerve to aim it at his favorite form of popular culture, video games. He's certainly not alone in this, and while he's not the kind of person who is sending death threats and anonymous misogynist abuse, his rants has an openly anti-feminist edge that equates analysis of gender roles with extremism and a host of other prejudices about academic media studies. In other words, you're suggesting that he be allowed to engage in activities that don't have anything to do with article improvement. Why exactly should we humor him, or anyone else, in that respect? Peter Isotalo 15:23, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It was precisely my point that most of his mainspace edits are actually improvement of content (they have everything to do with article improvement), as evident from his successful participation in creation of good articles and his edits in another subject area where I collaborated with him a few years ago. As about rants at article talk pages (if any), it always takes two or more to tango. Tell and justify your opinion one time if this is something like RfC. My very best wishes (talk) 16:38, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * We're discussing a topic ban relating to the Sarkeesian article. Niemti's participation there has been extremely negative with little or no improvement. And the RfC suggests there's been disharmonious dealings in the GA process concerning video game articles. So no matter how many good edits there are elsewhere, they don't simply cancel out the looong sting of bad ones relating to feminist media criticism. I'm not sure what you feel you want justified, btw. Can you be more precise? Peter Isotalo 19:08, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Again, the quality of Niemti's article work, or any other content matter, isn't at issue here. The problem is his behavior at the talk page, which has been consistently disruptive on multiple fronts.Cúchullain t/ c 14:28, 24 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment. It is my understanding that Niemti voluntarily will not edit article about AS and its talk page . I also assume that he will not edit anything about AS on other pages. I hope this thread can be closed. My very best wishes (talk) 19:33, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * His voluntary withdrawal can be revoked whenever he wants, a community topic ban can't. If he'd volunteered to do that at the start it would be different, but effectively cancelling consensus already established for a community topic ban with something voluntary he can choose to cancel at any time (and thus forcing the ban consensus to start again from scratch) seems a little too much like gaming the system. – NULL  ‹talk› ‹edits›  01:08, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I thought consensus is not determined by head count, but by the quality of argument. So, I am not sure if we have consensus. No, I do not think anyone can revoke their promise. My very best wishes (talk) 01:54, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I am, of course, making my own evaluation of consensus in my comment above, based on the quality of the arguments presented. Whoever eventually closes the thread will make their own evaluation. My point, however, was that it's easy for someone looking at consensus for a ban to make a last minute act of apparent concession to try to mitigate the inevitable outcome. Offering to cooperate at the eleventh hour can easily be seen as a 'save your own hide' kind of thing, and doesn't mean the community automatically accepts that the ban is no longer necessary. Some people may not have faith that he'll be able to abide by it, particularly given his history. – NULL  ‹talk› ‹edits›  02:06, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It is pretty common that people on the verge of being banned/topic banned to suddenly volunteer to stop, but as Null said, it's not reason to stop this process, as he can chose to change his mind at any point, where it's not the case with a topic ban. I think it's especially important not to stop this discussion based on past comments Niemti has said. On the talk page, he has alluded to the fact that he may wait until things die down and go at it again, and that he believes since he edits the article more than anyone else in the discussion, his opinion counts for more. Sergecross73   msg me   13:16, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not particularly inclined to take Niemti at his word, considering his lack of regard for other editors' input over the last two months. However, the bottom line is that he shouldn't touch anything related to Sarkeesian on Wikipedia, voluntarily or otherwise.Cúchullain t/ c 14:28, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I am also not inclined to take Niemti's word for it, given his history of rejecting other editors' input over the past two months per Cuchullain. Per Sergecross, Niemti alluded to the fact that he might go at it again when things die down. The bottom line is that the editor should not touch the Sarkeesian article or anything related to her on Wikipedia, voluntarily or not. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 16:09, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * By telling this, you guys basically reject his good will offer. If you tell to Neimti that he has absolutely no obligation to keep his word, may be he indeed has no such obligation. I am now confused. My very best wishes (talk) 19:05, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Perhaps it would be more persuasive if Niemti said explicitly that he would avoid editing or commenting on the subject in the future. The linked comment says no such thing.Cúchullain t/ c 20:59, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I am not telling that coming forward and criticizing himself in this environment is exactly like Struggle session (or "Comrade's court" in Russia), but in certain ethnic/national cultures this is something man would never do. My very best wishes (talk) 14:30, 25 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment. This whole BLP thing is terribly overblown. What Niemti actually suggested was to merge or delete the article. That certainly would not hurt the person. Banning a long term well-intended contributor because of this is over the top. My very best wishes (talk) 13:32, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The "BLP thing" is certainly an issue, and one of Niemti's making. Taken together, his disparaging and unsourced comments about the subject form a pattern of behavior that shouldn't be acceptable on Wikipedia (and of course that's on top of all his other disruptive behaviors).Cúchullain t/ c 14:28, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I did not read whole discussion (tl;dr, sorry), but in the most "incriminating" diff above Noemti simply explains why he thinks the person is not notable (hence the suggested merging of page). Yes, he uses available sources to explain his position. Some of them may not be reliable, but this is always happens in articles about people of marginal notability. As about his tone, this is a matter of personal taste. It is pretty common that people are excited during such discussions. Bringing everyone here is not an option. My very best wishes (talk) 19:49, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't regard that as the "most incriminating" diff, it's just particularly illustrative of the various disruptive behaviors in which he's engaged. Honestly, his tone is the least of it - it's far more serious that he's making unsourced negative comments on a BLP, using the talk page as a FORUM, ignoring the input of others, and engaging in forum shopping to get his way.Cúchullain t/ c 20:59, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * "Some"? None of the sources are reliable. The topic is gender studies, not video game reviewing. Period. The opinions of the gaming community at large is not our concern anymore than John/Jane Doe's kitchen conversations about... whatever. The only major difference between these two is that the gaming community is good at loudly proclaiming its disapproval in online forums. That does not make those loud claims relevant or reliable to Wikipedia as sources. Why is this so hard to accept? Why does a dozen or more users have to spend week after week saying the same thing to the same argumentative person?
 * Peter Isotalo 07:58, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, the subject is not gender study, but biography. Niemti makes an argument that person is not notable. I personally disagree with his argument, but it is very common that people stray away in such discussions or make an argument unsupported by RS. Bringing them here is counterproductive if the person acts in a good faith and contributes a lot to the project, as in this case. This is because our goal is to maximize participation, editor retention and ultimately creation of content. My very best wishes (talk) 14:30, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The topic of any "criticism" should be the same as the work that is being criticised. As such, trying to introduce any sort of criticism in this article involves gender studies. Thus, in relation to what constitutes a reliable source, as Peter correctly states above, the topic is gender studies and not video game reviewing. DonQuixote (talk) 03:15, 26 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Stongly oppose topic ban: As an uninvolved editor, I think it is premature IMHO to go directly to an indef topic ban (without even suggesting 3-month ban), which smacks of forever silencing an opponent in a wp:POV_dispute. Meanwhile, the use of non-wp:RS sources, as mentioned above, indicates that all sides of the dispute should request mediation to use sourced text, or perhaps merge the article for lack of sources which sustain a separate page. Also, should disregard "Support" !votes from involved editors, as this seems an atttempt to force the outcome of a "fair fight" by censuring opponents. -Wikid77 (talk) 14:50, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If Niemti was an outspoken creationist who engaged in destructive campaigns for months in an article about evolution, would you also describe a call for a topic ban as "forever silencing an opponent"? Peter Isotalo 15:39, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Once again, content issues aren't up for discussion here. This proposal is about Niemti's behavior on the talk page, examples of which are highlighted above.Cúchullain t/ c 15:46, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Also, it should be made clear that making positive contributions is never an excuse for disruptive behavior, especially on the talk page of Anita Sarkeesian; the examples of which are shown above are all there, clear as crystal. As explicitly stated by Cuchullain, Niemti's disparaging and unsourced comments about the subject form a pattern of disruptive behavior, which is not acceptable anywhere on Wikipedia. And unfortunately, his disruption is part of a pattern of similar negative and unsourced comments about a BLP along with various other disruptive behaviors that have continued for over two months. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 19:45, 24 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support, although, I have no problem with making the topic ban time limited. The fact that after all of this discussion, including Niemti's own participation in, that Niemti now thinks that AfD is the right treatment shows that he is only here to POV push. The civility of the comments is wholly irrelevant; WP:CIVIL is only one of our pillars, and WP:NPOV is another. Niemti has argued tendentiously to include comments from a source that clearly does not meet WP:RS and certainly doesn't meet the higher level of scrutiny required by WP:BLP. Now, because he's not getting his way, he thinks he'll take to it to AfD, despite the fact that such a nomination would be WP:SNOW kept. Civil POV pushing is, in fact, one of our biggest problems on Wikipedia. Here we have a crystal clear example of it happening, and thus we should take the opportunity to stop it, now. Qwyrxian (talk) 01:00, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What AfD are you talking about? Niemti said he would rather not edit this article at all . My very best wishes (talk) 01:18, 26 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support indef topic ban. Let's not mess around with BLPs, especially one like this that has already been vandalised to the extent that the vandalism hit the news. WP:BLPBAN exists for a reason. Andreas JN 466 09:25, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Indeed, this page has been vandalized at one point, just as many other wikipedia articles, but why do you want to hold Niemti responsible? It was not him who vandalized this page. To the conrary, he contributed a lot and positively in this BLP article (I mean the article itself, while the talk page discussion was indeed heated and sometimes strayed away from improvement the article). Once again, he only suggested merging sometime ago, which has been hotly debated. This is not vandalism, not a BLP violation, and certainly does not hurt the person. My very best wishes (talk) 14:33, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What I am holding him responsible for is waffling on on a BLP talk page about how the subject should have "ignored" the appalling harassment she suffered, including here, or done things like "counterattack literally with her vagina". Get a grip. Andreas  JN 466 19:10, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He was comparing and contrasting how other people responded to very similar experiences to how Sarkeesian reacted when discussing whether there should be an article about her. Another woman who was attacked in a very similar fashion did "counter-attack with her vagina" in a manner of speaking and others do ignore this type of vitriol as it is rather typical.-- The Devil's Advocate tlk.  cntrb. 19:40, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * In a manner of highly inept and inappropriate speaking, perhaps. Saying here on Wikipedia that a woman who has been harassed, including here on Wikipedia, could have ignored it or "counter-attacked literally using her vagina" instead of raising a "huge moral panic" is certainly considerably more inept and inappropriate than Wikipedia should tolerate. Andreas  JN 466 19:51, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You can repeat this until you are blue in the face, but it won't change a thing. His statements, in context, are far less serious than how they are being portrayed out of context. For the context, I ask people to simply google "Jennifer Hepler vagina" to understand that comment. At best you can fault him for using "literally" as an emphatic.-- The Devil's Advocate tlk.  cntrb. 20:12, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This is difficult for me to judge since I came from another language and culture. I saw one of these shows on US TV performed by a women, so I have to assume such language is permissible in US culture. My very best wishes (talk) 20:56, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Trust me, you do not tell a woman who has suffered sexually motivated cyber harassment that she could have "ignored it", or "counterattacked using her vagina", not unless you are socially completely inept or worse. The West is stil on the same planet as the East, you know. Harassment is considered a problem in both places. Perhaps Wikipedia is an exception. Andreas  JN 466 01:20, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Andreas, I understand where your frustrations are coming from. This article is a sensitive BLP that has been the target of harassment last May. And as I have stated, positive contributions is never an excuse for disruptive behavior on the talk page, which has been clearly pointed out by Cuchullain. Trying to introduce any sort of criticism in this article involves gender studies. As such, in relation to what constitutes a reliable source, the topic is gender studies and not video game reviewing. Unfortunately, the quality of Niemti's work or any other content matter, is not at issue here. The problem is with his seriously disruptive behavior at the talk page, where Niemti has making unsourced negative comments on a BLP, using the talk page as a FORUM, ignoring the input of others, and engaging in forum shopping to get his way while he is currently the subject of an RFC. He was also adding comments from a source, Destructoid, that clearly does not meet WP:RS and certainly doesn't meet the higher level of scrutiny required by the BLP policy. On top of that, his sources have all sorts of issues in regards to WP:RS, WP:VG/RS, and WP:NPOV and they should not be used. No thanks, we don't want this type of disruptive behavior here. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 23:05, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks. On top of that he has made three times more edits to her talk page than anybody else ... way to go. Andreas  JN 466 01:20, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If that was indeed a contentious unsourced material about a living person (I am still not sure that it was), why did not anyone just removed immediately this thing from article talk page, as should be done per policy, instead of bringing this here? End of story. That's why some part of this looks to me as WP:Battle. My very best wishes (talk) 04:01, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I actually though about entirely removing some of the threads that Niemti engaged in, but that's surrounded by multiple restrictions (see WP:TPOC). It would most likely only have provoked Niemti, and it would likely have been considered too high-handed even by unsympathetic editors. And there was the occasional glimmer of something semi-relevant in Niemti's talkpage activities, which complicated issues even if it was ultimately overshadowed by the unbearable amounts of opinionated ranting and disparaging commentary about the article subject.
 * Peter Isotalo 16:33, 27 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Strong Oppose Give me a break. Nothing he said is over the line. He was disputing the notability of Sarkeesian as a biographical subject. Her reaction to harassment does appear to be the main source of her notability and that arising due to her video series so his is a reasonable position to take. Suggesting that it should not be a bio, but an article on her experience or video series is rather reasonable.-- The Devil's Advocate tlk.  cntrb. 19:40, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose topic ban, support making this a strong shot above the bow. This is a sensitive BLP, there seems to be a lot of jealousy between the editor and the subject, the criticism on the talk page comes close to rising to the level of inappropriate discourse. Slowly back away from the cliff, my friend... Carrite (talk) 20:04, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Per Andreas, below. Oppose for now. I'm half-way through the talk page archive and, though his suggestion she should have ignored the flaming is stupid and patronising, he has removed unsourced puffery about her work being used in "university-level women's studies courses" against significant opposition, and removed the claim she is best known for her video blog Feminist Frequency, both of which are significant improvements. Claims that he breaches WP:NOTAFORUM, at least as they relate to comments he's made in the first half of the archive, are mistaken. Editors on the page didn't get the pertinence of the points he was making. Perhaps he reels out of control further down the archive but I've seen no evidence of that in this thread. I have to go out now and will comment further when I get a chance . --Anthonyhcole (talk) 05:17, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Note that her work is indeed used in "university-level women's study courses". Source: . Examples:, , , , , , , (for this course). Note that the last one for example is from 2011, predating her harassment. Would you accept these as evidence that her work is so used, and that it is her work that is considered of interest by these universities, rather than merely the fact that she was trolled? Andreas  JN 466 10:28, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Awesome. Thanks for proving me to be a superficial fool yet again. :) --Anthonyhcole (talk) 10:54, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Don't mention it, Anthony. :) Best, Andreas JN 466 11:02, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Quite obviously, Neimti was not logical in his argument. That's why I noted above that I disagree with him. However, this is not a reason for topic ban in my opinion. My very best wishes (talk) 13:42, 27 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support topic ban. This is unacceptable behavior for a BLP article. BLPs should have stricter RS standards than other articles, not weaker. Most video game blogs do not meet BLP standards, especially when you're talking about criticism of the article subject. Writing personally disparaging rants about the article subject on the talk page is also not appropriate for a BLP. Considering Niemti's persistence, I'm not sure why we're only considering a topic ban. Kaldari (talk) 02:06, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Strongly reliable sources are needed for claims about living people, not claims about someone disagreeing with a living person's argument. Noting that a video game blog disagrees with her characterization of x video game is not a BLP issue. Our consideration in that instance should be whether the view represented in the source is not a prominent opinion or if it is too inflammatory. I mean seriously, read this thing. Does that read like something that is absolutely horrific and unacceptable for an article about a living person? Basically the source goes, "I am sorry my dear madame, but I believe you are quite mistaken in your characterization of electronic entertainment. You see, these interactive moving pictures to which you refer are actually quite progressive with regards to gender relations. Ho-ho, cheerio!" *sipsa da tea*-- The Devil's Advocate tlk.  cntrb. 08:16, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * "Horrific" is your description, but it's definitely unacceptable as a commentary on Sarkeesian's analysis. Why? Because it's a video game blog with zero credentials commenting on the field of gender studies, the main topic of the article (see comparison to Hot Rod Magazine commenting on the theory of relativity earlier in this discussion). Politeness doesn't automatically translate to reliability or relevance. Peter Isotalo 09:46, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Do note that WP:VG/RS states that Destructoid is classified as "situational". Therefore, that source is not really considered a reliable source to be used on a biography of a living person. It is a blog with zero credentials commenting on the field of gender studies, which is the main topic on the article, and using it as commentary on Sarkeesian's analysis is unacceptable. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 13:32, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but your interpretation of DA RULZ is terribly misguided. Many in the gaming community do not have degrees in gender studies, that does not mean their opinions are irrelevant. The opinion of members of the gaming community with regards to her claims about video games has some element of relevance don't you think? Destructoid would be a reliable source for claims about what a prominent member of the gaming community thinks about Sarkeesian's claims about video games. Also, BLP does not say you cannot use these sources on a biography of a living person, but that they cannot be used to back up claims regarding a living person. Niemti was not talking about using it to make a claim about a living person, but rather to make a claim about some other person's opinion regarding some claims a living person made about video games. WP:BLP does not apply to that sort of claim.-- The Devil's Advocate tlk.  cntrb. 17:20, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment (from an involved editor) - The real issue as I see it comes from concerns that were raised during the RfC/U that one of Niemti's central interests is in adding information glorifying the sexual characteristics of female video game characters. I haven't looked into these claims because I think Niemti generally understands about proper sourcing and I've assumed good faith that the articles properly merited coverage of these aspects. But if these concerns are sustainable and there is a pattern of sexist editing then a limited-duration topic ban might be a good idea as a warning. Given Niemti's prolific editing and the frequency of his conflicts with other editors, this kind of non-NPOV editing could be very harmful. It all depends on whether or not there is a pattern here, though. If this neutrality issue is just a one-off thing then I'll take Niemti's withdrawal from the talk page as a sign that he's dropped the WP:STICK. -Thibbs (talk) 18:09, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Close discussion?
The above discussion has been lasting for over a week as I post here. While I still support the topic ban, I have posted a request at WP:ANRFC for an uninvolved administrator to assess and close this discussion. Furthermore, while almost all of the recent Sarkeesian discussions have been archived at Talk:Anita Sarkeesian/Archive 2, I would suggest that everyone should take a deep breath, relax, and wait for the closing admin. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:56, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You promised to one of admins not follow edits by Niemty, do not you remember? My very best wishes (talk) 13:42, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * With all due respect, I do not care about that anymore, as I have already moved on and that case against me was not substantiated. I am still waiting for the closing administrator to assess and close the above discussion. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 15:28, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * As long as people keep on bringing up issues regarding Niemti to ANI, RFC, or WP:VG, or with Niemti bringing attention to himself with going to WP:RM, you can hardly accuse Sjones of "following his edits". If only Niemti wasn't constantly making a scene or stirring up trouble in our field of editing. Sergecross73   msg me   15:41, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, I see that you guys have lot of common interests, including many user talk pages and even Organ theft in Kosovo... My very best wishes (talk) 18:49, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

(sigh)... Really, I would rather put this off-topic discussion to rest, as this is seriously getting us nowhere fast. We are talking about a topic ban proposal. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 19:11, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * MVBW, if you have an issue regarding Sjone's behavior, bring it to his talk page, or open up a new ANI report. It doesn't belong in this discussion. Sergecross73   msg me   20:55, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I know how you feel Serge. I just don't want to discuss this issue anymore and I have already moved on. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 20:59, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, that's fine, I'm not saying you should have to, I'm just saying that if MVBW wants to discuss it, this isn't the place to do so. (If he does choose a better avenue, you can still opt out of discussing it with him all the same.) Sergecross73   msg me   21:05, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, I see. If I don't want to discuss this matter, that is completely my decision. Thanks. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:16, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I only wanted to tell that I agree with comment by User:Wikid77 above. He suggested to disregard all "Support" "!votes from involved editors, as this seems an attempt to force the outcome of a "fair fight" by censuring opponents." (see above). For example, this editor, who was missing for a couple of months, came specifically to post his !support vote here. My very best wishes (talk) 21:54, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

As it has been stated numerous times in this thread (by myself and others), the quality of Niemti's work or any other content matter, is not the case here. The actual issue is with his disruptive behavior on Sarkeesian's talk page, and we cannot allow this disruption to continue even if he returns to the article. On Sarkeesian's talk page, it is clear enough that there are serious problems. While it is clear that the number of upset people is at least in the tens; it could be unclear if that might represent a consensus across those who pay attention to these matters, although some uninvolved users have commented on the situation. With this in mind, I would like to make a request that previously uninvolved editors and administrators get involved and read up on this and comment. Please take a look at the recent discussions, and the ongoing RFC, as well as the current situation. More input from uninvolved administrators and editors will help determine community exhaustion of patience, and we can't allow this discussion to languish another week. We need a clear consensus on this matter from both involved and uninvolved users. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:10, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * MVBV, your suggestion is makes absolutely no sense. By your argument, any time one editor was disruptive, and a half dozen or more tried to stop the disruption, we would automatically ignore whatever those good faith, productive editors were doing. So all an editor has to do is to cause problems on a talk page, and suddenly they become untouchable? Seriously, think through the actual consequence of your suggestion. Qwyrxian (talk) 03:56, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, the suggestion was originally Wikid77's, that MVBV advocated. Still, you're both entirely wrong. Qwyrxian (talk) 03:58, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, that is not what me or Wikid77 said (please see above, and I provided a couple of links that should be a matter of concern:, ). I will not repeat anything, but would like to notice that in a case any BLP violations (that was the reason for this thread) one suppose to either remove the contentious poorly sourced information immediately and/or post the matter on BLP noticeboard for community discussion, instead of bringing it here. My very best wishes (talk) 05:52, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This is really getting us nowhere fast. For the umpteenth time, content issues or the quality of Niemti's work are not any of our concerns. It's about a topic ban regarding his disruptive behavior. I don't want to push this too hard but I think the best option is that we should just wait for an uninvolved admin to take a look at the proposal, determine the consensus and close it as I think this discussion has already gone on long enough. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 14:11, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment: I'm definitely seeing some bias in the comments provided in the original report and I think they're beyond what we should expect from an editor striving from neutrality. I agree the edits are become tendentious too. His edits seem to go beyond a reading of the sources and are actively making the argument that Sarkeesian should "get over" the harassment (I'm getting a strong "elevator" vibe here...). Also, I find the hero worship of Jim Sterling amusing, as Sterling would be the first to admit he's a professional troll. Sceptre (talk) 02:29, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

If i was an administrator, here's what i'd do if he just got off a ban: 1. warn him. 2. if he ignores it, then ban him again for longer. (hopefully it doesn't come to this one though)3. If after his longer ban has lifted he continues to do this crap, then either make a super long ban or an indefinate ban. how do i know this? based on all the cases i've seen here sinse 2005 or so, i'd think that that would be the ideal actions, although i hope it doesn't get to an indefinate ban. Alien Arceus  05:05, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No offense, but you probably ought to figure out the difference between a WP:BLOCK and aWP:BAN before you go about giving advice. (Also, he's not fresh off of a block or a ban, so your scenario is fundamentally wrong either way.)  Sergecross73   msg me   14:13, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Sergio, i've been reading this pageo sinse 2005eo, and know the difference. Alien Arceus  15:33, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Why are you using them wrong then? And it doesn't matter how long you've been here, it doesn't change the fact that you don't seem to understand the basic premise of what's going on here since he's didn't "just got off a ban" as you worded it. Sergecross73   msg me   15:42, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Second request for closure
Seconding the request for closure from an uninvolved Admin. There have been a few good comments lately but they're getting to be few and far between now. Please? Thanks... Sergecross73  msg me   15:52, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Just about all aspects of this case have by now been processed quite thoroughly.
 * Peter Isotalo 17:03, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Agreed - All aspects of the case has been processed thoroughly. It's really time to close this. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 17:44, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, there's plenty of discussion to determine consensus. We're mostly just going back and forth now.Cúchullain t/ c 18:24, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

and it took you guies this long to figure that out? i figured it out a while ago tha this is going nowhere. i smelt it as clear as day. Alien Arceus  18:27, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

European Alliance for Freedom
This article has been subjected to: polemic edits, edits removing sourced content, a series of single purpose and/or conflict of interest editing accounts, and refusal to communicate on the part of the the editor(s?) attempting these changes. I could ask for page protection, but it would fix nothing. This has been going on for two weeks now. See article's history. Some help, please. --Hammersoft (talk) 15:48, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Also be aware that the current version of the article is a copyright violation of this primary source. --Hammersoft (talk) 15:52, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Reverted, warned a few users, and submitted a SPI case see Sockpuppet investigations/Eurallfree Werieth (talk) 16:02, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Check the link for my comments rejecting the AfC
Mehere Karand article Basket Feudalist 17:18, 29 January 2013 (UTC) I'll bear that in mind! -so no further action necessary? It has already been rejected anyway. Basket Feudalist 19:10, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Not sure why this is here - what admin action is needed? Looks like a perfectly reasonable AfC rejection to me. Black Kite (talk) 18:02, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah thanks. I thought it might be worse than just a badly written article; that it have been an attempt at placing imaginary- spoof- facts in the 'pedia. As I said, a google search brings up nothing about the man, the tribe, the sources, or their books. But I didn't want to officially report it until a more experienced editor or admin had had a look. Basket Feudalist 18:22, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oversight is always good, but it's best to ask a seasoned AfC editor rather than post on the board. FWIW, administrators aren't necessarily better at judging content than "regular" editors. Drmies (talk) 18:40, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Indeed, but I agree with the OP; I did try to confirm sources but I can find nothing not only about the books but about the tribe itself; even if there's a language issue you'd have have expected something to appear, either about the subject, the book, even the authors; especially as the claimed sources are reasonably recent and one of them is supposed to have been published by Harvard UP and therefore should be in English. Black Kite (talk) 20:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Hehe, not anymore: I deleted it as a blatant hoax. Those books, they don't exist. The website goes to a Swiss dance ensemble--if it is connected to the article, it's spam. Thanks, Drmies (talk) 20:15, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

User:BotKung
I've blocked the bot at, see also comments at User talk:Jutiphan. Anyone can unblock it once it's fixed and we are confident this won't happen again. Dougweller (talk) 09:05, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm guessing you just used the standard block interface, but you should probably disable autoblock so the operator doesn't get caught in it. Legoktm (talk) 09:42, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I've disabled autoblock. — Mr. Stradivarius  ♪ talk ♪ 10:50, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I've never done this before and didn't even think of the consequences for the operator. I wish all blocks had to have a stop button! Dougweller (talk) 12:39, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Good one, cheers! Basket Feudalist 13:49, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

Pe de Chinelo
Pe de Chinelo's name has appeared several times on AN and ANI. He was on the verge of being community banned, but was closed as no consensus. More recently, he returned as. He has continued his disruptive modus operandi in film-related articles. This last round of sockpuppetry is the last straw. Can we have a block on him? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 23:55, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He's also taunting on blocking him via edit change notices. Behavior is disruptive with or without the SPI issue. --M ASEM (t) 23:58, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep, and I've pretty much had enough of Pe de Chinelo's antics. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 23:59, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He's violated the three-revert rule at The Hunger Games (film) and God of War (video game), and probably some other pages I've missed. This needs some administrator attention as soon as possible... Never mind, I'm just gonna AIV this. He's resorted to simple vandalism now. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 00:08, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He's blocked for two days. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 00:10, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * IMO, the block should be made indefinite. If he's really the sock of a blocked user, there's no good reason to keep him around. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 00:32, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I recommend extending  the current  block  to  indef. User clearly  has no  intentions of editing  within  the spirit  and policies of building  this encyclopedia. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 03:21, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Kudpung's recommendation is accepted given the last half dozen or so edits and summaries. Drmies (talk) 03:36, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks, everyone! Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 04:56, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Audition date website link
Special:Contributions/Iamrakeshh has added a non/notable/below standard site's link in a bunch of article's external link section. Manually reversion will take time! Can an admin quickly revert all edit using any tool (if there is any)? --Tito Dutta (talk) 14:25, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not an admin, but I think I've cleaned out all of his/her link spamming now. --—  Wasell ( T ) 15:59, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There is a tool for this that can be used in extreme cases - Special:Nuke. - The Bushranger One ping only 12:43, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nuke only does articles created, as opposed to mere edits ... at least last time I checked. Mass rollback, maybe ... (✉→BWilkins←✎) 16:37, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Clearly what's needed then is Special:EditShatteringKaboom. - The Bushranger One ping only 01:43, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * User came back, started mass spamming again, I reported to AIV, user is now blocked. Werieth (talk) 15:51, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Hari7478 and Mayasutra, round 2
has removed a large section along with the references - diff. His edit summary was "deleted disputed section/see ANI pg". But ANI never rules on content. The admins in ANI didn't refute the contents in this case at all. They didn't even discuss it. That being the case, this user(Mayasutra) removed a well sourced section without consensus/discussion giving a false edit summary. Even another admin questioned Mayasutra's vandalising deletion here -. User:Mayasutra is still defiant. The page(Vadakalai) has a General Sanctions template, according to which admins have right to impose discretionary sanctions for such vandalising deletions with false summaries. Also, Mayasutra has been very abusive in talk page discussions - see below for his abusive comments, planned edit wars, and flaming edit summaries: - Mayasutra's comments - "As for the genetic/anthropological/blah blah assumptions you make; each of them including misquoting sources to support your half-baked assumptions of racism......for Dispute Mediation from which you chickened out...." - Mayasutra's comments - "So what am going to do is delete all the trash you put into the article. If this goes into an edit war, there is nothing you can do except agree....Good luck."--- This comment proves beyond doubt that Mayasutra planned an edit war. - Mayasutra's edit summary - "Expecting editwar, admin intervention..."-- Mayasutra indicated in the edit comment that he knew he was edit warring. Please consider all these factors - Deletion of a well sourced content without dicussion, by giving a false edit summary(that deletion was even questioned by another admin as mentioned above), abusive behavior in talk pages, orchestrating edit wars to get things done. Mayasutra portrayed such behavior in pages having "Discretionary Sanctions"(template can be seen under the talk pages of Iyengar & Vadakalai). Thank you. Hari7478 (talk) 11:07, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I have already responded to the allegation above here: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&diff=prev&oldid=534843722 Additionally, EdJohnston has already closed the edit war chapter by warning both of us (Hari7478 however, deleted that from his talk page). So now the pending issue is misquoting sources. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 18:19, 29 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra

I haven't looked into this whole complaint, but AIV is only for simple/obvious cases, which at a glance this appears to most definitely not be. I'm moving it here in the hopes that we can settle things between the two of them this time. They're both doing a rather bad job communicating, but I see them both as potentially constructive contributors, so why don't we see what we can do to sort this out before one or both of them gets blocked. — PinkAmpers  &#38;  ( Je vous invite à me parler )  12:45, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * PinkAmpersand, i request you to read the whole complaint please. Sadly, it appears most admin are not willing to read thru the whole issue. The issue here is misquoting sources. Hari478 has passed off his own ethnicity / race theories by misquoting sources. And he needs to explain them and also explain why he is doing it. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 18:09, 29 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra


 * At this point, this looks like more than just a content dispute, so it does appear to be relevant here. Nyttend (talk) 15:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, this IS a content dispute. However, it pertains to falsifying and misquoting sources. Hari7478 is playing the silent tactic again. Just as he did with the mediation process. That is, he is choosing not to respond to the ANI notice on misquoting sources. To top it, he has reported me for vandalism. Which means, he is using wiki admin to protect his position of misquoting sources. I expect wiki admin to intervene and ask Hari7478 to respond to each of the 4 issues raised (on misquoting sources). Until he does so, his content cannot be allowed on the Iyengar page and on the Vadakalai page. I hope admin Qwyrxian (who so far appears to be protecting Hari7478 in this regard) will also accept that unless Hari7478 explains why he is misquoting sources, his (disputed) content should not be allowed on wiki pages. Thanks. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 18:01, 29 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra


 * In event that Hari7478 does not respond (and chooses to stay silent on misquoting sources), admin must make a decision and disallow all his disputed content from all wiki articles Iyengar, Vadakalai and Sri Sampradaya. I would like to know, how much time is admin going to give Hari7478 to respond. Thanks. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 18:19, 29 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra


 * Mayasutra, you posting a comment above Nyttend's message makes the whole discussion look like something else. It would be appreciated if you could post your comments at the bottom of the discussion, and not above an already posted comment(for clarity). This was exactly what you were doing before. After i posted my comment in the previous ANI discussion, you were simultaneously posting reams of text both above and below my comment. Hari7478 (talk) 21:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Am responding to each comment by replying below it, not above it. Now, since you are here, reply to the report on misquoting sources. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 21:25, 29 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra
 * When caste disputes are brought to ANI, we sometimes have the benefit of User:Sitush's comments because he had knowledge of the relative quality of the sources and he is familiar with the usual patterns of caste dispute. In Sitush's temporary absence, I suggest we just enforce the usual edit warring regulations and let the participants know that they really have to seek consensus for their views in content forums (such as the article talk page, or WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard). Although User:Mayasutra may appear as the more argumentative of the two, and he has a confusing signature, in my opinion he has a better understanding of WP policy regarding sources. Hari7478 has [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Iyengar#Edgar_Thurston_as_a_source argued for using the ethnographic work] of Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) as a reference about caste, while anyone who peruses Thurston's article will notice things like: "Thurston believed that intelligence was inversely proportional to the breadth of the nose...." If you scan through Hari7478's arguments at Talk:Iyengar you will probably have doubts about his understanding of Wikipedia's sourcing policy, in particular whether he knows what a peer-reviewed source is. Both Hari7478 and Mayasutra should be aware that they can be blocked for edit warring without further notice if they don't find consensus for their changes before editing Iyengar, Vadakalai or Sri Sampradaya again. EdJohnston (talk) 21:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Reporting Hari7478
Since Hari7478 did not respond to the earlier report on misquoting sources, am reporting it again. Sincerely request admin to please take time to read thru the whole complaint; and please take action (which is pending since too long).

The origin of this dispute is casteism. Since Thenkalais absorbed Non-Brahmins into their fold; thus, some Vadakalais seek separatism from them, in terms of ethnic / racial / caste purity. The casteist stand is derived from religious notions of caste purity. However, genetic studies are being falsified and misquoted by Hari7478 to portray an ethnic-genetic difference between the two sects. To that end, general sources are also being misquoted.

Herewith are the points of dispute:

1) Misleading subheading titled Ethnicity, genetics and origin: This heading has been used to differentiate between Vadakalai and Thenkalai by ethnicity and origin. I changed this heading to "Subsects" but this is unacceptable to Hari7478. He's been changing it back to “Ethinicity, Genetics and Origin”. Hari7478's deliberate attempt to portray Vadagalais of Indo-Aryan ethnicity and Thengalais of Non-Indo-Aryan Tamil ethnicity, by demarcating and misquoting genetic studies and general sources to portray an ethnic / racial differentiation cannot be allowed.

2) The line under Ethnicity, genetics and origin states: "These sects may be of distinctly different in origin.[5][6]"

The sources [5] and [6] say no such thing nor support ethnic, genetic, and origin differences between Vadagalais and Thengalais. On the contrary source [5](The changing Indian civilization, by Oroon K. Ghosh, 1976) support mergers of deshaja (indigenous) priests into the Indo-Aryan ritual fold, before the ascendency of Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhawa. I am reproducing the entire page 283 of source [5]:

""Formerly, the priests of these regions were suspect. Thus, Hemadri in his Chatur-varga-chintamani quotes from the Saura Purana: "The Brahmans of Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Saurashtra, Gurjara, Abhira, Konkana, Dravida, Dakshinapatha, Avanti and Magadha should be avoided". Now these deshaja (indigenous) and foreign-origin priests were absorbed in the North- Indian priestly tradition in the Age of Syncretism. This is particularly true in the South, where four stages may be postulated - (i) Matrilineal Indusian priests over the whole of South, coming from South Iran and Baluchistan with the Iron Age groups, as brought out in Chapter 9. They were Dravidian-speaking and and echoes of their universality and supremacy in the South still survive, in spite of many incrustations, in the temple of the Mother Goddess Meenakshi at Madurai, where she is clearly superior to and more important than her consort, Sundareswarar.

(ii) In the post-Maurya Time of Troubles many Brahmans must have fled from the North West and infiltrated to the South, loaded with gifts and favours by rulers like the greatly "Sanskritising" Pallavas of Kanchi (300-880 AD). These Vadamars or Vadagalai, ie "Northerners" as distinct from the Tongalai or "Southerners"" must have introduced Sanskrit and Patriarchal Aryo-Indian rites.

(iii) In the Age of Syncretism all the deshaja or "native South Indian deities like Murugan, Subrahmanya, Ayappan, Sastha, the great Meenakshi herself, and others were grouped, and merged with Shiva, Shakti and Vishnu, and their priests admitted into the Aryo-Indian fold. (iv) Finally, the South Indian brahmans became ascendant with Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhava on the intellectual side ; and with the creators of the Bhakti religion, the Shaiva Nayanars and the Vaishnava Alwars on the emotional side.”"

Kindly note Oroon Ghosh “postulated” the above 4 points. However, Hari7478 makes no mention of that; or on the elevation of priests into the Indo-Aryan fold. He uses only point (ii) to mention that Vadakalai are an Indo-Aryan people from Northern India. Fact is, '''the Vadakalai community was founded by Vedanta Desika and did not exist in the said period of Pallavas (300-880 AD). On what basis can Hari7478 construe that Oroon Ghosh’s postulation refers to the current Vadakalai community?''' On what basis can he use this source as a reference to claim Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects differ in origin?

This issue requires one to take into account the term "vada" which in Tamil means "north". The Tamils were not so bad in geography (after all they recorded visits of foreign visitors from other countries). If someone came from northern India, they would have used the correct name of the northern indian kingdom from where they came. The current day Andhra which lies to the "North of the Tamil Country", was known as Vadadesa or Vadugavalli in the past. Unless explicitly stated by a source, one cannot take "vada" to mean "Northern India", or claim to be aryans or indo-aryan people "who once migrated from North India".

Additionally, the Journal of Asiatic Society, the Indo-British Historical Society, Robert Lester and several authors refer to Vadakalai and Thenkalai as northern and southern ‘Schools’; and not to ethnicity / race / origin.

Source [6] provided is ''Pg.132 Human Heredity, Karger., 1976. Google Books. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2011''. It is a paper titled "Inbreeding among Some Brahman Populations of Tamil Nadu", by S.Srinivasan and D.P.Mukherjee. Contrary to Hari7478's claim, the quoted page 132 does not support that statement that "the two sects are distinctly different in origin". '''Source [6] does not even mention Thenkalais. So how can he use this source to make such a statement?''' Am reproducing the stated page 132 as follows:

""The Vadama and the Vadagalai who belong to different sects, but have northern origin in common as indicated by the Tamil prefix Vada, and show the closest agreement in the frequencies of different types of earlobe and hand clasping among the Tamil Brahmans [Srinivasan and Mukherjee, 1974], are characterized by lower incidence of first cousin marriages and higher incidence of marriages between more distant relatives. There is a level of agreement in the levels of inbreeding among Tamil Brahmans, Ayyars and Ayyangars from different states (table II). But a regional influence is also indicated by the higher value of F in the Vadagalai sample from Andhra Pradesh and the lower value of F in the Ayyar sample from Kerala. The matrilineal tradition restricting maternal uncle-niece marriages in Kerala might, of course, have influenced the local Tamil Brahmans.""

A statement under Vadakalai Iyengar: "The Vadakalai Iyengars are believed to be an Indo-Aryan people who once migrated from North India.[8][9]" Source [8] is ''The changing Indian civilization: a perspective on India. Minerva Associates. 1976. pp. 283, 160''. This is exactly the same as source [5], which is The changing Indian civilization: a perspective on India, by Oroon K. Ghosh, 1976. I have reproduced the entire page 283 of this source above. '''I request Hari7478 to quote exact sentences from pages 283, 160 or any other part of the book where it says Vadakalais are Indo-Aryan people who once migrated from North India. '''

Source [9] is given as "Pg.72, Aryans in South India – by P. P. Nārāyanan Nambūdiri, Inter-India Publications." '''The author PP Nambudiri posits all Brahmins to be Aryan in his book. So how can Hari7478 use this source to claim only Vadakalai Iyengars are an Indo-aryan people who once migrated from North India?''' Additionally, the stated source does not say Vadakalais “once migrated from North India”. Please ask Hari7478 to provide the correct page number where the book says so. Am reproducing the entire p.72 Nambudiri’s book below:

""A detailed classification of the Tamil brahmins under the major heads smarta and vaishnava with many sub-sections under each major head is given below :- 1. Vadama 2. Kesigal 3. Brahacharanam 4. Vathima Madhama 5. Ashtasahasram 6. Dikshitar. Smarta 7. Sholiar 8. Mukkani 9. Kaniyalar 10. Sanketi 11. Prathamasaki 12. Gurukkal.

Vaisnava A. Vadagali (Northerners) 1. Sri Vaisnava 2. Vaikhanasa 3. Pancaratra 4.Hebbar B. Thengalai (Southerners) 1. Sri Vaisnava 4. Hebbar 2. Vaikhanasa 5. Mandya 3. Pancaratra

The Smartas: They are divided into 12 sub-divisions. The Vadamas claim to be superior to all other classes of Tamil speaking brahmins. The term Vadama signifies northerners. They are again divided into five sub-divisions, namely Coladesa, Vadadisa, Savayar, Inji and Thummagunta Dravida. All the above divisions and sub-divisions are endogamous except the Tambala brahmins who correspond to Gurukkal among the Tamil brahmins. The Vaidikis are superior to the Niyogis.""

A statement under Vadakalai Iyengar: "In a genetic study in Andhra Pradesh all individuals examined among Vadakalai Iyengars showed a high similarity of rhesus(d) gene frequency with the people of Faislabad in the Punjab province of Pakistan.[10] All the individuals examined among Vadakalai Iyengars showed Rhesus(D) positive with a high frequency of the D allele while the other castes from Andhra showed a low frequency of the D allele.[10]"

The source [10] quoted is a paper by Hameed et al. The said paper refers to an another paper (By Reddy et al) which had previously compared samples of 4 communities and found Rh(D) factor higher in the Vadakalai sample. Since Rh(D) in that study was found higher in people of Faisalabad Pakistan, the authors Hameed et al remarked that the similarity in frequency of Rhesus(D) genes “ can be attributed to the common history of these populations”. Fact is, the said paper does not even refer to Thengalais.

I had changed the sentence to correctly indicate what the paper mentions as follows: “A study on Rh(D) occurrence in 1980, amongst samples from members of Mala, Yerukula, Kapu and Vadagalai Iyengar in Andhra revealed that the incidence of Rhesus(D) was higher in Vadagalai Iyengars than the other 3 groups; with a similar high frequency of Rhesus(D) genes also found in people of Faislabad in the Punjab province of Pakistan.”

This, however, is unacceptable to Hari7478 who reverts the change. He insists on the talk page that there is an ethnic difference between Vadakalai and Thenkalai. Hari7478 has even used the ref name for the paper by Hameed, et al as ["ref name="Vadakalai Genetics"]. To him, the Vadakalai are Indo-Aryan people who migrated from Northern India. Let him get an appropriate source to substantiate it; instead of falsifying and misquoting papers.

This paper was formerly used by Hari7478 to mention that "the above mentioned genetic similarity between the vadakalai and the punjabis of pakistan portrays the Indo-aryan origin of the Vadakalai iyengars". However, now the direct mention has been omitted out, but the paper has been used by Hari7478 to cater to his claims of Vadagalai - Thengalai differentiation.

Previously, on my objection, Hari7478 deleted the source “Man in India: Volume 58, by Sarat Chandra Roy (Rai Bahadur)” on cleft chin studies, which he had falsified to project a vadakalai - thenkalai differentiation. However, he has been reverting changes with the Hameed, et al paper. He is keen to portray a ‘genetic difference’ between Vadakalais and Thenkalais; and that Vadakalais are “indo-aryan people who once migrated from northern India”.

I object to Hari7478's constant falsification of sources to pass of his claims of “ethnicity, genetics and origin”. His disputed content as detailed above must be removed from the Iyengar, Vadakalai and Sri Sampradaya pages. Either he must agree for mediation to stop his misquoting of sources, or admin must intervene on this ANI page and ask him to provide correct sources for his statements. In event he does not respond to this report, he must be blocked from vandalizing the said pages. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 21:51, 29 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra
 * As I explained on your talk page, though, Mayasutra, part of the problem is your approach. After you removed a large chunk of info from Vadakalai, and Hari reverted you, then, per WP:BRD (our normal pattern for major edits), you should have gone to the talk page and laid out the concerns you had above. Instead, those claims ended up here on ANI, where, in fact, Hari shouldn't respond to them, since they're content matters. Both of you need to discuss more and revert less. Now, there may well be a problem of "falsifying sources", but we need to establish that first, somewhere (I'm assuming Hari will say that the info is in the source, or some way justify the text). Unless it's already certain that Hari was falsifying text, ANI really isn't a good place to solve the problem. So, in other words, both of you should get the hell off this board and get onto an article talk page and figure this stuff out; starting using content dispute resolution (dispute noticeboards, RfCs, etc.) and stop just trying to win by getting the other blocked. Qwyrxian (talk) 22:17, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Okay, both of you stop. Please remember that this noticeboard has the authority to place editing restrictions, and often when we find two users importing their content disputes to noticeboards, we just get annoyed and place some sort of interaction ban or topic ban on them. Did that get your attention? Good. Now here's what I strongly suggest you both do:
 * Stop accusing each other of things. There's bad blood on both sides of this, so we're not going to listen to one of you instead of the other. Pause and take some deep breaths, okay? Hari, the edit-warring matter's already been dealt with, and Mayasutra, there's no rule that you have to respond to ANI threads right away.
 * Stop arguing with people who are trying to help you. Especially with admins, since, let's be honest, it's never really a good idea to taunt someone who can block you in a matter of seconds, especially if you're already engaged in borderline personal attacks and tendentious editing all under the purview of an ArbCom decision.
 * The best thing I could advise is that you just stop fighting over what's in the past. Hari7478, you already made your case at AN3 (or was it here? I forget), so there's no need to make it again a few days later at AIV. We're supposed to all be here to build an encyclopedia, so I hope you can understand why editors get angry about anything that strikes them as a user pursuing a vendetta. So, anyways, if you two really want to make your content case, go ahead. ANI might not be the perfect noticeboard for it, but Wikipedia is not a bureaucracy, and this has been to enough noticeboards already. So, Mayasutra, if you really want to pursue your allegations of misquotation (which I advise against), please politely and succinctly explain them in a subsection here, and we can settle them once and for all. And then, Hari, you can politely and succinctly explain why these allegations are false. And that will be that; this will be the final decision on that matter. Future attempts to rehash it will almost definitely not be received well, so, whichever of you "loses" this dispute, you should just cut your losses and move on before people get pissed and start talking bans. Okay?


 *  — PinkAmpers  &#38;  ( Je vous invite à me parler )  22:03, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * PinkAmpers, Very sorry about re-posting. Did so because Hari7478 was typically evading the issue and not responding. Also, because Boing felt requests will peter out if no admin feels sufficiently moved to do anything. I sincerely request the admin to please-please read thru the complaint fully and ask Hari7478 to respond specifically to the 4 issues raised and why should such content be allowed on wiki since they are his own fabrications / conclusions / falsifications by misquoting sources. I have no objection to using Edgar Thurston as a source. However, Hari7478 must provide which sentences from Thurston's source he intends to use and in what manner. Hari7478 also must explain why is he deleting my references from established academic sources, such as, Journal of Royal Asiatic Society and Robert Lester. I challenge him to prove his contentions on Hameed et al 's paper which he calls "Vadagalai genetics" to portray his so-called Indo-Aryan and northern India origin to Vadakalai brahmins. Hari7478 cites a different ethnic origin for Vadakalai brahmins separated from Thengalai brahmins -- I challenge him to prove references he provided actually say that. Please note: Hari7478 says a lot without addressing the point directly. Which IMO is very meandering. Thanks. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 00:08, 30 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra


 * Ed Johnston, i know that i shouldn't have used the word peer during that discussion(that was a very silly mistake). I was in a hurry. It may seem as though i was unaware at first. But let me explain because that's definitely not the case(like what you think). When Sitush started the discussion on Thurston(namely "Edgar Thurston as a source"), it was about whether we keep Thurston's work or remove it from the Iyengar article, and it had nothing much to do with Mayasutra's claims at first. But the source has been cited in many other wiki pages on castes. Due to this, i was just explaining as to why the source can be kept. Though i tried hard for a secondary source, i couldn't find any recording of that project's information elsewhere. So i just helped them understand that the project(codification of various castes and tribes in India) was hailed by the article(one line praise). Also, a '92 article(didn't post a link to that) by the same Daily analyzed the chapters in depth, however not too deep into the finer contents. So i was about to suggest that "if there are still problems with the src(even i may disapprove of the project's howlers in some parts), we take it to WT:INB so that the decision on Castes & Tribes as a src would be applicable to all those wiki pages on Indian castes that have made use of Thurston's work". There are way too many of them cited in other wiki pages. Their removal in the Iyengar page may cause some disagreement among other editors(upon notification), and even if not, some vandal users in other pages may cite this(removal in the Iyengar pg) as a reason to make similar removals in the other pages too, especially when some other editors are supporting it. So, it was about either keeping it or removing it(but apparently that has a lot do with many other wiki pages too & not just the Iyengar page). But Mayasutra posted replies under that discussion with comments regardingthe Vadakalai vs Thenkalai issue, as you can see, because of which the main issue(raised by Sitush) was forgotten, due to a long message that followed. Realizing Sitush's extensive knowledge on caste related sources & reliablity of sources, I've always abided by Sitush's decisions, but sometimes i've given a few suggestions too and Sitush has agreed about keeping some of them(on two occassions). Even Sitush has edited my revision & that specific section, but has mostly been keeping my contributions. He analyzed the whole page. Even another admin'(someone whom i invited for an assessment) made some minor changes to the disputed section, but chose to keep my contributions after a few clarifications from my part(some time ago). Pinkampersand - this message is just a clarification to Ed Jonhston's message. This is not a complaint. Its just a clarification to Ed Jonhston's concerns. Thank you. Hari7478 (talk) 23:27, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Hari7478, Main issue is not Sitush or Thurston. Already explained on Iyengar talk page i have no prob with Thurston as a source. Stop meandering around. Address specifically the 4 issues raised - -explain why you have misquoted those sources. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 00:13, 30 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra


 * PinkAmpers and Ed Johnston, After reporting me for Page protection and Vandalism, now Hari7478 has reported me for being a Sockpuppet of Fastnfurious -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sockpuppet_investigations/Mayasutra IMO, Hari7478 is merely evading the main issue and is misusing wiki machinery. Is there someway to get Hari7478 to respond here wrt to the 4 issues raised instead of meandering about? Thanks. --&#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; (talk) 05:04, 30 January 2013 (UTC)Mayasutra

┌─────────────────────────────────┘

As I've tried to mediate in conflicts concerning this article on and off for two years, and as the edit wars have being going on for even longer, it would seem to me that there is no realistic hope that these disputes will be resolved. There have been numerous attempts to settle matters, such as my notice to the administarors' noticeboard in February 2011 and a series of other ANI cases and the likes. Most have involved Hari7478, but there is no reason to assume that s/he alone is the source of these animosities, even though this particular user seems to have exhibited an ownership attitude towards the article, not heeding warnings to that effect.

