Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 May 2

= May 2 =

Help with missing information
Nicholas Biddle (banker) has the section on Ancestry and Early Life start in the middle of a sentence, and timewise well after ancestry, birth and boyhood. This would appear to be due to vandalism or the like, but I don't seem to be able to use the History to figure out how to revert to the missing information. Please help. --DThomsen8 (talk) 01:12, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * It was this edit by User:71.203.94.108. Now reverted and IP warned. – ukexpat (talk) 01:26, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * BTW, you should try out the Navigation popups gadget (available on the gadgets tab of your preferences). It makes figuring out stuff like this much easier. – ukexpat (talk) 01:30, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Coordinates for a map
How can I figure out where to place the coordinates for cities on the following map to use in a city article: For example how were the coordinates figured out for this article: Wilkeson, Washington? --Lost Fugitive (talk) 01:18, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If you already have the geocoordinates (latitudes and longitudes) of the various points, you can convert to rectilinear coordinates by simple linear interpolation as long as you don't have too big a circle or you are not too far away from the equator. Those imabe lables are fractions of the width and fractions fo the height of the image. for example if your center town is at 77W 39N, you might choose to map towns within 60 Nautical miles, (one degree of latitude.) the bull's eye will be from 38N to 40N in height and from about 77.7W to about 79.5W. Interpolate from there. If you want higher accuracy, you can either do a lot of spherical trigonometry, or you can overlay the bull's eye on google earth and adjust by eye. -Arch dude (talk) 16:35, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Hey thanks. I think it all worked out: Osceola, NE. --Lost Fugitive (talk) 21:44, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

New users
Is there a page where you can monitor newly registered accounts, the same way you can monitor newly created pages? Wh ip it ! Now whip it good! 01:48, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I think it's Special:Log, which seems to be broken at the moment. Xenon54 (talk) 01:56, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Try this one. – ukexpat (talk) 02:00, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you! Wh ip it !  Now whip it good! 02:25, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Quick question about Userpage?
Resolved. How can I add a title above the picture on my userpage? Sorry, a very easy question, just not sure! dottydotdot (talk) 02:26, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * You can add a caption below, not sure about above:


 * Chateau de Chenonceau 2008E.jpg . – ukexpat (talk) 02:31, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If you want it to look like a thumbnail, you must use a table. Anything in specific?  Zoo Fari  03:03, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * You could use a table, and use the first row to add a caption: sample below:

something like that?
 * See Help:table if you want it to float right, or center or something. — Ched :  ? 06:49, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * added info to your talk page as well. ;) — Ched :  ? 07:14, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you! dottydotdot (talk) 08:30, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

New Page Patrol
I want to start patrolling on Wikipedia, but none of the articles are highlighted when they have already been patrolled. Iowateen (talk) 03:28, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * You are looking at Special:NewPages? – ukexpat (talk) 03:31, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Yep. Iowateen (talk) 03:33, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * At the bottom right of the article, there is a link that shows: [Mark this page as patrolled] or something like that. Click it to patrol it.  Zoo Fari  03:34, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I know that. The problem is that I can't see which pages have been patrolled. I don't want to click on an article for no reason. Iowateen (talk) 03:39, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * The ones that are highlighted haven't been patrolled. The ones that aren't highlighted have already been patrolled by a user. Is that it?  Zoo Fari  03:41, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes! Nothing is highlighted! Iowateen (talk) 03:44, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Then they all have been patrolled. But there are a few that I see. Are you sure you are looking a New Pages and not Recent changes? Try looking at the backlog (there is a link for that). If they aren't highlighted, than there are some issues.  Zoo Fari  03:49, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Select the "Hide patrolled edits" option. You'll go back a bit but that should help. -- Ricky81682 (talk) 03:50, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