Furthermore, a number of administrators have already tried to resolve this matter for years, both by calls for consensus and cooperation, sanctions and imposing page protections. Since none of this has had any lasting effect and no foreseeable resolution seems possible, I suggest the following two remedies:


 * Both participants &#61; No &#124;&#124;&#124; Illusion &#61; and Hari7478 are given permament topic bans relating to the Iyengar page.

I'm aware this may seem like a harsh measure, but please bear in mind that there is little or no hope that any of these editors will make any worthwile additions to the page, and that both have exhibited behaviour that would indicate they lack the necessary neutral point of view to make further amends to the subject.
 * The page content is reset to the state it was in previous to the last edit made by either of these editors.

For the record: I have no opionion(s) as to the subject matter of the Iyengar entry, and the majority of disagreements are completely incomprehensible to me, such as "factual data which proves the Thenkalai is the more prevelant sampradhya" and "unneccessarily swapping contents by moving thenkalai section ahead of vadakalai." My only involvement in the dispute originates in a request to OTRS to intervene in an ongoing edit war in 2011. If need be, I'll supply links to my earlier attempts at reconciliation and warnings. Asav | Talk (Member of the OTRS Volunteer Response Team) 17:32, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Rigged votes/WP:MEAT violation
Please help. The article MUD_trees was nominated for deletion, but the votes were rigged by "MUD" owners who listed their MUD on the page, as you can see on their forum here: http://www.topmudsites.com/forums/tavern-blue-hand/5287-defense-all-muds-our-genres-noteworthiness-being-questioned-16.html EternalFlare (talk) 11:56, 25 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Even as a non-admin close, this wasn't a controversial interpretation of the discussion that took place, and while several of the comments were plainly canvassed there were also multiple comments from established editors which expressed the same sentiments. You could ask for it to be relisted at WP:DRV on the grounds that it was a NAC unduly influenced by cancassed opinions, though. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 12:09, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I have requested that the user involved in the closure re-nominate the article for deletion for multiple reasons. It should be noted that  has been advised on at least 2 occasions this month to be exceptionally careful with their Non-Admin Closures. I will not make any recommendations regarding how we can improve the AfD closures as I am one of the ones who has previously complained about their NACs. Hasteur (talk) 17:52, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think she can just revert her closure, and then relist. I've suggested it to her.  DGG ( talk ) 05:03, 26 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Why would you do that, Hasteur? Would you have done the same if it were an admin?  I can't imagine any sane editor, admin or not, would not come to a "keep" from that discussion.  There seems to be a recent trend of "OHMYGOODNESS NAC MUST SCREAM" that is both counterproductive and highly unpleasant.  It's a solid keep.  Get over it.  Trouts to EternalFlare for bringing it here and Hasteur for encouraging such nonsence.  -- No  unique  names  02:34, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * And you should know that there's a certain threshold that users need to be warned to not do dumb things. So, please don't make it about me... Hasteur (talk) 04:09, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nothing dumb was done in the AfD close, though. The threshold was not met.  -- No  unique  names  16:28, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Have to completely disagree with Hasteur's actions here. The NAC closer had not participated in the discussion, and the discussion was such a landslide of policy-based keeps (with one option to "keep or merge") that it was one of the snowiest possible closes - exactly the type that NAC's are for.  Why in any deity's name you would bust their chops for the right close based on all evidence is beyond me.  Seriously Hasteur - give your head a little shake, please (✉→BWilkins←✎) 16:43, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The link in the OP clearly shows meatpuppetry going on. --Saddhiyama (talk) 12:49, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * But any AFD intelligent closer can see that at least a couple of the !voters are not meatpuppets - and those commentators left intelligent, policy-based commentary. In any AFD close, the close eliminates the meat and SPA very quickly. So, based on the remaining !votes, it's still a pretty obvious keep - hence the close is still correct. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 10:36, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There was no mention of meatpuppeting in either the AfD or in the NAC rationale so I think the evidence suggests that the closer did not know about it and did not take it into account (i.e. she did not quickly eliminate meat/SPA). If she did know that the AfD was tainted then I think that would be a warning sign not to make an NAC. As Hasteur points out, she's been repeatedly asked not to perform ones that are controversial and meatpuppetry is definitely a controversy-stirring issue if you close in favor of the meatpuppets. I give Sue the benefit of the doubt here and believe that she didn't know about the off-wiki shenanigans. So her close was fine given what she knew at the time. But now that new evidence has come to light I think requesting that she re-open was also proper. If she sees the notes on her talk page, in fact, I'm sure she'll do just that. If she misses them, though, then this should go to DRV per Chris Cunningham. -Thibbs (talk) 21:00, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yeah that's really an obnoxious thread to read. Textbook meatpuppetry and apparent lynchmob efforts made to harass and out the original nom by a crew of conspiracy-minded forum dwellers who seem to find the rules here inscrutable. Asking Sue Rangell to re-open her NAC was certainly appropriate but she seems to be on strike due to the recent loss of her rollback privileges (or maybe she's just taking a WikiBreak™, who knows). So I think DRV is the best move. Given the participation in the AfD I wouldn't bet on a different outcome, but the AfD was clearly tainted. -Thibbs (talk) 17:38, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * (EC) While I agree the offsite canvassing (seemingly resurrected from the same thing in 2010) is rather unfortunate particularly given some of the comments there, it seems to me that's largely separate from the appropriateness of the NAC. From what I can tell, most of the people there were fairly established wikipedians, so I don't think there's reason to think the closer missed anything that an admin wouldn't have. And I don't think there's any suggestion the closer came from the forum. Now that the off-site canvassing has been brought to light, we could revisit the closure itself, but it seems to me even with the canvassing, there's no way a delete is coming from that so the options are either keep it as keep, relist or close as 'no consensus'. If people feel this is worth considering they could open a DRV or ask the closer about it (but again it doesn't imply the closer made an inappropriate close). The only other thing is whether we have to do anything about the canvassing particularly in light of some of the comments. I would say no, since it seems they now accept canvassing is not acceptable even if they don't all agree with it. And if anything does come from the threats we can take action about those then. Similarly, if the harassment continues, we could look at what, if anything, we can do about it. Nil Einne (talk) 17:46, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That's sensible, Nil Einne. Just for the record we should note that EternalFlare had recently (on January 27) been charged with sockpuppetry at this declined SPI (without an accompanying user talk warning). I'm still assuming good faith in all the actors at this point, but certainly if this rises to the level of harassment then steps will have to be taken to curb it. -Thibbs (talk) 19:32, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Restoration of personal attacks by ʍaunus
ʍaunus has twice restored personal attacks to the talk page of Rape culture‎. The attacks, made by Handyunits imply I am a racist I am accused of bulling & pushing an agenda. Handyunits has also accused me of "trollish behaviour" and of being "disruptive". All I have done is comment on the RFC HU started and I do not see how my comments can be called disruptive. I require that the personal attacks be removed and both ʍaunus & HU be reminded that personal attacks should not be made, nor restored. Darkness Shines (talk) 12:55, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * You picked apart their posts and removed the parts you didn't like. I would revert that too. There's no need to mess with someone else's posts like that. If you think those parts violated WP:NPA, then you could've just said so and asked for the parts to be struck/removed.--Atlan (talk) 13:00, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * What personal attacks? He disagreed with you, and you deleted his comments.  If you felt something was an attack (which I don't see from the content), you should have spoken with him and asked him to retract/strike the offending part.  Like Atlan and Maunus, I would have restored the comments.    GregJackP   Boomer!   13:04, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Per WP:TPG I have the right to remove personal attacks. And I will remove them again if nobody else does. Darkness Shines (talk) 13:05, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Read WP:NPA which quite clearly says what is and isn't considered a personal attack. An unflattering characterization of your editing behavior is not a personal attack. It also clearly says that you cannot simply remove everything you consider an attack from article talk pages - only from your own user talk.·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 13:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Read WP:TPG as I asked you to and see that, yes I can remove personal attacks. Darkness Shines (talk) 13:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * But they have to be actual personal attacks, not just comments about you that you don't like·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:03, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Maunus, whether or not this is a personal attack solely depends on what Darkness Shines actually said or claimed. All of you could simply provide the diff that proves he made racists claims; if you can't do that, DS is right to remove those parts. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 13:48, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't think it does no, I don't believe either TPG nor NPA gives a carte blanche to simply remove accusations of tendentious editing or other critiques of editing behavior. And if it does it needs to be changed because it is impossible to have a system that allows simply removing critiques of one's own behavior. What one should do is to request substantiation or to ask for input from other editors about whether they find the accusations to be sustainable. We cannot have a working system if people cannot criticize behavior of others without first presenting waterproof evidence. Not all misbehavior can be simply proven with a diff.·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:03, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Not all, but the allegation "You claim that all brown people are rapists" can be proven with a diff. So &mdash; where's the diff? Does it exist? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 14:07, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That is not my problem but the problem of the person who said it. My guess is that it can't in which case he should strike it himself. But we cannot allow people to remove other people's comments without first requesting evidence/refactoring. That is a misunderstanding of the NPA and TPG policies.·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:26, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * So your understanding is that I can throw grave accusations at you without providing any proof, and your first obligation is to politely ask me "Excuse me, you just called me a fascist child-raping murderer, would you be so kind to explain what leads you to this assumption?"...? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 14:30, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't think I need to respond to that strawman. ·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:36, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Not a strawman. That's exactly what you just said. DS was called a racist, and you say he must first politely inquire about the validity of that accusation. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 14:38, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Then I am sure you can show with a diff where I said exactly that. No? (and the diff where he is called a racist)·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:40, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Right here: "[//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AAdministrators%27_noticeboard%2FIncidents&diff=535692906&oldid=535690826 we cannot allow people to remove other people's comments without first requesting evidence/refactoring]" and here: "[//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Rape_culture&diff=prev&oldid=535637739 used by DS and Mediahound to advance their claim that brown people are intrinsically rapists]"Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 14:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Those diffs do not support your claim. I did not say that it is okay to accuse editors of having specific views or of committing off-wiki crimes. I said it is ok to criticize their on-wiki behavior. Handyunits also didn't call DS a racist he stated that DS had made a claim on wiki that you consider to be a racist claim. ·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:50, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Your post on my talkpage clarifies your opinion in this matter, and I completely and absolutely disagree. Sorry. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 14:52, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * This is what TPG actually says can be used to justify editing others comments: "Removing harmful posts, including personal attacks, trolling and vandalism. This generally does not extend to messages that are merely uncivil; deletions of simple invective are controversial. Posts that may be considered disruptive in various ways are another borderline case and are usually best left as-is or archived."·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 14:05, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * There are some allegations as to your motives for editing, but nothing that rises to the level of personal attacks that should be removed.--Atlan (talk) 13:07, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * (ec) I [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Rape_culture&diff=prev&oldid=535684314 asked him] to link to the appropriate diff; if he can't do that, you'll have a point. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 13:08, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There are allegations of racism. I will not have it, I have stated previously that I will not allow such attacks on me to stand, and they will not. Darkness Shines (talk) 13:13, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I understand. Let's see if he can come up with the appropriate diff. If you really did make those racists claims, it should be a piece of cake for him to prove it. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 13:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * DS - I strongly suggest you stop editing other people's comments, and if you disagree with them ask the editor in question to remove it themselves. You should not disruptively edit. GiantSnowman 13:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Can I be in the middle? I do not see sufficient justification to call these attacks personal attacks and I agree with Giant Snowman. They are attacks of a kind, though--"to advance their claim that brown people are intrinsically rapists"--and should be substantiated. But then, this is an RfC precisely about the alleged agenda, and in that context I don't see much of a problem with the comment since substantiation (I have no judgment yet on whether this is done satisfactorily) is part of that discussion. Drmies (talk) 16:05, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Being correct is usually a good defense for the "personal attack" accusation, unfortunately. Darkness Shines' attitude appears to be no better than that of, who was recently topic-banned from Israel/Muslim articles, stemming from misconduct in the "derby sex gang" and similar.  This is a nasty, nasty thing going on in the Wikipedia right now, editors synthesizing disparate incidents into a Muslims-are-raping-everyone story, complete with a hopefully-soon-to-be-deleted Category:Asian sex gang categorization.  Focus on THAT, and less on unkind words. Tarc (talk) 16:19, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Excuse me? Either provide proof that I am engaged in what you are accusing me off or I will remove it. Darkness Shines (talk) 16:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Your contributions at Talk:Derby sex gang supporting gross BLP violations, shoulder-to-shoulder with AnkhMorpork, are proof enough. Tarc (talk) 16:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Your full of it. My posts on that talk page are all entirly within policy at no time have I said or even hinted that all Muslims are raping everyone. And if as you claim I am trying to tar Muslims as rapists explain my edits to the article where I removed asian, I cannot supply diffs as the article history has been purged. See the time stamps 16:57, 23 January 2013‎‎ & 17:20, 23 January 2013‎. Now remove your allegation or I will. Darkness Shines (talk) 16:41, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * "You're", not "your". Your comments on that talk page indicate a strong desire to make the ethnicity of the alleged rapists as prominent as possible in the article, so my comment stands.  You will not be removing my words or the words of anyone else, so kindly keep your bluster to yourself. Tarc (talk) 17:04, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Tarc, you may well be right, but that's not a matter for here/now and it just raises the temperature (as does correcting someone's grammar...). I do think that this thread ought to be be closed (see comments below), and further such statements be reserved for Request for comment/Darkness Shines, for instance. Drmies (talk) 17:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * There was no justification for the OP to originally remove part of the comment. -Nathan Johnson (talk) 16:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Trout & Close DS, please let it drop and go about your business. little green rosetta $central scrutinizer (talk)$ 16:26, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Star Trek into Darkness

 * Posting moved to WP:AN. Erik (talk &#124; contribs) 13:54, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Repeated obstructionism by user:Niteshift36 concerning a source.
While looking into the troubled Juggalos (gang) article, I noticed that a citation to a document, purportedly from the U.S. National Gang Intelligence Center, was instead actually  sourced to publicintelligence.net, a tertiary self-published source, based on users' submissions, already noted at WP:RSN as an unreliable source. . Discussing the matter with user:Niteshift36, first on my talk page, and then at WP:RSN , he/she has repeatedly claimed that the original NGIC document is is a published reliable source - but has failed to provide the necessary details to establish this (as 'burden of evidence' policy clearly requires), and has instead given contradictory claims, has failed to give a straight answer as to how the document can be obtained, and on what grounds it can be established to be WP:RS. When I first asked how the document could be obtained, Niteshift suggested I "file a FOIA request". As has been pointed out on WP:RSN, there are very good grounds to suppose that an article obtained by a FOIA request has not been 'published' in any real sense at all - and as I have already pointed out at WP:RSN the document (assuming that the publicintelligence.net version is a true copy, which of course we cannot know for sure), states that it is "FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY" on the front page, which also states "The information contained herein remains under the control of the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC). It is being disseminated for authorized law enforcement purposes only. Requests for use or further dissemination of any material contained herein should be made to the NGIC, (703) 414-8600": there are strong grounds to suspect it is an unpublished internal document (note also that a Google search reveals no 'official' source for the document, and that it cannot be found on the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications). ) Faced with the suggestion that a document obtained via a FOIA request might not be seen as 'published', Niteshift is now claiming that the document may be obtained by other means but has repeatedly refused to state what these other means are, instead accusing me of bad faith, and of 'lying' . Given the general obstructive tone of Niteshift in response to what can only be seen as a reasonable request to provide the evidence required to establish that a cited source meets the approprite Wikipedia requirements, it seems entirely reasonable to describe Niteshift's behaviour as that of a tendentious editor, wilfully obstructing a legitimate and reasonable discussion on the legitimacy of a source - and as such I suggest that Niteshift needs to either (a) provide the necessary evidence that this is indeed a published source - with all the details required to actually obtain it, or (b) face sanctions for intentionally obstructive behaviour. A reasonable request for the required evidence to establish that a source meets WP:RS can surely not be denied in such a manner? Or if it can, we have a serious problem. The 'Juggalo'-related articles have enough problems as it is (not least due to a lawsuit between the FBI and the Insane Clown Posse over what the latter considers a false characterisation of law-abiding fans - who call themselves 'Juggalos' - as gang members), and if we are to cover the topic properly, we need to do so in a way that doesn't involve intentional obstructionism. AndyTheGrump (talk)
 * I'll respond to this when I have time to actually address this load of crap these misrepresentations in their entirety, rather than just talk about Andy's pedantic behavior, his persistant lack of good faith and his raging case of WP:IDHT. Niteshift36 (talk) 21:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What administrator action do you wish to have done? -- Jayron  32  21:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If Niteshift continues to fail to provide the necessary information, as the burden of evidence requires, I would suggest a block per Disruptive editing. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:24, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You've been provided the information. Niteshift36 (talk) 21:33, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There should be no administrator action until I actually have time to expose his misrepresentation and refusal to actually even attempt to verify the source. Niteshift36 (talk) 21:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * And how am I supposed to verify the source? Yet again you haven't provided the details necessary to do this. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:24, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Are you kidding me? I've provided you with the EXACT address to contact. The EXACT name of the document. The EXACT date of publication. I even provided you a map so you could drive there. Have you made ANY attempt to contact the NGIC at the address I proved you? No. You haven't. I gave you the means, you simply refuse to do it because you seem to have a bias against offline sources. Once I address this completely, you may be ducking a WP:BOOMERANG. Niteshift36 (talk) 21:33, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * You are suggesting that I file an FOIA request there - and we have already established that documents obtained via FOIA requests cannot be seen as published WP:RS. So what was the 'other way' this document can be obtained? AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:39, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This is absurd. I said, in passing you could file one. I NEVER, ever said that was the only way to do it. If you can provide the diff where I did, then show it now. Othwerwise, stop repeating that misrepresentation. Since making that comment, I provided you with a specific address. You've still done nothing to act on it. That's your problem, not mine.Niteshift36 (talk) 21:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * So are you now claiming that I don't need to file a FOIA request to obtain the document from the address you gave? AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:48, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I gave you the address. Contact them and ask them. I don't work for the DoJ, so I can't speak for the DoJ. Please provide proof that you contacted them and proof of their answer because, at this point, I would have great difficulty believing that you actually did it without proof. Niteshift36 (talk) 21:51, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Since this very subject is being discussed at RSN, just close this now. little green rosetta $central scrutinizer (talk)$ 21:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * This isn't being 'discussed' - Niteshift is wilfully obstructing the discussion. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:39, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, you just don't like the answer. You define "obstructing" as not doing everything you want, exactly the way you want it. Seriously, get a grip.Niteshift36 (talk) 21:44, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Note. Given that this has been hatted while Niteshift is continuing his wilful obstructionism, I consider it entirely inappropriate. Frankly though, I'm inclined to leave the entire 'Juggalos gang' mess to others to sort out. The sourcing is abysmal (what credible sources there are are misrepresented - and many of them aren't credible in the first place), I've already had to delete copyright violations and gross WP:BLP violations, and we have recently seen an entirely inappropriate arbitration request filed. It seems clear to me that there is blatant POV-pushing going on, and I'm sure that this mess will end up here again soon enough without my input. I only got involved in the first place by chance, and I see no reason whatsoever to continue while others try to push problems under the carpet. AndyTheGrump (talk) 22:13, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

SPA at Dale Bozzio of the unconstructive kind
At Dale Bozzio, there's been some disagreement, to put it mildy. , an editor with around 200 article edits and few interests outside of the Bozzio article, has been edit-warring for quite some time now with the clear intent of removing as much material as possible. They do have in interest in inserting material, material that was deemed problematic at the BLP noticeboard. See Biographies_of_living_persons/Noticeboard/Archive165, and note that while Malerooster wasn't opposed to inclusion if the sources were deemed reliable, no such verdict was ever sought at the RS noticeboard. If you look at The Master's edits you see what it is that they want, and while it is true that the article can do with improvement, edits such as this are unwarranted: it removes factual material that while unreferenced is hardly controversial in any way. Now, on the other side we have, who is probably a fan, and who has in the past asked me for advice. Doc at least tries to improve the article, and the accusation (more in a moment) that they're turning this into some fan page misses the mark by a pretty wide margin. As for that accusation--well, the cat came out of the bag in The Master's latest comment on the talk page: This article is basically a hagiography of a former singer in a one-hit-wonder band written by a bunch of guys who had crushes on her after seeing her in the "Words" video. That note, a blatant personal attack disguised as a rant, was the straw that broke this camel's back, which is why I bring this here: The Master cannot seem to work together with other people to improve this article, they have no interest in improving any other article, they are edit-warring and editing against consensus, they resort to personal attacks, and they obviously have an odd interest in this particular article--in short, they are not here to improve the project. I propose that The Master be topic-banned from the article and its talk page, broadly construed--to include Zappa-related pages, for instance. Disclosure: I've never seen the "Words" video, I don't know that I know that song, and I don't think Dale Bozzio is my type. Drmies (talk) 02:24, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Hello? Duke game is over, people. Back to work. Drmies (talk) 23:15, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I guess everyone realizes that your accusations are without merit. I deleted content that was unsourced. Should people now be topic banned for deleting unsourced claims from a BLP? And why didn't you attempt to discuss the deletions before rushing off to ask admins to topic ban me? You should be admonished. The Master (talk) 07:27, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * We've discussed this many times. Was there some special need for me to discuss your insulting message on the article talk page? How 'bout I slap an only warning for personal attacks on your talk page? Drmies (talk) 15:15, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * FWIW: The Master (who had a somewhat troubled past here already) discovers Dale Bozzio in November 2012, adding content about a conviction for animal abuse, not longer after finding their calling as a cat defender. True advocacy: The Master has had no interest here in music, musicians, or anything like it. *Addendum: The Master was a different user before, with more interests than just Bozzio. I don't know how exciting that is and how relevant here; details can be gleaned from the history of their talk page. Drmies (talk) 16:12, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Second time I'm asking this: I deleted content that was unsourced. Should people now be topic banned for deleting unsourced claims from a BLP? Are you just going to ignore that and keep commenting on contributors rather than content, as you yourself are violating WP:NPA? I find it telling that nobody but you seems to have a problem with my edits at that page. Is there a reason you're so interested in presenting the subject in the best possible light? Or are you just dragging this to the drama boards because of your dislike for me in general? Again, your claims and accusations are pathetic and laughable. The Master (talk) 21:44, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm uninvolved, so I'll jump in. Frankly, it's hard to like The Master's style, but Drmies is pretty combative too. The cat stuff is a tossup, since the sourcing looks weak and you can make a case for WP:UNDUE. The deletions of material are questionable... is there no way to find sources for her released works? I can see why no one wants to comment... this is a mess. I am not sure sanctions are called for at this point, though I can see why Drmies brought this here. One possible solution: is there a mediator in the house?  Jus  da  fax   08:20, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Jusdafax, this has been going on for a while now. If there were agreement at the BLP noticeboard that the cat is a toss-up (sounds like animal abuse to me) I would have had no problem with its inclusion. But it seems pretty clear to me that The Master, since he didn't get his way that time (and I'll be the first to say that there wasn't a resounding consensus for its exclusion), is taking it out on Dale Bozzio in as many ways as he can, removing inoffensive and uncontroversial material from the article in a manner that is disruptive. Doc seems pretty frustrated with it and I am too. And what about that talk page comment? How is that not a personal attack? Drmies (talk) 14:41, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I've sourced the basics, which took about an hour because my typing skills are lacking. BLPs deserve every bit of attention we can bring to them but the sources were easy to find, and plentiful, so I'm thinking removal was a bit hasty.  Tide  rolls  11:25, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I would like to comment. I have not had much time to devote to Wikipedia over the past couple of weeks. Please allow me to put my thoughts together and upload my view of this, this evening if possible. Thanks. Doc2234 (talk) 11:33, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Tide, I am very impressed with your work on the article: thank you so much. If The Master promises he can simply leave the article alone, I'd be happy enough and we can close this thread. Drmies (talk) 14:48, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If the claims have been sourced then fine. But unsourced claims will continue to be removed from this and from every other article in which I notice them. The guidelines say that unsourced content can and should be removed, not that people should wait until sources are found. Saying that it's wrong to remove unsourced content is 100% incorrect. The first thing you did was to call me a SPA and claim that I have "few interests outside of the Dale Bozzio article", both of which are patently false personal attacks. What I promise to do is continue removing unsourced content or content sources to unreliable sources per Wikipedia guidelines. The Master ---)Vote Saxon(--- 03:48, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nice use of the passive in laying down the law. No, our guidelines don't say that all. Your edit history is pretty indicative of your single purpose here (so, neither false nor a personal attack), whereas you have no proof that I'm a male person who watched some video in the 1980s and let that guide my edits (that was a pretty silly remark you made on that talk page and says more about you as an editor than about your intended target). Your promise, though, should be tempered with a bit of knowledge of our guidelines: there is no imperative to remove unsourced content. If you wanted to be a productive editor, you'd help source content. Drmies (talk) 03:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Three comments and I’ll be as brief as I can be (I know that I tend to get long-winded):
 * 1. The personal attack comment left on the Dale Bozzio talk page here referred to  the writers of the article as “a bunch of guys who had crushes on her”. I think it is worthwhile to point out that contributors to the article include at least four adminstrators and a number of editors who have substantial knowledge about the subject. The body of administrators and editors who have edited this article is composed of both men and women.


 * 2. Concerning deletion of content, there were 22 edits performed by The Master that either deleted material or set the stage for deleting material over a 2 month period – heavy activity from one user for this page. Both sourced and unsourced material was deleted, including a sourced statement in the Frank Zappa section that was reviewed by the Frank Zappa WikiProject in the Dale Bozzio help requested section here and re-added here and once again deleted here. Could admins please review this information and render an opinion on whether it should be included? Thank you for your thoughts.


 * 3. My sincere thanks to those who have spent time to re-add information back into the article. Doc2234 (talk) 10:18, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * 1) This whole thread is pathetic.
 * 2) Drmies constantly violates NPA by commenting on contributors rather than content.
 * 3) Being a Wikipedia administrator in this day and age is hardly an indication of personal honor.
 * 4) The pretense that Wikipedia is governed by policies and guidelines is the greatest joke of the internet. It's governed by mob rule and cliques of people who protect their favorite articles in their preferred version.
 * 5) This thread is intended to goad me into an outburst so Drmies can ban me. He's decided I'm an "enemy" for having the gall to delete unsourced claims. The accusations of "SPA" are pure bullshit and intended to have a chilling effect on my editing at that article. The Master ---)Vote Saxon(--- 03:26, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Funny that in point (2) you make an accusation of personal attacks - and then in point (5) you make a personal attack. Don't. - The Bushranger One ping only 10:15, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

That should be enough of railing against the system, The Master. You are not required to get the point, it simply makes your job easier and more enjoyable. This thread has left the realm of constructive discussion and should be closed.  Tide  rolls  05:11, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree that The Master is a casual editor at best, with 500 someodd edits stretched over two years, but with only 22 on the Bozzio article, claiming that he's a SPA doesn't really wash. That being said, especially with him being such an inexperienced editor, he may be unaware of the provisions of WP:V. It is not, in fact, the rule that every statement of fact in an article must be cited.  WP:V holds, specifically, that "any material challenged or likely to be challenged must be attributed ..." and it does not require the aggressive removal of every sentence lacking an inline citation.  Uncited material on a BLP must be aggressively removed, but only if it disparages the subject.  Perhaps The Master could elaborate as to the grounds upon which he challenges such statements, but lacking such rationales, he's committing WP:POINT violations.    Ravenswing   03:57, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

John Martin (singer)


I can't take this to SPI since the page is protected, nor can I contact Daniel Case, a blocking admin in this instance, for the same reason, so I'm dropping this here for consideration: Nav lateralmgmt has already been blocked as a promotional account, and I suspect the subsequent accounts may be sockpuppets. Could be wrong in not assuming good faith, but it usually looks duckish when WP:SPAs spring up like this. Thoughts appreciated. Thanks, 99.12.243.171 (talk) 17:26, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You've been here for like a day. If you were to log on using your registered account, you could post to SPI. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:41, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, I've been here a long time, and am aware of the IP/registered distinction. If the report here is inappropriate I'll be happy to remove it. Thanks, 99.12.243.171 (talk) 18:46, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It can stay. The admins can determine if an SPI is appropriate. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:48, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It lacks the sizzle of most of the incidents here, but even admins need an easy one from time to time. 99.12.243.171 (talk) 18:50, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It would help the sizzle if you could connect those redlinks to some international spam terrorist organization. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:00, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Working on it, but thus far I can't even establish a link here . 99.12.243.171 (talk) 19:09, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * FYI, I asked Daniel Case to look here. Nyttend (talk) 19:15, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks and cheers, 99.12.243.171 (talk) 19:22, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

I looked at the accounts and blocked Navsta for this edit, which was pretty conclusive proof. As for the others, I looked through to see if I could find clear connections, but not in depth since I'm hungry and it's almost dinnertime for me. Perhaps you, 99.12, could compile some diffs demonstrating the connections a little bit better? Daniel Case (talk) 23:11, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Post-dinner here and resting, but I will look later--I don't think there's conclusive evidence. I was more struck by the timing than substance of the edits, though all have a predilection for referring to the subject by his first name. A tenuous thread, admittedly, even if a connective piece of handwriting. Thanks, 99.12.243.171 (talk) 23:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Blocked account:, , ; and by a later account. It's thin stuff, but possible that the agent is still trying to promote the co-writer within this article. If I've been overly enthusiastic I'll withdraw my notices to absolved parties. 99.12.243.171 (talk) 00:20, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Hmm. Definitely all these accounts share the same interest ... but the ones I haven't blocked aren't being blatantly promotional, and might be adding useful and sourced info to the articles. I don't have a username reason to block them. It would, however, be a nice idea to ask them to pick one of the three accounts and stick with it (not that I expect them to stick around long, anwyay). Daniel Case (talk) 03:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Very reasonable. I'm under the weather and done for the day, so I'm real content to leave this open. Thank you, 99.12.243.171 (talk) 03:50, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

50.12.217.67 at Oil Sands
Despite numerous users' best efforts to revert, someone at 50.12.217.67 has posted seven times the same irrelevant, unsubstantiated information in the Oil Sands article. One user noted that this may be a copyright violation. Diff: --Rpclod (talk) 05:00, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * RPP] made. Murry1975 (talk) 05:07, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The IP has already been blocked - there's no need for page protection unless they switch IP and continue. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 05:11, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Wow! That was quick.  Thanks--Rpclod (talk) 05:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Request for deletion of a seriously offensive user page
The user page is here: User:Active Banana

No further explanation is needed. Anyone who follow the link know what I mean. This is a user who somehow got annoyed in Wikipedia, and used his personal page to revenge. I guess I won't be able to sleep weel tonight; elderly people may even get a heart attack from this.

Please delete this page, thanks. Wikipedia should not be a place where people have the freedom to attack Wikipedia wickedly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by WangPublic (talk • contribs) 05:47, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Personally, I suggest just ignoring it. If you really want to make it an issue, take it to WP:MFD. It does not meet any CSD criteria, and an out of process deletion is not justified here. Monty  845  06:14, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree, ignoring or MFD would be the way to go. -Pete (talk) 06:20, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

User:Jokestress at Talk:Hebephilia
Moved to subpage per [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AAdministrators%27_noticeboard%2FIncidents&diff=535563657&oldid=535563293 request] NE Ent 21:24, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

User:Snotbot is malfunctioning
User:Snotbot is obviously malfunctioning. As reported by others on the user talk page of the owner it is editing comments which contain multiple equal signs because it mistakes them for headings. Can some admin please shut it down?--Marko Knoebl (talk) 12:29, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Done. Also, please remember to notify the user in question they're being discussed on ANI, even if it's a purely-technical matter. I've notified them for you. m.o.p  14:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Page move mess at 2013 horse meat contamination in burgers scandal
A couple of page moves and attempted moves have left 2013 horse meat contamination in burgers scandal in a mess. The article's talk page is currently at Talk:2013 British horse meat scandal and cannot be moved to Talk:2013 horse meat contamination in burgers scandal because that page already exists. Besides, I'm not sure the article's current title actually is what it should be - it seems to be the latest not-already-occupied title to which the article could be moved when actually it was supposed to be moved somewhere else. Could an admin re-unite article and talk page? We should probably also launch a move discussion about the article's proper title, but that would be a second step. that should be taken on the talk page. Huon (talk) 13:21, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * ✅. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 14:23, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Wee Curry Monster removing content from article with no consensus.
For a while now there has been a discussion over at Falkland_Islands_sovereignty_dispute whether to remove a section ("International position"). Following an inconclusive and still ongoing RfC the most fervent editor in favor of its removal (Wee Curry Monster) went ahead and unilaterally deleted the whole section. I reverted him noting he did not have consensus to do such a thing and he reverted me. Once again I reverted him asking him to please abstain from incurring in such disruptive behaviour, he immediately reverted again. I will not revert him a 3rd time as I see this as merely a ploy from Wee to get me blocked. I ask any editor/admin here to please stop by the talk page and see that the discussion was ongoing between a number of editors on how to improve the section (Talk:Falkland_Islands_sovereignty_dispute) when Wee decided to completely delete it without waiting for the response from any other editor. By the time I answered his threat to remove the section (less than five minutes later) he had already removed it. There is even a report open at Neutral_point_of_view/Noticeboard requesting comments on this issue. Wee opened it himself but did not care to wait for comments from other editors.

This is not acceptable behaviour. I took Wee to ANI not a couple of weeks ago after he refused to stop moving my comments around in the talk page and now this. I note that if it was a new editor behaving like this, it would have been blocked without a doubt by now. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaba p (talk • contribs) 16:44, 29 January 2013‎


 * That does indeed seem to be in breach of WP:BRD and suggests a WP:Battleground and WP:OWN mentality. Not to mention that it seems to violate WP:3RR as well. --Saddhiyama (talk) 16:55, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * The outcome of the RFC is clearly in favour of removing the section. The subsequent discussion is largely User:Gaba p spamming the discussion with tendentious comment to frustrate the consensus that clearly emerged.  Did you even look at the talk page discussion?  Its full of tendentious argument by User:Gaba p.
 * The whole purpose of posting at WP:NPOVN was attempting to follow WP:DRN. There won't be any comment at WP:NPOVN as User:Gaba p employs a well worn tactic of spamming any discussion with reams of tendentious comment.
 * WP:BATTLEGROUND, hell yes, User:Gaba p likely a sock puppet of User:Alex79818 is turning every discussion into a battleground in exactly the same way User:Alex79818 did. There is a WP:DUCK quacking with a megaphone here.
 * As usual he gets in first making a load of unsubstantiated allegations, selectively quoting diffs that don't support the claim. Really this is just another example of abusing process in an attempt to chill the dicussion and frustrate progress.  The threats of instigating threads at ANI are often using to intimidate, his entire conduct displays a WP:BATTLEGROUND mentality.
 * Please can I have an interaction ban, I've had enough of this guy WP:HOUNDing me. Wee Curry Monster talk 17:35, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Given the obviously contentious nature of this, why wouldn't you ask for an uninvolved admin to close the RFC and avoid some of the drama?Ravensfire ( talk ) 17:39, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Good idea, I tried, though I think I mistook User:Irondome for User:Ironholds.  (No comment on User:Irondome is meant by that.)  Even though both are clearly uninvolved I was accused of canvassing for doing so by both Langus-TxT  and Gaba p .  I am accused of misconduct at every turn by those two and really its just WP:HOUND. Wee Curry Monster talk 18:18, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Leaving a request at WP:AN/RFC might have been a better option. It's a lot harder to be accused of picking someone when you can't.  Ravensfire ( talk ) 18:22, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I really do appreciate that, as although an experienced editor I was utterly unaware that noticeboard existed. I'm not the only editor who has commented that a consensus to move forward existed. User:Irondome also commented at Talk:Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute that we'd agreed a way forward that involved removing this section and working up a concise summary in talk based on new material he provided.  See Talk:Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute, I can thoroughly understand his frustration, I do wonder if the drama is purely for well drama's sake.  It seems to me and others Gaba p is deliberately obnoxious to stoke up tension.   Wee Curry Monster talk 19:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Unbelievable how Wee will just bend the truth at ANI with no worries whatsoever. Please go check Irondome's comment on Talk:Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute and tell me if you find any mention of that editor agreeing with the complete removal of the section which is what he did. Just an unbelievable attempt at missrepresenting the position of another editor. Gaba p (talk) 20:36, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Worth mentioning that despite being told not to accuse people of lying by multiple admins at ANI two weeks ago, Gaba has persisted in making such accusations, at first replacing the word "lying" with "making an untrue statement": but by the end he no longer bothered:. You may also note in some of those that he directly accuses editors of bad faith and of vandalism and threatens to take people here - another thing he was told not to do last time around as it only raises the temperature.

I asked him to stop twice and he has declined to do so. It is clear to me that Gaba has not learnt a thing from the last ANI.

Gaba's behaviour in this discussion has essentially been a filibuster, a matter of WP:IDIDNTHEARTHAT. It should be no surprise if Curry Monster or anyone else loses patience when an editor makes the same already-refuted argument over and over, who is repeatedly abusive and who insists that no objection to his argument has even been made, despite its having been made repeatedly and detail. Kahastok talk 19:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Definitely, I asked User:Hohum for a sanity check as I repeatedly explained the same point. And as I note above I was under the impression there was a consensus to move on.  Wee Curry Monster talk 19:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Example I repeatedly explained an approach to judge weight ,,,,,,,,
 * User:Gaba p repeatedly claimed I hadn't ,,
 * User:Hohum provided the same explanation.
 * User:Gaba p thanks him claiming I hadn't . I did ask Hohum for a sanity check, as he provided an identical explanation.  The same explanations were provided by User:Irondome, User:Kahastok, User:Apcbg etc.
 * You'll note in talk, the frequent reference to a straw man, that I was claiming newspapers were not a reliable source and if my approach to WP:WEIGHT were applied there would be no wiki content. Wee Curry Monster talk 20:16, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Wee and Khastok were both topic-banned not long ago for their disruptive behaviour in Gibraltar related articles, and are doing exactly the same now with Falklands related articles (the two disputed former colonies of the UK) They usually work as a team backing each other's edits or defending when something like this comes up (please see my comment below with links to the ANI he is referring to) Right now Kahastok is attempting to side-track this ANI by distracting editors with the same accusations he did at the last ANI.
 * "I was under the impression there was a consensus to move on", I told him every time he threatened with removing the section that he had no consensus to do so and he did it anyway (please check the talk page) Wee's links presented above are just random comments of him and mine taken out of context. Please go check the discussion at the talk page Talk:Falkland_Islands_sovereignty_dispute and see for yourselves how the discussion actually happened. See also the comment left by editor Scjessey in Wee's talk page which also summarizes the issue quite succinctly.
 * I note that Wee has been told here that he should have elevated the issue to an admin or at the proper noticeboard but he will still not self-rv the complete deletion of the whole section. Gaba p (talk) 20:36, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

I've had enough of Wee accusing me of being a sock puppet. He's been doing so for a full year now. Last year he accused me of being a sock puppet of account User:Alex79818 and an admin quickly blocked my account. Wee knows this other editor identity (User:Alex79818) in real life. This prompted me to give away my right to anonymity in WP to an admin to reveal that I am not that person. The block was immediately lifted but Wee has kept on accusing me of being a sock puppet. Every chance he gets he has done so, like the last two ANIs that had to be opened on account of his behaviour: 1- breaking the 3RR and 2- moving my comments around. In both of them he kept on accusing me of being a sock puppet and in both of them I offered to any interested admin to reveal once again my real life identity as a sign of good faith. He was told at the last ANI to drop the accusations but apparently has no intentions of doing so.

The first ANI that involved both of us concluded with the admin proposing a topic ban for both of us. As a sign of good faith I embraced the proposition, he on the other hand lashed out at the admin saying: "like a lot of content editors before me I can just turn round and say fuck wikipedia, I'm out of here" and went of to "retire" (he never did retire and it only took him two weeks to be back editing Falklands related articles). Everybody looked the other way, nothing happened.

Editor Antidiskriminator came to the talk page to comment on the opened RfC and had this to say about Wee's behaviour: "I am afraid that your editing is disruptive and aimed to circumvent the normal process of consensus.". He apparently took no notice of this.

For how long can he act this way without any consequence? Would this incredible amount of patience be shown to a newcomer editor? Why would he be allowed to circumvent to processes everyone else in WP respects? The last two ANIs ended up with a slap on the wrist for this editor and now here we are back again. It's just not fair. Regards. Gaba p (talk) 19:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I have blocked Gaba for 31 hours. This is not a statement that WCM is innocent, and don't take this sentence as a statement that I think he's guilty of anything; I simply haven't looked into his actions.  Gaba has been engaged in numerous WP:NPA violations despite the big ANI discussion to which the "told not to accuse..." link goes; this is disruptive and cannot be permitted here.  Nyttend (talk) 20:49, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Corrections


 * Sockpuppet case initial unblock request was refused, as the sock puppet case was compelling, later given the benefit of the doubt after assistance from me and warned not to continue in the same vein.
 * 3RR Despite his claim I breached 3RR, I have not. He has ,,,.  Those familiar with the subject matter would realise the material he is edit warring to include is incorrect though sourced to a newspaper article.
 * Gibraltar I was topic banned for incivility, as a PTSD sufferer had a bit of a meltdown whilst I was in a bad way mentally in 2010.  I never once sought to use my condition to excuse my conduct, I've remained civil ever since and at the first frivolous WP:ANI Gaba p started it was noted I'd remained civil despite repeated provocation.  This remains the case and is simply another example of Gaba p's tactic of mud slinging whenever his conduct is called into question.
 * I accept some part of Antidiskriminator's comments about a minor technical breach of etiquette but Gaba p is taking his comments out of context. See Talk:Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute for the full exchange.
 * I have only responded as its my experience with diffs that a disruptive editor like Gaba p quotes diffs out of context and editors used to WP:AGF take it on good faith they support his claim, when if they checked they would find they do not. Wee Curry Monster talk 20:53, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I don't think the whole handing around details bit proves anything at all. It would be trivial for an editor minded to sockpuppetry to make up a name and location, safe in the knowledge that the chances of them matching the data provided by the other editor are minuscule.  And that's before we go into the awkward precedent of handing out editors' private details on request. Kahastok talk 23:05, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * On first impression, as an uninvolved administrator, I would propose a topic ban from this topic for both Gaba p and Wee Curry Monster.
 * Georgewilliamherbert (talk) 23:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Which would be a massive slap in the face as far as I'm concerned. In the face of continuous personal attacks and incivility I have remained civil and despite unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct such as edit warring (I haven't), I have respected community norms and tried to follow WP:DR (which has been disrupted using the same tactics).  I have provided a huge amount of content on Falkland Islands topics, including some obscure content such as Matthew Brisbane, I have contributed massively to maintaining neutrality.
 * Effectively you would be declaring there is no point in remaining civil, there is no point in following WP:DR as gaming the system is an effective means of getting rid of editors. This is simply a charter for disruptive editors to get rid of any decent content editor who stands in their way.  Just create a series of sock puppets, hassle them till they quit, if they don't quit make a series of frivolous complaints at WP:ANI till someone proposes a topic ban, if banned/blocked resurrect a sleeper account and repeat.  User:Alex79818 harassed me for years, User:Gaba p appeared immediately after yet another sleeper account was blocked, he has gone after me in exactly the same way User:Alex79818 did.  User:Alex79818 tried all ways to have me blocked or topic banned.  There is a WP:DUCK quacking with a mega phone here.
 * Its no co-incidence that as soon as User:Gaba p was blocked, peace reigned and there has been agreement on all sides as to the way forward. Wee Curry Monster talk 10:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but you did engage in an edit war to establish your interpretation of consensus when you should have waited for third-party intervention. There is no getting around that. --Saddhiyama (talk) 11:09, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No I didn't, if you actually check I reverted twice and indicated I would not do any further reverts; there is no edit war when one side refuses to continue. Even though I refused to continue it, Gaba p went ahead and raised a frivolous complaint here displaying his WP:BATTLEGROUND mentality.   I have already indicated I was unaware of that noticeboard but would use it in future - that won't happen again.  Note also, this wasn't just my interpretation, if you check the talk page it is clear that other editors had exactly the same understanding and at least one other editor vented about Gaba p going back on his word .  And how you can claim there was a lack of discussion when there is >50k of it is beyond me.
 * The fact remains a consensus that was elusive materialised within hours of User:Gaba p being blocked. Everyone agreed on the way forward, the discussion was civil and good humoured.  That indicates where the problem lay does it not?  Wee Curry Monster talk 12:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

There was consensus for the edit, and that consensus was only getting stronger as time went on. The continuing filibuster shouldn't be enough to stop the consensus from going forward. Otherwise we're effectively ruling that any individual can block consensus simply by filibustering.

All of Gaba p's arguments have been addressed by others. He denies this. Of course he does. As Curry Monster points out above, even if you dispute a point he makes with clear policy-based argument and sources, Gaba will ignore it and claim that no objection has ever been voiced.

A common first reaction seems to be to topic ban everybody regardless. We could do that. We could also permanently full-protect all the articles and talk pages in the topic - then there would be no arguments at all. Fact is, to topic ban Curry Monster would be to remove probably the most productive editor on the topic. It would be a major blow to the future improvement of Wikipedia's coverage of this topic and vastly disproportionate given that all he did was implement a consensus over a filibuster. If you want to get to the root of the problem, deal with the editor who has been persistently filibustering. That would be Gaba. Kahastok talk 18:46, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I will not address Wee's continued accusation of sock puppetry anymore. They have been going on for a full year now and since he shows no intention of dropping them, they will have to be dealt with separately.


 * Wee claims he remained civil. Here's him addressing me as a WP:FILIBUSTER in a 10-day time span: (not counting the times he called me "disruptive" and the times he addressed editor Langus also as a "filibuster") I find it hard to believe this not a breach of WP:CIVIL.


 * Wee claims he "mistook User:Irondome for User:Ironholds" when looking for someone to close the RfC which is understandable, it can happen. But after realizing he had made that mistake (on the 23rd, more than a week ago) he still didn't bother to correct it? Nobody wonders why that might be?


 * Please note that the consensus reached in the talk page was to apply my proposed edition to the section (the one proposed while I was apparently "filibustering"), not Wee's. His proposition was to completely delete the section, something he failed at reaching consensus for but did anyway. This was after I and two other editors clearly told him he did not have consensus for removing the section several times . Even though Wee is being told right here that he should not have removed the section and should have asked intervention instead if he wanted to close the RfC, he and Kahastok are effectively claiming at the talk page (and here) that they had consensus to do so. Wee claims "per RFC outcome" and Kahastok "per talk page consensus".


 * Could some editor/admin please stop by the talk page and see if there was any consensus to remove the section completely? I know it's a lot of work having to go through all that discussion but I refuse to believe that these editors can just get away with something like this. If I restore the section myself either Wee or Kahastok will immediately revert it. Could an admin advise either of them to self-rv until the new version is drafted in the talk page (which is the real consensus reached)? Regards. Gaba p (talk) 16:00, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I find the mixup in identity amusing and not difficult to understand. Gaba, I think Wee was just slightly embarrassed and didnt wish to hurt anyones feelings. I did feel like asking if most of WPs editors had been killed off by some plague, leaving rather a second 11, but I took it as a compliment. I still do. I am still proud of my contributions there, and feel I was instrumental in breaking the source logjam and attempting to create consensus. I dont think thats bad for a relative newbie.
 * It was and is my belief that consensus had been reached that the section was insupportable in its current form. The section would have to have been removed to have been rebuilt anyway. I still firmly believe that. It was my understanding that all parties had agreed to the use of material I had sourced as a basis in the reshaping of the section. I was, am and continue to be firmly NPOV on this subject.
 * I dont think these constant resorting to arbitration helps things. It just piles best quality anthracite on an already smouldering fire. More intellectual and nervous energy is taken up by creating and adding to these threads than in editing articles by far now. Its a waste of energy and wastes time. I just think the process of rebuilding the section should be resumed. Thanks. Irondome (talk) 18:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * The request for admin intervention is a last resort after Wee refused to restore the section until it could be rebuilt in the talk page (which, as you correctly point out, was the real consensus reached) The problem with them removing the section without consensus is that right now at the talk page both Wee and Kahastok are arguing against the addition of the re-factored section as proposed and agreed, and are instead asking for a minimal "one or two-lines" section, which would have no informative or encyclopedic value whatsoever. This was absolutely not the agreed re-factoring of the section I proposed based on Irondome's source (and others).
 * The section needs to be restored until an agreement on a new version can be reached in the talk page because otherwise the status-quo of the article would be that there is no such a section which is just not true.
 * I am 100% willing to work on the re-factored version of the section I proposed and was agreed in the talk page but meanwhile the section needs to be restored. Not only because the consensus was never to completely delete it (enough reason in itself) but also because the lack of this section can be used by those two editors to prevent the addition of a new version of it based on no consensus to alter the status-quo.
 * Irondome: would you be willing to restore the section so we can get to work on its new version? Being a much shorter version I don't think it would take us more than a day or two to have it ready, but this needs to be addressed before that can happen. Regards. Gaba p (talk) 19:12, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

I've closed the RfC as it was a train wreck that was never going to reach a useful conclusion (there's much more on this in my close). That said I also note that there does appear to be more positive discussion that may be leading towards a consensus version and that many of the involved parties seem now to be working more collaboratively. At this time I'm mindful just to see how this current discussion turns out. If no consensus is reached on the exact form of the compromise then I'd suggested a better run RfC at that point to be the way forward. Dpmuk (talk) 19:20, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Please read the comments left at the talk page by Dpmuk on the RfC Wee opened and he just closed. What else is needed to make Wee and Kahastok stop claiming they had consensus to completely delete the section and finally bring it back? As I've said I'm more than willing to draft the new version of the section and put it in the talk page to try and get consensus, but meanwhile the section needs to be put back in its place. Regards. Gaba p (talk) 19:24, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I deliberately didn't comment on whether the section should currently be in or out of the article as I was hoping that the editors involved would be able to collaboratively agree a way forward as there seemed to be some progress on this. Please don't take my close as endorsement of that section being in the article.  Ultimately however whether this section is there or not for a couple of days before a consensus version is agreed upon is not a big issue.  I urge the editors involved to work towards a consensus version rather than waste their energy on whether a section is currently there or not.  Further insertion or removal of this section is likely to lead to the article being fully protected until a consensus is reached. Dpmuk (talk) 19:37, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * The RfC dealt with the removal of a section that had been there a long time. The editor who opened it failed to gather consensus to remove it but did so anyway claiming he had consensus to do it. Apparently there's nothing wrong with that.
 * I'll go ahead and try to implement the agreed re-factoring of the section I proposed. Gaba p (talk) 20:07, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * From my reading of things all sides in this dispute could have behaved better and in a way more likely to reach a consensus. That said now there is movement towards a consensus I don't think it will help to start an argument over this again.  Whether you think the current situation is right or wrong is it worth upsetting the chance of a long term solution for the sake of a couple of days of the article being in a state you'd prefer it not to be? Dpmuk (talk) 20:20, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * It is not just that I think the situation is right or wrong: the written record proves it is wrong. Wee and Kahastok edit-warred to impose a "consensus" they absolutely did not have. The lack of consequences regarding their circumventing the normal process of consensus is astonishing. Meanwhile, I was blocked for pointing at Wee's misrepresentations of my comments and facts.
 * I've applied the agreed form of the section to the article, let's see how long it lasts. Regards. Gaba p (talk) 21:00, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Please do not revert the section Gaba. It has issues in its even revised form. This will break a fragile cease fire.


 * Lets remove the entire section provisionally for 72 hours.


 * A new shorted NPOV percieved section is drafted and agreed.
 * The new material should be only from those authors who appear on the people section of the Geopoliticalmonitor site. They have their quals and biog listed. You made no comment on that propsal. Remember we were trying to address issues as to the weight of the source.


 * We are all free to gather new sources during this period. Disputes on material should be put at the RSN.


 * We have no unilateral reverts from anyone for an agreed period of 72 hrs. Not one.

What do you think Gaba? I would ask you once, again, if you have in the last short time replaced it, please remove. Please make a gesture of goodwill here Gaba. It isnt much really. Thanks and kind regardsIrondome (talk) 21:21, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm no sure I follow you Irondome, I haven't reverted anything. You want me to remove the new re-factored section to compose a new one in the talk page? I'd have no problem in doing so. Note that this "The new material should be only from those authors who appear on the people section of the Geopoliticalmonitor" is neither applicable nor recommended (even more both Wee and Kahastok have complained about sources from this site). The more sources the better. I'll go ahead and remove the section so we can work it out in the talk page. Please note that the aim of this is to have a new re-factored section back up in a couple of days, not to remove the section completely as Wee and Kahastok proposed. Regards. Gaba p (talk) 21:30, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Only some of the sources from the site. There appears to be a diverse contribution to the source, and I thought we were heading towatds a compromise of only using articles that we all agree on are NPOV. I think you were relatively happy with the Ljunquist article.
 * Im, sorry I thought you had stuck the section back in. My pc is slow and I am jumping backwards and forwards to diff pages here. I apologise if I was wrong there.


 * I was never convinced that it was anyones explicit intention to just remove the section, without a shorter, more consensus based summary being put in its place, after due discussion. But lets not go there again. I suggest we make much more use of RSN forum to agree source suitability.


 * Ok, we may have a framework here. Good. I hope the others agree Irondome (talk) 21:49, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

I don't want to stir feelings up again, so I'll just note that I've read all that was written here (some of it, about me) and that I understand Gaba's frustration. I can testify about Wee Curry Monster's misrepresentations/confusions if needed. --Langus (t) 01:49, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Constant moves of historical and war articles by a single user with no consensus


I have noticed that User: Charles Essie has done a very large number of moves recently (only after he messed with Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal), which I heavily edit), most of them concerning major conflicts or terrorism, and NONE of them having been discussed on the talk page in order to reach a consensus. At his talk page you can see a number of other people discussing this, going as far as being featured on this page right here - although I could not find anything, so I don't know if this particular person has been discussed before or not. Regardless, it is a violation of WP rules, and is getting out of hand IMO. I reverted a few of his edits, but there are a lot of them. Would love to hear an admin's view on all of this, I am sick of people abusing WP like this. Skycycle (talk) 16:04, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Going through the edits of Charles Essie it is remarkable that this editor has never provided a single edit summary, nor have they posted on a single talk page or replied to the posts on their talk page protesting their page moves and other things. This is an editor that really needs to begin showing some collaborative spirit fast, otherwise WP:NOTHERE should apply. --Saddhiyama (talk) 17:04, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Btw here is the link to the previous ANI discssion. --Saddhiyama (talk) 17:12, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Exactly what I meant, obviously he either does not care about what he is doing, or he is doing it on purpose. However, I don't know what any further steps would consist of, and how can we stop and revert all of this damage? Skycycle (talk) 17:27, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Hopefully an administrator will chime in. --Saddhiyama (talk) 17:50, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Admin here, chiming in. Although this editor never responded to the previous ANI thread about this issue, we should allow some time for them to respond before taking any precipitate action. However, should the editor not respond in a reasonable period, while continuing to edit, I'm leaning towards indef blocking until the editor pledges not to move articles without gaining consensus prior to moving the article. Killer Chihuahua 18:11, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * And he's now back to editing, still without responding here. I have left a note instructing them to respond here or risk sanctions. Killer Chihuahua 22:58, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Why would you think he'd respond, any more than he has at any other time over the last five or six months, when people have protested his actions? Over two thousand edits without a single edit summary or ever responding to any editor?  It strikes me that at least a short term block would be the cluebat that just might get this guy's attention.    Ravenswing   23:11, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Here I am, I'm sorry it took me so long to respond, I promise I will never move another article. Charles Essie (talk) 23:33, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Category dispute on GAA articles
is making war around Gaelic Athletic Association-related articles. He is ignoring discussion, just to push his own POV. There is no effective support for his moves but he just invents excuses. By now he seems so frustrated, that he started vandalising articles. On the 19th, he was blocked from editing to stop him from edit warring over several article. In that same war was involved and blocked. They were involved in one of the most silly edits wars I have ever seen: Talk:Paudie Butler. Especially because Laurel Lodged was clearly right and Brocach clearly wrong. Both appealed the ban, both saw their appeal denied. Unfortunately, Brocach did not learn anything from his block and quickly resumed his disruptive edits and went on with, among others, a clear declaration of war.

An overview from the relevant edits after the block:
 * Insults
 * ,


 * Move without agreement or consensus
 * ,, ,


 * Changing correct links to redirects/changing correct categories into wrong categories
 * ,


 * Other disruptive edits
 * ,, (later used to claim that people did not live in North Tipperary, while it was de facto there from 1838), , ,

This drama is already going on for a year now. With pages moved back and forth, edit wars and a very nasty atmosphere.

I certainly acknowledge that a block is counter-productive but to restore peace, I request a long term topic ban for Brocach for all articles related to the Gaelic Athletic Association. The Banner talk 02:40, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

And now, as a kind of sidekick, has started changing correct links to redirects/changing correct categories into wrong categories (like, , , , , , , , , and. That I named it work as a sidekick is due to the fact that Finnegas has the explicit support of Brocach... The Banner talk 03:17, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

Due to Brocachs habit to remove everything from his talkpage that he doesn't like, I present here the proof that I have informed him. The Banner talk</i> 03:21, 22 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Quite a lot of accusations there so it will take some time to respond.
 * I have never vandalised any article on Wikipedia. Anyone who looks at my edit history will find a long record of reverting vandalism. Some examples:, [en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ireland&diff=prev&oldid=533547170], , , , , and on and on.
 * I am not ignoring discussion. In relation to the GAA articles, most of the edits that objects to are actually reverts of previous controversial edits, generally made by  without discussion, and generally moving articles about the GAA away from the common name of the topic - typically, renaming football competitions by inserting "GAA" within the competition name. Generally when I have moved things back to their common name, I have opened a thread on the talk page.
 * The POV I am "pushing" is Wikipedia policy: WP:COMMONNAME. Nothing particularly controversial about that.
 * It is absolutely not the case that there is no support for my reverts of controversial moves. In the most recent discussion of this, here, you will see clear majority support for the reverts. That in itself should be enough to establish that the topic ban belongs with the editor who made the original controversial moves without discussion, and then busted a gut trying to undo all the reverts, namely Laurel Lodged.
 * Turning to the Tipperary question: for those unfamiliar with the sports, Gaelic football, hurling etc. are organised in Ireland on a traditional 32-county basis, not in line with newer administrative counties such as North Tipperary. Top-level inter-county players play for Tipperary, and the category for them has long been "Tipperary hurlers", just as it is for "Dublin hurlers", "Galway hurlers" and so on. Because only the GAA organises hurling, no-one had ever thought it necessary to change a category name until - guess who - Laurel Lodged, without any discussion, renamed that one category "Tipperary GAA hurlers" and moved many articles to that page. This now sits as a completely anomalous category: every other county lists hurlers in the long-established form, "Carlow hurlers" and so on.
 * Next, Laurel Lodged, as ever without any discussion, started moving individual Tipperary sportspeople from the long-established and well-populated category Sportspeople from County Tipperary into two new categories of his own creation, namely Sportspeople from North Tipperary and Sportspeople from South Tipperary. Again, of course, without discussion; and again creating an anomaly, in that none of the other Irish sportspeople by county categories use the new local government counties; they all use the traditional 32 counties.
 * The behaviour of Laurel Lodged in changing literally hundreds of GAA articles and refusing to engage in discussion frustrated me greatly; as my history shows, I have made a significant contribution to GAA coverage here. I regret that on one occasion I re-reverted a Laurel Lodged move repeatedly, following which we were both briefly banned.
 * I have not "resumed disruptive edits" nor "declared war" - follow the link provided by The Banner and you will find me quite properly taking the issue of Tipperary changes to the relevant talk page, and as it happens, securing support while Laurel Lodged did not.
 * Next, as for "insults": the first link provided is to me stating the incontrovertible fact that Laurel Lodged keeps changing pages without discussion, and it will be seen that I did not use any abusive language; the second link provided is to me rebuking what I refer to as the "disgusting behaviour" of another editor who, on the talk page of an unrelated (non-GAA) topic, referred to me as "arsehole" and, in another edit, "a stupid cunt". Now there's an insult; but I was not the person who made it, nor would any reasonable person think that referring to that as "disgusting behaviour" was an insult.
 * My accuser then links to supposed "Moves without agreement or consensus". But all three links were on the basis of consensus that anyone can check at the reference already given.
 * My next offence is "Changing correct links to redirects/changing correct categories into wrong categories", a plural accusation with but a single link, and this turns out to be, yet again, a matter of reverting changes made without discussion of consensus by, need I say, Laurel Lodged. The usual pattern applies in that I am the first one to take the issue to the talk page, and Laurel Lodged refuses to engage there.
 * As for the "Other disruptive edits", the first two again were reverts that were discussed and supported here, unlike the original moves which had not been discussed. The next is, far from being a "disruptive edit", a perfectly normal edit to an article dealing with local government history in County Tipperary. Looking at it now I see a little typo, which I have fixed; perhaps that what was thought "disruptive" but anyone checking the history will see that it was a simple mistake with no harm intended or done, and heaven help us if every case of clumsy typing is construed as vandalism. The next is, again, a normal and innocent edit to the template for Derry GAA clubs, ensuring that text appeared in black rather than red as per WP:NAVBOXCOLOUR. Any problem with that? My last "disruption" was to add a factually accurate, and sourced, improvement to wording around the ISO code for "Ulster" - an obscure enough topic, but interesting for some, and worth getting right, which it now is. In short: these accusations of disruption are completely spurious.
 * I therefore insist that no case has been made for topic-banning me, least of all on a theme, the GAA, where I have made a substantial and worthwhile contribution. However, because of Laurel Lodged's long history of moving GAA articles without seeking consensus, reverting moves back, and refusing to engage on the relevant talk pages, I would be hugely relieved if he were topic-banned from the GAA, at least for a few months. I'm proposing that here, and notifying him on his talk page. Heading above amended accordingly. Brocach (talk) 12:50, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Incidentally, I have no connection whatever with Finnegas and if The Banner has some problem with him/her, this is not the place to discuss it. Brocach (talk) 13:06, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This is the usual modus operandi of mr. Brocach: I am the good guy, I am the victim, WP:IDIDNOTHEARTHAT and you guys are all wrong, had been wrong all the times and will be wrong forever more. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 13:31, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You've said your piece; I would prefer that your proposal, and mine, be decided on the facts. Anyone who wants to know my "usual modus operandi" can look at my thousands of contributions to Wikipedia. Please keep the revised heading above as this section contains a counter-proposal. Brocach (talk) 14:04, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Brocach, please don't change the title as it breaks links to this discussion. File your own request when you want to bring Laurel Lodged to AN/I, don't hijack my filing. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 14:34, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I certainly wouldn't want to break links to this discussion, but it is perfectly legitimate for me to respond to a ban proposal by showing that another user is the real problem and should be topic-banned. For me to repeat all of that in a separate posting would be a waste of everyone's time, particularly when Laurel Lodged is aware of this discussion (since you notified him of it within four minutes of proposing that I be banned). I have therefore placed a subheading for my counter-proposal immediately below your heading, and have verified that links still work. Brocach (talk) 17:04, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks, now you only made a mess of my filing, making it appear that I filed the request. Do you mind the sub-header to below this edits and file your counter-request there? Although they are related, it would be confusing to have two requests in one thread as people will have difficulties responding to the right request. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 17:27, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I really didn't mean to cause any confusion and don't think I've done so. I think that the difference in heading level will make that clear. But for the benefit of anyone who has been interested enough to read down this far, can I make it 100% clear that The Banner wants to ban me, and I want to topic-ban Laurel Lodged? Brocach (talk) 22:49, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I did file a request for a topic ban, but that will not say that I will pursue it for the full 100%. I believe in Good Faith, so I still hope that you are willing to change your behaviour regarding the GAA voluntarily. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:33, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Really excellent news there. Of course I intend to continue, as I always have, operating in good faith. Can I ask you to review the points you made against me above, and my replies; delete any exchanges above that relate to points that have been answered to your satisfaction, and set out which (if any) grounds you still believe justify a topic ban? If there are none, I would ask you to withdraw this request, so that I can reframe my ban request for Laurel Lodge and pursue it without involving you. Brocach (talk) 00:51, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It means as much: show me (and prove of a reasonable time) that you really stop with this nonsense, revert all your actions yourself and start behaving like an adult. If not, sorry. Your combative behaviour has disrupted Wikipedia long enough. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 10:47, 23 January 2013 (UTC)

"Rage - Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighter's souls, but made their bodies carrion feats for the dogs and birds and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end."

What is the cause of all the warring? Rage. The final straw for Brocach was when a decision at WP:CFD went against him here. This touched on the area of (GAA) and involved a decision to change the name from "Tipperary hurlers" to Category:Tipperary GAA hurlers.

I took the rather unusal step of saying in my block appeal that "Perhaps the purpose would be best achieved by simply imposing a topic ban on all GAA related articles on both of us until a decision one way or the other had been reached at a neutral forum like WikiProject:Gaelic games or WikiProject:Ireland". Only a few hours of the unblock had expired that my hopes that the block would have a sobering effect on Brocach were in vain. Reluctantly, I must now request that my suggestion be actioned. I am prepared to go into voluntary exile if the same temporary sentance will be passed on Brocach (and his inept sidekick Finnegas) so that a holy peace may descend upon the GAA articles and categories.

He has gone around numerous article writing the same whiney thing on the talk page. This essentially bemoans the injustice of the decision that went against him at WP:CFD. By the time that I saw this entry Colm Bonnar whining, I was getting a mite tetchy in my responses. And so to Noel Lane where Brocach's rationale was "a player for GAA county of Tipperary". This is not in dispute, but it's beside the point. What is most definitely in dispute is that he is not "from County Tipperary", which no longer exists as a unit of local government, but from North Tipperary. The two entities are different. Brocach likes to pretend that the two are essentially identical. He refuses to listen to all arguments to the contrary. This explains why I peppered a lot of my reversions with the epitheth WP:ICANTHEARYOU. In Patrick Maher, the difference between the two entities was again explained in my reversion rationale: "As a county hurer he is listed with Tipp GAA. Geographically, he is from NT. A horse of a different colour". Further examples are Aidan Butler and Sportspeople from County Tipperary.

I will copy the text from my appeal for the second major point of contention. I realised that the cat "Loughmore-Castleiney Gaelic footballers" should not even be in the cat "Sportspeopple from North Tipperary". This moment of clarity came to me when I reviewed the article on Tony Reddin who was born in County Galway (i.e. he is from Galway) but who played hurling for his club Lorrha-Dorrha GAA which is governed by Tipperary GAA. So while it is right and proper that he be a member of Category:Tipperary GAA hurlers, it is not right that he be a member of "Sportspeopple from County Tipperary"; instead he is correctly listed as a member of "Sportspeopple from County Galway". Moving from the particular to the general, I deduced that one may not assume that just because a person is a member of a GAA club that happens to be in Tipperary that all members of of that club must necessarily be from Tipperary. I wrote this in the edit commentary as "a club is not a person". Again Brocach refused to acknowedge this logic and continued to revert. See Category:Lorrha-Dorrha hurlers, where the rationale provided was "Tony Reddin is from Galway. So not all members of Tipp GAA are automatically from County Tipp. A club is not a person". See also Category:Loughmore-Castleiney Gaelic footballers, where the rationale provided was "a CLUB IS NOT A PERSON". Thank you. Laurel Lodged (talk) 22:18, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
 * From everything that I have said above, you will understand that I profoundly disagree with Laurel Lodged about how people who play on Tipperary GAA teams should be listed (by the county that they play or played for, Tipperary, or by the current local government district that they were born in, or would have been born in had it existed when they were born). No point going into all the details of that issue again. This discussion is not about whether this or that category should be used; but the changes made by Laurel Lodged at Tipperary categories have put it out of sync with every other county in Ireland, and he has made scores if not hundreds of other changes, all undiscussed, that moved articles and categories (dealing with Gaelic games away from their former and proper locations.
 * What this is about, is (1) whether a user (Laurel Lodged) should be free to move dozens of long-settled articles and refuse to engage on the respective talk pages when that turns out to be controversial; (2) whether that user should be topic-banned for a while until he learns to respect the views of other editors; (3) whether an editor (me) who moves articles back to their original and long-established names, after controversial moves that weren't discussed, should be regarded as a vandal and banned.
 * Check out (if you have some hours to spare) every instance where a Gaelic Athletic Association sporting competition has been renamed. I believe that in every instance, you will find that any moves away from the original title that were made without discussion were made by one single obsessive editor, Laurel Lodged, for reasons that cannot easily be aligned to the interests of readers or the notion of Wikipedia as an encyclopaedia. In most instances, I moved the article back to its settled title, only to be reverted again without discussion. In most such cases, I opened a discussion topic on the talk page, and Laurel Lodged did not engage. Here are a few examples, and you will see the pattern:, , , ... I could go on and on. As noted above, I canvassed views on this wholesale moving and the most recent discussion is here, where you will see that my reverts had consensus on their side.
 * If you want Wikipedia to be the preserve of those who have a really strong point of view about what things should be called (but aren't, in real life), and for which they really need to control Wikipedia as a platform to impose their view on the stupid masses, please vote to ban me. If you want Wikipedia to be as accurate as possible, give people who care about accurate coverage of the GAA a break, and send Laurel Lodged off to annoy someone else for a few months. Whatever way you vote, the Leinster Senior Football Championship will continue, in real life, to be the Leinster Senior Football Championship, rather that whatever User:Laurel Lodged wants to call it today. Brocach (talk) 00:40, 23 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I would remind everyone in this thread of WP:TLDR. If you want to attract the attention of other editors, walls of text are unlikly to do it.--Bbb23 (talk) 01:46, 23 January 2013 (UTC)


 * When I see the words "POV-pushing" and "topic ban" in a section heading I expect the proposer to have a particularly strong case. When I see something like "Especially because Laurel Lodged was clearly right and Brocach clearly wrong" I think the proposer is most unlikely to have a strong case. And sure enough, that is the case here. I think the most intelligent sentence in the proposal is "What on earth are you fighting over?" This is a content dispute, essentially between three editors: the proposer agrees with Laurel Lodged and disagrees with Brocach. It should be dealt with on the Dispute resolution noticeboard. --Scolaire (talk) 08:55, 24 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I have been observing this dispute from a distance, and agree with the previous contributor (Scolaire). There is more heat than light being generated by these interminable arguments. However, there are two main protagonists putting their cases forward, and I don't think that Brocach should be the only person facing censure. Hohenloh + 12:05, 24 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Having read The Banner's response to my suggestion on his talk page, I have to wonder if WP:BOOMERANG doesn't come into play here? Scolaire (talk) 12:56, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I am sorry if I have disappointed you by not being convinced that there is a solution possible by mediation. More drama, more words typed, but I see no evidence from Brocach and your side that a compromise is possible. Sorry. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 14:00, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't have a side. I don't edit-war. Sorry. Scolaire (talk) 14:14, 24 January 2013 (UTC)


 * This is clearly a content dispute that has spiralled out of control over a long period of time. How long has this been going on?  A year? More>  It revolves around a tiny point - the definition and use of the term "county" in Ireland.  I suggest that a ban is put on any more moves, renames, relinks and discussions, and that the matter is discussed at WikiProject Ireland until consensus is reached.  That's actually the best and correct place for this.  --HighKing (talk) 13:20, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * A year? July 2011 was when we apparently resolved the problem of counties! At that point it had been going on non-stop since at least June 2010. --Scolaire (talk) 14:14, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I actually agree with most of what has been written in the last few postings. And I would again remind you all that it was I who I took the rather unusal step of suggesting that I topic ban myself. This must surely be a record for ANI. As it is obvious that even a 48 ban cannot produce the required level of contrition or even meditation in Brocach, nothing other solution will give us all the breathing space - free of vandalism - that we all need. Laurel Lodged (talk) 22:19, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * While I strongly commend LL's volunteering for a topic ban, well deserved and hopefully long-lasting, I'm not taking the same line. The innuendo above that I was involved in "vandalism" needs to be fleshed out here and now. If one instance of vandalism by me is shown, in relation to GAA topics or anything else, I still won't volunteer for a ban but I will accept one. Brocach (talk) 22:31, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
 * At your service:, and . Deliberately damaging an article by removing a correct link and replace is by a redirect is in my opinion vandalism. (issue: "Drom, County Tipperary" redirects to "Drom, North Tipperary") It can be a mistake ONCE, but not multiple times and certainly not when deliberately removing the mention of North Tipperary at all. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 16:15, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nope. Even if it was a mistake – which is only your opinion – it is not vandalism. Examples of typical vandalism are adding irrelevant obscenities and crude humor to a page, illegitimately blanking pages, and inserting obvious nonsense into a page. That a good faith edit is "in your opinion vandalism" doesn't make it vandalism. Scolaire (talk) 23:51, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

I'd support a more general topic-ban for a month at least just to encourage Brocach to engage more and stop consistently reverting and pushing when they are in the wrong. Take for example their recent 48-hour block for breaking 3RR. This and this from BrownHairedGirl shows Brocach's poor attitude when it comes to editing and discussion quite well. Obviously these are not the only instances, but I'd cite this one as the main one.

Blocks and topic-bans are meant to deter editors from bad behaviour, not to punish them. As such I back a topic-ban of at least a month from editing articles in regards to GAA and Londonderry topics seeing as this is where his attitude is at it's worse. Whilst they are incredibly stubborn and unwilling to budge from their opinion, disregarding compromises, I'd suggest that if blocked from editing, they should still be allowed to partake in discussion. Mabuska (talk) 12:29, 25 January 2013 (UTC)


 * If the "main" evidence against me is from September 2012 and October 2012, in relation to matters long since settled, we must hope and pray that Mabuska has never, ever made any mistake that might be resurrected by someone to argue for a topic ban. Note that in the instances selected, the editor who disagreed with me did not, then or thereafter, propose a topic ban. Brocach (talk) 12:46, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi guys Finnegas here, It appears that The Banner has a problem with my edits " And now, as a kind of sidekick, User:Finnegas (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs) has started changing correct links to redirects/changing correct categories into wrong categories (like [80], [81], [82], [83], [84], [85], [86], [87], [88], [89]and [90]. That I named it work as a sidekick is due to the fact that Finnegas has the explicit support of Brocach... The Banner talk 03:17, 22 January 2013 (UTC)" Well the Banner was welcome to discuss the whole Sportspeople from Tippp Vs Tipp N or Tipp South at Talk:Patrick Maher (hurler) if he so desired. I maintain that the use of administrative counties for Sporspeole from county ? should never replace the 32 counties In addition I would like to declare contary to The Banner I am not User brocach or anyone elses sidekick. It just so happens that I agree with him on this issue.Finnegas (talk) 21:11, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Are you sure about that? Your reply here comes remarkably quick after Broacach advise to have your say here on your [User_talk:Finnegas#Similar_Requested_Move|talkpage]. About 9 minutes later... <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 21:20, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Looks more like 23 hours to me! Scolaire (talk) 00:10, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

I question your powers of observation Banner!. There was a full day between Broacach's advice and me acting upon it. Anyway what do you expect me to do? Remain silent will you and Laurel Lodged demonise me. Not a notion.Finnegas (talk) 23:01, 25 January 2013 (UTC) BTW love the fact you did not reply to the part about you ignoring the part about you failing to engage in discussion on a talk page.

No what do you do? Banner take a cheap shot at me. You could be described as Laurel Lodged lapdog Finnegas (talk) 23:09, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * In fact, it was just a few minutes after you had acknowledged Brocach's call to arms. You are right that the original WP:Canvassing was much earlier. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 03:10, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

Just to make it clear I am will not consent to a topic ban. I did nothing wrong.
 * I think the above has shown that Finnegas is (a) a creature of Brocach, (b) has nothing to contribute to our understanding other than "because I say so", (c) engages in insulting behaviour. Given that he has continued the destructive path of Brocach on GAA related articles and is dangerously close to a 3RR situation with Banner, all of this leads me to conclude that GAA peace will be impossible until he too joins Brocach & I in our topic ban. Laurel Lodged (talk) 11:58, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Reply to (c)If I am guilty of "insulting behaviour" then so are you Laurel Lodged. You continue to describe me as Brocach's sidekick which I find quite insulting. I repeat I am nobodys sidekick.I am not engaging in an editwar with The Banner.

Reply to (b)I attempted to engage in a debate on Talk: Patrick Maher (hurler). (a)Does not merit a responseFinnegas (talk) 12:13, 26 January 2013 (UTC) I've just looked at the mess created by Laurel Lodged at the GAA in Cork article where the nonsense on differences between administrative and traditional counties was fudged into the opening paragraph. This type of nonsense has to stop immediately. I certainly Support the topic ban for Laurel Lodged until this type of editing comes to an immediate halt and the damage reversed. I dread the thoughts of what has been done in other articles. --HighKing (talk) 15:52, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, interesting that you are showing up here, mr. HighKing. Always good to respond on the canvassing] of Brocach. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 03:10, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually, the diff posted by HighKing proves the opposite of what he was saying. It proves that the bits which he deleted showed that there is a difference between the two entities. The only reason to delete those bits is to create a fudge. It is HK's tendentious editing that was the problem there. Perhaps he too should be topic banned. Laurel Lodged (talk) 19:41, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * One topic ban here would be enough. It isn't HighKing, it isn't Finnegas and it isn't me. And it is acceptable to notify other editors of ongoing discussions, particularly those who have taken part in related discussions. Brocach (talk) 16:55, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

By now, the only thing we have is a massive smoke screen of words, so lets break up this discussion for convenience <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 17:39, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal for a topic ban for Brocach
The original proposal of this discussion filed by me. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 17:39, 27 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose as set out above. Brocach (talk) 21:24, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Question: What topic? Gaelic Athletic Association, Counties of Ireland or both (both being the most obvious)? Scolaire (talk) 08:23, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * My proposal was a topic ban for all Gaelic Athletic Association related articles. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 22:27, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal for a topic ban for Laurel Lodged
The counter proposal filed by Brocach <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 17:39, 27 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support as set out above. Brocach (talk) 21:26, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Question: What topic? Gaelic Athletic Association, Counties of Ireland or both (both being the most obvious)? Scolaire (talk) 08:23, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support for both Gaelic Athletic Association and Counties of Ireland: per Brocach below, LL is continuing to perform disruptive edits and moves without prior discussion, even as good faith attempts are ongoing to resolve this dispute. Scolaire (talk) 21:00, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal 3
First off, this is a content dispute. Looking back at the edits, I also believe everyone tried to act in good faith. The biggest problem as far as I can see is that Laurel Lodged didn't give enough weight or merit to the many objections raised with the renaming, and therefore didn't really attempt to take on board the concerns or accept that perhaps being wrong. Sure, we could go down the Topic Ban route, but I don't believe it is necessary at this point. I believe the most sensible approach is that everyone involved agrees not to continue with any more renaming until this matter has been resolved at WikiProject Ireland. If everyone agrees, we can close this off and get the discussion started over there. --HighKing (talk) 13:58, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I agree with the sentiment, but I'm afraid I don't agree with simply moving this discussion to WT:IE. There are many people on the Wikiproject who don't want to see their talk page hijacked by a couple of bickering editors posting reams of angry exchanges over a period of thirty months or more. Plus, you might notice here, merely discussing things on WT:IE doesn't stop participants from moving pages or creating cats at the same time. There needs to be a formal dispute resolution procedure at an appropriate page (not a Wikiproject talk page). But I absolutely agree it is essential that everyone involved agrees not to continue with any more renaming until this matter has been resolved. Scolaire (talk) 14:34, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I hear you - my reasoning for suggesting WT:IE was that this ultimately may make it's way into the IMOS so we'll need more than dispute resolution. --HighKing (talk) 16:44, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Step 1: resolve; Step 2: work out the details; Step 3: worry about IMOS. Scolaire (talk) 20:16, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm afraid that Laurel Lodged is unlikely to stop; yet more moves have just been made, this time to Armagh Intermediate Football Championship, along with various edits to lede texts to insert "GAA" into the names of competitions in Derry and Dublin. His supporter, The Banner, has done so repeatedly at London. I am no longer able to assume good faith on their part; these look to me like obsessives who are determined to move GAA articles and categories away from their actual names. If I try to revert these changes I am accused of edit-warring and nominated for bans; this behaviour is damaging Wikipedia and it is exhausting to try to challenge it constantly with limited help from others. Brocach (talk) 20:49, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose. Given what Brocach has said, this is disruption pure and simple, and won't be resolved by talk. Scolaire (talk) 21:04, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose You need willingness to compromise, something I absolutely don't see with Brocach. That makes any dispute resolution attempt straight away useless. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 22:32, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * @ The Banner, consider just for a moment that your associate may be in the wrong. I think that his behaviour in the last few hours says it all. Rather than continue advocating in this discussion for a topic ban on Laurel Lodged, which has never had the same prominence as the campaign against me because my efforts to amend the heading or insert subheads have repeatedly been deleted, I am going to make the case for that in a wholly separate discussion. The matter of stopping what Laurel Lodged is doing is too urgent to await the outcome of a discussion of baseless complaints against me. Brocach (talk) 22:38, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh? You already forgot the discussion Talk:London GAA Intermediate Football Championship earlier this evening where you refused to allow the word GAA in the title mentioned in the first sentence of the lead, conform the name of the title of the article? <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:06, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, haven't forgotten that; I answered fully on that article's talk page. Brocach (talk) 01:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * FYI You may wish to consider the proposal for a topic ban on Laurel Lodged here. Brocach (talk) 22:55, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not big into forum-shopping. Doesn't tend to make a great impression with admins either. But let's see how it goes. Scolaire (talk) 23:15, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Absolutely not forum shopping, I just wanted to separate out this increasingly urgent proposal to ban further Laurel Lodged moves; I put it on AN because I was advised that that is where ban proposals normally go, but as it was moved to this page (and hidden) I have now placed it as a separate item at the bottom of this page. I am keen as many others are to bring this discussion to one place, it is Laurel Lodged who continues to open multiple fronts. Brocach (talk) 01:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I was just saying. And looking at it where it is now, I have the impression that the admin's weren't impressed. But we'll see. Scolaire (talk) 08:15, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I have moved the section referred to up here, immediately below. Please don't split discussions like this. Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  10:13, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal for a topic ban for Laurel Lodged
Topic proposing ban moved from WP:AN.--Bbb23 (talk) 00:01, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

I request an immediate and permanent topic ban on Laurel Lodged in respect of any edits relating to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA - the largest sporting organisation in Ireland), and agreement to revert all the changes that have been made by him since late 2012 without discussion or consensus. I additionally request a six-month topic ban on the same editor in respect of edits relating to Irish counties, where he displays a similar behaviour of making multiple and radical edits without seeking consensus, and then ignoring or deriding any opposition.

Laurel Lodged has a very extensive history of making controversial moves of GAA articles and categories away from their long-established and accurate names to new locations when there is no need to do so. He then edits the lede to echo the unilaterally changed name. He usually makes these changes without any prior discussion, reverts any moves back to the actual names of the competitions, refuses to engage on the talk page, and displays condescension, hostility and sarcasm towards any editor who challenges his behaviour.

Laurel Lodged has been pulled up on multiple occasions for making these changes, and has at times gone through the motions of requesting discussion, while making it difficult for other editors to keep up by maintaining conversations at multiple locations, e.g. here, here, here, here and, meanwhile, continuing to make changes elsewhere without even the pretence of consultation.

The following lists are certainly not exhaustive – I will add others below - and other instances may have arisen by the time you finish reading this:


 * (1) Instances where Laurel Lodged moved GAA articles or categories without any prior discussion or consensus, knowing that such moves had attracted controversy:


 * (2) Instances where Laurel Lodged reverted moves of GAA articles or categories back to their original titles, again without any prior discussion or consensus:


 * (3) Instances where Laurel Lodged changed ledes, without discussion or consensus, to reflect the moves that he made without consensus:

Instances where Laurel Lodged treated those who criticised his edits with disrespect, hostility or sarcasm:
 * (4) Instances where Laurel Lodged reverted changes back to the original text of ledes:

Believe me, this is the tip of the iceberg. It is exhausting keeping up with this behaviour. I will post below under the same category numbers other instances of similar behaviour by Laurel Lodged - but because there are so many I would also invite other concerned editors to do so. Brocach (talk) 22:51, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Just a revenge topic ban proposal and forumhopping from AN/I where his attempts to get Laurel Lodged a topic ban get not much support. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:20, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Brocach is no stranger to cancassing. But he is now so desperate for support that he has actually tried to canvass me!!! Hilarious! Laurel Lodged (talk) 23:35, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nice that you appreciate irony. If only you appreciated the opinions of other editors. Brocach (talk) 01:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, I know you have a good sense of humour. Like suddenly inventing OK, 9 days since proposal, looks to me like 4-1 for reverting those undiscussed moves. while the proposal was still under discussion (there was even a vote after your misplaced interference). It seems a bit strange to complain about Laurel Lodged timing when you just plain ignore discussions! (The 4-1 was also incorrect). <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 03:13, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Isn't this the same thing as this? - The Bushranger One ping only 01:33, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yeah, if you look at the history here, you'll see I moved it to the earlier section at ANI from WP:AN and then collapsed it. Then, Brocach, in his infinite wisdom, moved it down here. I'm tempted to just delete it.--Bbb23 (talk) 03:01, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I have moved this section up to rejoin the main discussion. Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  10:13, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Act of good faith proposal
I'd say both have been as bad as each other, though with varying degrees of disruptiveness. Maybe a topic-ban for all involved editors here might be a better idea to allow everyone time away from each other and to deter them from the above mess of comments. Though that would mean possibly a resumption of hostilities once it expired. Maybe instead we should all do a big act of good faith and put all of the above to the dustbin and start the discussions afresh with no hostility - just logic and reasoning.

If hostilities start again then we'd be better placed to see who started it and what sanctioning should be done. Mabuska (talk) 20:57, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Request from uninvolved admin
I have quickly read the above sections in their entirety, although I have not followed up every blue link and diff that has been posted. I am not willing or able to do the detective work necessary to form an opinion on this, so poorly have the arguments been made. Nor is it clear what admin action is being requested, or would be appropriate here. The protagonists must be aware from the few uninvolved responses that the discussion so far is not convincing from any side. May I make a request?

Would each person involved in this in any way make a statement of no more than 250 words setting out what is wrong and asking for a specific admin decision/action, backed up by diffs. If no kind of clear and urgent argument appears from any side, I suggest closing this discussion and treating it as a particularly ill-mannered and pointless content dispute, to be managed on article talk pages.. Kim Dent-Brown  (Talk)  10:30, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

I have no time at the moment to present the diffs requested, but basicly it is a conflict around the use of the name "GAA", the abbreviation of the Gaelic Athletic Association. As far as I have noticed, the trouble began with the introduction of a "County Derry" into the articles about GAA-clubs in Northern-Ireland. "County Derry" is a bit of a hot apple, with its own article about the name conflict: Derry/Londonderry name dispute. To avoid that problem, it was agreed to rename "County Derry" to "County Derry GAA", to make clear that this was not a geographical county but a provincial organisation belonging to the island-wide GAA. Shortly after that, it was proposed to change the names of the other GAA-counties along the same line. From there, the discussion went bananas and ended up in a heap of move wars, edit war and people with personal grudges. As far as I can see, people have been digging in and the viewpoints are more entrenched than a World War I-battlefield. Canvassing, side-kicks, WP:IDIDNOTHEARTHAT, ignoring of ongoing discussions is all going on. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 12:55, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you The Banner. What (if any) action (eg block, page protection) or decision (eg ban) are you requesting? Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  13:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * In fact in desperation: a commission consisting of highly respected uninvolved editors (arbiters?) to resolve this mess once and for all, including penalties for breaches. This commission should do its own research, without external interference. To give the commission the time and peace to resolve the case: a topic ban for GAA-related articles for everybody involved in moves of GAA-relates articles in the past six months (and that will include me too). The duration of this topic ban should be just as long as the time the commission needs to reach a decision. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 20:47, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment from HighKing I haven't been involved in these GAA discussions although I do participate in many Ireland related topics such as this. From what I can see, Laurel Lodged is engaged in tendentious behaviour and either refuses, or is unable to accept, that many editors disagree with the many moves of articles and categories that have occurred or have been proposed.  I believe many of the points made, on both sides, are pretty good and valid.  I made a proposal above that all moves or requests cease until this is resolved, but this did not attract an agreement.  So I'm now requesting a Topic Ban for Laurel Lodged from all "County"-related articles, broadly construed.  --HighKing (talk) 20:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks everyone for your attempts to come up with brief, diff-supported statements and clear requests for admin action. Unfortunately the contributions have again morphed into the same dialogue of the deaf that was seen earlier in this thread. I'm afraid I'm none the wiser, and still have no idea who (if anyone) is in the right and what (if anything) should be done to those in the wrong. My strong suspicion however is that folks on both sides are making fools of themselves. Unles a miracle of clarity happens, I will not be taking any admin action myself. But I do urge, in the strongest possible terms, everyone who has contributed above to stop seeing the other person's behaviour (about which you can do nothing) as the problem here. The solution is in your own behaviour. Please STOP any further renaming or recategorising until you can agree amongst yourselves what is the right way forward. Allow any renames or altered categories to stay, even if they are currebtly the 'wrong' version. I will go so far as to promise to briefly block anyone who tries to change, or change back, the categorisation of any GAA player, team or county before a clear agreement is reached. I suggest that you use this page for your discussions. I'm done here. Kim Dent-Brown  (Talk)  16:36, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * In a nutshell, Laurel Lodged has a history going back nearly three years of making page moves, category moves, creations, deletions and controversial edits to article leads at a prodigious rate. He has a bee in his bonnet about the counties of Ireland, believing that all articles should deal with current administrative divisions rather than the "counties" that are referred to in normal parlance, despite being virtually alone in that belief. Lately he has turned his attention to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), who operate in "counties" that are effectively, but not altogether, coterminous with traditional counties. He is currently involved in discussions on this page, CfD here, CfD here, Wikiproject Ireland here and here, and possibly others, but he still goes on making his moves and edits regardless of consensus. Over the last few weeks he has acquired some supporters, such as The Banner and Mabuska. This ought to strengthen his hand in negotiations, but he still seems to believe that actions speak louder than words. To get an impression of the scale of his activity, look at his contributions 500 at a time and see how many edits you can count before your mouse hand goes numb. His current talk page has numerous incidences of complaints about tendentious editing, notices of deletion of cats and templates he has created, one recent block, and a number of heartfelt pleas to stop his activity while the current multiple discussions are ongoing. Rannpháirtí anaithnid, an admin and a well-respected Irish Wikipedian of many years standing, suggested a topic-ban on LL at Wikiproject Ireland back in October. BrownHairedGirl, another much-respected admin and Irish Wikipedian recently commented that LL's "attempt to raise the distinction between a GAA county and an adminstrative county is a red herring" and that his opening of yet another CfD was "an abuse of process". In the last few weeks, Brocach has gone head-to-head with LL, with perhaps more zeal than wisdom, which has allowed The Banner to turn this long-standing problem into a campaign against Brocach instead. Like HighKing above, I believe that only a ban on LL from all counties of Ireland and GAA topics can resolve the problem in the short term. Scolaire (talk) 20:45, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I have much more respect for the arguments of Laurel Lodged than those of Brocach. And yes, I despised the warrior-like behaviour of Brocach and wanted his disrespectful edits stopped. And that is still the case. But in fact, due to the recent move-campaign of Laurel Lodged, he too has lost my respect. When topic bans are being discussed, you should not continue with controversial moves. That Brocach kept doing that, is not an excuse for Laurel Lodged to do the same. Summarized: I have changed stance due to progressive insight and support action between the two of them (and if necessary, against more people, see my proposal further up). <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 13:50, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Now, now, we shouldn't make misleading comments: Laurel Lodged has not acquired me as a supporter. Both Laurel Lodged and Brocach are equally guilty and deserving of topic-bans for their behaviour. Some editors here might like to focus on one more than the other and suggest only one deserves a topic-ban but in reality, both deserve to be if any is given out. There is a lot of political postering going on here from editors who are hoping to gain an upper-hand by having a troublesome objector removed from the scene. As I recently suggested above, maybe all editors involved should be topic-banned or maybe they should all start again afresh with a clean-slate in a new discussion on the issue with all the previous baggage in the dustbin, focusing on proper reasons for this and that. Any trouble from there on can be easily traced and sanctions given if merited. Would be the best solution to avoid the grand-standing political postering from some editors here. Mabuska (talk) 21:20, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I am impressed with Scolaire's summary and endorse all of it, including the line about my excess of zeal. I did indeed go head-to-head with LL over the scores upon scores of unnecessary changes made to GAA articles, and despite Mabuska's allegation that I am "equally guilty" anyone looking at my contributions will find that every edit I have ever made to a GAA article has been a good-faith attempt to improve content, or a revert to LL's changes. I'll leave it at that: those who are so critical of me will surely be able to come up with instances where that doesn't apply. Brocach (talk) 11:01, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * (...) every edit I have ever made to a GAA article has been a good-faith attempt to improve content, or a revert to LL's changes. In fact you are saying here that your reverts of LL were not good-faith attempt to improve content! And I can believe that, seeing that silly editwar at Paudie Butler: Talk:Paudie Butler. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 16:02, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * With respect, Kim, I think the miracle of clarity has happened, and you missed it. HighKing says that Laurel Lodged is engaged in tendentious behaviour and should be topic-banned. Scolaire says that Laurel Lodged has a long history of tendentious editing, moving, deleting and creating and should be topic-banned. The Banner says that he has changed his stance and that "due to the recent move-campaign of Laurel Lodged, he too has lost my respect." Mabuska says that he is no supporter of Laurel Lodged, and that he deserves a topic-ban (albeit he thinks Brocach equally deserves one). Laurel Lodged is the only editor to continue making controversial edits and moves during this process. Can you show me how my analysis is flawed? Because it seems very straightforward to me. Scolaire (talk) 19:54, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You skip the fact that I don't withdraw my topic ban proposal for Brocach. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:10, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Also, with respect Kim, this isn't about "right" and "wrong" in terms of edits. This is about long-term disruptive and tendentious behaviour and one editor ignoring all others and continuing.  You asked for editors to submit summaries with a call to action, and they were duly submitted.  You say "stop seeing the other person's behaviour (about which you can do nothing) as the problem here".  Eh ... what?  That's why we're here at AN/I and why we've asked for a Topic Ban.  At least you've threatened a block if any more renaming goes on before agreement is reached - which is what I suggested in "Proposal Three" above, but nobody agreed to....   --HighKing (talk) 20:11, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Also, this latest comment from Laurel Lodged illustrated the problem on a number of levels. --HighKing (talk) 20:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I must also point out that I recently gave (now shown just above this section), some 30 diff links to samples of disruptive editing by Laurel Lodged (talk). I could have given dozens more, but I find it a rather depressing task to assemble the evidence that is so readily available for anyone who looks at his contributions history, which contains little else; however I will provide at least 50 more if asked by any admin. I have also tried repeatedly to engage, as Kim suggested, on WT:GAA but Laurel Lodged responds to me any others who want to discuss there with derision and sarcasm: see, , , ,.
 * Against that, no-one has offered a single example of a GAA-related edit by me that is not either a revert of something done without consensus by Laurel Lodged, the creation of a new (useful and good-quality) article, or a normal Wikipedia-improving good-faith edit. Unlike Laurel Lodged, I also create many GAA (and other) articles. As far as I can see, Laurel Lodged has not created a single new article on anything under the sun apart, curiously, from Lochlann Quinn. Instead he devotes his time to moving stuff around without consensus, fiddling controversially with the text of existing articles, or fighting with anyone who questions anything that he does.
 * Why the real issue, his behaviour, is still being discussed under a heading that proposes a ban on me is, frankly, beyond me, but there is surely enough evidence here for Kim or any admin to step in and do the right thing. Looking at Laurel Lodged's contribs history I don't think a narrow ban on GAA or county topics is enough: this person should be shown the door. Brocach (talk) 22:04, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Creating articles is not an issue here, Brocach. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:10, 30 January 2013 (UTC)::::Then it should be the same door you are leaving through. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:10, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

'''If Brocach and Finnegas will agree to self-impossed ban on all GAA related articles for a period of 2 months, then I will too. In not, let this case continue (on the arguments hopefully, not the personalities).''' Laurel Lodged (talk) 22:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It didn't take long for my peace offer to be thrown back in my face. See here. This considerably narrows the range of options before us. As chaotic war now lies before us, and everybody is fed up with the antics of the 3 of us, I must plead for an official ban on all 3 of us if there is to be any hope of peace. Laurel Lodged (talk) 23:13, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Do follow that link if you have time to spare, but it doesn't add anything to what is above. I have not volunteered, as Laurel Lodged repeatedly has, for an edit ban, nor do I have any complaint against Finnegas, nor am I threatening "chaotic war". I am here to contribute constructively to Wikipedia across the modest range of my expertise, which includes the GAA. Again: if anyone discerns a case for imposing a ban on me, point to one GAA-related edit by me that is not a revert of something done without consensus by Laurel Lodged, the creation of a new (useful and good-quality) article, or a normal Wikipedia-improving good-faith edit. If not, let's get this closed down by permanently blocking LL, who if only shut out of GAA/county edits will quickly find some other arena for disruption. Brocach (talk) 23:42, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Latest posting from Kim Dent-Brown  requests that discussion be confined to here and identify instances where an editor has defied structures on editing. I am, frankly, deeply disappointed that after 30+ diffs linked above Kim cannot see the case for a block on a consistently disruptive editor. I hope that an admin who knows a bit about the subject matter will take an interest. In the meantime, I suppose that I might as well advise you (and Kim) of at least some of the changes made by Laurel Lodged since Kim's statement at 16:36, 30 January 2013: try                    . Is that enough? If not, what would be enough? (Changes made by me = 0.) Permanent ban on Laurel Lodged now, please, unless anyone can think of a reason why that would not be a good idea.Brocach (talk) 01:31, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

I have as proposed by Kim Dent-Brown  opened a discussion on the substantive issues at WT:GAA. I would still welcome here any posts from anybody that identifies even one instance of a GAA edit by me - ever - that was not a revert of a contested LL change, adding a new article to Wikipedia, or a regular content-improving edit. I would also suggest that any editors who want to withdraw and apologise for suggestions to the contrary do so here rather than distract from the substantive discussion at WT:GAA; I will accept of course such apologies as I am very keen to move past this ridiculous episode and get back to improving the content of Wikipedia. Brocach (talk) 23:38, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Kim has done more to research the issues on this than I have (which is almost not at all). My instinctive reaction is to support Laurel Lodged's proposal to topic ban him, Brocach, and Finnegas (although Finnegas hasn't contributed as much to this discussion and it's not clear to me how large their role is in all this). I'm a little concerned about the supporters of each side and haven't looked at their roles in the content itself to determine whether the topic ban would be sufficiently effective to prevent further disruption. I also don't know who would take part in actually resolving the content dispute while the most partisan editors are banned. Someone, I believe, suggested a "commission"; I doubt that's feasible. I'll defer to Kim on this because he's taken more trouble than anyone else, but I thought I'd throw in some comments (for what they're worth) so he won't be the only admin commenting (forgive me if another admin commented and I missed it - this thing goes on forever).--Bbb23 (talk) 02:08, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Topic bans for those editors who can't stop edit/move warring even during ANI discussion and  should be quite no brainer.--Staberinde (talk) 09:03, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks Bbb23 and Staberinde, it's good to get some input from people not already deeply involved. Picking up on the diffs identified by Staberinde I have given personal final warnings to Laurel Lodged and Finnegas. Each had made several edits of the sort I had explicitly warned against. The only reason I did not immediately block is that by the time I saw the message above the edits were many hours old and the two of them had ceased editing. Apologies, but even admins have to sleep. I've made it clear in my warnings to these two (and this applies to anyone else reading this) that in future I will block indefinitely, even if the offending edits are some hours old. This has gone on quite long enough. That's all I can do as a solo admin, I can't topic ban anyone on my own. If others reading this who have been uninvolved thus far could comment on a topic ban, to arrive at a community consensus, that would be very helpful. Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  10:41, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Topic bans seems to be a good solution to me but for a more immediate action I'm wondering if this case could be sanctioned under a WP:TROUBLES arbitration enforcement. De728631 (talk) 10:55, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It would be hard to come up with any but the most tenuous link to the Troubles (the GAA has sometimes been described as having a republican outlook, Derry is one of the counties involved). I think it would set a dangerous precedent TBH. Scolaire (talk) 12:18, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think I'd agree that this dispute is only tangentially related to the Troubles. It centres on the naming of counties throughout Ireland and the fact that one of them has a disputed name which is a WP:TROUBLES tinderbox is peripheral. The Tipp/North Tipp dispute here is much more heated and in no way Troubles related. Bringing in enforcements on the basis of Arbcom decisions on the Troubles would be counterproductive at best, and an abuse of process at worst, imho. (Disclaimer: I'm an Englishman with only limited knowledge and experience of GAA and Ireland-related topics.) Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  15:29, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Agree with Kim Dent-Brown  that this has nothing to do with the Troubles. This is about the obsessive behaviour of one editor, Laurel Lodged, with a long history of changing dozens of article and category names without discussion, and the response of another editor (me) who reverted some of those those changes and sought again and again to get the other to engage on the issues. Scolaire above gives an excellent summary. This sort of thing could have happened on any topic, and if the troublesome editor receives only a topic ban, it probably will migrate to some other field within LL's imagined areas of expertise. I have diff-linked, above, my comments about LL and am still waiting for one - just one - example of a GAA-related edit by me that was not a revert of a contested change, adding a new article to Wikipedia, or a regular content-improving edit; but in the absence of any such evidence, I am still discussed here by some as if I were the problem and as if I were the one who deserved a ban. I am trying to prepare myself for a debate at WT:GAA but am worn down by the stupid and unnecessary battles to date, and have seen nothing from the other editor to indicate that he respects that as a venue: "only tumbleweed here" was his sarcastic response when I tried to engage there. There seems to me to be no possibility of reconciling; I regard LL as a vandal and can't work with him. I would prefer that one or other of us just be told to get lost, forever, and would be delighted to comply if the majority prefer to work with Laurel Lodged. Brocach (talk) 22:08, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * LOL, I still remember Talk:Paudie Butler, That was not content improving, that was editwarring. <span style="font-family:'Old English Text MT',serif;color:green">The Banner <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 00:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Proposal for closure
While most everyone who has commented above is in favour of topic bans for one or more of the participants here, few !voters are uninvolved and even if they are right the total numbers seem too low to me to be taken as a strong enough community consensus. I don't think any ban is going to get sufficient clear cut support to be enforceable right now. I have explicitly made clear on a number of editors' talk pages my willingness to block anyone who makes further out-of-consensus edits to county GAA articles, and I repeat myself here. I would close this up myself but as I've been involved in the discussion I think it's better form to propose that we leave this topic now with the proviso that folks receiving blocks from me are very likely to be back here looking at more straightforward ban discussions. If anyone feels moved to close this up, be my guest. If you oppose closure, please give a reasoned argument for what might be achieved by prolonging this discussion. Kim Dent-Brown  (Talk)  23:33, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Given that no-one has objected I will close this myself once twelve hours have elapsed since my closure proposal above. Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  09:56, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Disruptive editing - Rich, Rubin and SPECIFICO
I have had consistent difficulties with three other editors who consistently edits topics without first reading relevant reliable sources. I've been blocked for a total of three weeks now for personal attacks...which has helped me to understand that "disruptive" is the politically correct way to say "incompetent"...but it has done absolutely nothing to help the editors in question to understand the importance of reading reliable sources.