I clicked on a link that took me to the back of the unpatrolled list and nothing was highlighted. Iowateen (talk) 03:52, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Holy crap. After a few days, it's working by itself. Iowateen (talk) 04:00, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Did you get it solved? Still a problem?  Zoo Fari  04:03, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I didn't do anything. It just started workiong again by itself. My computer is a piece of crud. Something may worrk one day, then not work later, and then work again for no apparent reason. Iowateen (talk) 04:06, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Well, the back of the list (i.e. stuff from almost a month ago) is going to be mostly patrolled. The stuff at the front of the list (i.e. this  instant) is somewhat patrolled.  Like I said, though, select the "Hide patrolled edits" and there should be plenty to do.  -- Ricky81682 (talk) 04:28, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If your computer behaves erratically, do a disk scan, a virus scan, an everything-you-can scan. Strange behavior sometimes precedes a hard disk failure, for example (guess how I learned that). --Teratornis (talk) 19:58, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Shirley Temple vs. Categories
My question has to do with editing of category lists. I've been improving the "Shirley Temple" article, and I noticed that all the many categories that list her do so by her childhood name rather than by her present legal name. I suppose this is due to the fact that her main article is titled by her childhood name. The page "Shirley Temple Black" just redirects to "Shirley Temple". It is my contention that categories like "California Republicans" and "American Diplomats" and several others should list her by her present legal name, alphabetized to the "B's" for Black, rather than to the "T's" for Temple. I have searched pages and faqs on categories and can find no way to correct this error. Please help. .`^) Painediss`cuss (^`.  05:50, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Our categories don't sort people. They sort articles (on people). You shouldn't try to change the sorting but to change the name of the article. How that is done is explained here. I hope this was helpful. Good raise  07:11, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your input, Goodraise! The answer lies, rather than in changing the page name, in Arch dude's response below.  However, I do thank you very much for your responsiveness!    .`^) Painediss`cuss (^`.   16:21, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, now I see. I should have read your question more carefully. I missed that you wanted to sort her differently depending on which category. My apologies. Good raise  16:55, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

But the OP wants to use one name in some categories, and a different name in other categories. To do this, first use a template prior to all of the category statements at the bottom of the article to give the most common sort in the Shirley Temple article, the defaultsort is already set to. Then, for all catecories taht should use a different name, place thedesired name as a paramater within the category statemant, (e.g., ) to override the defaultsort for that particualr category. -Arch dude (talk) 16:10, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you so much, Arch dude! This appears to be the ticket!    .`^) Painediss`cuss (^`.   16:21, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Also note the much underused Lifetime template. – ukexpat (talk) 19:13, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Here is the final resolution: Since piping the full name, "Black, Shirley Temple", to specific categories only partially worked, I had to devise a different solution. When I piped in that name, and then checked the category, the alphabetization did change, and the name was placed in the "B's" in the proper position. However the name placed there was still only "Shirley Temple" (without her present surname, "Black"). I surmised that this was because the category was tied to the specific page on which it is placed. Sure enough! I placed the appropriate categories on the redirect page (titled "Shirley Temple Black"), and the full name was then placed in the category lists. Unlike the other names, it is in italics, and I assume that this is because the category links are on a redirect page. The links on the category pages look and act like this: Shirley Temple Black. This has resolved the situation to my satisfaction.

Administrators may want to seriously consider updating the entire article by swapping the "Shirley Temple" page with the "Shirley Temple Black" redirect page. I tried to do this, but it was beyond my present ken. Thank you all for your help, comments and counsel. You too, ukexpat! .`^) Painediss`cuss (^`.  05:41, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Who is Chrissy Schimmel
Who is Chrissy Schimmel? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.46.168.100 (talk) 07:38, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. Good raise  08:10, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

cheathouse.com for free?
I search for a website with FREE college papers. I only found websites like  and  (both are very good, but expensive). In german language existis such service, called [Fundus.org]. Has the USA-Internet an equal service? (outside Wikipedia of course; inside Wikipedia I know the featured article in the review process).--Manuel-aa5 (talk) 08:57, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. Good <font size="3" style="color:black">raise </tt> 09:03, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If you mean free college papers that are already written, I would mention that most colleges and other educational institutions frown upon plagiarism. TN <b style="color:midnightblue; font-size:larger;">X</b> Man  18:01, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

portal article
Do you have an article on your "portals"? If not, please create one ASAP. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.182.94.131 (talk) 11:47, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Portal — Ched : <font style="color:#FFFFFF;background:#0000fa;"> ? 12:01, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * And WP:EIW. --Teratornis (talk) 17:02, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Is there a simple German Wikipedia?
In trying to improve my level of German comprehension it would be useful for me to read some simple German writing. Is there a version of Simple Wikipedia (simple.wikipedia.org) in the German language? --JoeTalkWork 15:07, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * No. The only "simple" language wikis are in English.  tempo di valse  [☎]  16:12, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * No. But on Fundus.org you can download German Texts about all Wikipedia-Topics (Art, Business, Science). Most of them are written by. 16 year old school kids.--Manuel-aa5 (talk) 18:53, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