If you look at the newest sections on the public choice talk page you'll find some discussion between Thomasmeeks and myself. That is a perfect example of an exchange between two editors who have made an obvious effort to read what the reliable sources have to say about a topic. Such exchanges form the basis of constructive edits. But out of the multitude of exchanges that I've had with Rich, Rubin and SPECIFICO...not ONCE have we had an informed discussion. If I'm mistaken, then I'm sure that one of the three editors can provide a link to where it's clear that they've reasonably researched a topic that we've both edited.

These editors are wasting massive amounts of my time. They go around undoing my edits, removing entire sections of reliable sourced content and do not make an effort to research the topics that they edit. Their edits have all been in good faith...but they have not reflected what the reliable sources have to say about the topic.

I've tried, numerous times, to convey to these editors the importance of reading the reliable sources. But it has been to no avail. My hope is that there are some admins who can thoroughly review their conduct.

Also, there's no need to notify them that I'm posting this because all three of them watch my contributions. --Xerographica (talk) 22:56, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * WP:BOOMERANG. No comment, yet, about your alleged attempts  at constructive editing and my alleged non-constructive replies &mdash; I quite agree that admins should see for themselves.  There's no need to notify me, because I also watch this page, but there is a need to notify the others.  — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 23:04, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You might also identify the full user names. I know Rich's editor name, and you apparently know Rich's editor name, but it would be wise to include the links.  — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 23:17, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The administrators who pay attention will also know the name from the time, just over a week ago, where editor B brought editor A up at this very same noticeboard. &#9786;  Then of course there are discussions such as Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Economics that one could also use.  I've just revisited the Xerographica Soapbox Matrix.  It's sad to see from that WikiProject Economics discussion that the problem has got worse, not better, since 2010.  Uncle G (talk) 23:47, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I deny any such disruptive editing or intent. My edit comments and remarks speak for themselves -- on the talk page of Xerographica and in the articles and other talk pages where s/he and I have crossed paths. Xerographica has repeatedly expressed frustration with various editors who have tagged or removed her unverified or non-reliably sourced assertions in several articles. Despite repeated encouragement to provide proper sources which would improve the articles, s/he has largely failed to do so.   SPECIFICO  talk  23:58, 29 January 2013 (UTC) amended wording:  SPECIFICO  talk  01:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * indicates that Xerographica a NE Ent 02:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * This is me – S. Rich
 * I've offered Xerographica advice and encouragement along the way, and a few kicks in the butt. (And some of my kicks bounced back to my regret.) Primarily, IMHO, X misunderstands what RS means. There are lots of people who've written about different topics that X takes an interest in. S/he seems to think that posting such stuff, without weaving it into a topic, is justification to keep it posted. The result has been QUOTEFARMS and COATRACKS that are not worth keeping. E.g., the material gets removed, by me and others. X responds by [paraphrasing] "You haven't provided RS that shows this material is not relevant." (And without basis, contends that other editors haven't read the material posted.) I've seen nothing improper with Rubin's or SPECIFICO's edits and talk page remarks. Alas, I've made my errors WRT the 2RR rule and in jumping the gun when I mistakenly thought X had started up with NPA remarks (for which I apologized). But .... I'll allow others to pass on X's present notice. --S. Rich (talk) 00:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * In case anybody accidentally missed it...let me repeat...If I'm mistaken, then I'm sure that one of the three editors can provide a link to where it's clear that they've reasonably researched a topic that we've both edited. --Xerographica (talk) 00:48, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment. I just reverted an edit by SPECIFICO that had deleted several other user comments, both in this section and others on this board.  I also warned SPECIFICO about disruptive editing (refactoring) on his talk page.  Other than reverting the refactoring, I am not involved in this case, nor do I care to be.   GregJackP   Boomer!   01:14, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * The deletion was entirely unintentional and apparently came about when I was trying to do a copy edit on my message of 23:58 above. I will now again try to do that edit of my text.  SPECIFICO  talk  01:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I can understand accidents, I should have known it wasn't intentional, my apologies.  GregJackP   Boomer!   02:56, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Such dumps are not uncommon on ANI; the variety of timing and editors involved with them indicates it is a periodic system glitch. NE Ent 02:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Responding to the original post ... vague general complaints, especially against multiple editors, just aren't going to be productive. You'd need to assemble a set of diffs showing precisely what the issue is, and, for a ANI request, they should be really significant policy violations, not just harsh words. Wikipedia is a numbers game; if you're unable to convince the other editors as to your position via talk post discussion the best bet is to frame specific rfcs on article and it's possible you'll get the perspective of other editors. NE Ent 02:51, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You don't think it's a significant policy violation that none of the three editors has been able to provide ONE link to where it's clear that they've reasonably researched a topic that we've both edited? --Xerographica (talk) 03:14, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nope. - The Bushranger One ping only 04:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Is vandalism a problem? If so...why?  --Xerographica (talk) 08:10, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Vandalism is not relevant to this discussion, as it does not involve vandalism. Please read WP:NOTVAND. - The Bushranger One ping only 10:09, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Here's a recent example...1. He removed relevant content based on a reliable source.  Do I just ignore it?  Do I undo his edit?  Do I start an RFC on the talk page?  --Xerographica (talk) 10:33, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That's called a content dispute. You discuss it on the article's talk page to reach WP:CONSENSUS. - The Bushranger One ping only 20:17, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * How productive could discussing content on the talk page possibly be when the other editors have not read the relevant reliable sources? I've tried discussing content with them countless times and all they bring to the table is their opinions on the subject.  And if I'm wrong...if there has been ONE instance where we've had a talk page discussion where they've shared some semblance of research...then I'm sure it would be very easy for these editors to link us to that instance.  And now we're back at square one. --Xerographica (talk) 20:49, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If that's the case, the consensus is clearly against you, and your edits are not acceptable. Consensus trumps pretty much everything around here.  (✉→BWilkins←✎) 20:56, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Consensus trumps verifiability?
 * In Wikipedia, verifiability means that people reading and editing the encyclopedia can check that the information comes from a reliable source. Wikipedia does not publish original research. Its content is determined by previously published information rather than the beliefs or experiences of its editors.
 * --Xerographica (talk) 21:05, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The other editors are under no obligation to "prove" to you that they have read sources that you consider suitable in discussions. I find your lack of good faith here disturbing, and suggest you step away from the encyclopedia, drink a glass of greent tea, and consider how things might appear to the other editors instead of your continuing "I'm RIGHT - because I AM" attitude. - The Bushranger One ping only 21:52, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If an editor removes relevant and reliably sourced content...then yeah, they should definitely feel obligated to provide some reliable sources to justify their edits. Anything less would be uncivil.  Like I said in my first post...I DO assume good faith with these editors.  They aren't malicious.  They aren't vandals.  They are just operating under the belief that they can make constructive content cuts to technical articles without first reading what the reliable sources have to say about the topics.  From the perspective of the reader though...there is absolutely no difference between the edits of these editors and vandalism.  In fact, blatant vandalism would be far more preferable because at least you, somebody not familiar with the topics, would be able to easily identify it and correct it.


 * Obviously I value the Wikipedia project...which is why it's worth it for me to try and communicate the harm that these editors are unintentionally causing it. Even though Bwilkins would like you to believe that my problem is with all editors...it really isn't.  In my original post I shared an example of an informed discussion and here's another example...Talk:Tax. Wikipedia can certainly support all types of different levels of expertise.  I really understand the value of being inclusive.  But it's just as important that editors understand that if they are going to make substantial content edits to an article...that it's absolutely essential for them to have first read, and understood, the relevant reliable sources. --Xerographica (talk) 22:50, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * No, you obviously do not value the project. The project is based on community and civility - those are far from anything your behaviour suggests that you value.  What you appear value is your personal academic standing, which you're trying to impose on a project that honestly doesn't give two shits about any piece of paper you claim to hold. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 01:41, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Please read WP:NOTVAND, and bear in mind that labeling edits as vandalism, or as "no different from vandalism", that are not, is easily considered a personal attack. . - The Bushranger One ping only 03:13, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

ACME Boomerang. I just read the OP talk page and it's full of facepalm. Will someone give him a final warning about NPA? little green rosetta $central scrutinizer (talk)$ 02:57, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * To explain some jargon to X: "OP" = Original poster (you) (see glossary). Facepalm = Facepalm. –S. Rich (talk) 06:09, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * *sigh* Xerographica has spent at least a couple of months arguing (unsuccessfully) that Wikipedia should be a haven for Academic thought, and that the weight of the edits (and article subjects) by academics should be greater than peons. Even though be advised otherwise, he has continued down a path of "I've researched this, therefore it's a valid article/edit/concept so you'd better just screw off" (that may be a slight paraphrase).  However, because of his Sheldon Cooper-esque beliefs, he also slides easily into insults, NPA's, derogatory statements, and downright talking down to those who are "beneath his academic stature".  Probably one of the most heavy-handed editors I've seen.  The above complaint is merely an attempt to "call out" some of the editors who refuse to bow down, genuflect, and acquiesce to his "clear and obvious superior brilliance" (again, probably a paraphrase) (✉→BWilkins←✎) 10:31, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Look at actions speak louder than words and put your money where your mouth is. Those concepts are certainly notable from the economic perspective...but I wasn't able to do anything with the entries because these editors removed all my reliably sourced content...but didn't bother to contribute any of their own.  It was almost the same thing with the benefit principle.  Take a look at dollar voting...one of the editors removed reliable sourced content and posted a template tag that said, "This now discredited theory".  Where are their sources to support that claim?  Look on the talk page...a discussion with one of the editors went absolutely nowhere.  It was just a huge waste of time.  All these editors want to tear down rather than build up.  They have not ONCE helped to build up a single article that I've edited.  And it's perfectly fine if they dislike these concepts so much...but then why don't they just develop the criticisms sections?  If my wording is not neutral...then why don't they change it so that it is more neutral?  There is absolutely nothing that is collaborative about their efforts...they are simply disruptive.  --Xerographica (talk) 11:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment – Xerographica's comment, above, asserting that editors have not read material s/he has posted smacks of bad faith. The support offered is that the other editors have not cited RS that might somehow prove that they've read the material. E.g., other editors "didn't bother to contribute any of their own [reliably sourced content]." or "[they haven't] shared some semblance of research...then I'm sure it would be very easy for these editors to link us to that instance." (I'm guessing X means the editors should cite something that counters what X has posted.) But how do X's statements play out? 1. Posting counter-sources does not prove that other editors have read X's contributions or researched the topic. And, 2. posting such counter-sources would likely prompt X to say the editors were wrong in some fashion or another. (X incorrectly assumes that other editors, including me, oppose the views s/he presents.) In any event, X's argument that other editors have not read sources is not well taken or founded. Indeed, it is pernicious.  – S. Rich (talk) 21:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Further comment – Again, with this edit, Xerographica continues with the pernicious personal remarks. Xerographica says (above): "From the perspective of the reader though...there is absolutely no difference between the edits of these editors and vandalism." The "qualifier" about "the perspective of the reader" is a transparent disguise for Xerographica's own accusation that I and other editors are vandalizing his/her efforts and the project.  – S. Rich (talk) 01:25, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Xerographica's had enough of an ANI beating ... can we close the thread now? NE Ent 03:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment - editors can see my contribution to this protracted and multi-pronged content dispute on Xerographica's talk page. I've made my point there and have no real desire to help drag this out much longer. I think X needs to decide if he wants to be a WP editor or not. If he does then he needs to listen to what (pretty much) everyone is telling him about the right and wrong ways to go about content creation. If not, then I think there might be a great opportunity for him to take a step back and spend some time writing a book about his favourite economic theories, concepts, neologisms and idioms. WP is the encyclopaedia that anyone can edit, but editing WP is not for everyone. If that makes sense. Stalwart 111  01:51, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No way, I'm a sucker for abuse. It's why I thrived in the infantry.  Can you please help me understand this specific edit by Rubin...here?  Why did he remove an entire section of reliably sourced content? --Xerographica (talk) 08:32, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Is this a POV dispute between Keynesians and Austrians? ClaudeReigns (talk) 09:00, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Boy I wish! It's certainly not a matter of POV because the content I added covered both principles equally...User:Xerographica/Principles_of_taxation. As I said in my OP...it's a matter of editors whose edits are disruptive because they haven't read enough reliable sources to make constructive edits.  --Xerographica (talk) 09:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Can anybody please help me understand another edit by Rubin...here? Why did he remove reliably sourced content?  And why did he remove relevant See Also items...here?  --Xerographica (talk) 19:26, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment - I don't know about personal attacks or anything like that (s/he has not made any towards me aside from some vague allusions to my lack of competence/knowledge in a topic area I happen to have a graduate degree in, but this stuff was mild), but Xerographica does have a serious problem understanding WP:OR and WP:SYNTH policies and when you point out problems with his/her edits, it pretty much quickly degenerates into a lot of WP:IDIDNTHEARTHAT. See the talk page of Foot voting for example. I think that's the essence of the problem other editors are having with her/him as well. Not sure how to address it, since it doesn't appear to be bad faithed, just a bit stubborn and careless. Volunteer Marek 19:41, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Here's what you removed from the article...
 * Here's Milton Friedman's perspective on foot voting...


 * The second broad principle is that government power must be dispersed. If government is to exercise power, better in the county than in the state, better in the state than in Washington.  If I do not like what my local community does, be it in sewage disposal, or zoning, or schools, I can move to another local community, and though few may take this step, the mere possibility acts as a check.  If I do not like what Washington imposes, I have few alternatives in this world of jealous nations. Capitalism and freedom


 * Here's Friedrich Hayek's perspective on foot voting (via Alan O. Ebenstein)


 * He put forward his conception of optimal realizable utopia for humanity as he saw it in Law, Legislation and Liberty - "the transformation of local and even regional governments into quasi-commercial corporations competing for citizens. They would have to offer a combination of advantages and costs which made life within their territory at least as attractive as elsewhere…To re-entrust the management of most service activities of government to smaller units would probably lead to a revival of a communal spirit."  He remarked in The Constitution of Liberty on "competition between municipalities," and said in an interview, "I'm inclined to give local authorities power which I would deny to the central government, because people can vote with their feet against what the local governments can do."  Friedrich Hayek: a biography


 * (In the criticism section) Just as dollar voting requires a degree of economic freedom to be effective, foot voting is effective only if people have the freedom to migrate. (I didn't add this prose but it certainly doesn't say anything different than the primary source that follows)


 * "Is it? I understand you've traveled, Agnes," said Vlad, as she struggled.  "So you'll know that so many people lead little lives, always under the whip of some king or ruler or master who won't hesitate to sacrifice them in battle or turn them out when they can't work anymore."
 * But they can run away, Perdita prompted.
 * "But they can run away!"
 * "Really? On foot?  With a family?  And no money?  Mostly they never even try.  Most people put up with most things, Agnes." - Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum}}
 * You say this content is WP:OR and WP:SYNTH...but I'm just not seeing it. The sources are all talking about foot voting.  The first two sources are in favor of it while the third source offers a reasonable critique.  Like I asked on the talk page...what position am I advancing that is not advanced by these sources?  --Xerographica (talk) 19:54, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Can we WP:CLOSE this discussion? While I'm one of the subject editors brought up by Xerographica, I see no consensus that I, Rubin, or SPECIFICO have violated policy or guidelines. Instead, many of the comments are about OP's edits – and other subjects. Thanks. – S. Rich (talk) 20:27, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Let's not close this discussion until we have a consensus on Rubin's edits here, here and here. --Xerographica (talk) 20:47, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * We already have consensus that you're a tendentious editor and that you're literally steps from being blocked ... now you're making near-ultimatums? We're not going to make any type of !vote on content here - got it? (✉→BWilkins←✎) 21:11, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Your lack of civility doesn't bother me one bit...neither do your block threats. If you want to block me for civilly voicing my concerns...then go ahead. I'm sure that it will have absolutely nothing to do with this... User_talk:Bwilkins. But thanks for sharing that it's not a personal attack to accuse another editor of being tendentious. --Xerographica (talk) 21:48, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Please read WP:SPADE. If you don't want to be called tendentious - don't be tendentious. When everybody in a discussion holds the opposite viewpoint from you, you should start to consider that you might be wrong. - The Bushranger One ping only 22:19, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'll start to consider the possibility that I'm wrong...when everybody in the discussion offers a reasonable argument for why it was right for Rubin to remove reliably sourced content here. When none of you are capable of justifying, explaining or defending his conduct, conduct which is standard fair for him, Rubin and SPECIFICO...then it seems pretty clear that I'm right.  So if you want to prove I'm wrong...then prove that Rubin's edit was constructive.  --Xerographica (talk) 01:20, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "when everybody" bends to your will? Now every single person has to prostrate themselves at the feet of the great academic?  No.  Again, you're rather mistaken about this project and whatever dreams of power you seem to believe you have.  I'm starting to believe, based on your bizarre logic, that not only are you not an academic, you might have even lost to the kids on that Foxworthy TV show  (✉→BWilkins←✎) 01:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Don't leave me out of this! My edit was the one that removed the material and Rubin was re-removing it.  – S. Rich (talk) 02:28, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Consensus does not work that way. Xerographica, it's as if you're trying to convince everybody you're not here to improve the encylopedia. Please read WP:BATTLEGROUND - and WP:STICK, before WP:INDEF gets applied to you. - The Bushranger One ping only 02:31, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * My last 3 edits to User talk:Xerographica have been requests that he unwrap himself from the axle. To no avail I fear. Perhaps Bwilkins' lastest remark will help. Still, let's close this. Please. – S. Rich (talk) 02:52, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * If none of you are willing to actually address any of the evidence that I've shared...then Rich is right...just close this. --Xerographica (talk) 03:10, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

I concur – but not on the basis that no one is "willing to address any of the evidence". – S. Rich (talk) 03:15, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Disruptive Editing by Film Fan
Hello. The user (formerly known as Jsigned) has again been causing disruption at the article Taare Zameen Par. Because the film was released in American cinemas under its foreign title, I and other editors felt that the English title was better referenced later in the lead when the DVD release was specifically mentioned. I even asked about the matter on the naming conventions guideline page here. The article passed FAC with this two years ago. However, six months ago Film Fan began targeting the article and insisting the English name be used for the article despite a unanimous consensus against it. He was blocked several times for his disruptions, with a previous noticeboard discussion here. Now he is back and keeps changing the lead format regarding the English title placement, despite the consensus that was in place for two years. An admin locked the page and told him to discuss it, and not to revert until a consensus on it had been reached. Despite not gaining a consensus for the change, Film Fan ignored the admin's instructions and immediately began reverting to his version once the lock was dropped. I restored the original version and noted the admin's instructions, but Film Fan continues to ignore that. I tried contacting the admin several times, but never got a response. Other editors seem to have given up out of exhaustion of dealing with Film Fan (which seems to be his tactic), and he implied on the talk page that he will continue his pursuit of this no matter what. I do not want to engage in an edit war over this, but this has been happening on-and-off for six months (in the meanwhile which Film Fan has been blocked for edit warring on various other articles). Any help or advice on the matter would be appreciated. Thanks.

Diffs of his reverts after admin's lock:


 * 1st revert: diff
 * 2nd revert: diff
 * 3rd revert: diff
 * 4th revert: diff

Discussion on the talk page here Ω  pho  is  23:39, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * For your consideration, may I present to you the 2013 candidate for WP:LAME. This is a discussion that needs to take place on Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Film and has less to do with editorial behaviors and more to do with how we deal with English titles of foreign films in lead sections. After reviewing the discussion, there appears to have been little compromise by the editors reverting Film Fan over and over again.  Now, I'm not saying he is right, but I think a neutral discussion on the Film project talk page should clear this up.  If an RfC is needed, then great, but you really need an opinion from someone familiar with guidelines for film-related articles. Viriditas (talk) 01:30, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If I disagree with his proposal, I am in no way obligated to compromise. That is what developing a consensus is for, which he has failed to do. I am not bringing this here about content dispute. I am here about his continuing disregard of admin instructions and guidelines for BRD. If you read the link I referenced above regarding the prior admin noticeboard report on him, you will see that this is a constant problem with the editor. Ω  pho  is  01:46, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I reviewed the discussions and saw no attempt to negotiate or compromise with Film Fan, and your statement "I am in no way obligated to compromise" speaks for itself. If you want to actually solve this problem, you should have an advertised RfC preferably on the article talk page or on Film project talk page linked above.  Instead, it seems like you are only interested in sanctioning someone who disagrees with you. Viriditas (talk) 02:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, after six months of dealing with his constant disruptions that usually end in his being blocked, I don't feel a need to compromise if I disagree with him. That is what discussions are for, so that multiple people can contribute their opinions. I voiced my opinion, as has he. If he continually violates WP rules, then I have every right to report him. 02:25, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The page history shows that two people are dancing the tango; you've been reverting as much as him. If you are truly interested in solving problems rather than fighting a grudge match, then you'll discuss this issue with neutral members of the film project, either on their talk page or in an advertised RfC. Viriditas (talk) 02:38, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, I've been reverting the original version per BRD and the admin's instructions. If there is a disagreement over content, then the original version is supposed to stay until a consensus for changing it arises. I will pursue Rfc, but his past history shows that he has no regard for what is established in discussions. His actions remain regardless, and IMO show that he still hasn't learned. Ω  pho  is  02:42, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What? You are the sole arbiter as to whether or not an article evolves?  You have superpowers that prevent an article from ever changing?  This is a community, you are under 100% obligation to compromise.  WP:BRD does not say "don't BUDGE...simply REVERT and DIE protecting the contents" (✉→BWilkins←✎) 10:22, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Judging by your statement, you didn't even bother reading what I linked above, in which you would see that I am not the only one in disagreement about the matter. Until recently, opposition to him has been unanimous, and I have been contacting people previously involved with the article to voice their opinion on the matter either way. I will try to start a discussion on the film group page. As I stated in the linked above discussion, I will follow consensus, something that Film Fan constantly disregards. Besides, this dispute is about something that is either one way or another. Compromise really isn't viable. There are two possible formats, and no in-between that I can see. Also, following your logic, I could go and restructure the Lord of the Rings page, and because this is a community every other editor would have to compromise with me? That's not how it works. It's based on consensus. I gave my opinion, and if other editors disagree with me, then I will follow whatever is decided. But so must Film Fan. Ω  pho  is  13:24, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * My edit is correct, as has been acknowledged. Your questionable reverts scream WP:OWN. Film Fan (talk) 13:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I apologize if I sound like I'm getting an attitude, but it's that this has been going on for such a long time. As soon as he realizes that he cannot will not be succssefull in some aspect of the title, he moves onto something else and just repeats the same arguments over and over. If you look at the previous ani report, you'll see that he has been doing this on other articles for quite a while. Ω  pho  is  13:49, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I tried to change the article title to the title used in English-speaking countries. Now I am making sure that it is at the very least mentioned in the lead, as per Wikipedia policy, and I'm not going to let someone who thinks they own the article stop me. Film Fan (talk) 16:41, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That's as unhelpful a response as the one Ophois gave above. I left you a note on your talk page about edit warring behavior. I move that an editor other than myself close this discussion to de-escalate this conflict.  Learn to solve disputes by talking to each other not by coming to the noticeboards to get one or the other blocked. Viriditas (talk) 05:46, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

To make an update, Ophois posted a notice at WT:FILM as seen here. We are continuing the discussion on the film article's talk page here. I've provided my own thoughts. Editors are invited to review the points there and comment. Erik (talk &#124; contribs) 15:12, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Should hit the two of them with a big bucket of fish for being so pig-headed about their stances. Blackmane (talk) 15:41, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm only standing up to someone who doesn't listen to reason and thinks they own an article. Nothing more to it. Film Fan (talk) 16:22, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately from an outsiders perspective you've been blocked 5 times in the last six months for the same behaviour. Canterbury Tail   talk  17:44, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Except this is different, it's a different edit, it's undeniably correct, and consensus is with me. Ophois simply dislikes the English-language title so wants to hide it as best he can. That's not happening. Film Fan (talk) 21:44, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Blackmane, the dispute is over something that is either black or white. I don't see how any compromise can be made. The "compromise" that Film Fan refers to is merely his original proposal for the lead. If you look at the previous ANI on him here and his block log, you will see that he has a long history of disruption and hopefully will understand why I brought this incident here. Ω  pho  is  17:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * So, what we have here are two editors, both of whom insist they have consensus and both of whom are outrightly declaring "no, I will not compromise, end of story". Which seems to me that it's time to suggest sanctions for both. - The Bushranger One ping only 22:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Easy to look at it that way if you haven't read much of what's been written. Film Fan (talk) 22:19, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * For once I agree with you Film Fan, lol. No disrespect to those participating in this discussion, but it does seem like quite a few people post on here without actually reading much into the situation. Ω  pho  is  23:08, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'd read through your disagreements on the talk page. And I stand by the trouting. Blackmane (talk) 23:28, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I didn't bring this here to solve the content dispute, I brought it here to again address Film Fan's continued disregard for policies over the past six months. Film Fan and I are not the only editors involved. A quick look at the discussion will show that multiple editors contributed their opinions. It doesn't matter if he and I disagree, as involving many editors grants a consensus one way or another. An admin simply requesting that he follow policy while the discussion was going on (which you will see by my contributions that before bringing it to the film project page that I had been trying to contact others previously involved with the article to give their opinions on the matter) would at least have helped. But unlike the old days that I fondly remember, admins now seem (based on the responses here) to be more focused on ridiculing those they disagree with. Ω  pho  is  00:38, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Having looked at the article, the article talk page, and both user's talk pages (including going through it diff by diff), I don't see this as stopping anytime soon, with a WP:BATTLEGROUND attitude on both sides. The simple solution is to topic ban both editors from the article, and if there continues to be problems, to enact an interaction ban.   GregJackP   Boomer!   23:34, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Is everyone purposefully overlooking Erik's statement above that I opened a discussion on the film project to make sure we find a consensus either way? Ω  pho  is  23:41, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, I noticed that. But both of y'all are exhibiting battleground behavior, and while I can certainly understand it, it is better for both of you to walk away from the article and leave it be.  I was topic banned from Climate Change about 2 years ago.  While that ban has been lifted, I haven't had a desire to get back into it.  From what I'm reading, you and Film Fan are in the same position.  Sometimes being forced away from an article that brings out that type of reaction in you can give you a new perspective and make editing easier.   GregJackP   Boomer!   02:02, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I think that everyone is misinterpreting my intentions due to my frustration with dealing with Film Fan for so long. I am not absolutely set against Film Fan's proposal, I just want the process to follow the guidelines set by Wikipedia. Following other admins' suggestions, I have expanded my attempts to involve the community more. Film Fan on the other hand (as shown by his blocks and the ANI I referenced above) just insists that his version is right, the community be damned. Judging by how discussions are currently going, Film Fan's version will probably prevail. I'm perfectly fine with that, but I just want it to be done properly without his disruptions. It's open to interpretation (and I might be biased based on my past history with him), but if you see my talk page, you will see that he now seems to be acting petty by trying to remove other parts of the lead for unnecessary reasons. He's been editing film articles for quite a while, but claims that he has no idea that a summary of article information in the lead doesn't require citations? ClassicFilms and I spent months getting the article to FA, while Film Fan has no history with Bollywood films at all. Any editor who has dealt with him in the past will agree with me that once he sets his mind on something, he will keep going at it nonstop until he gets his way or an admin interferes. I truly believe he is disagreeing just out of pettiness for everyone disageeing with him in the past on this article. Ω  pho  is  02:13, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Everyone keeps criticizing Film Fan and I for not compromising, but they are completely ignoring the other editors who also voiced their opinion to the matter. Us making the decision for them would be us taking control of the article. As well, everyone keeps criticizing us for not compromising, but as I have pointed out, I see no room possible for compromise. It's either that the title is included in the first sentence or not, while the English title has always been included later in the lead. Are any of you able to look at the situation and suggest a format that suits both arguments? I've been trying to solve the situation by getting more community involvement since we can't agree. No disrespect intended, but if any of you are not able to think of a compromise, I don't see how you can criticize us on what has happened. Ω  pho  is  02:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Don't get me wrong, having read the talk page a couple times, I'm not favourable towards Film Fan on what they're doing. However, what I am critical of is that Film Fan is picking the battlefield and you're happily (metaphorically speaking) jaunting off into it. That's what I'm trouting you for. Haven't had the chance to expand on my trouting comments earlier. I'm trouting Film Fan for stubbornly heading down the road to an indef. Blackmane (talk) 10:09, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * LIKE STARS ON EARTH is an AKA easily signficant enough to be mentioned at the top. It's that simple. That's all I'm pushing. This is about content. Film Fan (talk) 14:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

No, it is about behavior and conduct, between and by both of you. Personally, I could care less about the content issue, but I care greatly about the inappropriate conduct by both of you. GregJackP  Boomer!   16:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm saying my agenda is accurate content. I couldn't care less about sanctions to myself or Ophois or anyone else or any kind of ego issues that some people have. I definitely get too easily frustrated by certain things but whatever. Film Fan (talk)

topic banned
I have been repeatedly topic banned from Aspartame controversy. For the following reasons I believe this ban should be removed.

1)  I have made very real contributions to this article as shown here[|here]

2)  Much of the advice I have been given  by administrators (like i would not be banned if i was polite) was wrong.

3)  The abuse that has been heaped upon me.

4)   The ongoing spirit of wikipedia where you push editors to be bold.

5)  I have never edited article pages with out assistance from other editors.   99 percent of  my actions have been on the talk page.

6)  You have a very difficult learning process.   After being  abused there is no way a person can tell if what he is being told is from an abusive member of from an administrator.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Arydberg (talk • contribs) 02:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * This is a waste of time. You were topic-banned less than a week ago. I suggest you go do something else more constructive.--Bbb23 (talk) 02:42, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Given that your only non-user-talk edit since your topic ban was imposed was to violate it, the odds of the topic ban being overturned are slim. To address your points, (1) those contributions were deemed to be WP:POV and disruptive; (2) polite POV pushing is still POV pushing; (3) sorry that you have had to deal with abuse, but that is not a reason to be untopicbanned; (4) WP:BOLD does not excuse or allow for policy violations; (5) still led to POV pushing, and (6) is actually something very easy to tell - if the person commenting isn't an administrator, it's not coming from an administrator. - The Bushranger One ping only 02:45, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Arydberg: I warned you that you should not come to AN/I before making valuable contributions. You are very clearly WP:NOTHERE to make an encyclopedia, and that's clear to me and others now more than ever. Unless you are going to prove to us that you can edit constructively by editing in many other areas first, this topic ban will not be lifted. You were banned, you haven't done anything after being banned except violate it, and now you ask for it to be removed? Not smart. gwickwire  talk edits 02:50, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Erf. You haven't made ANY edits in articlespace since your topic ban, and indeed, you've made less than sixty edits in articlespace in five years, and only three such edits in over a year.  Given that you've boldly stated, and repeatedly, that your interest in aspartame-related articles is to push your partisan POV, I don't see any prospect of your topic ban being lifted ... or, if so, any prospect of you staying unbanned for long.  That being said, the way to prove yourself a productive contributor isn't to ask for your ban to be lifted a week from now, but six months from now, and not after zero productive edits, but after several hundred.   Ravenswing   07:51, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

I will say it again.

1)   I made real contributions to the Aspartame controversy article which resulted in positive  changes being made to  the article.   (See above link)

2)  I have put up my own article see "chopmist hill listening post"

3)  I would like to put up more articles/ edits  but i view the actions of wikipedia  in aspartame controversy as not meeting up to  your own standards.

4)  I see errors from time to time and try to correct them.

5)  I believe that some type of free discussion should be permitted.  Arydberg (talk) 15:06, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * No. You were topic-banned a mere week ago.  I'm even starting to consider the above as a violation of said topic ban.  Ignore anything to do with Aspartame for at least 6 months before tryign to request removal of the ban.  Stop being ridiculous (✉→BWilkins←✎) 15:37, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Arydberg, drop the stick. You just got topic banned, the community is not going to lift it after only a week.   GregJackP   Boomer!   16:12, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually, I believe Arydberg was topic banned a little over a year ago. He, on multiple occasions, violated the topic ban, and was blocked. Arydberg is only here to push his point of view on the aspartame controversy. He is not here to edit anything else. We've told him he has been topic banned, and now can't do the only thing he came here to do, and so now he's crying to AN/I trying to claim "lies", "deciet", "i've made valuable contributions" when this is the first edit after his most recent block expired. gwickwire  talk edits 18:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Last week. - The Bushranger One ping only 19:28, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

User:Fartusr
I apologize because although I've been around Wikipedia for a while, I am not very familiar with the proper place to report this. has made only one edit under that username so far, and although the edit is itself OK the edit summary is disturbing. The username also gives pause. Quale (talk) 04:59, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * If it's his first edit, you could leave a nice note explaining to him directly what you found disturbing. In general, it is best to approach users with your concerns before reporting them for action by administrators, who will generally only use their tools when other methods have failed to bring a disruptive user into line.  -- Jayron  32  05:45, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * it's more than a little over the line for a nice note. The edit summary is hate speech and need immediate admin. attention.  Add the user name, and you've got a problem editor. --Drmargi (talk) 07:22, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * They have been blocked indefinitely. Ent? Closing time... Doc   talk  09:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Generally, for a user's first edit, I would agree with Jayron32, and just post a note on the user's talk page explaining that the edit was unacceptable. However, we have a combination of several things. There is the offensive username. There is the edit summary which was not only offensive but also totally gratuitous and unrelated to the content of the edit. Also, there is the fact the edit was completely trivial, and although it was not in itself offensive, in the context it looks rather as though it was intended to be just a sort of null-edit to be a medium for the offensive edit summary. My conclusion is that this looks very much like a trolling-only account, so I have blocked it indefinitely. However, I have compromised by customising the to be more encouraging about the possibility of an unblock than the standard vau (vandalism and username) block notice that I would normally use in such a case. JamesBWatson (talk) 09:46, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * PS: I have also revision-deleted the user's edit, so that neither the offensive edit summary nor the offensive username is visible in the article's history. Since making them visible was no doubt the whole purpose, the trolling has been thwarted. JamesBWatson (talk) 09:49, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Suspicious IP
was blocked for a day in December as a Runtshit sock, after several abusive edits on Amiram Goldblum. Since returning from the block, the IP has continued to breach BLP policy on the same article.

This IP is now editing another BLP (Anna Baltzer), again displaying all the characteristics of Runtshit: unsourced abusive edits about Jewish critics of Israel, misleading and abusive edit summaries, reliance on unreliable and highly POV sources, such as Frontpage Magazine, Isracampus, Gatestone Institute).

The IP has also been editing an article about a critic of Baltzer, Lee Kaplan (journalist). In two edit summaries, the IP claims to be Kaplan.

This editor appears to be here for purely disruptive and abusive purposes, and should be blocked accordingly. It is also extremely likely that, whether or not this really is Kaplan, it is a Runtshit sock. There are several recently blocked accounts, so a check user should be possible to determine whether this is the case, and if necessary to block sleeper accounts. RolandR (talk) 16:42, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Legal threat?
A post on the help desk: Help desk appears dangerously close to legal threat.  Я ehevkor ✉  16:53, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, but don't overlook legal threats. Writ Keeper &#9863;&#9812; 17:00, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, yes, I know this.  Я ehevkor ✉  17:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Just checkin'. :) Writ Keeper &#9863;&#9812; 17:05, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Someone may want to look into this...
In Articles_for_deletion/Fiesta_Inn, User:Larry Grossman an infrequent (but long-term) editor (479 edits since 2004) indicated he was going to close the discussion after five minutes. He did not, but in my view, that statement indicates that either the user needs to be mentored because he does not know policies, or the account was compromised during one of its dormant periods. MSJapan (talk) 15:37, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Before reporting this user here did you take the time to reach out to them and discuss your concerns? Did you even attempt the most basic of respectful discourse and conversation before declaring this an incident? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.241.58.251 (talk) 15:57, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * At the risk of feeding the trolls (having looked at the IP's contribs), a problem cannot be handled in a timely fashion if the user isn't logging in to deal with it (this IP is a case in point, considering he's static). Secondly, if this is a compromised account, I can't prove it through discourse because the other party could simply lie, but there are tools that other people have access to to show that.  Lastly, don't comment on what you clearly don't understand based on some faux indignation that you don't even have the time in the community to claim. MSJapan (talk) 17:17, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but 134.241.58.251 is right. You should generally try to resolve problems with editors by approaching them directly before coming here.  Where's the evidence that you've done this? —Psychonaut (talk) 17:37, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I have no clue what you're talking about, Japan, but it appears to me that you're smarting over being called out for not talking to the editor directly and are trying to deflect. Here's a hint on how to gain respect: admit you should have talked to the editor first and archive this thread. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.241.58.251 (talk) 17:41, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No deflection whatsoever, actually, just pointing out that a static IP that was blocked, filed three spurious unblock requests, can't sign a post properly, and has made less than 100 edits in six and a half years is probably not the best person to look to as arbiter of best practices. It becomes even more true if you are hiding behind an IP for some other reason.  In short, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
 * As to the rest of it, an infrequent contributor who has never used his talk page is not going to suddenly start now because I ask a question (especially given the behavior pattern shown in the above-stated AfD), and waiting three weeks or a month or 3 months for a response which may or may not occur is not going to solve the underlying problem either. There's no reason to jump through hoops when it benefits no one. MSJapan (talk) 21:08, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * MSJapan, I think I'll give you a a few minutes to re-read WP:AGF, WP:CIVIL, WP:NPA and WP:BLOCK ... the reconsider your post immediately above. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 21:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * While MSJapan rethinks how he interacts with people on Wikipedia, I'll address the original issue: the IP address contributor is 100% correct that MSJapan was required to try and resolve the issue directly with the user before coming to ANI.  Admin intervention is the last resort, not first.  It takes very little looking at the AFD in question to see that the editor actually seems to be "ok" with the concept of merging.  Yes, he's been loud, but he's not a regular contributor.  Does he need mentoring?  Maybe - but nothing needs to be forced - yet. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 21:26, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * He is "required"? It is his duty to solve every problem he sees instead of asking someone else if they're interested? He is not allowed to say anything to anyone before investing his time and effort into something he may not want any part of that perhaps someone else is better equipped or willing to do? Strange, I though this was a volunteer project, not a draft.
 * Oh, and in the alphabet soup you flung up, did you miss the part in AGF in assuming good faith in the absence of evidence to the contrary, of which evidence he has provided? And perhaps, since no block was mentioned by anyone, you could explain why invoking WP:BLOCK was anything than a coy -- and dare I say it, uncivil? -- threat? --Calton | Talk 21:38, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Calton - yes, he is required to try other forms of dispute resolution before ANI. Bwilkins - this is a bad block.  AGF blocks are controversial at best, the user was not properly warned with progressive levels of severity, and you gave them an arbitrary 5 minutes to change their post during which time they did not edit and did not demonstrate receipt of your warning.  You should undo your block.--v/r - TP 22:05, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It was not an "AGF block" (what's that?), it's NPA ... however, if consensus is that it should be removed, I'll do so. As much as I prefer people to have accounts, lobbing insults on IP's gets this project nowhere (✉→BWilkins←✎) 22:09, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm right there with you. ABF just because a user is an IP is not a good thing.  But I don't think his comment rise to the level of NPA.  The only non-fact in his comment is describing the unblock requests as "spurious."  Suggesting that these facts add up to someone that doesn't fit the description of the "arbiter of best practices" is exactly what we do an Arbcom elections and RFA every week/year.  This is an AGF problem, not NPA.  Civility maybe.--v/r - TP 22:14, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Agree with TParis. This was a bad block. The static IP from an educational institution is probably used by lots of different editors, although the comments in project space are quite likely to have been made by just one person. Mathsci (talk) 22:23, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Mathsci ... you're aware it was MSJapan I blocked (and now unblocked), not the IP...right? (✉→BWilkins←✎) 22:29, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Bwilkins, of course. Otherwise my comments would have been pointless, wouldn't they? I was explaining that the static IP is not necessarily one person but a whole series of users, some of whom made absurd requests for unblocking. As I say your block was a very poor one. MSJapan might have assumed the edits from the IP were by just one user, I cannot tell. (I also noticed your unblock before I posted this.) Mathsci (talk) 22:35, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually no ... if you read your comments as if you thought I had blocked the IP, they still make perfect sense ... (✉→BWilkins←✎) 22:43, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Having been told explicitly what I meant, it was impolite of you subsequently to misread them. Please go and read WP:AGF. A checkuser (Risker) identified the IP as being used by a user previously blocked by Elen of the Roads. The IP was demanding that EotR be blocked for one year. Mathsci (talk) 22:50, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Although I have attempted to get Mathsci to re-read his original post from a different perspective but have failed, I'm simply going to go on-record that the above was possibly the snottiest response to his brutal misreading that I've seen in ages. Well done Mathsci.  Sorry if someone pissed on your Corn Flakes this morning, but it wasn't me. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 23:53, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * ...this isn't going in a productive direction. Mathsci, do you intend to have action taken against the IP user, or are you just gossiping? (Oh, and for the record, I support neither MSJapan's behavior nor Bwilkins's block, but it looks like things have mostly been resolved...) — Rutebega ( talk ) 23:22, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Can I get
A 12 hour block please I am afraid my patience has run very thin Darkness Shines (talk) 18:46, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You could simply go for a walk... No? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 18:47, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There's always WikiProject User scripts/Scripts/WikiBreak Enforcer if you feel you're for some reason unable to stay away, but need to. - SudoGhost 18:51, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Seeing as your May 2012 block for WP:NPA violations was a week, the escalation process means ... (✉→BWilkins←✎) 18:52, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Block me then. I was told I can request a block. so block me. Like I actually give a fuck for how long it is, you know what you want to do B Darkness Shines (talk) 19:03, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Note: I "unarchived" this attempt to close it by DS. Something does need to be done - civility is not optional, but the correct balance between PROTECTING the project and the non-PUNISH concept is....? (✉→BWilkins←✎) 19:18, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Additional Note: I have blocked for a week ... not proper for the normal escalation process, but as per the block log, this length of time may change based on this discussion (✉→BWilkins←✎) 19:20, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Previous close indicates that Darkness Shines is likely editing under the influence. (#26) -- Auric    talk  19:26, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Is that a valid excuse for disruption? --Saddhiyama (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No, and this isn't a one-time thing. - SudoGhost 19:39, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Does he really still need talk page access? He's only going to get himself in more trouble. Automatic Strikeout  ( T  •  C ) 19:53, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * One week seems lenient given the history. One month seems more appropriate. -Nathan Johnson (talk) 20:31, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Dallas Dempster and User:Dallas Dempster
Hello. User:Dallas Dempster keeps repeatedly inserting his own biography into the Dallas Dempster article. I have already reverted twice, and another user has reverted as well, and I have also warned the user, but the user persists in adding the information. I would suggest a COI block of some length (possibly including indefinite), or a 3RR block if this persists, but as I've already reverted twice, and COI issues aren't my thing, I'm seeking outside assistance. --Rschen7754 07:09, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I live in Western Australia and am familiar with Dempster, from news reports. Please just work with him on the article. He's one of the states most rational and reasonable entrepreneurs, and simple respectful discussion will almost certainly do the trick. Remember, he is entitled to add and delete content on his own biography. He will be perfectly capable of grasping and working within our policies and guidelines once they're clearly explained or pointed out to him. Where he offers undocumented assertions, if they're uncontroversial and not puffery, leave them there (with a citation needed tag if you really must). He is an expert on his history, make the most of this opportunity to work with him, and ideally turn him into a productive Wikipedian. He has a lot to offer. --Anthonyhcole (talk) 07:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I already have pointed out our guidelines to him, and he continues to persist in reinserting the information. Furthermore, you still have not addressed the violation of WP:COI, and his edition of the article certainly violates WP:NPOV. --Rschen7754 07:47, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I've rung the subject. He's on the road and will ring me back later today. I'll let this board know the results of that. --Anthonyhcole (talk) 08:07, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks - to clarify, it would be preferable not to block here, but we can't compromise our integrity as a site either. Let's see what happens.--Rschen7754 08:12, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I've spoken with him and heard his concerns. I've asked him to leave the article while I familiarise myself with the background. I'll get back to him and the article talk page with some suggestions once I've done that. It may be a day or so ... there are weird things happening with my internet connection. --Anthonyhcole (talk) 09:15, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Had a quick look at the article. I would try and persuade him to edit another article which he has no involvement in. Newbies create autobiographies chock full of unreferenced puffery, presumably in inexperienced good faith, each and every day here, so I'd go easy on him. Ritchie333  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(cont)  10:35, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * WP:AUTOBIO is pretty clear, and I would say that Mr. Dempster should not be editing his own article. By all means, let him provide reliable sources - but allow others to do the actual writing. GiantSnowman 10:39, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I have to say that I am disappointed by Rschen's response here. If I were a new editor and read that, I'd be more likely to say "well **** you then" than bone up on Wikipedia policies. Ritchie333  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(cont)   10:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm only seeing 4 edits -- is there another account? NE Ent 11:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He could have just been casually editing as an IP, and only creating an account to associate his name with the "right" version of the article. Ritchie333  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(cont)   11:29, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There has been a slow-burning content war with a user claiming to be representing Dempster and an IP  which may be the same person. Hack (talk) 12:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Ikin, who wrote the initial Dempster article back in July, made a comment of "You keep changing my work and I'll simply keep changing it back. The difference is I'm being paid to do this" on his talk page back in October. Ikin works for PPR, a public relations firm that works for Dempsters current company - see http://hyperionenergy.com.au/contact/.  It's a clear case of a PR/business man expecting that he can "publish" and control the wikipedia article that suits him.  They claim that both our article and the recent newspaper article are "full of errors", but all I see is a difference of opinion on importance of events (WP:UNDUE in their mind, or not in most of ours).  It's a COI/Paid Editing/content dispute, but with today's events, Mr Dempster seems to have gotten tired of his PR man failing to do the job and has tried to do it himself.  I hope the phone call discussion and not just the standard "you must follow our rules" messages stops this from ending up like another high profile Australian from the same era. And Ritchie333, if you don't like the standard templates, please re-write them to be "nicer".  We don't all have time to customise every standard notification. Standard templates should be suitable for use without disappointing others for using them. The-Pope (talk) 13:02, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think there's been some confusion - I'm actually in agreement with you here. If you're referring to my comment re Rschen7754 above, it was a comment about a custom message he wrote, where I felt a standard template message would have been more appropriate, for the exact reasons you've just said. Ritchie333  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(cont)   13:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * All I have to say in response to this is... !? My response was intended to convey the gravity of the situation - that we cannot accept paid editing or COI material, and that we need to protect the encyclopedia; it also needed to be written quickly before another reversion was made. --Rschen7754 15:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Wouldn't worry about it. There does seem to be something in the air regards paid editing; this is the third incident this week I've come across someone doing it. Ritchie333  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(cont)   15:46, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * @Rschen7754: It's misleading to say that "we cannot accept paid editing or COI material". WP:NOPAY is clear that neither paid editing nor editing in areas where you have a conflict of interest are forbidden outright.  They are discouraged because historically they have been associated with violations of other policies.  Bovlb (talk) 17:46, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * As I've said before, paid editing is an intristic violation of WP:NPOV; it is impossible, no matter how well the intent, to be neutral when being paid to edit, as if the payer isn't satisfied with the result - and "satisfied" will inevitably mean "favourable coverage only" - the payee doesn't get paid. - The Bushranger One ping only 20:15, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't disagree that a paid editor or one with a significant conflict of interest faces serious difficulties in trying to adhere to our NPOV policy, but it's misleading to state an opinion on how our policy should change as if it were the current policy. Cheers, Bovlb (talk) 21:04, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Beg pardon? No such thing was done. "As I've said before..." etc. I.E. my opinion. - The Bushranger One ping only 21:48, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Your distinction is merely academic, per The Bushranger: sure, paid editing may be "allowed", but it almost always violates NPOV and thus we cannot accept it. --Rschen7754 21:55, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you both for the clarifications. If a new editor is invited to participate in this thread and sees administrators making remarks like "we cannot accept paid editing or COI material" and "paid editing is an intristic violation of WP:NPOV", they could easily be misled into thinking that these are statements of Wikipedia policy. Cheers, Bovlb (talk) 22:06, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * When I see evidence of paid editors' articles spending more time here than here, I might change my mind! Ritchie333  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F;">(cont)   23:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That would be nice, wouldn't it? Imagine a Wikipedia consultancy business that guaranteed GA/FA status or your money back.  :)  Having said that, I think we have to be careful that our perceptions aren't swayed by seeing only the problems.  Do we really know how many current FAs and GAs have major contributions from paid/COI editors?  Cheers, Bovlb (talk) 23:53, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Since every FA is looked at by several people, I'm not greatly concerned about it. I would urge editors to be welcoming. And in this case, as he is in touch with the subject, to let Anthonyhcole handle it.  Does this thread need to remain open?  --Wehwalt (talk) 00:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I disagree, I do not think any one editor has either a right or obligation to deal with a subject like this and do not think that Anthonyhcole has any particular sanction from any part of the wikipedia process to personally 'deal' with the issue or the subject, it needs further monitoring and oversight and special consideration on the basis of WP:COI - and a clear understanding of WP:OWN and also the potential for review separate from anyone who might or might not be in contact in real life with editors involved with the article. sats 04:05, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I do not think WP should accept BLP editing that uses the principle that, when the subject of the article or the subject's representative "offers undocumented assertions, if they're uncontroversial and not puffery, leave them there (with a citation needed tag if you really must)" . These edits are typically   assertions about the individuals personal and professional development, of the goals the person had in mind at various periods, or of the person's opinions about something.  If they appeared in a published autobiography outside WP, we can use such material, although we would still have to say "according to his web page, the subject says that they .... " according to our usual rules for first party sources. Such statements are not necessarily accurate about what the individual did or felt or thinks, but they are accurate (if not taken out of context) about what at a particular time the individual wishes to say about their actions or feelings or opinions. But they still have to be relevant, in appropriate details, and suitable for an encyclopedia. Otherwise they're just the subject expounded about himself, and people are not know for having any sense of importance about what they say about themselves, or about whether something actually belongs in a references book.
 * This sort of material is common in promotional articles written by PR staff, even more than in autobios. When its from a press agent, it tends to be rather formulaic, and almost always includes a line about the person's first lemonade stand or paper delivery route or school art project or whatever, which was the first signs of their professional success, or the persons family background of childhood experiences that led them to be interested in whatever it was they are noted for as adults. When evaluated by a professional biographer of a famous person, it's relevant content. When a reminiscence by a person of ordinary notability, it belongs in their memoirs perhaps. but not an encyclopedia, because it's misleading: it's what the subject wishes to have said about themselves intended to convince the audience that this is the true significant nature of their experiences. Suitable wording will at least imply this to those who look carefully, but when it comes here directly from the subject or the subjects own works as primary sources, the intent is to aggrandize the subject. It needs evaluation--if not by professional biographers, which we do not have,-- but by neutral uninvolved editors.
 * It's great that famous people want to provide us with information about themselves. Let them provide it in their own writings or whatever, and let uninvolved people here decide what to include.  If they want to work with WP on their bio, let them point us to such sources, let them provide us with photos under free licenses, but let them realize it never looks good for them to try to determine the content of the article. Whenever someone makes such a claim that they ought to be permitted to do so, we are right to be  very skeptical about the objectivity.
 * In this article, as I see it, this is what is happening. I know nothing whatever about the person except what I read there, but it is obvious to me he is trying to promote himself, We have no obligation to let him do it; we rather have a obligation to both him and our readers to prevent it.  DGG ( talk ) 05:19, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Issue of tool misuse
I am concerned that may have protected an article in situation where his is intimately involved. WP:TOOLMISUSE is clear that where admins are involved they are not permitted to use their tools. Resolute is fully involved in a content dispute on WikiProject Ice Hockey talk regarding the article Leo Komarov appears to to have misused his admin bit in protecting that article seven minutes after the edit of his Wikiproject Ice Hockey collegue   and notification in apparent support of his preferred version previously articulated by himself: "I agree on the necessity to include the USSR."

Note that the previous version of the article was stable for two years prior to when members of WikiProject Ice Hockey (of whom Resolute is a member) started edit warring this change on 13 January this year. Given his demonstrated partisan support for a particular editorial position and involvement in this content dispute, he should have reported any issue to the relevant notice board. Instead he took action which has severely damaged attempts to resolve this dispute since this action undermines the community's trust and what ever good faith was left to resolve this content dispute. Either should resign his admin bit or remove himself from further involvement in this dispute. Could an uninvolved admin please review the situation and help resolve it? --Nug (talk) 02:04, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * This forum doesn't remove admin bits; why are you jumping to that extreme step? The title you put on this thread also reflects grandstanding and agitation, rather than a sincere attempt at dispute resolution.  Why don't you start over with something like this: "I am concerned that Resolute may have protected an article in situation where his actions are not objective. {List the reasons you gave above.}  Could an uninvolved admin please review the situation and help resolve it?"  Coming here to solve a dispute is good.  Coming her to get a pound of flesh is bad. Jehochman Talk 02:12, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I'll add that it's really boring to edit war over the names of places in Eastern Europe. I believe we've had at least one or two arbitration cases about that, and there are still active remedies available.  A quick scan of the edit history of the article mentioned above reveals a number of editors acting foolishly, possibly including Resolute.  If some admin wants to check carefully and dish out arbitration enforcement warnings or sanctions as appropriate, that might be a good next step.  Jehochman Talk 02:17, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * This is, in fact, the exact step I was seeking to avoid with my action. I have been involved in the debate at WT:HOCKEY, but hadn't touched the Komarov article (wasn't even aware of the parallel debate there until alerted, I mistakenly thought the talk was at the project page). I am aware that I straddled the line of WP:INVOLVED, but given I had only a few options: RFPP (where the same outcome would have happened) and 3RR warnings/ reports, or simply protect the page myself and try to deescalate the situation without the need for arb-enforcement blocks.  One editor has crossed 3RR by a mile, and a couple others aren't far behind.  I figured this was the preferred alternative to a bunch of blocks being thrown around.  Evidently Nug does not.  That is fine, but I stand by my actions. Resolute 02:27, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No, if you went to RFPP, a different outcome would have happened -- a squeaky clean uninvolved admin could've protected it and you wouldn't have to spend time responding to an ANI thread. NE Ent 03:21, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * A different personal outcome, sure. But your response suggests that you agree protection was inevitable.  If you (or anyone) wish to act as the squeeky clean uninvolved admin, I will happy undo my protection so that you may apply the outcome of your choice. Resolute 03:39, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Just curious. Would it be acceptable to have the article-in-question protected with just Narva in the infobox, until things are settled? Afterall, whatever's decided at that article, will effect other Soviet-born NHL players from Estonia, Lithuania & Latvia - example: Darius Kasparitis. -- GoodDay (talk) 03:56, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Putting aside the merits of your complaint for the moment, have you approached Resolute with your concerns before coming here?--Bbb23 (talk) 02:22, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It hurts nobody to freeze the article in the current status until a consensus is developed. GeorgeLouis (talk) 02:25, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Resolute did the correct thing in protecting the article. Nug's only complainng because it was protected in a version he disputes. Had the article been protected as Narva, Estonia? Nug wouldn't have made this report, which is quite telling. GoodDay (talk) 02:34, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * With respect GoodDay, answering a charge of bad faith with your own charge of bad faith won't improve things. My goal was deescalation, please don't undermine it. Resolute 02:48, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I am sure that Resolute acted in good faith, but he really shouldn't have taken admin action while he was involved. If for no other reason, then for appearances. GregJackP  Boomer!   04:02, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

It would allow a quicker end to this thread if Resolute would go ahead and unprotect the article. If he does so it is likely that a different admin will be persuaded to restore the protection. EdJohnston (talk) 04:22, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Fair enough, done. With luck, those involved in the reverting will ensure that is unnecessary. Resolute 04:25, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Catperson 12
is back at his same old antics. There is another report in archive 769 under the same title and he has been blocked for a month since that report. User makes a bunch of pain in the butt edits, most notably changing the title of town to city and city to town, changing official names of cites prefacing "town of" or "city of" when that isn't part of the official name. His most recent edit was changing something significant in the Death of Caylee Anthony article. Absolutely, positively no clue. He does not respond to messages at his talk page and he has been messaged by another user about this round of garbage. I will notify of this immediately. Asking for a long-term block, due to long history of not responding to requests to cease the problematic edits. Gtwfan52 (talk) 04:46, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I've dinged him for 3 months. I see another ANI discussion and two blocks since the ANI discussion you note above, and he seems to be involved in the same sort of contentious editing (the town/city issue:  for the latest, but there's dozens more in January).  Clearly, he's been made aware that his editing is causing problems, and he's done nothing to deal with it.  I'd not run into this person before responding to this report, but investigating his editing history and the prior attempts at communication, it is quite telling that he has precisely one edit to a page in the Talk: namespace (from 2011) and zero to any other discussion anywhere.  Refusal to communicate with others is grounds enough for a block.  Maybe after three months off he'll figure it out.  -- Jayron  32  05:49, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Ye of great faith! Thanks for your prompt attention to this, and no offence, but, See you in May. Gtwfan52 (talk) 05:56, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Short term block proposal: User:Danjel
There's arguing to make a point, there's arguing for the sake of arguing, and then there's just plain arguing with everyone whether or not they agree with you. Such is the disruptive and boggling behavior of User:Danjel.

See: Requests for comment/Epeefleche various users have commented on Danjel's behavior:
 * Epeefleche - "wikihounding" diff
 * bobrayner - took exception to refactoring and edit-warring over his comments first revert second revert third revert bobraynor takes exception
 * TP - 'Borderline WP:IDHT'
 * Starblind - "Well past WP:IDHT"
 * Kww - "disruptive"

I first came into contact with the user at the article All Hallows' School where I was attempting to create a resilient content solution which would satisfy all the concerns of inclusionists and deletionists and thus remove all boilerplates for sourcing with an absolute minimum of loss of information. I met with procedural objections diff], a behavioral warning based on my interpretation of content policy, further argumentation past the point where I've indicated a desire to disengage,diff a warning of impending problems for me in the future in the context of Epeefleche's AN/I and RfC/U, which I construed as a threat,diff and various modifications of responding editors at the RfC/U in addition to responding to views on the title page instead of the talk page which seems to indicate the user thinks they WP:OWN the discussion. It seems like there is a building consensus that this user is being disruptive and cannot be talked with constructively. I thought I would provide diffs of my own aggravation with the user and provide other editors with an opportunity to do the same. Recommend a brief block to chill out and let the RfC/U on Epeefleche focus on constructive improvements for that editor without Danjel's behavior being the focus of it. ClaudeReigns (talk) 20:12, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * (Non-admin) I think it's rather nice of you to propose a short term block, ClaudeReigns. Looking at Danjel's behavior and past comments, I'm inclined to agree with Starblind from Epeefleche's RFC - Well past WP:IDHT; and in my opinion, borderline on WP:STROLLER, and a considerably longer block. He needs to become a honey badger, settle down, and let it go.  Essays do make sense sometimes.  Fish  Barking?  22:00, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Since TP disagreed with Danjel on the RfC/U, Danjel tried to get TP recalled; that's a classy move. I'm trying to avoid getting sucked into another lengthy discussion with danjel, which is not something that I enjoy and it doesn't seem that danjel enjoyed it either, so I won't reopen the disagreement between Danjel and I; the comments are out there on a couple of pages for all to see, hopefully it's over now. I think many RfC/Us tend to start out noisy and then become calmer; maybe in a few days that RfC/U will calm down somewhat. bobrayner (talk) 23:16, 27 January 2013 (UTC)


 * So, let me get this straight. You take your opponent in a discussion to ANI. Then, as evidence of his problematic behaviour, you point to the subjective comments of an individual defending himself at RFC/U and people who are strongly defending that person, their friend. You then selectively WP:CANVAS those individuals who have opposed my position at the RFC/U to come to this thread (diff, diff and diff) presumably to sway this discussion in your direction also.


 * As additional evidence, you provide things like this [diff, where you felt "threatened", because I told you (fairly politely, I have to say, because you were rambling) that you can't ask for scanned copies of references. Besides that you set a weird [[WP:DEADLINE]] of 24 hours (diff, instead of just removing content that you were challenging, per WP:BRD, as I suggested at diff), and that you were being a bit WP:POINTy ("if you can" at diff), your work at All Hallows' School was good (and I acknowledged so at User_talk:ClaudeReigns). Even so, you then argued first with User:Bilby, and then with me about whether a source is valid if you can't see it (see the diff at the beginning). In fact, that whole discussion (at User_talk:ClaudeReigns) is an exercise in bizarre.


 * And it appears that, despite your claim to consensus, there is a movement away from such edits. There is now a footnote at WP:V ([Wikipedia:Verifiability#cite_note-3]]), although it was edited in after the beginning of the RFC/U, so I have chosen not to raise it at the RFC/U until it's clear that the behaviour is still ongoing. The footnote states:


 * <blockquote style="border: 1px dashed #CCCCFF; color: #000000; background-color: #EEEEFF;">When tagging or removing such material, please keep in mind that such edits can be easily misunderstood. Some editors object to others making chronic, frequent, and large-scale deletions of unsourced information, especially if unaccompanied by other efforts to improve the material. Do not concentrate only on material of a particular POV, as that may result in accusations that you are in violation of WP:NPOV. Also check to see whether the material is sourced to a citation elsewhere on the page. For all of these reasons, it is advisable to communicate clearly that you have a considered reason to believe that the material in question cannot be verified.


 * ...In this case, the deletion is large scale, there's no other efforts to improve the material, there seems to be a concentration on particular material (regarding Middle Eastern subjects), there are frequently already acceptable citations in the text, there was little to no attempt to communicate any concerns (besides "d per tag" and so on). I am one of those "some editors" who object to such practices. Therefore the RFC/U is completely legitimate.


 * In regards to recalling TParis, I note that you've decided to only link to part of the discussion. I actually assumed that Kudpung was a friend and could therefore mediate between us. I later stated that I wasn't looking to recall (diff). In any case, I wasn't aware that questioning an admin's actions and exploring recall (even if I were) was against any policy?


 * No evidence has been supplied of any policy or behavioural issue, except that I am in opposition to ClaudeReigns' friend. So, besides that I'm an opponent, and a healthy dose of delusional paranoia (threats?), there's not much more to respond to here. This is an attempt to silence an opponent and nothing more. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 23:20, 27 January 2013 (UTC)


 *  I later stated that I wasn't looking to recall  And yet you brought up fact that TParis can be recalled in your very first sentence. Recall has to do with mediation how, exactly? --Calton | Talk 01:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, that's right. I presumed that Kudpung was friends with TParis because he is listed on TParis' recall page. Don't you think that if I were interested in recall, I would have approached any of the other admins also? Even so, would you like to direct me to the policy or guideline that forbids anything relating to admin recall? I've asked ClaudeReigns, but s/he's not forthcoming either. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 01:55, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * The point which you are missing -- or avoiding -- is that you mentioned recall in your very first sentence, and yet we're expected to believe that it's irrelevant. That fact that you didn't -- or haven't -- approached other admins is irrelevant.


 * ..would you like to direct me to the policy or guideline that forbids anything relating to admin recall? Would you like to point me where I made, suggested, hinted, or waved vaguely in the direction of that suggestion? Take your time. But still, that bit of Wikilawyering tells me that yes, you are thinking of recall. --Calton | Talk 08:53, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * "delusional paranoia" - careful with those personal attacks there, tiger. - The Bushranger One ping only 01:59, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, what should I call it when a user interprets threats on the basis of, for example [diff]? <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 04:26, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Not that. Do not speculate on the mental states or motivations of other editors. - The Bushranger One ping only 05:25, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * In Danjel's world, we are with few exceptions insane. And I have a furry white cat in my lap. :) ClaudeReigns (talk) 07:13, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Can the user state in a non-sarcastic and utterly serious tone that my work will continue unimpeded by he or his high school students at the conclusion of this affair? I would find it highly assuring and a welcome departure in tone. ClaudeReigns (talk) 07:13, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Can you find a single instance that your work was impeded by me or any of my high school students? Didn't think so. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 07:21, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Once again, a clear olive branch is rejected in favor of contention. The user refuses to offer the assurance. ClaudeReigns (talk) 07:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I am accused of WP:CANVAS violation in this discussion by the responding user, Danjel. WP:CANVAS states that supplying notification is appropriate "On the talk pages of a user mentioned in the discussion (particularly if the discussion concerns complaints about user behavior)." I have interpreted this to mean that in mentioning those users and requesting the diffs for their statements, I am right to attempt to ascertain if their statements were appropriate. If those deciding this matter deem my action in doing so inappropriate, it should be explained to me. If however my actions are appropriate, it should be explained to you. Beyond that, I have no need to argue the point. ClaudeReigns (talk) 03:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support block, and provide additional evidence: You've mentioned several other editors who Danjel has locked horns with. I'd like to add my name to that list.  As a result of an AfD of Middle Harbour Public Schools, he not only went after Epeefleche, but me as well, accusing me of incompetence because I didn't see eye to eye with him.  Not willing to let sleeping dogs lie, he went ballistic at Articles for deletion/Chili burger, calling it a "clusterfuck", accusing other editors of being Cabals and Meatpuppets, and turning it into some sort of personal indictment against me, while repeatedly referencing Middle Harbour, even though Middle Harbour and chili burgers have about as little in common with each other as any two articles on this Wiki.  After Chili burger was closed as keep due to overwhelming consensus to do so, he almost immediately started a pair of ill-conceived merge discussions, then continued mudslinging against me and others so quickly that the merge discussion had to be speedily closed to prevent WWIII.  All the while, I tried telling him to cool off; his response was to delete my overtures as vandalism.  It's blatantly clear that Danjel has problems with accepting consensus, and with those who disagree with him, with this ridiculous action against TParis being the last in a long line of examples  p  b  p  01:52, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * PBP's comments above should be taken with exactly one grain of salt. He has previously dragged me here on no less than three occasions for much drama here at ANI (Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive777, Administrators%27_noticeboard/IncidentArchive739 and []). No diffs of any policy violations, certainly no diffs of his telling me to "cool off" (noting, as is discussed in one of the archived threads above, that he has previously been told to stay off my talkpage ad doesn't). No evidence nor policy issues brought up, so essentially a worthless post. In fact, the whole post is suggestive of the WP:COMPETENCE issues I (and others) have previously raised in the previous ANI threads. It's not surprising that he has come out in support of Epeefleche though. I had, actually, been pleasantly surprised to see no comments from him (up to now, alas). <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 02:00, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This is about you. You've just corroborated what I said: that you can't get along with me, and that you not being able to get along with me has resulted in three ANI threads before this one, ones in which only you were advancing incompetence claims.  You're making an absolutely wonderful case for your ability to get along with others And as for the "no diffs" argument, I blue-linked a discussion where you commented more than 30 times. That's more than enough diffs  p  b  p  02:51, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * So if this is about me, and discussion should be limited to me (and my actions and so forth), should I now count on you to strikethrough your comments about me at the RFC/U wherein the subject is Epeefleche? Didn't think so. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 02:56, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment. I do see as legitimate the issues raised by Claude, Starblind, BobRayner, TP, KWW, Fishbarking, Callton, Bushranger, and pbp -- above and in the above diffs.

And the diffs just scratch the surface of the battleground created by Danjel. For example -- one might look at the discussions with AN/I-closing sysop TP here. And the parallel discussion here.

Or one might look at the reverts at the RFC. Until today, I had not looked at the RFC for many days. Now, going through the edit history I see that it has been a battleground littered with squabbles between Danjel and other editors who saw things differently than he did.

And his edit history shows that he is singularly focused on this course of action; it is the bulk of his editing for the past days -- I wonder whether this focus of his is perhaps not in the best interests of the project.

And, as I just added mention of at the RFC/U, his hounding of me has continued even during the RFC. Even after input to him at the AN/I, and from the sysop who closed it, and from others. He does not seem to be inclined to listen to it.

I would appreciate an interaction ban being placed on Danjel, given all the evidence linked to at the RFC and the above, so that he stops following me around the Project. This has gone on for a year, is disruptive, and continues despite all manner of community and sysop input.

As to the block proposal -- I'll, at least at this point, not comment, and leave it for others to decide whether that is appropriate or not.--Epeefleche (talk) 03:01, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * You're right! The RFC/U has been quite squabbly! It's good to know that you have friends. Meanwhile, there were 3 other editors, who have also expressed concerns and you haven't even vaguely attempted to address them. Nor will you. Because the purpose of this, just like the purpose of the squabbling over there, is to allow you to evade responsibility. There's not much else to say. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 03:08, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * If you're including me among Epeefleche's "friends", you need to dial back the persecution complex. I'm actually sympathetic to your view -- if you're going to go to the trouble opening the edit window to delete something, why can't you be arsed to do a quick check, at least? -- but you're doing yourself no favors here. --Calton | Talk 09:01, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not counting you among Epeefleche's "friends". I think that there's a distinction between his "friends" and people who are just commenting from a considered opinion. Compare, for example, Requests_for_comment/Epeefleche and Requests_for_comment/Epeefleche (even if he does think I'm re-adding unreferenced material, which is wrong) with virtually every other post on that page. For a further example, see the baying for blood that is occuring down below. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 01:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose Block (for now)/ Support Interaction Ban I am completely underwhelmed by the arguments that User:Danjel has made at the RfC/U in question. The issues raised are either non-violations or trivial nitpicking, and the proposes remedies are unjustified and unreasonable. Community consensus seems to be that the problem here is Danjel, not EF. I think that in trying to impose his views of how other editors should act, that Danjel has lost sight of what our ultimate purpose is: to build an encyclopedia. All of the rhetoric and piling on of claims and counterclaims by Danjel have only served to waste more and more time. Danjel has not convinced the community, his mind will not be changed and the RfC/U is going nowhere but downhill. Unfortunately, Danjel appears utterly unable to deal with EF in civil fashion. The world of Wikipedia is more than large enough to allow enough editing space for both editors, and an imposition of an interaction ban on Danjel with any of EF's work should be enough to keep the peace here. In the event that an interaction ban does not resolve the issue and Danjel is instigating further conflict, a block might well be justified. Alansohn (talk) 04:05, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I totally get what you're saying, but in light of what pbp is saying about his interactions, and the issue of what I construed as a veiled threat, (now more clearly substantiated by php's observations) it seems likely there will be another user who will have to deal with this. I am not saying an interaction ban isn't a good idea (I actually didn't know that was an option - sounds great) but I would still be concerned if the RfC/U will be closed constructively with Epeefleche receiving helpful advice focused on him alone, (otherwise it truly was a waste of time) and that other users would not fall victim to idle hands. This behavior doesn't just magically stop when Epeefleche isn't around. Epeefleche is not the trigger. ClaudeReigns (talk) 04:21, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I decided to follow my own logic. A search bears out another warning about wikihounding from two years ago, totally unrelated to Epeefleche. Here's another accusation of wikihounding which danjel took to AN/I last year, also unrelated to Epeefleche. If one person says it, it can possibly be blown off. If two people say it, perhaps cause for concern. If three people say it, perhaps it's true and pattern behavior. ClaudeReigns (talk) 05:54, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What on Earth are you talking about? Did you click through to Wikiquette_assistance/archive115? Where is my name mentioned? <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 05:58, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

Another of Epeefleche's supporters, Hasteur, has started Administrators'_noticeboard. I look forward to being mentioned at WP:AN3 and WP:AC by the end of the day. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 04:30, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose Block - For what it's worth, while I do personally understand 's intentions in removing unsourced content - (I tend to do the same!) - I will not understand nor condone what seems like borderline character assassination against an editor who has had good-faith intentions - although, may have misrepresented them at times. A temporary block against isn't going to fix the somewhat grey-area that is: preserving unsourced material vs. removing it. Danjel has knocked heads with a number of editors — as has probably everybody else here. Mentioning things such as a supposed violation of WP:NOSHARE and a recall against  (which he specifically mentions isn't a recall) are just examples of cherry-picking, and that won't get us anywhere. A block seems punitive at this stage, and frankly, we'd be going back to square one. I would encourage Danjel to take a step back from this, reflect on his behaviour that he has engaged in with other editors, and perhpas think of a possible solution. I also a Support a self-imposed Interaction Ban between Epeefleche and Danjel's contributions - temporarily - until the issue is resolved. I believe that both editors are mature enough to put aside their differences, once the issue has diminished. —  MST  ☆  R   (Chat Me!) 05:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose block We dont do chill-out blocks, or block an account to reinforce a point. Before blocking is considered it would be worth trying other solutions, and the main suggestion I'd have is for Danjel to step back from the RFC/U about Epeefleche, and accept the outcome when it is done. (Personally, I agree with his basic premise, that removing easily sourced content is less than ideal behaviour, and doesn't really help the project - but in the end it is well within policy). In regard to his interactions with ClaudeReigns, there I think things might be being misrepresented a bit - ClaudeReigns didn't exactly act in the best possible manner in regard to All Hallows' School, either, but all of that seems like a done issue, and not worth pursing on either side. If there does need to be action, an interaction ban between Epeefleche and Danjel doesn't seem like an unworkable idea, and is certainly worth trying before we turn to something more draconian. - Bilby (talk) 07:00, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose block completely. In  fact  this is a totally  unnecessary AN case. "Teacher, teacher, Johny hit me because I pulled his hair!" per this discussion over 15 hours ago. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 09:32, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment. I appreciate the support for an interaction ban on Danjel.  Not only here, but expressed overwhelmingly at the RFC.  The basis for banning him from interacting with me is that, as demonstrated, he has been hounding me.  Even after being warned by a sysop not to hound me.  As recently as this month.  And he has hounded me even this week, during the RFC.  There is of course zero basis for placing a ban on the person being hounded.  We don't place restraining orders on people who are the victims of inappropriate behavior.  But rather on the perpetrator. To do otherwise would be like placing a restraining order on a person stalked by Robert John Bardo.  That would simply be bass-ackwards.

Finally, the interaction ban placed on Danjel should be permanent. Danjel's focus on engaging me in this manner has persisted for a full year. Without signs of abating (just the opposite, as seen by the AN/I and RFC just this month, followed by his hounding this very week). And it started on a completely unrelated issue. It's a big project. Let him engage others. There is no need for him to have the ability to come back at a future time to engage me, and what others have referred to as his IDHT approach does not support the view that he should engage me in the future. It's been one year. Enough is enough. --Epeefleche (talk) 13:15, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * In regards to the hounding, there is a current RFC/U on your behaviour, and you cry foul when the initiator of the RFC/U checks and notes that exactly the behaviour that has been called into question at the RFC/U is still continuing? From WP:WIKIHOUNDING: "The contribution logs can be used in the dispute resolution process to gather evidence to be presented in requests for comment, mediation, WP:ANI, and arbitration cases." Unless you're suggesting that you have, in fact, stopped the behaviour (in which case I'd quite happily shelve the RFC/U), and that this diff (fixed with an easily found source at diff) isn't actually a continuation of that behaviour (i.e., that easily sourced content is indiscriminately deleted without any attempt to source it, as mentioned in the background of the dispute, the first paragraph at the RFC/U, and then, because you continuously ignore that point, restated again later at diff, which you have continued to ignore in your later posts)... Wait. Hmm.
 * Let's face it: this is an attempt to avoid criticism by silencing an opponent rather than actually responding to the problem at hand. The feeling at WP:V has changed, and this is abundantly evident in discussion (Wikipedia_talk:V and Wikipedia_talk:V). Yet, has your behaviour changed? Nope (diff, fixed with an easily found source at diff, although the article still needs a lot of work from someone who knows more about it than I). Seriously, how hard is google? <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 14:09, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Danjel — you've made the point in your prior post as to why an interaction ban is necessary, banning you from interacting with me. Even after all the above-indicated input to you at the AN/I, RFC, and by sysops on talkpages, you continue to hound me this very week. Follow me to a page that you never edited.  Where I made an appropriate edit.  Revert me.  Again disparagingly label my appropriate edit "disruptive." And again leave a misleading edit summary.  You, as you have done before, restore it without any refs—though this time you repair that violation of wp:v quickly. And when you discuss it above, you still have an IDHT attitude.  A year of this is sufficient.
 * As to WP:HOUNDING, of course that is what you were doing. And your following me around the project -- still, one year after your perceived slight on a completely different issue -- to revert my appropriate edit, disparagingly and inappropriately term it "disruptive", and leave a misleading edit summary is of course not permitted by wp:HOUNDING.  Which says:


 * "'Wikihounding is the singling out of one or more editors, and joining discussions on multiple pages ... they may edit ... in order to repeatedly confront or inhibit their work. This is with an apparent aim of creating irritation, annoyance or distress to the other editor. Wikihounding usually involves following the target from place to place on Wikipedia."


 * "Many users track other users' edits, although usually for collegial or administrative purposes. This should always be done carefully, and with good cause, to avoid raising the suspicion that an editor's contributions are being followed to cause them distress, or out of revenge for a perceived slight. Correct use of an editor's history includes (but is not limited to) fixing unambiguous errors or violations of Wikipedia policy, or correcting related problems on multiple articles.... The contribution logs can be used in the dispute resolution process to gather evidence to be presented in requests for comment, mediation, WP:ANI, and arbitration cases."


 * "The important component of wikihounding is disruption to another user's own enjoyment of editing, or to the project generally, for no overriding reason. If 'following another user around' is accompanied by tendentiousness, personal attacks, or other disruptive behavior, it may become a very serious matter and could result in blocks and other editing restrictions.'"


 * Frankly, if one reads the policy, your behavior is strikingly parallel to what the policy seeks to protect editors against. --Epeefleche (talk) 20:56, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose block — This appears to be an attempt to silence an editor on one side of a dispute, by the other side of the dispute. --Bob K31416 (talk) 14:46, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

Formal interaction ban proposal
Alright, I've been mostly silent here at ANI, it's time I make my case. I originally became involved as an (uninvolved) admin closing an ANI thread about Epeefleche on 17 Dec 12 22:08. The close said clearly "No evidence of a policy violation...The burden is on Danjel to find a source for the content." However, I also added, because folks mentioned it in the thread, that "On the other hand, Google takes all but a few seconds and is worth the effort." That was a summary of the thread. On 14 Jan, Epeefleche started a thread by Danjel where he was threatened with a block for removing content. Danjel got involved making the same accusations he did at the ANI thread which close out of his favor. I explained that he misunderstands that ANI close if that's what he took from it. He then said that what he took from it is that I place the burden on him to Wikistalk Epeefleche edits (which he also 'rejects'). At the time, and still, I felt it was a serious enough concern to specifically address the Wikistalking. I also tried being sympathetic to his cause and I specifically explained what his misreading of WP:V was here. Finally I recommended he seek change at WP:V which he rejected. That he has managed to get a footnote since then doesn't mean we completely ignore what is actually written doesn't change the course of events up until now nor is a footnote of equal weight to the policy contents itself. After this, I joined in the RFC/U and consider myself involved from this point on out. I at no point have used my tools, the only admin action I have ever taken was closing the ANI thread before I was involved. Here is my proposal: I don't like one sided bans. I think the disruptive behavior is on Danjel's part. In rejecting the consensus at ANI and opening an RFC/U, Danjel has ignored the community's consensus in favor of his own. He accuses others of being friends with Epeefleche and has been throwing around accusations of canvassing (he retracted the first one quickly but made the others afterwards). He has accused me of violating WP:INVOLVED here. He has redacted others comments at the ANI and ignored RFC/U instructions to make retaliatory threads after viewpoints he disagrees with. Danjel's actions have been completely without policy support, as has been explained to him. His actions have been irrational and frankly annoying. I think Danjel should be under a 6-month interaction ban with Epeefleche. He should no longer be allowed to comment on Epeefleche's enforcement of WP:V. But as I said, I dislike one-sided interaction bans. Let's not leave room for Epeefleche to antagonize him either. I propose that Epeefleche stay out of Danjel's primary topic area of high schools. That should limit the overlap in articles. Thoughts?--v/r - TP 15:04, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Very strong oppose as this would restrict Epeefleche from an area in which he has done nothing wrong or anything against policy. If person A commits a crime against person B, you don't toss them both in jail just because.  That's madness. Andrew Lenahan -  St ar bli nd  15:59, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Can you clarify, do you support the other direction?--v/r - TP 16:02, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Looks like it's been amended. I had hoped it wouldnt get so far that sanctions were necessary, but I can Support it now.  Pretty severe WP:IDHT on Danjel's part. Andrew Lenahan -  St ar bli nd  04:05, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I do think this would be ideal if both sides would agree to it.  I can't agree with Epeefleche's actions, though they can be justified as being within policy as written (but not as intended IMO), and Danjel is just running way too hot (though I tend to share his views).  I do think a one-sided ban would be too easily gamed.  As a second choice, an interaction ban (no editing a page the other has edited other than AN, ANI, pump, etc. and there the would avoid the same discussions) would perhaps be another reasonable outcome that shouldn't really bother E. Hobit (talk) 19:13, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose the part about Epeefleche staying out of high schools, support the rest: Epeefleche shouldn't be banned from school-related articles just because Danjel kicks up drama. p  b  p  21:06, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Support in part ; Very strong oppose in part . The facts are well presented by TParis.  But of course, as Starblind points out, there is zero basis for restricting me (in an effort to be even-handed, between the person hounding and the one being hounded) from an area in which I have done nothing wrong or anything against policy. As Starblind says eloquently: "If person A commits a crime against person B, you don't toss them both in jail just because.  That's madness." What I do support is the ban on Danjel. But it should at this point be permanent -- this is not a passing matter.  It has gone on for a year.  Danjel's activity at the RFC and on assorted talkpages this week shows that the obsessive disruption has only increased, and become an even-greater percentage of Danjel's focus as an editor.  And -- and this point cannot be stressed enough -- Danjel's posts even in this string, following all the input that TParis and others have given him on talkpages and at AN/I and at RFC, as well as Danjel's wikihouding me this very week, all militate in favor of the ban being permanent.--Epeefleche (talk) 21:09, 28 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Hounding again today. And now, again, today. Danjel followed me to a deletion I made of unsourced material that had been tagged both in April 2009 and February 2010.  He followed me to an article he had never edited.  And hours after my deletion, he restored something close to what was stated in a fraction of the deleted, tagged, unsourced material.  While deleting some text himself, without acknowledging it.  Though he added a ref, he labeled my removal of the uncited text "disruptive".  He misleadingly wrote in his edit summary: "Undid revision 535205260 by Epeefleche (talk) - revert disruptive removal of text)".  Just as he had in the above instances.
 * First, his edit summary was again misleading. His was not a complete undo of my revision.  Not even close, if you look at the 2 edits.  He added a ref (which of course--in and of itself is excellent), and touched only a small part of my edit.  Second, it was again inappropriate for him to label my edit disruptive—in contravention of all the feedback given him.  Finally, this is yet another example of him wikihounding me; to this very day.  One year after this started. Ignoring all manner of sysop and community feedback.  Danjel has today demonstrated once again why an interaction ban on him will be required.--Epeefleche (talk) 02:05, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * So you suggest that I should have added my ref, and left the rest of the text (which was problematic for other reasons) in place? Because it's either delete everything or keep everything, right? Rubbish. The key difference that is becoming apparent between you and I is that will consider the text, whether it's appropriate and whether it's source-able, and only keep that information that is. On the other hand, you just delete everything, whether it's of encyclopedic value or not, whether it's source-able or not. How can you possibly argue that it is better to remove all information than to keep the information that can and should be kept? THAT is why your edits are disruptive, and why your attempt to silence criticism and discourage (or prevent) repair of your edits is not in the best interests of wikipedia. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 10:05, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * How much "consider[ing] the text" did you do when you restored copyrighted content? None.  You're the exact opposite of Epeefleche and just as if not more disruptive.--v/r - TP 14:00, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I've clarified in the above, in italics, that adding a ref in and of itself is excellent. I would have thought that self-apparent.
 * The problem is Danjel's hounding. Continuing this week.  After Danjel was repeatedly warned not to hound.  By both sysops and editors.
 * As well as Danjel's tendentiousness and unfounded accusations that the original edits were disruptive. When they were not. As was pointed out to Danjel at AN/I, and at RFC, and on sundry talkpages by others.
 * As well as Danjel's misleading edit summaries. Calling his edit "a revert" of my edit, when he was actually adding a ref — confusing editors into thinking that my original deletion was of ref'd text.  For example, Danjel successfully misled a sysop here, despite the fact that Danjel was adding a ref to unreferenced text, and my original deletion which Danjel labelled "disruptive" was of unreferenced text tagged since 2009.--Epeefleche (talk) 20:34, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I see that we're now playing semantic games over what "revert" means... Good. In regards to the rest of your post her (i.e., in regards to WP:WIKIHOUNDING, I've replied, pointing out that there is specific allowance for looking at an editor's contributions in regards to an (ongoing) RFC/U, and that I'm fixing your lazy edits by adding the refs which you could have found yourself in 3 seconds. That point has been ignored by you. So... <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 22:57, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose Removal as well as addition of material takes judgment, and discussing the possibility of sourcing leads to attempts to source it which may or may not be successful, and whose success of failure usually determines the outcome.  Vigorous discussion at challenged material at afd or elsewhere is helpful, not harmful: otherwise it make it all too easy for someone with an agenda. (It is incidentally not true that most or all school articles are deleted at afd--almost none of them are, they are instead redirected; and I think it equally unconstructive to bring them for deletion in the first place as to try to keep them as articles. What we need is these two editors discussing the issues, not each other. Any ban should be addressed to that. It is usually better to discuss the issues at an afd than to directly challenge what some other person has said, and this would go a long way to reducing conflicts between them. The effect of preventing  them from working on the same pages would be to give undue preference to the first mover, and in this case, consider the afd and content work, that will almost always be Eppefleche. It's no secret I usually oppose Epeefleche's views at afd, but I often oppose Danjel's also. I'm not sure I can devise anything better than to suggest that they never use each other's names or refer to each other directly or indirectly.  DGG ( talk ) 21:27, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * DGG - A ban of any sort is not usually issued because of valid rational criticism. It is issued because of disruptive behaviors.  Have I not adequately illustrated disruptive behaviors by Danjel?  If so, he should be under an interaction ban to prevent more disruption.  Let the RFC/U continue it's course, it's leaning Epeefleche's favor anyway.  But do not allow the disruptive WP:IDHT behavior to continue.--v/r - TP 21:44, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose The clear partisan nature of this "proposal" is stunning. So, what, Epeefleche has the opportunity to edit every article on a school and the result is a de facto ban from editing the articles in which I have an interest. To say that this is disproportionate is an understatement. That, together with the fact Epeefleche is unwilling to restrict his own editing in any way from the articles that he knows that I edit make it pretty plain that this is just and only an attempt by TParis to silence opposition. WP:V has changed (and Epeefleche's behaviour has continued). There are several more editors posting to the RFC/U. Epeefleche's side has noticed that things aren't going their way so they're getting more shrill. So, we have te fact that several editors have opposed such a one sided ban even before the proposal was put, and the fact this thread originated with a degree of canvassing on ClaudeReigns' part (noting Epeefleche's known history of canvassing discussed above), and the outrageous attempt at harassment by piling on AN and ANI reports (that TParis continued below; by the way, you ARE WP:INVOLVED, the outrageous onesidedness of your interactions here and at the RFC/U is proof positive of that)... Well. There's nothing more to say. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 01:25, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Please explain your rationale for pointing out that I am involved. Have I used my tools in any way?  I was uninvolved when I close the ANI, you made me involved by your behavior which I've responded to against your favor.  You say WP:V has changed.  How?  The relevant parts that I explained to you are still part of the prose and all you've achieved is a footnote.  WP:V hasn't changed, it now includes a minor viewpoint is all.--v/r - TP 02:21, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Unless you're willing to show that a minor viewpoint (that is now starting to get represented at the RFC/U almost equitably with what you consider to be the "majority" viewpoint of WP:V) is "disruptive", such that their concerns should be completely ande prejudicially ignored (which is inarguably what Epeefleche is doing), then... <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 04:02, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Which "inarguably" Epeefleche may have been doing for the week you've had the change, but you've been explicitly doing for two months since the ANI. Do you have any self-awareness at all about your own behavior?  The accusations you make are pathetic and have been committed by you 10x worse than Epeefleche and yet you hound him instead of yourself.  It's disgusting how you've been behaving.--v/r - TP 13:40, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose. Partly per DGG, but  also  from  my  familiarity  with  the attitudes of the concerned editors. Epeefleche is in  no  way  innocent  of disruptive editing, and although I collaborate well  with  Danjel  on  school  articles, I  have known him  to  get  hot-headed on  occasions. There is no  such  thing  as a 'one-sided' interaction  ban, it  takes two  to  tango, and I  suggest, per this discussion  (for anyone who  has still  not  bothered to  follow the link) that  they  informally  concede to  stay  out  of each  other's hair. If  not, we'll  end up loosing  one valuable education editor and allowing another to  continue to  make unchallenged, possibly  disruptive edits, and who  needs to  learn that  people who  live in  glass houses shouldn't  throw stones. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 02:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Role account used by User:Danjel
Since Danjel has brought up the matter that he has used his students as an argument against Epeefleche's actions, I feel it's relevant to point out that he is using a role account named User:MrJuddsStudents in violation of WP:ROLE. This account should be blocked.--v/r - TP 15:37, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That is currently being discussed at Administrators' noticeboard. - Bilby (talk) 15:40, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

The discussion has been closed. --Bob K31416 (talk) 12:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Sockpuppet investigations/IZAK
Just an unrelated observation: is 's large collection of external links on their user page not somehow a violation of UP#PROMO? I've never seen so many outside links on a single user page before. Doc  talk  10:05, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You could have posted a message on my TALK page. Anyways, you are probably right, so I deleted the links section on my Userpage. --רח"ק | Talk | Contribs 21:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Time to close?
Are there any objections to closing this discussion? --Bob K31416 (talk) 11:30, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep, there's no resolution. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 11:33, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * We can linkspam on our user pages, I take it, since no one seems to take an interest to my above question. While links like this have little or nothing to do with building an encyclopedia, I now know that I can promote my favorite companies by linking them to my user page. Awesome! Time to get busy with the linking... Doc   talk  11:52, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Maybe if you contacted a few friends and asked them to come by and kick up a bit of a fuss? Just a suggestion. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 11:54, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Danjel, Currently, there appears to be a proposed short term block on you and interaction ban proposed that involves you. I see a lot of opposes to both. If there is movement towards either one of these actions, then the section would need to be organized to show supports of some kind of action. Otherwise, I think it should be closed. Do you still want to continue with this? --Bob K31416 (talk) 11:56, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * shrug* I have no intention whatsoever of backing down on the RFC/U, nor will I stop criticising other users even where they gather in groups. As such, why not just keep this open for the inevitable response? That way we don't have to keep rehashing over the same bullshit. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:00, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Support indef block Immediately above, Danjel has unequivocably stated that it is his intent to disrupt WP:CONSENSUS when he stated "nor will I stop criticising other users even where they gather in groups". As this is contrary to the community nature of Wikipedia, and suggests that violations of WP:NPA are their intent, it's time to stop the insanity (✉→BWilkins←✎) 12:19, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Actually I'm referring to canvassing. Then again, what's the difference? By all means demonstrate that WP:AGF only applies when we want it to. It's definitely better to assume that someone's talking about arguing against consensus rather than arguing against what he's been arguing against (like, well.. all of the above). <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I find it hard to read "nor will I stop criticising other users even where they gather in groups" as "I intend to disrupt consensus". I criticise other users too, whether they gather in groups or not - in fact I do it rather a lot. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 13:49, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * But... BLOOOOOOOOODDDDD?!? <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 14:02, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Support indef block - battleground attitude, doesn't seem to be here to work as part of a community, intends to disrupt. GiantSnowman 12:23, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Definitely. Evidence of that is: (1) use of the dispute resolution process to resolve disputes. I think anyone who ever starts an RFC/U should be immediately and indefinitely banned. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:27, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "I have no intention whatsoever of backing down on the RFC/U, nor will I stop criticising other users even where they gather in groups"?! GiantSnowman 12:33, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep, and what do my posts in the section immediately above this deal with? Pick one of either (a) consensus; (b) canvassing? This isn't a particularly hard one... A hint? It's bolded! <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:36, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, I SEE what you're saying now! You're saying that the RFC/U has closed with the consensus view that Epeefleche is A-OK! Err... Hmm. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:37, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep, really displaying a great attitude here, making me want to change my mind... GiantSnowman 12:41, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Aw. Shucks. Thank you so much. I feel the same about you as you do about me. Wait, did I just breach WP:NPA? <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Danjel: You just need to cool it and become somewhat more sanguine about things.  Here, the useful and helpful response is to say, 'I am sorry, if I gave the impression I would ignore consensus, that was not my intent.  Whatever, the consensus is of any community process I will abide it. I fully intend to work within community policy and process'  Unless of course your intent is not to abide community process consensus and than its probably best if you find something else to do.  (Also, how you feel about anyone is not what anyone is here to discuss)Alanscottwalker (talk) 12:47, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I have said things like that repeatedly. And then have had things like the above said back to/about me repeatedly. For example, over at the RFC/U, you might notice that I had to repeatedly say that I was not interesting in wikistalking anyone (because, quite honestly, I've got many better things to do with my time, like, for example, stare out the window), and.. Yet.. As for being cool, I'm actually feeling fantastic! I've really cleared off my wiki todo list in the last couple of hours. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 12:52, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, right but 'fight or flight' is not anyones only choices -- engage and seek to persuade (acknowledging others have some points) and whatever the outcome move on, either on project or otherwise. Alanscottwalker (talk) 12:57, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That's pretty much what I said above. I am not stepping back from the RFC/U and I am not going to stop criticising people just because of HEAVY CANVASSING  (did the emphasis work, or will I have to repeat myself again?) and other bullshit to resist criticism. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 13:06, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No, You do not have to repeat anything or bold anything, sometimes you just have to say,  'I am not making myself understood here, so I'll move on to something else.' Alanscottwalker (talk) 13:12, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * With respect to "canvassing" note that that too is open to nuance and judgment like issues of when and how to delete or add content, Alanscottwalker (talk) 13:26, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, yep. Good point. I try things like that every now and then, when I have to, for example, go sleep, or work, or whatever. Results vary. I slept a couple of days ago and was staring at an "interaction" ban that was completely onesided (oxymoron much). Went to sleep the other day, woke up and an account that I had used to promote wikipedia to my students had been banned against consensus at AN. So, yeah, my moving on is that everything else for me at wikipedia no longer matters. That energy can go towards something more useful, like learning Morris Dancing. This RFC/U is all that matters now. Sticking it out will, at least, provide comfort to the next person that tries to change something. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 13:31, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Does that mean that I can canvas offwiki now too? Because that would significantly alter some things. So long as I don't get caught, or admit anything right? I'll now wait for someone to come in and scream for an indef block on my iprange to prevent any "disruption". <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 13:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The limitations on everything we do is 'acting in good faith' and whether others understand us to be 'acting in good faith' everyone has responsibilities in that regard, and no User is exempt. Alanscottwalker (talk) 13:39, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Danjel - rather than ranting and possibly saying some things you might regret in the morning, I suggest you go and get some sleep. GiantSnowman 13:41, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

What exactly am I going to regret? Do you mean to say "say something which will be taken out of context and/or twisted into a reason for a spurious block"? Separately, something else that always annoyed me only a little bit, I get that you're trying to be friendly, do me a favour and stop calling me "Dan". My name is "Danjel". <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 13:58, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Edits like this which make little-to-no sense and make me think, with all due respect, that I'm dealing with an editor who is drunk and/or angry and/or incompetent. GiantSnowman 14:05, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Not drunk. Angry, yes, and calling me incompetent will do wonders for that, cheers. So, as for incompetent: fuck you. Too harsh? If you're prepared to strikethrough your's I'll strikethrough mine. <span style="font: Tahoma, Arial, San-Serif; font-size: 8pt;">&tilde;danjel [ talk &#124; contribs ] 14:09, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I've said nothing that requires striking, whereas you have - and I suggest you do so ASAP. GiantSnowman 14:50, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * We've come to the conclusion that danjel is angry. I don't think there's anything else to do here? --Demiurge1000 (talk) 15:15, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * GiantSnowman, Actually you have, WP:NPA. And Danjel, I don't see the point of continuing. You've made your point that you are dissatisfied with the way things have gone. I think every editor has had setbacks at one time or another. An editor can be right and have consensus against him. I don't expect the consensus of anonymous people posting messages in an open editing environment to be always correct.   --Bob K31416 (talk) 15:24, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Bob - where? GiantSnowman 16:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I responded on the editor's talk page. --Bob K31416 (talk) 16:14, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Support indef block I must reluctantly agree that between the RFC/U, this discussion and the SPI, and Danjel's comments in the course of such discussions, I am no longer convinced that they are ultimately concerned with what's best for the project. I really hoped they would let this go at some point. Doniago (talk) 15:21, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose block on the basis of no convincing evidence having been presented as to why one is necessary. "Someone is angry" and "someone has made several foolish comments at ANI" and "someone initiated an RfC/U that seems not to have community support" are not grounds for an indef block. Pressing for a topic ban or an interaction ban might seem more justifiable, but I'm not wholly convinced of that either. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 15:42, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I can see where you're coming from (though behavior during this conversation seems to refute a notion that there is no disruption at all) nonetheless I am rather boggled at the calls for indef block. This discussion seems to have polarized. The spirit of my bringing this was to 1) allow the RfC/U to proceed without various disruptions, viewing an RfC/U as something which can be constructive for that user when not a vehicle for attention for the actioning user 2) give this user cause to think twice and hopefully resume useful contributions. I was amused and not offended by the sockpuppet check request, but I waa not the only user accused. Not commenting on the implications of an interaction ban, I still stick with my initial recommendation of a three day block.
 * In the future, one hopes that we can point out more resources for each user. For myself, I now know to reach out to WP:RX to doublecheck references I cannot verify for myself; this is not a suggestion given to me by any admin but a solution arrived at through introspection over my own behavior. For danjel, it may be more useful to reach out for third opinions where there is a disagreement over verification policy, for example. There's got to be a line where indefinitely arguing something for oneself can rightly be perceived as bad for our community. No one has commented on another subtext of this incident report. A fair number of personal comments were made on either side with no diffs given in support. I think it's weird that this is not challenged each and every time it occurs. Rather than merely commenting that there is no convincing evidence, a conclusion you are free to draw, we should be concerned when there is no evidence given, each and every time no evidence is given. Is this not bad for the community? Or perhaps is it that you and I disagree as to the threshold of what 'disruptive' is? ClaudeReigns (talk) 21:32, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

*Support block of 1-3 months, and a stringent topic/interaction ban thereafter: Danjel has gone off the handle of late and he should receive some reprimand, but not an indeff one just yet. You don't go from zero to indeff instantly. But when he returns from said block, he should return banned from interaction with Epeefleche; interactions with Purplebackpack89, TParis or IZAK aren't fruitful either and should also be forbidden. This includes starting Wikipedia-space threads about them, and participating in AfD or merger discussions they start. It might also be a good idea to ban him from pages were he has expressed excessive vitriol, such as Chili burger and Middle Harbour Public School. And Danjel, if you think this is too harsh, it's better than being indeffed p  b  p  18:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Hey User:Purplebackpack89 you have already supported a block in the discussion up above, and quite frankly I don't consider this to be a separate discussion unless someone presents a very good reason why it should be (numerous people already opposed a block there and gave their reasons, and I imagine many people might now be bored senseless with this entire discussion and not keen to engage in refuting a double jeopardy proposal). --Demiurge1000 (talk) 22:13, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I was under the impression that different subheading = different discussion. Anyway, I struck my vote  p  b  p  00:41, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose block, maybe support interaction ban. I consider that handling blocks this way will be punitive, and not preventative. If we want to put an end to this, let's go to ArbCom or get consensus for a IBAN between Danjel and the rest of the users involved. — ΛΧΣ  21  18:11, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose the insanity of another baseless block by BWilkins or GiantSnowman (or both). Kiefer  .Wolfowitz  21:57, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Long-term civil POV-pushing at Waldorf Education and related topics
I would like community input on what I view as a very long-term campaign of civil POV pushing at topics related to the works of Rudolph Steiner by User:Hgilbert, and on the conduct of all users involved in editing this area. Waldorf Education has been the subject of an arbitration request which placed all related articles on article probation, and also stated that "except with respect to information which is not controversial, material published in Anthroposophy related publications, especially by persons deeply involved in the movement such as teachers or theoreticians, are considered self published and thus not reliable sources." A later review banned a battleground-minded anti-Waldorf editor, Pete K, who continues to occasionally sock at the page, six years later. Hgilbert recently asked for a review of the same case to relax the condition quoted above, which resulted in them being superseded by discretionary sanctions.

Hgilbert is "a teacher in a Waldorf school and a writer regarding the educational theories used at the Waldorf schools" and has edited in this field with "a strong positive bias" according to the original arbitration case, in which he was also found to have used original research and unreliable sources. Since the original case, he has continued to be a prolific editor with nearly 10k edits, the vast majority of which are in this subject area. I feel that his edits continue to show a strong positive bias, the net effect of which is to continually push these articles away from a neutral point of view.

HGilbert at Waldorf Education A selection of diffs made to WE in the past month Hgilbert has also made nearly 700 edits to the article talk page, the tone of which is best observed by browsing through the archives.
 * diff Replaces a sourced statement that "the topic of best teaching practice is controversial" with a paragraph saying that Waldorf kindergartens were granted a exemption from some UK guidelines on reading
 * Restores a paragraph sourced to a Die Welt article, which cherry-picks several positive points from a much more nuanced article, as discussed here. This was previously discussed here
 * diff Broadly changes the characterization of a source
 * diff Adds a broad-reaching statement sourced to a study of three classrooms in a non-reviewed research report as discussed here
 * diff Restores broadly un-encyclopedic language from a book written by an author with close ties to the WE movement, in violation of the arbitration guidelines: "Heiner Ullrich, who visited a number of schools in a long-term study, found that Waldorf schools successfully foster dedication, openness, and a love for other human beings, for nature, and for the inanimate world."
 * diff Removes a rs tag from a non-reviewed book source from someone closely involved with the WE movement (as explicitly disallowed by the arbitration case)
 * diff Removes a self-characterization that might reflect negatively on Steiner, sourced to his book, citing the arbitration guidelines

Hgilbert at Biodynamic Agriculture
 * diff Removes this article with edit summary of "an ex-professor's newspaper editorial is not a reputable source", although the source is a full-length investigative article
 * diff Removes a characterization of "pseudoscience" and broadly pushes a more positive tone.
 * diff Changes "Biodynamic agriculture has been characterized as pseudoscience by scholars" to "Biodynamic agriculture has been the subject of serious scientific study"
 * diff Removes pseudoscience cat with misleading edit summary
 * diff Cherrypicks random facts from a study, discussed here
 * diff Removes pseudoscience from the lead
 * diff Claims that appearing in an encyclopedia of pseudoscience does not pseudoscience make, discussion here
 * Prior to many of these removals, HGilbert had agreed on the label in this discussion
 * In response to other editors concerns about non-reviewed technical publications, he attempts to make a WP:POINT by suggesting the removal of several RS publications as sources here

Other edits by Hglibert
 * diff Removes Biodynamic Agriculture from List of topics characterized as pseudoscience with the edit summary "not termed pseudoscientific by any quoted source", quotes from the sources used are detailed here
 * Similarly worked to remove AM from the same list and then soften language of the entry
 * Removes mentions of pseudoscience from numerous articles     and  even removed a mention of homeopathy from the article on pseudoscience.