"page under construction"
hi, is there any message thing that says something like: 'this page is currently under construction' that i can use so that any pages i am currently making dont get filled up with stuff telling me that it is all wrong?

thanks, --Abc26324 (talk) 17:26, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Put at the top.  x42bn6 Talk Mess  17:51, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * However, if you would like a stress-free environment in which to work on articles, I would suggest creating a sandbox in your userspace. That way you can improve the article before moving it to the mainspace. If you're not sure how to create one of those, simply post here and we can help you out. TN <b style="color:midnightblue; font-size:larger;">X</b> Man  18:02, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Or click this: User:Abc26324/Sandbox. When you are ready, see WP:MOVE to learn how to move it to article space. --Teratornis (talk) 19:48, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * It's already in article space. I strongly suggest that you find at least one reliable source for your comment about adders, and some sources to show that the subject is WP:Notable. Without those, even the under construction tag may not help much. Dougweller (talk) 21:03, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

iron level
what is the normal level of iron in a human being? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.40.81.86 (talk) 18:55, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. But note that we we won't do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 19:10, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Composition of the human body. --Teratornis (talk) 19:50, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

my AfD using Twinkle hasn't worked properly
Hi I made the AfD, using Twinkle, and on the article itself it still looks like a red link, and says it doesn't exist if you move a cursor over it, even though if you click on the red link it takes you to the AfD page. Is it supposed to look like that? <b style="color:#FF8C00;">Sticky</b> <b style="color:#FF8C00;">Parkin</b> 19:30, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * This is a long standing issue see here the bug has been acknowledged. BigDunc  Talk 19:36, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Purging the page will correct this problem. TN <b style="color:midnightblue; font-size:larger;">X</b> Man  20:00, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Still unable to upload images
I have an account that has been active for 5 days and have made over 10 edits, but I am still unable to upload images. Is there a reason? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Filmfan9898 (talk • contribs) 19:42, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * According to your logs, your account started on 18:39, 28 April 2009. April has 30 days, so you're almost there. --Teratornis (talk) 19:53, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If your images are under free licenses (such as CC-BY-SA), then you can and should upload them to Commons so all the language Wikipedias can use them. Commons has no four-day wait for new image upload, but it does have that wait for uploading a new version on top of an existing image. See Special:MergeAccount to automatically log you in to Commons from your Wikipedia account. --Teratornis (talk) 20:03, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

U.S.Railroads
Which current U.S. railroad company provides rail service from the Atlantic ocean coast to the Pacific ocean coast, as well as to Canada and Mexico? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.32.25.19 (talk) 21:06, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. However, please be aware that they will not do your homework for you. TN <b style="color:midnightblue; font-size:larger;">X</b> Man  22:15, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * You can try our articles List of common carrier freight railroads in the United States and Rail transport in the United States. If you can't find your answer there, try asking on the WP:REFDESK. <font face="times new roman"> hmwith τ   22:20, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

If you know an entry contains lies, what should one do?
I have personal experience with a living person who has an entry on this wiki, and I know much of the entry is fabricated. What should I do? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shrox (talk • contribs) 22:11, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * You'll need to provide independently published reliable sources that back up your facts. Unfortunately, we do not allow personal knowledge, as that constitutes original research. If you do not have any sources, I would still suggest bringing up the issues on the article's talk page, to see if any other interested editors can assist you. TN <b style="color:midnightblue; font-size:larger;">X</b> Man  22:14, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I think he's talking more about removing information rather than adding some. <font face="times new roman"> hmwith τ   22:22, 2 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If anything on a biography of a living person is unsourced, feel free to remove it. You can also post concerns on WP:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard. <font face="times new roman"> hmwith τ   22:22, 2 May 2009 (UTC)