Around the time of the first arbitration case, there were also several anti-Waldorf SPA editors, but they have either stopped editing the article, or were banned due to obvious user-conduct issues. Several experienced users have also tried to push for a neutral POV, but many have since stopped editing the article. In my case at least, I have tried to avoid the area due to the immense amount of effort required to advocate for a more neutral tone. Hgilbert is not the only user to push a POV in these articles, but over the past eight years he has done so consistently, and cost the community countless editor-hours on the article talk pages, WP:NPOV/N, WP:RS/N, and WP:FRINGE/N. I am sure he could contribute positively to wikipedia in other areas, but I feel that his edits to these controversial areas have not helped build a better encyclopedia. Thanks for any on the actions of this editor, myself or any other editor in this field, or the issues related to this article in general. Thanks, a13ean (talk) 23:25, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I agree that Hgilbert has been a disruptive problem, bringing a too-positive bias to Steiner and Waldorf articles. I first encountered Hgilbert in November 2011 after following a Fringe noticeboard thread to the biodynamic agriculture article. Hgilbert's first response to my well sourced addition was to remove the negative word "pseudoscience" twice. The interaction has continued in this vein ever since. When this thread advances to the point of discussing solutions, I will be interested in determining what sort of topic ban is most appropriate. Binksternet (talk) 03:07, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I agree there is a problem here. I have been editing the Waldorf education article for two months now, trying to make it more neutral mainly by adding critical content that was conspicuously absent before, sorting-out sourcing and improving the article structure. As a13ean implies, an issue here is the "immense amount of effort" required to push for neutrality; a glance at the voluminous talk page will confirm that. I have also been looking at content that has been in this article in the longer term, and found some misleading claims that WP has been relaying for years; inevitably it seems the editor who originally added it was Hgilbert. It is as if WP:COIU and WP:BESTCOI simply don't exist. I include some diffs below ... Alexbrn talk 14:08, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * diff removing text that bears on the crucial question of whether Waldorf education is religious (crucial, from a COI perspective, because American state funding relies on it not being). When challenged Hgilbert stated this had been an error and reinstated this text.
 * diff inserting into the lead a claim of universal fact, that research has found Waldorf education to "to foster a high degree of social competency", ignoring the express caveats and limitations of the sources (discussion here).
 * diff making another claim of fact about the "conclusion" of a research report, ignoring the tentative and caveated nature of the original's (inconclusive) text (discussion here).
 * diff removing a &#x7b;{rs}} tag from a data analysis claim sourced to the Waldorf Today web site on the grounds that it is a "well-established news outlet".
 * diff inserting (in 2006!) a claim that UNESCO had praised a Waldorf organization as being "of tremendous consequence in the conquest of apartheid", and sourcing it to a UNESCO document and to a polemical piece in a non-RS publication. The problem: the quotation appears to have been completely fabricated by the non-RS source - it's not in the UNESCO document.
 * diff inserting (in 2007!) a claim of fact that Australian Waldorf students have been found to outperform all others at University (Hgilbert also recently re-inserted this content). On investigation it turns out this brave claim is sourced to an interview with a Masters student on an Australian local radio station who "sounded as if [he] was about to publish his thesis".


 * There is a problem with this page and it is not limited to the edits of hgilbert, although I will say he has reported some study findings in a way that has required a considerable amount of revision on the part of other editors. Reporting study findings is a difficult thing to do and unless there is some skill and experience on the part of individual editors usually some level of cooperation is needed in order to get the job done well. I commend Alexbrn for being diligent in this regard and note that when issues have been pointed out by him the appropriate revisions, deletions and alternative sourcing have usually been done with a minimal amount of discussion. This effort is ongoing. This situation stands in contrast to the amount of discussion that has had to occur with citations and texts under the "reception" area of the page. For example, there has been extensive and ongoing discussion related to the use of an unpublished monograph written in 2003, and a caption of an image that is not sourced at all. WIthout a reliable source, I have argued that the caption is WP:OI. There were also lengthy discussions in which Alexbrn and Binksternet supported the use of an unpublished paper of the British Humanist Association for something other than its own views and activities (i.e.., as a source for a third party) as well as lengthy discussion as to whether or not Free Inquiry, the magazine of the Council of Secular Humanism, was a peer-reviewed publication that didn't have any reliable source issues. There has also been much discussion about WP:COI although wikipedia is clear to say that an editor's primary role is to be a Wikipedian and "any editor who gives priority to outside interests may be subject to a conflict of interest." This wiki page touches upon many areas in which editors could have a strong personal outside interest: state funding of schools; religion; humanism; views on science or medicine and so on. The state funding of Waldorf schools is currently an ongoing source of controversy in the UK and US. I am not alleging any paid or organizational affiliations on the part of other editors, just noting that these are topics under general public discussion that can make it hard for people to act as Wikipedians first. The level of discussion required in order to make any decision suggests this may be a challenge faced by editors of this page. Perhaps due in some part to the existence of real-life concerns, this page ends up asking editors to devote an excessive amount of time and attention, as a13ean notes. However, I disagree that the situation is stemming entirely from one user. I would request that still more oversight and guidance be offered to all editors of this page. At this point, I think it would be in Wikipedia's interest to do something that would engender an editing community with more room for casual participants something that I had hoped to be myself when I took an interest in this page. Thank you. Jellypear (talk) 20:03, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Response
I do not believe that the article should have either a positive or a negative bias. Looking at the concrete diffs cited above:
 * diff
 * The statement that was removed was not directly related to Waldorf education. Neither the material removed, nor the material added had any POV relevance; both were neutral comments.
 * Restores a paragraph sourced to a Die Welt
 * Die Welt is a RS and it is here reporting the European Union PISA studies of schools, a very high quality source indeed. When I added this, there was an expansive section of critical coverage of the Waldorf science curriculum, but all other material describing the science curriculum -- both objective description and empirical studies showing the high level of competency in science by Waldorf students -- had been removed by other users, primarily Alexbrn, leaving the article extremely biased in its coverage of the Waldorf science curriculum. NPOV requires that various viewpoints be represented; empirical studies certainly qualify.
 * diff
 * Alexbrn had insisted that while material on pseudoscience belongs in the main Waldorf education article, all other description of the science curriculum should be restricted to the Curriculum of the Waldorf schools article. If objective descriptions and reports of studies are being removed from the main article, why should critiques appear in both articles? Again, NPOV requires equal treatment of POVs.
 * diff
 * In repeated discussions, other editors had urged that we not use primary studies directly, but rather use secondary and tertiary sources' reports of these. The source I cited stated, "Reports of research such as that by Rivers and Soutter (1996) implicitly suggest that Steiner students learn better because there are relatively low levels of harassment and bullying and good relationships amongst students....Its findings suggest that there may be lower levels of bullying in Steiner schools." The term "Reports of research such as that of..." implies that there is more than just this one study on which the author is basing his conclusions.
 * diff
 * This is a citation from an author who is a prominent pedagogue and who has studied the Waldorf schools for several decades. He is known for his critical objectivity; he critiques many sides of the education, especially its philosophical/anthroposophical underpinnings, both in the volume quoted and elsewhere. It is valid to cite his description of the schools' accomplishments here.
 * diff
 * The volume cited is v. 27 of the Kölner Veröffentlichungen zur Religionsgeschichte, a distinguished series on the history of religion published by Böhlau Verlag, an academic press. The author is professor of Waldorf education at the Donau-Universität Krems.
 * To clarify: The original arbitration proceeding stated that books published by the anthroposophical movement, especially when written by those close to WE, were not RSs. This does not apply to non-anthroposophical publishers; indeed, it would be a gross violation of NPOV to say that anyone who had had anything to do with Waldorf education was not a RS for the education, even if his or her work appeared in a peer-reviewed journal or academic press!
 * diff
 * As noted above, the arbitration proceedings stated that anthroposophically-published sources should not be used when the content was controversial, and emphasized that this was true of Steiner's own writings, but that peer-reviewed sources should instead be used to characterize Steiner's ideas. hgilbert (talk) 04:39, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Just to be clear, three of the editors commenting on this page, Alexbrn, A13ean, and Zad68, collaborated in putting together this filing: see their discussion here. I'd be interested in hearing from objective, outside parties.
 * Editors involved

WP:Categories states that "Categorization must also maintain a neutral point of view." Categorizing Biodynamic agriculture as pseudoscience clearly does not. There is a International Centre of Biodynamics sponsored by UNESCO and a Biodynamic Research Association at the University of Bern, for example. A Google Scholar search for Biodynamic Agriculture shows more than 8000 scholarly sources discussing the topic seriously. Clearly it has attained considerable academic recognition.
 * Biodynamics

It is one thing to indicate that certain critics have called a thing pseudoscience, and another thing simply to define it as pseudoscience. hgilbert (talk) 04:53, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Binksternet complains above that I removed the term "pseudoscience" in this edit. I removed the term for a very good reason: the source cited does not say that biodynamic agriculture was pseudoscientific, or anything remotely similar to this. It says, rather, that "effects of the preparations have been verified scientifically." This was an exceptionally egregious case of completely distorting, and even reversing, the content of a source. hgilbert (talk) 04:57, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I believe in adhering strictly to the guidelines for reliable sources, and have not been advocating for adding anything other than these. Zad68 mentions Bo Dahlin; he is Professor of Education at Karlstad University, and the partial list of publications on his WP page are convincing; see also his 52 publications in peer-reviewed journals. His monographs appear to clearly qualify as RSs.
 * Reliable sources

As a standard of comparison, editors of the article are making extensive use of criticism from a comparable monograph published by Jelinek and Sun. Either monographs published by established educationalists are acceptable RSs, or they are not. I don't see why there should be different standards applied in the two cases. hgilbert (talk) 20:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Community Discussion
Didn't ArbCom recently modify the sanctions around this topic? Rather than these nebulous assertions, can we get a concise pointer to what has been violated and a demonstration of the riot act being previously read over the owner? Hasteur (talk) 15:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * As Hasteur points out, the article was just switched over from article probation to discretionary sanctions 2 days ago, and this ANI was filed immediately afterward. Discretionary sanctions are pretty clear in that they require clear due warnings first, that hasn't happened yet, right?  So the outcome of this discussion really can't be a sanction, but we can argue here for consensus that a warning is warranted.   19:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I would argue that such long-term violations of WP:SOAP represent a violation of the previously existing article probation, but now that it has been superseded by discretionary sanctions, this would be a good time for a formal warning. a13ean (talk) 19:54, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * The standard discretionary sanctions allow for sanctions to be applied to an editor who "repeatedly or seriously fails to adhere to the purpose of Wikipedia, any expected standards of behavior, or any normal editorial process." Failing to adhere to the WP:RS guideline for WP:V and failing to adhere to WP:NPOV should be things a warning might be considered for.   19:54, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Comment I pick up a WP:RSN question every few days or so, and I am coming to this discussion after seeing this listing from a week ago. Regarding hgilbert's response here, I have two things I am concerned about:
 * I am concerned by hgilbert's responses as they relate to WP:NPOV. hgilbert's statements "I do not believe that the article should have either a positive or a negative bias", "NPOV requires that various viewpoints be represented; empirical studies certainly qualify", and "NPOV requires equal treatment of POVs" are not exactly right.  Per Wikipedia policy, "NPOV" means that the Wikipedia content gives emphasis to viewpoints in proportion to the prominence as found in reliable sources.  If 10 unreliable sources say "air is 10% nitrogen" and only one reliable source says "air is 78% nitrogen", then the Wikipedia article will say "air is 78% nitrogen" and will not mention what's found in the non-WP:RS sources at all.  What hgilbert expresses would result in content with WP:UNDUE and WP:GEVAL problems.  What appears to be happening is that hgilbert is arguing for the use of non-WP:RS sources and citing the viewpoints found in them.
 * I am concerned by hgilbert's responses as they relate to problematic WP:IDHT editing. In the RSN discussion, arguing for the use of a source by Bo Dahlin, hgilbert stated "Dahlin is reporting the results of an empirical study he conducted."  I wrote a detailed response to hgilbert, noting that (s)he was 'saying it's an "empirical study", but to that Wikipedia says, "So what? That's not enough."' and going on to explain the necessity of a reputation for fact-checking in reliable sources.  However, here is hgilbert again, restating "empirical study" several times.

I have not checked the editor's complete history, but if these sorts of fundamental mistakes are continuing after multiple previous attempts at explanations, I would support issuing an "official AE discretionary sanction warning." 20:14, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, and notice above here that even after that long thread on WP:RSN, which ended with a solid consensus, Hgilbert is reopening the debate by restating the Dahlin source (not mentioning the author's Waldorf affiliations) and asserting "his monographs appear to clearly qualify as RSs" - totally missing the point that the source was agreed to be biased and that its use (to report supposed facts) would be in violation of the Arbcom prohibition on Waldorf sources. Alexbrn talk 18:04, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * A point of clarification: If you go back and look at the discussion, the first or primary rationale for the paper not being used is because it had not been peer-reviewed and peer-review ought to be considered merely a first-step in identifying a RS because some peer-review processes can be weak and so on. As an unpublished manuscript, this paper was considered "at the bottom of the heap" because it hadn't even gotten as far as that first step. Secondary sources, and specifically review articles or metanalyses in good peer-reviewed journals, are the preferable pieces to work with because they give wiki editors some sense of the state of scholarly consensus for various topics or papers. The fact that this author has two appointments - one that might have introduced bias - merely clinched the deal so that the paper shouldn't be brought in through an expert source approach either. (The arbitration ruling does not exclude peer-reviewed papers by individuals with a connection to Waldorf education.) Perhaps your viewing the RS/N resolution for this unpublished manuscript as stemming from the author's academic affiliations primarily, and not from the lack of evidence of meaningful external review, is causing you to believe that unpublished sources are ok if the author has no possible COI in their credentials. While the author as a source can be a problem, approaching the issue this way inappropriately downplays the vital and complimentary role that external peer-review plays in our work as editors, especially in how it can help us to avoid WP:UNDUE and WP:NOR and in maintaining WP:NPOV. External peer-review is a wiki editor's best ally. Although I see no point in discussing the Dahlin paper any longer - the appropriate decision has been made - hgilbert does raise a valid point in that unpublished, non-peer reviewed manuscripts from university professors should be viewed as either RS or not and him raising the question to get clarification ought not be considered a mark against him somehow. Jellypear (talk) 19:12, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Jellypear - read what Hgilbert wrote: "His [Dahlin's] monographs appear to clearly qualify as RSs." That assertion shows no understanding of the RS/N discussion, or acceptance of the consensus reached there. That is the point. Working on this article is the editorial equivalent of Groundhog Day! Alexbrn talk 21:40, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, I completely agree with you on the GroundHog Day sentiment. What would help in getting everyone on the same page is if fellow editors would diligently work towards developing a pattern of consistency with respect to sources. The "one-off" discussions concerning sources likely has the effect of muddying the waters even though the wiki guidelines and policies are remarkably clear (especially when it comes to intent). However if an editor comes to believe that unpublished manuscripts by professors ought to be reliable sources - because there is one currently in use - and their source is being criticized/excluded on the basis of credentials, a reasonable response is to show that their guy is a credible expert after all. It strikes me as disingenuous to make an issue about the "biased" nature of a proposed authors credentials - and then criticize someone for defending against that - when ostensibly less biased credentials wouldn't fix the main problem of being an unpublished source anyway. But such discussion does succeed in helping to reveal someone as a POV-pusher via their efforts to address the (irrelevant) credential issue, doesn't it? I've only been around for a little while but it seems to me that the issues with this page are more complicated than being presented, and there is also a longer history. People are way too invested for this not to be the case. It also appears to be a problem of a more collective nature, and not solely limited to one editor. That being said, I do feel that effective collaboration is possible with the current editors, albeit with some more clear-cut external guidance. Jellypear (talk) 00:12, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * These issues are a problem throughout the page. In fact, there is no way to even constructively discuss WP:UNDUE on this page in my opinion. If one followed the example of tertiary sources on this topic to evaluate WP:UNDUE, the page would be considerably shorter. You will also notice that a difficult structure has been imposed throughout such that sources are not being reported as closely as they should be. In the case of newspapers for example, usually there is a So-and-So says X & So-and-So says Y approach taken by the reporter. But because of structure headings on this page it often doesn't make sense to include one side or the other of the issue - an outcome that encourages POV rather than accurately reflecting the more balanced nature of the source itself. Being new, I am not going to weigh in on whether sanctions are warranted for any one editor. However I do wish to point out that there are numerous challenges related to this page which I believe do not stem from one editor alone. Jellypear (talk) 20:42, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

92.26.60.215

 * Talk page abuse by blocked user. See contribs. – Wdchk (talk) 16:15, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I've extended the block, rev/deled the comment, and revoked talk page access. It may be necessary to semi-protect as well, but I held off on that.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:34, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

User:202.134.144.65
Several times over the past few days, User:202.134.144.65 has been vandalizing Dolph Ziggler, evident from his/her contributions page. He/she has already been warned multiple times, and has still continued in vandalism. An editing block seems appropriate, as the user has already received a final warning. Thank you. FrigidNinja (talk) 19:34, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Never mind - it seems the user has already been blocked. FrigidNinja (talk) 19:37, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * In the future, WP:AIV is a better venue for reporting vandalism.--Bbb23 (talk) 19:42, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Social market economy
Continuation of the edit war of last November. --Mr. Mustard (talk) 00:04, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Pictogram voting support.svg Fully protected&#32;for a period of 1 year, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. I've also left a note on the talk page encouraging all users to discuss and arrive at consensus before it will be unprotected. Oh, and Mr. Mustard, consider yourself lucky you didn't get hit with your own WP:BOOMERANG.  There's plenty to hand out a bunch of blocks per WP:EW, but I chose to enforce this by encouraging discussion.  Let's keep in mind that edit warring is grounds enough for a block.  -- Jayron  32  01:33, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Richard Arthur Norton continuing violating topic bans despite previous blocks
has again violated topic ban of creating new articles here.

This has been discussed many a time at ANI such as Administrators%27_noticeboard/IncidentArchive759 where he got a 60 hour block.

the ANI topic ban is here for indefinite ban of article creation. this continuing testing of boundaries and community consensus is worrying.
 * I would love to be mentored to have the ban lifted, creating the English version of the Swedish article violated the spirit of the ban. One year ago I was contributing 4 hours a day to Wikipedia. I was using the time most people would be reading or watching television. Since the ban I may be contributing about 15 minutes a month by adding an image or fixing an error if it is a topic I am reading for my own interest. Since the ban, I am no longer working with the Library of Congress at Flickr Commons to migrate images to Wikipedia, there is now a backlog of over 400 images flagged as missing from Wikipedia for which the LOC identified the person as having a biography in Wikipedia. No one else has taken over that function. Having me watch the entire run of Breaking Bad on Netflix instead of contributing isn't really a punishment, just a disservice to readers and to the long dead people who deserve to be included in Wikipedia. There are thousands of people with full column obituaries in the New York Time archive that meet the Wikipedia notability standards that are just going unwritten. It is sad that they go unrecognized, they deserve better. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 17:14, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Richard, this hardly is a satisfactory explanation acknowledging past infringements and a desire to cooperate. The fact you are watching more tv is not a reason for lifting a topic ban. Or the disservice to dead people is typical of the fake innocence you displayed in the past. No one is falling for it (except alansohn) after your long repeated history of deliberately testing boundaries on WP. LibStar (talk) 15:47, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

I seek administrator assistance to take appropriate action. thanks. LibStar (talk) 00:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC) I had my own run-in with Norton when he inserted too much material in the CBS Records article about an unrelated CBS Records entity. I made that article a DAB page as a result. The talk page is a mile long thanks to what he did. Steelbeard1 (talk) 03:34, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, he violated his topic ban. It does not appear to be a copyvio (though it's unverified). But it was two weeks ago: a block would be punitive. A block may be right according to the letter, but I'm not feeling the spirit. I'm curious to see what other admins think the "appropriate action" is here. Drmies (talk) 02:55, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * A block. The policy isn't clear on this point (at least I didn't see anything about it), but I don't see why blocks for violating bans can't be imposed "late". Otherwise, we have the odd paradox that just because a violation escapes immediate scrutiny, the editor gets to violate the ban with impunity (see that? a form of punitive). In all fairness, if you look at Richard's block log, you'll see that an earlier block was shortened by User:Good Olfactory because the violations were "over two weeks ago". Obviously, my view is not necessarily shared by some. The only other remedy I can think of is to delete the article he created (kind of like reverting the edits of a banned user).--Bbb23 (talk) 03:15, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I know, and I find it difficult to defend RAN. If someone blocks him he certainly had it coming (and I'm familiar with his block log--I think we go back a couple of years...). I like your fancy semantic footwork, Bbb, and I don't see how I can really oppose a block, but I don't like it. I wish RAN would come by and say "OK I'll abide by the ban", which is why I left the note I did. Drmies (talk) 03:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I saw Drmies' comment on Richard's talk  page. However, the user has already  been blocked twice previously  for violation  of the topic ban, and also  has an impressive block  log. This is either IDHT or CIR, but  something  needs to  be done. I  think  a longer block  this time would be appropriate, perhaps one month. This would not  be punitive, but preventative from  constantly breaching  the terms of his ban . It  would  serve to  demonstrate that  he needs to understand policies and that  the terms of his topic ban may  not  be flagrantly disregarded - in  previous ANI some users advocated an  indef site ban. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 03:13, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * True, Kudpung, true. Then again (spoke the devil's advocate), it's only one small article, not a hundred or thousand of them... Drmies (talk) 03:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't see how that's relevant here. Let's not have all editors air their grievances and past disputes with RAN: there aren't enough blade servers in the world for that. Drmies (talk) 03:41, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I suggest a mentor situation may be best here. This editor seems to contribute a great deal and much of the content is perfectly acceptable and sourced. Perhaps if he had a 3-6 month period where a few others reviewed proposed moves/creations before they happened it would be a win/win for all? Insomesia (talk) 03:44, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Per Blocking policy, "Blocks are used to prevent damage or disruption to Wikipedia, not to punish users", emphasizing in the Purposes and Goals section that "Blocks should not be used: ... as punishment against users" and that "Blocks should be used to: prevent imminent or continuing damage and disruption to Wikipedia; deter the continuation of present, disruptive behavior; and encourage a more productive, congenial editing style within community norms." The terrible incident of creating a stub happened two weeks ago. There is no imminent danger, damage or disruption, and nothing is happening at present. Any block here would be punitive and unjustified by the actual damage done to this encyclopedia. A statement of the sort "If someone blocks him he certainly had it coming" is advocating for a block as punishment, in clear violation of policy. Recalibrating the topic ban would be a far better idea. Alansohn (talk) 03:48, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Alansohn, I fail to see why you'd cite me to say what you want to say (unless you missed the part where I didn't block him and obviously don't wish to block him). Rightly or wrongly, he might get blocked, and if he does he should have known it was a distinct possibility. Drmies (talk) 03:55, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If Richard wants to change the topic ban then he should approach the community first not sneakily create an article and hope no one finds out. "There is no imminent danger, damage or disruption, and nothing is happening at present" yes for editors without such a ban, but topic bans were agreed and in place, this is like a good behavior bond and misbehaving during the period of it. LibStar (talk) 04:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

@Alansohn, I think you're missing the point here. Both Drmies and I could have summarily  blocked Richard for disobeying  a community  consensus and it  would not  have been punitive; but  we didn't. It  would have been preventative -  prevention  against  disobeying  the rules. That the creations may  not  have been toxic is irrelevant. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 04:27, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I get the point 100%. You could have summarily imposed a punitive block. You didn't because you recognize that it's wrong. Probably because there is absolutely no evidence of any imminent harm to Wikipedia, as the terrible incident in question occurred two weeks ago and didn't happen again. Even in Texas they don't send people to prison on a preventative basis, certainly for misdemeanors, as it's both illegal and accomplishes nothing other than to piss the person off and make him more likely to commit further crimes. It doesn't work any better on Wikipedia, even when admins confuse the meanings of "punitive" and "preventative". The proposal to work on mentoring RAN with the goal of weaning him off the block may actually achieve the result of improving the encyclopedia by rehabilitating an effective editor. Alansohn (talk) 05:01, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * "Even in Texas they don't send people to prison on a preventative basis, certainly for misdemeanors, as it's both illegal and accomplishes nothing other than to piss the person off and make him more likely to commit further crimes" Laws in Texas is not relevant here. As i said the infraction here is part of a larger pattern of non-compliance with ANI decisions and shows disrespect to the ANI process. LibStar (talk) 05:06, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You've missed the point, Alansohn. He had a topic ban imposed. Violations of topic bans result in blocks. He violated his topic ban. Q.E.D. - The Bushranger One ping only 07:14, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No, I get the point 100%. You believe he was bad two weeks ago and he should be punished. The problem is that punitive blocks are explicitly banned by Blocking policy, which states that "Blocks are used to prevent damage or disruption to Wikipedia, not to punish users". What part of blocking policy is causing the confusion on your part and the part of so many admins? Alansohn (talk) 02:29, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It's preventative because not blocking would encourage further ban evasion. Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  02:35, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Blocking policy explicitly states that "Blocks should not be used: ... as punishment against users; or where there is no current conduct issue of concern." and that "Blocks should be used to: prevent imminent or continuing damage and disruption to Wikipedia; deter the continuation of present, disruptive behavior; and encourage a more productive, congenial editing style within community norms." There is no "imminent or continuing damage". There is no "present, disruptive behavior". There is no evidence that a punitive block of this kind will "encourage a more productive, congenial editing style within community norms". I understand the vindictiveness behind this and the desire to stick it to the guy, but what's being proposed is punitive, plain and simple. From the same doublespeak that brought us We had to destroy the village to save it, comes the logic that we impose punitive blocks for preventative purposes. The mentoring proposal is infinitely more likely to work to improve the encyclopedia and at the same time to "encourage a more productive, congenial editing style within community norms", something that a punitive block will never produce. Alansohn (talk) 03:38, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, thanks for the unnecessary wartime metaphors, inaccurate appeals to motive and contentless proof by assertion. The fact is that RAN has violated his topic ban several times now, and you seem to be suggesting that if nobody notices for X amount of time that he's done it again, that we can do nothing about it. I disagree. That's all. There's no vindictiveness or doublethink about it, and if you can't handle disagreements without making attacking peoples' character then you shouldn't comment at all. Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  22:20, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * All I have offered is an appeal to Blocking Policy, which continues to be ignored. As stated there rather clearly, "For example, though it might have been justifiable to block an editor a short time ago, such a block may no longer be justifiable right now, particularly if the actions have since ceased or the conduct issues have been resolved." I might have agreed with you three weeks ago, but it's clear that "the actions have ceased". I understand the blood lust to get revenge on the guy for not respecting authoritah, but that would be the absolute definition of the word "punitive". That's what I have repeatedly commented on. Can anyone rebut the repeated references to policy? Alansohn (talk) 17:49, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, if you're going to quibble about the wording of the policy, let me just remind you that the conduct issues have clearly not been resolved and that "may be" is a very different beast to "is". Your belief in "vindictiveness" and "blood lust" is mistaken, and that's all that needs to be said about that. Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  20:31, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I can see the merit in both sides of the argument. On one hand, blocking now after several weeks seems punitive, especially since the article in question is only a crappy unreferenced microstub and not a copyright violation. On the other hand, what power do bans have if people can ignore them with no consequences? Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  05:32, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If an editor breaks their topic ban, and there are no consequences, then what's the point of a topic ban? What's the point of anything? GiantSnowman 09:42, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There's no statute of limitations on enforcing topic bans. RAN was banned, in part, from creating pages due to his tendency for them to have been lifted from copyrighted sources. That's disruptive, and actively dangerous to Wikipedia, whether it was yesterday or three months ago (arguably worse the longer it's left, in fact). Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 11:23, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * A block around the time the ban was violated may have been appropriate. A block 2 weeks later is not.  There may not be a "statute of limitations" but blocks are meant to be preventative not punitive.  And if a preventative block was necessary, it should have been done 2 weeks ago; that would have been an appropriate "consequence."  As there were no further violations subsequent to the one 2 weeks ago, a block now can hardly be considered preventative and is no longer an appropriate consequence. Rlendog (talk) 17:40, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * So essentially you're saying that it's OK to violate a topic ban as long as you get away with it for X amount of time because no one noticed. Do you suggest that we appoint editors to watch each and every edit made by RAN, so that he can be blocked immediately when he violates his ban?  No, some would probably call that "harrassment" or something.  No, I guess the best thing to do it to rely on topic-banned editors to turn themselves in when they've misbehaved. Beyond My Ken (talk) 18:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It's extremely preventative - it prevents people from going 'lol what topic ban' because we've proven we'll never enforce them. - The Bushranger One ping only 20:25, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * There is no reason to think we won't enforce it. It would have been totally appropriate to block 2 weeks ago, when the block would have prevented potential disruption. But nobody saw fit to do so then, and the behavior stopped, so there is no cause for blocking now. Rlendog (talk) 17:08, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal to change topic ban to mentoring situation
This editor seems to contribute a great deal and much of the content is perfectly acceptable and sourced. Perhaps if he had a 3-6 month period where a few others reviewed proposed moves/creations before they happened it would be a win/win for all? Insomesia (talk) 03:53, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * That's much easier solved by sending them through AfC, for instance. Drmies (talk) 03:55, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Don't all articles go through AfC then? Basket Feudalist 15:29, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Let's see what the user thinks would work as well. I just think they have proven ability and interest and we should try to find a way to make things work for all. Insomesia (talk) 04:01, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I would like to see his response and a willingness to admit a mistake here and move on. he has no expressed no desire to date to being mentored or a desire for the topic ban to be removed. obviously he is welcome to ask for this. LibStar (talk) 04:03, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I will volunteer as a mentor if y'all want to go this route. Richard has really been run over by a truck for no good reason, he's a highly productive content-creator and a huge net positive to The Project. Having somebody stare over his shoulder a little and bitch about his preferred form of footnoting may or may not be useful. Richard is actually NOT a current copyvio problem, in my estimation, but "trust but verify" is probably the way most people want to play it with his material... Carrite (talk) 04:02, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * (ec) This presumes also that Richard is amenable to this and that he agrees to exchange frank emails with me off-list. Carrite (talk) 04:06, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

LibStar (talk) 04:11, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'd certainly support that too - thanks, Carrite, for volunteering. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 04:36, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * WP:COPYVIO is not necessarily the issue but disregard for ANI decisions is. LibStar (talk) 04:05, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Disobeying authoritah should never be the reason, in itself, for any actions here - we should always be considering the underlying reasons behind any sanctions that might have been imposed, and trying to work out what would be the best overall result for Wikipedia when deciding how to deal with sanctions-busting. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 04:36, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * RAN's indicated over and over that he won't abide by any community decision that he doesn't want to. This isn't Cool Hand Luke. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 11:23, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Please show us some diffs to support this allegation... Carrite (talk) 03:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * would be a good place to start. Look for "violation of topic ban". Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  03:07, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

If he gets a mentor (and preferably someone who doesn't feel that being topic banned for creating many, many copyright violations is the same as "being run over by a truck for no good reason"), extra care should probably also be taken to inform him of the continuing problems with his file uploads. Note that, before his text-based CCI investigation, he already was the subject of a file-based CCI at Contributor copyright investigations/20100822. Looking at his recent file uploads, I notice two files recently uploaded that have been deleted for violating the fair use criteria, and others that are probably going the same way. He e.g. uploaded both File:James iredell ss.png and File:SS James Iredell.gif, both using an incorrect FU template ("To illustrate person at peak of their career", "Subject of image is deceased"? It's a ship!), but with the latter not being used on any pages. Then there is File:Cristmas eve, Isle of Pines, 1910 copy.jpg, which was made before 1923, but without any evidence that it was "published" before 1923. If it wasn't, then Public domain makes clear that this is a copyright violation. Oh, and note that in addition to the above mentioned page, he also created Mechanics Arts High School, a disambiguation between two things that don't have an article. Fram (talk) 09:33, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * "Many many" copyvios, hmmm, maybe, but only a very small (tiny?) percentage of his total output and mostly archaic rather than modern, if you will. I certainly wouldn't argue that Richard didn't bring much of this upon himself in the final analysis, but I think the gargantuan copyvio fishing expedition against his entire output has produced little more than a bucket of mackerel... It's time to normalize the situation with a very, very productive content-creator. I don't mind playing the role of copyright inspector, if that is deemed necessary. I'm sure others would be inspecting the inspection as well, reasonably guessing... Carrite (talk) 03:42, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Violate topic ban, get it lifted and replaced with handholding from an editor who disagrees with the ban anyway. Yeah. This isn't a remotely serious proposal. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 11:23, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm fine with the mentor idea. I do have some concerns about Carrite as that mentor (see bus statement), but I think it would work if RAN is willing and Carrite realizes this is going to be a lot of work and responsibility. For the record I firmly believe there were serious and significant copyright issues with RAN but a large chunk of identified "too close" cases were overreach.  I'm unaware of any significant copyright issues from RAN since the those issues were first identified.  Assuming that's correct, I think a mentor is a good way to go. Hobit (talk) 16:12, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * A mentor would be fine after the block he should be receiving right now is over. I don't think that Carrite is the right editor to mentor him, for reasons made clear above. Beyond My Ken (talk) 18:42, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose mentoring for the reasons made clear by BMK. We don't reward violations. And frankly I'd block him for the violation myself except I'm not in a mood to deal with the resulting admin abuse that would inevitably occur. - The Bushranger One ping only 22:25, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose mentoring and support block- the file copyright infringements convince me that RAN just doesn't get it. Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  23:29, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Why should someone who violated their topic ban get rewarded for it?  RNealK (talk) 23:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
 * To improve the encyclopedia - which is the reason we're all here in the first place -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 04:41, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, good, then let's do away with topic bans, and bans altogether. RNealK (talk) 04:28, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose. Block first for violation of the ban. If he wants a mentor after he returns from the block, that's certainly something that should be considered.--Bbb23 (talk) 01:27, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think the block has been dismissed as somewhat against policy. My interest is to keep someone around who contributes content even if they may be rough around the edges. Insomesia (talk) 01:36, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Please name the policy that says "if you can evade scrutiny for violating your topic ban for long enough, it's required that you be allowed to get away with it". - The Bushranger One ping only 01:59, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think you need to consider why rules and laws exist. They're there to organize our lives so we can live in relative safety. I don't see punishing this user two weeks after they technically broke a ban as actually helping anything. To me they seem like a generally productive person who may be open to amending their copyright issues with editing. It is in our best interest to find a path forward rather than meting out a pound of flesh. Insomesia (talk) 02:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I think you need to consider what happens when we decide to ignore rules and laws. He had a topic ban imposed. He broke it. If we decide "oh, we can't enforce the topic ban, it would be punitive!" then we need to throw out every topic ban because they are, by that definition, "punitive". Even two weeks later blocking as a result of a topic ban violation is preventitive because it informs the user that the behavior that caused the block is unacceptable and cannot be repeated. - The Bushranger One ping only 02:58, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose Block for violation of the ban (also in light of long history of ignoring previous directions regarding bans). If Richard wants mentoring and wants the topic ban removed, he should specifically agree to it here. LibStar (talk) 03:08, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose: Per above ... and more to the point, this whole business ties in to one of the more insidious syndromes infecting Wikipedia: that if you have enough edits under your belt, you're excused behavior that would indef ban a newbie fifty times over, and you'll always have apologists. Sorry, no; I'm no more moved by RAN's moping that the time he used to spend on Wikipedia he now spends watching TV ... no doubt one could say that of many a blocked or topic banned newbie.  A ban is a ban, and any other clear violation of a topic ban would earn its perp a block.  That two weeks has passed doesn't impress me, Wikipedia not having a statute of limitations.   Ravenswing   22:36, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal to include file uploads in the topic ban
I propose that the topic ban against creating any kind of articles is changed, to disallow RAn the creation of any kind of articles and files. As said above, he was the subject of a CCI at Contributor copyright investigations/20100822, so he should have been aware of the problems with copyright in files by now. But he clearly simply continues uploading files regardless of the copyright status. Looking at his file uploads for January 2013:
 * File:Billy-Sunday-Blizzard-March-2-1914.jpg seems allright
 * File:James iredell ss.png has a rather incorrect fair use template, but a case for fair use can be made. 100% correct fair use template, I used the word 'dead' instead of 'scrapped' in the rationale and fixed it. Saying that I added the wrong template is absolutely incorrect and deceptive. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 16:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * "To illustrate person at peak of their career" - Reading through copy-pasted rationales is only for the weak.--Staberinde (talk) 17:56, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * File:SS James Iredell.gif is a fair use file that is not in use, and will be deleted The thumbnail didn't form properly so I reuploaded it as James iredell ss.png
 * File:Sammee Tong.jpg seems to be allright
 * File:Dalarö Fortress 2010 by Yvonne Öhrbom.jpg was not compliant at all, but this has been corrected after Files for deletion/2013 January 15 100% compliant since upload, calling it otherwise is deceptive --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 16:22, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * File:Cristmas eve, Isle of Pines, 1910 copy.jpg is a copyright violation  A year published vs year image taken rule which was easily converted to a fair use template. The image was sent by the source listed and is from his family archive. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 16:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * File:Olson-Peder 1896 death.png is allright, but why theis file contains a whole artice on a non notable person is unclear. We are not a genealogical website
 * File:Mabelle Gilman Corey.jpg seems allright
 * File:Aviator Frank Goldsborough.gif seems allright
 * File:Javier Ángel Figueroa.jpg seems allright
 * File:Freudenberg-Louis Kohlman-Ralph MatavanBeach 1915 circa.png is a copyright violation  A year published vs year image taken rule which was easily converted to a fair use template. The image is from my own family archive. Calling it a copyright violation is again unnecessarily alarming, when it is a fair use vs public domain issue. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 16:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

So out of 11 file uploads, three will be deleted for copyright problems (two straight copyvios, one usused fair use image), one has an incorrect fair use template, and one was deletable because RAN gave it a CC-by-SA template, but he wasn't the author of the file, and it needed a FFD to rectify this. I don't think this percentage of problematic file uploads is acceptable for an editor who should be more aware than most people here of what our copyright rules are. Fram (talk) 08:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Again, not factually correct. One will be deleted because it was a duplicate because the thumbnail did not form properly when it was uploaded. Two have been nominated for deletion  which is not the same as will be deleted. They are not synonyms and should never be used as synonyms, to use them as synonyms is tendentious. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 17:53, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Please, in the future, don't insert your comments in my statement, it makes it hard to see who said what. The two former copyvios are now up for review, for having incorrect fair use rationales on multiple levels (plus, again, using the incorrect template, despite your claim that "Saying that I added the wrong template is absolutely incorrect and deceptive.") Fram (talk) 09:38, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * support if anything this is more problematic than the original text copy violations, and shows no sign of abating despite countless warnings. LibStar (talk) 09:57, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment. In fairness, I think a lot of people would make a similar mistake on the two "straight copyvios".  Certainly I myself may have, since I could easily see myself confusing the American PD1923 with Canadian laws for old images, where it was 50 years after creation.  So out of 11 uploads, I see only two that are clearly problematic, and those two are of what could be considered an innocent misake - if the user has not been alerted to this before.  On that presumption, I could not support such a topic ban.  If RAN has been warned about the distinction between creation and publication and continues to ignore it, then that would change my view. Resolute 16:02, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment - Anybody that has ever uploaded a dozen or more files over the last 5 years has undoubtedly run into the clutches of some of the, ummmm, highly strung and, ummmm, obsessively detail oriented volunteers handling file rights supervision. A couple of the worst actors have been cashiered, so things are better than they were but this remains one of the biggest annoyances at WP... Some of those volunteers are probably wrong nearly as often as they're right in their seat-of-the-pants assessments of copy vio of this or that... That this arises at all in this context is ludicrous. Carrite (talk) 17:06, 30 January 2013 (UTC) Last edit: Carrite (talk) 17:09, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I would love to say that public domain vs copyright vs fair use issues are clear cut, but if they were we would not need editors, a few lines of computer code would be able to resolve the proper category. In the past 5 years, I have had images of my own face, taken by myself, deleted 3 times. My current image on my user page was flagged for deletion two times as a copyright violation since I added it. The last person to flag it for deletion argued that if I was in the image I could not have taken the image, so I cannot be the copyright holder. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 17:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Ahhh! Basket Feudalist 17:13, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose - This is a diversion from the real matter at hand. Stop throwing mud. Carrite (talk) 17:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, I was aware from the above section that you consider copyright violations as no problem at all. It's rather clear why you would be a terrible mentor for Richard Arthur Norton. Fram (talk) 07:59, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I ask you to retract that little personal attack. I have nowhere said or intimated that I "consider copyright violations as no problem at all." RAN, in the past, has violated copyright rules. That is a problem. He has acknowledged as much. The Norton investigation, however, was something else — putting a Top 90 contributor's entire contribution history under the microscope and creating a massive clusterfuck at CCI that has been going on for nearly 15 months (!!!). All the while, RAN has been placed on ice, unable to start articles legally at WP, despite the fact that no evidence has been presented here that his WP contributions repeat past transgressions. Mountains from molehills... It's a criminal waste of one of Wikipedia's most valuable content creators. Carrite (talk) 03:18, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Not a personal attack, the logical conclusion of your comments in this discussion. And I have provided plenty of evidence that he still doesn't give a shit abou copyright, as evidenced by his file uploads and even more by his very frequent copyright violations on other pages that he links to from here. The topic ban works, but isn't enough, so why get rid of it? Fram (talk) 05:54, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * (1) I find it unacceptable that you are permitted to say that I "consider copyright violations no problem at all" at Wikipedia. I do believe they are a problem and you are blackening my name in a manner befitting the old adage "The Ends Justify the Means." I asked you to retract that remark both here and on your talk page and you vigorously did not. I note that exchange between us for the record. (2) The prohibition on Richard Norton is against starting new articles. We all agree on that. Contributor Copyright Investigation (CCI), in their infinite wisdom, instead of making use of scientific sampling of Richard Norton's contributions to determine if in fact there was a massive and ongoing copyright problem with his contributions, decided to launch a full-blown investigation of his every article. They wanted to keep this number of articles finite and put the kibosh on Richard starting new articles until the investigation was completed. That's the REASON for the topic ban. This process has taken nearly 15 months, and counting, and is no closer to resolution than it was 6 months ago. There are open cases a year older than his, and two years from now theirs and his will still be open. CCI's eyes were bigger than their bellies in terms of case load and they have loaded up their plate with so many cases that they have no reasonable chance of ever finishing. CCI is broken, pass it on. (3) This case was about a single stub article ill-advisedly started two weeks before it was detected. It is not a copyright violation and the breathless glee at the prospects of retribution by a couple of those commenting here are rather sickening to me. Richard was in the wrong, clearly, but the punishment should fit the infraction. Instead we have the typical drum beat for a lynch mob, in my estimation... (4) The rush to open a case at ArbCom before this complaint has been resolved one way or the other is not surprising. Carrite (talk) 18:19, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * So, if during a discussion about one problem, you find other, serious problems in that editor's recent edits, you are not allowed to bring that into consideration? We should just ignore it? Thanks for confirming why it seems clear to me that indeed, this complaint can not be resolved here as long as people like you are so actively obstructing it by pointless wikilawyering. We have an editor who has been creating copyright violations, in his articles, file uploads, and links, for over 6 years now, and it is ongoing. What do you suggest we do about it? Give him a mentor who gives every impression of believing that these copyright violations are not a big deal in this case? No thanks. Fram (talk) 18:24, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry again, but I never said Richard's violation should be "ignored." I suggest that ASSUME GOOD FAITH might make for instructive reading. In my estimation we have a massively productive editor who presents very little copyright-violation danger to the project, who is locked out of productive participation by a Kafkaesque open-ended-and-never-going-to-end massive "investigation" at CCI. A person who may well have violated, perhaps inadvertently, other unrelated site rules involving linking; and who, like seriously, literally, everyone here has recently run afoul of the arcane file licensing templates and perhaps the erratic interpretation thereof by the file copyright volunteers. All this is seemingly being made into a massive "case for hangin'." I don't think the majority of AN/I participants feel there is any such case, which brought about a blatant case of venue shopping for a more "satisfactory" result at ArbCom. Now please, a little good faith here... Wikipedia is not going to melt down over this stub article, let's all figure out a rational way forward, shall we? Carrite (talk) 18:51, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose Fram, why don't you just cut to the chase and propose the full site ban you appear to be wanting instead of trying for the death of a thousand cuts by imposing little bans everywhere? - The Bushranger One ping only 20:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Richard Arthur Norton is very good at findign sources, so it would be a loss if he was forced to stop doing that. That doesn't mean that we should ignore his problematic actions in other areas, for which he had been warned sufficiently (if having two CCI's isn't enough to become cautious about copyright, then what ever will?). Note that he has changed the two copyright violations to fair use, but couldn't even be bothered to apply the correct template, getting the nice "Subject of image is deceased" for a beach. Even ignoring that, the images fail fair use miserably. Fram (talk) 07:59, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Proposal to also ban him from linking to his own work on other sites
Richard Arthur Norton had and has the habit of linking biographies on Wikipedia to articles he wrote on other wiki-site. Obviously, these are not reliable sources, and using articles on unreliable sites to support articles you write here is a rather bad habit. E.g. on Osborne Theomun Olsen, I had removed the link to the Familypedia article he wrote during the copyright cleanup (late 2011), and after he reintroduced that link again in March 2012 I removed it again. Now, he introduced his articles at geni.com and findagrave.com, and again the one from Familypedia.

Worse, his links to other sites also include his photographs on Flickr, where he hosts copyright violations (e.g. copies of 1940 articles from NY Times). Such links can be found in e.g. Frank Goldsborough, Edwin Joseph O'Malley or Yankee Squadron. A similar link is used in e.g. Smith Brothers, Pillar of Fire International, Grover Cleveland Bergdoll or Alma Bridwell White, where he links to a site by Richard Arthur Norton that contains excessively long quotes of copyrighted text, the kind that wouldn't be accepted on Wikipedia and thus shouldn't be accepted as an external link either (e.g. a 445 word quote from a Time magazine article from 1946). Per WP:ELNEVER, these are clearly very problematic.

I would propose that Richard Arthur Norton is forbidden to link to any external page that he has created or contributed to. Fram (talk) 14:58, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He's not the son of God. He's a very naughty boy !!!   Basket Feudalist 15:34, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Findagrave contains information not found in Wikipedia, it is standard practice to link to Findagrave so people can see the information of where someone is buried and see multiple pictures of the tombstone and the associated GPS data and see other family members that are buried there. Not allowing me to create a standard link to Findagrave, just because I also created the Findagrave entry makes no sense. What purpose would it serve? Any Findagrave link that is incorrect should be removed but correct links to the proper grave should stay no matter who created the Findagrave entry. The same caution should be used as when people edit their own Wikipedia entries. We don't stop people from editing their own profile, we just double check to make sure it is correct. We don't stop people from taking a photograph for a Wikipedia article and writing the text for a Wikipedia article because it represents a conflict either. As to linking to a website that contains copyrighted material, we have the doctrine of fair use here at Wikipedia and so do other websites. While Wikipedia limits images of people under fair use that it hosts, other sites have a more liberal view of what constitutes fair use for what is stored on their website. For instance we allow only one fair use image per biography of a dead person. Findagrave has slots for 5 images and can contain 5 copyrighted images. We still link to Findagrave despite that its fair use doctrine differs from ours. In Wikipedia we have hundreds of thousands of copyrighted images stored on our servers under the doctrine of fair use and that potentially can violate the fair use standards of sites that link to Wikipedia. Each site sets their own rules. For instance, the bibliography I created for Alma White, which contains a long quote from a Time magazine article. While I cannot host the long quote at Wikipedia, my subscription to Time magazine and the New York Times allows me to use the material for non commercial purposes. As a counter example, the DVDs I own do not allow me copy them, even for non-commercial use. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 15:45, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * "It is standard practice to link to findagrave"? No, it is a highly discouraged practice. Like you say, "Findagrave has slots for 5 images and can contain 5 copyrighted images.", is one of the reasons we shouldn't use it (and one of the reasons you use it at e.g. Nancy Hopkins (aviator), which also copies copyrighted texts, e.g. from ). Being a wiki is another. External links/Perennial websites, despite being an essay, is rather clear about this. Fram (talk) 08:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Lobby to get Findagrave blacklisted. You are confusing the concept of a use of a copyrighted image with a copyright violation. Findagrave and Wikipedia both make use of the concept of Fair Use and each have their own guidelines.
 * Comment - Any other bans you'd like to add here, Fram? For fuck's sakes... Carrite (talk) 17:12, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose - This stupid diversion. Stop throwing mud. Carrite (talk) 17:13, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose. WP:RS policy is about sourcing, and unreliable sources can't be used as, well, sources for information added to Wikipedia articles. But that doesn't mean that every external link needs to be a reliable source. If that were the case, we'd never have any IMDB external links - but IMDB is fine as an external link, providing it is not used as a reliable source to support article content. This latest proposal really does look to me like nothing more than an attempt to throw mud -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 17:21, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He uses these sites both as external sources and as references, see below; and the problem with him writing these is that he copiously introduces copyrighted material on them. Linking to copyright violations isn't allowed on Wikipedia (not as reference, but not as an EL either), and this is a user where we have had copyright problems (on-wiki) before. Extending the topic ban to his off-wiki copyright violations seems only natural. Note that I noted such copyright violations in my initial statement above; so I don't see why you would consider this mud-throwing. Would we allow such links from other editors? Then why would we allow it from RAN, who was already warned often enough about copyright problems. Fram (talk) 08:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose. This doesn't look like a good-faith report for the reasons that Boing and Carrite specify.  Nyttend (talk) 19:01, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose. If you want a community ban, propose one. Don't propose 10 little bans that add up to essentially the same thing. It's starting to look a little WP:POINTy. - The Bushranger One ping only 21:55, 30 January 2013 (UTC)


 * It's not just external links, it's references as well. So no one cares about policy violations and people linking to copyrighted material they uploaded themselves elsewhere, in violation of WP:ELNEVER? Fine by me, I'll just remove them instead of having him banned, and you can all take me to ArbCom and defend why the removal of copyright violations is a problem and the insertion of it isn't. Have any of you actually looked at the problems cited above instead of just seeing "Oh, Richard Arthur Norton does a lot of work, so let's ignore all the problems?". Note that e.g. at William L. Dickinson High School, he uses an article he wrote for familypedia (a wiki) as a reference (not as an external link). The same happens at e.g. Osborne Theomun Olsen. How is this practice acceptable? Instead of hosting copyright violations here (for which he got two CCIs and a topic ban), he hosts them off-wiki and links them from here, and people don't see that a a problem and considering it "throwing mud"? Well, the mud is of his own making, and why people would want to defend it is beyond me. Fram (talk) 08:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * You again are using copyright violation as a synonym for use of copyrighted material and they are not synonyms. My subscription to the New York Times and my subscription to Time magazine both allowed me to use the material for non-commercial uses as does the concept of fair-use. Creating a bibliography of published material using snippets is no different than listing the same snippets here in the reference section. Once again using the the two terms as synonyms is tendentious and incendiary. You are also trying to apply Wikipedia fair-use policy to other websites. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk) 02:58, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No, they are not synonyms. But what you are doing is not "fair use" by any stretch of the imagination. You are copying complete, recent articles (in text form or by using a copy of them), not short excerpts. You just reinserted your link to the Familypedia full copy of a Wall Street Journal article. This is clear and unaùbiguous "linking to a copyright violation". Your defense here, and your actions, show very clerly that you either totally don't get it, after nearly seven years of these discussions with you, or that you totally don't care. Either way, this needs to stop. Fram (talk) 08:59, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Nobody's defending him, per se - it's just that proposing 80 different mini-bans is bordering on disruptive. If he's that big a problem, propose one, comprehensive ban. - The Bushranger One ping only 09:00, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It certainly looks like at least Carrite is defending him, but let's skip that. Do you have any suggestion on what, short of a full ban (which is IMO premature), would be such a comprehensive ban? "Richard Arthur Norton is banned from making or linking to any copyright violations" is a bit ridiculous, since everyone is forbidden to do that. Of course, we could use it in his case with a list of clear block escalations if needed, so that any new violation he makes would be resulting in a block, since he has had all the necessary warnings by now. On the plus side, this would mean that he is again allowed to create pages, but on the other hand any infractions he makes would be dealt with rather severely. Would this be better? Fram (talk) 09:30, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose How about we also ban all editors from uploading any pictures they took themselves or using any of their images in their own edits? Alansohn (talk) 17:51, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * If that regularly included copyright violations, and/or was used as a reference? No need to make a caricature of what is actually a real problem filled with policy violations. Take another example from January 2013, one I haven't used before (apparently there is plenty to chose from). He uses as a reference a link to a Familypedia page to the article David Emanuel Wahlberg; that page hosts a copy of a newspaper article from 1949. Without evidence to the contrary, we have to assume that this page is still copyrighted. Neither the Wikipedia article nor the Familypedia article contain any information about where that article comes from. Why would we allow the link to such pages? Fram (talk) 20:50, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose: Alansohn has a very good point; I've uploaded some pictures myself, over the years. Should that be disallowed because, well, I don't personally pass WP:RS?  No.  I agree with the others; if you want RAN banned outright, propose it.  Otherwise, let it be.   Ravenswing   22:42, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * No he hasn't. It's not about upoading some pictures: it's about writing whole articles, often filled with massive copyright violations, and using those ase references on Wikipedia, instead of avoiding copyright violations. Fram (talk) 06:03, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Reply: I was about to type "I can't imagine that you really believe strident rebuttals of damn near every Oppose helps your case," except that I know better: a lot of folks really do believe that, as well as believe that there genuinely are a lot of editors who will respond to their silvered prose by clapping hands to foreheads and gasping "My god! How horribly wrong I was!"  I am, however, not one of them, and you may spare your eloquence for the next half-dozen Opposes.   Ravenswing   07:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Let's find a path forward
Assuming there's no massive sentiment for retribution for RAN ill-advisedly starting a (non-copyright violating) stub around his topic ban on creating new articles, let's figure out how to end this situation, shall we? Richard is #83 on the list of most-active editors, with 143,500 edits, give or take. He is #87 on the list of most articles created, with just shy of 3,000 starts. He is, in short, a massively productive and valuable content-creator.

Richard has screwed up by pumping in copyright violations here and there, particularly in the past, particularly in the form of excessively close paraphrase of sources — as I understand. The copyright violation investigation of his work was massive, bringing under the microscope EVERYTHING. Wouldn't it make sense to have Moodridden Moonridden Girl, etc. stop by offer their opinions about what they have found in terms of their investigation?

Let's hear if those most familiar with Richard's work feel he is an actual threat to the project with ongoing copyright concerns. Does he, in their opinion, "get it" or not?

I would also like to hear Richard's perspective here. What happened, why, and will it happen again?

Once this is cleared up, assuming others closely involved with the cleanup think Richard gets it, assuming Richard indicates himself that he gets it, let's come up with a mechanism to restore his work to a state of normalcy, which will involve, I think, multiple people peering over his shoulder for a while... Carrite (talk) 03:41, 31 January 2013 (UTC) Last edit: Carrite (talk) 04:50, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I think some of his copyright problems were much more significant than you imply. But otherwise I'm fully in agreement with you. Hobit (talk) 05:15, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * He doesn't get it at all, he is still linking to pages where he uploaded copyright violations, he is still adding problematic pictures much too frequently, he is defending e.g. his links to findagrave because they allow the upload of copyrighted pictures. On January 7 2013, he linked to his own upload of a NYT article (copyrighted) in findagrave (a wiki), and used that as a reference for an article. Other links have the same problem, he e.g. links to, which has clearly an excessive use of copyrighted text and can not be considered "fair use" at all. And this is not solely the case with "old" familypedia pages, on 12 January 2013 he linked Paramus High School to , a page which he created in January 2013, and which is a full copy of a Wall Street Journal article from 2012. There can hardly be any dispute that this is a pure and blatant copyright violation. So, to reply to the original question, no, he doesn't get it and and is a threat with his ongoing copyright violations. Fram (talk) 08:59, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What's the current policy or guideline (links please) that specifically addresses that behavior? It does sound problematic but we need to judge it against current policy and guidelines (please link them again here, if you have already done so).  From the User's response above it does not appear he really understands the legal limitations on "educational use" off wiki (eg.  you cannot republish on the internet in full or substantial part copyrighted material and call it covered by fair educational use) but what is the policy/guideline here regarding citations to such off-wiki things, or do we need new ones? Alanscottwalker (talk) 12:44, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * WP:ELNEVER point 1 is the applicable guideline here, "editors are restricted from linking to the following, without exception:" (emphasis in original)this guideline is directly based on WP:COPYLINK, which is the applicable policy here: it states a.o. "However, if you know or reasonably suspect that an external Web site is carrying a work in violation of the creator's copyright, do not link to that copy of the work." Linking to such a site or page is not allowed; first creating such a copyright violation and then linking to it is, IMO, even worse. Fram (talk) 13:01, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you. Alanscottwalker (talk) 13:08, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * "Return to normalcy", indeed. The Harding administration draws quite a few parallels to the "protect our content contributors" movement, when you think about it. Anyway, the way forward here is a week-long block in line with our usual practice of escalating blocks upon repeated topic ban violations; there's relatively little support for additional restrictions at this time, though it's pretty obvious to me that RAN knows he's deliberately circumventing the sentiment behind our copyright policies with the external site linking stuff. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 13:29, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks for pointing out that needed a Stub tag. Ugh, what a terrible piece... Harding, to his credit, did see to the release of many of the hundreds of political prisoners that Woodrow Wilson and his regime had imprisoned during the war. The parallel is apt. Carrite (talk) 16:46, 31 January 2013 (UTC) Last edit: Carrite (talk) 17:06, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

The approach so many seem to advocate -- keep on punishing RAN until he gives in -- is by definition "punitive" and guaranteed to be ineffective; You simply can't punish someone into respecting authority, though the former Soviet Union's gulag system did work in some cases. I'm trying to build an encyclopedia here and I still haven't seen how any of RAN's actions interfere with that or where the imminent danger is that Blocking policy requires before imposing a block. Rather than gathering pitchforks and torches and demanding retribution, I fully support Carrite's approach of trying to figure out how to emphasize the remarkably positive aspects of RAN's contributions and thereby maximize the benefit to this encyclopedia. Alansohn (talk) 19:55, 31 January 2013 (UTC) I agree wholeheartedly with Bushranger. if it was Alansohn's way, WP would operate with zero blocks and topic bans. Community and admin consensus of rules would be irrelevant. Nor do I agree with this sentiment "he's a prolific editor therefore let's relax any rules and overlook breaking of WP rules. he gets special dispensation to anyone else who breaks the same rules because he's a great guy." LibStar (talk) 03:14, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * RAN does not seem to have respect for other editors and administrators who repeatedly warn him to clean up his act but continues to thumb his nose at them by his continued actions. Steelbeard1 (talk) 15:15, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't think that Carrite is really interested in a "path forward" when he categorizes the opinions of other editors that a violation of a topic ban ought to result in a block as "retribution". In any case, a block is the only way forward.  Give RAN whatever block is appropriate in the circumstances, let him wait it out, and when he returns to editing let's see what he does.  If his behavior then warrants changes in the topic ban - one way or the other - that can be dealt with, but in the meantime, the block is the only legitimate path forward. Beyond My Ken (talk) 16:19, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Let's spell it out: A topic ban was imposed. He was informed that if he violated it, he would be blocked, no exceptions. He has violated it. If you want to say "don't block" you have completely undermined the entire concept of topic bans. This is not "retribution", this is "enforcement of what he was told would happen", and this is also the "vested contributors are allowed to violate policy scot-free - because, content!" thing rearing its filthy head yet again. - The Bushranger One ping only 20:28, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Let's spell it out: You have completely undermined Blocking policy by advocating a punitive block. Shouldn't admins be required to have read Blocking policy, at least once, before advocating imposing a block for purely punitive purposes? Alansohn (talk) 21:50, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The block is not punitive when it is imposed as part of a sanction that was put in place by the community. It's preventitive in that it informs the user their conduct was inappropriate and should not be repeated. And your implication that I have not read the policy is disengienous, unappreciated, and, in fact, just plain wrong. Nobody is advocating a punitive or policy-violating block. What is being advocated is a block in accordance with policy. WP:BAN: "Dissuading or preventing banned editors from editing Wikipedia or the relevant area of the ban" is part of ban enforcement. A failure to block for the violation does not dissuade. This is, as I said, nothing more and nothing less than the usual contention that as long as they produce "content", an editor can get away with anything, and the enforcement of Wikipeida policy on a "content contributor" is admin abuse, wrong, punitive, etc. I've always anticipated that the ritual flouting of WP:CIVIL along those lines would be the camel's nose for tossing aside other inconvenient policies because "they contribute content!" - and here it is for those who care to see it. - The Bushranger One ping only 22:24, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Eh, "In general once a matter has become "cold" and the risk of present disruption has clearly ended, reopening it by blocking retrospectively is usually not seen as appropriate."  We could argue if the risk of present disruption has clearly ended or not, but I don't think "present" in this case would apply to something on the scale of weeks. YMMV.  If he breaks his ban again, it's very (very) likely someone will notice quite quickly.   Hobit (talk) 01:26, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Alansohn: Punitive! Punitive! Punitive!
 * Everyone else: We don't think it's punitive because of reasons X, Y, Z.
 * A: Punitive! Blocking policy! Punitive punitive! OMG punitive!
 * EE: Again, we disagree because of these reasons...
 * A: But punitive! OMFG punitive! Aaaaa! Vindictive! Bloodlust! Puuuuuuuuniiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiive!!1!!!!eleven!!!
 * Rinse and repeat. Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  01:32, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I object to being left out of your play (although I think it would work better as an operetta). Could you please give me at least a bit part?   :-)  Hobit (talk) 02:01, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, I did have you in "AfD: the Musical", where you lead off with "I am the very model of a moderate inclusionist" but I can't think of anything that rhymes with that. Reyk  <sub style="color:blue;">YO!  03:17, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks, made my day (night). Hobit (talk) 04:45, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It would be very G&S to rhyme "inclusionist" with "enthusinist". Beyond My Ken (talk) 05:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Complete and total BS. I'd support a block if there was imminent disruption, i.e., if it was happening now. It's not. Reyk can invoke a pathetic attempt at humor and the two of you can make shameless personal attacks, but the plain truth is that no one has rebutted a very simple reading of Blocking policy. Zero. Zilch. Nada. User:Hobit has pointed out above "I don't think 'present' in this case would apply to something on the scale of weeks" and he and I are far from the only ones who have pointed out that there is nothing here to justify a preventative block. But if the point is to show that Wikipedia justice is a complete and total joke and that its cast of admins are clueless about policy, then Reyk and his theatre company have succeeded in spades. Bravo! Alansohn (talk) 04:41, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Then you agree that if they can successfully evade scruitny to the point where a block becomes "punitive" - whenever that is - then any editor may violate a topic ban with impunity? - The Bushranger One ping only 05:03, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Since it's clear that no one's going to block RAN for his violation of his topic ban, because they would have done so by now, it's probably best if this is closed, and a congratulatory basket of fruit sent to RAN for having successfully gotten away with it. I assume from here on out there will be multiple eyes on RAN's edits, and that a block will ensue the next time he violates his ban -- and an immediate block, please, so that no one can do the "punitive" song-and-dance about it.  (By the way, when does that block suddenly cease being preventative and start being punitive?  10 minutes?  30 minutes?  A hour?  A day?  A week?   Meh, the illogic of this way of thinking simply baffles me.  Beyond my ken, indeed.) Beyond My Ken (talk) 05:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank ___ we're not robots Lets start pretending we're working to build an encyclopedia and RAN is part of that effort. They want to help, have helped, and have made mistakes. Let's move beyond the spite and find a way to welcome their contributions. Insomesia (talk) 06:04, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Section break
"a congratulatory basket of fruit sent to RAN for having successfully gotten away with it" LOL. LibStar (talk) 06:18, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There are those of us who don't find it grounds for laughter.   Ravenswing   07:36, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * LibStar, you might want to make yourself a party to Fram's ArbCom case, since I am sure the relationship between you and he [Norton] at Articles for Deletion will be something that comes up during the process of their collection of evidence and that your activity here has made you a directly involved party. Carrite (talk) 18:32, 1 February 2013 (UTC) Carrite (talk) 18:37, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I see that LibStar is quoting and juvenilely LOLing a comment made by Beyond My Ken, who at least provides some context for the sarcasm. Carrite (talk) 22:05, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

ArbCom started
Since the community clearly can't find a resolution for this, the copyright problems are continuing, and enough dispute resolution has been attempted, I have started an ArbCom case at Arbitration/Requests. I have only named myself (as filer) and Richard Arthur Norton as parties, I don't believe it makes any sense to list others as parties as well, but if anyone feels that they are a party in this as well, they are free to add themselves of course. Fram (talk) 09:53, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I actually had a proposal this morning that might have passed muster from all parties here. It's not as difficult as you make it. Rendered moot. Carrite (talk) 17:48, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I have made myself a party to Fram's case and urged ArbCom to decline his request until I have a chance to make my next proposal here. The ball is in ArbCom's court, if they want to proceed, they can proceed and I will make my proposal in that context; if they prefer to let things happen first here I would hope for a speedy temporary declination there and I will proceed. I further add that I find LibStar's flippant mockery above to be thoroughly unhelpful and urge him to stand aside if he can't be productive. Carrite (talk) 18:01, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * carrite, a number of editors have been very frustrated with Richard's ongoing long term behavior, despite repeated blocks and warnings. I do wonder why he continues to goad everyone. Also do you accept that consensus here is that you would not make an appropriate mentor for Richard. Despite your good intentions. Also if it goes to arbcom so be it, but there doesn't appear to be consensus yet. LibStar (talk) 05:45, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Richard doesn't need a mentor so much as he needs an advisor, advice which I'm happy to give if he reaches out. Or he might try talking to Malleus or Kiefer Wolfowitz or another feisty, opinionated content-creator — there are several who would be sympatico and excellent in that regard. He knows how to reach me or them. There is a way out, I think, which involves another trip to the woodshed — which he has taken before — and some very real effort on his part to help broker a solution. I presume that any return he is able to make to active content-creation is going to be accompanied by a very large informal "board of oversight," which will include you and Fram and many others. He's going to need to be cognizant of that and I don't think anybody should have a problem with that. And he needs to make it very, very clear that he honestly "gets it." I understand the ongoing copyright concerns; I hope others understand the very great contributions he has made to the project and his inevitable frustration at having been boxed by open-ended restrictions upon him. I will make a very lengthy proposal here shortly, assuming that ArbCom defers taking the case, which I hope will be grudgingly accepted by all parties. Carrite (talk) 06:31, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Carrite, I would be willing to give this a chance in some way if there was any indication that he gets it. But his actions right now flatly contradicts this, both his defense in this discussion and his actions: I listed the article Paramus High School above, where he linked to a familypedia page he wrote that contained nothing but a full copy of a Wall Street Journal article from 2012. This link was removed (not by me), but Richard Arthur Norton just readded it. Still hoping, after nearly seven years, that this will get better, seems hopeless to me. Fram (talk) 09:07, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Another example, this time from Commons (but linked to from the en Wikipedia article). In January 2013, he uploaded File:David Emanuel Wahlberg 1949 obituary 2.png. His "creative" use of two different, equally unapplicable, public domain licensing templates, doesn't give me any confidence that he can be trusted with file uploads and the determination of whether things are public domain or not. (If explanation is needed nevertheless: the first license is for old Swedish "pictures", not scans of newspaper articles; and the second license is for things published in the US, not things published in Sweden). Fram (talk) 10:05, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Duly noted. Carrite (talk) 16:48, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * This ought to be interesting, although I will note that Wikipedia is going to run into serious problems if you keep banning all of the content creators. The Master ---)Vote Saxon(--- 06:54, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * If they can't create content while remaining within policy - especially WP:COPYVIO - then they shouldn't be editing here. Q.E.D. - The Bushranger One ping only 07:14, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Concerns for 67.183.80.158
Earlier today, was blocked with an expiry time of 2 weeks for block evasion and disruptive editing, but this user has previously been indefinitely blocked under the usernames  and, first for personal attacks and harassment, and then for block evasion. My concern is that once the block lifts for 67.183.80.158 in two weeks, it is probable that the user will continue their disruptive behavior, which recently included what appears to be stalking of User:Cyberlink420's and User:Moscowconnection's contributions and reverting their recent edits to articles the user never previously edited, which can be seen in, , and. The user also has a history of using edit summaries to make it appear as if they are reverting vandalism, when they are in fact vandalizing articles themselves, which include numerous diffs on and on  (which include this and this).

So based on the user's history of harassment, vandalism and block evasion, would it be possible to also indefinitely block the IP address the user edits with? Or would this only occur if/when the user returns after the two week block is lifted and they come back to continue with their behavior?--  十  八  07:03, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * We almost never indefinitely block IPs, because IP addresses regularly get reassigned to other people. Even a static IP address is likely to be eventually reassigned, and if it's dynamic it can be reassigned just by restarting your modem. And then there are IPs which are technically dynamic, but which persist for weeks or months before changing (mine is like that). So I'd say leave it at the two weeks, and then escalate if it continues after that and it is clear that it is still the same person. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 07:23, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Would it make any difference by pointing out that, as, the user used personal attacks in which the edit summaries for both diffs in which it occurred, here and here, were suppressed? My main concern is that if the user once again gets into a conflict with me or another user, that this will occur again, so for the sake of protecting a user's privacy, would an indefinite block be justifiable?--  十  八  07:58, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, do you think it would be fair to indefinitely block all possible future users of an IP address just because the person who it currently happens to be assigned to is abusing it? No, of course it wouldn't, and that is why we do not indefinitely block IP addresses. If this IP address turns out to be static and/or assigned to the same subscriber for a reasonably long time, then a longer block can be used - but not an indefinite one. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 08:05, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't call this editor a pure vandal yet. What happened is that after a few edits of his were reverted with an assumption of good faith, he resorted to false edit summaries to make his edits appear not serious. He also leaves the same references while twisting the text to say what he likes instead of what the sources say. And he deletes the parts he doesn't like even if they are referenced. When I started reverting his edits assuming bad faith, he reacted by committing vandalism. --Moscow Connection (talk) 10:24, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * But I too think that if the IP continues, the block should be much longer. I think the editor is dangerous to Wikipedia because he is becoming skillful at false edit summaries and thus he may cause damage that will go undetected. Also, if you look at the IP's edits, he is interested in very controversial topics. I'm looking at his edits and I frankly don't know if I should just revert all of them or not. As I say, his edits don't appear malicious, they appear constructive at first, but he seems to have some strong opinions and twists everything to say what he wants. Since I've seen him leave the same references while inserting different data (like here and here), I am afraid I will be tempted to revert him on sight in the future. At first, these edits seem to be in good faith (there is a 13-year old trainee in AKB48 currently), but he doesn't want to discuss the matter and tries to push his corrections through by force. For now, I will leave his edits to the topics I don't know anything about be. --Moscow Connection (talk) 10:24, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * By the way, I started a discussion about the AKB48 members age range here: Talk:AKB48. Anyway, as I said his edits may look constructive but he gets nasty when he is opposed. If he continues with more constructive edits, he may still be useful to Wikipedia. --Moscow Connection (talk) 11:11, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

User:Gareth Griffith-Jones' attitude
I have a bit of a problem with the attitude of User:Gareth Griffith-Jones. Since I came across him about a week ago, I've sensed nothing but aggression and even a hint of bullying. The edit summary on this revision is evidence of that, in my opinion. He has also been quite aggressive towards me when I attempted to make changes he didn't like on the recent Six Nations Championship articles. I made this same point to Gareth earlier today, but he just deleted the message from his talk page; this is, of course, his wont, but I feel that it would have helped his position if he'd shown at least a little remorse for his conduct. Because of that lack of remorse, it seemed appropriate to bring the issue here, since any further attempts at direct communication would no doubt have been met with the same silence as just now. – PeeJay 19:17, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Note As expected, the notice of this report was deleted within a minute of me posting it on his talk page. Clearly there is an attitude problem here and a lack of respect for Wikipedia and its users. – PeeJay 19:36, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I looked into this. You are involved in a content dispute over at Talk:2012 Six Nations Championship.  Gareth has attempted to support a compromise in that discussion while you and others have not. Although that doesn't lend any validity to either position, your attempt at starting this incident report confuses the content issue with one of conduct.  I looked at your diffs and your interaction with the reported user and find nothing out of the ordinary.  In other words, the conduct of the user is well within the normal range.  As a result, I recommend the closure of this thread. Viriditas (talk) 20:30, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I disagree. The other user has not really attempted to provide any reason for their position on the issues in question, making compromise irrelevant. They have simply dismissed the status quo using a variant of WP:IDONTLIKEIT and in my opinion they have been overly aggressive about it. The actual issues at hand are irrelevant, it is the conduct of other users that needs addressing. – PeeJay 21:14, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * As an outsider to this conflict and the involved personalities, let me tell you what I see: an inflexible position on your end, combined with an attempt to harass your opponent on his talk page and then using that harassment to justify a conduct report on ANI. There's nothing for anyone to do here.  You should instead focus on resolving the dispute on the article talk page. Viriditas (talk) 21:18, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Also, it's perfectly alright for him to remove the notice from his talk page. - The Bushranger One ping only 00:45, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There are no Wikipedia policies governing how long someone is supposed to wait before removing notices or missives from other editors from their user pages. There are likewise no Wikipedia policies requiring that an editor show remorse to you for his sins, real or imagined, and there are sure as hell no policies justifying you bringing him to ANI solely on the strength of him failing to do so.  Would you care to spell out just what Wikipedia policies you claim he is breaking?   Ravenswing   08:11, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * In my opinion, anyone who states "The actual issues at hand are irrelevant, it is the conduct of other users that needs addressing." is the one with the attitude problem. The actual issues at hand are the only reason anyone should be here doing anything. From the looks of things it appears you don't want to compromise, don't want to be particularly civil yourself and are hoping that you can ignore any real discussion and then get the other user in trouble to get him out of the way so you can do what you want to do on the article. The best way to prove to us that you are acting with the best interest of the project in mind instead of petty personal desires is to start talking about the actual issues at hand. DreamGuy (talk) 19:29, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Lugnuts
I recommend administrative action against Lugnuts. After what I believe was a fair effort on my part to ask this editor to use edit summaries and not engage in vandalism, the editor engaged in quite obvious incivility.

No edit summaries Initial vandalism Obvious incivility,

I'm asking for administrative action in the form of a final warning or even a block. Any one of these behaviors in isolation wouldn't be enough, but editors operating in good faith shouldn't have to contend with this level of malicious antagonism. Chicken Wing (talk) 10:54, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * ... and you'll be notifying him of this report as required? Plus, you approached him a mere hour ago, were you going to wait for him to reply? (✉→BWilkins←✎) 11:04, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I notified him originally on my talk page where he (or she) had edited, and then to make sure it was seen, posted it in both places. So, yes I did, though you may have posted here before I had time to post both notices. The user has replied, with incivility, to every comment I have made.  You can look at the edit Lugnuts has made below, and the user's antagonistic tone becomes pretty obvious.  Chicken Wing (talk) 11:18, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Jesus wept. I'm not using edit summaries. Get over it. Move on. I try to talk to this user, but he/she keeps blanking my edits. Doesn't help, does it?  Lugnuts  Dick Laurent is dead 11:07, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * From WP:VAND - "Notify administrators of vandalizing users who persist despite warnings". So where is the presitant vandalism? Looks like Chicken Nuggets has shot himself in the foot.  Lugnuts  Dick Laurent is dead 11:11, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I gave you a fair warning for vandalism. I didn't report you to administrators only for vandalism. Nor were you reported only for failure to use edit summaries as your previous comment implied.  You're being reported for a wide range of misbehavior.  And even then, I am not strenuously pushing for a block.  Even a final warning from an administrator would do.  It seems reasonable that if an editor cleans up your mess (an act of vandalism in this case), having to endure incivility would be insult to injury.  I should point out also that the poor behavior continues in your above post for everyone to see.  Chicken Wing (talk) 11:18, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "a wide range of misbehavior" - Go on, expand on that one. You're the lawyer afterall. I'm dying to hear this.  Lugnuts  Dick Laurent is dead 11:21, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Failure to use edit summaries, vandalism, incivility, and gaming the system. As I mentioned, any one of these in isolation probably wouldn't be a big deal if it happened once, but this was repeated acts, and you continue to engage in incivility and efforts to game the system even after being posted here.  You were given chances to let this go, and you chose to make it worse.  Just the attitude you have displayed in this section alone should also make it clear that you are not willing to tone it down.  Chicken Wing (talk) 11:31, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * In and of itself, failure to use edit summaries is not something we block about. It is, however, usually a sign that the individual is WP:NOTHERE or at least not willing to abide by community standards. A sniper was killed by a sniper - although ironic, it's incredibly insensitive to insert a wikilink to irony on their article, or even state that you're "laughing about it" - it's a loss of human life, and any human being with a shred of decency does not defile that. It's as bad as the church that pickets military funerals. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 11:15, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * OK, not to draw this out, but you've never laughed at a dead celebrity joke? Ever? In any case, the ironic edit was removed in double-quick time.  Lugnuts  Dick Laurent is dead 11:18, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I don't think this is a block-worthy offence, but, seriously - have some class, please. If you'd like to make others laugh, go to one of the comedy clubs in your area. Keep the jokes out of mainspace articles. m.o.p  11:41, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Note that per the sources, the sniper was shot dead at point blank range not sniped. There may be some irony here, but not that much so really the joke is even sillier. Nil Einne (talk) 12:42, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Was this main space edit and the comment about the sniper in incredibly bad taste? Probably. Has Lugnuts abused you in any way shape or form Chicken Wing, apart from a couple of light-hearted remarks? I don't think so. Lugnuts not using edit summaries is not really something you should be that bothered about - certainly not to take it to this level. Lukeno94 (talk) 12:50, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Lukeno94, I apologize in advance for singling you out. I don't know you.  I have no reason to think you are anything other than a good Wikipedia editor and a decent person off this site.  But your edit annoyed me, and in a way I suppose it's what I expected when I posted the original ANI comment.
 * The main space edit wasn't just in bad taste, it was vandalism. Yes, Lugnuts was abusive, and no, comments about death on someone's talk page are generally not considered light-hearted.  Your third edit falsifies what has happened here, as Lugnuts wasn't brought to ANI for not using edit summaries.  In fact, I even stated in my original post that none of the edits taken in isolation are enough to be here.
 * This is what I expected though. Every single act the user has engaged in that I brought up has been downplayed, and in your comment and in the first comment by BWilkins, I am actually the one facing questioning instead of the offender.  Now, it's obvious to me that Lugnuts is an abusive editor, but it appears we're all willing to play dumb about it.  So let me add some more evidence, and let me state, this isn't necessarily all the evidence.  This is just what I found after looking for the obvious:
 * ,, , , ,
 * There's also this likely sock edit:
 * I asked for a block or even just a final warning in my original post. That's still all I'm asking for.  Just an admin to tell Lugnuts this kind of behavior can't be tolerated on Wikipedia, and you'll be blocked if it continues.
 * I don't know though. Reading through this, it would appear maybe this kind of behavior is tolerated.  Chicken Wing (talk) 13:21, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Don't worry, I've not taken offence at you your comments, I shall respond to them. I do not believe I condoned Lugnuts' edits that are directly referring to the sniper's death. The "light-hearted remarks" refers to his pun on your name, and the "don't let the door hit you" comment. The issue with the edit summary thing is that you're the one who brought the information about it here, and you're the one who cited it in things that Lugnuts should be punished for. I would not consider Lugnuts to have been abusive - crass, yes, but abusive, no, and certainly not to you. I'd leave the socking remarks out unless you intend to take him to a SPI. "Jesus wept" isn't really a bad edit summary; "fuck off and die" IS, however. I couldn't really care less about the missing edit summaries, but it seems that Lugnuts is indeed capable of being very aggressive if something doesn't go his way. Lukeno94 (talk) 14:01, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Aggressive? Maybe. But I wouldn't shoot you in the face about it. I guess deadpan humour isn't everyone's cup of tea. The sock claim is laughable. I look forward to Wings' proof behind this and his stalking of my edits. I guess there's not a lot to do in Texas. Well, maybe join the NRA.  Lugnuts  Dick Laurent is dead 14:24, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It's not the deadpan humor; it's the deadpan humor in the article. The sock claim isn't laughable; it's an IP address that's made one edit, and that one edit was a profane defense of your use of your user space.  I'm not about to defend "stalking" your edits, but I am admittedly mildly interested at this point in seeing if an admin acts like that's not a transparently bad faith effort to twist my legitimate use of your edit history.  Your arguments here are weak and your attitude overtly contentious.  Fortunately, it appears the entirety of foul edit history is going to be referred to as "failure to use edit summaries", etc. and dismissed.  Chicken Wing (talk) 14:39, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * As others have indicated, there is nothing AN/I-worthy here. Bundling failure to use edit summaries in with the editor's comment that he thinks them a waste of time (etc.) does not rise to the level of block-worthy behavior.--Epeefleche (talk) 14:20, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * By "etc." do you mean vandalism, gaming the system, repeated insults, telling people to fuck off and die, calling them twats, calling an admin a coward and spineless, and so forth? Come on. I feel like I should be blocked for just repeating those things.  I'm going to start using this line of reasoning from now on.  "What, O.J. is being brought to trial for owning a glove, thinks it doesn't fit, etc.?"  "What, people don't like Ray Lewis because he got blood on his white suit, threw it away, etc.?"  Sweet Sassy Molassy.  Chicken Wing (talk) 14:30, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * My comments refer to 3 of your 4 diffs, which focus on failure to use edit summaries and on discussion in regards to that choice. AN/I is for admin action, such as blocks, and looking at the diffs you present I don't see them as rising to that level.--Epeefleche (talk) 15:07, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That just isn't true. I really don't understand what is going on here.  I originally posted four links.  One deals completely with edit summaries.  One is vandalism, and two are incivility.  Later I posted seven more, none of which dealt with lack of edit summaries.  That's 11 links, only one of which is failure to use edit summaries.  3 of 4? I mean, I'm not mad at you.  I'm really not.  I'm trying to make this work, but I feel like I'm in a parallel universe.  Right now, an admin is having to remove comments made by Lugnuts from this very discussion (!) because they were too childish, and yet you're questioning me with terribly incorrect facts.  Chicken Wing (talk) 15:22, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Looks like I'm the only admin who's posted here who believes that Lugnuts should be blocked for their behavior. I believe the block was justified based on the OP's original comments. Taken in combination, they justify a block, even though the lack of edit summaries and the incivility diffs would not by themselves justify a block. However, the irony addition to the article is blockable all by itself. Wikipedia article space is not an editor's toy to make a political point or, worse, to make a "joke" (all agree that the "joke" is in incredibly poor taste). Beyond that, though, Lugnuts's behavior here has only made a block more justifiable as they refuse to acknowledge any problem and continue to behave in an immature and disruptive manner. (The edit summary insult diffs (twat, etc.) are pretty old and don't do much except maybe show a pattern of behavior. I find it interesting, though, that Lugnuts uses edit summaries to attack when reverting but not to explain their own edits.)--Bbb23 (talk) 15:58, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No you're not the only one, Bbb23. This was just crass and almost looks like Lugnuts is seeing how far he can go in thumbing his nose before a block is enacted. Go ahead and briefly block for pure disruption, though it's probably what he wants so he can call "foul". Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  16:12, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I've blocked them for 36 hours for disruptive editing and pointed to this arbitration principle, which, without getting into specifics, sums up the situation relatively concisely.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:32, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Lugnuts seems to have a clear history of gaming the system by using as much abusive language as possible while still managing to escape unscathed. The user has been blocked twice for edit warring, but the user's history is also filled with etiquette complaints and other avenues for conflict resolution on Wikipedia, but most have resulted in no action. In some cases, Lugnuts has badgered users until they've left the project.  Here are more abusive diffs in case this discussion has to be referred to in the future, , , , , , , and
 * Lugnuts also denied this IP address edit was a sock. But compare the insult there to the insult used by Lugnuts here.  Bad stuff.  Chicken Wing (talk) 16:45, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * OK Chicken Wing, that's enough: Lugnuts is blocked. If you want (more) blood, you should try a different avenue. FWIW, I agree with Bbb's block and would not oppose a closer look at Lugnuts's editing behavior in a different forum (it's not an ANI matter). Drmies (talk) 16:53, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Good block. And beware of making assumptions, as the IP could be a copycat. Either way, using an IP potentially exposes the IP vandal's possible location, which is not very smart of him. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:56, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Nice to see there are some admins still willing to enforce a modicum of standards. 188.26.163.111 (talk) 16:57, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I support the block for vandalism.--v/r - TP 18:24, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Reasonable block, Lugnuts was pretty obviously trolling. Perhaps he should consider using Encyclopedia Dramatica as an outlet in similar situations. Mark Arsten (talk) 18:54, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

User:SPECIFICO
Hello,

I would be grateful if you could review SPECIFICO's activities on WP. His short record is already abysmal. He has already been warned by numerous editors, and blocked for edit warring. This has not modified his stance, much to the contrary. He has been following-me through my edits, reverting good-faith contributions, and refused to participate in the discussions I proposed. I have tried to politely ask him to cease and desist (here and here). I have the strong impression he is using WP to push his point of view. Your intervention would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Alfy32 (talk) 16:55, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You need to provide more evidence (diffs) of a specific problem. This isn't a forum to "review" another editor's behavior generally. Also, if you know enough to come to ANI, then you should also know you must notify SPECIFICO as the instructions clearly state at the top of this page; I've done so for you.--Bbb23 (talk) 17:15, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment – This ANI is not well taken. Bringing up the start-off editing history,  and calling it "abysmal", only re-hashes a learning experience and improperly characterizes the case at present.  Alfy32 has a very short history of editing, and implying that SPECIFICO is wikihounding is ill-founded. I've observed that SPECIFICO has responded well to various criticisms, and his edits (for the most part) stand on their own two feet. Please close this ANI immediately.  – S. Rich (talk) 18:21, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

Shiny new editor Gravitycollapse and yet another MOS-ditching editwar

 * Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Ships
 * Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Ships

Will someone please throw a bucket of water over this before it even starts. N-bomb dropped already. Godwins' law armed and waiting.

Also, is socking in evidence yet? This sort of mule-headed single-position edit-warring is usually socked from one of the regulars, but I just can't think who it might be? TobiasConradi? Apteva? Andy Dingley (talk) 02:48, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Using the "N-bomb" instead of the intended word, nigger, is an offense to straightforwardness. You're getting away with saying words without suffering the consequences of their observation. I am not attempting to rouse protest by my usage of the term. I am trying to prove a point. As can already be observed, my systematic editing has ceased and I am now only participating in the discussion.


 * Bucket of water has been thrown and the fire is out. Gravitycollapse (talk) 03:02, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, you have aroused protest by your use of the term. (And by your preemptory manner of address).  So, it would be good to modify all that. -- Alanscottwalker (talk) 03:12, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'd strongly advise you to drop the issue before you do something you really regret. You won't achieve anything, so it's just a waste of everyone's time. Give it up. — Rutebega ( talk ) 03:17, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Your advice is duly noted. However, I will not volunteer to censor my posts because my argument ruffles feathers. As I've already stated, my actions are not meant to generate protest. Quite the opposite actually. Gravitycollapse (talk) 03:34, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * People choose to be offended by things all the time. That does not mean we at Wikipedia are responsible for changing that which you have chosen to find offensive.  So far you seem to be trying to swim up a waterfall with this little crusade. I trust statements like " I will be continuously altering these pages as it is on my project list. I will be monitoring these alterations for any attempts to revert them back. It might be wise to let this one go." are not indicative of your future editing habits? Resolute 03:23, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * One would expect my actual future habits to be proper indicators of my future habits. Hence, if you choose to generalize my agenda, you should at the very least consider the posts I've actually made since then. -Gravitycollapse (talk) 03:43, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

My comments were made based on my perception that specific users were reverting my posts arbitrarily. You will notice that as a number of users protested, I halted my editing and started a discussion. My original intent to edit was made under the assumption that altering to gender neutral pronouns was both logically correct and non-controversial. Obviously that is not the case. Gravitycollapse (talk) 03:34, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, perfectly straightforward and non-controversial -- which is why you felt it necessary to include the edit summaries "This is a permanent change. Please do not alter my edits. I will be monitoring" and "Reconverting back to gender neutral pronouns. Please do not change this. Thank you". So no, you were perfectly aware of what you were doing and attempting to impose your changes by fiat. --Calton | Talk 03:48, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Guys, can we all try to remain a little more civil, less sarcastic, and a little nicer here? The user in question (Gravitycollapse) is in fact in discussion, and has not made any edits changing the wordage in a while. As long as the user continues to discuss instead of editing (barring any consensus for the change in question), I feel no action is necessary. gwickwire  talk edits 03:57, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I think it's perfectly clear that Gravitycollapse has changed his position since he made those edits, so it's probably best not to badger him about them. There's no obvious evidence of sockpuppetry, and Gc shows many signs of a newbie editor. He is no longer edit warring, and apparently doesn't intend to repeat this behavior. Oh, and if you're bothered by his use of the word nigger: while it was insensitive and unproductive, Wikipedia isn't censored, and it was by no means a personal attack. I think if Gravitycollapse can a. accept consensus and b. understand pertinent policies and guidelines moving forward, then there's nothing else to be done. — Rutebega ( talk ) 04:08, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Closing this down, as discussion seems to be going forward, and this doesn't look like anyone needs a block.  -- Jayron  32  04:48, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

EMr_KnG
is very obviously a "man on a mission", i. e. falsifying Wikipedia articles by trying to "Turkify" everything. He does not have much knowledge of history, has no relevant or reliable sources to present, in fact, he does not even know English but - judging based on his writings - is most likely using some kind of an online translator. Right now, he is putting the (Anatolian) Turkish name of various historical people directly in the first line of the respective article, even though the Turkish language has absoloutely nothing to do with them. On his user page, he claims that various historical people or societies were Turks, even though scholars (and obvious historical and archaelogical evidence) say something different. Admin attention is needed. He has been asked by me and others to stop this, on his own talk page and on my talk page, as well as various other talk-pages. --Lysozym (talk) 10:23, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * This pretty much sums it up, I'm sorry to say. I've been hoping he'll take the hint but he is now quite time-consuming. Advice and help would be welcome. Richard Keatinge (talk) 11:35, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Rather than dropping the block bomb on them, as they seem to be a relatively new user having only started last year and only editing sporadically, it might be worth dropping by to the Turkish WikiProject to see if anyone there is bilingual in Turkish and english to explain to them what they need to do here.Blackmane (talk) 11:51, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Yup. Adding the Turkish translations of non-Turk-related individuals might be appropriate on say ... a Turkish Wikipedia, but not here.  Give him some guidance first, I'd hate to give an "attention-getting" block yet (✉→BWilkins←✎) 11:56, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

I am not asking for a block. I would welcome any kind of help. And if this user learns and agrees to contribute in an appropriate manner, he should have all freedom to improve Wikipedia. Currently, however, he is doing exactly the opposite. --Lysozym (talk) 12:12, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * What did I do? I present source. And also my claim adverse does not say anything on the page. Therefore taken back to why you do not understand what I write. EMr KnG (talk) 12:39, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The problem with your editing is that you're adding a lot of unverified information, particularly with respect to adding Turkic to subjects related to the Mughal empire. It looks like you are trying to attribute the Mughal empire to a Turkic ancestry. Without going into the content, you have been reverted each time because you made these changes without an adequate reliable source. Your systematic pursuit in doing so lends a distinctly nationalistic flavour to your editing (which is not meant to be insulting but merely a description). If you can bring up reliable sources, then there is certainly room for discussion on the talk page as to how it would be included into the article. The only sources you have been using are all written in Turkish. Although non-english sources are allowed, they're generally only used if no other sources can be found. Nonetheless, I think we need to find a turkish speaker to make the details clearer. Blackmane (talk) 13:48, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Unfamiliarity with the source material is the only reason I haven't already given EMr KnG a couple of days off. Am I right in saying that the basic gist here is that EMr KnG is pushing for various historical figures and peoples to be labelled as Turkish or Turks against scholarly consensus which doesn't agree with this, and edit warring to retain this? And that this has been the sole focus of his edits since he registered? If so, given that he's been at it for nearly a year, my instinct is simply to indef as WP:NOTHERE. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 13:40, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * His contribs seem to suggest that. Although, EMr seems to move from one article to another doing no more than one addition but if it is reverted they don't revert the revert more than once but merely moves onto another figure and repeats. They're not aggressively revert warring about it, so my AGF meter is still on the middle-high level and reckon that this could be turned around with help from native speakers who can help EMr get with the program as it were. However, if they're pushing some nationalistic agenda then my meter is going to go red pretty quick. Blackmane (talk) 15:37, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Is only problem Mughal? Do not have a problem when alterations are related to Hunnic etc. Also How can the reliability of the source determined? EMr KnG (talk) 17:45, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Wtf? "I present source. And also my claim adverse does not say anything on the page. Therefore taken back to why you do not understand what I write. " is not even remotely English. The problem, I think, is that EMr KnG is editing on the en.wikipedia, and not on the tr.wikipedia. Competence of some sort is required, I'm sorry to say, and EMr KnG by his inability to even comprehend the issues has me concerned this disruptive pattern will continue. I suggest an indef block until and unless their English improves to the point that an admin is convinced they A) understand the problems with their editing and B) pledge not to add non-English words, names and phrasing to this Wikipedia. Killer Chihuahua 18:03, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Given that nobody else has apparently done so, I've left a note at WT:TURKEY asking for assistance from a Turkish speaker. Thryduulf (talk) 19:00, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
 * I cannot speak for anyone else, but my personal opinion is that if a translator is needed to comprehend basic instructions on the English Wikipedia, that editor should not be on the Enlgish Wikipedia. Of course, if you are looking for a translator to make sure that message is conveyed, you may have a point, and I concede that ensuring clarity in this may save time and trouble. Killer Chihuahua 19:07, 31 January 2013 (UTC)


 * I'd certainly support a block on the WP:COMPETENCE issue, being in complete agreement with KC; if you can't write in coherent, clear English, you shouldn't be making edits on the English Wikipedia.   Ravenswing   22:48, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Most/Majority (or all) of his/her edits are problematic and disruptive. Just verify his/her contributions page. Some of them: My summary about this user edits/contributions/behavior is WP:NOTHERE. Zheek (talk) 08:11, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * 1. Changed ethnicity or language (sourced contents) to Turk/Turkic/Turkish several times. See diff 1, diff 2, diff 3, diff 4,diff 5, diff 6.
 * 2. content blanking and removal of sources plus POV-pushing. See diff 7, diff 8, diff 9 (just see what he/she removed and what added), diff 10 (plus edit summary).
 * 3. Added unreliable and unscientific sources. diff 11, diff 12, diff 13, diff 14.
 * 4. Added words in irrelevant language (Turkish). Those articles are not related to Turkish language or Turkish people. Turkic does not mean Turkish. Turkish is a Turkic language, but using of Turkish in any Turkic-related or Turkic-unrelated article is clearly wrong and false and may lead to further disruptive and unconstructive/false edits. diff 15, diff 16, diff 17, diff 18,diff 19, diff 20, diff 21, diff 22, diff 23, diff 24, Also some of above diffs have this problem too.
 * 5. Does not attend to other users and their edit summaries, just reverts and edit war (see user contributions page). Read 1, 2, 3, 4.
 * 6. Check user page User:EMr KnG and compare it with user edits. His/Her user page shows what he/she does. I know user pages are personal and we must consider contributions, but in this case that's related to his/her works.
 * 7. Only interested in "Turkify the articles".
 * 8. As mentioned by the other users the "English language" is very important. We can't call a translator every time. This is the English Wikipedia.
 * I had hoped that some words from someone bilingual in english and turkish (thanks to Thryduulf for notifying them, I got pulled away before getting round to it then forgot to do so) would make them realise that they're not really suitable to edit here and they could back out gracefully without being booted out as it were. Be that as it may, I wouldn't oppose a competence block. Blackmane (talk) 09:48, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Nor would I. I warned him in September saying "Please stop changing articles so that they read 'Turkish' instead of something else. This edit changed sourced text. Others have just deleted text with no justification given in edit summaries. Editors who do this persistently usually end up blocked". I don't see any basic changes in his edits. Dougweller (talk) 12:27, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The most practical step may be an indef block. It is hard to see a bright side in any of the material given above. He lacks the language ability needed to contribute here, he can't edit neutrally and he won't follow our sourcing rules. If he is blocked here, he still has an account on the Turkish Wikipedia he can use. EdJohnston (talk) 05:14, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Judging by these comments on his talk page (or rather the translation I get from Google's translator), he does neither understand nor accept that he is wrong and that his edits are not helpful. I let the others judge for themselves. Regards. --Lysozym (talk) 21:59, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * A WP:CIR indef block is called for here. Beyond My Ken (talk) 20:59, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree with the above. The user apears to be on a mission to "Turkify" historical, ethnic, and individual pages, so appears to be a Single Purpose account, relentlessly pushing an extreme POV from dubious and unreliable sources. The users page appears to be an explicit mission statement, including the rather bizarre Ataturk "quote" (I dont personally accept it as accurate in terms of the interpretation the editor gives it). There appears to be no attempt to compromise with other editors in any meaningful sense. On top of all this, the editors English abilities appear non- existent, and communicates in English via a translator, judging from the mangled syntax. So we do not have the ability to communicate meaningfully with the editor, losing all the subtle nuances essential for dialogue of this nature. A bleak picture. However the Turkish WP account would still be functioning, even if the editor is blocked, so our Turkish colleagues may be able to improve the editors attitude and turn the editor into a positive WP contributor. Irondome (talk) 21:35, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Suggestion. Can we not persuade the editor to voluntarily refrain from editing Eng WP pages until the editors linguistic and WP-related skills inprove. ( A whole gamut of issues, but its not impossible). If the editor would reject that, then a block on WP Eng would be the only option. If a native Turkish-speaking Ed could relay these conditions on the Editors talk page, maybe we would at least have a basis for dialogue. Also I would suggest offering the option of a mentor from our Turkish WP colleagues. If the editor is amenable to these ideas, then theres hope. Irondome (talk) 22:28, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * At the moment, a number of Turkish speaking editors have engaged EMr_KnG on their talk page and educating them on what's required to edit on ENWP. As a gesture of good faith, perhaps this could be closed while this engagement is ongoing without a Sword of Damocles hanging over them? Blackmane (talk) 12:12, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

User:Stealthysis/pro-ana/ and User:Stealthysis/pro-mia/
Are these appropriate? Adam Cuerden (talk) 10:17, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I don't think they break any rules. Userboxes are often used to espouse personal beliefs, and this doesn't seem disruptive or anything. What makes them inappropriate? m.o.p  10:28, 4 February 2013‎ (UTC)


 * Not inappropriate. This is apparently a young editor. Adam Cuerdon has not informed them about this discussion and they have not edited since June 2012. Mathsci (talk) 10:40, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Question about naming religious leaders convicted of sexually abusing kids
I'd like to ask the community's indulgence to raise an issue here that could arguably also be posted to BLPN: Under what circumstances do we, and do we not, name convicted child abuse perpetrators? More specifically, suppose ...


 * 1) A sexual abuse scandal with an attempted cover-up arises in a particular religious community;
 * 2) All of the perpetrators are convicted, albeit in separate cases;
 * 3) All perpetrators have some kind of "official" status or role in the affected community;
 * 4) No perpetrator is independently notable, i.e. per BLP1E none merits an individual biography article.
 * 5) We do have an article about the scandal itself.

The question then, is: In the article about the scandal, do we name each of the perpetrators convicted of sexually abusing a child?

This question arises in the context of changes beginning 28 January 2013 to our article on Sexual abuse cases in Brooklyn's Haredi community. Two near-to-Brooklyn IP's repeatedly removed all information about one of the perpetrators, a bar mitzvah tutor and licensed social worker named Yona Weinberg. When those repeated removals were reverted by multiple established editors, myself included, a just-created account showed up on the article's talk page asserting unreferenced claims (apparently based on personal knowledge of the case) that Weinberg was wrongly convicted.

Three editors seemed to agree on talk to let the IP's removal stand, and even seemed amenable to removing the names of *all* perpetrators from the article. I don't have strong feelings about any of this, but my impression is that BLP1E applies only to biographies, and that the "ruling" policy in instances like this one is WP:PERP, which says, in part: "A person who is known only in connection with a criminal event or trial should not normally be the subject of a separate Wikipedia article if there is an existing article that could incorporate the available encyclopedic material relating to that person."

I also think we should be consistent in whether we name perps or not across similar articles, and would like to hear what the community has to say about that. For comparison purposes, here are some roughly similar articles that do explicitly name individual persons:


 * Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston
 * Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Cincinnati
 * Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia
 * West Texas State School
 * Horace Mann School

Btw, I posted here rather than at BLPN because I was hoping for broader input re both our explicit policy about naming perpetrators in such cases, and about what most editors who don't necessarily hang out at BLPN would informally prefer in that regard. --OhioStandard (talk) 21:04, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I don't know, but I happened to be reading Enron Scandal today and it names a bunch of living people there too. Alanscottwalker (talk) 21:29, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * if you want a broader discussion either try VPP or advertise it in apporpriate places like WP:CENT rather then here. Nil Einne (talk) 22:08, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Thanks, Nil Einne; I hadn't known of Centralized discussion, and will use that resource in the future. --OhioStandard (talk) 18:29, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * If they're named in reliable sources as being convicted, and it's listed in the narritive as opposed to a "hall of shame" list, then they shouldn't be removed. Wikipedia is not censored. If it's a list appended to the article though of "people convicted", then it's probably WP:UNDUE. - The Bushranger One ping only 00:44, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * All I can add onto that is to remember WP:UNDUE; with something sensitive like this, we must be careful not to include irrelevant or less-relevant information. As long as an incident belongs in an article, names that appear in reliable sources should appear in the article.  Nyttend (talk) 03:05, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Quite. BLP doesn't enjoin us to avoid saying things which disparage a subject; it just enjoins us from doing so without ironclad, reliable sources.   Ravenswing   08:06, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Looking at the above examples, it should be noted that in many cases the people named weren't convicted. In at least one case they were never charged, and in another we named someone as having had allegations made against him when later he was cleared of all charges, without mentioning that he was cleared. I think it is important to distinguish between appropriate naming of people who have been convicted, people who have been charged but not yet convicted, charged but the charges were dropped or cleared, and allegations without charges. - Bilby (talk) 11:34, 3 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Thanks, everyone. Based on your comments I'll go ahead and restore the deleted content to the Brooklyn abuse article, since it meets the criteria you've specified here.


 * Btw, I notice that the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Cincinnati example I listed above has been deleted, in effect, by being turned into a redirect to Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, an article that includes just two sentences about the abuse. The redirect also causes a link to the former "abuse" article embedded within the article about the Archdiocese itself to behave in a "circular" or "self-referencing" manner. Since the original abuse article appeared to be well-referenced, I've asked the editor who performed the redirect to revert that, and to address whatever concerns he still might have by either editing the abuse article for NPOV, or by nominating it for deletion through the usual process. --OhioStandard (talk) 18:49, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Chris Lee (referee)
Can anyone lend a hand at Chris Lee (referee)? I'm at 3RR now and there's an editor who insists that a huge chunk of content be added in violation of WP:UNDUE. – Connormah (talk) 21:14, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The article has Pending Changes applied. If so, why are the other editors' edits being accepted, as they're clearly not autoconfirmed? Black Kite (talk) 21:18, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The only edits that were being accepted were those that reverted those changes made by that newly registered user. Zzyzx11 (talk) 23:43, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "I know your policy. Here's mine: no more money to Wikipedia from me, my family, and extended family if you continue to censor this! How much money do you think it is? Check the records, and check your yellow journalisim editing at the door!" rather interesting edit summary from User:Michelle Ginrew there... Lukeno94 (talk) 21:27, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * A primary reason why those type of pages are under pending changes is this sort of thing happens occasionally every single year: a referee makes a controversial call during a game, and generally fans of the team that lost that match come in and vandalise/BLP violate that referee's Wikipedia article (I don't know for sure if this newly registered user was one of those angry fans, but it is safe to assume that it was not a fan of the team that benefited from that call). Now if this was a controversial call that has a lasting historical impact, like leading to a rule change or affects a playoff/tournament/championship contest, where there are long lasting reliable sources, then that content generally stays. But if it is a case like this, a call in one out of many regular season games, where it is usually forgotten once the season ends, it is almost always eventually removed on grounds of WP:RECENTISM. I doubt that "drive by" user, like all the others before, will stick around after the season. Zzyzx11 (talk) 23:43, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Anybody who pulls the "shut up or I take my money" card should be immedately blocked as being WP:NOTHERE. - The Bushranger One ping only 00:41, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Isn't that WP:NLT? I tend to agree, though.  — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 01:19, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No, not a legal threat. Neither is it block worthy.  If they want to "vote" with their pocket book, that is their business. All we should do is shrug our shoulders, watch the article and go about our business.   little green rosetta $central scrutinizer (talk)$ 01:34, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Not a legal threat, more like a lame sort of bluff. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 05:22, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It's blackmail, and anybody who thinks blackmail is an acceptable tactic in any walk of life is somebody who should not be editing here. - The Bushranger One ping only 07:11, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It's worded like blackmail, in a way. Not demanding money, but instead saying he won't be contributing more money. The catch is, we don't know if the guy has ever actually contributed even one cent to the foundation. That's why I call it a bluff. The user needs to be watched, though. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:09, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "unjustified threats to...cause loss to another unless a demand is met" sums it up pretty nicely. Either way it falls under the category of "general tomfoolery that doesn't belong 'round these parts". - The Bushranger One ping only 19:26, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Unless WMF has logged the potential donation, then there is no loss, because it was never a gain in the first place. This "threat" is along the lines of "keep my edit or I'll call all of you doody-heads".  Nothing to worry about.   little green rosetta $central scrutinizer (talk)$ 13:27, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Seems like this article has been attracting vandalism for years, having looked at the edit history. Maybe a permanent semi-protect to comply with BLP is necessary. Lukeno94 (talk) 18:12, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Is the individual actually notable? Afd? NE Ent 17:01, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'd support an AfD. GiantSnowman 17:06, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * A redirect to List of NHL on-ice officials would be easier and better.  Lee is well known amongst NHL fans, and, well, the general opinion of him is a BLP violation, thus the vandalism. Resolute 17:11, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Bad calls are unfortunately a dime a dozen (consider the brutal "no-goal-interference" during the Ottawa-Montreal hockey game yesterday). That the ref sucks (even repeatedly) is WP:ONEEVENT (✉→BWilkins←✎) 17:25, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Afd'd. NE Ent 18:23, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Move debate was closed in favor of move, not moved.
May someone please move this page? It was decided that it'd be moved, but was closed by a non-admin who did not move the page (I assume because it was move locked before?). Can someone please move this page:

Amy Dumas → Lita (wrestler)

Thanks. Srsrox (talk) 20:31, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * ✅. Not sure if move-protection is (or was) necessary, come to think of it... BencherliteTalk 20:36, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

User:NickCochrane
NickCochrane appears to have a serious COI issue with promoting old-school film over digital photography. Despite several editors reverting his biased edits, he carries on making them, either removing whole swathes of text from articles, or adding in biased comments.


 * POV-pushing edits/AfD diffs:
 * Articles for deletion/Film look
 * Articles for deletion/Filmlook
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

(there are lots more)


 * POV-pushing major deletions (without consensus)
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

He is currently under a SPI at present with another user who does exactly the same things (this SPI is on hold pending further investigation). See here.

Due to the constant POV-pushing, I feel that Nick should be permanently topic-banned from editing anything to do with digital photography and digital video, even if the SPI ends up taking a lenient action against him. If you want me to present more diffs here, then I will - there are dozens and dozens of them. Lukeno94 (talk) 19:00, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * These are not POV edits, they are all sourced with reliable sources. NickCochrane (talk) 19:13, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh really? "You are violating NPOV if you think VIDEO can be matched to look like FILM" is not a POV-pushing edit summary in itself? Let alone the fact that particular edit itself did not contain a single source, regardless of reliableness. Several people have pointed out that your sources are not reliable, due to them being insufficiently independent, or, often, being blogs. Regardless OF the sourcing, your edits are constantly anti-digital and heavily pro-film, adding in mentions to film's "strengths" that are totally irrelevant to the article in question. Frequently. Lukeno94 (talk) 19:24, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * They are not "Anti-digital" edits, they are balanced conclusions from actual sources. If something is higher quality, than it is. End of statement. It's not opinion, it's fact. NickCochrane (talk) 19:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Except, it's not neutral, balanced or even approaching that. You're adding mentions to standard film to articles where it has absolutely no place whatsoever - like at High Frame Rate. That's POV pushing, and inexcusable. Your sources exist, yes, but not one has been a reliable one. They're all connected to film-making companies (e.g. your Kodak sources), blogs, forum posts or some tabloidy things. No significant coverage in multiple reliable sources. And you know full well I'm not the only editor who has questioned your COI and/or edits - Oakshade, Edokter, etc. Also, I've detected a change you made to try and get Film look deleted. Lukeno94 (talk) 20:19, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Once again, I DID NOT move the name to get it deleted. I moved it to the more common name and then on second thought nominated the article. Give it a rest, every edit I do you think I'm doing something wrong. What's next? I created an article today about a photographer - is that some CONSPIRACY? Jeez, I can't get a break from over-zealous editors like you and Oakshade this week. NickCochrane (talk) 21:02, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Perhaps you did, perhaps you didn't move it for that reason. You "can't get a break" because we keep finding edits that are borderline vandalism, and show your COI very strongly. The only place your "film is better than digital mkay" type ideas have any place is in the talk page for the article about Digital versus film photography. NOT in an article about High Frame Rate, because that has precisely 3 shades of cow manure to do with film's "better quality". Lukeno94 (talk) 21:11, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Procedural note - Perhaps this is better suited for Neutral point of view/Noticeboard. --Oakshade (talk) 21:31, 2 February 2013 (UTC) On second thought, this is as much a incident reporting as NPOV, so it should remain here.--Oakshade (talk) 04:18, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Agree with the Lukeno94. One of the fundamental tenants of this or any encyclopedia is writing in a neutral point of view.  That's why Neutral point of view is a strict policy. In particular WP:NPOV states in bold "Avoid stating opinions as facts".


 * As digital video has become extremely of high quality and continues to evolve, there's now strong contention as to what format is "superior." "Superior" is in quotes because it's a subjective opinion.  For example, some viewers like the extreme sharpness of high-res video and some prefer the old exposure rendering of film.   But digital video has become so advanced, it's become a multi-billion dollar industry with many major studios choosing to shoot on digital video rather than film, like the films The Avengers (2012 film), Zero Dark Thirty and Hugo (film)''.


 * But what user:NickCochrane is doing is simply "film is superior to video" POV edits, like in the High Frame Rate article.   And his "references" have all been opinionated blogs, several year old articles from when video was only developing or even, I'm not making this up, Kodak, a company that SELLS FILM STOCK.  It's very easy to find "references" that say video is superior to film. Here are a few after a quick search


 * It's okay for NickCochrane to have a "film is better than video" opinion, but it's just that, an opinion. I'm personally neutral on the topic. Once again per our policy of WP:NPOV: Avoid stating opinions as facts"
 * It should also be noted that there's a Sockpuppet case regarding NickCochrane Sockpuppet investigations/NickCochrane where, after two Checkusers conducted, the consensus is that NickCochrane is either using sockpuppets or meatpuppets (a block is likely to occur), so we don't exactly know who we're dealing with here. --Oakshade (talk) 21:29, 2 February 2013 (UTC)--Oakshade (talk) 21:29, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks Oakshade, you're much more eloquent/better at putting the point across than I am! Lukeno94 (talk) 21:32, 2 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Nick is still re-adding biased information into articles: He reverts my edit here, and is then re-reverted by Algr here. Lukeno94 (talk) 09:01, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
 * And again:. Can an admin deal with this ASAP? We're dangerously close to an edit war (well, he certainly is), if we aren't in one already, and I really, really don't want to be - although his posts are borderline vandalism, so I don't want to step back either. 3 separate people have removed his WP:NPOV-violating comments and he STILL doesn't get the picture. Lukeno94 (talk) 08:23, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

HiLo48 block review
Badly needed. Some more eyes. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 03:42, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Clarification: There seems to be some misunderstanding about the terms of this block. The specific terms are "indefinite  (or until this editor demonstrates s/he understands it's not ok to refer to other editors as "nutters" or "fools" per WP:BLOCK).Toddst1 (talk) 06:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Endorse block the user has shown little desire to improve their methods of interacting with the community. See Requests for comment/HiLo48. --Rschen7754 03:43, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Also useful to the discussion here is the discussion that led to HiLo's ITN topic ban last year. Jus  da  fax   06:45, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse block HiLo48 is frequently disruptive through his incivility, there is no doubt that a long term block can be seen as preventative of future incivility, if he'll learn. Ryan Vesey 03:49, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Looks like a reasonable block to me from what I can see. If there's evidence of some administrative error here that mitigates the evident long-term pattern of behavior by HiLo, I'm open to seeing it, but...on the current evidence, I'd support this block remaining in place until HiLo can commit to improving his/her behavior. HiLo could quite easily make that a matter of days (or hours) rather than weeks or months - the length is up to them. A fluffernutter is a sandwich! (talk) 03:55, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I haven't got time to check it out now, but it superficially looks like the editor was making some comments about U.S. gun laws that might be NOTFORUM violations. The block (escalated to indefinite) appears to be due to a misunderstanding (by the blocking admin?) of what "Yes, I think you're nutters" means. I read that comment as inappropriate (NOTFORUM and very warnable as a perceived CIVIL problem), but it is possible to read the comment as shorthand for "I think [everyone who supports certain gun laws] is extremely misguided". Was the editor warned that such comments can easily be taken as a personal insult to other editors who happen to fall in that category? Johnuniq (talk) 03:55, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There was no warning. Just a straight block. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 03:58, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * When a person has had innumerable discussions related to their incivility, there comes a point when warnings aren't necessary. HiLo48 should have been well aware by now of the consequences of calling someone nutters (among other things he does). Ryan Vesey 04:01, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Disagree. Unless you can show me any sort of blanket warning that the user can be blocked from now on at any time w/o warning. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:05, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Without regard to the merits of this block per se, warnings are a courtesy to users who may be unaware of behavioral norms at Wikipedia, not a right. The RFC shows that there is significant recognition of a problem.  Now, I have no opinion one way or another about the merits of this block, I haven't looked into the specifics of this situation too closely, and I interact with HiLo enough that it's probably for the best that I don't weigh in one way or another, but the precept that a block is invalid merely because it lacked a warning doesn't hold water.  If there's going to be opposition to this block, it should be on the merits of HiLo's behavior in this instance vis-a-vis his history at Wikipedia including the RFCU, and not on whether or not he was warned.  Being highly active since 2006 is warning enough.  He's aware of the existence of policies and guidelines relevant here.  Again, no position on whether this block is or is not justified, just that that particular line of opposition doesn't hold water.  -- Jayron  32  04:09, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Before you (Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556) continue disagreeing, perhaps you should review the relevant policy. Toddst1 (talk) 04:07, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Right below that, it says something about "judgement". And that's what I'm questioning here. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:22, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Back it up with some facts. Toddst1 (talk) 04:27, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * ? That request doesn't make sense... Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:28, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * The purpose of warnings is to make sure users are aware of our policies, because we don't sanction people who don't realize they're doing something wrong. In this case, it's fairly clear that HiLo knew perfectly well what civility was, what our policy was on civility, and that violating the policy would get a user sanctioned. Unless you're prepared to argue that he was somehow actually still ignorant of these things, I don't think "well he wasn't warned [this particular set of thirty seconds of this particular day]" is going to fly. A fluffernutter is a sandwich! (talk)
 * The last line his latest post says "I truly didn't realise that using language common in my part of the world about a group that includes some editors here was a personal attack". And that leads to an indef. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:12, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Then that's not true, because he used the phrase during his RFC and was heavily criticized for it. Please see Requests_for_comment/HiLo48. --Rschen7754 04:14, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * This is the first I'm hearing of this block, actually. I've interacted with HiLo a few times before, and I think it's clear he does have some issues with communication and civility. I am a bit surprised, though, to see that it has escalated to an indef. While the block is in keeping with procedure and has a solid rationale behind it, an indefinite block seems to be overkill to me. While I understand the desire to keep things under control, I don't think it's reasonable to escalate directly to indeffing a user with an almost-clean block log. For my part, being somewhat familiar with HiLo's antics, I would recomment reducing it to two weeks or so. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 04:18, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * While I respect Evanh, I don't understand his comment: What would be the point of a medium-term block in this case?  They're supposed to be preventative, not punative.  The editor has given every indication that this repetitive behavior will continue, even after the block.    Toddst1 (talk) 04:24, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm also concerned about the speed at which this escalated. It wasn't an incredibly serious personal attack, but a block may well have been warranted. But the jump from a single, 12 hour block in his block log to 3 weeks for the second seemed excessive. And to then go straight to indef was a bigger problem - three weeks was plenty of time to work this out before escalating further. There was no pressing need to jump straight to indef. - Bilby (talk) 04:26, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * People are placing too much emphasis on his block log and not enough on his history of behavior. Perhaps I've just been unlucky in my interactions with him, but I have seen him acting in an uncivil manner every time I've come across him.  Literally every time.  He consistently manages to maintain just a low enough level of incivility to get by without being blocked.  I understand that Wikipedia is uncensored and all, but I'd love to see a comment ban on HiLo48 using the term "fucking" or more than one exclamation mark to end a sentence.  In my experience, he can't make a point without either of those. Ryan Vesey 04:31, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not exactly a big fan of HiLo's behaviour, either. There have been more than a few face palming moments, and I'm not saying that a block isn't warranted. But in spite of the problems in the past, he has only had the one block - I prefer to see things escalate slower, as I'd rather see HiLo modify his behaviour and stay than driven away. A 24 hour block might have been a better next step, or 48 hours. Three weeks was a really big step. And that's before jumping to indef, with no pressing need. - Bilby (talk) 06:01, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * (ec)Toddst1, can you at least see that after there are voices questioning your decision, that it isn't for you to extend the block? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:27, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The issue, as I see it, is not punitive versus preventative measures as far as blocks are concerned. We all understand that blocks are meant to prevent damage to the project, and no one so far has disagreed with that. What I am saying is that, in my opinion, a block of indefinite duration does not prevent damage in this case, and all I'm asking is that everyone try to put this issue in perspective. If his block expires in due course, the project will not go down in flames. If he remains indeffed without a chance to fully absorb the lesson of a block, we will lose an editor who is, at the very least, competent and productive. (And yes, I know that indefinite does not mean infinite, but I think most here realise that, in practice, the two are often the same.) If he is unblocked thirteen days from now he will return to the project, and before too long we'll know whether or not he's decided to take this lesson to heart. If he doesn't, I'll eat my words and someone will indef him -- for good this time -- and we will all move on with our lives. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 04:33, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Endorse block . After reading through the discussion which led to his topic ban at WP:ITN, I wholeheartedly endorse the blocking admin's rationale.  Horologium  (talk) 04:32, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I support a 21-day block, but I don't know that I am willing to endorse the indef block.  Horologium  (talk) 04:36, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose block, as the discussion at Wayne LaPierre is highly emotionally charged. GoodDay (talk) 04:46, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Random commentary. I don't like civility blocks and they should only be imposed for extreme cases. Referring to NRA members as "nutters"--well, that's not such a big deal, and in real-life conversation it's mild enough to pass (if they can't handle such "insults" they should embrace more reasonable policies). I don't condone a block for that, certainly not an indef-block. But the other side is this--despite what is perceived by some as incivility, can one still collaborate with the editor? The answer, in my reading of the LaPierre talk page, is no: the all-caps and exclamation points are irritating enough, but the battleground mentality (that's nothing new with this editor), in which every rhetorical opponent is a gun nut and therefore unreasonable, one can't work with that. And I see the same thing on HiLo's talk page: HiLo thinks this is about gun rights and stuff, and it's not. So, I support a temporary block (a cool-down block? maybe--long enough for them to think about this and hopefully separate political position from rhetorical stance), of a week or so, and I support future action if this battleground behavior continues. Drmies (talk) 04:48, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose indef block Comment I have just found this discussion and am somewhat surprised by the swift way the sanctions against HiLo have been escalated.  Reading through the associated discussion pages that apparently have led to this turn of events I am struck by two things.  Certainly I feel that a block for civility breaches was warranted, although I think that more than perhaps 48 hours is simply punitive and excessive.  The second thing I noticed was what appeared to be an air of somewhat confected outrage and a lynch mob mentality amongst those arrayed against his edits.  I am far from convinced that those opposed to HiLo's edits are as squeaky clean as they demand of HiLo and I feel that trouts all round would be appropriate. I respectfully request that the admins involved reconsider the escalation and reduce this block to a more reasonable duration. -  Nick Thorne  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  04:52, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse block - The community has had lengthy discussions with the user on civility. Ultimately, this was a preventative block because he just doesn't seem to get it when it comes to personal attacks.  Admins cannot be expected to have to tell him, "That was a personal attack", and then give him another chance to behave.  He should have known that "nutters" is a personal attack.  It would be absurd to allow him to call people "nutters" and claim ignorance as to that being an attack.  If the community allowed that to happen, people could just come up with creative personal attacks and claim ignorance on each new name they use during a spout of name-calling. Inks.LWC (talk) 04:58, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, that happens all the time, it's just very selective who gets to get away with it. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 05:07, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Other editors slipping through the cracks doesn't mean that a block shouldn't be made when it is noticed. Inks.LWC (talk) 07:14, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "Nutters", to me, appears to clearly fall below the line set by WP:NPA and land in the WP:Incivility territory.OakRunner (talk) 05:09, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose Indef While a simple 24 hour block was justified for incivility, an indef block is certainly unwarranted and excessive in the extreme. Personal attacks and civility problems are subjective by their very nature, one can interpret the word fool in various manners and consider it uncivil to various extents, personally I would say "fool" at most borderlines uncivil and barely constitutes a personal attack. YuMaNuMa Contrib 05:05, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose block Are you frickin kidding me? The diffs provided rise to the level of incivility, but don't reach NPA. And we have a 21 day, escalated to an indef block? As for the admins and editors supporting this silliness, you better make sure you are always civil and you did not defend other editors that were blocked for being uncivil. Someone should file an ArbCom case and start lining up the hypocrites. Ridiculous. Dave Dial (talk) 05:31, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree that an indef block is unwarranted and excessive in the extreme, and I believe that this has been escalated by the blocking admin in an inappropriate way. It was quite clear that his action of making a 3 day block had been criticised as excessive. Even if extending the block to indef was appropriate, and I do not, he should have left it to another admin to do it. Part of the problem here is that the meaning of uncivil differs from country to country. Australians are robust people and calling someone a "nutter" is not taken amiss. Furthermore I think Hilo was making a valuable general point in saying that the majority of people in Australia on both sides of politics think the gun lobby in the US are nutters. We are an international encyclopedia and the NPOV should not just be a US neutral point of view. If Hilo was uncivil, it was not really directed at individuals. Finally Hilo is a productive editor who is fun to work with. I say unblock him. It has already gone on for about 24 hours. -- Bduke   (Discussion)  05:39, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Reduce block to time served. Though I commented above, I had not endorsed nor opposed the block, as I hadn't really had the time to look into the situation or think about it in detail.  I have now done both.  I think that some action was warranted, but the indef block was excessive.  I think that the indef block should be lifted, with the stipulation that lifting said block is not an endorsement of HiLo's behavior.  Had the initial 3-day block stood, it probably would have been fine, but the current state is untenable, I don't see any behavior here that merits the "don't let the door hit you on the way out" treatment.  -- Jayron  32  05:45, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * How would "time served" (as in a prison) be preventative? Toddst1 (talk) 05:52, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Because it would give him pause, hopefully, before doing it again. We should always do the least restrictive thing possible in trying to reduce disruption at Wikipedia, and jumping from nothing to indef for the type of offense shown here is, in my opinion, not merited.  You're free to argue that we should only ever have indefinite blocks, but you're not going to convince me that is wise, and as long as we have situations where a short term block is merited, this seems like one of those situations.  -- Jayron  32  05:57, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * c'mon. You're really advocating a punative block instead of a preventative block? Read the post-block comments by this editor.  There is no indication that "it would give him pause."  Toddst1 (talk) 06:26, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I've done nothing of the sort. I've only said that insofar as any situation may merit a block of defined term, this one in my opinion does.  Not every offense merits an indefinite block, in my opinion.  The excessiveness of the indefinite block in this particular situation makes it punitive, in my opinion.  As I said, if you're prepared to argue that every block should always be indefinite, that would be logically consistent with your position on this block; I don't agree but at least I would concede it to be consistent.  If you don't believe that, and you do believe that there are some behaviors that don't merit an indefinite block, then there exists the possibility that someone may arrive at a different opinion than you over which specific situations merit an indefinite block, and which do not.  So which is it?  Is it ever permissible to issue a block that has an expiration date?  -- Jayron  32  06:33, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The word "preventative", as used at WP:BLOCK means preventing the encyclopedia from being harmed. It does not mean preventing people from editing. It is not our goal to prevent disagreeable people from editing, but to prevent them from editing in a disagreeable fashion. To take a step beyond corrective measures to this level is to cross the line into punitive territory. I don't believe it was your intention to issue a punitive block, but I think that's how HiLo, and probably a good number of outside observers, would perceive this. I know and understand civility policy very well, but let's not act as if we're negotiating an arms treaty here. HiLo has been uncivil in the past, but he is not a run-of-the-mill troll. Treating an established member of the community like an incompetent jerk is not good editor retention practice. I like to think I'm not the only one who thinks through all facets of a problem like this. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 06:28, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Umm... how on earth can you read Jayron32's above comment as advocating a punitive block, Toddst1? Is that a joke of some sort? Doc   talk  06:32, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * As to your comment that "There is no indication that it would give him pause," Todd, I have a question: What indication do you have that it wouldn't? Being that "it'll give them time to think about it" is the rationale for upwards of 90% of the blocks I've directly witnessed, I'd say the onus is on you to establish either that everyone else has been doing it wrong all this time, or that HiLo is an exception to the rule. As is, you seem to be showing an inexplicable ignorance that the rule -- or even the belief in the rule -- exists. I first read your comment "How would time served... be preventative?" to be facetious. When I realized it wasn't, I became worried. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 06:36, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose block - The block was unnecessary. HiLo should have been banned from the relevant talk pages for a few days with a warning that the ban will be extended if he continues insulting people on those article talk pages. Would you admins please learn some NUANCE in dealing with others? --Anthonyhcole (talk) 05:59, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * indefinite ban from all gun-related topics. If the editor hates them, thinks editors who are liberal in terms of gun ownership are "nutters" and "fools" and has no WP - helpful input on them then why is he commenting on them except to push a POV and be disruptive? Irondome (talk) 06:07, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * From what I can see only a minor portion of his responses on that talk page could be considered disruptive, also you need to keep in mind that that was a very heated debate on an extremely controversial topic. Such exchange of incivility is common and editors rarely get punished for uncivil non-personal-attack remarks, such behaviour is obviously not looked upon favourably, however in my opinion, it's understandable. I by no means endorse incivility, this is just a generality that I have observed. If editors who participate in such debates can't deal with petty remarks such as "fool", "nutter", then perhaps that topic isn't suitable for them. YuMaNuMa Contrib 06:28, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Naw; his only flaw is he's being honest. He's not alone in thinking that. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 06:09, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * WP is not a political forum. There are many "honest" editors on here on all sides of the mainstream political spectrum. Honesty isnt a licence to be obnoxious. Irondome (talk) 06:14, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "Obnoxious" &mdash; Sounds more sophisticated, but is basically on the same level as "nutter." You've just run into the pot/kettle-thing. Would like me to adorn your talkpage with a warning template or is my pointing it out here good enough? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 06:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Irondome did nothing deserving of a warning template. "Obnoxious" as used by Irondome was commenting on the content, not the contributor, which is clearly acceptable under WP:NPA. Furthermore, "nutter" is more severe as it is implying that someone is nuts, or mentally ill--something more extreme and attackish than "obnoxious". Inks.LWC (talk) 07:21, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * On your first point, that is entirely the point of the previous post. In exactly the same way that using "obnoxious" would not warrant a block, nor does using "nutter" in the way HiLo did warrant one.  His somewhat battlefield behaviour probably was worthy of a strictly limited block, but this has become ridiculous.  This started out AFAIK with this post, I might point out that what Hilo was perhaps not very well stating was that in Australia (and I suspect in most of the rest of the world outside the USA), virtually everyone thinks that the US gun laws and their proponents are crazy.  This is not an NPA issue, it is simply a statement of fact.  The response has been nothing short of hysterical and frankly only serves to reinforce the idea of the craziness.  Again as an outsider to the USA, some of the posts here rather look like the outrage expressed by a lynch mob from some tawdry B grade western.  Finally, I question the impartiality of the blocking admin in this subject, it just seems way too coincidental that they have escalated the block with such indecent haste and the justifications given here simply do not wash, IMHO.  Time to end the unpleasantness. -  Nick Thorne  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  08:12, 5 February 2013


 * Endorse block - HiLo has had numerous run-ins within the project, and was topic-banned from WP:ITN for six months. He clearly loves controversy and disparaging those he disagrees with, while seeming to learn nothing. So be it. If our community is to be governed by WP:5P then civility and collaborative editing must be enforced, and I salute this block as being entirely proper. And I submit that we are heading towards a community ban discussion at the rate we are going. Jus  da  fax   06:18, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "Obnoxious" means being rude, or unpleasant in manner and bearing. Or being percieved as being rude, etc. This is obviously the case with this editor or the issue would not be here. Pretty rubbish argument that, I would contend. Irondome (talk) 06:25, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * So when one perceives others to be crazy or fools, one is allowed to say...? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 06:34, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * One attacks the argument, not the person Irondome (talk) 06:36, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * And when one perceives others to be rude, one is allowed to say...? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 06:37, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Bad block Having read the relevant discussions and the RfC, I'm of the opinion that a one month topic ban would be better than an indefinite block on this editor who has spoken their mind. We do not normally escalate blocks like this on good faith editors, and civility blocks and cool-down blocks are controversial. --John (talk) 06:39, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I say again. A topic ban, no other sanction. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Irondome (talk • contribs) 06:41, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Endorse block of some kind, but no comment on the indefinite issue. Even going solely from what I've seen of the editor, they have a clear problem with civility and battleground behaviour. The sad fact is, this sort of problematic behaviour is common enough that any sort of block is likely to be preventative. And all this coming from someone who agrees with their views in a number of areas. If people want to topic ban them I'm fine with that but this has no bearing on the merits of a block in the meantime Nil Einne (talk) 06:42, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Bad block The initial block was excessive. The escalation to indef beggars belief. It bases itself on NPA, but as others have pointed out, this was a civility issue, and one in a heated debate on an issue that is controversial in the real world. At most, what was required was a brief cooling-off block. Indefinitely blocking HiLo48 deprives the project of a productive editor without any appreciable benefit, and other editors have gotten far less for much worse. If there is a genuine pattern of behaviour to be dealt with, perhaps some other dispute resolution process is needed. One that HiLo can actually participate in. But an indefinite block is at best throwing out the baby with the bathwater. -Rrius (talk) 06:54, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose indef block. I really don't like civility blocks, especially when they are escalated so quickly, and when the final trigger is something so innocuous - the "nutters" comment is pretty mild (and appears to have been more widely aimed than specifically at Wikipedia editors). There's certainly some battlefield behaviour that needs to be dealt with, but a shorter block to let him cool down would have been better. (I know in theory that we shouldn't do "cool down" blocks, but in realty we do them all the time - we just say they're to "prevent heat" or whatever). And/or a topic ban from gun-related articles. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 07:06, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse block - (caveat: I raised the RfC/U against HiLo48). "Indefinite" does not mean "permanent". Toddst, the blocking admin, has made it clear that the block is conditional and will be lifted when HiLo48 acknowledges that his behaviour is out of step with WP community norms. Indef block does not mean site ban - it means that something has to change before the editor is allowed to participate again. A polite person would apologise if insult was taken when it was not intended. That is not what is happening here. --Surturz (talk) 07:48, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose indef as excessive. HiLo48 has a history of reacting emotionally to certain talk page comments. This is not a good trait in a Wikipedian; it causes discussions to veer off onto unnecessary, dramatic tangents, and distracts us in our quest for consensus. Nonetheless, he is a perceptive, clueful editor, and what he says on talk pages is frequently right on the money, even if the way he says it leaves something to be desired. He's also human, and sometimes the intersections between article topics and real life are awkward ones. Ideally, I suppose, we'd all check our convictions at the door each time we logged in, but then we'd be little more than robots. I wish HiLo could be persuaded that not every foolish or offensive remark requires a response and that sometimes it's better to avoid certain articles entirely when the discussions there are likely to push his buttons. An indefinite block doesn't seem like the best method to persuade him of those things. "Nutters", huh? This is a rather draconian response to a relatively minor transgression. Rivertorch (talk) 08:12, 5 February 2013 (UTC) Added: In rereading the "nutters" comment, I think it can reasonably be construed as not directed toward other Wikipedians. If it wasn't, then it was merely a technical violation of WP:TPG (and maybe WP:FORUM) and not a WP:CIVIL infraction at all. Rivertorch (talk) 08:33, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose block Toddst1 has acted poorly as a Sysop with excessive blocking for 21 days without any warning(s) but upping the block to indef without any community support, he has used his own opinion on the matter and is involved by blocking for the original 21 days and stating "If there's a next time, look for indef or a long-term block.". HiLo48's comments were uncivil and heated but most of the comments on the Talk:Wayne LaPierre are but he never made a personal attack against any English Wikipedians, it was the other people in the heated debate whom made his comments become a personal attack and removing the context on how it was said. I see nothing wrong with HiLo48's comment "I think LaPierre and all his mates are nutters", this is clearly not referring to any Wikipedians, it is directed at NRA and pro gun lobbyists and tell you the truth, most of us Australian's have the same opinion on it. If you're going to topic ban him of the heated and uncivil debate, you may as well topic ban the others whom were involved in it and clearly have their own point of views. Bidgee (talk) 08:15, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * If there's anything that bothers me more than faulty reasoning, it is faulty reasoning by people who agree with me, as in doing so they destroy my own position. An admin is not involved merely by using their admin tools the first time.  They simply are not; otherwise no admin could ever block a user twice.  Admins are expected to follow up on tough cases, and having sanctioned a user once does not make them involved in that case any further.  So the notion that Toddst1 becomes involved merely because he blocked and/or warned HiLo prior to indeffing him is absolutely wrong.  If you actually read the link you provided, it says, and I quote, "One important caveat is that an administrator who has interacted with an editor or topic area purely in an administrative role... is not involved and is not prevented from acting in an administrative capacity in relation to that editor or topic area. This is because one of the roles of administrators is precisely to deal with such matters, at length if necessary."  So, even though I also partially opposed the block above, I cannot let this misappropriation of policy go uncommented on.  Oppose the block if you will, as I have done, but please do so with a solid, rational, and policy-based backing, and not by inventing reasons out of whole cloth.  Doing so only destroys your (and my, in this case, because I support roughly the same position) credibility.  -- Jayron  32  19:02, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Background note. On 11 December last year I issued a block (the first) to HiLo with this explanation. HiLo obviously would have been aware of this although I've no whether the presently blocking admin was aware or not. In a way that doesn't matter, as HiLo has the responsibility to moderate his behaviour as he was the one over whom a sanction was hanging. Does this mean HiLo was on a shorter leash than other editors and to be given less leeway? Yes, that was exactly my intention in warning him. On this most recent occasion I've no doubt that his usual impulsivity at the keyboard let his fingers run away with him. I'd have blocked him myself had I see it first. Would I, personally, have indef blocked? No. But if HiLo can make a convincing case for unblocking then as we always say, indefinite is not infinite. He hasn't been banned, he just needs to permanently change his editing style. Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  08:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Have you asked him for his side of the comment, as in asking him the context it was made? No, you haven't. I agree that HiLo48 has pushed the boundaries on Wikipedia but I've seen worse from other editors and even Sysops but they never get the sort of treatment that HiLo48 got today. I don't think that he should have made that comment but at the end of the day it is a POV statement that has no personal connection to any Wikipedians, only those whom choose to remove the context it was said in. Bidgee (talk) 08:29, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The bloke lost his rag on a subject that obviously emotes him deeply. Saying nutter or fool isnt brilliant, but I have never supported any block. If the bloke is amenable, then a voluntary keep away from gun related topics is in order. If he isnt then it will have to be enforced. I have never advocated a complete block on the bloke. But you cant call millions of law abiding people "nutters" or "fools" because they happen to own firearms, and may try to defend it reasonably. Many of the horrors inflicted by mass shootings have been by unstable people who have actually stolen weapons. The last atrocity was a case in point. That view is too broad brush and may be considered by some to be "obnoxious" in terms of language used based on strong emotion. The editor obviously is a humanitarian and cares deeply for human life. The language used may be argued to be. The editor quite obviously is not. Dont ban this editor.Irondome (talk) 09:15, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Oppose block. An indef for calling a world-famous group of nutters "nutters"? Totally mad. Good example of the US-centricity of this project. Hans Adler 09:29, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That HiLo doesn't see the likes of this as troublesome and hasn't seen fit to avoid areas of the project in which he'll inevitably lose his rag is a problem for us, because we don't need more drama in these areas and the community keeps having to waste time having the same argument over a plainly-stated pillar of the project over and over again. I do hope that the admin who inevitably lifts this absolutely justified block is done using the mop that they will be imminently losing. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 09:33, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Yourself and others saying that he "lose his rag" isn't much better, very much an uncivil and possibly seen as a personal attack since it is commenting on the editor, not his comments. Bidgee (talk) 09:47, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Maybe one day I'll figure out who these false equivalences are supposed to be kidding. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 10:08, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * and the fact that you've threatened fellow Sysop's whom lift the block with a chilling effect (desysoping) just shows the issues Wikipedia has and no wonder why editor retention is on the downward trend. Bidgee (talk) 10:16, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Bidgee, your comments here are ridiculous, and Chris has not threatened anyone. GiantSnowman 10:23, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I suggest you look again. "I do hope that the admin who inevitably lifts this absolutely justified block is done using the mop that they will be imminently losing", it is a threat to have any Sysop whom are thinking of unblocking HiLo not to do so. Bidgee (talk) 10:27, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I suggest you look again. Chris states his belief that lifting this block is not the actions worth of an admin. He is not threatening to de-sysop anyone. GiantSnowman 10:38, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry but you read it again! Just incase you haven't worked it out "mop that they will be imminently losing", the "mop" is clearly to Sysop tool/rights/permission. Bidgee (talk) 10:44, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * GiantSnowman 10:55, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Chris cannot de-admin anyone, it's not a threat. It may be an observation that those who WP:WHEEL or even unblock against consensus are likely to end up before ArbCom and get de-adminned by them. But in no way is this a threat, chilling or otherwise. Killer Chihuahua 18:57, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * At a time when the entire rest of the tech community, particularly free content / free software, is realising that it needs to be more inclusive and to crack down on the aggression and hostility which puts so much of the world off participation, it never fails to amuse me that the people who yell most loudly about "editor retention" around here are the ones who hold a diametrically opposite view to that. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 10:53, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Right, we've lost not only new contributors but also long term contributors who have done a lot of constructive work but only to be tossed out onto the kerb by people gaming the system and unfit to have the tools. Bidgee (talk) 10:59, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Who's threatening to de-sysop others now?! GiantSnowman 11:01, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You know who it is, stop playing games. Bidgee (talk) 11:04, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Chris mentions an admin not being fit for the tools = threat, but when you do it it's not? GiantSnowman 11:10, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Stop trying to put words in my mouth and get Thumperward off the hook. Thumperward threatened anyone whom uses their "mop" to unblock HiLo will lose it (Sysop tools), I stated that we have some unfit (observation) Sysops, I made no threat to have their tools removed. Bidgee (talk) 11:16, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Semantics. GiantSnowman 11:18, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That's enough you two. Any further posts and I'll hat this subthread, which is not germane to the discussion. Kim Dent-Brown   (Talk)  11:23, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Endorse short block / oppose indef - on the basis that blocks are supposed to prevent damage to WP, not punish editors. In this case, a block seems justified on the basis that it might force the editor to take a break, rethink their contribution direction, acknowledge a previously less-than-civil attitude with regard to some topics and come back refreshed. That's what escalation protocols are designed to to. More incivility, longer block. More again, longer again. Indeffing as punishment doesn't strike me as a good-faith approach to that principle. A short topic ban (or equivalent voluntary commitment) might help to re-focus the energy of an otherwise seemingly productive contributor. Stalwart 111  10:21, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Support block and/or topic ban but oppose indef - agree with sentiment expressed by many above, HiLo's repeated incivility is an ongoing & concerning issue, but an indef is not an appropriate response. GiantSnowman 10:26, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Indef is the only appropriate response. Time-limited blocks work only where a user may not be fully aware of the consequences of their actions, or where we expect that the disruption is strictly temporary. Neither of these are the case here. "Indef" only very rarely means "eternal" around here for established editors, but that is dependent on the community figuring out an appropriate solution which removes the problematic editing. Last time that was a topic ban from ITN: this time it may be a broader ban, as HiLo doesn't seem to be able to self-identify when he's gone beyond accepted levels of discourse. Until such point as the community agrees an acceptable remedy, the block should stand. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 10:39, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose indef but support the block Per Hans Adler. Further comment HiLo has an amazingly bad habit of letting his feelings about a subject overrun him particularly when the other editors are the civil POV pusher type but upping it to indef for a comment about HiLo's view of gun ownership advocates in general is ridiculous. Blackmane (talk) 10:41, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There's no emergent consensus for an indefinite block and it should be lifted. There's a game being played here, as at so many "community" processes, of removing/retaining an editor who either supports/detracts from one's supported position on a given issue or which is informed by personal animus/regard due to a history interactions with the editor. The "community" might reflect on the use of sanction procedures ostensibly directed at behavioural issues to police content disputes and the implications of that for article quality. On contentious articles, as everyone knows, processes are gamed by all sides and the game is to eliminate POV opponents. Which is not to say that HiLo48, who is evidently a very bright and articulate editor, has nothing to learn about moderating their language so as not to walk into such traps. FiachraByrne (talk) 10:47, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Leaving aside the barely-veiled insinuation that those supporting a block here are all POV pushers in favour of gun deregulation in the United States, there is no evidence at all that HiLo has learned from the RfC that took place last year, which as Rschen7754 pointed out above went into precisely this area of Hilo's editing. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 10:53, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That's actually not the argument and people will support or oppose a block/ban for a multitude of reasons (friends/enemies of the editor; ideological support for a policy position or editing philosophy the most interesting of which is the general division between civility supporters and those who espouse the notion an editor should speak their mind/be truthful/rude - both positions are problematic; belief that an editor is disruptive/too much grief or a so-called "net-asset" to the "project"; etc.). The specific reasons for particular editors to support any particular administrative action is no preclusion to gamesmanship (and is rather part of the calculation through appeal to the existing ideological framework). It's unlikely HiLo will ever "learn" and processes supposedly designed to facilitate such "learning" function rather specifically to cause a deterioration in his behaviour (notwithstanding which I have huge sympathy for Kim-Dent's impossible role in the last RFC/U). Looking at the talk page of that article, though, the quality of his arguments, disregarding POV, is good and likely to impact positively on article quality and I'm not convinced his removal has or will improve the discourse on that page.FiachraByrne (talk) 11:11, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Civility is a pillar of the encyclopedia. Editors who cannot or will not remain civil in heated discussions have no place here. It's not something that can simply be ignored if it suits a given editor's sense of balance to have attack dogs on both sides of some particular internecine political argument. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 11:34, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * In the interminable rehearsal of these issues – where civility as policy has functioned not so much as a vehicle for collegiality as the means of editor warfare – one would normally, as North does below, invoke the notion of "refreshing candour" or "honesty" in editor expression which would be contrasted with apparently insidious evil of "Civil POV pushers", "baiters" and the like. Either way, given the ubiquity of these issues, one may have to come to terms with the fact that the policy itself as framed and, more importantly, unequally implemented, is the actual problem. Large sections of Wikipedia are essentially activist playgrounds; the civility policy, be it pillar or not, fosters rather than addresses that fact. FiachraByrne (talk) 11:49, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * One man's "refreshing candour" is another's "flagrant hostility", the difference being that only those in the former camp can tolerate long-term collaboration with those at that end of the spectrum. It is simply fallacious to suggest that in order to keep a lid on "civil POV pushers" we must allow editors free rein to behave as they please when challenging them, as the vast majority of such pushback is done by editors who remain calm and civil. As for the civility policy being "unequally implemented", that is the fault of those editors who would excuse bad behaviour because it suits them, and nobody else. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 11:59, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * That's there's no agreement of what constitutes incivility or of the appropriate actions to take in an instance of behaviour identified as incivil, as a casual perusal of this page will confirm, is the problem. The issue is not whether there should be rules governing editor interaction but the current form and function of those rules, where the lack of clear definition is productive of endless "process", dissension and, indeed, a non-trivial number of deeply hostile editor engagements. Added to that, the formulation of incivility as an ideological cause has not resulted in "civility" but, rather, in prolonged and divisive conflict (which is also, and perhaps more problematically, essentially irresolvable). Calmness and civility, exemplified, say, in a model editor like User:WLU, are of course desirable qualities but they are not characteristics limited to those who promote a neutral point of view and are naturally often adopted on a strategic basis as one of the means of promoting a particular position. Civil POV pushers, given their general tenacity over extremely long periods, are really only successfully dealt with following blocks or bans; getting to that point, if possible, is often an extremely protracted process. As you'll appreciate, your summation of what constitutes the unequal implementation of civility policy is rather pointedly and preemptively directed at the case at hand and fails to appreciate the actual range of factors, behaviours and relationships that are germane to the issue. FiachraByrne (talk) 13:12, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * "There's no agreement on civility" is an untruth designed solely to destabilise the pillar in question. (It brings to mind Paul Krugman's comment that if GW Bush has declared that the world were flat, the New York Times would run with the headline "Shape of Earth: Opinions Differ".) Editors are routinely blocked for infractions of the civility policy without any unroar. Even editors with significant editing histories by and large manage to respect our civility policies, and most of those who are blocked for civility infractions subsequently tone it down in future and don't get blocked any more. Our problem is almost entirely with a small number of charismatic and recalcitrant editors who either reject the notion of civility outright or, as with HiLo, have such a different interpretation of social norms that they cannot self-adjust to meet those of the wider community. Bringing "civil POV pushers" into it is as much of a red herring as it was five years ago, as the vast majority of those working to ensure that NPOV is enforced on difficult topics are able and willing to do so within the boundaries of what the community accepts to be civil behaviour. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 13:41, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure that the frequency with which editors are blocked and the response to same is an adequate measure of consensus for any policy. Evidence that the concept of civility is a point of contention and disagreement on Wikipedia is hardly difficult to find: (or one could just look up and down on this thread). Notwithstanding a fair amount of tribalism, grudges, and occasional envy, the fact that these disputes tend to become centred around individual editors does not point to the ineluctable workings of text-based "charisma" but, rather, to the absence of adequate governance and clear policy where, to become concrete and articulated, issues and values must be personalised around the actions, utterance and character of specified editors who come to symbolise certain positions. FiachraByrne (talk) 18:23, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Arbitrary break (HiLo48 block review)

 * Oppose block or reduce block. The latest comment was not that far out of line. It propose changing it to a 48 hours block. Pass a Method   talk  11:29, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Reduce block to time served I've interacted with HiLo48 for 3 1/2 years.  We disagree on about 95% of everything.  Their rough way of writing is their routine way of talking to friends and people that they are debating. There is no nastiness behind it as one would mistakenly infer if they were not familiar with them.  I find their bluntness refreshingly direct and much much nicer than the more common wiki-legal ways that people wage warfare in Wikipedia (via mis-use of policies, guidelines and forums, often using gang warfare.....and HiLo does NONE of that).  I guess it's inevitable that their roughness will need to be tamed in Wikipedia.   However, I consider a three week block on a situation that was borderline on even being an issue overkill, and then changing it to "indef" for some of HiLo48's comments on their own talk page to be beyond-the-pale.  I am guessing that both actions had some emotional over-reaction component in the decision making process.  Random huge punishments under the authority of Wikipedia are more harmful to Wikipedia than HiLo's rough words. North8000 (talk) 11:32, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * North8000, I think I disagree with you on about 96% of issues, but not here. Thanks for reaching out across the aisle, though I know that there's probably a gun up your sleeve, Taxi Driver-style. Drmies (talk) 15:53, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose idef block; reduce to time served Per . Also, not a fan of civilty blocks; Plus I'm sure HiLo has had time to cool. I would urge HiLo, if unblocked, that they are more cautious when communicating with others. All in all, an indefinate block is completely punitive. — MST  ☆  R   (Chat Me!) 11:45, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse block. We have WP:CIVIL for a reason- because when people are name-calling, it impairs people's ability to get work done together.  It did seem like an abruptly long block, and I would support shortening or lifting it if HiLo understood that and had a plan for doing better in future, but he has explicitly stated that he will continue calling people who disagree with him on this issue 'nutters,' and he thinks he is right to do so, because people who disagree with him really are nutters.  That isn't okay, and it is going to make the difficult work on creating accurate articles on this subject even more difficult every time he does it.  If it's necessary to know him personally to understand that even if he's being insulting, he's a nice guy really, that doesn't work at Wikipedia, where not every editor will know him personally. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 12:05, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse Indefinite means "until the community is convinced it won't recur". Based on the history - and the current comments on their talkpage - we'll need some real convincing.  Oh, and if by some chance they do convince someone on the planet, then it needs to be with the restriction that any future violation will be a ban, period (✉→BWilkins←✎) 12:15, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Over the top Reduce to something reasonable. The solution to the Wikipedia civility issue is coming up with an actually policy (rather than some hand waving vague concept), not blocking the "bad" editor du jour. NE Ent 12:59, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse, he (or she, don't know) has had plenty of chances and warning.  GregJackP   Boomer!   13:07, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * HiLo48's incivility is considered and deliberate, I think a lot of editors here don't realise that. From November 2012: "I'm comfortable within myself. Pretending to be nice to nutters never makes me feel better, and it encourages them. I am part of a culture of honesty. I'm not leaving it."From October 2012:"(...)attempts at polite dialogue have no impact at all. Swearing at him at least gets his attention." --Surturz (talk) 13:16, 5 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Neutral Neither the block nor condition to unblock seem beyond the bounds of reason given the history. It seems the condition can be met, but we shall see, so neutral.  A few other observations are: all rules and laws are unevenly enforced off the Pedia, so it's unreasonable to expect such a thing on the Pedia, but it's also no reason to overthrow Pillars (which are also expressions of WP:Terms of use). Rules and laws are aspirational, as well as functional.  Uneven enforcement is the price of being human but it also serves to make rule breaking less approved.  The Pillars, including Civility and NPOV are reasonable rules of conduct and content, but they also address different things; it makes little sense to attempt to enforce one by breaking the other. If the concern is that a single admin is entrusted with making such judgments, than it is probably best to reform blocking process in toto, rather than to keep having these same ad hoc conversations/ivotes here. -- Alanscottwalker (talk) 13:45, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose block, in case that wasn't clear from the above. Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 13:47, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Without comment on the merits of the block, I will say that it's certainly possible to edit articles about fringe groups without deriding them on-wiki. I've contributed to articles about the KKK and lynch mobs (both of which I have a very low opinion of, to say the least), and I never felt the need to type out a list of insults on their talk pages. The talk pages are there for discussion of improvements to the article, not for you or I to express our opinions. Mark Arsten (talk) 15:41, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Unblock: I see nothing in recent diffs by HiLo48 that would necessitate the indefinite block of a good-faith user. -Nathan Johnson (talk) 15:50, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Unblock Without saying that no block was proper, it is clear that whatever value it had is now being reduced. And I can point out a host of people using far worse language than "nutters" for sure - by people who do not get blocked at all.  If we wish to establish civility rules, we ought to be reasonably consistent.  And yes, we should establish some consistent standards so the most uncivl ones do not get of scot-free. Collect (talk) 16:00, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse indef, with the proviso that indef="as long as HiLo thinks questioning other editors' sanity is a good debate technique here". -- SarekOfVulcan (talk) 16:19, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse, albeit reluctantly, with Sarek's proviso (which is obviously what was intended). I like HiLo and he often makes a lot of sense, but Wikipedia is a collaborative project and its editors need to be able to resolve the inevitable good-faith disagreements through discourse without resorting to insults—even, or perhaps especially, where they hold deep differences of opinion. HJ Mitchell  &#124;  Penny for your thoughts?  16:25, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse As was clearly stated, indefinite =/= permanent. Hilo could be unblocked this very second if he agreed to abide by community norms.  That said, my experience with this editor is that a truly indefinite block is inevitable.  It is merely a question of if he's willing to hang himself now or later.  Though I would quite like to be proven wrong.  The ball, however, is in his court. Resolute 16:29, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Endorse block, undecided on indef. I support the block, but indefinite may be a bit too much. I understand indefinite != infinite, but at the same time this block (original, not the extension to indef) was only his second block. I would shorten the indef to a good long 60 days or so, but how it's set up with indef also works. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 16:46, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment by one of the Nutters - Hi Folks, I hope its not inappropriate for me to comment, but I'm one of the individuals that HiLo referred to as a "nutter" on the Wayne LaPierre Talk page. I was not offended personally or otherwise by his comments and I consider this editor, his previous issues notwithstanding, as someone who ads a note of civility and clear thinking to discussions on some heated and impassioned topics. In fact, I'd like to point this conversation on his Talk page about US gun sanctions. I think it demonstrates that people from around the globe with vastly different cultural influences can come together, share their opinions, and politely chat. That said, I feel that WP would suffer with the loss of this editor. Just my 2 cents... --Scalhotrod - Just your average banjo playing, drag racing, cowboy... (talk) 16:55, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Reduce block to one month or even more, but indef is too much. Let's give him one more chance. Cavarrone (talk) 17:23, 5 February 2013 (UTC)